Author: Ravyne Hawke
The Secrets of Sugar – the fifth estate (Video)
Back on the Wagon – Day 1
Shortly after my last post in June, I completely crashed. I have several mental illnesses and succumbed to such a deep depression, that I had to be hospitalized and re-medicated (I’d gone for nearly 2 years un-medicated). I spent 10 days in the psych ward and they didn’t care that I was on a low-carb diet. I was told to eat what I was given or not eat at all, and by not eating at all, I would be put into isolation and on suicide watch. Needless to say, after two days of barely eating anything because most of the food was high in carbs, I ate what I was given. Once again, I’ve gone nearly two months one a semi-lchf diet. Today I’ve rededicated myself to the LCHF diet.
Here are the whys of it all:
- My bs readings have again been off the wall – low 400s most days. Today, I managed to lower my bs by 145 points by sticking to LCHF without taking any insulin
- The edema in my feet has been out of control. Today, for the first time all summer, I’ve had no puffy feet.
- The neuropathy pain has just gotten worse. Today has been my first pain-free day all summer.
- I’ve felt more mentally alert today. Not even my medication has over-secreted brain fog.
Today has actually been a no carb, no protein day. I’ve only had two cups of BPC with unsweetened almond milk, coconut oil and Kerrygold butter. I have to stay away from the stevia. Although it doesn’t increase my bs on its own, it does make me crave carbs. There are too many sweets and bread in the house thanks to Dad and brother, so I cannot allow anything to cause cravings.
It sucks to go through all of the “low carb” symptoms again though. The dizziness and the lethargy. I’ve got my electrolytes though, so that has helped tremendously. I also received a late evening energy boost from the fat. Hence, why I am able to sit here and write these notes.
Tomorrow, I will eat a salad with egg for my dinner meal, but only BPC before that. I want to see what happens when I add some veggies and protein back into my diet. If it goes ok, I will continue that route. If not, I will probably do the fat fast for a few more days.
Update on My LCHF WOE
It has been a LONG time since I have updated this blog. The biggest reason is that I fell off the wagon for many months. Christmas broke me completely. Yes, it has been that long. Not only did my family make tons of sugary, starchy treats, but extended family and friends contributed to the mix as they came visiting. It all became too much for me with all that sugar and starch in the house and I succumbed to the Carb Collective.
I tried to get back on the WOE in January, but only half-managed. By April, it was clear that I had totally blown it. The little bit of weight that I had initially lost (11 lbs) hadn’t come back, but I was at a clear standstill. May came and went and saw my blood glucose levels completely out of control. Some days the levels soared into the 400s. I only take my basal insulin these days (slow acting) and metformin and not the fast acting insulin because too much insulin actually makes me crave carbs, and we are not talking the good for me carbs like veggies either.
So beginning yesterday, I have rededicated myself to the LCHF WOE. I have made tweaks to the diet for me because of my blood glucose levels. Here is how I am eating now:
- lots of raw leafy green vegetables (up to 5-6 cups per day) – a variety of lettuces, cabbages, spinach, kale, and dandelion greens (picked straight from my yard!) – I make a huge bowl of these chopped and eat a salad a couple of times a day
- Other raw veggies (about 1/2-1 cup per day) – cucumber, red/green/yellow/orange peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes (less than 1/4 cup per day), onions (about 1 tbsp chopped), mushrooms – I cut these up into a huge bowl and add a mixture to my greens salad
- 3-6 ozs of protein per meal – eggs, tuna, trout, salmon, bacon, pork chops, small amounts of beef, and dark meat chicken
- I still eat some cooked vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower, but I am limiting those to about 1/2 cup at a meal once or twice a week.
- I am getting my fats from HWC in my coffee, MCT oil (I use this for a salad dressing with ACV), coconut oil (for frying and sauteing), fatty meats and small amounts of grass-fed butter.
So far I am eating a lot of salads with protein added. I do plan to eat some soups later on this summer as the vegetables start coming in from the garden. The biggest change that I have made is eating more raw veggies and only a moderate amount of protein (too much spikes my bs levels). I am keeping the fats still fairly high, but not consuming as much dairy as before – just the HWC in my coffee and the small amounts of grass-fed butter.
How has this affected my BS readings? Well, on May 30th my BS (at its highest) was 404. Yep, that was before I rededicated myself and the last bad carb I ate was a chocolate cookie. Today, after eating the raw salads for a couple of days, my BS reading was 179.
I am not aiming to lose weight this time around. If it happens, then I will celebrate. I grew too frustrated before when the weight didn’t come off as it was for everyone else and that is why I went off of the diet. My main goal now is just to keep my blood sugar levels down.
using your glucose meter as a fuel gauge
Fascinating article for anyone who is insulin resistant, diabetic, and following a LCHF diet.
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- While reducing carbohydrates is the first priority, high blood glucose levels and insulin resistance can also be a sign that you are eating too much and / or too often.
- You can use your blood glucose meter as a fuel gauge to help you understand whether your hunger is real and refine your meal timing.
- Delaying your next meal allows your body to use up the glucose in your blood.
- Intermittent fasting will allow your the glucose in your blood stream to be replenished from the glycogen stores in your liver and muscle and allow energy to flow from your fat stores.
| blood glucose | action |
| > 7 day average, well slept and low stress | delay eating and / or exercise |
| < 7 day average | if hungry, enjoy nutrient dense foods that align with your insulin sensitivity |
| < 73mg/dL (4.0 mmol/L) | eat higher insulin load foods if hungry and delay exercise |
This approach…
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10 Ways To Speed Up Your Metabolism
Some wonderful tips to speed up your metabolism!
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No one wants to be a hater right? Well, it’s sometimes hard to ignore that some people are just blessed with a fast metabolism. You know them, they are the ones that can eat just about anything and remain rail thin.
However, do you know that looks can be deceiving? Not every skinny person is a healthy. Well, that’s a post for another time.
The question is can we do anything to remedy a slow metabolism. Is it possible to even become one of those elusive types? What if I told you that you can change your metabolism?
There are plenty of studies that give us reason to believe that it’s not only possible but achievable. I became one those people. Now, remember no hating! I am here to share what I have learned so that you too can enjoy the benefits of a fast metabolism.
Here Are 10 Things You…
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I Feel You
Words of wisdom from a Low Carb Type 1 Diabetic!
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Reversing A Weak Immune System
Powerful testimony of what eating Low Carb can do for the body… it’s all about HEALING!
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Before and after picture of me
Is it possible that your immune system may be at risk? When I first began my journey back to health, I was stunned to realize just how much power I had surrendered to sugar. My habit of choosing dessert over a meal created a vacuum in my immune system. I may have not been overweight by anyone’s standard, but I was extremely malnourished.
By not eating enough real foods, nor taking enough time to recharge my batteries, I found myself very ill. In 2000 I was diagnosed with the guillain-barré syndrome, a rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves that can lead to paralysis and even death. I had no idea what I was about to confront. At my worse I needed the assistance of a walker to get around. My myelin sheath was being attacked, and similar to multiple…
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Low Carb Crock Pot Chicken Fajita Soup
A wonderful soup to warm you up on these chilly days!
I hope everyone had a Wonderful Holiday! I know my family and I did. 2016 will be a wonderful year I just know it!
Last year this time I had know idea about Low Carb High Fat living and all the Health Benefits that can be achieved.
Low Carb Crock Pot Chicken Fajita Soup
Its getting chilly hear in the South this is a fantastic recipe to warm your soul, I found the original recipe on Peace, Love and Low Carb I tweaked alittle for my family’s taste. But I would like to thank Peace-Love and Low Carb for this recipe. 🙂
Ingredients
1 Crock Pot family Size (If you don’t have a Crock you can make on Stove top).
1 pack skinless Chicken Breast about 1 to 1 1/2 lbs
2 Cups Chicken Stock lower…
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kale with chorizo and eggs
Great recipe and wonderful review of this dish! Will be having some of this soon… very soon!
This recipe comes from the Real Meal Revolution which contains a wide range of excellent low carb and nutrient dense meal options as you would expect from a recipe book with Tim Noakes at the helm).
The new Raising Superheroes is a “real food” cookbook with a range of real food recipes to provide parents with scientifically supported advice and delicious recipes to raise the healthiest, brightest kids possible.
The analysis below shows that the combination chorizo, egg, spinach and butter does a really nice job of covering off on a wide range of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids.
Chorizo has an excellent protein score, minimal carbs and a reasonable array of vitamins and minerals. It’s a processed meat, so get the good stuff if you can.
Eggs are hard to beat when it comes to a complete protein and also have an excellent array of vitamins and minerals. Try…
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My Fat Loss Journey on LCHF 