Want to know a secret? I'm not doing anything but living my life with my new way of eating incorporated in it - never hungry, never feeling deprived, fully satisfied, and feeling incredibly healthy. I haven't exercised or exerted myself more than what my normal day requires. Week after week I lose a pound here and a pound there, a half inch of fat here and a half inch of fat there. My lean muscle mass has remained unchanged and my energy level is higher than it has ever been. I'm enjoying life without inflammation pain in my joints - like I had in my 30's. I'll be honest, I don't miss grueling work outs and the physical pain of exercises my body was never built for (running, for example).
By eating silly amounts of fat, I am steadily and without effort losing fat in a slow and very manageable way.
RLB remains pain free though he has a herniated disc in his back. It's been four and a half months since he was on Morphine and Percocet to manage his sciatic pain. The recurring facet nerve pain he had has not returned either. He had been getting injections for that pain every four months. His last injection was in the beginning of April. August came and went and the pain didn't return.
Always the scientist, he must test his pain threshold every now and then by eating a(n) (un)healthy dose of carbohydrates and feeling like crap for the next day. He claims it's because he needs to know if there is healing going on. I think it's because he needs to know how that burger tastes with the bun, or to revisit that dopamine high from that little piece of a gooey chocolate bar. The pain flushes through his leg shortly after his indulgence. Then my logical scientist makes yet another hypothesis that he must refrain from sugar in order to remain pain free.
We've had to purchase a new wardrobe for him. He's lost more weight than I have (of course) and is back to the slender anvil shape he had when I first met him.
I continue to study and research as much as I can about the Ketogenic diet and willingly share all that I learn with anyone who requests to know.
I often get asked if I'll ever be able to eat carbohydrates again. I do eat plenty of them, but they are all in the form of vegetables and nuts. No, I don't think I'll ever want to eat sugar again. I've learned far too much at this point. And, when I've eaten something that has added sugar I've found it's too sweet for me to enjoy. I've tasted bread here and there and it tastes like Play-doh to me.
Some of you will understand this (those who have been food addicts or gluttons), the most valuable thing I've gained from eating this way is the freedom to no longer fight with myself over food. I don't have food cravings anymore. I've successfully retrained my fat cells to communicate effectively with my brain. Nothing in my head is telling me to indulge. As a result of that, or just another huge benefit of this way of eating, I have no guilt from eating, no shame, no feeling of defeat. Some of you are probably wondering "what was wrong with you?" - really, that's what people who struggle with their weight go through. I remember it all too well. It's agonizing.
I once surrendered to believing that my struggle was about sin and rebellion to God. I spent a lot of time in prayer over this. Guess what, God didn't convict me I was in sin, he convicted me I needed to learn more and then He led me - He led me to the articles, to the people who knew more than I did, and to the research and studies.
Shout out to Keoni of the Hawaiian Libertarian - thank you for providing so much information, the links, and conviction. Also to commentator Looking Glass who took the time to help heal our guts (including my daughter's) with his very knowledgeable supplement recommendations.
Here are some of the links I've learned even more from:
Cereal Killers Movie
Real Meal Revolution
Mercola
The Charlie Foundation
The Weston A. Price Foundation
Doc's Opinion
One of the videos I suggest to anyone curious about this fat eating diet is The Oiling of America by Sally Fallon Morell of the Weston Price Foundation. It's long and very informative, I hope you'll take the time:
Congratulations! It's not an easy thing to give up sweets!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lori!
ReplyDeleteI learned a trick to help me give up sweets. I had to eat fat until I was "Thanksgiving full". This allowed my hormone Leptin to start doing what it's supposed to do - tell my brain I don't need anymore food. Sure I ate a lot of calories at first but after a few days of this I realized the amount of food it took to get me "Thanksgiving full" was getting less. If I had an urge to eat sugar (or chips) I took it to mean I was hungry and I'd eat as much bacon and eggs as my body would allow me (which is surprisingly not that much - I have yet to eat a full pound of bacon in one setting).
I think the sugar addiction was effectively beat within the first two months. What a relieving feeling, to walk by a shelf that has all of my favorite candy and not even be tempted. Same with the chip aisle. I walk right past the Doritos and head straight for the pork rinds (combined with Parmesan cheese, they make the most fantastic breading for country fried anything).
I have read that we can mistaken thirst for hunger. I presently can drink hardly any water at all because I was in the ICU for several days with sodium level of 110 {death level} when it's suppose to be 137-147 so I have to take salt pills and not drink free water. I am constantly thirsty, therefore, I always feel like I want to eat! I try eating frozen blueberries and strawberries to satisfy this thirst. So staying well-hydrated probably helps a lot also, if you can drink lots of free water which most people can.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that, Lori. I hope you and your doctors are finding the root cause for your low sodium.
DeleteWe take salt tabs as well in addition to Calcium/Magnesium and an electrolyte liquid. Restricting carbohydrates naturally decreases insulin. Insulin causes the kidneys to retain fluid - so opposite is the case without excess insulin and thus a loss of electrolytes. We're still adjusting our diet to incorporate more minerals. I'd prefer to eat what we need rather than supplement. Fortunately this is just an adjustment period that we've noticed isn't as problematic as it was in the beginning. Considering how long we've been told to cut the salt out of our diets, it seems unnatural to consume as much dietary sodium as we need. Salted Kale chips and pumpkin seeds are favorites around here so I'm going to start having them on hand more often so we get more of those minerals.
Regarding feeling hungry, this has been an adjustment for us as well. We're used to the "low blood sugar" feeling of hunger and no longer have that (we don't "feel" hunger anymore). For the most part we stay on a routine of when and what we eat but when we've exerted more than usual, the clearest tell that we're hungry is a dip in our energy levels. Sometimes that is accompanied by slight nausea (low sodium). A snack/meal of fat and a little protein boosts that energy level right back up.
Though we aren't mistaking thirst for hunger, I do think we should probably drink a bit more water. There is conflicting information out there. Some scientists say to "only drink when thirsty" and other nutritionists stick with the "drink eight 8oz glasses of water/day". I've noticed as the weather is getting colder, we aren't drinking as much and have dry eyes.
Also, Fat Head (the movie) and Tom Naughton's site of the same name.
ReplyDeleteYep, of course! One of the many helpful links over at Hawaiian Libertarian.
DeleteSean, you were the one who originally told me about resistant starch. Thank you! You were right about that blog, I don't agree with him about much but I have read his stuff and cross referenced it to other studies and research. Such a simple thing. I'll consume a round of probiotics and then feed the bugs with potato starch for the rest of the month. I also fermented some pickles this summer and have added those to my diet.
DeleteGlad things worked out, since I hadn't heard from you in a bit.
ReplyDeleteI'll read up on the Resistant Starch. That sounds up my alley.