Type 2 Diabetes, a Dietary Disease #368: My 2-Month, 20-Pound Challenge

I am in a unique situation at the moment. It is of my own making, and it is an opportunity to take sole responsibility for my actions. There are no confounding factors (“excuses”) or impediments to my success (or failure). It should be a good test of my intentions and my integrity in taking responsibility for the outcome.

I am home alone for the next 2 months. After driving my wife to Florida after Christmas, I flew to Bogotá to study Spanish for 3 weeks. While there I got some professional help translating a 16-page “Folleto” on the cause of Type 2 Diabetes and how best to treat it as a dietary disease. I then flew to Aruba to join my wife for a week to celebrate our 25^th anniversary, and then home to New York for the rest of the winter. Between one month in Bogotá and Aruba, I lost 2 pounds, but since returning to NY I have regained 4 in less than a week.

So, to fulfill a commitment I made to Megan Ramos, the Intensive Dietary Management Program Director and Clinical Educator in Jason Fung’s office in Toronto, and a Facebook friend, I am going to fast for 2 days a week. I’ve selected Tuesdays and Thursdays. On those days I will only take a 16-oz coffee in the morning with stevia and 1-oz of full cream; then, at night, 1 wine spritzer. Nothing else until the next day. I know this will not be difficult because I am not hungry now. I am apparently already sufficiently keto-adapted for my body to switch easily from whatever I eat (low-carb) to fat-burning to maintain energy balance and a high metabolic rate.

So I am now cooking for myself. This is something, guys, that will teach you how much you under appreciate that you spouse cooks for you every day, as mine does. Thus, on the remaining 5 days, I will cook supper twice, each time preparing food for 2 days. On the 5^th day, I will go out to dinner. That day will vary.

On non-fasting days, I will take the same coffee in the morning. Then, if I feel it necessary to eat something before supper, I have some stores in the pantry: 1) Brisling sardines in EVOO and 2) kippered herring in brine, both of which I love. The sardines, in terms of calories and satiating power, are a meal in themselves. The herring is more like a snack. I will use them as a light or late lunch, if I should sense any hunger at all, which is very unlikely. I will also keep on hand a few hard-boiled eggs from a local farmer if I feel the need for them.

Then for supper, my main dish will mostly be stove-top preparations of various cod recipes or a veal stew. The cod is wild caught in the North Atlantic and flash-frozen at sea. My recipes incorporate vegetables like onions, celery, cauliflower and fennel. I cook in coconut oil, butter or olive oil and add garlic, green olives, red pepper flakes, sometimes petite cubed canned tomatoes and always lots of salt and fresh ground black pepper.  As an alternate meal, I will sometimes make a veal kidney dish or a tripe en salsa roja preparation.

The veal is from another local farmer. For the stew, I use bacon, mushrooms, and onions and brown the veal cubes in coconut oil before baking. For the kidneys, I add mushrooms, onions and Marsala wine. Oh, and with each of these supper meals, I will drink 2 red-wine spritzers. I especially like a Spanish Rioja called El Coto.

Just to be clear about this: On my 5 non-fasting days each week, I will take only morning coffee, an occasional “big” lunch (a 3.75 oz. can of sardines + EVOO) or a “light” lunch ( a 3.5 oz can of kippered herring in brine) and the occasional hard-boiled egg or two. Then, supper with 2 wine spritzers. The nutrient breakdown is this:

Fasting days: Calories: 225kcal; Fat: 11g; Pro: 1g; Carbs: 4.75g; Alcohol: 15g

Non-fasting: Calories: 1000-1200kcal; Fat: 45-70g; Pro: 45-85g; Carbs: 15-30g; Alc: 30g 

I write this on Super Bowl Sunday at 248 pounds (FBG: 104mg/dl). I start tomorrow morning. This “manifesto” will first be published on February 19, two weeks hence. Anyone interested to know how I’m doing can use the comments section on either my blog (www.thenutritiondebate.com) or on Facebook, where I usually post.