I'll be attending Low Carb USA San Diego 2016- time to tell our stories of what is working

I'll be attending the Low Carb USA San Diego 2016

I'm keeping 63 of about 70 lbs off for 4+ years using a 3 step approach. Equal parts

 Paleo/Primal + Low Carb / low level Ketogenic some days + Abstaining = my success.

Here's why I'm attending:
1. Low Carb USA is right in my back yard, one commuter train ride away. The Westin, San Diego.
2. The speakers are of high quality and from all over the world.
3. The attendees will be awesome people to meet and connect, many will have walked away from diseases like Type 2 diabetes and obesity, just like me. Or are wanting to learn.
4. Part of learning the lifestyle is to talk to folks in real life about LCHF.
5. Several talks on sugar addiction, so I'll be in good company. 
6. Discount code from the Low Carb Dietitian, use the word " FRANZISKA " to get $100 off your ticket.
6. I can sneak out and walk Sea Port Village, Shop at Horton Plaza,  the Zoo, Balboa Park  find new places to eat in San Diego. Heh, Heh, Heh

That's my yacht on the left, just kidding.....downtown San Diego

Here's What topics, foods, thoughts, behaviors  I'll need to be-careful about during the conference

1. Samples of fake, artificial foods that are often consumed in the LCHF lifestyle.
2. Bacon jokes. YO! I choose not to eat pork due to binge urges and facial swelling. Save it!
3. Virtual pot stirring:  Let's Not Bash higher carb people or lifestyles. REALLY, if you are successful AND have great long term outcomes with great biomarkers doing low fat, vegan, points counting- you do that.  Talk about what works. In other words, tell your story about LCHF.

My 2 cents: Keto/Low Carbers who bash others AND who still need to optimize their  outcomes need to work on what works for them FIRST,  and take a long, long look in the mirror. Let's think together, on parallel paths with sustainability  (The Savory Institute-must watch Youtube video) , organic produce, grass-fed beef, getting type 2 diabetes into remission or removed from your health history or off medications, or lower medications.

It's the only way we can gather momentum- IMO. Let's agree to talk about the scale and non-scale victories as a group and focus on positive take away's as a lifestyle. Let's tell our stories.
Bashing individuals  will keep us stuck, focusing on our scale and non-scale victories will keep the message flowing. We, as a group, will be dismissed as extreme or worse- IMO.

It's really tempting to bash the high carbers, I get it, but it doesn't get me disease free outcomes. It's all about me, me, me

Bashing other people individually  just doesn't benefit us as a group- IMO, so consider that, please and thank you!!  If Oprah is free from food addiction (self professed) and has great blood bio-markers (unknown)  eating all the bread, well, okay then, good for her. Is that the case for her? That's her deal, not mine. The good news, lots of money does not buy food sobriety, it's available very low cost. No chefs, trainers, high priced food plans (hint the higher priced oils will balance out your old junk food costs, just saying..)

  Eating grains and sugar doesn't work for me. Or for many, grains and sugars are well known triggers and barriers to good outcomes for long term wellness.

My own examples, 

A. I can drive my car and vacation more comfortably as a normal weight woman, without visceral fat.

B. I can spend my money on vacations and not on sick care.

C. I can practice my photography hobby to it's maximum by being able to hike long distances and stand without plantar faciitis.

C. I have not developed another auto-immune disease since my Hashimotos diagnosis in 1997. Once diagnosed, I have an increased risk of developing other auto-immune diseases. Of the 50 million people effected by auto-immune disease, 75% are women.  Far from being a chronic complainer, I needed much better tools in 1997 and suffered greatly for not being told to avoid dairy.

D. My volcano sized acne on my face is gone. I don't miss crying about the cystic acne pain. I'm saving a mint by not having to by acne products and cover up make up. Ugh!!!

E. I no longer eat cake and brownie frosting out of the top of trash cans since the LCHF helps put my food addiction into remission. 5+ years, no frosting dumpster diving. Whew!!! Disgusting, I know, but Food Addiction will fight tooth and nail to stay alive, the disease wants to come out of remission. I won't let it.

F. I'm a better, more present parent and mom to my daughter because I do not sit and binge eat Skinny Cow Ice creams while watching the Biggest Loser on TV. 


The message is more easily adapted by newbies based on what known and potential positives are in the outcome in the long run. It took about 1-2 years to unlearn the low fat message. It was hard to adopt a lifestyle that many told me would kill me. In 2012, LCHF was not as popular.

See you in San Diego?  Follow @lowcarbUSA on twitter for more information. Discount code FRANZISKA or $100 off tickets.

Low Carb, higher natural fat eggs, herbs, veggies, and coconut milk coffee for the WIN

4 years, 4 months in long term weight maintenance- holding steady, body & mind

May 2011 to June 2016

Starting weight 187.4 lbs

Goal Range 115-125 lbs

Current Weight 124.0 lbs

Keeping off 63.4 lbs

Time in maintenance 4 years, 4 months

Age 50

Menopause 2+ years

Height 5'1"

Auto-Immune Hashimotos 1997

Food Addict in Recovery: 5th year
Current food template: Paleo/LCHF, modified AIP

Walking 14-16,000 steps per day

Weight lifting 2 days per week

Sprints on the rowing machine 2 days per week

I'm holding steady.  123-124 for an average

1-2 binge urges ,with no action taken

No slippery slope thinking

Great margin between the thoughts and feelings/action

Hey! My doctor was correct in her prediction I'd level off. And I'm doing some intense work on the meditation stuff.  I am leveling out with post menopausal weight gain. I'm looking for long term stability. I've got some great weight plateaus at 119 and 123 or lower 124's. And that's okay. I've got many decades of life in front of me, so a weight maintenance strategy is required post morbid obesity.

Weight Plateau's in weight maintenance 1 year

What's working for me this month: 

Mind stuff #1 I kept my mind in line and even though a few binge urge thoughts poked up last month ( probably stress induced), I identified them quickly and let them pass right through, noting as my Mindspace app taught me to do. Ahhhh. Binge brain. I don't have to act or react. I felt my feelings and went about my day. Long term recovery from food Addiction, still work to be done. Nobody gets a free pass. And, that's okay. It's part of normal adulting.

Mind stuff #2 The scale was down a couple of times in May and up a couple of times. I don't celebrate too much over the highs and the lows. I'm looking at averages and median averages and shifts and trends. I adjust accordingly. Long term maintenance requires that steady on approach, IMO.

Food stuff #3 I am still experimenting with a few days still high fat, but higher low carb veggies, too. Not that much. I go from 24 grams of carbs up to about 42 grams of carbs TOTAL for the whole day, depending on how I feel. If I'm hungry I'll eat, if not I don't. What a gift abstaining has brought.

Think in and out of low level ketosis. I do like the energy bursts in ketosis. I do like to stack up a bunch of non-starchy carbs from veggies at night some days. 

Body stuff #4.  I get super, super dry eyes below certain fat percentages. Oh, boy. It may be normal aging but I do think keeping the higher fat diet does help my hormones in aging keep my eyes happy. Whoa!  Time will tell if there is a correlation. I'll stop in to the optometrist or opthomologist  if it continues. Could just be normal menopausal stuff. 

Work outs #5 I've added more modified push ups at home and squats. Wow! in even just a few weeks, I can see more muscle definition in my arms and my shape has changed in my lower body, too. I like it, as more muscle tone will help me with bone loss, core stability, and balance, and just day to day wellness.

Work outs #6 I've replaced running tabata style of work outs with rowing and some fast stair walking. I think that running, even 4 minute alternate- 20 seconds on , 10 seconds off is inducing my positional vertigo. There's lots of other sprint work outs- rowing, cycling, etc. 

That's it, my update. Blogging less but feeling pretty good and taking time for myself.

What didn't work in the past

Mind stuff #1- Thinking that my binge urges were intuitive eating ways that my body NEEDED my trigger foods- grains, sugars, processed junk. That by not eating it, I would binge. Well that was so messed up!!!! It only triggers more binge eating. Not my fault, but abstinance, with margin for the WIN now. 

Food addiction really does progress and get way worse. I needed a bigger and bigger dopamine hit to get food high. Terrible, really.  It's not my fault. I'm wired that way, but I do have a  personal and social responsibility to live food sober. 

Mind stuff #2 - Celebrating the scale being down by moderating skinny cow ice creams and jelly beans. Hey low points, Hey, hey, hey fat pants. This did not work.

Food stuff #3 & 4 I counted WW points instead of carbs. 200-250 grams of carbs a day, low, low fat kept me morbidly obese for many years. Sigh..... So many preventable ailments- like joint pain, migraines, acne. I had it all backwards, due to the current nutrition guidelines.

Workouts #4 and #5 I walked 4-5000 steps a day. Or I would chronic cardio it and train for half marathons. Both were not optimal and contributed to my aches and pains. 

Weight graphs. Daily weighing helps me not open the door to the binge brain. For sure!

Use it,  if it works for you Some people benefit, some people don't. Just like moderation and abstaining with food. Find what works, own it like a boss.  Be sure you are deciding for yourself ! Food addiction recovery requires a lot of critical thinking.- IMO.

Happy Summer!  

Still here, my weight update soon, until then, some current topics, snapchat, salt, and a few rants...

Hey! I'm still here, just living a normal life and getting ready to shift into summer. Once my photographer is awake ready, I'll post my 4 year, 4 month update. Teens, it's like they live on 2nd shift.  LOL.

Snapchat- I'm on Snapchat.   User code is  gardengirlkp Want to see what I'm batch cooking food wise and garden  stuff on the weekend ? Follow me there. It's a load of fun and quick. I like it. I will stay young with new technology. Yes! Yes? No! No? Maybe so.... LOL.

RANT about weight maintenance:
Weight maintenance- Sometimes  I get a little grumpy. That I'm held to BMI, Weight, Waist measurements, glucose, and HA1c for steep,steep insurance discounts.  My health insurance offers so few weight maintenance tools that are truly effective.  I need to stay financially solvent and get my health insurance discounts, too. I'm single head of household. Yo!

Just glad I took matters into my own hands and did my own self experiments. Really, if long term weight maintenance is being required of me, then I need better tools than the standard whole grain , moderate all the foods. Oh, and the wellness website wanted me to practice baking my own bread this week.  Pretty harmful advice to many seeking good glucose control and weight management, in my opinion.

I'm OVER it. First world problems for sure... Why not me. Why not bust my butt ,save money and make my health optimal. BRING it... ;)

Weight maintenance, two plateaus

RANT about the low carb vs higher carb in Paleo/Primal/LCHF/ Keto world bashing one another. This is general, not aimed at any one person. 

Look, Listen here- bashing each other. Hey, does that help our low/no grain and low/no sugar message???  NO. There will be different sides and different n=1. Chillax and take a me, then a WE approach. Take a see what works and change up when it doesn't. Easy enough, but is it?

What works for you pre-auto immune may not work post. What works for you in your 30's may not work in your late 40's, 50's or 60's.  Get ready to dial it in then change it up due to age, auto-immune status, glucose response. If you are a guy, it may be much easier to lose weight, as it should be. If you are a post menopausal woman, it may be much more difficult, as it should be. Different approaches are needed.

Hey, n=1. Low processed foods. Choose folks to follow who are oaky with n=1 and who are getting good results themselves. Really, I want to model my Paleo/Primal/LCHF/Keto after those who walk the talk. Yo!!!! Low stressor outers, good life and adult management stills.

Find what works for you, then share your story, low carb, keto, moderate carb, etc. There's no one right way, but one that will work better for many. Be prepared to change it up as you age, just saying

I'd much rather see folks doing what works then telling their story.  I know lots of people who eat some grains and feel fine. I know plenty of people who are very low carb, no grains, no sugars and great. Some that abstain, some that moderate. 

Make the talking head match the action body- show us by your own example. Change it up if it's not working, stay the course if it is working.

I'm also over it. Another first world problem. Let's align together for dietary peace across the planet. 

Less rant, more bone broth

I used these silicone molds and my instant pot to make some homemade bone broth cubes. I find that mixing chicken bones with some beef bones gives me a good GI balance AND now that I have lower blood pressure- due to weight loss and my low carb lifestyle, I need some salt. Yep, I'm in the 25% of the population where I need salt to be well.

 I will pass out cold on the 100+ temps where I work. Inland  Valley temps in So. Cal are hot. Thank goodness Roger and the Caveman doctor podcast and the Paleo Nurses taught me about salt intake (pink himalayan and sea salt work for me well) early in my low carb Paleo days.

That DASH diet is really just terrible advise for me. I eat out maybe 2% of the year, this means I can adjust my sodium levels lower in the winter and higher in the summer, as needed. I don't eat processed standard american diets so I don't need that dietary approach.

I keep a bag of broth cubes in the freezer at work and drink half a cup here and there, as needed.

That's it! Social media, ranting, and food prep all in one post. At least it's out of my brain now.... Onward. How's summer going for you all?