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  #1   ^
Old Sat, Oct-29-16, 22:04
khrussva's Avatar
khrussva khrussva is offline
Say NO to Diabetes!
Posts: 8,671
 
Plan: My own - < 30 net carbs
Stats: 440/228/210 Male 5' 11"
BF:Energy Unleashed
Progress: 92%
Location: Central Virginia - USA
Default 1000 Days of Healthy Eating


Today marks day 1000 since I started LCHF.



1000 days of healthy eating. 1000 days ON-PLAN.


Me just days into the diet - February 2014

The journey has been far from perfect. I had lots of good eating days and a few bad ones. A bad day was me eating too much OP food or simply struggling to stay the course due to carb cravings. That happens. That is part of the process. But I have stayed away from all of my problem foods - those foods that hammer my system with sugar. I've done that without fail. If it wasn't on plan, I didn't eat it. It looks like that approach worked for me. I've got my life back. I finally found the right path to success.

I used to think that a low carb diet was simply another diet – a means of losing weight. It was all about results on the scale. Low carb also happened to be the only diet I could stick to for any length of time (although I didn’t really know why). I did, however, worry that this high fat diet might be an unhealthy means to my desired goal of losing the weight. After all, that is what the “powers that be” had been drumming into our heads since the early 1980’s. I was skeptical and confused about what I was being told. Information overload from all directions. I guess I just didn’t know what to believe. Still, my concept of a diet was that it was short term thing anyway. Once the weight was off I could resume eating normal food, work on portion control, exercise more, and do my best to keep the weight off. It never really worked, but I didn't enjoy being fat. I gave dieting the old college try time and time again.. All told, I dieted for years across 3 decades. I always regained. I always wound up heavier than ever. Fail, fail, fail.

In my early 30’s I crossed over the 300 pound mark to stay. For years I considered myself a ‘healthy’ fat guy. I tried to stay active. I still managed to get things done. I wasn’t happy to be so fat and periodically tried to do something about it. I could sustain a diet long enough to meet some short term goal – such as fitting in an airplane seat. But I didn’t enjoy dieting - not even low carb. I felt crappy most of the time (in and out of the carb flu regularly, I suspect). I always felt deprived. I cheated regularly. I thought cheating and taking breaks was part of dieting. Dieting was always difficult and I could only take so much of it. In my 30’s and 40’s I certainly didn’t feel any healthier from all that dieting other than the weight loss aspect. When needed I could always buck up and drop some weight. I'd never read a diet book. I thought I knew what I needed to know to lose weight. I just didn’t know how to keep it off. For a time I would feel more fit and capable from shedding the pounds. It was only good while it lasted. It never lasted long.

Slowly but surely the ‘healthy’ fat guy argument started losing the battle. I began to have lower back issues in my mid 30’s. I started to get sick more frequently. I stayed sick longer. My 40’s brought me ever closer to the 400 pound mark. Sciatic nerve pain in my left leg started limiting my mobility. Obesity was now starting to take its toll on me. Then, at or around age 45 my health started to take a serious turn for the worse. I started taking blood pressure medication. Skin issues started popping up. UTIs started to become a regular problem. I started getting lengthy bouts of chronic bronchitis every winter. The healthy fat guy was no more. I knew some of it was weight related. Some aliments I attributed to age and some to my kids bringing home bugs from school. In 2009 I made one last good go of the diet, losing around 70 pounds. I did feel better - even healthy again for a while. But like always it didn’t last. The weight flew back on along with a myriad of health problems. By 2013 I reach my max weight: 440 pounds. I had become a type 2 diabetic, but did not know it yet. Even with diabetes in my family, I was totally ignorant on the subject. I kept my head in the sand and hoped for the best. I later learned that I had been having all of the classic symptoms. I was not loving life. This was the bottom for me and it wasn’t pretty. Being fat sucks. Losing your health and being morbidly obese really sucks. I needed to figure something out or I was going to be checking out way too soon. What I had been doing was never going to work and I finally realized that. So I started looking for some answers. Thank God I found them.

If you’ve read my other milestones or my journal then you know the rest of the story (see links in my signature line). In a nutshell, the only real change that I made was to abandon the idea that a diet was temporary. I now realized that a permanent lifestyle change was needed. I stopped cheating and that made all the difference. Eating OP every day I gained control over what I ate. I stopped feeling deprived. I started to enjoy my “diet food” more and more each day. I lost weight. But best of all, my health came roaring back with a vengeance. I could tell that my body loved what I was doing. Within weeks I felt better. Within a few months I was no longer testing as diabetic. One year into this WOE I was totally off blood pressure medication. That was the affirmation I needed. LCHF is a healthy diet.

This WOE can restore your health. It sure did for me. This is how I need to eat. This is how I was meant to eat. This WOE healed me and it did so long before I lost all the weight. I am happy to have lost the weight. There is no denying that. I was happy at 370 pounds. I was feeling pretty darn good, too. I was happier and healthier still at 325 pounds. Life was even better at 285. This WOE Rocks! I went on a hike for the first time in years at 270 pounds. Frankly, reaching my goal weight was anticlimactic. I went from having a foot in the grave in 2013 to a rich and vibrant life within that first year. And it just kept getting better. The scale number was only part of the story.

I love living life again. Restored health was a big part of that. My old diet is what was unhealthy. It made me fat. It made me sick. Eating LCHF everyday was the answer to my problems. It took me 30 months to lose the weight -- 250 pounds in all.


I became fit and active along the way. I’ve pretty much given up grains, processed food, and foods with added sugar. I’ve changed how I eat and I’m planning on eating this way for life. My weight loss is a huge milestone, but I consider my health improvements on an even par. I created this milestone because wanted to document everything that this lifestyle change has done for me. Below is the laundry list of what ailed me in the years prior to this WOE. Most of these issues are now completely resolved. Those that are not gone completely are much improved.

Elevated fasting & post meal blood sugar (Type 2 Diabetes)
Hypertension
Abnormally high ‘bad’ cholesterol
Insulin resistance (blood sugar spikes even from eating minimal carbohydrates)
Reactive Hypoglycemia (a rapid blood sugar spike & crash to below normal levels)
Unquenchable thirst/frequent urination
Bouts of blurry vision
Liver inflammation/fatty liver
Poor eyesight, especially in lower light
Eye floaters
Fatigue – total lack of energy
Diabetic nerve pain in my feet
Skin tags large and small from my thighs to my eyelids
Eczema/dark spots on hands and arms
Dry skin/cracked and sore on elbows
Slow healing cuts & bruises
Thick skin buildup on lower legs
Toenail fungus



I'd had thick, yellow toenails for 15 years. Healthy nails grew out in the first 9 months

Excessive foot/body odor (stinky shoes and arm pits)
Large discolored patches of Candida on my chest
Periodic fungus related itchy skin rash on my arm pits, between toes, and my private parts.
Slow urine flow
Decreased bladder control (leaky pipes)
ED
Weak immune system - frequently ill
Slow recovery from colds, flu, and other bugs
Chronic bronchitis/persistent coughing lasting weeks (even months)
Frequent and often very painful urinary tract infections
Inflamed gums/gingivitis
Excessive plaque & tarter buildup
Frequent bad breath
Excessive ear wax & periodic ear infections
Excessive 'sleepy' buildup in my eyes
Chronic lower back pain (mostly resolved)
Sciatic nerve pain
Stiff/inflexible neck & back
Poor sleep, snoring
Reduced mobility/activity (easily out of breath/exhausted)
Hygiene issues related to obesity
Abnormal hunger with a tendency to resist, resist, then break down and binge.
Frequent heartburn/Gird
Depression
Obesity


The doctors seem to think that obesity is the problem. Lose the weight and get healthy. I don't think obesity is good, but the root of the problem lies elsewhere. I think bad food is the problem. When I eat right the rest seems to take care of itself. It really doesn’t matter what I think. What matters are the results. The weight loss would never would have happened without me changing how I eat to low carb. Low carb food stabilizes my blood sugar. I stopped feeding blood sugar swings and started eating to real hunger. No other diet would have done all of this.


Ham & swiss, peperoni, peanuts, cucumbers, a flax muffin, & Carbmaster yogurt with chia seeds

So what didn’t get better? My hair didn’t grow back. I still have male pattern baldness. My lower back can still ache, especially if I have been sitting too long. I had minor flare-ups of plaque psoriasis before this WOE. I’ve had a flare-up since going low carb as well. I did have an issue with cholesterol that occurred since starting this WOE. I covered it extensively in my journal. With a few diet tweaks the issue resolved itself and now my cholesterol numbers are the best they have ever been.

These days I rarely get sick. When I do catch a bug I seem to get over it much more quickly. I don’t know if I can actually call it health benefit, but this WOE turned me into a morning person for the first time in my life. I sleep great. I sleep deeper. I wake up refreshed and I’m ready for the day. For 50 years I hated getting up early. Now I love it. And for what it is worth, I would swear that my eyesight has gotten better. I no longer wear my reading glasses and I can even thread a needle. I have not been able to do that for years.

My diabetes is resolved. I have no symptoms whatsoever. The year before changing how I eat I had them all. At 5 weeks into the diet I had my first A1C test. My score was 6.7 - a full blown Type 2 Diabetic. It was likely much higher than that before the diet. 3 months after my first A1C I was retested. The score was 6.0 (pre-diabetic) at the 5 month mark eating low carb. At my next two annual checkups my A1C scores were 5.1 and 5.3 – totally normal. Quote from my doctor... "It looks like you have cured your diabetes!"


I'm off of BP medication. I'd had hypertension for years. Not anymore.

I take no prescriptions. How many of those conditions listed above have corresponding pharmaceutical commercials on TV every day? At least half of them do. Sorry big pharma. Sorry big food. I’d rather just stay healthy. I love this way of eating. I’m LCHF for life.



P.S. I did say that it is not all about the number on the scale. Making this more about eating for my health did a lot for me. It helped relax about the scale and that helped me stick to my program. I do, however, like being a normal weight - fit & active. I wanted the weightloss, too. Once I changed how I eat, it wasn't too difficult to make the scale cooperate. I did no exercise for the first few months. Later on I started a walking routine. It took time. I used the diet to learn how I needed to eat. It took patience. I made a few diet tweaks along the way. I eventually reached a good weight. Then I did some weight lifting and actually put a few pounds back on. I'm technically still overweight by BMI standards. I don't care. I'm living my life again. I've got my health. That is what really counts.


Stick to eating good food, stay out of the junk, and you will get healthier with each passing day.

Last edited by khrussva : Sun, Oct-30-16 at 20:22.
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  #2   ^
Old Sat, Oct-29-16, 22:21
Meme#1's Avatar
Meme#1 Meme#1 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 12,456
 
Plan: Atkins DANDR
Stats: 210/194/160 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 32%
Location: Texas
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WOW Ken~ thanks for posting this. It's so inspirational!!!
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  #3   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 02:01
Ambulo's Avatar
Ambulo Ambulo is online now
Senior Member
Posts: 3,170
 
Plan: LerC, TRE, IF
Stats: 150/120/120 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 100%
Location: the North, England
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Absolutely brilliant.
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  #4   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 04:07
cotonpal's Avatar
cotonpal cotonpal is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,282
 
Plan: very low carb real food
Stats: 245/125/135 Female 62
BF:
Progress: 109%
Location: Vermont
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I am so glad that you emphasize the health aspects of eating this way. Weight loss may be the most visible effect of eating lchf but it is simply a reflection of the much greater overall health benefits that lchf brings. As usual Ken, you've said it so well.

Jean
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  #5   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 09:05
jessdamess's Avatar
jessdamess jessdamess is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,904
 
Plan: Keto
Stats: 252/172/165 Female 69.25 inches
BF:
Progress: 92%
Location: Northeast TN
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Well done, Ken!!!
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  #6   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 09:10
Just Jo's Avatar
Just Jo Just Jo is offline
A'72 Lifer Hard Core
Posts: 15,566
 
Plan: A'72 Induction Lifer + IF
Stats: 265/114/130 Female 5'4"
BF:Not so much now!
Progress: 112%
Location: South Central New Mexico
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WOW! WTG, Ken! You are such an inspiration to all of us!

Can't wait for the next installment: 2000 days of Healthy Eating!

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  #7   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 10:25
Ccat69's Avatar
Ccat69 Ccat69 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 472
 
Plan: LCHF/ketogenic
Stats: 163/132/130 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 94%
Location: Upstate NY
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Ken, just wow! What an amazing transformation to great health! Thanks for sharing your success.
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  #8   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 12:40
Charms09's Avatar
Charms09 Charms09 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 786
 
Plan: ZC (started w/Atkins)
Stats: 164/132.8/124 Female 5x2"
BF:27%
Progress: 78%
Location: Virginia
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Great job Ken!!! WAY to go!!!
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  #9   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 14:38
GreekRibs's Avatar
GreekRibs GreekRibs is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,747
 
Plan: Protein Power
Stats: 212/169/150 Female 5'9"
BF:
Progress: 69%
Location: Saskatchewan
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Where to begin ... lol ... I have to read and re-read your post, Ken, because it's chock full of so many goodies.
What a joyful post.
First, I love the muscle man pic .. that is so awesome!!!
2nd, I didn't realize it, but I too had yellow nails on my big toes that are now gone, thanks to LCHF.
Your list of improved health outcomes is nothing short of stunning.
1,000 days of LCHF is an excellent milestone. Congratulations and thanks for being such a role model for all of us.
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  #10   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 14:56
Liz53's Avatar
Liz53 Liz53 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,140
 
Plan: Mostly Fung/IDM
Stats: 165/138.4/135 Female 63
BF:???/better/???
Progress: 89%
Location: Washington state
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What a wonderful testimonial to this WOE. You are such a source of inspiration to so many people.
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  #11   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 16:30
doreen T's Avatar
doreen T doreen T is offline
Forum Founder
Posts: 37,199
 
Plan: LC paleo/ancestral
Stats: 241/188/140 Female 165 cm
BF:
Progress: 52%
Location: Eastern ON, Canada
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Count me among the inspired! Well done, Ken .. what a great testimonial !
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  #12   ^
Old Sun, Oct-30-16, 19:18
MickiSue MickiSue is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 8,006
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 189/148.6/145 Female 5' 5"
BF:36%/28%/25%
Progress: 92%
Location: Twin Cities, MN
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Congratulations on the 1000 day mark, Ken, and, of course, thank you for the solid example of what can be accomplished by making a single choice: never cheat, and sticking to it.
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  #13   ^
Old Mon, Oct-31-16, 12:01
khrussva's Avatar
khrussva khrussva is offline
Say NO to Diabetes!
Posts: 8,671
 
Plan: My own - < 30 net carbs
Stats: 440/228/210 Male 5' 11"
BF:Energy Unleashed
Progress: 92%
Location: Central Virginia - USA
Default

Thanks everybody. It was a good 1000 days - made all the better by the wonderful support that you all provide. Having your health is a very good thing. I didn't appreciate what I had until I started losing it. I'm happy to have found it again.

I thought I'd add these old vitals to this milestone as well. It provides some details of how my cholesterol took a very strange turn well into my LCHF journey. About the only thing that I had done differently was to reduce my carb intake to what would be considered a very low carb diet. I then tweaked my diet and found a way to resolve the cholesterol issue. What happened to me is fairly uncommon with this WOE - but what I did might prove useful to the next person who's LDL goes nuts when eating a very low carb diet.

Here is a chart of my annual checkup labs that cover the period prior to me starting this WOE up through the first year eating LCHF. Something very strange happened to my LDL & TC by that last lab. There is no information on my macros. I was not tracking my daily food at that time.


Here is an update of my cholesterol chart with the most recent lab results added numbers. I started tracking my food and changing up my diet to see if I could make positive things happen with those numbers. Adding fiber to my diet seems to have had the greatest impact. So these days, I eat a lot of fiber.


The results above are from standard lab tests. I had an NMR done in December 2015. This test actually measures LDL cholesterol as opposed to the estimated LDL/VLDL numbers on a standard lipid panel. An NMR also measures partial size where the standard test does not. The results were good and as expected for a low carb diet. The particle size was large and fluffy and the count for small, dense (bad) LDL cholesterol was very low. All good news. But my LDL particle count was still very high. I'm sure would be better now given my most recent lipid panel.


The results from the NMR:

LDL-P was at 1577 -- at the high end of the "Borderline High" range.

The other results from the NMR were as follows:
  • My HDL-P was 29.7 (a little lower than normal)
  • My LDL Size was Pattern A - Large (which is good)
  • My Small LDL-P was < 90 -- which is outstanding. Low (which is good) has a cutoff of <117 and the 50th percentile is 527.
  • My Insulin Resistance score was < 25 and the cutoff for low is < 27. I'm not sure how meaningful this score is, but the results were very good.

I don't know if my high cholesterol issues was ever a cardiovascular risk or not. That's the problem. Nobody really knows. The studies don't exist for people who eat like I do. So I'm still glad that I was able to change my numbers for the better. I chose the "better safe than sorry" approach to this. My doctor was happy about the results of my year long experiment. She was amazed in fact. 18 months ago she was talking about prescribing a strong statin. There is no talk of that now. It has been over 6 months since I was last tested. Now that I am weight stable and still eating the same as I did before that last test, I am curious to know if anything has changed. I visit my doctor later this month. I may request another test just to find out.

Last edited by khrussva : Mon, Oct-31-16 at 12:10.
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  #14   ^
Old Mon, Oct-31-16, 12:45
thud123's Avatar
thud123 thud123 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 7,422
 
Plan: P:E=>1 (Q3-22)
Stats: 168/100/82 Male 182cm
BF:
Progress: 79%
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Thanks for posting to the future and today Ken. I really liked the message you sent that you can be happy at all the different weights you were and that the "goal" was sort of anticlimactic. I think that's important to consider.

That was may take-a-way anyway. We can be happy today at what ever weight we're at as long as we're doing the wholesome thing of taking care of our bodies and not abusing them, either willingly or unwillingly, with food we were not meant to eat.

I look forward to your continued progression and insight. Thank you for sharing your story.
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  #15   ^
Old Wed, Nov-02-16, 19:43
slwloser slwloser is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 160
 
Plan: LCHF
Stats: 210/178.2/160 Female 65 inches
BF:
Progress: 64%
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WOW!!! Thanks for telling your story. I needed to hear it. I'm 6 months into this WOE. The weight is no longer melting off. Really only 1 -2 pounds a month. I feel so much better though.

I can't believe the change in your nails!!! Thanks again.
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