Favorite tweets, posts, shoutouts, and photos from the Paleo, LCHF, real foods, abstaining world Jan 31, 2016

Here are some posts and ideas I liked for the week ending Jan 31, 2016.

My best photo of the week. Moonlight Beach, 1/30/2016. I was speechless when I stopped to take a break at Whole Foods after my beach walk and saw this photo on my camera. Whoa!! I love being in the flow state and weight maintenance is a huge gift- to be able to walk almost 2 hours around a coastal town. I choose THIS! I choose foods that keep me food sober and walking a lot on the coast. Well worth it! The old me would be sitting on the couch sleeping in the afternoon, no more of that!

Moonlight Beach, Encinitas, CA Jan 30,2016 

Keeping my glucose and HA1c lower:

Now, I'm not saying that LCHF or Keto is a cancer cure, but keeping my glucose and HA1c lower also helps control my obesity and binge eating. I do believe that remission from my obesity = lower cancer risk for me Win-Win.

My take away: I put a lot of priority in glucose levels that are normal and HA1c's that are lower. That means I test and see what foods cause high spikes that don't come down 2 hours post. My genetics are not great, but my food choices are excellent for glucose control!!

Beef Brisket (Whole Foods) Salad, radishes, bell pepper, 85% chocolate, Coconut milk in some decaf coffee

For me- moderate protein, higher natural fat, low carbohydrate veggies. LCHF, part time Keto, Seasonings, yes!  I stay away from fruit, except for berries occasionally or a slice of citrus here and there, too much protein, and lots of high carb sweet potatoes. My genetics make the call, it's my job to get my desired outcome. So many people think its restrictive or punishing. I can tell you its delicious and nutritious. I'm not starving. I'm stronger than ever.

Cancer avoidance — another good reason to keep your A1c as low as possible (even in non-diabetics). pic.twitter.com/gYTzzby7BA

— Ted Naiman (@tednaiman) January 30, 2016

On the path to wellness and practicing best weight loss blogging practices:

Kudos to Holly and Hollie for updating their blogs and blogging about food addiction and abstaining.  Very honest bloggers who put themselves out there. Both have current photos, don't give up and have taken steps to deal with food/ sugar addiction. Never easy, always worth it. Onward! Gold stars in your caps for real time, honest blogging and applying suggested best blogging practices. Awesome!

300 pounds down- Holly
Transforming Hollie

Living Sober in a normie world
Food Addiction has a lot of overlap in recovery of all types (no it's not the same, but overlap YES)- abstaining, 12 step programs. Replace the word "alcohol" with "frosted cupcake" and read this article. Thank you for Vera Tarman, MD, for your continued work with addictions of all kinds.

My takeaway: Yes, yes, I'm sure I'm a food addict. One bite will hurt. Lived the one bite nightmare. Not going back there. I'll never be a normie, but I can be in recovery and live well.

11 Things Sober People Want Normal Drinkers To Know | The Fix https://t.co/qbxMwTjfHT...
This will be useful for 'normies' to read. Please.

— Dr. Vera (@addunplug) January 28, 2016

The Wild Diet and Abel James and Kurt Morgan
Congratulations to Kurt Morgan and Abel James on Kurt's amazing transformation using The Wild Diet and having the the guts to talk about eating real food, higher fat! on main stream TV.

My take away: I do think that Paleo, Primal, LCHF, Keto, The Wild Diet and other real food approaches are underused for both weight loss and weight maintenance.

It's clear to me that Kurt chose a food template that goes well with his genetics. Be sure to subscribe to Able Jame's podcasts as he talks about what it was really like behind the scenes on a reality TV show with many of his guests this month.

pic.twitter.com/QwRmNEkNaX

— kurt morgan (@kurtmorgan8) January 29, 2016

Get out in Nature:
Finally,  the whales are on their migration to Baja Mexico and stopped to play last week. Be sure to take some time to walk out in nature, as safely as you can during the winter. I took an awesome staycation last Monday, what a treat!  Outdoors is free.

California Gray Whale tail with Sailboat, Carlsbad Cliffs Jan 25,2016

Before you run out to eat the food you "LOVE" be sure to remain food sober, oh and grab that glucose meter, too!

 Jan 30, 2016 Glucose 30 day average = 80, Celebrate!

Have you heard? You should eat what you LOVE? A moderation tweet message from a chronic yo-yo dieter who earns millions on one tweet.

WHUT????

* There are no food photos or lengthy food descriptions in this post*  You are welcome!

I would like to provide guidelines that I use when deciding what food to choose. Remember, I count myself as a food addict (age 6-46) who has been in recovery for just shy of 5 years.

I've been at a normal weight for almost 4 years, 40 years of overweight, obesity, morbid obesity and binge eating like there was no tomorrow.

Here's my criteria for choosing foods to eat to maintain my weight, to keep from getting type 2 diabetes, and to remain food sober.

What works for me for choosing food to eat. Here's what I ask myself

1. Will this food trigger me?  (meat, non starchy veggies, low inflammatory natural fats are okay)
2. What fasting and 2 hour post glucose values be? ( high 60's to high 80's most of the time)
3. Will this food produce migraines, acne, joint pain (dairy & nuts)
4. Am I eating because I have a non-hunger need?- HALT-B- hungry, angry, lonely,tired, or bored
5. Am I choosing foods that keep me from the life threatening disease of food addiction?

If I sat down and ate the foods that I "LOVED" in an addict way, well I would be morbidly obese again. I'm not alone, many other folks ( MILLIONS of people) abstain from flour grains, sugar for both food addiction treatment and other health reasons. The normal is to abstain from refined flour and sugar for treatment.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Paleo, Low Carb High Fat food template. I eat plenty of food. I am not suffering with low fat, terrible tasting food, clutching to every last point. Nope. Here's my Instagram Account of my common meals.   I eat until I'm full, I stop, I repeat 3X per day. I weigh my proteins, I track my food.

I retrained my food template, I eat foods that keep me well. There is no food Switzerland for me.

I beg you- if you are LOVING your food and going to eat moderately because you "LOVE" food and "YOLO" and any other excuse your brain can come up with,  grab a glucose meter. What are your fasting glucose readings, 2 hours post readings?

Did you read Refuse to Regain's blog post about knowing your body? 
For me that means monitoring my glucose and periodically getting an HA1c, hs-CRP, a triglycerides and other blood work that monitors silent inflammation markers

Your body will choose your foods, your body will give you feed back to what works and what does not. It's tricky to override the messages that the disease of food addiction will send you. I LOVE lots of food, but my disease is out side of my car, I have the doors locked and I don't let it in. The disease knocks many times and I LOVE to kick it away for another day.

Here's what didn't work in the past:

1. I chose grain filled, low points breads, cereals, muffins- hey, I LOVE those!!!!
2. I knew my glucose was high but looked the other way 2 years. ( headed to type 2 quick)
3. I had migraines and knew nuts and dairy could trigger, but I chose moderation and the disease.
4. I ate for false sugar fixes- numbing out any sort of emotion.
5. I had really high hs-CRP and joint pain. I really thought that was normal at age 40!!!

Before a you adopt a diet guru's suggestions- be sure to collect enough n=1 that honors your bodies genetics and reaction to the environment. So many times we are told to moderate with devastating out comes. Those people who can eat everything, that's nice, but they won't be around to help you pay your medical bills and help you out for a very, very preventable - in most cases, situation.

Know your body, check your blood markers. Choose wisely. I promise I will not make millions on this blog post. But that's okay. :) Does anyone else get tired of the moderation message dressed up in a popular personality? My food template picked me. N= 1.

Food Sobriety is worth more than millions, it's priceless!

My half year glucose data, staying under 100, Jan 2016

Request for weight maintenance and weight loss bloggers to update status & photos- is there a best practice?

May 2011, high carb compared to  Jan 2016 low carb, 4 years weight maintenance

Request: Please!  1000X times, please, update your social media descriptions. Life is dynamic, and cyclic. For those of us traveling the inerwebz, it's important to get an accurate photo and description of your current focus.

Why #1 : There are no weight loss or weight maintenance social media standards. In my opinion, maybe there should be some best practice guidelines.  No amount of time will change your weight loss story and history, truth.

But time, age, and health does change maintainer status and weight loss status. 

A. No shame, no blame, just be current and accurate.

B. Weight loss has an end. Weight maintenance does not until you meet your maker. Truth!

C. Weight maintenance at 2+ years out is significant and varied in approach by person, genetics, environment, coping skills, habit changes.

Why #2 The <2 year maintainers  and those transitioning from loss to early maintenance need examples of what habits, steps, food that the long term maintainers are using.

Questions I ask myself when arriving to a site:
Is this information current?
Is the blogger being honest?
Is there a learning mindset or a victim mindset?
Are the photos photoshopped?
Is this a commercial blog selling any product, even if it's your own book, vitamin, plan?
Has the person changed focus or re-branded or abandoned their blog since the blog was created?
Did the person have remove foods to maintain or lose weight?
Examples might be go grain or sugar free, Paleo, Primal,  or Vegetarian, is the plan clear?
When the blogger does moderate, does that mean a few off plan foods eaten sometimes?
If the blogger is eating  moderately, do eating every food under the sun, including entertainment eating?
Are there lots of junk food photos or processed foods?
Is the person actively gaining weight, stable or still losing?
Is the person still binge eating?
Is the person close in age to me- or +/- 10 years,
For women is the blogger in or approaching menopause?
Are there other health problems solved? Hashimoto's, Auto-Immune Protocol, PCOS?

Why #3, Deeper Why: My time is limited. I need to both focus my reading time and if I might, just maybe grab a take away message from a persons' story, I would like current, accurate info.

Hey, I'm a 40 year yo-yo dieter. I get it. I've regained hundreds of times. Heck, I regained 5-6 pounds this year. I don't hide it. Just state  the facts. My updated profile reflects my status changes.  If you saw me in real life, you'd get what my photos reflect.

Weight Loss & Weight Maintenance Blogging- Karen's Suggested best practices 

There are no real standards for weight loss or weight maintainers, so feel free to add constructive suggestions to mine. There may be many more best practices.

1 Update the status of the blog. Minimum Quarterly, 4 times a year, or semi annually- 2 times per year:  even if you are no longer maintaining. Put some time frames around your loss and maintenance times. Own your history, but be current and own your present, too.

I recently updated these profiles: Blogger, twitter, 2 Instagram accounts, Facebook, and google +.  I'm not keeping 70+ pounds off, I'm keeping 65 of 70 pounds off. Truth!

2. Put dates on any photos. Make sure the photos are clear and represent your current message. List age or age range, health issues you blog about, length of time, weight lost, or time since you solved an health issue. How tall are you?

3. Tell us about what is working, what didn't work, what you've learned, key take aways. 

N=1 (self experimentation) is key. We all have different environments and food templates but we also have common practices and habits.

2. Re-brand if your focus has changed. No longer weight loss or weight maintenance blogging?  If your circumstance has changed, that's okay. Life changes, your focus changes, That's supposed to happen. It's okay for life to happen. The alternative is bleak. No personal growth is not awesome. Hopefully the bloggers are conveying what they love.

4. Go private  or suspend your blog if you need to do that. Or by invite only. Make a decision from a place of strength for good boundaries! There is a thing as too much information. You could be quoted on the front of the NY Times tomorrow morning from a comment on a blog post. Careful what you write. Somethings are better for smaller groups.

Providing information related to your story is a skill that can be learned.  Good boundary setting for yourself and your information sharing is key, in my opinion. Sometimes sharing your goals and methods is not helpful. That's okay. You can learn good boundary setting as an adult.

How old is that photo?????

Podcast discussion- The Paleo View- Paleo "fun" foods #178 what I liked and how I cope with Paleo Treats

 Podcast: The Paleo View- Sarah and Stacey discuss paleo "gray zone" foods. #178- Missing the Point
What I liked:

• Both Sarah and Stacey were very open in discussing their use in the past of Paleo Treats
• Both Sarah and Stacey are maintaining large weight loss and have admitted they also have experience with sugar/food addictions/food recreations/mental games. 
• There are no rules or standards- personalize the approach for yourself.
• Paleo Treats drive traffic to blogs, fun foods vs health promoting, so lots of Paleo treat photos
• Check out the list of emulsifiers at the end of the blog post  Most emulsifiers also induce binge urges for me
• I really appreciated Sarah and Stacey dialog and honesty. 

How I deal with "treat photos" from  post recovery-AKA my own standards. Remember, I am an abstainer.

 I cannot put photos into my sight an/or look at Paleo treat foods without getting triggered. We are all different: different foods in recovery, different triggers.  Photos of Paleo treats are just not something I can include in my life and count myself as being in recovery. 

What makes me a decent hobby photographer also is a slippery slope for relapse for me. 

• I don't follow Instagram Accounts that have more than 1 in 20 dessert photos
• I don't make "fun" or" gray zone foods". Even on my birthday, Food Addiction is not fun or gray. Food either makes me well or puts me back into food addiction.
• I google meat, veggies, and AIP topics and wind up on The Paleo Mom's site via a search
• I do eat 85% chocolate, maybe half or more days- one or two squares, or not. It doesn't trigger me.

Karen's take away: When you are getting food sober and getting off the Standard American Diet (SAD),  get clean and free first. Really. High sugary foods -even real food and high carby foods all = sugar to your liver. Your genetics will determine your tolerance- IMO. Since I was battling life long obesity, fat storage was all my body could do to protect my liver, kidneys, eyes, and heart from the high glucose levels. I honor that!

• Don't bring the SAD with you,  ( wisdom from Jason Seib, 2012 workshop, 2014 Facebook post)
• Make a clean break for a long time, 
• Then when you are on solid non-binge eating ground , safely self experiment (n=1)
• Celebrate, we are talking gratitude here, what you can bring back. It's a gift.
• Realize everyone is triggered by different foods and situations
• Have some compassion for others, the disease of food addiction is life threatening and at the very least life degrading, recovery is tough. We are all in different phases of recovery. 
• Being honest about your recovery is key. Some self reflection and action when you know you are "using" or "playing games" with your food. 
• Make honest standards for yourself

Paleo/Primal/ or other Real food templates, customized, are very underused in Food Addiction Recovery- IMO.

Wading into the food waters after addiction recovery

Okay readers, how do you deal with Paleo treats? Do you have to unsubscribe from IG accounts? I know lots of people can have occasional grain free baked items on special days. There's no one right way, but 2-3 ways that are going to work a heck of a lot better than others. Leave your comments below.

Egg free for 60 days Jan & Feb 2016

Eggs

Here's an  n=1 experiment that I'm attempting in 2016.

1. Dates: January 13 to March 13, 2016

2. What: Egg elimination, 60 days. 

3. Question: Are eggs an allergy or a sensitivity for me?

My past: I did 2 other egg free challenges, one close to 30 days and one 14 days prior to the 2016 challenge.

Why:  I reintroduced, I may have had some GI issues (too slow!) that I wanted to ignore. Or not. Not sure.

Deeper Whys :
This year, one of my goals is to lean into the Wahl's Paleo Plus (currently I'm eating close to this template, modified with eggs) The WPP is strictly egg free, so I'd like to join my brothers and sisters in the Wahl's protocol more closely.






I don't have MS, but I have a parent who did for 25+ years. The WPP works great for  my weight management. It also works great for my post Auto Immune Thyroid Disease (Hashimotos).  The WPP is suspiciously close to the food template I found post weight loss.

My binge urge switch is off, off, off, and off some more when I eat Wahl's Paleo Plus. After 40 years of binge eating and 5+ years of food sobriety, the WPP is a great gift.

Current observations:

1. I've not had a great lower GI time since the 11/17/2015 gluten exposure. Taking probiotics now.

2. I'm laying off the fermented foods for now and most fish, and homemade bone broth, due to getting kicked out of being the histamine normal control (I'm a paid donor, missing my extra blood donation $$ ;) )

3. Same GI symptoms  as when I reintroduced eggs immediately.(after 3+ years of normal, slow is not cool)

4. Joint pain on and off, there and there. Not sure if eggs are the reason. I would like to know. Could be the extra 5 pounds I'm attempting to lose? And, as you know, losing weight close to goal is slooooooow for many.

5. Sinus swelling/allgery Symptoms- I have some of those. Ready to get back to histamine normal. $$ :)

What am I eating for breakfast:

A. Chicken thighs with mole sauce
B. Ground lamb with shallots, garlic, and mint
C. Chicken thighs with curry soup, lime and cilantro
D. Chicken thighs with guacamole and garlic sea salt.
D. Left overs from last night (grass fed beef) with fewer veggies

That's the scoop. I'm only on day 4, and because I got used to being egg free two other times, I'm finding this egg elimination mentally easy.

Once you do elimination diets for your health, it's just a matter of pulling up your big girl pants and getting your challenge done.

What didn't work in the past

1. Gluten and dairy and low fat  caused me to have massive GI issues in the other direction- too fast and massive GI upset- lower and upper.

2-5 Gluten and dairy caused a lot of GERD and I took proton pump inhibitors for awhile. Oh, and the joint pain was massive. I was in tears at the end of the day just looking at the stairs in my townhouse.

Moderating ALL the foods. That did not work for my binge eating and kept me hooked into food addiction.

Are any of my blogging friends egg free?

Chicken thighs with avocado and garlic sea salt = egg free breakfast

3 years, 11 months long term weight maintenance update

Starting weight: 187.4
Goal Range: (113-119) OR (119-121)
Current weight : 121.4 lbs
Time in maintenance: 3 years, 11 months
Age 49
Menopause: 2 years
Height 5'1"
Auto-Immune Hashimotos: 1997
Food Addict in recovery: 5+ years
Current food template: Paleo, Low Carb Higher Natural Fat, Ketosis, modified AIP/
modified Wahl's Paleo Plus protocol.

What my current food looks like on instagram



Weight: I haven't lost all the weight from my gluten exposure, but I am sustaining 1 pound lower this month. I take this as a win.

By February 2016, I expect to be back to my pre-glutening weight.

Here's what's working

1. Keeping my carbs low- total  carbs in the 20 or some days, 30-40.

2. Walking slightly less. Yes, weight loss means I dial back anything that looks like chronic cardio. This does not mean I'm sitting on my butt, I'm staying active with less miles.  4-5 miles instead of 5-7 miles a day, walking. Not shabby. House projects, standing desk, and keeping my strength training at the gym.

Too much cardio= inflammation and a spare tire around my middle, even in weight maintenance. With weight loss, well, there won't be weight loss if I don't cool it with the cardio.

I can go back to longer mileage in the spring. If I walk more I eat more. No big deal, but weight loss happens easier for me with 30-60 minutes of activity. Weight maintenance is easier with 60+ active minutes.

3. Monitoring my blood sugar more often.

I've had a few higher readings here or there. Say mid-90's 2 hours post. Nothing earth shattering, but I'll be keeping a close watch on higher starch foods like white onions. A little n=1.
Good thing I've been monitoring or I would have had type 2 diabetes by now.

What didn't work in the past
0. Avoiding weighing in regularly so I could binge eat.
1. Eating 200+ carbs a day from frozen "healthy" dinners and expecting a lean body.
2. Chronic cardio- hours at the gym. I ate more and I had lots of calorie in calorie out fails.
3. I never monitored my sugar and hoped I could get away with eating sweets. I thought I didn't have to deal with it until I was "older".  LOL

Hope you are all well. Please know that you can change what foods you put in your

It would not be an update without graphs. Because data is king....