Type 2 Nutrition #400: “Not half the man I once was,” my wife quipped

As you can tell from the number above, I have been posting a long time. I have also been a diagnosed type 2 diabetic for 31 years and probably pre-diabetic for a decade or more before that. At my doctor’s suggestion (to lose weight), I’ve been eating Very Low Carb since 2002. About 8 months ago, I added Extended Fasting.

In 2002 I started and stayed on Atkins Induction (20g/day) for 9 months and lost 60 pounds. Four years later I regained 12 and started and then stayed on Bernstein (30g/day) for a year and lost 100 pounds. Later I lost another 20+, reaching 205 in 2008. I regained some later but recently returned to 205 using consecutive 2 and 3-day fasting. This was possible because, while fat-adapted on VLC, I can easily go 2 or 3 days without hunger.

My weight has not been below 205 since I was a teen ager, maybe pre-pubescent! I’m 76 now. But, feeling as healthy and energized as I do, I am going for a new goal: To be half the man I once was. I began in September 2002 at 375. My goal is to get to half that weight, to 187, by end of September 2017, 15 years later. Here goes. (N.B.: If you want to skip the messy parts, don’t bother with the Weekly details; just jump down to Results.)

Week 1: I start this challenge at 207, so I need to lose 20 pounds in 8 weeks. The 1^st 4 will be easy. I gained them overnight, literally, so this week I expect to lose at least 6, leaving 14 for the remaining 7 weeks, or 2 pounds a week. That’s very doable. Result: lost 5lb, after regaining 3 Sat. FBG aver: 81mg/dl. Wk 2 goal: 5 lbs.

Week 2: Three restaurant meals this week, including a birthday. Fasting only Mon & Wed. Result: took 3 days to lose the 3 pound gain, and the glucose shot up after the b-day; alas, I lost only 1 pound. FBG aver: 97mg/dl.

Week 3: Starting the week 2 lbs behind, but have no excuses. Should be a good week. Goal: lose 4 lbs to reach 197; Plan: fast Mon-Tue-Wed. Result: lost 5, then regained 2 Sat to 198, net lost 3 pounds. FBG aver: 82mg/dl.

Week 4: Starting week just 1 lb behind. Goal: lose 3 lbs to reach 195. Fasting Mon-Tue-Wed. Result: Small cheats every day, but I lost 3 lbs and reached goal of 195, a 180 lb total loss from 2002. FBG aver: 82mg/dl.

Week 5: Eight pounds to go in 4 weeks, 2 lbs per week. Goal 193. However, gained 4lbs both Sun & Mon, so strict fasting this week; I need to lose 10 lbs. Result: Lost 11, fasting 4 days; net lost 3 lbs. FBG aver: 79mg/dl.

Week 6: Now 1 lb. ahead, but goal is still 2 lbs. Eating ‘normally’ Sun & Mon (company); fasting thereafter. Results: Relaxed a bit and just lost 1 lb to 191, on target. 4 pounds to go, 2 each week. FBG aver: 71mg/dl!

Week 7: Doing a modified fast Mon-Tue-Wed, then Fri and/or Sat if required. Thurs: dining with visiting ‘kids.’ Results: Missed the mark; lost just 1. Too much fat, a little cheating, poor choices Thu. nt. FBG aver: 88mg/dl.

Week 8: Final week of challenge with 3 pounds to go. Very doable with a little discipline. Let’s see if I have it.

Results: A feast on Sunday added 4 lbs. to the challenge, but I “fasted” until I lost NET 4. FBG aver: 79mg/dl.

Results: Well, I did it! These words recall for me the line “We did it!”that Elle Woods squeals in her graduation speech at the end of one of my favorite films, the chick-flick “Legally Blonde.” Except in this case, I did it, all by myself! In the last 8 weeks, using a combination of Very Low Carb on days that I ate “normally,” and Very Low Carb on my so-called “fasting” days, I lost 17 pounds. That was my goal: to get to be “half the man I once was,” at 375 pounds, when I first discovered Very Low Carb in 2002. My doctor suggested I try Atkins Induction (20 carb grams a day) to lose weight. It’s been a long journey, with lots of ups and downs, but I finally reached my goal. Along the way, my health improved greatly, and I feel great. It’s wonderful not to always be hungry.

Next week my wife and I are taking a vacation. We’re going up to the Shaw Festival at Niagara on the Lake. Plans include dinner every night in a nice restaurant and one lunch and a tour of one of the many wineries in the area. When we return, I will begin one more weight loss challenge: To lose another 15 pounds (plus what I gain on vacation) to get down to 171. And then, THE FINAL CHALLENGE: to maintain the 200 pound loss. I will keep my weight between 171 and 175 by a combination of OMAD (VLC), plus Extended Fasting as needed.