LOW CARB REDUX

I am back to low carb eating. It is the single dietary approach that seems to work for me. I am a carb addict, and I do better eating far less carbs in general, and no processed carbs specifically, such as Fritos, tortilla chips, breads, crackers, cookies, popcorn, potato chips, French fries, pasta, cake, pie, candy bars, soft drinks, breakfast cereals, and all the other carb loading Franken-foods I used to achieve an obese weight of 300 pounds and Type 2 diabetes as a bonus.

GRAIN AND MOSTLY DAIRY FREE

I have not eaten any grains for about a month now. On day four without eating grains I went through a withdrawal crisis at night--the thought of living without eating grains seemed impossible, and I craved popcorn. Thanks to listening to "Grain Brain" on Audible in the car, I resisted. After that, the cravings disappeared. I feel so much better now I don't want to go back to the way I felt eating grains.
Today I also eliminated almost all dairy products. Milk was giving me gas and bloating, which I realized after eliminating wheat caused my stomach to not be bloated, then drinking milk fired it back up to swallowed basketball status overnight. I did not drink much milk, but I would eat an entire large container of Greek yogurt, which while most of the lactose was predigested, I found out that dairy products tend to cause a large release of insulin, beyond what there sugar content would suggest. I want to be smaller, so I don't need to drink stuff designed to make a baby cow.

So I started about a month ago at 300 pounds. Fasting morning sugars in the 160-210 range. I've not seen a 90 blood sugar yet. I went from insulin resistant to pre-diabetic to finally diabetic. My doctor gave me three more months before he wants to put me on medication. Both my parents had adult on-set diabetes. I don't want to have to take insulin.

I am determined to lower my carbohydrates and lose weight and exercise more and see what happens. I hope that my pancreas can heal itself and get my blood sugars in the normal range. I have read lots of success stories, and I want to be one of them, and then I can help others who want to change their diet and life.

THE YES LIST
Beef, chicken, fish, pork, shrimp, etc. Grass Fed when I can find it.
Eggs.
Some hard cheeses--very low lactose and very low insulin response.
Coconut oil, olive oil, grass-fed butter, heavy cream.
Non-starchy vegetables.
Berries.
Nuts and seeds.
Quest protein powders.

THE NO LIST
No grains or grain products--no chips, cookies, muffins, bagels, bread, rolls, pastries, pizza, popcorn.
No milk, cottage cheese, or yogurt,
No sweeteners--artificial or natural.
No fruits except berries.

I have my physical on August 27, 2015. I will see what this diet has accomplished and will share the results.

Weight Loss

I now attempt once again to do the hardest thing in my life - lose weight.

GLUTEN

As much as I LOVE bread, and especially with butter on it, I have found that eating gluten causes all sorts of issues with me, namely this list--

sinus issues
watery eyes
bloating
depression
weight gain
ravenous appetite
foggy thinking
tiredness

What makes it difficult to pin down is that it is hard to equate gluten to these symptoms as they come on at different times, and not immediately after eating gluten.

40 DAYS OF PLANT-BASED EATING

I started my plant-based diet January 7, 2013, at 305#. Today, February 17, 2013, 40 days later, I weigh 277.5, 27.5 pounds gone. It feels weird to eat so much and still lose weight. I have a new love for ripe bananas. I used to think they were off limits on weight loss and pre-diabetic diets. Not anymore. My blood sugar was 94 today. One of the lowest readings in the last 40 days. I walked for an hour on the treadmill and walked outside with my daughter as well. I even jogged a little down an alley. It did not kill me. I think when I lose 50 more pounds I can probably jog as much as I want to.

A VIRTUOUS CYCLE

I have dropped 20 pounds so far on greens and beans. I have changed my weight goal from 250 pounds to 220 pounds as I am now convinced I can get there. Not only that, I am pretty sure that is where my body will naturally end up on a largely vegan diet. I have more energy to exercise so that fuels the motivation to keep moving, and moving melts the fat away. It is a virtuous cycle, compared to the vicious cycle I was previously on.

High fasting sugar

My fasting blood sugar in the morning has been in the 155 range. I am sticking to a vegan diet for a month to see what happens. According to Dr. Fuhrman, my blood sugar will normalize. I already feel different. Much better mental clarity, though I need to eat on schedule. I weighed 296 this morning. A drop of 9 pounds off my world record 305 during Christmas. I can breathe again.