Generally, things are going well. I'm down to 192 lbs, now, for a total weight loss (so far) of 41 lbs. I recently re-evaluated my target weight goal and have determined, based on the "accepted" standards, that I need to be at between 160 and 175 lbs for my height, which is 6 ft. Given that, I have another 17 to 32 lbs left to lose. But, my opinion is that the loss of another 32 lbs would be too extreme, in my case. So, I'm drawing the line at 170 lbs for my "ideal" weight. Depending on how much muscle I add in the intervening weeks ahead, that could be adjusted upward to 175 or even 180. I'll just have to "play it by ear."
Where my blood pressure is concerned, I'm doing well today, at 120/81. My systolic is right at the upper limit for "normal" and my diastolic is one point above that limit. Again, this is with medication, so, I still have a long way to go.
My blood sugar has been yo-yo-ing up and down a bit since the McDonald's episode. It did return to the eighties and nineties, as I predicted it would, but, I did a little snacking on pepperoni slices and that got me messed up again. Yesterday, before dinner, I was at 73 - the lowest my blood sugar has been since I was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic. However, two hours after dinner, it was up to 118, which is 5 points above normal. Then, I had a meal late last night, not long before bed, and paid the price for it this morning when I tested and found I was still at 117. Consequently, my after "brunch" reading was 124. But, I'd just returned from a 2 mile walk, so the exercise may have tempered that a bit; notice it was a rise of only 7 points.
So, the moral of this story is that I need to stay on track with my diet. I have now pretty much nailed down those things that make my blood sugar rise and I am now better prepared to avoid them. After all, even though my blood sugar is coming under control, due to my change in diet and exercise, I am always going to be a diabetic; i.e., my body is particularly susceptible to insulin resistance. So, even when I'm down to my ideal weight, I can still never indulge myself in the sugar-infested grain and dairy-based foods that most other people eat.
That's fine with me, though, as I am committed to the Paleo Diet for the rest of my life. It may also be that, once I do reach my ideal weight, my insulin resistance will be effectively gone. Even then, that doesn't mean I can go out to Braum's and stuff my face with an ice cream cone. Nor would I want to. I know, now, what grains, dairy and processed foods will do to me, so why would I want to harm myself for a few minutes of culinary pleasure? Yes, I could probably do so and get away with it, every once in a while. But, when once in a while becomes every day, I'll be right back to where I was when I weighed 233 lbs, had type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high triglycerides. The smart - the mature adult thing to do, is to stay away from these "foods" completely. After all, they were never supposed to be a part of the human diet, in the first place.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Back to Normal Again
As predicted, my blood sugar has returned to the normal range again, following my McDonald's faux pas. It took two days for my blood sugar to correct itself, however, which shows just how much a single fast food meal can influence a diabetic's blood sugar.
Monday, my before and after dinner readings were 105 and 109, respectively. Tuesday, I was doing much better, with 84 before dinner and 93 after. Today's pre-dinner reading was 87, but I crept up a bit with 124 afterward. Just 11 points above the normal range, but, still, out of normal bounds. That could be due to the lack of my after-dinner walk this evening, in response to freezing rain. But, I did do a Total Gym workout, though it was after checking my blood sugar.
I expect that tomorrow will find me back in the 80s and 90s again and this should continue until, hopefully, it drops even further.
Monday, my before and after dinner readings were 105 and 109, respectively. Tuesday, I was doing much better, with 84 before dinner and 93 after. Today's pre-dinner reading was 87, but I crept up a bit with 124 afterward. Just 11 points above the normal range, but, still, out of normal bounds. That could be due to the lack of my after-dinner walk this evening, in response to freezing rain. But, I did do a Total Gym workout, though it was after checking my blood sugar.
I expect that tomorrow will find me back in the 80s and 90s again and this should continue until, hopefully, it drops even further.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Paleo Diet - Day 71
Well, today I'm another 2 lbs lighter, weighing in at 194 lbs. My blood sugar has been in the upper normal range all week and my blood pressure, as of today, is at 110/76, which is normal. Of course, that's still with the use of my blood pressure medication, so I still have a little more left to do on that. My guess is that when it gets down to around, say, 90/60 with medication, then it will be safe to discontinue the medication. I would expect that, at that point, my unmedicated blood pressure may be around 100/65 to 110/70, which would be the best range to be in. I'll have to consult with my doctor on that before I know for sure, but that seems logical to me. At 100/65, I'd be in the range that athletes and children are normally at. At 110/70, I'd be at the level of normal blood pressure after strenuous exercise, according to the chart found at http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/blood-pressure.htm
I discovered the effects of junk food on blood sugar yesterday, while on the road. I was returning from a visit to my brother's place and hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast and, with at least a couple of hours' drive ahead of me, I decided to stop for lunch. However, I was off the beaten track and wound up stopping in Cleveland, Oklahoma, where the local McDonald's was the only choice. I carefully chose a grilled chicken sandwich from the menu and, because I was hungry, I ate the fries and the bun along with it. I also wanted to see what that would do to my blood sugar, as it would be about time to measure it when I got home. I did eschew the soft drinks in favor of water, though. Well, when I got home, I checked my blood sugar and found it had been jacked up to 158! That was with the healthiest choice on McDonald's menu! I think that, if I had tossed the bun and the fries and just eaten the chicken alone, I'd have stayed a bit closer to the normal range, but I was pretty hungry and so, let my appetite get the better of me. Anyway, later on that evening, after dinner, my blood sugar had settled down somewhat, to 111. I'm sure that, by tomorrow evening, it will have dropped back into the normal range again. This was an interesting experiment, though, as it clearly shows how much a single fast food meal can affect a diabetic's blood sugar. This proves my case against the advice being given by doctors and nutritionists these days, that a diabetic can eat whatever they want to, just "in moderation." Bullshit! If you are diabetic and you eat that way, you can count on maintaining your diabetes for the rest of your short life.
I discovered the effects of junk food on blood sugar yesterday, while on the road. I was returning from a visit to my brother's place and hadn't eaten a thing since breakfast and, with at least a couple of hours' drive ahead of me, I decided to stop for lunch. However, I was off the beaten track and wound up stopping in Cleveland, Oklahoma, where the local McDonald's was the only choice. I carefully chose a grilled chicken sandwich from the menu and, because I was hungry, I ate the fries and the bun along with it. I also wanted to see what that would do to my blood sugar, as it would be about time to measure it when I got home. I did eschew the soft drinks in favor of water, though. Well, when I got home, I checked my blood sugar and found it had been jacked up to 158! That was with the healthiest choice on McDonald's menu! I think that, if I had tossed the bun and the fries and just eaten the chicken alone, I'd have stayed a bit closer to the normal range, but I was pretty hungry and so, let my appetite get the better of me. Anyway, later on that evening, after dinner, my blood sugar had settled down somewhat, to 111. I'm sure that, by tomorrow evening, it will have dropped back into the normal range again. This was an interesting experiment, though, as it clearly shows how much a single fast food meal can affect a diabetic's blood sugar. This proves my case against the advice being given by doctors and nutritionists these days, that a diabetic can eat whatever they want to, just "in moderation." Bullshit! If you are diabetic and you eat that way, you can count on maintaining your diabetes for the rest of your short life.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Another Three Pounds
In keeping with the 2 to 5 pound average weight loss I've been experiencing, I've lost 3 lbs since Sunday, when I weighed last. So, now I'm at 196 lbs.
Meanwhile, my blood pressure is steadily declining, as well. I received my new Total Gym yesterday and used it for the first time last night. Even after that, my blood pressure still is lower today than it was Sunday and measured 116/86. The systolic is now in the normal range, but the diastolic still lags behind in the pre-hypertensive range. Even so, this is still lower than last time and continues a downward trend.
The continued fat loss is starting to reveal more of my underlying musculature and people at work are noticing the weight loss and I've received several complements.
Meanwhile, my blood pressure is steadily declining, as well. I received my new Total Gym yesterday and used it for the first time last night. Even after that, my blood pressure still is lower today than it was Sunday and measured 116/86. The systolic is now in the normal range, but the diastolic still lags behind in the pre-hypertensive range. Even so, this is still lower than last time and continues a downward trend.
The continued fat loss is starting to reveal more of my underlying musculature and people at work are noticing the weight loss and I've received several complements.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Blood Sugar Remaining Stable After Meals
Yet another new milestone in the gradual eradication of my diabetes: both yesterday and today, my blood sugar has remained at its pre-meal level when measured afterward. Now, I've had two or three unique instances in which my blood sugar actually dropped to below it's pre-meal measure following the meal, but this latest development, if it continues, may signify a trend, of sorts. Too early to tell, just yet.
Another facet of this development is that, in both instances, my blood sugar was in the normal range, both before and after eating. As I speculated in my earlier post, I expected to see this start happening within a month or so. I am pleasantly surprised to see it's apparently begun earlier than expected. Again, whether this will hold up or continue to drop remains to be seen yet. But, the important thing is, I'm now in the normal range for what appears to be for good. I feel confident in saying so because in most studies of the paleolithic diet and diabetics, this is exactly what happens; i.e., they eventually return to normal.
In case anyone reading this assumes I am including type 1 diabetics in these comments, the answer is no. While the paleolithic diet has been proven to cure type 2 diabetes, the same cannot be said for type 1. That is not to say that a paleolithic diet wouldn't help a type 1 diabetic, though. There is evidence to suggest that it can.
But, I will add that the evidence for the paleolithic diet also suggests that diabetes, even hereditary type 1 diabetes, has its origins in the inclusion of grains and dairy in the human diet that occurred some 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture. There is no evidence to suggest that hunter-gatherers (whether ancient or modern) ever had diabetes, either type 1 or type 2. The very fact that diabetes is responsive to changes in diet confirms that it is a dietary condition, not some incurable life-long disease that came out of nowhere. All pathologies have an origin and a causality. Grains and dairy products have been well documented elevators of blood sugar for some time now.
ADDENDUM (1-5-08):
Well, it seems my prediction of a trend was a little premature, after all. It only held for those two days, then the before and after meal results began to diverge a bit more again. I should have expected this was an anomaly. Even so, the overall downward trend is still holding.
Another facet of this development is that, in both instances, my blood sugar was in the normal range, both before and after eating. As I speculated in my earlier post, I expected to see this start happening within a month or so. I am pleasantly surprised to see it's apparently begun earlier than expected. Again, whether this will hold up or continue to drop remains to be seen yet. But, the important thing is, I'm now in the normal range for what appears to be for good. I feel confident in saying so because in most studies of the paleolithic diet and diabetics, this is exactly what happens; i.e., they eventually return to normal.
In case anyone reading this assumes I am including type 1 diabetics in these comments, the answer is no. While the paleolithic diet has been proven to cure type 2 diabetes, the same cannot be said for type 1. That is not to say that a paleolithic diet wouldn't help a type 1 diabetic, though. There is evidence to suggest that it can.
But, I will add that the evidence for the paleolithic diet also suggests that diabetes, even hereditary type 1 diabetes, has its origins in the inclusion of grains and dairy in the human diet that occurred some 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture. There is no evidence to suggest that hunter-gatherers (whether ancient or modern) ever had diabetes, either type 1 or type 2. The very fact that diabetes is responsive to changes in diet confirms that it is a dietary condition, not some incurable life-long disease that came out of nowhere. All pathologies have an origin and a causality. Grains and dairy products have been well documented elevators of blood sugar for some time now.
ADDENDUM (1-5-08):
Well, it seems my prediction of a trend was a little premature, after all. It only held for those two days, then the before and after meal results began to diverge a bit more again. I should have expected this was an anomaly. Even so, the overall downward trend is still holding.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Sucralose and Diabetes
Yesterday, I noticed a rise in my blood sugar, first thing in the morning, and, since I'd been experiencing lower blood sugar for several days, I was confounded as to how this could happen, especially since I'd just been sleeping for some seven to eight hours and was, therefore, in a "fasting" state, as I hadn't eaten anything yet. Also, I had previously tested the evening before, following dinner, and my blood sugar was lower then than it was after just getting up.
Pondering this mystery, the only possible variable I could account for was that I'd brushed my teeth before testing my blood sugar yesterday. So, this morning, rather than brushing my teeth first, I immediately tested my blood sugar and found it to be normal (102). I then had a close look at the ingredients contained in my toothpaste. Nothing there that resembled any kind of sweetener, so I then checked the label on my mouthwash. That was when I discovered that my mouthwash (Equate Tartar Protection Antiseptic Mouth Rinse) contains a sweetener called Sucralose. Aha!
As was the case a couple of weeks ago, when I discovered the Ricola throat lozenges I'd been using also contained an artificial sweetener (Isomalt) that is made from sugar and which also drives my blood sugar up, despite manufacturer's claims that it does not, I had now found evidence that my mouthwash has also been adding to my diabetes.
In the case of Sucralose, however, the effects don't stop there, as I found out by doing a simple Google search: http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/
Despite Ricola's and Palatint's (the manufacturer of Isomalt) claims that Isomalt, which is made from an alcohol sugar, does not raise blood sugar in diabetics, I have found otherwise, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Just ceasing the use of Ricola has allowed me to make further progress in lowering my blood sugar. Before I stopped using it, I was frustrated that I was not getting my blood sugar down as easily as expected.
So, the bottom line is this: artificial sweeteners, especially those made from any form of sugar, do increase blood sugar in diabetics, despite claims to the contrary, and they also have a number of toxic effects upon the human body, in addition. Thus, they should never be used by anyone, especially diabetics and people trying to lose weight, whether they are on the Paleo Diet or some other diet.
ADDENDUM (1-3-08):
I've been asked where my data for my opinion on Sucralose came from. Anyone who bothered to read the full article would have noticed the URL I provided above, which is where my information on this substance comes from. Note that the source says that there have been no long-term human studies done on the effects of Sucralose, as yet. This doesn't, however, mean that the data is faulty or that my comments are untrue. There have been reported cases of adverse effects from this substance and my own anecdotal experience, detailed above, suggests the manufacturer's claim that Sucralose is harmless to diabetics is not to be believed. I place my trust in statements that I know to be true, not in those I know to be false. By the way, since the issue was raised, one needn't be a doctor to reiterate data provided by other sources any more than a writer needs to be a lawyer to write about the obvious effects of a particular law. Furthermore, good luck in getting the truth about products like these from doctors, who have a vested interest in keeping us sick.
Pondering this mystery, the only possible variable I could account for was that I'd brushed my teeth before testing my blood sugar yesterday. So, this morning, rather than brushing my teeth first, I immediately tested my blood sugar and found it to be normal (102). I then had a close look at the ingredients contained in my toothpaste. Nothing there that resembled any kind of sweetener, so I then checked the label on my mouthwash. That was when I discovered that my mouthwash (Equate Tartar Protection Antiseptic Mouth Rinse) contains a sweetener called Sucralose. Aha!
As was the case a couple of weeks ago, when I discovered the Ricola throat lozenges I'd been using also contained an artificial sweetener (Isomalt) that is made from sugar and which also drives my blood sugar up, despite manufacturer's claims that it does not, I had now found evidence that my mouthwash has also been adding to my diabetes.
In the case of Sucralose, however, the effects don't stop there, as I found out by doing a simple Google search: http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/
Despite Ricola's and Palatint's (the manufacturer of Isomalt) claims that Isomalt, which is made from an alcohol sugar, does not raise blood sugar in diabetics, I have found otherwise, as I mentioned in an earlier post. Just ceasing the use of Ricola has allowed me to make further progress in lowering my blood sugar. Before I stopped using it, I was frustrated that I was not getting my blood sugar down as easily as expected.
So, the bottom line is this: artificial sweeteners, especially those made from any form of sugar, do increase blood sugar in diabetics, despite claims to the contrary, and they also have a number of toxic effects upon the human body, in addition. Thus, they should never be used by anyone, especially diabetics and people trying to lose weight, whether they are on the Paleo Diet or some other diet.
ADDENDUM (1-3-08):
I've been asked where my data for my opinion on Sucralose came from. Anyone who bothered to read the full article would have noticed the URL I provided above, which is where my information on this substance comes from. Note that the source says that there have been no long-term human studies done on the effects of Sucralose, as yet. This doesn't, however, mean that the data is faulty or that my comments are untrue. There have been reported cases of adverse effects from this substance and my own anecdotal experience, detailed above, suggests the manufacturer's claim that Sucralose is harmless to diabetics is not to be believed. I place my trust in statements that I know to be true, not in those I know to be false. By the way, since the issue was raised, one needn't be a doctor to reiterate data provided by other sources any more than a writer needs to be a lawyer to write about the obvious effects of a particular law. Furthermore, good luck in getting the truth about products like these from doctors, who have a vested interest in keeping us sick.
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