What's for Lunch?

[clarencebunsen]

We drifted off topic in the cooking oil thread so I thought I would answer a couple of questions here. I'll start by sharing my current mantra, "I don't diet, I eat. I don't exercise, I live." I want to make clear that I have no formal training in anything biology related beyond high school biology more than 50 years ago. I'll tell what I've done but as it says on the window sticker, "Your actual mileage may vary."

In the fall of 2014, I received a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. I now realize that the trigger point for that diagnosis is fairly arbitrary. Given a different set point, my diagnosis could have been 10 years ago or 10 years from now. It came at a time when my mother and a good friend had both started their terminal battles with diabetes. ( After a brief review, I realize that from spring 2014 to fall 2015 I've lost my mother and 7 friends (four younger than I), are you guys sure you really want to associate with me?) My mother was insulin dependent for 30+ years. She maintained good control for many of those years. Diabetes may have hastened her demise but she lived a long and full life. My friend's end was ugly. He went through 2 years of amputations. First a toe, then a foot then a leg below the knee, then the whole leg. Then the process started with his other leg. He died legless, paranoid and angry at the world.

After my diagnosis, I attended 4 education sessions at Faxton and was rewarded with my very own blood glucose meter. I also had additional lab tests which showed protein in my urine indicating that diabetes had also damged my kidneys. The instructors at Faxton also recommended a site My Fitness Pal for tracking diet and exercise. I had already found that site so I decided to use it. They recommended that I drop the standard %age of calories from carbs by 10%, from 50% to 40%.

I spent Nov & Dec learning to "eat to the meter." I recorded what I ate and tracked my blood glucose readings. I was not really bad according to the meter (a post meal spike was typically 150-160) that's good for a diabetic but high for a non-diabetic. I learned that carb heavy meals caused higher spikes and kept away from them. Since my lab tests had shown some kidney damage (diabetes is a nasty disease) I also controlled the amount of protein I ate. I was also losing weight because I was restricting calories but I can't say it was easy and it's questionable to me whether it was sustainable.

In January I began participating in a forum on My Fitness Pal made up of people who eat Low Carb / High Fat. Some members of the group are quite extreme. I was careful at that time about logging everything I ate and planning my meals. I adjusted my goals to bring my daily carb intake down to 50-75 grams. I also continued to control my protein to 75-100 grams per day. Since I still have to live, run Grandpa daycare (I have 5 today, it's a school holiday), do 25 flights of steps, I need fuel to operate. On a typical day 75% of that fuel comes from fat.

From September 2014 to June 2015 my weight went from 220 to 150, I've maintained since then. I don't log what I eat anymore but I do log my weight daily. Since there is a natural variation of 2-3 pounds on weight I have to look at the rolling averages of weight not the daily number.

So, what's for lunch? Normally a plate of low carb veggies with a half portion of last night's meat, 1/4 avocado, about 1/4 cup of cheese (not a low fat variety), 1 tablespoon of good olive oil, a tablespoon of good vinegar, a generous dash of a spice mixture, sodium chloride & potassium chloride (weight loss can mess with electrolyte balance). Not on the menu: flour, sugar or potatoes.

Eating out was more of a challenge at first but I've learned that most places are accommodating when I order a burger without a bun. I've ordered a McD steak & egg breakfast sandwich without a bun and gotten exactly what I wanted: a steak topped with egg & cheese.

Thus far I'm pleased with the results and my doctor seems pleased with my lab tests. I've got my blood sugar controlled w/o diabetes medications and their side effects. My gout has actually reversed a bit with some of the joint deposits I've had for years becoming smaller. For 2015 I've taken over the counter medications 4 times. Considering my near constant exposure to kids with runny noses I should be living on cold medications.

For now my intention is to stay the course until I have a reason to change.

[Clipper]

Wow Clarence. That is an amazing story. Congrats on the will power and constant attention to what you eat and how much. I hope to lose a fairly large amount of weight as I am just plain obese at 290. I have lost the weight before and through my own poor eating habits and a weak will I simply allowed it to return. Thanks for the info and the reference to My Fitness Pal. I am going there to check it out as soon as I finish this post.

I laud your dedication to the grandkids and insuring that they have someone they love taking care of them at all times and are not subjected to the childcare mill.

[chris]

Congratulations CB. Great job and more power to you.

[clarencebunsen]

I mentioned a low carb forum in which I participate. Last night I read the following which explains much better than I did:

I have done enough research that I can explain the science in layman's terms what is going on.

My body is able to get its operating energy from three sources - carbohydrates, fats, and protein. It's easiest for my body to get its energy from carbohydrates, which turn into glucose once they are consumed. Unfortunately, my body has lost its ability to move glucose out of my bloodstream efficiently, and glucose in the bloodstream, sustained at levels > 140 mg/dl, damage organs. You can fix having too much insulin in the bloodstream two ways: The first is by making the "train" out of the bloodstream work more efficient by using medicines that either reduce insulin resistance or add more insulin to the mix. The medically recommended goal, using one or both of these medications is an average of 140 or 152 mg/dl - which means (in either case) periods of sustained blood glucose concentrations above the level at level at which I am damaging my organs. Those goals are set not because they are healthy, but because they are the lowest goals at which anyone making the "train" more efficient can expect to achieve.

But insulin resistance and insulin insufficiency are chronic, progressive disorders. Having that level of excess glucose hanging around accelerates the disease progression - leading to organ failure, amputation, loss of vision, etc.

The other solution is to fix the input - fewer carbohydrates in, mean less glucose that needs to hop the train out. My impaired system can handle the traffic if there isn't so much of it. Eating fewer than 50 net carbs a day means my blood sugar never reaches the level at which it does damage. It still doesn't fix the underlying disorder, but I can at least go into remission by only consuming the amount of carbohydrates my body can process in a healthy way.

Then we get to the question of where does my body get the energy to operate - and the second easiest place for it to get energy is from fats. The hardest (and damaging for other reasons - at least for people with insulin resistance or insufficiency) is protein. So my body engine gets most of what it needs to run on from an alternate fuel source - fats.

I don't talk about the goal being high fat - I talk about my goals being low carb and moderate protein. They are my goals. The consequence of those goals is that I do eat a relatively high quantity of fat. But talking about eating a high fat diet as a goal sets people's teeth on edge. And, for me, it really is a medical issue. It is every bit as important (likely more) than popping a pill - and to treat insulin resistance/insufficiency - it is definitely more effective.