Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Eggs eggs eggs - life on a ketogenic diet

There's a lot to be said for the ketogenic diet. Mine is personally structured to give me macros of 90g of protein, 20g of carbs and (yes, you're reading this right) 90g of fat. I am usually around 1250 calories or so a day.

And while there is a lot to be said for the diet, I can sum it up in one word - eggs!

I have been following this eating plan since March 9. I have lost about 2-5 lbs depending I when I hit the scale. That pales though when looking at the most important change - my blood sugar levels are NORMAL and stay that way!

May I hear a collective Hallelujah? Thank you, thank you very much!

Despite everything else going against me (i.e. white matter issues in my gray matter, seizures, deep dark depression, etc.) this has actually been a high point.

I failed my glucose tolerance test miserably. At my second hour draw, my glucose was at 40. I knew it was low but still. That's SeizureLand people!

So after my neuro told me this was my number one resolvable issue and to get myself to the endocrinologist post haste, I resorted to Dr. Google and her friends, the Cleveland and Mayo Clinics. I figured I'd have to wait 4-6 weeks for an appointment anyway...

Well, after studying everything I could from various hospitals, medical journals and Yahoo Answers, I kept seeing "ketogenic diet."

I scoped it out and had the calculators figure out my macros of 90/20/90 (1250) - don't wince. I know you are but don't. Not yet anyway.

Basically it's Atkins without the urge to gnaw on a tree. I have a little app on the iphone where I log my food and keep track of these macros. I'm not especially a meatatarian so that has involved consumption of dozens of eggs and millions of slices of cheese daily.

One night I was short on fat and actually considered drinking a 1/8 cup of ranch dressing! Fortunately, when I am low on protein (as if that's likely which it isn't but yes, it HAS happened) I can make a quick protein shake to get the protein in.

This also works well since my stomach is the size of a teacup because of my Gastric Bypass RNY surgery (another group hug please because I does love me my bypass!) I can't eat a lot at once but what I'm eating doesn't take up much room (6 eggs? Get outta here!) and I feel full a LOT longer PLUS my blood sugar doesn't budge.

According to the research, despite the enormous amounts of fat I'm eating, my blood lipids shouldn't be affected.

The overall goal is to stop my body from being dependent on glucose for it's main fuel source. That's basically defined as what I eat I use for fuel and the rest is reserved for the next time I'm on a desert island. At this point, because you can eat a small metric crap ton of carbs before you feel full and then crave and eat even more, Captain Insulin flies in to save your liver. And if you're like me, your blood sugar drops so low you have a grand mal seizure that even Underdog cannot save you from! Captain Insulin has job and can be very heavy handed!

With the ketogenic diet, after about two days of eggs and cheese, you go into a state if ketosis where your body isn't worrying you about where it's next meal is coming from...it basically starts, shall we say, living off the land, and instead of using what you're eating for fuel and then demanding more, it starts to burn the fat you already have.

Cool huh?

Obviously there's more to it. You'll pee like a racehorse after a 2 miler in the rain, you'll be so thirsty you will drink things you never considered (water, anyone?), you'll contemplate just slamming back the salad dressing and chugging it if you're low on fat, but basically you end up getting the hang if it and get a little more energy and there you are: ketosis!

Now if you think I am certifiable about this, I want to say: I checked with my doctor who approved this and followed up with my neuro who approved the macros I set up. Don't ride without training wheels kids...talk to your doctors!!!

So here's my deal today. I have been sick for a week now since a lumbar puncture took some brain fluid I probably didn't need to lose. I've had headaches like Russia rolling through Poland. Today though I fried up 3 eggs and 3 or so egg whites in some olive oil, put a slice of cheese all over it, made my tea (with stevia because you don't eat sugar at 20 carbs!), and had breakfast. I've tried the breakfast meat routine to liven things up but I yakked up the sausage and ZoMG the price of bacon!!!!

I think I'll make egg and guacamole salad for lunch. Usually at dinner I just eat meat and a bit of veg. If I'm hungry I'll have milk or sugar free pudding with 5g of carbs.

If I do get hungry I do eat more....just ketogenically. Sometimes i do admit to a square of 70% dark chocolate caramel sea salt candy from Trader Joes :-).

A girl has to live, right?

And whereas I used to hate Pesach (Passover) as the holiday of eggs, cheese and matzah? Now I'm kind of looking forward to fancy Seder meals that liven things up and maybe even a few fun desserts I ordinarily wouldn't have but hey, it's a holiday right?

It IS a nasty little diet. I'll admit that! I want to yak eggs and the variety is nil (yes I DO eat raw hot dogs) but since I started my sugar hasn't slipped or dipped or even hinted at going south. I'm at 95-101 and feel pretty good. When I DO feel funky I know it's my neuro issues now and not my endo issues which in a weird way is comforting.

I do yoga more now than I was and I'm enjoying it. I know I won't feel like crap from a low glucose level after!

Scott is taking me to Florida in two weeks and I'm a little concerned but I figure they have eggs and raw hot dogs there with some cheese sticks thrown in for variety.

So I'll keep you posted. For me this has been a great happening. I really was so debilitated by my low glucose I could hardly function and while I won't go so far as to say I have everything back to where it was before these evil sugar drops started, I feel more comfortable when I'm out and again, it's reassuring to pull out another tangle in the whole neuro/white matter disease/seizure ordeal.

Now, I just wish I could get the Incredible Edible Egg song out of my head!

Created with Werdsmith.



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I am fragile - please be kind or just say nothing. I thank you very much.