July 31, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

11:00AM
1 ounce of cashews
Diet Rite

12:30PM
Pork BBQ, BBQ ribs, green beans
Diet Dr. Pepper

5:00PM
Sugar-free Jello pudding with whipped cream
Diet Cheerwine

9:00PM
Dreamfields mac & cheese (Dreamfields elbow macaroni, Velveeta cheese, heavy cream, butter)
2 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Cheerwine

NOTE: I can't believe we are already at the end of July this year...where has the time gone? Does life work that way for you? I suppose it depends on how busy you are in your life whether it seems to streak by or if it is as slow as molasses. Difficult times can make things seem to go in slow motion--like when you're trying to lose weight. If you try to live minute-by-minute during weight loss, then you will drive yourself crazy. Think of time in big chunks like weeks or months and do what you are supposed to do in the day-to-day. What you will find is that time will seem to zoom by and before long you will reach your goals. Keep your head up and refuse to let anyone deter you from this wonderful way of eating. YOU CAN DO IT!

July 30, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:00AM
Low-carb French toast (3 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread, 3 eggs, cinnamon, Truvia, heavy whipping cream, sugar-free maple syrup)
Diet Rite

5:00PM
Chicken, crab with cheese, apple slices
Diet Coke with lemon

7:00PM
120-minute competitive volleyball

9:30PM
Sugar-free Jello pudding with whipped cream
Diet Rite

NOTE: Well, I did it! I got back out on the volleyball court tonight after a two-week hiatus to let my right ankle heal and it did fantastic. Wearing an ankle brace, my speed and mobility were there again with only a very slight twinge of dull ache pain towards the end. When I got home, I checked to see if the ankle swelled up and it didn't! WOO HOO! It felt amazing being back out on the court again because volleyball gives me my competitive release. Serving, setting, and blocking shots are the thrilling parts of the game for me and I relish the opportunity every time I get to play. Jumping is still a little tricky for me right now, but I'm sure it will be back at 100% very soon. THANKS for the concerns everyone expressed. Jimmy Moore is back!

July 29, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:45AM
Small bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Rite

12:45PM
Russell Stover chocolates

8:15PM
Small bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

NOTE: I'm in the final few days of writing my new book 21 Life Lessons From Livin' La Vida Low-Carb and I'm excited to share this with you guys very soon. You can get a sneak peek at it by listening to my recent TeleClass call about it where I outline the 21 lessons covered in the book. Unlike my first book in 2005 which detailed the specifics of my weight loss success in 2004, this new book will put the focus squarely on the health benefits and other "lessons" about low-carb living that I've learned over the past five years. There was so much to share in the book that it's gonna be a BIG one. In fact, depending on how well this book does, I'll very likely write a follow-up book with even more lessons I've learned sometime in the next year. If all goes as planned, my second book will be available by the end of August. I can't wait for you to see it!

July 28, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:45AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Rite

2:15PM
Russell Stover chocolates

7:00PM
Small bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
8 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

NOTE: I'm getting antsy about not exercising lately because of my ankle injury and now this nagging neck thing from my Tennessee trip. The ankle is feeling a whole lot better and the swelling is down. Now if I can just get this pinched nerve in my neck to loosen its grip, then maybe I can get back to playing volleyball on Thursday. Wish me luck! :)

July 27, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

11:15AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Rite

4:15PM
Russell Stover chocolates

8:15PM
2 low-carb grilled cheese sandwiches (4 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and mayo)
Diet Rite

NOTE: Man it stinks getting back home from a trip, even a brief one like my Tennessee visit to my 20-year high school reunion. But this one is kicking me hard already because of that pesky crick in my neck, the aches from driving over 1000 miles this weekend, and feeling absolutely worn plumb out! It was so worth seeing everyone, but returning to the normal schedule is a lot harder than I expected. Hopefully I'll snap out of it by the end of the week.

You'll notice I didn't measure my blood sugars today. I'm trying to find a reliable testing supplies kit to make sure the numbers are as legitimate as possible. There are concerns that the Reli-On strips I'm using aren't up to snuff, so I will discontinue using those immediately until I can get another more trusted brand. I think we've seen what my blood sugar is doing quite well in recent weeks, so it's a bit redundant to keep testing and showing similar results.

Today I had some Russell Stover chocolates that I bought on the way home from Tennessee. We like stopping at the Russell Stover store at the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg/Dollywood exit off of I-40 near Knoxville. Although these chocolates have maltitol in them which I utterly despise, they are quite delicious and I only eat a couple or so at a time for obvious reasons. The sugar-free dark chocolate flavors they have now are AMAZING...I only wish they made it with erythritol and stevia instead of maltitol.

Hopefully my right ankle will be well enough to start playing volleyball again on Thursday. I've missed my favorite sport since I injured it a few weeks ago, but I couldn't risk re-injuring it. I felt it swell up at the reunion on Saturday night, so continuing to rest it is probably a good idea for a few more days. Can't wait to get back out on the court again.

July 26, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

1:00PM
Hardee's Low-Carb Thickburger without onions
Coke Zero

8:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
8 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

NOTE: Travel day back home again and I woke up with a horrible crick in my neck this morning. Might have been that bad night of sleep the previous night on my dad's twin-sized bed. It stinks driving 500+ miles as it is, much less having a pain in the neck (and no, it wasn't Christine!). We made it home and were so exhausted from a breakneck (all pun intended!) weekend. I would have done it all over again, but now I'm pooped. :)

July 25, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:15AM
Scrambled eggs with sausage

12:30PM
Hamburger steak with cheese, tomatoes, and mayo
Diet Coke with lemon



7:30PM
Beef strips, 1/2 chicken, green beans, zucchini and squash with butter
Iced tea with Splenda

NOTE: Before going to my 20-year high school reunion tonight, I spent some time with family in Bolivar, Tennessee.

I saw my Aunt Mary Jane:


And my cousin Robert with his wife Melissa:


We even had a chance to go to the grave site where the remains of my brother Kevin are buried:


It was a quick trip to see family, but we had a reunion to get to up the road in Jackson, TN. It was so much fun to see people I haven't seen in two decades. I was asked to be one of the speakers to reflect back on our high school memories:


The funniest part was trying to a group photo of the BCHS Class of 1989:


Ahhhhh, I didn't want to leave, but was dead tired from a poor night's sleep last night at my dad's house (twin bed and 6'3" tall man don't go together). After seeing everyone I wanted and sharing what's happening in my life, I hit the sack around 11:00PM. And I was stoked the buffet meal had some EXCELLENT low-carb choices. WOO HOO!

July 24, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:15AM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef burgers with Colby Jack cheese and mayo
Diet Rite

6:30PM
Salad with lettuce, egg, cheese, sunflower seeds, bacon bits, and Ranch
Hamburger steak with cheese and mushrooms
Diet Coke with lemon

NOTE: Travel day today driving 500+ miles from South Carolina to west Tennessee. The drive was about 7 1/2 hours, so I wanted to make sure I didn't get hungry on the road. That bunless cheeseburger with all the fat and protein kept me satisfied all the way there...although I was quite hungry by the time we ate supper with my dad and stepmom.

Here's a picture of my dad J.D. who had quintuple heart bypass surgery last June and my stepmom Faye:


We had an informal get-together with our old school classmates tonight. I was struck by how much people have changed in their appearance as well as their demeanor. Everyone was so cordial with each other--I suppose growing up does that to you. The reunion will have even more people tomorrow night. Looking forward to it!

July 23, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:30AM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread with butter
Diet Rite

2:30PM
Low-carb bread pudding (2 Julian Bakery Smart Carb #2 cinnamon almond raisin bread slices with butter, heavy whipping cream, cinnamon and Truvia)

7:30PM
Chicken, pork, beef, crab meat with cheese
Diet Coke with lemon

NOTE: Gearing up for my trip back home to Tennessee for my 20-year high school reunion this weekend!

July 22, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:00AM
Blood sugar reading--102
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread with butter

9:30AM
Blood sugar reading--128

10:00AM
Blood sugar reading--120

10:30AM
Blood sugar reading--96

11:00AM
Blood sugar reading--95

Drank several cans of Diet Rite during the midday

2:30PM
Blood sugar reading--86

2:45PM
Low-carb bread pudding (2 Julian Bakery Smart Carb #2 cinnamon almond raisin bread slices with butter, heavy whipping cream, cinnamon and Truvia)

3:15PM
Blood sugar reading--107

3:45PM
Blood sugar reading--104

4:30PM
Blood sugar reading--104

No diet sodas were drank during the afternoon

7:30PM
Blood sugar reading--83

8:00PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

9:00PM
Blood sugar reading--86

10:00PM
Blood sugar reading--103

NOTE: Somebody asked me what I'm "worried" about with these blood sugar readings and my answer is that I'm not at all worried about them. I just find it fascinating to see what is happening with my blood sugar before and after meals at different times throughout the day. It doesn't seem to matter what I eat or drink, my blood sugar tends to be higher in the mornings and at night with steady blood sugars during the day. Is all this testing much ado about nothing or is there some kind of pattern developing that shows something that warrants concern? At this point, I'm not at all displeased with what I'm seeing because I know a lot of diabetics who struggle with getting their blood sugars down from 200-300 and would LOVE to have the kind of readings I do.

I'll be taking the next few days off from measuring my blood sugar to heal my fingers again. Plus, I have my 20-year high school reunion in Tennessee this weekend and I'll be heading out bright and early on Friday morning. I'll update my menus blog when I return late Sunday night/early Monday morning. Feel free to post any specific tests you'd like for me to run next week. I would like to do the two-hour fasting test in the morning where I measure every 15 minutes without eating or drinking anything to see what happens to the blood sugar if anything. Any others?

July 21, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:30AM
Blood sugar reading--102
Drank water

9:45AM
Blood sugar reading--99
Drank water

10:00AM
Blood sugar reading--89
Drank water

10:15AM
Blood sugar reading--82
Drank water

10:30AM
Blood sugar reading--83
Drank water

10:45AM
Blood sugar reading--97
Drank water

11:00AM
Blood sugar reading--98
Drank water

11:15AM
Blood sugar reading--99
Drank water

11:30AM
Blood sugar reading--100

11:45AM
4 local free-range eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Rite

12:15PM
Blood sugar reading--104

12:45PM
Blood sugar reading--90

1:15PM
Blood sugar reading--94

2:15PM
Blood sugar reading--93

3:00PM
Low-carb bread pudding (2 Julian Bakery Smart Carb #2 cinnamon almond raisin bread slices with butter, heavy whipping cream, cinnamon and Truvia)

4:00PM
Blood sugar reading--105

5:00PM
Blood sugar reading--111

6:00PM
Diet Rite

6:30PM
Blood sugar reading--80

7:00PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

8:00PM
Blood sugar reading--105

9:00PM
Blood sugar reading--89

NOTE: Oh my goodness, what the heck is happening here?! Today I decided to test my blood sugar in the morning to see what would happen to it by drinking water. There should be no blood sugar response to drinking water, but look what happened: It dropped 20 points in the span of 45 minutes before almost returning to baseline 45 minutes later. Something stranger than strange is going on that is outside the realm of what I am eating to cause this kind of swing to happen.

After eating my eggs meal following the water experiment, my blood sugar remained pretty stable. Then I made my bread pudding recipe in the afternoon and saw a typical slow rise in blood sugar. The same goes for my dinner meal where the blood sugar went up and then back down again within two hours. But what about those freaky readings from drinking water?! Any thoughts?

July 20, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

11:00AM
Blood sugar reading--103

11:15AM
4 local free-range eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese

11:45AM
Blood sugar reading--107

12:15PM
Blood sugar reading--90
Drank a 12-ounce can of Diet Rite

12:45PM
Blood sugar reading--86
Drank a 12-ounce can of Diet Rite

1:15PM
Blood sugar reading--86
Drank a 12-ounce can of Diet Rite

1:45PM
Blood sugar reading--82
Drank a 12-ounce can of Diet Rite

2:15PM
Blood sugar reading--86
Drank a 12-ounce can of Diet Rite

2:45PM
Blood sugar reading--98

3:15PM
Blood sugar reading--103

6:00PM
Drank a 12-ounce can of Diet Rite

6:30PM
Blood sugar reading--82

7:15PM
Chicken, pork, beef, crab meat with cheese
Diet Coke with lemon

8:15PM
Blood sugar reading--100

8:30PM
Blood sugar reading--102

9:30PM
Blood sugar reading--100

10:30PM
Blood sugar reading--96

NOTE: Well, I was back to testing my BS again today after a few days to heal the holes in my fingers and thought of an experiment to do right off the bat. We already know how my blood sugar levels fluctuate in the morning following drinking a single diet soda based on the tests I did last week. But what happens after I consume a meal and drink multiple diet sodas? Let's find out.

After my eggs, butter, and cheese meal this morning where I drank water only during the meal, I tested my blood sugar at 30 minutes and one hour after the meal from the baseline reading of 103. After a half-hour, my blood sugar rose slightly to 107 before falling below baseline one hour later at 90. This is pretty much normal for me since I've been testing over the past year. Then I decided to have a 12-ounce can of Diet Rite every 30 minutes for the next two hours to see what would happen to my blood sugar readings: 86, 86, 82, 86. Stable as stable could be which makes me wonder if the diet soda is impacting my blood sugar levels at all or if it's something else.

I'm still seeing higher blood sugar readings in the evening than any other time of the day which is curious too. Tomorrow I'll be doing the water experiment that I talked about last week to see what, if any, impact drinking plain water will have on my blood sugar levels in the morning. Should be interesting! Any thoughts?

July 19, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

7:15AM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Rite

1:00PM
2 low-carb grilled cheese sandwiches (4 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese)
Diet Rite

7:00PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
8 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

10:45PM
Low-carb bread pudding (2 Julian Bakery Smart Carb #2 cinnamon almond raisin bread slices with butter, heavy whipping cream, cinnamon and Truvia)

NOTE: We'll start back the blood testing tomorrow! WOO HOO! I think I've figured out a way so the pricks don't hurt so much.

July 18, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:00AM
2 low-carb patty melts (4 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread, butter, 2 half-pound grass-fed beef burgers, 4 slices Colby Jack cheese, mayo)
Diet Rite

6:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

9:45PM
Low-carb bread pudding (2 Julian Bakery cinnamon almond raisin bread slices with butter, walnuts, heavy whipping cream, cinnamon and Truvia)

NOTE: My right ankle is still hampering me and I hate that. The swelling and pain that I still feel means I'll probably be skipping my two nights of competitive volleyball this week...dangit! I love the thrill of being on the court playing the game not just for the exercise, but also the fellowship with other people, the stress relief from a busy workday, and the pursuit of winning. But that's all going on hiatus for at least a week. Hopefully the ankle will heal soon so I can get back out there.

July 17, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:30AM
1 half-pound grass-fed beef burger with Colby Jack cheese
Whole green beans with butter
Diet Rite

2:30PM
1 half-pound grass-fed beef burger with Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes and mayo
Diet Rite

6:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
8 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

10:00PM
2 Julian Bakery cinnamon almond raisin bread slices with butter, heavy whipping cream, cinnamon and Truvia

NOTE: It was another fantastic day of livin' la vida low-carb! A couple more days to go before I'm back to testing my blood sugar again. WOO HOO!

July 16, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:30AM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt) with butter
Diet Rite

3:30PM
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

9:00PM
Dreamfields macaroni and cheese (Dreamfields elbow, heavy whipping cream, butter, Velveeta cheese)
2 Julian Bakery cinnamon almond raisin bread slices with butter, cinnamon and Truvia
Diet Rite

NOTE: You don't know how nice it was to take a break from the blood sugar pricking today?! AHHHH! But I'm so glad to be doing this experiment because I think it may get to the root issues involved with so many aspects of my weight and health. THANKS for being along for the ride.

July 15, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:00AM
Blood sugar reading--96

9:00AM
1 12-ounce can of Splenda-sweetened, caffeine-free Diet Rite

9:15AM
Blood sugar reading--75

9:30AM
Blood sugar reading--89

9:45AM
Blood sugar reading--88

10:00AM
Blood sugar reading--101

10:15AM
Blood sugar reading--94

10:30AM
Blood sugar reading--101

10:45AM
Blood sugar reading--91

11:00AM
Blood sugar reading--87

11:30AM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack cheese and mayo

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--90

12:30PM
Blood sugar reading--95

1:15PM
Blood sugar reading--92

1:45PM
Blood sugar reading--94

3:00PM
Blood sugar reading--97 (switched from Sidekick to Reli On glucose monitor)

3:00PM
1 12-ounce can of Splenda-sweetened, caffeine-free Diet Rite

3:15PM
Blood sugar reading--97

3:30PM
Blood sugar reading--103

3:45PM
Blood sugar reading--93

4:00PM
Blood sugar reading--103

4:15PM
Blood sugar reading--97

4:30PM
Blood sugar reading--98

4:45PM
Blood sugar reading--101

5:00PM
Blood sugar reading--100

8:30PM
Blood sugar reading--94

9:15PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
Baked meatballs, mozzarella cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

9:45PM
Blood sugar reading--100

10:15PM
Blood sugar reading--107

10:45PM
Blood sugar reading--110

11:15PM
Blood sugar reading--103

NOTE: What a day, what a day! My fingers are extremely sore from pricking myself a total of 29 times today to get these blood sugar readings, but it was so worth it. As promised, I wanted to see what happens to my blood sugar after drinking a diet soda and frankly the results were a mixed bag. This morning's test was all over the board with a 21-point drop in the first 15 minutes followed by a 14-point rise in the next fifteen minutes and it then proceeded to bounce up and down over the next 90 minutes. This was a very odd reaction that I'd like to conduct a follow-up experiment with water sometime to compare the morning results.

After my lunch meal, my blood sugar remained very steady in the two hours that followed. But I wanted to see what would happen with the diet soda experiment if we did it in the afternoon instead. Would that make a difference? Well, it didn't do the sudden drop of 20-something points like it did this morning. In fact, the blood sugar response was very stable ranging from as low as 93 to as high as 103. That's virtually no blood sugar response at all. Isn't that really weird how much different my blood sugar reacted to the diet soda this afternoon compared with this morning?

Then tonight I ate supper and tested every thirty minutes after eating a meal with a diet soda and my blood sugar response was very normal--a slow rise in blood sugar over the first 90 minutes before it started to come back down again by the two-hour mark. This was a very insightful day despite all the holes and bruising on my fingers. I think I'll be giving my fingers a few days of rest in the next few days to gear up for more readings next week.

What have I learned about my blood sugar through these tests? Well, it looks like my blood glucose is much more sensitive in the morning after fasting all night and tends to regulate after eating. Why? Who the heck knows? All I do know is my blood sugar response seems to be better as the day progresses for me and my pre-meal and post-meal readings are good. And even with all that bouncing around that happens in the mornings, it's still in a healthy range. I'm not pretending to think these blood sugar readings are necessarily bad by any stretch of the imagination. I know I'm blessed.

Other blood sugar experiments I'd like to try in addition to the water test I mentioned include multiple diet sodas in one sitting, various favorite foods, and maybe even a fasting day to see what would happen to blood sugar levels on no food for a 24-hour period. For now, I'm giving my fingers a much-needed rest from the hundreds of pricks over the past couple of weeks. They should be well enough by Monday to start up again. In the meantime, I'd love to have others of you to do your own blood sugar experiments and share your results. Specifically, I'd love to see some people of all ages try this, including other 30 and 40-somethings to do the diet soda experiment. E-mail me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you want to participate and keep your identity anonymous. I'd love to see what happens for you! THANKS for following this journey!

July 14, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:00AM
Blood sugar reading--85

9:15AM
4 local farm pastured eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and bacon
Diet Rite

9:45AM
Blood sugar reading--92

10:15AM
Blood sugar reading--97

10:45AM
Blood sugar reading--81

11:15AM
Blood sugar reading--81

3:00PM
Blood sugar reading--84

3:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
Baked meatballs, mozzarella cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

4:00PM
Blood sugar reading--93

4:30PM
Blood sugar reading--88

5:00PM
Blood sugar reading--77

5:30PM
Blood sugar reading--80

7:00PM
150-minute competitive volleyball

9:45PM
Blood sugar reading--92

9:45PM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt) with butter
Carbsmart vanilla ice cream with cashews and whipped cream
Diet Rite

10:15PM
Blood sugar reading--88

10:45PM
Blood sugar reading--87

11:15PM
Blood sugar reading--100

11:45PM
Blood sugar reading--102

NOTE: Today was no fun pricking myself a total of 15 times to do this, but I was curious what my pre-meal blood sugar reading was as well as my readings at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes. Although the pain of that lancet was a challenge, I'm glad I did this to see what was happening to my blood sugar levels in the moments after finishing my meals. I wanted to see what I was missing in the two hours between eating and checking my blood sugar at that 2-hour reading.

The breakfast reading showed a typical increase following a meal, but then at the 90-minute mark my blood sugar dropped 16 points in 30 minutes to below the baseline of 85. Even still, I went from 85 fasting blood sugar to 81 in two hours--pretty good control. Then at lunch, the same thing happened, although the drop started happening within an hour of eating hitting a low of 77 after 90 minutes before returning to 80 after two hours--just four points off of the reading prior to the meal.

Well, after injuring my right ankle playing volleyball last Monday night when I landed awkwardly on someone's foot and hyperextended it, I thought it had healed well enough to play on it again. I thought wrong! Here's a photo I took of my right ankle AFTER icing it down for 15 minutes:



I know, I'm a dope! My competitive juices make me want to get out on that court and play if I am able to walk, even if I start to feel pain like I did tonight. I'll be taking at least the next week off to see if this injury can heal completely. Lesson learned.

After 2 1/2 hours of volleyball, I was hungry and wanted to eat, so I had my meatballs with garlic bread meal along with my dessert. After a slight dip in my blood sugar within the first 30-60 minutes, it went up about 10 points above baseline by the end of the two hours and I went to bed--the highest readings of the day. Perhaps I am seeing some kind of a negative response from something I ate during that meal. We'll do more testing in the coming days to see what we can find out.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing the results of my blood sugar readings after consuming a diet soda. I'll be doing the test first thing in the morning on an empty stomach so the results will be based solely on the beverage. My plan is to test every 15 minutes for two hours after consuming a diet soda to see what kind of blood sugar response I am having after just one diet soda. Should be interesting!

July 13, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:00AM
Blood sugar reading--90

8:00AM
6 ounces of grass-fed beef shoulder
Diet Rite

10:00AM
Blood sugar reading--78

1:15PM
Blood sugar reading--79

1:30PM
10 ounces of grass-fed beef shoulder with A-1
Diet Rite

3:30PM
Blood sugar reading--90

5:45PM
Blood sugar reading--95

5:45PM
3 low-carb French toast (3 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread, butter, eggs, cinnamon, Truvia, heavy whipping cream, sugar-free maple syrup)
Diet Rite

7:15PM
Blood sugar reading--95

7:30PM
90-minute competitive volleyball

9:15PM
Blood sugar reading--96

9:15PM
Carbsmart vanilla ice cream with cashews and whipped cream
Diet Rite

10:15PM
Blood sugar reading--103

NOTE: When I was at the farmer's market recently to get my grass-fed hamburger meat, I decided to splurge a bit on another grass-fed beef cut that sounded like it might be pretty good--shoulder. Well, after cooking up that big chunk of meat in the crock pot on Sunday, I was ready to dive into some tender and juicy beef today. But it didn't happen. That was probably the grossest thing I've put in my mouth in a very long time and there were little chunks of I don't wanna know what in it that made me feel like I was eating something on that old NBC-TV reality show "Fear Factor." I could have gotten four pounds of my favorite ground beef for what I paid for this shoulder cut of beef--UGH! I wasn't going to waste the meat, so I ate it all. But I'm not doing that again!

I ate the French toast Christine and I did a video on with the Julian Bakery yesterday for my pre-volleyball meal and my blood sugar stayed VERY steady when I measured it 90 minutes after eating the meal. Gotta love that! Speaking of volleyball, my ankle is doing better than it was last week, but it's still pretty sore. I could jump fairly well during the games and got in some key blocks and spikes. But the pain started to return after about an hour of playing, so I left earlier than I usually do to rest my ankle some more. I hope to be back at 100% very soon because I'm very competitive on the volleyball court and hate to slow down my speed or mobility on the court because of an injury.

Tomorrow I will provide a very detailed list of my blood sugar readings before each meal, then at 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after each meal so we can see exactly what is happening with the blood sugar curve. This oughta be good! THANKS for reading!

July 12, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:00AM
Blood sugar reading--92

8:00AM
2 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread with butter
Diet Rite

10:30AM
Blood sugar reading--91

12:45PM
Blood sugar reading--96

1:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
Baked Philly steak, cheese, green peppers, and mushrooms
Baked meatballs, mozzarella cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

3:30PM
Blood sugar reading--84

6:30PM
Blood sugar reading--89

7:00PM
2 grilled cheese sandwiches (4 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb #1 bread, butter, Colby Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, mayo)
Carbsmart vanilla ice cream with cashews and whipped cream
Diet Rite

9:15PM
Blood sugar reading--104

NOTE: Christine and I decided to have some fun in the kitchen today to show off the delicious Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread that we have enjoyed consuming as part of our healthy low-carb lifestyle lately with two outstanding recipes in our latest "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube" episode:



Still taking my blood sugar readings before every meal and two hours after those meals. At some point this coming up week, I'll probably take readings prior to the meal, at 30 minutes, and then at 60 minutes to see if there is a more stark curve in the blood sugar. Additionally, I've been wanting to test the theory about whether diet soda raises blood sugar levels statistically, so we will be doing an experiment to see that as well coming up this week. THANKS for sharing in this journey!

July 11, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--97

1:00PM
Salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
Baked beef, bacon, and mozzarella cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

3:00PM
Blood sugar reading--82

6:00PM
Blood sugar reading--88

6:00PM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Rite

7:30PM
Blood sugar reading--95

7:30PM
Carbsmart vanilla ice cream with cashews and whipped cream

9:15PM
Blood sugar reading--97

NOTE: In light of what Dr. Mary C. Vernon shared in yesterday's blog post about "normal" blood sugar levels, my readings are right in line with that 80-100 goal. There was only a 15-point difference all day in the fasting and two-hour readings. It's a little higher overall than earlier in the week, but the span from high to low remains constant. I'm not complaining. :)

July 10, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:00AM
Blood sugar reading--80

10:00AM
4 local farm pastured eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Rite

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--95

4:45PM
Blood sugar reading--99

5:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
8 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

7:30PM
Blood sugar reading--87

9:30PM
Blood sugar reading--100

9:30PM
Carbsmart vanilla ice cream with cashews and whipped cream

11:30PM
Blood sugar reading--91

NOTE: My blood sugar readings were a little up from what they have been today ostensibly because of the continued pain from my ankle injury. But you'll notice the difference in blood sugar control was within 19 points--not too shabby! Stargazey who was the one who encouraged this experiment with my blood sugar just about one week ago wanted to know the answer to the following question: What is considered "normal" blood glucose numbers in the context of low-carbing? That's an excellent question to consider to put all this measuring into perspective. So I asked a couple of bona fide low-carb diabetes experts to help.

Dr. Richard Bernstein, who has lived with Type 1 diabetes for nearly six decades and helped tens of thousands of diabetic patients with his carbohydrate-restricted nutritional plan, said that "diabetics and older non-diabetics are entitled to the sme blood sugars as young adult non diabetics--about 83mg/dl around the clock." If you'll look at my average blood sugar levels over the past week, I'm right in line with this goal. Dr. Mary C. Vernon, co-author of Atkins Diabetes Revolution and well-known low-carb practitioner for diabetics, noted that Dr. Donald Layman from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign conducted a study that found if carbs were kept low, then the fasting and after meal blood sugars got closer together--in other words, a lesser rise after a meal and less drop after the food is gone!

"This indicates that the body is functioning on glucose made by the liver, and that production is a stable amount if it is not shut off by a rise in insulin and if your body has the enzymes geared up to do the work," Dr. Vernon said. She added that this explains why it can take some time to "adapt" to the low-carb way of eating. That said, she continued by saying any of her patients who have consistent blood sugars in the 80-100 range are "fine" although "lower or higher morning blood sugars may mean an adjustment in the dietary plan is needed." Additionally, Dr. Vernon said a "big rise or fall after a meal may mean the diet isn't yet optimized--or it may mean someone just binged on carbohydates." Fascinating! For now, it looks like according to both Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Vernon, my blood sugars are perfectly fine.

I've been requested by Stargazey to take my blood sugar readings a little sooner after eating a meal--for example, at 30-minute and 60-minute intervals to see what is happening just after consumption. When the elevation in my blood sugars from the pain returns to normal, I'll be doing this. In the meantime, I have a funny story to share with you about a visit to my doctor today.

I'll be interviewing someone for my podcast show from a company called LipoScience soon and they sent me a complimentary kit to have an NMR LipoProfile test run on my blood to check the particle size of my LDL as well as my HDL and triglycerides. This is the very best test you can have run for your cholesterol because it tells you exactly what kind of LDL cholesterol you have--because it's not all as bad as we've been led to believe.

I contacted my doctor's office to see if they would pull my blood sample and spin it for me, but they said I would need to come in for a visit to see my physician first. Ummmmm, why? I'm perfectly healthy and just want to have this test run. I even told them I had the kit and everything, but they insisted I come in for a visit. UGH! This just meant I would have to pay full price for an office visit and make small talk with my doctor for a few minutes so he could "authorize" me to have the test run. This is what's wrong with healthcare in America today--patients who take control of their own health are forced to play the games of the medical profession to get the care they need. I love my doctor, but this "visit" was totally unnecessary.

Anywho, I brought my NMR LipoProfile test results from 2008 which showed an elevated LDL and total cholesterol number, but an extraordinarily low small LDL-P number of just 30. As soon as he saw that number, I heard him mumble to himself, "that's impossible." With a big grin on my face and playing dumb I said, "what?" He went on to explain that he had never seen anyone with that low a small LDL particle size number and that it is simply spectacular. My doctor also said that he fully expected my LDL particles to be well over 2,000 with my cholesterol numbers as high as they were and I explained how LDL cholesterol numbers are different in people who eat low-carb. It was an educational experience for my doc.

He then went on to give me the lecture comparing LDL to spiders and snakes--there are poisonous ones and non-poisonous ones that he looks out for in people with high-LDL. And he said I have nothing to concern myself with regarding my "spiders and snakes" because they are harmless. Yep, I coulda told ya that! He added that with the heart health issues that my late brother Kevin and my father have both had that I should get a heart scan done. I told him I've been looking for a place in our area to have one done as recommended by Dr. William Davis and he gave me a prescription for a place about five miles from my house. COOL! I'll be getting this $99 test done soon to see what my calcium score is--I would suspect it is going to be next to nothing, but we won't know until we test it.

Incidentally, my family doctor started running the NMR LipoProfile test on his other patients a couple of years ago when I shared my experience taking the test. This is why I like seeing my personal physician because he is willing to learn from his patients which is the sign of an excellent doctor. It's the ones who are closed-minded and think they have all the answers that I loathe. At the end of my visit, my doc also knocked off 20% from the "brief visit" charge, so I paid less than $50 to see him which isn't half bad these days. I'll be having my blood drawn early on Monday morning after I have fasted. It will be interesting to see if much has changed with the numbers over the past year.

THANK YOU again for joining me in this continued low-carb journey to the best health possible!

July 9, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:00AM
Blood sugar reading--86



10:00AM
1 one-third pound grass-fed beef burger, bacon, Colby Jack cheese, and mayo
2 slices Julian Bakery bread with butter
Diet Rite

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--80

3:30PM
Blood sugar reading--78

3:45PM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices of Carb One garlic bread
Vanilla CarbSmart ice cream with fresh local grown blackberries and whipped cream
Diet Rite

6:00PM
Blood sugar reading--76

7:15PM
75-minute competitive volleyball

9:00PM
Blood sugar reading--103



9:30PM
Naked fajitas (steak, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, cheese)
Diet Coke with Lime

11:30PM
Blood sugar reading--102

NOTE: Today was a pretty rough day for pain. I woke up and my ankle which I sprained badly on Monday night on the last play of volleyball landing awkwardly on it after jumping to block a spike was hurting more than it has. It was still swollen and I decided the best thing to do was to keep it propped up most of the day while taking Tylenol and staying off of it. After taking it easy for most of the day, I thought I'd try to play volleyball again--I know, not very smart.

I wore an ankle brace which seemed to help stabilize it and subdue the pain somewhat. But my speed was limited for obvious reasons and every time I jumped it was painful. After a little more than an hour of this tonight, I decided to leave and see if the ankle would heal a few more days before playing again. But in conjunction with this pain, I noticed something happened with my blood sugar readings today--they were a little up. The overnight fasting number was higher and those triple-digit readings following my volleyball playing were also a surprise. Can pain raise your blood sugar?

Actually, it can. Pain is widely recognized as a stress on the body and inflammation is usually not far behind. When you experience pain, your body produces cortisol, you tense up, and get stressed. Of course, this only makes the pain worse which then leads to more inflammation and stress--a ruthless cycle! And yes, being stressed out about something is also not very good on your blood sugar levels, so learn to take it easy when you can.

That said, other than feeling like I had a completely "wasted" day of doing nothing, I'm glad I listened to my body and did what was right for my ankle. I'm the kind of person who likes to go, go, go all the time and get things accomplished which is what makes days like this so challenging. But knowing when to rest and relax to do something good for your body is as much a part of livin' la vida low-carb as anything you put in your mouth. It's a lesson I'm learning...slowly. THANKS for reading!

July 8, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:45AM
Blood sugar reading--69



10:00AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and bacon
Diet Rite

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--72

2:45PM
Blood sugar reading--85



3:15PM
2 one-third pound grass-fed beef burgers with Colby Jack cheese, bacon and mayo
Diet Rite

5:15PM
Blood sugar reading--77

8:30PM
Blood sugar reading--70

9:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

11:30PM
Blood sugar reading--78

NOTE: Another FANTASTIC day of blood sugar control today with my readings all within 16 points. But I'd love to know why some mornings when I check my blood sugar it is a bit higher in the 80s or 90s and then other mornings it was like today in the upper 60s/lower 70s. Of course, I'm enchanted by all of this information and will probably seek to extrapolate even more data soon like what is happening 30 minutes after a meal and one hour after eating. Stay tuned!

July 7, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:45AM
Blood sugar reading--72

10:00AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--81

2:45PM
Blood sugar reading--78

3:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

5:30PM
Blood sugar reading--86

8:30PM
Blood sugar reading--74

8:30PM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt) with butter
Coke Zero

11:00PM
Blood sugar reading--83

NOTE: Did you notice what I did with my menus today? If they look vaguely familiar, well they should--they're the EXACT same thing I ate yesterday. I did this by design since my blood sugar control was so spectacular holding within just 19 points all day long. Well, today was EVEN BETTER--my blood sugar never fluctuated more than 14 points among the six readings. You can get much better than that!

I'm enjoying this blood sugar experiment, although my fingers are starting to feel the wrath of being pricked over and over again. I don't know how diabetics do this day after day, week after week, year after year. I have nothing but great respect for anyone who HAS to do this on a consistent basis. My hats off to you.

Speaking of diabetics, Christine and I just recorded a new video about an inexpensive at-home A1c test:



If you can know your A1c number for less than ten bucks, then you really need to do it. Diabetic or not, this test will reveal to you whether you are controlling your blood sugar levels well or not. I am not diabetic, but I'm so glad to know my A1c number is 5.1, or about a 102 average blood sugar level. I haven't seen my readings that high since I started this experiment last Friday, but I understand the monitors are only a gauge of the changes happening and may not be 100% accurate on the actual numbers. Even still, the lower you can get your A1c the better and livin' la vida low-carb gets you there.

Oh, remember I told you how I twisted my right ankle at the end of volleyball last night? Well, today it was swollen and I was in a lot of pain. I'm thinking my ankle rolled sideways and hyperextended the tendon in there which makes it painful to make a "cut" move. I can walk on it straight, but going up and down stairs as well as turning a corner is difficult. I'll probably not be able to play volleyball on Thursday night as usual and maybe not next Monday either. We'll see how it feels the next couple of days. It was sort of a freak accident that happened when I went up to block a spike, landed on my opponent's foot and immediately fell to the ground. I got up limping thinking I'd walk it off, but I knew right away it was a little more than that. Holding off on the doctor unless it just doesn't get better.

THANKS for reading everyone!

July 6, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

11:00AM
Blood sugar reading--77 (switched from One Touch to Sidekick blood glucose monitor)

11:15AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese

1:15PM
Blood sugar reading--85

3:00PM
Blood sugar reading--68

3:30PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

5:30PM
Blood sugar reading--75

7:30PM
150-minute competitive volleyball

10:15PM
Blood sugar reading--66

10:15PM
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt) with butter
Coke Zero

12:15AM
Blood sugar reading--80

NOTE: Today I switched over to a new blood glucose monitor I saw at Wal-mart the other day for $20. It's called the Sidekick and is an all-in-one blood sugar meter that includes 50 strips plus a digital reader. It doesn't come with lancets, but I already had those from my One Touch kit. I had a few problems with "dud" test strips, but when I called the company they said they'd be happy to replace the strips that didn't work. Otherwise, it works GREAT and you get a good blood sugar reading within a few seconds.

Once again my fasting blood glucose this morning was fantastic at 77. But then something pretty awesome happened two hours after my eggs breakfast--my blood sugar actually went up to 85. This was a stark difference from the typical drop I've been seeing after a meal. The normal curve is for the blood sugar to rise and come back to baseline over a few hours. It looks like that is exactly what was happening following my first meal. WOO HOO!

Prior to my second meal, my blood sugar was at 68 before I had the salad and meatballs lunch. Again, two hours later my BS was up to 75--UP! Yes! After playing a few hours of volleyball tonight (twisted and slightly sprained my right ankle on the last play, too!), I was hungry for a late supper. When I tested my blood sugar after all that exercise, it was 66 and two hours later just after midnight my BS was 80--a typical rise again for the third meal in a row. This is so unusual for my blood sugar compared to earlier testing, so I'm wondering what the difference is now.

Overall today my blood sugar range from these tests today was 66-85--only a 19-point differential! I don't know about you, but that sounds like pretty darn good blood sugar control thanks to healthy low-carb living to me! And I'm measuring ketone bodies which show I'm spilling moderate amounts in my urine. AWESOME!

July 5, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

6:00AM
Blood sugar reading--77



6:15AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Fresh homegrown garden tomato slices (4)
Coke Zero

8:00AM
Blood sugar reading--66

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--88



12:00PM
1/3 pound grass-fed beef burger with 1 ounces of cheddar cheese and 1 Tbs mayo
Fresh homegrown garden tomato slices (4)
Coke Zero
Fresh, locally-grown blueberries and blackberries with Truvia and whipped cream

2:00PM
Blood sugar reading--92

5:00PM
Blood sugar reading--80



5:15PM
4 slices of Julian Bakery low-carb bread cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese, bacon, and mayo
Coke Zero

7:30PM
Blood sugar reading--94

NOTE: My blood sugar reading this morning was again down in a more normal range at 77 which was encouraging to see as a baseline. I was up early today in part because I didn't sleep very well and I had to be at church a little early today since Christine and I are singing on the praise team this month. Just before leaving for the worship services, I checked my blood sugar again a couple of hours after eating the eggs breakfast and it had dropped to 66--not really surprising in light of what we've seen lately.

After we got home, I checked my blood sugar again and it was at 88--a 22-point rise from my reading just four hours prior. I had a purposely smaller meal with only one burger with tomatoes today, but I added the berries to the mix so I would have fat and protein with my carbohydrates rather than eat the carbs alone. The result two hours later was a blood sugar reading of 92. Three hours after that and five hours after eating, I was ready to eat again and check my blood sugar--80, which was almost baseline from the beginning of my day. I decided to eat that low-carb bread with lots of butter, some cheese, bacon, and mayo. My blood sugar was 94 two hours later.

Interestingly, I checked my ketone levels at 10:00PM just out of curiosity since a few people have expressed concerns over the Julian Bakery bread. When I measured, my stick turned purple indicating moderate amounts of ketone bodies present--that wouldn't happen if the bread wasn't what it claimed to be. And the blood sugar rise was not astronomical as you would expect from what people are claiming is a "high-carb" food. Very clearly it is not like eating Wonder bread!

The ongoing Stargazey experiment continues...

July 4, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:00PM
Blood sugar reading--80



1:00PM
Spinach salad (spinach leaves, cheese, eggs, bacon, sunflower seeds, and Ranch dressing
1 lobster tail with butter
Diet Coke with lime

3:15PM
Blood sugar reading--78

5:00PM
Blood sugar reading--72



5:15PM
Fresh, locally-grown blueberries and blackberries with Truvia and whipped cream

7:15PM
Blood sugar reading--93

10:00PM
Blood sugar reading--81



10:15PM
7 ounce sirloin steak
1 lobster tail with butter
Mashed cauliflower with butter
Broccoli with butter

11:45PM
Blood sugar reading--102

NOTE: Testing my blood sugar levels just prior to every meal and then two hours later has shown to be quite the adventure in the first two days of doing this. Yesterday there seemed to be a pattern of higher blood sugar in the morning ostensibly from the "dawn phenomenon," a sudden drop in blood sugar after my first meal of the day, then a slow rise in blood sugar the rest of the day, and seemingly higher blood sugar overnight (we'll be confirming what is happening at like 2:00 or 3:00AM coming up sometime this next week).

But today threw a monkey wrench in what I thought I knew because my blood sugar levels were all over the place. Starting with my baseline measurement at noon which is the same time I checked it yesterday, my fasting blood glucose was 80 today. That was a full 10 points lower than Friday's reading. I ate that salad and lobster tail meal an hour later and then checked my blood sugar two hours later for only a slight decrease to 78. Hmmmm, this was a whole lot different than the 23-point drop yesterday.

By 5:00PM I wanted to consume some berries and cream, so I measured my BS again for a reading of 72--which means it had gone down from two hours earlier. That wasn't so unusual considering your blood sugar will drop when you haven't eaten for a few hours. Then I had the berries and was a bit surprised to see my blood sugar levels take a typical jump when you eat a meal consisting of primarily carbohydrates (not a large amount with berries, but carbs nonetheless). The reading of 93 confirmed a normal blood sugar response took place--a 21-point jump.

Then it got interesting. I was out with the neighbors shooting fireworks until nearly 10:00PM and wanted to eat something before bedtime. So I measured my BS before a meal one more time to see a reading of 81--a 12-point drop from just a few hours prior. I ate the steak and lobster tail with broccoli and mashed cauliflower and LOTS of butter and then waited until close to midnight to see what my two-hour reading would show. Much to my surprise, it went up 21 points to 102 when I tested at 11:45PM. What in the world is going on here?

Let me say from the outset here that I'm not at all worried about my blood sugar levels being a detriment because they never climb much higher than 100 and never lower than the upper 60s. But being a non-diabetic, I find these movements in my blood sugar levels quite fascinating--although I have no idea what any of it really means. As always, any feedback or insights you would like to share with me are valued and appreciated. THANKS so much!

July 3, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:15PM
Blood sugar reading--90



12:30PM
Two 1/3 pound grass-fed beef burgers with 2 ounces of cheddar cheese and 2 Tbs mayo
Fresh homegrown garden tomato slices (4)

2:30PM
Blood sugar reading--67

6:45PM
Blood sugar reading--73



7:15PM
Big bowl of salad greens with chopped tomatoes, fresh goat cheese, and Ranch dressing
4 meatballs with provolone cheese, all-natural tomato sauce, and freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Lime

10:00PM
Blood sugar reading--81

NOTE: You'll notice I've added something different to my menus blog today. One of my regular menus blog readers Stargazey from the "Low-Carb for You" blog wanted to see what was happening with my blood sugar levels just prior to a meal and then two hours after the meal. It's an interesting bit of data to collect especially in light of the reactive hypoglycemia that a 5-hour glucose tolerance test showed last year. I haven't been experiencing any of the dizziness or weakness in 2009 like I was when this was happening in 2008. But, I took up Stargazey's challenge starting today and will document the numbers here.

As you can see, my blood sugar reading prior to the first meal today was pretty normal at 90. Keep in mind that a few weeks ago when I measured my blood sugar earlier in the day (around 9:00AM), my reading was around 100. So by the time I measured it just past noon today, I'm sure it had DROPPED to 90. I'm not sure if I am experiencing the "dawn phenomenon" or not, but it seems to look that way. But then two hours after my meal, look at the drop in my blood sugar--23 points DOWN to 67. I don't know what happened in the first 30 minutes or hour after that meal, but the bottom sunk out of it for a reactive hypoglycemic response. EEEEEK! What's interesting is I didn't feel bad as it was happening.

By the time I was ready to eat supper, I tested my blood sugar again--about 6 hours after eating--and the reading was 73. I ate my meal and measured again a few hours later to see the blood sugar response had risen to 81. It never did return to the baseline reading I took this morning. This leads me to wonder what my "normal" blood sugar reading should be. Strange, very strange.

What a funky movement in blood sugar wouldn't you say? From my observations of this, here's what I see happening: my blood sugar tends to be higher in the morning, takes a nosedive after my first meal of the day, slowly works its way back up again without reaching baseline, and begins to rise again in the evening headed towards bedtime when the blood sugar level tends to go way up. Perhaps I should set the alarm to wake up at 2:00AM to measure what my blood sugar is doing at that time. Might do that sometime coming up this next week.

Any thoughts?

July 2, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:30PM
Two 1/3 pound grass-fed beef burgers with 2 slices of Colby Jack cheese and 1 Tbs mayo



6:45PM
1/3 pound grass-fed beef burger with 1 slice of Colby Jack cheese and 1 Tbs mustard
Fresh garden tomato slices (4)

7:00PM
180-minute competitive volleyball

NOTE: In a tough economy like we are experiencing now, a lot of people would say they can't afford to eat a low-carb diet. This has always been an interesting argument against livin' la vida low-carb that people think they can't do it because of financial constraints. I certainly understand that and have experienced it personally in my own life over the years getting whatever you can afford for food. Unfortunately, people tend to gravitate towards the cheaper, carb-filled junk food that costs a buck for a box. But the long-term impact of those "cheaper" choices will only lead to greater consequences on health later down the road.

That's why it's better to choose quality cuts of meats, cheeses, vegetables and the like. Yes, they cost more now, but the end result is a healthier, happier life than you ever thought possible. Although when I first started on the Atkins diet, I was unaware of the existence of things like grass-fed beef. Beef was beef...or so I thought. Now I've learned that the beef you find in the grocery store is not as good a quality as you can find from grass-fed farmers. I was fortunate to find a local supplier in my area for this healthier option and I've enjoyed the taste and quality difference immensely. While it's not impossible to see weight loss on the beef you find in the grocery store, if you can swing getting the better grass-fed kind then do it.

To me, nothing beats a really well-cooked burger without the bun. Slap some of your favorite cheese on top with a little mayo or mustard and I'm in heaven. Before I started low-carbing, I always wanted my meats cooked medium well. Not anymore. It only took one time cooking the meat medium for me to see what I was missing out on. Lately I've been cooking my hamburgers on my menus almost medium rare which would have grossed me out before--now it's simply incredible! With the cheese and condiments, absolutely loverly loverly loverly! You gotta enjoy what you're eating or else why eat it, right?

Christine and I had a neighbor friend help us plant some fresh tomatoes in our backyard. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while and I'm hoping to add more fresh vegetables if this experiment goes well. Ironically, Christine is not a big tomato fan but she's gung ho about growing these things. I LOVE 'em to death, especially with my eggs or with my grass-fed beef burgers like I had today. There's just something about the flavor of 'maters with the juicy succulence of good quality beef. Oooo la la! Who says livin' la vida low-carb can't be enjoyable?

July 1, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:15PM
2 cups salad greens with tomatos and Ranch dressing
Baked pepperoni and mozzarella cheese with tomato sauce
Baked bacon and hamburger meat with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with lime

8:15PM
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
Coke Zero
Vanilla CarbSmart ice cream with 2 ounces of unsweetened cacao, Truvia, butter, fresh blueberries, and whipped cream

NOTE: It's the beginning of the month and for the past few months I've been announcing my current weight on this day. But not today. With all the sadistic obsession and maniacal madness about every movement up or down in my weight, it is simply unproductive and takes away from the original purpose behind why I started this menus blog to begin with--to show how I eat my low-carb diet. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a MENUS blog and my real menus is what you always get here no matter what you might happen to think of them.

Does this mean I've given up on trying to lose weight and I'm just content with whatever my weight happens to be at the moment? Obviously not. I am 100% committed to livin' la vida low-carb for life and wouldn't ever think of eating any other way for the rest of my life. It saved my life in 2004 when I felt like I was going to be trapped into having to eat low-fat forever with all that hunger, irritability, frustration and disgust that goes along with eating that way. Low-carb freed me from the bondage of thinking that way and I will forever be grateful. And sharing my menus is just my small part in giving back for all the blessings I have been given.

As we've been talking about here over the past few days, the low-carb lifestyle is about so much more than weight loss. Although that's the feature most people tend to focus on, the reality is low-carb is much more important to living healthy than anything else. And healthy is EXACTLY what I am. Despite repeated concerns that I'm still unhealthy because I'm "obese," I have HDL cholesterol that is 65, triglycerides of 86, small LDL-P of a miniscule 30, vitamin D3 levels of 68 ng/mL, stable blood pressure, and the results of the A1c test I ran last week came in at 5.1. These numbers cannot be overlooked because they are absolutely spectacular.

I admit my weight could certainly be lower than it is today and I'm evaluating what I need to be doing to get my weight back down to where it was at the end of 2004 when I weighed 230 pounds. This is a feasible goal for me and I'm happy to pursue it. I vehemently disagree with these people who think my 63" body frame needs to weigh as low as 175 pounds because that is utterly ridiculous. Even 200 pounds seems absurd if you take into account my high bone mass in my legs from all those years of carrying around 410 pounds. There will be people who will complain about me no matter how much I weigh, so it is fruitless to even try to please them--nor do I even try. But rest assured I'm always living my low-carb life as well as I can.



By the way, I went to the eye doctor yesterday because my vision was getting a little fuzzy and I have to wear glasses now. I have 20/30 vision in both eyes and my left eye has an astigmatism in it. I'm enjoying wearing spectacles and the difference is AMAZING! First time I've ever really "needed" glasses, although I don't have to wear them when I'm in front of a computer since I'm near-sighted. Life is certainly a never-ending story of stuff happening.