Keto and Blood Sugars

I an not sure if I have had blood sugars this low since I don't know when?  After my WLS, the doctor told me that my diabetes was under control and I didn't need to take medications for it anymore.  This was probably the best NSV I had on my whole weight loss journey.  And of course weight loss.  So, what happened that made me regain some of that weight?

Carbs happened.  I think that as soon as the nutritionist told me it was OK to introduce some grains back into my diet, I took her at face value and went nuts!  Potatoes, bread, rolls, popcorn, chips and the worst thing of all...SUGAR!  Lots of it.  Black licorice, chocolate, gummies of all kinds.  And the awful thing about these treats is that they are so easy to eat with a sleeve.  They don't take up a lot of room and I can eat them and eat them and eat them.  And I gain weight pretty consistently when I do. I would kid myself into thinking I could handle a little bit and it would be ok, and before I knew it, I was at the bottom of a bag of Smart-pop, or a jar of gummy candies from Lolli-Pops at the mall.  I never checked my blood sugar (denial) and pretty much avoided the scales (more denial).  And I was beating myself up.  The cute blouses I bought for work were getting snug, the jeans I always wore where snug.  I stopped walking every day.  I didn't drink enough water.  I drank coffee with loads of sugary flavored creamers.  Carbs, carbs, carbs....

Reality reared its head a few times when I got the nerve to weigh myself.  And for a day or two or even a couple weeks I would try protein shakes, or Isagenix or just denial of food altogether.  I would  do OK during the day at work when I was busy but in the evenings my mind would wander to that bag of white cheddar popcorn in the pantry or a bag of salted cashews and I would eat handful after handful.

So, finally, when the scale hit 193 and I saw 200 so close to where I never want to be again, I felt pretty low.  How could I have done this to myself after all the hard work, enduring a drastic surgery and the aftermath, not to mention the expense?

The fact is...I am human.  I perhaps over dramatize the amount of junk I was eating.  But, either way, I am not someone who has the genetics to process carbohydrates very well.  The fact that I had severe  type II diabetes is proof of that.

Keto has helped a lot.  I have seen blood sugar readings as low as 82!  I don't think I ever have seen numbers like this.  And, gradually, I have lost weight too.  It's encouraging.  I am in week 4 of following this plan and I don't know if I am fat-adaptive yet, or what, but the weight is slowly coming off, my blood pressure and blood sugar is normal and I am sleeping good.  I find I am thirsty more often, so I drink more water.

I have been able to adapt eating out at restaurants fine too.  I can have a steak, a salad with any full fat dressing, a side dish of vegetables.  I just avoid the potatoes and pastas.

My clothes are still snug, but I have only lost about 10 pounds of regain.  My lowest weight since WLS was 167.  I got as high as 193.  I am now at 183.  I want to see 167 again.  It was a really good place to be.  That's 16 pounds.  I can lose 16 pounds!  I can and I will.  It can take a few months if it needs to.  That's perfectly fine.  I just need to be good to myself and let it happen!

Trying to Find my Happy Place

It may seem like I am desperate, but I really know I need to find my comfort zone for weight loss and maintenance.  Gaining weight after a successful weight loss is the worst!  It might even be worse than being fat to start with.  Having the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow dangled in front of me...just out of reach, and then denied.  Maybe a little dramatic?

I don't want to be negative about Isagenix.  It was something that got me thinking about losing weight in a more positive light.  It showed me that I can have cleanse days (or fast) and I won't die in the process.  But, it also is drinking meal replacements, and I don't enjoy that.  Life shouldn't be constant denial of all things that we crave.  Like chewing food.  So, I have a huge box of unopened Isagenix products in. my pantry.  Any takers?

So, maybe the shakes and cleanse products weren't my thing.  Then what is?  How am I going to get this regain off and then lose the rest of the weight I want to lose.  Or maybe its just getting the regain off of me and being happy where I was?  It wasn't a bad place to be, after all.

I am in week 4 of doing Keto.  I'm not going to explain this way of eating here because no one reads this anyway, but it helps me to write, so therefore I write.  What have I learned after 4 weeks?

• I can do this
• I am not missing the popcorn and black licorice (hahaha)
• Savory food is my favorite anyway
• Butter, coconut oil, olive oil, bacon, eggs, meats, fish, cheese, cream---seriously?
• Chicken smothered in parmesan, cream and garlic with mushrooms?  Yes!
• Hot wings drenched in butter and hot sauce?  Yes
• Bacon and Eggs?
• Real Cream in my coffee?
• A juicy steak with a side salad and REAL full fat dressing?  YES!

Could a person lose weight doing this?  Apparently they can!   I have.  My weight had got up to 193. I did the Isagenix, had a nice loss, and gained it right back with a few extra pounds.  I remember that cycle and it scared me.  I am now, at the 3 week level down to just under 184 pounds.  It's not super fast loss, but it's loss.  I am trying not to focus on the scale too much though.  There are so many fluctuations anyway.  But, my blood sugars are lower than ever and I seem to be sleeping pretty good now as well as feeling full during the day.

Evenings are still a little problem, but I have found that nuts, some cheese, or even a little natural peanut butter seem to help me.

High Fat, very low carbs and just a moderate amount of protein.  It's working....