∞ Stalled But Determined Challenge! ∞

[clackley]

Great start K.T.!! I am on an avocado kick as well and recently my Costco has had the best ones!!

So I tested my blood ketones this morning and the number came up 2.1. I think this is pretty good. I also checked blood glucose and that was 4.4 (79.2) which is the lowest I have seen it in quite some time. I think the berberine is really doing a good job. Anyway, now I can tell my doc that I am testing.

[drjlocarb]

YOU GO GIRL!!!

Your results brought a tear to my eye. I am SO happy for you!

[drjlocarb]

KT and Speck...Good start!

Day by day.

[svenskamae]

Those results are excellent, Cathy! Keep us posted! I ordered a bottle of glycosolve (berberine) but haven't started taking it yet, because I was losing okay on JUDDD, but I seem to be stuck again lately. I guess I'll try adding the glycosolve.

Keytones, I posted a bunch of avocado salad recipes (on a high fat, medium protein --or low protein) recipe thread, here: High fat, low to moderate protein recipes?
Maybe some of them will appeal to you. If there's a problem with the link, look under "Recipe Stickies" in the recipe area under "high fat low moderate protein recipes?"

Speck, I'm really glad you are feeling better. KUTGW!

[clackley]

Thanks everyone! I have to admit, I was a bit pleased!

[Speck333]

Originally Posted by Key Tones

Cathy, yes, please tell us about your numbers.

I'm off to a good start. Just a tad hungry, which is OK. Almost bedtime.

I weighed in on the skinny honey badgers thread. 212. Ugh. OK, it is done.


I had avocado, salad, chicken tortilla soup no tortillas, blended cauliflower with Kerrygold butter, and shredded coconut. I drank mostly chai tea today and ate a teaspooon (right out of the spoon) of shredded unsweetened coconut with each cup (instead of coffee/cream). No dairy.

I'm working toward eating no processed food. Well, except minimal amounts for things like condiments.

I went to Costco and bought a bunch of avocado. This is going to be the avocado diet.

Oh, they have Kerrygold butter at Costco!!!!!!!!!!!

I did some stairs yesterday (only half as many as I used to) so no stairs today. Trying to avoid injury this time.

Tomorrow I will be out all day and will need to be careful eating out! I'm going to the Museum of Glass and Tacoma Art Museum. I hope all the walking around will help things along.

Good job getting it over with and joining a challenge. I have seen the bags of avocados at Costco, but I couldn't possibly eat that many before they spoiled, as they are already ripe. Have fun at your museums!

Originally Posted by clackley

Great start K.T.!! I am on an avocado kick as well and recently my Costco has had the best ones!!

So I tested my blood ketones this morning and the number came up 2.1. I think this is pretty good. I also checked blood glucose and that was 4.4 (79.2) which is the lowest I have seen it in quite some time. I think the berberine is really doing a good job. Anyway, now I can tell my doc that I am testing.

Great numbers, Cathy! What exactly is the purpose of the berberine? What is it supposed to be helping with?

Originally Posted by svenskamae

Those results are excellent, Cathy! Keep us posted! I ordered a bottle of glycosolve (berberine) but haven't started taking it yet, because I was losing okay on JUDDD, but I seem to be stuck again lately. I guess I'll try adding the glycosolve.

Keytones, I posted a bunch of avocado salad recipes (on a high fat, medium protein --or low protein) recipe thread, here: High fat, low to moderate protein recipes?
Maybe some of them will appeal to you. If there's a problem with the link, look under "Recipe Stickies" in the recipe area under "high fat low moderate protein recipes?"

Speck, I'm really glad you are feeling better. KUTGW!

Yes, thank you. Down a pound already. I will probably take of the recently gained weight without much problem. Let's see if I can just keep moving through my stall weight barrier.

---

Yesterday I got all obsessed with fermenting foods and spent way too long doing research on it. I found some great recipes and sources. I'm going to start with making my own cultured butter and buttermilk, and sour cream. I really want to make saurkraut and hot pickles. You want to see something beautiful? Google Hot Pink Jalapeno Garlic Kraut. I am going to try to get to my farmer's market before they close and see if they have the ingredients. I am going to make this!

[svenskamae]

Originally Posted by Speck333

Yes, thank you. Down a pound already. I will probably take of the recently gained weight without much problem. Let's see if I can just keep moving through my stall weight barrier.

---

Yesterday I got all obsessed with fermenting foods and spent way too long doing research on it. I found some great recipes and sources. I'm going to start with making my own cultured butter and buttermilk, and sour cream. I really want to make saurkraut and hot pickles. You want to see something beautiful? Google Hot Pink Jalapeno Garlic Kraut. I am going to try to get to my farmer's market before they close and see if they have the ingredients. I am going to make this!

Homemade cultured food is supposed to be great for health (probiotics). A couple of cookbooks that contain lots of recipes are "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig and "The Naked Foods Cookbook" by Margaret Floyd and James Barry. I keep thinking I should start making some of that and then don't ... maybe I can ease into the habit, starting with making yogurt from half and half. The farmer's markets are closed for the winter in my area, but I'll see if I get tempted to make pickled vegetables once they reopen this spring. Let us know how your stuff comes out and share some recipes, Speck.

I just went to my local urban hardware store, which is just two blocks away, to look for a crockpot to use for making bone broth, since I'm getting tired of watching broth on the stove. There was only a too-small crockpot for sale, but my favorite saleperson there offered to sell me her used giant one for $20, since she doesn't need to cook for crowds any more, so I agreed and am looking forward to having an easier way to make my daily cups of bone broth.

[clackley]

Berberine has many uses but the one that is most relevant for me is improving insulin resistance. Wiki does a great job of describing it.

[Speck333]

The farmers' market didn't have anything I was looking for, but I picked up a couple of things anyway, then on to the regular store. I was intent on doing this today. I've got cream culturing and sauerkraut fermenting. Tomorrow, I will be able to make the cultured butter, and use the leftover buttermilk to culture more buttermilk, sour cream and even yogurt. I'm so excited. I won't know about the kraut for weeks.
I did really good today, kept busy.
I had a hamburger for lunch on a bun made from one of Maria E.'s bread recipes. It was good! I bought a purple sweet potato at the farmer's market and baked it into chips. Very tasty. Not low carb, though, so I didn't eat that many. For dinner I had buttered green beans and roast beef with horseradish sauce. It was a good day, and I'm happy.

[svenskamae]

That's impressive, Speck. And you sound so much happier in your posts lately. It's great to hear more from you. I hope 2013 turns out to be a wonderful year for you; you are certainly starting out well.

[Key Tones]

I read the berberine wikipedia entry. Interesting. I'll keep it in mind.

I am drinking the cinnamon apple tea and the chai tea because the cinnamon and spices are supposed to help with blood sugar. If anyone does this too, go easy. Too much cinnamon is bad for your liver.

Sven - thank you for the link. Actually, the korean spinach sounds good. I like avocado in very simple ways. I just sliced some up in a romaine salad and added balsamic vinegar (no oil).

I bought some lemon in case the avocados start to turn. I could always mash them up with lemon to preserve them. Too bad I hate onions, but I could make guacamole with bacon instead.

Today was hard! Walkign all day got to me. I ended up eating half a protein bar I brought along for my daughter due to hunger. I ate eggs for breakfast, a thai salad for lunch (mostly dry chicken with a thin peanut dressing and sparce vegetables). I was starving. The salad obviously had sugar in it. You just never know what you are going to get.

I ended up folding last night due to late night hunger but found a good way to deal with it. I made an egg drop soup with microwaved water with a chicken bullion cube and stirred in one egg then heated the water another 30 seconds. The water helped keep me from overeating; I was satisfied with one egg. I'll keep this for emergencies. I think it can be made with just some soy sauce, chicken broth (If you have any in stock), and maybe a touch of vinegar and some sliced green onion. I'll have to be prepared for next time. I'm nixing the protein once per day for this reason.

[Key Tones]

Originally Posted by Speck333

The farmers' market didn't have anything I was looking for, but I picked up a couple of things anyway, then on to the regular store. I was intent on doing this today. I've got cream culturing and sauerkraut fermenting. Tomorrow, I will be able to make the cultured butter, and use the leftover buttermilk to culture more buttermilk, sour cream and even yogurt. I'm so excited. I won't know about the kraut for weeks.
I did really good today, kept busy.
I had a hamburger for lunch on a bun made from one of Maria E.'s bread recipes. It was good! I bought a purple sweet potato at the farmer's market and baked it into chips. Very tasty. Not low carb, though, so I didn't eat that many. For dinner I had buttered green beans and roast beef with horseradish sauce. It was a good day, and I'm happy.

Wow, you are very industrious! Sounds like a great day.

I might have to try some purple sweet potato chips. I made some with regular sweet potatoe oven fries once. I sprinkled them with a little cayenne pepper (powdered red pepper). Yum!

[drjlocarb]

KT- Eating out can be SO hard. I can do LC no problem, but this high fat, mod ptn thing is REALLY hard to do.

Speck- I wish I liked all that cultured stuff. It is so good for you. I have just started to use sour cream in small amounts. That is as cultured as I get.
I went to Germany when I was in high school and I was so afraid they would make me eat sauerkraut.


I made Linda Sue's split pea soup yesterday with the ham bone. I LOVE it, and I don't really like soups. It was a great LC way to stretch the ham. Mine was much thicker than hers.
"SPLIT PEA" SOUP - Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

[Speck333]

Originally Posted by svenskamae

That's impressive, Speck. And you sound so much happier in your posts lately. It's great to hear more from you. I hope 2013 turns out to be a wonderful year for you; you are certainly starting out well.

It has a lot to do with attitude, of course. I decided to face the new year optimistically and with determination. I know I am my own worst enemy, and most of my problems are internal.

Originally Posted by Key Tones

I read the berberine wikipedia entry. Interesting. I'll keep it in mind.

I am drinking the cinnamon apple tea and the chai tea because the cinnamon and spices are supposed to help with blood sugar. If anyone does this too, go easy. Too much cinnamon is bad for your liver.

Sven - thank you for the link. Actually, the korean spinach sounds good. I like avocado in very simple ways. I just sliced some up in a romaine salad and added balsamic vinegar (no oil).

I bought some lemon in case the avocados start to turn. I could always mash them up with lemon to preserve them. Too bad I hate onions, but I could make guacamole with bacon instead.

Today was hard! Walkign all day got to me. I ended up eating half a protein bar I brought along for my daughter due to hunger. I ate eggs for breakfast, a thai salad for lunch (mostly dry chicken with a thin peanut dressing and sparce vegetables). I was starving. The salad obviously had sugar in it. You just never know what you are going to get.

I ended up folding last night due to late night hunger but found a good way to deal with it. I made an egg drop soup with microwaved water with a chicken bullion cube and stirred in one egg then heated the water another 30 seconds. The water helped keep me from overeating; I was satisfied with one egg. I'll keep this for emergencies. I think it can be made with just some soy sauce, chicken broth (If you have any in stock), and maybe a touch of vinegar and some sliced green onion. I'll have to be prepared for next time. I'm nixing the protein once per day for this reason.

Cinnamon is really carby, too, if you have too much it adds up. I like avocados sprinkled with seasoned salt. I just got a bottle of balsamic vinegar, I'll have to try that!
Sounds like you did the best you could yesterday

Originally Posted by Key Tones

Wow, you are very industrious! Sounds like a great day.

I might have to try some purple sweet potato chips. I made some with regular sweet potatoe oven fries once. I sprinkled them with a little cayenne pepper (powdered red pepper). Yum!

Plus it's just fun to eat purple chips

Originally Posted by drjlocarb

KT- Eating out can be SO hard. I can do LC no problem, but this high fat, mod ptn thing is REALLY hard to do.

Speck- I wish I liked all that cultured stuff. It is so good for you. I have just started to use sour cream in small amounts. That is as cultured as I get.
I went to Germany when I was in high school and I was so afraid they would make me eat sauerkraut.


I made Linda Sue's split pea soup yesterday with the ham bone. I LOVE it, and I don't really like soups. It was a great LC way to stretch the ham. Mine was much thicker than hers.
"SPLIT PEA" SOUP - Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

I can eat sour cream off the spoon, but I don't like Greek yogurt I love pickled veggies, so I'm hoping I'll be a big fan of fermented ones. I've only ever had sauerkraut from the grocery store, so this homemade kind with garlic and peppers is going to be special.
I will check out that recipe, it's the one with green beans?

[Key Tones]

ha, yes, I am my own worst enemy as well. I started going to grief counsellor and we ended up talking about how I kick myself around and blow things up my mind, demand perfection from myself, etc... I am horrified to realize that I have come to react and think a lot like my mother! It has to stop. I have been much calmer since I have come to this realization and recognize my thinking. I am beginning to accept that life IS chaos rather than expect things to go smoothly and freak everytime something goes wrong.

Oh, that reminds me - I will need to resurrect my thread on what I am thankful for! I also need to go find the nice lady in the heart valve forum who told me how to make a hardship plea to help my daughter get into university of washington. It worked. Life is good in many ways if you look for it. i am thankful for all the helpers out there. They are there if you look for them.

Wow, split pea soup. OK, I will put that in the bank of things I have to make! I love cauliflower, I see this is used!!! Will use the smoked turkey since I only like those crunchy sugar hams.


I didn't know cinnamon has carbs! I always thought it tasted sweet. This is good to know.

I want some purple chips!

[drjlocarb]

Mobear??

Are you back on track yet??

[Mobear]

Thanks for asking. Well, sort of describes my current state. I'm still at 188.7 - up 3#s. I'm still trying to get the protein down to just under 50g and having a horrible time.

Calories seem ok at 1100-1300, carbs are ok. Protein is good all day and then I seem to fall apart if I stay up later than 8:00 p.m.

I'm also still having issues with blood sugar. For a couple of months I didn't need to take any Humulin R at breakfast cause I am not eating protein at breakfast. Now, my fasting numbers have been over 100 - sometimes around 125 so I take the insulin - and don't eat, but I just hate to do that. I haven't been able to figure out if this is too much protein the night before, insulin dumping by liver in the early morning hours, too much insulin, or not enough insulin. The endo I saw a few years ago said the metformin is supposed to prevent the liver from inappropriately dumping insulin - but I am not sure that is true for me.

So - I haven't given up but am so confused. I could kick my own butt for going so off track with the fat and protein before Christmas!

[svenskamae]

I'm sorry you are having such a hard time, Mobear. Having to balance insulin-dependent diabetes into the equation makes this really hard; I'm pretty challenged getting the macros and calories right every day with NK and JUDDD, and that's without having to be very concerned about blood sugar, apart from avoiding many carbs.

I wonder if the Berberine/glycosolve supplement that is working with for Cathy would help your blood sugar; you might consider giving it a try. I ordered some from Amazon.

I can relate to struggling in the evening. On JUDDD down days, I've been going to bed around 9 pm, which is unheard of for me, and even then sometimes wake up very hungry. I've been eating 1-2 Tablespoons of Artisana coconut butter then, since I expect my body to burn it quickly and for it not to provoke an insulin/blood sugar response, since it's mostly fat. Maybe coconut butter or macademia nuts would work for you as an evening food ...

I hope things get better for you soon. Maybe your body just needs time to get back in the groove; Christmas wasn't very long ago, and you were doing this successfully before.

[clackley]

Interesting doctor appt. for me today. I had my usual blood panel done and as part of that, my tsh # came back out of range. I had this happen a couple of yrs ago before I had any idea what that may mean. The next ones were close but still in range. So I am going to start meds tomorrow and feel renewed hope for weight loss.

I have to do a refresher course on this issue. It is complicated....

[Key Tones]

Cathy - perhaps you have an answer to your struggles. I am sorry to hear, but yes, I do hope the meds help!

Mobear - hang in there. I hope you figure it out.

My A1c is up. I know I have been naughty over the past two months, but I will correct this. I've done the high fat low protein thing today. It is 9:40 pm and I am hungry. Will try the one egg drop soup tonight and cross fingers. The soy sauce/worchester sauce version was gross. Will stick with the chicken broth version.

[Mobear]

Here is an article that talks about metformin and how it works: google diabetes news+science daily. Can't actually post the link. The article is dated January 6, 2013.

Cathy I am happy to hear your news . Not that I am happy for your needing meds, but possibly providing some answers.

Morning blood glucose at 5:00 a.m. was 80! I realized (AGAIN) that the lack of sleep and constant struggle with insomnia affects me on almost every level including my hunger and glucose levels. Last night I probably got 4 to 5 hours of sleep. For the last week I was probably only getting about 2 hours per night.

I really think a lot of these issues are tied up with low free T3. I have a doctor appointment at the end of February with a DO endo. According to what I've read, and a talk with her medical assistant, she is willing to treat not only on lab results but also symptoms. Not that I want to take another medication, but maybe this will help sort out some of my problems.

I have considered the supplement Cathy is taking, but I already take 1500mg of metformin ER so I am afraid to add to that. Of course, if the doctor wants to up my metformin dose, that might help.

KeyTones are you on metformin? If not, you might want to consider it!

I also take supplements for sleep (relora, 5HTP, melatonin, magnesium 250mg, calcium) which seem to help some of the time but then not at others. About 8 yrs ago I tried ambien...which worked 1 time and then never again....never figured that out!

Thanks for all the good wishes and suggestions

[clackley]

KT, I really struggled with hunger when I was adjusting my macros. It seems to crop up now and then but not as regularly as in the beginning. Hope your 's subsides quickly. Here is my egg drop soup recipe that I got from someone else. I like that it has ginger in it as it is so good for many things but mostly inflammation...

1.5 cups chicken broth
garlic (1 clove if fresh or a pinch if powdered)
ginger (1 tsp if fresh or a pinch if powdered)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 green onion chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
Bring all ingredients except the egg to a gentle boil. Slowly pour egg through the tines of a fork into the pot. Gently stir. Voila!

Maureen, I hope you can get better sleep. As you are aware it is so important. Have you tried melatonin? It is now part of my routine and I would say that I sleep fairly well now.

I know this sounds a bit crazy but I came out of the doctors office actually feeling giddy with happiness that I now have a possible solution to weight loss. He is starting me off on a tiny dose so it may take some time to get things opitimized....

[drjlocarb]

Originally Posted by Mobear

Thanks for asking. Well, sort of describes my current state. I'm still at 188.7 - up 3#s. I'm still trying to get the protein down to just under 50g and having a horrible time.

Calories seem ok at 1100-1300, carbs are ok. Protein is good all day and then I seem to fall apart if I stay up later than 8:00 p.m.

I'm also still having issues with blood sugar. For a couple of months I didn't need to take any Humulin R at breakfast cause I am not eating protein at breakfast. Now, my fasting numbers have been over 100 - sometimes around 125 so I take the insulin - and don't eat, but I just hate to do that. I haven't been able to figure out if this is too much protein the night before, insulin dumping by liver in the early morning hours, too much insulin, or not enough insulin. The endo I saw a few years ago said the metformin is supposed to prevent the liver from inappropriately dumping insulin - but I am not sure that is true for me.

So - I haven't given up but am so confused. I could kick my own butt for going so off track with the fat and protein before Christmas!

Do you mean glucose dumping or insulin dumping? I am too lazy to look up the info for a type 1.

Great news about the lower morning reading and I hope you get your t3 straightened out. Maybe the sleep thing can straighten itself out with lower readings during the night.

KT- When I get hungry on HF/MP, I am trying to give my body a little bit of fat to work with. I feel I am "training" my body to search for fat rather than ptn or carbs as a fuel source.

Cathy, looks like you will have a new tool to help you! Nice to have another piece of the puzzle.


Sven- there is NO way I could survive a DD. I would chew off my arm or eat my cat by bed time.

[clackley]

It is a puzzle and a complicated one at that!

I agree with Drjlo in that DD would send me off into a very bad place. Kudos to those that can do it. I have a persistent hangover from my days of calorie counting and it drives a binge monster. Not pretty.

[Key Tones]

Maureen - yes, I used to be on Metformin. When I am good good, I apparently do not need it. It is soberbing to see A1C back up to 6.0. It is in the mid to upper 5s when I am good. Doc feels I don't need it when I can control with diet. The thing is I was off plan too much Thanksgiving - Christmas. I suppose it would help me when I am off plan. I can turn this around by being good, but I will test to be sure.

My doc said it would cause weight loss (back in 2005). I will say it did work when I was in the 280s when doc switched me from Avandia (nasty stuff, glad he did) to Metformin. I dropped 10 pounds pretty quickly then. I played with it again some years later to see if it would help with weight loss but didn't see anything happen.

I am waiting for my appetite to drop. Perhaps I am eating too much for ketosis to kick in. It is supposed to work, darn it!!!

Cathy - the egg drop soup recipe looks delicious!!! I love garlic/ginger combo. I will try it tonight, definitely!

I tried eating 400 to 600 calories every other day, and I tried fasting every other day once. My coworker told me he was afraid of me because I was so crabby. Yes, I will try anything. I really thought it would work, but it is not for me. I do believe it works for some people. They probably don't have my blood sugar issues!!!

I was 211 this morning. Hoping to keep a downward trend. Eating a LOT of fat.

[Mobear]

Drjlocarb...I did mistype...I meant metformin is supposed to stop the liver from inappropriately dumping GLUCOSE.

I also tried JUDDD but didn't make it through the first week. It is not really recommended for diabetics, but I thought I would try it out. I had 2 extremely scary low blood sugars. Second night I had to wake my DH up for help and he was on the verge of calling paramedics. So, no JUDDD for me though I do think that the calorie cycling would confuse the body and stop the metabolism from slowing down.

I do take melatonin about an hour before bed, along with relora, 5htp, magnesium, calcium, and my metformin.....its just a smorgesboard of pills.

I have to try Linda's recipe for split pea soup. Thought I would pick up some frozen cauli at the grocery....and they were out of it! Hard to believe.

[Key Tones]

Jimmy Moore interviews Robert Lustig. Excellent!

The LLVLC Show (Episode 640): Dr. Robert Lustig Takes On Big Food With FAT CHANCE « Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low Carb Blog


Oh, just spotted this; Jimmy posted this link as well on facebook. I haven't read it yet. In case you are interested:

http://www.salon.com/2013/01/01/is_s..._next_tobacco/

[svenskamae]

So much activity here lately--so sorry if I forget to acknowledge someone.

I thought JUDDD down days would be awful, and they were hard at first (even eating up to 700 calories), but I'm lucky that they've gotten much, much easier for me over time. (I've been JUDDDing for 2.5 months now.) Todays's a down day, and I haven't had anything but water yet, and am fine (though I've got my turkey breast, light cheese, radishes, and hard-boiled egg if/when I need food later). But JUDDD definitely isn't the best approach for everyone, and I can see it being particularly unsuited to people who are diabetic (as opposed to just "pre-diabetic", like me).

Keytones, I found that it took my body (and hunger level) several weeks to adjust to the lower protein, higher fat routine, and I was crazy hungry sometimes while getting used to it, even when eating a substantial amount of fat. If it's just too hard, maybe you should start with a protein level that is on the upper end of the recommendation for someone of your size and gradually cut back, like reducing by 5 grams per week or so.

Cathy, I'm glad that your doctor was finally willing to put you on medication for hypothyroid. I really hope that it helps. Something like untreated low thyroid seemed like a probable factor in why you weren't able to lose despite admirable discipline and trying every possible approach.

Maureen, some other supplements to try to help with sleep are GABA, valerian, and theanine (though maybe some are already included in something you are taking). Have you tried doing a progressive relaxation/deep breathing tape/CD before bed or when you wake up? It might help you feel a little more relaxed and get a little more rest during the awake periods, anyway.

[drjlocarb]

I tested fbk this am--0.5.

Good right?

Wait... f bld gluc--105

Weight--239, lowest since I stopped the "higher calorie experiment", but still 3 more lbs until I reach the stall wiggle weight, 232-236


I am getting there, but this high fbg is frustrating.

[svenskamae]

Originally Posted by drjlocarb

I tested fbk this am--0.5.

Good right?

Wait... f bld gluc--105

Weight--239, lowest since I stopped the "higher calorie experiment", but still 3 more lbs until I reach the stall wiggle weight, 232-236


I am getting there, but this high fbg is frustrating.

Do supplements seem to help your fbg at all, drjlocarb? Stuff like berberine, chromium and vanadium?

Some people seem to eat a bit of fat and protein, such as some cubes of cheese, right before going to sleep to limit dawn phenomenon glucose dumping. Have you tried that?

I haven't been monitering with a meter, just weighing and measuring and using a tracker for all food, so I don't know if I'm experiencing the same thing. I'm sure it is very frustrating, when you are being so careful and disciplined. I hope you get below that stalled weight soon. Try to keep on keeping on ...