Happy Easter and Spring 2016

Food Sober Easter 2016

Here's to celebrating Easter or Spring in your chosen food template.

Here's to being tough, not moderate so you strengthen your body, mind, and life.

Choose food sobriety.

I woke up yesterday in a wash of memories of Binge Easter past.... 5th food sober Easter

Lordy! I woke up yesterday, Good Friday, awash in memories of Easters past. Binges past.

** Please note I do NOT have details of past binges of years past in the post below*** Food addicts in recovery know that's a red flag and for those who are actively binge eating, you are living it it.

My past behavior: Easter was a prime binge holiday for me. First my Valentine's Day, then my birthday in March, then Easter in March or April. Like El Nino rain storms, my binge triggers were all  lined up one after another.

Root causes: I think the week of food sober birthday celebrations, and some candy I was handed, combined with some junk TV, too late at night were all contributors.

I still get strong binge urges at Christmas and Easter, some days. Probably old memories. 40 years is a long time of conditional binge eating. I let the feeling come in, feel it for a minute or two, then let it go back out again. It's NOT a sign to moderate sugar, that is for SURE!!!

Corrective Actions: I threw the candy out, had fun with  the lottery scratcher card , got to bed earlier and I'm totally fine today. The old me would have soothed with a variety of Easter Candy. The new me takes non-food approaches.

• Meditations, 
• Brining Primal/Paleo food to the Easter Celebration, 
• Long  outdoor walks with my camera 

This will be my 5th food sober Easter. Onward and it's not too late to make this your first food sober (food sober as you define it) if you find yourself in the middle of an Easter Candy binge. Here's to stepping away from the sugar filled cycle that the Standard American Diet has made tradition.

Onward and here's to stepping off the binge, repent, repeat cycle. Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Sand Verbena and Swallow Tail butterfly- Torrey Pines March 2016

Why I do test my glucose periodically- home glucose testing for the WIN! A top tool for my health

2 hrs post glucose, potatoes spike my values!

I don't eat white or sweet potatoes, most of the time. Even when I pick out potatoes out of soups and stews, my glucose really shows an effect. Imagine if I had chosen to eaten even a small amount of potatoes frequently? I had no symptoms, I felt totally normal.

My food template chooses me based on my genetics. The screen shot on the left shows 2 hours post picking potatoes out of a stew I bought while dining out one night.

My glucose values are silent. When I got my 23nMe genetics report (via Promethease data base) I knew I would have to manage my blood glucose the rest of my life. My genetic risks (many FTO double homozygous genes- both for obesity and type 2 diabetes).

It's the hand I was dealt, but diabetes is NOT the disease I have to have.

My diabetes risks won't get less as a I age. As much as a Paleo, Low Carb , Ketosis fan that I am, I still have to monitor and adjust my food choices if I don't want diabetes or obesity. This means n=1 glucose testing until I know what will and won't give me higher glucose readings.

My doctor never told me to monitor.  Fortunately, a lot of other people in my boat, who blog and post about it did. People who either were type 2 diabetes and are now in remission or people who get high glucose spikes like I do after eating certain foods.

And I'm super picky about MY normal glucose ranges. I know too many people in real life who stay with super high normals who seem to not have great outcomes. I didn't live through 40 years of yo-yo dieting and obesity for just so-so results. The folks I know in real life who are very cautious about keeping their glucose levels away from the cut-offs seem to be ill less often, have better weight management and fewer complications of type 2 diabetes.

My 2 hours post glucose does not lie. 102. Happily, my morning fasting glucose had gone back down. My glucose levels have stayed within my normal. I'm in and out of ketosis over the weeks, so my fasting glucose are going to be on the lower side of "normal".

 And, sometimes I will choose to eat a soup or stew where I pick out the potatoes. Sometimes it's the only choice at a restaurant or the best choice. But rarely. Most of the time I can get a simple grilled protein with simply prepared vegetables. EZ. Meat and veggies and some natural fat.

I'm not a bad person. I don't need to potato or rice harder. I just have to swim around my biggest risks in my own personal genetics. Keeping my blood glucose in a monitored range is also key for long term weight maintenance.

I enjoy having low visceral fat!

I'm very thankful (-AKA what's working)

1.That I still periodically monitor my glucose at home
2. That others in type 2 diabetes remission share their own ranges for "normal"
3. That I know my genetic risks for type 2 diabetes.
4. That I maintain a glucose range that will make it very hard to develop the type 2 diabetes disease via LCHF, Paleo-ish food template that keeps my blood glucose in check.
5. That I maintain a my weight and am "tough" with food and NOT moderate.

There's a reason Dr. Berkeley recommends no "S" foods. No or super low starchy foods post obesity weight management. 

Monitoring my blood glucose is a top 10 tool for me for weight maintenance and good overall health.

Moderating a food that keeps my glucose high is like smoking a short cigarette. It's not going to decrease my risks. Abstinence makes my health stronger.  So much moderation advice. Who wants a moderate case of diabetes???? Bueller??  I hear crickets....  LOL

Here's to n=1 your food template, based on your genetics. It's awesome if you can eat potatoes. They are great. Potatoes are just not great for me, most of the time. I'm very thankful that home glucose testing is affordable.

2 week glucose average- both fasting and 2 hour post meal

Moderate Carrot Cake 2010, not a great glucose plan

What didn't work in the past
1. I only monitored my glucose 1x per year, at my employer wellness event. I watched my glucose and HA1c get to pre-diabetes levels, with LOTS of visceral fat.
2. I totally believed that I could have okay health outcomes with the ADA glucose ranges. Nope. Being morbidly obese was not good for me.
3. I had no clue how much genetic risk I had. No type 2 diabetics in my family, but in my genetic make ups, yes! I could tell that the genotype was becoming a phenotype and expressing.
4. I ate 200-300 grams of carbs day, via WW frozen meals, Healthy Choice dinners and snacks like low point popcorn, low fat ice-cream. Hey, fat was the enemy, carbs were A-okay. Uhhhhh!
5. I could not maintain or manage my weight by being moderate. Moderate food template = nearly pre-diabetes. Which IS diabetes. I wanted to fool myself.


Is anyone else monitoring their blood glucose at home? Have you made changes on your food template to get better fasting and 2 hours post meal values?

Tortie #1 photo bombing my photoshoot

4 years, 1 month in long term weight maintenance- maintaining like a champ!

Starting weight: 187.4

Goal Range: 115-125
Current weight : 123.2 pounds

Keeping off 64 of 70 pounds

Time in maintenance: 4 years, 1 month!!!!!
Age 49
Menopause: 2+ years
Height 5'1"
Auto-Immune Hashimotos: 1997
Food Addict in recovery: 5th year

Ave glucose =75 over the last 30 days!!!

Current food template(s): Paleo, Low Carb Higher Natural Fat (LCHF), 

Ketosis most of the time, 

modified AIP/

modified Wahl's Paleo Plus protocol.

This month, solid weight maintenance, like a champ. My goals now are to do what is working

1. Continue to build muscle using free weights, body weight 

2. Meditate 75% of the days of March 2016

3. Stay in a total carb range for the day of 24-36 grams or so. Low Carb, Moderate protein.

4. Celebrate my 50th Birthday stone cold food sober with beef brisket, organic greens, good coffee, the beach, family, and friends.

Here's what's not working or what didn't work in the past

1. Not working out, and watching TV. Kettle bells on hold until mild positional vertigo resolves.

2. Using high carb and high sugar snacks to "relax and treat myself"

3. Eating 200-300 grams of carbs a DAY of frozen WW meals and Healthy Choice. CARB city.

4. I used everyone's birthday to binge eat frosting, even from the trash can!!! Oh me....the old me. Alone, eating from the trash can, in secret. I fooled nobody. Just saying...

Only cats eat out of the trash can now, in search of grass fed beef-Guilty as charged

I remembered the cat photo for our friend, Katie! 

Weight graphs. 

The next phase, post menopause and weight gain, my doc explained a lot, makes sense

Getting  handle on menopausal weight gain

Okay, I had a great discussion with my doctor last week. RE: getting a handle on my weight gain over the last year.

*** Special Note, If you maintained your weight or lost during menopause, that is awesome, really! Unfortunately it is what it is for me. I've been only a normal weight from age 0-6 and from 46-50.  Only 10 years out of 50. *****

 We reviewed my

my thyroid test results from last fall
my low carb higher fat diet
my sleep habits
my life stressors
my menopausal history- years, symptoms, etc
my post morbid obesity
my binge eating history
my glucose readings from my home glucose meter


Diagnosis: Curvy Assets!
 Just kidding. Seriously, doctor said

1. Some people post menopause gain 5-10 pounds.
2. Some people post morbid obesity, now normal weight tend to be on the higher end of the menopausal weight gain, sometimes.
3. I will level out and I could fluctuate within the range, even some adults who have been"normal weight their whole life" have this.
4. Doc hates, hates, hates that I have a BMI cut-off for health insurance rates increase. Grrrrr.
5. Doc does not think I will hit my 131 BMI weight, we both think that I'm close to leveling off- now or soon.
6. Bio-identical hormones won't help me reduce the weight gain.
7. Don't stress about it. (probably the best advice ever!!! LOL)

Menopause and  weight variations are normal for me.

Job #2 Now that doesn't mean that I won't benefit from increasing my strength training, increasing meditation frequency, keeping my foods very nutrient dense, keeping up with my glucose monitoring as I make tiny shifts in my food template. Those things can only help me.

It goes without saying: Keeping the binge eating switch off and my brain away from the slippery slope is job #1.

All that will help me. I'm still in a lower to middle of the 23's in BMI. Super glad I'm still not having to go to health insurance jail and higher fees for body weight. 40 years of yo-yo dieting and extra fat cells that I carry day to day are my reward here.

Onward and I'll be working super hard to force a really big hard stop and an eventual reversal or downward trend. It's what I do. I still feel well and young. Less joint pain. Better glucose control. Better sleep habits. It's not all bad.  Abstaining has it's health privileges. Not all, but many.

I give myself 1,000,000 gold stars for not returning to binge eating over gaining 4-7 pounds over a year.  That right there is something to celebrate. I've never had non-binge related weight gain. Never, until the last year. Eyes wide open. Not letting me get me is GOLDEN!

Binge eating is never a solution. Never ever. I have normal menopause. I cannot fix menopause by binge eating junk food. Non-food solutions for non-hunger problems.

I'm still normal weight. Back in a few days with my 4 year and 1 month update.