Low Carbohydrates from non-startchy vegetables and sometimes berries is the cornerstone of my long term weight maintenance food template.
Franziska is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator
who believes in a Low-Carbohydrate Lifestyle. My friends in real life who have seen her for glucose regulation and low carb diet recommendations have had excellent results.
Be sure to follow the Low Carb Dietitian's blog for more information.
When you are in long term weight maintenance, using all the tools available to you to stay there is very, very valuable. Thanks again to Franziska for sharing my story. To my readers, please share with those who may benefit from good glucose control and a low carb lifestyle.
My current template is 40-50 grams of carbs day for maintenance. All from lots of veggetables and sometimes some berries. My glucose 1-2 hours post meals is typically in the 80's. Maybe super low 90's if I've had berries. My fasting glucose is high 70's to low 80's. Fantastic!
I know from my 23nMe results that even though I have multiple risk factors for type 2 diabetes and I came close to being diagnosed in 2011, I never fully developed diabetes. I have the geneotype, but via weight loss, a low carb, Paleo-ish approach, I can enjoy controlled glucose levels, weight maintenance, and good health and nutrition during menopause and a normal phenotype.
Wow, after 40 years of yo-yo dieting, binge eating , and morbid obesity, low carb sure does taste good. And I get to spend my money traveling and taking photos instead of medical bills. Win-Win.
Hi Karen - it was good to read your story on Franziska's recent post.
ReplyDeleteI'm a firm believer in sharing life experiences ... it can and does help so many.
The years that I have been reading your blog, you have been, and still are an inspiration to many. I love the way you always set things out well for people to read and understand.
As you know I have been living the LCHF lifestyle for seven years now , my health and well being has never been better.
Hope you have a Happy Friday and a lovely weekend - we have a bank holiday weekend here in the UK so a nice three days!
All the best Jan
Thanks Jan. And thanks to you and Eddie for all your low carb work across the pond, in the UK. Good stuff and it will take many of us sharing our stories for it to take a hold.
DeleteEnjoy your 3 day weekend. I have some time off coming up so I'm enjoying the last bit of summer here.
That's really cool! You are rocking maintenance so hard - you're an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteJeanette, you are rocking maintenance, too. Really, eating from a a real foods template during weight maintenance, then pre and during pregnancy. Wow, not only do you give your kid the best genetic start in life, your grandchildren will be positively effected, too. It's been well estblished that maternal nutrition effects both your kids and your grandkids.
DeleteI'm not sure if you realize it but it will also effect your kid and grandchildren's personal finances. Healthcare costs are through the roof and will be a major cause of bankruptcy. Also the devastating effects of type 2 diabetes and NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) on young children (previously only older alcoholics or those with a certain genetic arrangement). Anyhoo, not only for yourself, you and Chris have set your family up for very valuable genenotypes and phenotypes for your kids.
I love that! If there is one thing I could change ( I lost weight before pregnancy- 60 pounds, but I still binge ate crap) it would be keeping a whole foods template around during years 0-12 for my daughter - better late than never. :)
Keep up the good work yourself and never underestimate the power of your food template. I hope more young people understand this. And, more blog topics, right here.
I loved the article, and I am so glad you shared it with us. Something that you promote (and that the article does, too) is that there are multiple ways to go about eating in a low carbohydrate manner--and you realize that everyone is different. One of the things I also appreciated about the article was someone's comment that she had to stop feeling resentful for giving up certain foods and that if she wanted her health back, that would be a necessity. What I like about your blog is that you don't seem resentful about following a strict diet because there are bloggers out there who think they exercise so much so why can't they just eat in moderation though that does not always work.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ali. I credit my choice to choose positive thinking. I know that I've had obesity my whole life and a good part of it are my own choices of what I put in my body. But (BUTT!- I couldn't resist that pun) I also know I have the FTO genetics that code for obesity. So that being an obese child/adult is not my fault, but I do have to really get and stay on a Paleo-ish food template.
DeleteIt's all relative, too, meaning I've watched a parent die slowly from age 48-72 from an incurable disease while the other parent was a caretaker, a grandparent be legally blind for 7 years while the other grandparent was caretaker. I can choose what I put in my piehole, so If I can very easily make changes to my diet that decrease my health risks- well, I feel it's my responsibility to make those food changes, own them.
I've had a lifetime of cookies, cupcakes, frosting and fast food, and WW moderation. Now for better health from both food choices and exercise, sleep, choices. The best way to keep a lid on the crappy genetics are my food choices. I feel powerful that I have that mastery and that I can borrow habits from the rest of the maintainer world.
Out running/walking cookies and frosting- oh, me. Not only will that only work when you are young and naturally thin, for me it's a sure recipe for diabetes. Glad that I moved into a real foods template. Rather than a punishment, it is a gift. Ooooh. new blog post right there.. :) Thanks for the inspiration. A victim (TM) mentality will only go so far. Getting real fixes in goes a further. Lowest medical risk is now for me. I might as well enjoy it.
That is awesome Karen! Congratulations:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leigh, Your story is awesome, too. Continued weight maintenance is a lot of work, day in day out. Keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to following you along for your next steps. If I were younger, I'd get skin removal surgery, too. :) Safe travels.
DeleteI read this before you posted here! Well done - people need to know and believe that you can lose weight and keep it off. It does require much effort and change though. Nothing comes easily :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lynda! I figured at least one of my readers would have Franziska's blog in their readers or on their lists. Yes, indeed. So important- low carb, low sugar or not, if we lost weight and can keep it off, it will help for others to see.
DeleteNo easy pass. Glad you are blogging about continuing to keep your weight off. :)