My Primal Nest

TypeOneGrit!

2015-01-13T15:05:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year, I was able to participate in starting an awesome new Facebook group with R.D. Dikeman, Derek Raulerson, and Debbie Theriault called TypeOneGrit. It is my absolute privilege to be a part of this amazing community. My blood sugar management has done a complete 180 because of these people. Here are some FAQ's about TypeOneGrit.

GRIT FAQ:

1. What is TYPEONEGRIT?

TYPEONEGRIT is a FB group for type one diabetics who follow Dr. Bernstein’s approach to normalizing blood sugars. The group includes dietitians, endocrinologists, researchers, CDE’s, famous low carb chefs and type one diabetic low carb practitioners. This approach

1. Centers around the restriction of carbohydrate – no grains, sugar, fruit or starches.

2. Allows for the use of small, predictable doses of insulin.

3. Nearly removes the possibility of hypoglycemia.

4. Allows for the normalization of blood sugars and removes the threat of hyperglycemia and thus the complications of high blood sugars.

5. Reduces the threat of DKA because blood sugars are normal.

6. Minimizes the cognitive load required to manage the disease.

2. What type of results do you see? 2/3 of GRIT members have an HbA1c of 5.9% or less:

Results are shown here: http://www.pinterest.com/typeonegrit/typeonegrit-graphs/

3. What kind of food do you eat?

There is a low carb option for everything. Pizza. Ice Cream. Bread. Rice. Pasta. Carbohydrate is neither required for nutrition, nor for the joy of eating. Fat is flavor. This way of eating relies on proteins and fats: meat, cheese, fish, nuts, eggs, creams, etc. and non-starchy vegetables. GRIT members remark that this is, in fact, a luxurious way to eat. Fun recipes are here:

http://www.pinterest.com/typeonegrit/grit-recipes/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0988512483/

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/

http://carbwars.blogspot.com/

This slide illustrates some of the food:

4. What books do you recommend ?

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Fat-Surprise-Healthy/dp/1451624425

http://www.amazon.com/Cholesterol-Clarity-What-Wrong-Numbers/dp/1936608383

5. I or my child has just been diagnosed with Type One diabetes. Why have my doctor and dietician put me/ my child on a high carbohydrate diet when this is the strongest cause of blood sugar fluctuation?

Diabetics die at 4 to 5x the rate of cardiovascular disease as non-diabetics – where it is the number one killer - for an obvious reason – they have elevated blood sugars. Nevertheless, the myth of dietary, saturated fat causing high cholesterol which causes heart disease has persisted in the medical establishment. This myth has been debunked and is no longer a serious idea in academia, but persists in the medical community. You are caught in the middle and have been put on a high sugar diet.

6. Don’t I need to eat carbohydrate?

Carbohydrates are not a necessary macronutrient. The Dr. Bernstein way of eating advocates for carbohydrate in fibrous vegetables to obtain phytonutrients. Grains, starch, fruit, and added sugar are not required for life. The picture below shows what carbohydrates are – chains of sugar molecules. The bonds of these chains are already being broken down by the salivary amylase in your mouth. Spit turns bread into glucose.

Since diabetics cannot metabolize sugar and carbohydrate are just chained sugar molecules it makes no sense to eat them.

7. Really? Fruit is bad?

Yes. Fruit has been engineered to be maximally sweet, not maximally nutritious via agriculture to be far different now than it was with our ancestors.

8. Don’t people need carbs for energy?

No. The body relies on ATP for fuel. ATP production relies on glucose and amino acids which are obtained through dietary protein. Protein can make the glucose the body needs through the process called gluconeogenesis. ATP production and gluconeogenesis are detailed below in the diagram of the citric cycle.

9. Are there any videos you recommend?

Yes:

Videos by parents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfEswff-oEs&list=PLs_TA02I6IvW8FolFOegsXUexj3PSRkxJ

Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes University:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFNGdKSXx64&list=PLs_TA02I6IvV6-1s2pL4BPhvMo0Ck_lcY

Dr. Troy Stapelton:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR8rc_AF6XU

10. What about athletics? Don’t we need to carb up or carb afterwords to ‘replace glycogen’?

No, this is a myth. Carbohydrate is going to require insulin, which can result in hyperglycemia and/or hypoglycemia. TYPEONEGRIT has world champion endurance athletes, triathletes and marathon runners. If you do athletics and carb up, you are just going to spike your blood sugar.

11. What is the perfect blood sugar?

100 mg/dL is an abnormal blood sugar. The blood sugar for a healthy non-diabetic adult is 83 mg/dL. Healthy children run in the 70s. Pregnant women run in the 60s.

12. What about ketones?

Ketones are a by product of burning either dietary or stored fat. High levels of ketones when coupled with high blood sugars are a concern and may be a sign of DKA or ketoacidosis. With normal blood sugars, ketones are not a concern. This information can be easily found on the internet. Why is your health care provider so utterly confused? Found out in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xdlzHyysNk

13. Im not bothered by high blood sugars, why should I care?

High blood sugars – even an A1c in the mid to high fives, are known to cause a myriad of health problems. High blood sugar, not total cholesterol, is the fundamental predictor of total health.

14. My doctor said a normal A1c is dangerous from lows. Aren’t normal A1c’s unhealthy?

Diabetics have the right to the same blood sugars as non-diabetics. This way of eating does not cause more hypo’s it causes LESS hypos than the diet prescribed by your doctor because that diet is high carb. High carb diets require more insulin and therefore cause unpredictable blood sugars. This is pure common sense.

15. Isn’t this way of eating depressing?

No. This way of eating is delicious. Normalizing blood sugars returns the feeling that one is ‘The Captain of His Own Ship’ since you can control blood sugar. Normal life, optimism and hope return.

16. My child is little. Can’t we do this later?

Not if you want to avoid the complications of diabetes. Neurocognitive effects exist already at diagnosis. For example, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24969580

17. What does GRIT mean anyway?

http://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit

"Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it's a marathon, not a sprint." -Angela Lee Duckworth

18. Why doesn't this situation change?

It is changing, but the establishment is not keeping up – they still advocate a diet high in carbohydrate, which is just sugar. This makes no sense. See this article -

http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007%2814%2900332-3/fulltext

19. What is the group like?

The group is not typical. There is no drama in TYPEONEGRIT. The

true spirit of helpfulness and comradery marks the group. Many members have formed life long friendships.

If you're interested in joining us, send a join request here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/660633730675058/ and send a message to one of our admins telling us about yourself and your current regimen. Make sure to check your, "other" folder as messages tend to get lost there.

Cholesterol and My VAP test results.

2014-01-09T15:57:00.001-05:00

So I am way behind on posting this but I wanted to put it out there for anyone who might be doubting this way of eating. Some of the things you might hear from family or friends, "won't all that fat clog your arteries?" or "surely eating butter, bacon and coconut oil will raise your cholesterol!" The simple answer is, "NO!". Well, not like you think anyway.

If you are a follower of this way of eating ie low-carb high-fat, Paleo, Primal or ketogenic you probably know this already, but here is a refresher. Half a century ago, this guy named Ancel Keyes proposed a theory. It is commonly known as "The Lipid Hypothesis". He published this study of 22 countries that associated saturated fat with heart disease. The problem with his study is that it was completely bogus. It was cherry picked. He started with 22 countries but many didn't jive with his theory so he just threw out that data. He only ended up with 7 countries that fit his criteria. This became known as "The Seven Countries Study" which seemingly showed that there was a strong correlation between serum cholesterol and coronary heart disease mortality. When this study was repeated by other scientists, including all the countries, the correlation disappeared.

In 1960, Ancel Keyes was sitting in the American Heart Disease Committee that advised a low-fat diet for those at risk for heart disease. As we know, things just went down-hill from there. The public was blasted with advice that has since led to obesity, diabetes, stroke and yes-heart disease! "Eat a diet low in saturated fat and eat these healthy vegetable oils instead! Eat plenty of whole grains, starches, fruit and vegetables!" We can see how that turned out. Obesity rates have skyrocketed. As of 2011, 25.8 million people are diabetic-8.3% of the population! 79 million people are considered, "pre-diabetic". (http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/) Two-thirds of the US adults are overweight or obese. Heart disease is the NUMBER ONE cause of death for both men and women in the U.S. today. (http://www.theheartfoundation.org/heart-disease-facts/heart-disease-statistics/) Yeah, this plan worked out great.

The tide is turning however albeit slowly and painfully. In the past ten years a myriad of studies have come out showing NO correlation between saturated fat and heart disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20071648 "Twenty-one studies identified by searching MEDLINE and EMBASE databases and secondary referencing qualified for inclusion in this study. A random-effects model was used to derive composite relative risk estimates for CHD, stroke, and CVD.

CONCLUSIONS:

A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat." Has this changed the recommendations? Not so much. It would be kind of difficult for the experts to just admit, "oh wow, we've been wrong for the last 50 years and gosh we must have killed a lot of people. Whoops."

So back to cholesterol. When asked about their cholesterol, most people just think about total cholesterol, but this is just a teeny tiny part of the picture. Did you know that 50% of people who were hospitalized with coronary artery disease had "normal" cholesterol and that 75% of patients who had heart attacks fell within the current guidelines set for LDL?(http://www.atherotech.com/content/thevaptest/pdfs/vapbrochure.pdf) Sounds like we're missing something huh?

We have "good cholesterol", "bad cholesterol", triglycerides, VLDL and that's just on a basic lipid profile which is almost certainly all your doctor is testing. This still is only a small portion of the total picture. Yes, we want high HDL, "good cholesterol" lower LDL (bad cholesterol) low triglycerides and VLDL but an important factor that most doctors are overlooking is the LDL particle size pattern. A diet that is low-fat and grain based results in small, hard dense LDL particles or "pattern B" which is harmful-a heart disease risk factor, high triglycerides and VLDL whereas a grain-free, low-carb diet high in saturated fat (think animal fats, butter, coconut oil and dairy fat) results in large buoyant benign LDL particles known as "Pattern A". Most likely your doctor will say, "your cholesterol is high, lets put you on a statin" or "your LDL is higher than I'd like, lets start a statin" no matter what your LDL pattern is, completely ignoring the fact that if your LDL is pattern A, your LDL is benign, even beneficial. Going beyond LDL particle size patterns we have lipoprotein classes and subclasses.

A VAP test covers all these. So why isn't this test routinely done? I begged and pleaded for my doctor to run one for over 3 years and was always given the same explanation, "it won't change the outcome, there is no point". There absolutely is a point! I'm not taking a pill if I don't need to. Finally, I convinced him to run it.

So enough of the explanations. Here are my results:

As you can see they are awesome!!! My HDL (good cholesterol) is 93. They want it above 40. I'd like to see a grain eater with an HDL that high! My LDL is 119. Some would consider this on the high side but if you look down to Real-LDL size pattern, my LDL is Pattern A!!! Large, buoyant fluffy LDL, the good kind. My triglycerides are nice and low at 44, my VLDL is 13, my APO B 100 is 82, 11 and my real LDL C is 101. LPA is 11, HDL-2 is 35, HDL-3 is 58, VLDL-3 is 7. My total cholesterol to HDL ratio (preferably under 5) is 2.42- VERY LOW CARDIOVASCULAR RISK!!! My triglycerides/HDL ratio is 0.69 (preferably under 4, ideally under 2).

These numbers are terrific! If I had only had a basic cholesterol test however, a doctor would say, "oh my, your total cholesterol is 225! That is high and you need to be put on a statin immediately! This is why the VAP test is so important. So many people are needlessly taking cholesterol medication. The other major point here is that I obtained these awesome cholesterol numbers by following a very high fat (80% mainly saturated) low carb meal plan! I am not clogging my arteries! Here is the proof.

Make your own almond flour!

2013-06-22T16:16:00.002-04:00

I love almond flour. It is so useful for baking and is low carb and paleo. It's so versatile. You can make breads, cakes, pie crusts, all kinds of stuff. The downside? It is hard to find and is expensive. I'm lucky to live in a city where there are a few places to find it but at my local Target, it is $11.50 a lb. I could drive across town to get it for $8 a lb but that is a pain and I'm using gas money. My solution? Make my own!

Ingredients:

Two 10 oz bags of almond slivers
A Magic Bullet or Food Processor

Pour slivered almonds into the Magic Bullet and in short pulses (I did around 10 seconds at a time to avoid overheating the bullet) process until you have almond flour! Easy peasy. Why didn't I think of this sooner? For a couple minutes of my time, I get almond flour for $6.40/lb. I might even be able to get it lower if I can find cheaper almond slivers.

Now off to my Saturday baking!

Staying on track during vacation

2013-06-10T17:12:00.000-04:00

Friday before last was the last day of school for the kids. Matt and I decided spur-of-the-moment that it was time for a vacation. We discussed a few ideas, but ultimately decided on Colorado. Matt was raised there and in the 13 years we've been together, I had never visited. It was in fact as awesome as he had told me.

Staying low-carb during vacation can be a feat. A lot of people "fall off the wagon" either deliberately or just end up giving in due to the lack of choices but I'm here to tell you it can be done! My weight was up a couple lb due to water retention and I was determined to not let it go any further.

The first day I actually did a correction day. On vacation. Yep. I brought the stuff to make Bulletproof coffee and had that for breakfast, had boiled eggs for lunch (I brought them in a cooler) and had a giant Porterhouse and salad for dinner at a local restaurant in Denver. Total carbs: 3. I dropped 3lb.

The next day we had breakfast in the restaurant in our hotel. It was amazing. And expensive. Me being me decided I would get my money's worth so I loaded up. Along with my coffee and cream (they had stevia in the raw!) 4 chicken and apple sausage links, 5 slices of thick cut bacon, scrambled eggs and a handful of pecans. After breakfast we took a tour of Parker, the town where Matt grew up and visited his old homes. We by chance ran into his best friend from childhood's mom and had a nice visit with her and her husband.

For lunch, a grilled chicken Caesar Salad from Costco. Yeah we are awesome. We go to Costco on vacation (we needed bottled water). For dinner, Red Robin. I had a Guacamole Bacon Burger with no bun and broccoli on the side. Daily carb total: 21.

Day 3 I had coffee with cream and boiled eggs for breakfast (we went to Starbuck's for breakfast since the buffet was so expensive). We went to the zoo after this. It was really fun for everyone.

For lunch we found this awesome place called "The Uber Sausage". It was basically a shack on the side of the road. It was amazing. All their produce was organic and meats free-range. They were a sandwich place but had the option to make any sandwich into a salad. I had a Club. Organic arugula with chicken apple sausage (my 2nd experience with it in 2 days!) bacon, avocado and aioli. ZOMG.

After lunch we met up with my friend Breea from my online mommie's group. We went to the Museum of Nature and Science. They had some really cool stuff and it was really neat to meet one of my online friends in real life.

We joined my friend and her hubby for dinner at a really cool place called the Berkshire Restaurant. This was another place that really caters to paleo/gf etc. I got duck breast with something called broccolini which is a mix of broccoli and asparagus, micro greens, and a hazelnut vinaigrette (no sugar). Absolutely delicious. This place is known for specializing in pork and had bacon everything. Even bacon doughnuts. No I didn't eat any but we got one for the kids. They weren't especially impressed. Carb total for the day: 27 (18 net).

Day 4 we went to IHOP for breakfast. I did a "build your own" breakfast of bacon, sausage and fried eggs with coffee. I was so stuffed I couldn't eat lunch. I had a few pumpkin seeds for a snack. BTW pumpkin seeds are awesome. Low in carbs, packed with nutrients and just about every gas station has them.

After breakfast we went to Target to get sunscreen and some other necessities. I also got a new swimsuit! Isn't it cute?

We took the kids to the children's museum and they had a wonderful time. We've been to a number of children's museums on various trips and this though not the most awesome, had some pretty cool stuff like a "bubble room".

Diana the firefighter

Firefighter Adrian

Big bubble!

He loved the trains.

Inside a bubble!

Going shopping.

After the museum we decided to check out the mall. The really expensive mall where stuff on clearance is $100. As we were walking along a lady at a curling iron booth stopped us and offered to curl Diana's hair and straighten mine. It was impressive but there is no way I could justify spending $300 on a curling iron and flat iron. Diana was happy with her curls though.

We met up for dinner with one of Matt's old friends at Casa Bonita which is definitely an experience. You wait in line and are given a limited option of food choices which are served kind of cafeteria style. Given my limited options, I chose a taco salad and didn't eat the shell. The restaurant is known, not for their food, but for the show. They have a pirate show, a 30 foot water fall, cliff divers, fire jugglers, a puppet show, a gift shop and arcade complete with ski-ball and 80's arcade games. Matt had gone as a child and loved it. The restaurant was also featured on an episode of "South Park" a few years back so I was curious to experience it. Everyone had fun and the kids were enthralled. Carb total for the day: 14

Day 5 we did Village Inn for breakfast. I again loaded up on bacon, sausage and a spinach and bacon omelet and was again too full for lunch. We did have an early dinner though. We went to a very cool place called Garbanzo's Mediterranean Grill who also offered organic/gf/free-range stuff (noticing a pattern here? I did not realize this going in either. Love Denver). I tried my first Falafel before realizing it had beans in it. They said no grains so I bit. It was tasty but didn't need to load up on those. I had a scrumptious Greek salad with steak. I did indulge in 8 homemade potato chips. Still paleo but not low-carb. It was all good though as my carb total for the day was only 30 (24 net).

After dinner we headed out of Denver and on to Colorado Springs. We ate breakfast at the hotel and I had some breakfast ham and scrambled eggs. We went on to Garden of the gods after breakfast. At the beginning I was disappointed. I was expecting a garden with flowers and this was definitely not that. After experiencing it, I was not disappointed however.

After that we went to Steak 'n Shake for lunch. California Steak-burger sans bun and a side salad.

We discovered Colorado Springs had a Whole Foods so we took a trip there and I found some Fage Total full fat greek yogurt! I was so excited as I have been looking for it for like 3 years and finally found some. Most stores carry Fage but it is always non-fat or 2%. Bleh. I mixed it up with some coconut oil and stevia and it was awesome!

We enjoyed a nice afternoon, strolling through downtown Colorado Springs. We found a cool used book store, along with a toy store, a spice shop, and even gasp, a candy store! I got a sugar free almond butter crunch and it was soooo good.

For dinner we took the kids to Cici's Pizza. It used to be a family favorite when we lived in GA. Back then I would eat to my heart's content and then bolus 25 units to cover the hundreds of carbs I was eating. Not this time. Get this. Cici's offers a low-carb bowl! How cool is that? A bowl with toppings, cheese and sauce. That's all you want anyway right? The crust just holds all the yummy stuff. Carb total for the day: 29

On the last day we ate breakfast at the hotel. Had sausage patties with cream cheese on top, an omelet with American cheese and coffee with cream.

We were on the road for lunch. I just grabbed some stuff from a gas station. More coffee, some pumpkin seeds that I barely touched because they were so salty and an Atkins bar. Not my proudest moment. I rail and preach about the evils of Atkins bars. They are full of crap and keep you from breaking the sugar/grain addiction. It was convenient and available at the gas station so I ate it. By dinner time we were pulling into El Paso and it was storming so we stopped at Golden Corrall. Being a buffet of course I stuffed myself. Sirloin steak, Bourbon street chicken, Chipotle chicken, cottage cheese, egg salad, sugar free jello and sugar free blueberry pie. Total carbs for the day:27.

So there ya go. 7 days and I never went over my 30g max. I got to eat yummy delicious food and didn't go off plan (not badly anyhow). We had an awesome vacation and I can't wait to go back!

High Fat Experiment

2013-05-21T18:27:00.001-04:00

Last week I made a low carb cheesecake. At the end of the day, I had gone way over on calories and my carb count was close to 20. I almost threw it away so I wouldn't be tempted to eat more but a friend suggested I just spend the next day eating it and eat only the cheesecake and bacon. I did this and the next day I was down 2lb. This past weekend I ate a lot of restaurant food (went to NM with Matt) and was up a couple lb. I decided to repeat this "experiment". This time with low-carb key lime pie. The recipe which can be found here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/key-lime-pie---low-carb-version/ is as follows:

1 c ground pecans

3 tbsp melted butter

2 packets Splenda

1/2 tsp coconut extract (I used coconut oil instead)

1/2 c heavy cream

2 packets Splenda

1(6 oz) Lime flavor Jello

1/3 c boiling water

1/3 c cold water

2 packs cream cheese, cut into pieces & softened

1/2 tsp coconut extract

2 tbsp ground pecans

1) In med. bowl mix together 1 cup ground pecans, butter, 2 packets Splenda, 1/2 tsp coconut extract. Press firmly in bottom & up the sides of an 8 inch pie plate. Refrigerate until firm.2) In small bowl, whip the heavy cream w/ 2 pks Splenda until soft peaks form. Set aside.3) In a large bowl w/ high sides, mix the gelatin w/ boiling water until dissolved. Then stir in cold water. With mixer, slowly beat in cream cheese, after all is added stir in remaining 1/2 tsp coconut extract & beat at Hi speed until smooth. Carefully fold in whipped cream. Use spatula to scrape mixture into pie pan & spread around. Sprinkle remaining 2 tbsp nuts on top. Refrigerate several hours or overnight to allow gelatin to set.

I ate the Key Lime Pie, bacon and chicken thighs yesterday. Here is my My Fitness Pal food diary from yesterday.

I had 2208 calories, 9g of carbs, 213g of fat, and 48g of protein. You would think I'd gain huh? This morning I was down 3.6 lb! Same results twice. I am now calling this a correction day. Pretty cool huh?

Sodium Strikes Again!

2013-05-02T12:38:00.006-04:00

Eeek! This morning I am up count them, SIX POUNDS!!! I was already up 3 because well my body tends to do this on a regular basis and yesterday I had some salted pumpkin seeds and then I had 2 bunless chicken sandwiches from Sonic. This morning, up 3 more lb. I am trying not to freak as I do this quite regularly (can you say every month?) and after looking at my food journal from yesterday I went over my sodium allowance by 3500 mg! Guess I went kinda nuts on the pumpkin seeds. We were in a hurry to get to Diana's GT symposium so we grabbed snacks from the gas station. I thought the pumpkin seeds were the best choice and they probably were but OUCH! Pushing water and doing a protein day. In addition to my Bulletproof coffee and water I am only eating eggs or meat. Hopefully I can flush out this sodium.

What I'm having for breakfast and lunch today!

A fun picture from last night.

The Quest Bar-Low Carb or Not?

2013-04-30T19:53:00.003-04:00

For the last couple years I've been a proponent of the "just eat real food" mantra (thanks Steve Cooksey) but sometimes we just want convenience and something sweet. Sometimes you're in a hurry and have no time to cook or would like to have something to keep in the car in case of an emergency. So what if there were a product that tastes good, is low carb and made with as the company claims "no junk ingredients"? Along with this it boasts of 10g of fat and 20g of protein and only 4 net carbs! Sounds too good to be true. So is it?

Recently I've been hearing about how awesome Quest bars are in the low carb circles and decided to test it out for myself. After all, I am a type 1 diabetic so this should be a good test of whether this is truly low carb. Starting blood sugar: 121. I eagerly unwrap the Peanut Butter Supreme bar and take a bite. Tasty with a satisfying texture.

Thirty minutes later: 153. Ok, that isn't HORRIBLE. Not great but I can live with that.

One hour in: 201. Not good. Maybe it will come back down? Not likely but one can hope.

An hour and a half: 217. Still going up and I'm starting to feel crappy. This is not looking hopeful.

2 hours in: 229 and I feel like I am going to puke and am in a horrible mood.

My conclusion: too good to be true. Clearly the "indigestible fiber" digested. I do not believe this to be a low carb food and do not recommend it to fellow diabetics or low-carbers. You are fooling yourself and might as well eat a candy bar. Ok it might be a bit healthier than a Snickers but it has the same overall effect. I'll stick with my real food.

A much tastier protein option and diabetes friendly!

Still Losing!

2013-04-26T11:44:00.000-04:00

I am now 8 days out of Phase 3 and as of this morning I am 146.8lb! That's over 3lb below my lowest injecting weight and 2lb below my lowest weight in the 72 hours not injecting at the end! I am thisclose to my goal of 145 which I didn't think I was going to make.

I've been experimenting eating super high fat and it appears to be working. Yesterday I really pushed it and hit 94% fat. Someone suggested I use ghee in my Bulletproof coffee and this boosted the fat and calories up. It's totally awesome BTW, better than butter. I'm not restricting calories but I have set 1800 as my upper limit and thought that kind of put a crimp in my food for the day but I actually ate fewer calories. Maybe because it kept me full longer? So I had it again yesterday, a fatty pork steak for lunch and mushrooms and onions sauteed in butter and bacon fat for dinner. I was totally full but my calories and fat were lower than I wanted so I made what is essentially a fat bomb. I mixed 2tsp heavy whipping cream, a Tbsp double devon cream, a Tbsp coconut oil, a Tbsp coconut cream a Tbsp of butter and some sugar free Torani salted caramel syrup. It was like a decadent dessert and probably would have made an awesome ice cream but I was too impatient to wait. That added 32g of fat and 275 calories and put me at 94% fat for the day. I was very curious to see what the effects would be and I'm excited to say they were awesome!

I don't think I'll push it that high all the time. I'm still aiming for 80% which I'm hitting most days.

I think I see abs!

I've always avoided shorts because I hate my thighs. They're still bigger than I 'd like but I might just wear them this year!

One Year Old! (Plus a few months)

2012-12-18T14:18:00.001-05:00

It has been FOREVER! Adrian is now 15 months old. He had a wonderful first birthday and has grown so much. He is walking, talking and into everything! I started a few grains when he turned one. He had a rice flour birthday cake and we tried some rice flour crackers but he was not too keen on them. I recently started oatmeal with flax and he loves it. We're still attempting to stay gluten free though he has gotten into a few things (unattended goldfish crackers and a pizza crust) which did not sit well on his tummy.

It's also looking like Adrian is lactose intolerant. After we started milk when he turned one, he started having almost constant diarrhea. I eliminated the milk but kept giving him other dairy and for a while he did ok, but then it started up again. Horrible diarrhea and nasty diaper rash that would show up almost immediately. I've been attempting to eliminate dairy but he will get the occasional ice cream or sour cream on his taco which have the same results. We had this 15 month check up yesterday and were advised to remove all dairy for 2 months, reintroduce it and see if the symptoms come back. For now he is drinking goat's milk and almond milk and we'll see how he does. Tonight he will be celebrating Daddy's birthday with some coconut milk ice cream! He is also still nursing 1-2 times a day so he's getting that as well. I do think he'll probably wean soon though as we sometimes skip a feeding and he doesn't seem to notice. He does still like to comfort nurse when he is tired or sick or if he has a booboo.

We had a great Thanksgiving and I made my paleo stuffs and they came out really well. Adrian had more than 2 helpings and especially loved the almond flour cornbread! He wasn't too big on the cranberry sauce (nor was the rest of the family). I think I needed more sweetener. He did love the pumpkin pie and so did I but Daddy wasn't thrilled.

Almond Flour "Cornbread"

Homemade Cranberry Sauce sweetened with Stevia

Deviled Eggs

Paleo Pumpkin Pie with Walnut Crust

Turkey with Herbes de Provence and Citrus

Paleo Thanksgiving!

Earlier this month, the kids had a nice surprise. Grandma Ginny came to visit! We kept her visit a secret from Diana and Aidan and surprised them at school. We had a really good visit and the kids really enjoyed spending time with Grandma Ginny. She has also been eating Paleo for about 8 months now and has lost over 50lb. In addition to that, her asthma symptoms have completely disappeared since she eliminated grains!

Yesterday, Adrian weighed in at 27lb12oz fully clothed in a questionable diaper, so probably a few oz less and 31 inches, though I'm doubting that measurement as well as he was screaming and wiggling the whole time. He is otherwise healthy and had 5 shots :( .

Trying out the potty.

Cloth diapering is still going well and our original 99 cent China diapers have bit the dust after 8 months, which I think was well worth the money. I started using Alva Baby diapers a few months ago and I love them! They have adorable prints, are bigger and have side snaps that prevent wing droopage. Also they are about $6 a diaper on Ebay, much cheaper than the big name brands. Adrian has started taking off his diaper and bringing us a new one when he needs a change so I went ahead and introduced the potty. I'm not pushing it, but wanted to get him used to it. I've always heard cloth diapered babies potty train faster because they don't like the feeling of being wet.

Love Alva Baby Diapers!

I've just finished up the semester for school (I'm taking pre-requisites for nursing). I ended up with 3 A's and B which is pretty cool. I now only need 4 more classes before I can take the rankings tests to start nursing. I was expecting to be able to take all 4 in one semester and then jump in but it looks like it won't be that easy. I need Anatomy and Physiology I & II which can't be taken together, Microbiology and Pharmacology which can't be taken until until I have completed A&P I & II so it's going to take a good bit longer than I had planned. These classes have to be taken in person so Adrian will have to go to daycare a couple times a week. I am worried about this as I don't know if cloth diapers will be allowed and I am very concerned about what they will feed him. The plan is to feed him before I drop him off (class is 11:30-1:40) and pack him snacks but I'm scared they'll feed him cookies and junk.

The stomach flu has been going around the Herschede household and as in the past, I cannot highly enough sing the praises of Vitamin D3. When Matt started getting sick I started Stoss's Protocol of 500 IUxlb of body weight for 3 days. http://drbganimalpharm.blogspot.com/2009/03/vitamin-d-natures-antibiotic-20-50k-iu.html I also started giving the kids gummies and put liquid D3 in Adrian's drink. Aidan and I both had a low grade fever for a night and I had chills but by the next day we were all fine. I have found a brand I really like. NOW brand liquid Vitamin D3. It is flavorless, contains just Vitamin D3 and MCT oil (an added bonus) and I got it for around $5 on Amazon. Sundown naturals is also great if you don't mind the orange flavor.

I will do my best to update more often. Here are some more pics!

Loved his cake

First Dentist Visit

11 months old

2012-08-20T14:19:00.014-04:00

In one week my baby will be a year old! Adrian is all over the place. Not quite walking yet, but he has learned to climb stairs (and scare the crap outta mommy)! We tried baby gates, but couldn't get them to fit right and were afraid the older kids wouldn't be able to get around them. So Matt found this mesh gate that blocks off all but the living room (we have one gate up in front of the stairs in the living room). Baby is into everything. I think he will be like his big sister. He is extremely curious and not scared of anything!

We're still doing well with eating. We introduced milk a couple weeks ago and at first he didn't like it, but later realized that he didn't like it cold! I guess that makes sense s

ince breast milk is body temperature. It's nice to not have to break him of the bottle. He's been using a sippy cup

since around 5 months so he's a pro at it now. He does not however like the cups with the straws. Still no grains, but I am planning a gluten free birthday cake made with rice flour. We'll see how that goes.

I cut my strict paleo a week or so short since we were traveling to

Mississippi for Matt's family reunion. The first day of no dairy was absolutely miserable. I felt like I was back

in the days of low cal, low fat. I was hungry and obsessed with eating. This feeling passed though and I lost around 7lb that I had put back on. I've since lost another lb since going back to normal (low carb paleo but including dairy, eggs, nuts and nightshades).

We had a great time in MS. My kids got to see both sets of grandparents and after my parents went back home we traveled a few minutes down

the road to Louisville, MS to Lake Tiak O'khata where the Herschede

family reunion was held. It

was great catching up with family and the kids had a blast. I had a little trouble with the meals as the food was very southern (think fried chicken and mashed potatoes) and I later discovered that the green beans had sugar in them! Also, whatever was in their Salisbury Steak spiked my blood sugar to 270! I spoke with one of the servers the next day and was told almost all of their veggies were made with sugar! How crazy is that? They did however offer some steamed veggies and grilled chicken the next night so all was good. All in all, it was a great reunion

and everyone enjoyed themselves.

We got to stop at one of my favorite restaurants on the way

home. Mcallister's Deli! They have a beanless chili that has like 1 net gram of carbs and I also had their awesome chopped Italian salad. Heaven!

10 months old

2012-07-18T10:43:00.016-04:00

Almost 11 months! Can't believe my baby will soon be a year old. Adrian has grown so much. At his 10 month appointment he weighed 20lb10oz and was 29 3/4 in long. The doc was impressed with his weight gain since three weeks earlier he had been concerned about lack of gain. We put him on 3 solid meals a day. He's eating all table food of course and boy does that child love to eat!

He's nursing much less now, probably 2-3 times a day which is ok. I don't want to stop completely yet, but he seems to be self weaning so that works for me.

Adrian is now standing alone and walking with his walking toy. I don't think it will be long before he is actually walking. Matt has to go on a business trip soon and is afraid Adrian will walk while he is gone. Hoping he decides to wait. The Herschede family reunion is in a few weeks so that would be a good time to start!

We had a great 4th of July. The family went to

Fort Bliss and it was really nice and breezy. The kids played on the playground and there

were little game booths. Looked like rain for a while but it held off long enough for the fireworks. I thought Adrian might be afraid of them but nope, he kept smiling really big and saying "ooh".

I've been debating

Adrian's diet for a while and think I've figured out how we're gonna do it. As of now he basically eats paleo/primal but not low carb. He eats meat, eggs, veggies (starchy

or non) cheese and fruit. His favorite is bananas! He would eat them all day if I let him. So I've decided to start grains when he turns 1 but to keep him gluten free. I would like that to be the ultimate goal for the family but don't know that it will ever happen. So I figure I'll start with rice since that seems to be the most benign. I'm planning a gluten free birthday cake made with rice flour. Wheat is the worst of the grains so we're gonna steer clear there.

Last week Grandma Ginny came to visit! Everyone had a great time visiting. The kids got to do lots of stuff with her. They went shopping, went out for ice cream, went on a walk, built a birdhouse, played with chalk, wentswimming (that was impressive that theyconvinced her) and even got her to play their video game (even more impressive!). On Friday Diana, Grandma Ginny and I had three generation pictures taken. I think we got some really cute ones. We even had a girl's night complete with mud masks!

My weight has been slowly climbing up, so I decided to go 30 days of strict Paleo. In addition to no grains, sugar, starchy veggies, and avoiding processed food I have completely cut out dairy, nightshades (like tomatoes and peppers) nuts and I'm still undecided about eggs. I haven't specifically eaten any eggs but I have unwittingly eaten foods with egg ingredients. I've become more aware of the

dangers of soy and have discovered it is in everything! Even my smoked almonds! So I was on a quest to find a soy free mayonnaise. I was unable to do so but found something similar called aioli. It has garlic and Dijon mustard but is otherwise mayonnaise but without the soy. So I ate some of that with tuna not thinking about the egg content. So we'll see. The first day was really tough but it's getting easier.

9 months old

2012-06-10T16:46:00.001-04:00

We've had a rough last few days. On Thur, Matt was getting Adrian up and bringing him to me like every morning and noticed he felt hot. His temp was around 100 so we figured it was from teething. He has like 4 coming in on top all at once. I gave him Tylenol and he seemed ok. That night he was up every hour. He normally sleeps through the night, so I knew something was not right. Then he felt super hot, like burning up. His temp was 102.7. I gave him Tylenol and Motrin continuously and took him to the doctor. Of course at the doctor he acted fine and his temp was 98.7. The doc said it was probably a virus but because his urine seemed to smell strong, we would do a urine culture just in case. At first they wanted to straight cath him which did not thrill me, but they were out of the supplies so they put a little baggie on him to catch the pee and I would bring in the specimen to the hospital.

We got that in and a couple hours later his temp was 104.3. It made me nervous as I'd always heard 105 was when the brain starts frying. I gave him more Tylenol and Motrin and 20 minutes later he was 105.1. Called the dr and got the answering service. The lady was like, "omg over 104 they can go into convulsions" and immediately switched me over to the dr. While I'm on the phone, Matt takes his temperature and gets 99. What the heck? He does it again and gets similar results. So the dr says give him a bath, something cold to drink and go fill the prescription for antibiotics he had given me just in case the results from the culture come back positive. He then asks me to take a temp while he is still on the phone. 102.3. I really don't trust the thermometer now. It was one of those $10 temporal ones so not sure how accurate it is.

I went and filled the prescription and got a rectal thermometer. Got 103.2 so 102.2 after subtracting a degree for a rectal temperature. He was a little better Friday night. Was only up 4 or so times. Extremely fussy but the temperature was coming down. The dr called me first thing in the morning and said the culture was normal but to continue the meds. Temp was completely gone by afternoon thank goodness. He's still fussy but I think we're on the mend.

At the dr, Adrian weighed 19lb4oz which means he hasn't gained any weight since his 6 month appt (actually think he's lost a couple oz. He was 29 in so has grown length wise. The dr didn't believe the numbers at first and Adrian doesn't look thin but he was a little concerned. He wants me to feed Adrian more solids since he is 9 months old and my milk supply is probably lower. We'd been doing dinner every night and lunch most of the time but just nursing all the rest of the time, so now we're doing regular meals. Today he had whole milk yogurt for breakfast and for lunch raspberries, sweet peppers cut up tiny and ham and cream cheese rolls cut up in tiny pieces. He eats great. Yesterday he ate a whole plate full of food when we went out to eat.

I am trying to come up with meal ideas. Right now I'm feeding him mostly Paleo (he does get dairy) but not low carb Paleo. So I'm looking for ideas that are grain free and not processed that are easy for quick meals. We made yogurt bites the other day and he gobbled them up.

Adrian is scooting along furniture and has learned how to climb stairs! Too fast for my comfort. Hoping he doesn't walk for a while but I'm not counting on it. He is in to everything! If he's not in his playpen, you have to watch him like a hawk. He will eat anything he finds. He is totally mobile and crawls all over the house. We gotta put up gates asap.

Adrian's first bath in the big tub. The older kids didn't want him to be scared.

Summer is here! The kid's last day of school was Jun 1. They both got awards. I'm such a proud mommy. We're having fun (and I'm losing mind). We went to the zoo which was really fun. Hot, but not horrible. The kids had a great time and got to feed the giraffes. I was not happy with the food choices. They would not let us leave to eat lunch and come back, so we had to eat there. Carbage carbage carbage. So a salad it was! Fun trip though.

Feeding the Giraffes.

I'm also trying to come up with fun projects for the kids this summer. So far we have made bathtub paint and sidewalk paint. Both were great successes except for one broken glass (glass and soap=bad idea. The kids had a blast!

Sidewalk Paint!

Bath Paint!

Chillin

My Primal Weight Loss Journey

2012-06-05T21:44:00.001-04:00

I've wanted a separate spot for weight loss for a while now, but I can't figure out how to do it in blogger so I'm just doing a post on it. In January 2010 I turned 30. I was 200lb and taking a myriad of medications. I was miserable and hated the way I looked. I had even contemplated plastic surgery to lose the belly I thought was just from pregnancy. Haha.

I decided on my birthday that I'd had enough. I was done being fat. I started out doing a combination of the Curves diet and another gimmicky diet I had bought online. Soon after a friend pointed me in the direction of Steve Cooksey of www.diabetes-warrior.net . At first I thought he was crazy, but then I realized he made perfect sense. I didn't want to do it though! Give up my sugar and carbs? I had been restricted my whole life on the diabetic diet and wanted to eat what I wanted! My hatred of being fat won over.

Progress was slow to start. I only lost around 5lb in a month and a half and wanted to throw in the towel, but I kept on, (with many many hours of phone calls with Steve). I was extremely stubborn and questioned everything. I needed to know WHY. Show me proof. What about this? Why am I not losing? Can I eat this? I researched constantly. After a while, food started tasting so much better. I was never deprived or hungry and LOVED my food. I would wake up thinking, "what do I get to eat today?" Within 10 months I had dropped 55lb, and was able to stop all medications except my insulin, which I was able to cut in half.

Then as you all know, I got pregnant! I was so scared it had all been for nothing. I continued to eat primal throughout my pregnancy and did not gain as much weight as my other two. My husband said he literally watched my belly disappear when I was giving birth to Adrian. I left the hospital in a size M tshirt and a pair of jeans ( a couple sizes bigger). I didn't not even look pregnant. Within a couple weeks I was 8lb from pre-pregnancy weight.

It took about 8 months to lose the remaining pounds, but I finally did! Now, I'd like to lose 10-15 more to get down to my all time low.

At Aidan's 2nd birthday. I looked 6 months pregnant.

Here are some pics of my progress:

Fat Rolls

Gross

Hours before Matt deployed.

Right before Matt deployed-October 2010

March 2010

Size 10

April 2010 Size M swimsuit.

November 2010

4 weeks pregnant

9 months pregnant-the day before I had Adrian

4 days post partum-Size S Shirt

2 weeks post-partum

3 weeks post-partum

4 weeks post-partum

Jan 2012- 4 months post-partum

6 months post partum

7 months post partum

8 months post partum