From Experiment to Lifestyle

May 4th I started an experiment to see what the effects of a ketogenic diet also known as low carb, high fat, adequate protein diet would have on my current health.  I've attempted low-carb/high fat dieting (Atkins) before as well as a low-calorie/non-fat/ low-carb diet (6 Week Body Makeover). I was never particularly successful on either plan, particularly the 6 Week plan as it basically had me starving myself to death by way of 6 tiny, fat-free meals per day. The 30 pounds I lost on it was rapidly gained back in about 1/2 the time it took me to lose it. My hubby declared it a full fail as I was "a complete bitch" for the entire time I was on it (he's right, I was) And I never stuck to the Atkins plan very long as I took a lot of flack about it from friends and family worried that eating steak and eggs and  bun-less bacon cheeseburgers every day would lead me down a fast path to high cholesterol and heart disease. Little did I know just how wrong they would end up being.

What sparked me to give this ketogenic thing a try was a post I read on the Carb Smart website by  author and low-carb expert Jimmy Moore of the Livin' La Vida Low Carb blog and website. The post was about 10 unexpected health benefits of nutritional ketosis besides weight loss.  I read it with great interest because over the past year my metabolic health had taken a nose dive and on top of that I was found to have and enlarged and fatty liver and elevated liver enzymes as well as an enlarged spleen with multiple lesions in it. Reading his post made me think that if nutritional ketosis had such a positive effect on Jimmy's health that it might be of some benefit to me. I had no idea that within the first 6 weeks I would see dramatic changes happen in my body.

Here is what happened to me: In the first 6 weeks my

• Total Cholesterol went from 203 to 195 (under 200 is optimal)
• HDL from 48 to 54 (under 50 is optimal)
• LDL from 117 to 108 (under 100 is optimal)
• VLDL from 40 to 33 (0-30 normal range)
• Triglycerides from 202 to 167 (less than 150 is optimal)
• Liver enzymes: ALT from 94 to 50 (10-49 is normal range) and AST 85 to 36 (0-33 is normal range)

As you can see my previously high numbers were dramatically reduced to near normal levels in just a few short weeks by eating this high fat/low carb/adequate protein diet. 

In addition to the metabolic improvement, I've also lost 15 pounds, 2 pant sizes and gained back much of my joint mobility previously lost to me by almost constant pain which I now believe was totally diet related.

I credit my improvements not only on my High Fat/ Low Carb plan but also on the elimination of what I call the "nasty whites" from my diet; wheat, oats, corn, rye, barely, rice, potatoes and sugar. In addition I've added yoga to my daily routine. My primary care physician was quite impressed with my health improvements and she encouraged me to continue my lifestyle changes and come back in October for another blood test.

Just 3 months into this new lifestyle I've come to understand the effects of GOOD fats on my overall health. I didn't consume any margarine, soybean oil, canola oil or vegetable oil but instead generously ate butter, olive oil, coconut oil, fresh avocados and a few macadamia nuts. Yes, all those things that we've been told for years to avoid lest we raise our cholesterol, clog up our arteries and die of heart attacks at a young age. And upon dumping the nasty whites-including those "whole grains", the ones "they" recommend that we get plenty of, I not only shrank my waistline but eliminated the joint pain that I've been plagued with for years.  I feel amazingly good these days. I feel energetic, rested, focused, happy and with a bright outlook on my future! 

Autism and Awareness...

This is a re-post of a FB status update I posted on April 2nd:


Today is World Autism Awareness Day. I could ask you to change your profile picture, put a blue light bulb in your porch fixture, don a blue shirt but if you REALLY want to show your support then find a family living with Autism (I'm sure you know at least one) and do something to show them you are thinking of their family today on a personal level: 

*Surprise them with a gift card for their favorite restaurant or store
*Buy the family some movie tickets and spring for the popcorn
*Take them a plate of fresh baked cookies or muffins-Gluten/Dairy free if their child follows a special diet
*Offer to entertain their child for a hour while mom (or dad) takes a nap, reads a book, runs to the store, etc.
*Offer to wash their car and spring for a few gallons of gas
*Come by and mow their lawn, weed their flowerbed or plant some spring flowers
*Offer to do some grocery shopping for them
*Swing by and offer to vacuum, dust or fold a load or two of laundry
*Take mom or dad out to lunch-your treat. Or take them both out to dinner.
*Offer to pick up the tab on a therapy session if they have out of pocket costs
*Come by just to visit and lend an ear for listening (calling first of course!)

There are so many things that families living with Autism do without so they can make sure their autistic son or daughter's needs are being met, these small gestures can make a big impact on their quality of life!

Even though my 15 year old son is High Functioning, we still have challenging days. Yesterday was one of the most challenging days we have had in a long time, by bedtime last night I was physically and emotionally wiped out as was my 20 year old son who spent his day off work helping me manage his brother's behaviors.  What our friends and family don't see are these kinds of days, it seems that they happen to be around on his "good" days which, thankfully, are many. But our family is fortunate, I know some families that have 365 challenging days a year. Regardless of the number of challenging days, Autism Moms and Dads can benefit so much from just the smallest gestures, so I'm asking you to remember these families, not just in April, but every month of the year and reach out to them (don't be afraid!) as we often feel so alone in our struggles.
Thank you.

Pain? I don't have no stinkin' pain!

I just gotta share this real quick:
I have been a sufferer of Plantar Fasciitis (it's a foot pain thing) for years and nothing I have done has helped. In fact, taking massive amounts of ibuprofen for the pain and inflammation actually caused me to have stomach issues. Well suffer no more, I have found a miracle! It's HEEL SEATS from the Heel That Pain website. In a desperate attempt to find something to find help for my feet I did a Google search for "heel pain" and their website came up. I figured for $14.95 I didn't have much to lose so I ordered a pair of their HTP Heel Seats. They came in the mail last Thursday and let me tell you what a difference they have made in my pain level. Within minutes of putting them in my shoes I had a 75% reduction in pain and I noticed this morning that I have virtually no pain at all while standing in my sneakers with my heel seats.

Normally just ordering 1 pair costs $24.95, but you can get them for $14.95 plus FREE shipping if you click on the "renewal"  offer and let them send you a new set every 90 days.
They also offer a Gel Heel Seat which is made of a softer material, but I went with the original heel seats. And they're not just for plantar fasciitis, they're for heel spurs and heel pain as well.
Disclaimer: Heel that pain does not know who I am and is in no way sponsoring the writing of this blog post with free stuff or anything. I'm just a customer who loves having pain-free feet!
Okay, that is all. Have a nice day!

2012 A year in review? I think NOT.

A lot of bloggers do one of those "Year In Review" posts at the end/beginning of a new year, not this blogger. For me, 2012 was a year to put in a box in the back of the closet and pretend it didn't happen. For me it was a year that took a routine Dr's appointment and turned it into dozens of Dr's appointments, too many blood tests to count, numerous ultrasounds and scans including one where I given a radioactive substance to ingest. Yes, I was radioactive! WTF?! All this and here we are a year later and all these doctors and technicians still have no idea what is growing in my spleen, how long it's been there and what they should do about it. All the while, I had no symptoms or negative side effects and still don't. The upside, there is nothing else going on inside me that I should be worried about and that makes me happy. I love happy.

And all this poking and prodding was woven in with my Hubby's job falling off the face of the planet just weeks after a the big bosses held a meeting at the plant and sent out a follow up memo where the company proclaimed to be doing well and not to believe the rumors of their imminent demise. I'm sure somewhere in Germany, where the parent company is located, there were at least a few pairs of pants on fire. I hate liars.

And despite all this craziness, our homeschooled daughter completed her Senior year of high school on a accelerated plan and graduated an entire semester early. See, some good stuff came out of 2012! As of February 4th, she'll be a college student. I love college.

2012 also gave my Hubby and I a few months to "test drive" retirement while he was on unemployment. This experiment led us to deduce that we both need to invest in some good hobbies between now and real retirement. I now understand how Bingo came into being. I love Bingo.

And with the test drive now behind us, Hubby has embarked on a new career with a good Christian company that seems to be solid, solvent and trustworthy. He's not currently seeing any pants on fire and that gives him some peace of mind. He loves peace of mind.

Well crud, I just did a year in review. Not a full year though so maybe we just won't count it, okay?! What's that??? My pants are on fire??? Uh oh, gotta go! Bye!