DoingTheCaveman

October's progress

Yesterday I attended my 4 month review hospital appointment, well timed to record my progress for October. I have to say all is now forgiven since the first consultation. The reaction from my consultant also served to remind me of the achievement and progress I've made overall.

• At my initial new patient appointment I was 102 kg (224 lb). 
• Yesterday I was 93 kg (205 lb)
• Total loss = 9 kg (19 lb)

There are a couple of points I'd like to add in relation to my diabetes and general health.

1. The doctor said my Hb A1c was 'marvelous' at 6.3  The normal range for a non-diabetic is 4 - 6.  Going into some of my domiciliary blood readings I have now started recording readings of 4 which raises the possibility of hypos.  Therefore he said that we may soon think about reducing my medication!!!  You may recall that at my first appointment I was being threatened with the introduction of insulin to my regime.
2. One particularly strange thing is that since I've been on the Caveman diet I have started feeling particularly low and weepy at times, which is out of character for me and contrary to the how I'd expect to be feeling with the wieght loss.  I'd even starting to wonder if the diet wasn't quite right or I was developing some type of depressive illness.  However, I'd also been musing about something else.  When I discussed the problem with the consultant he suggested exactly what I had been thinking - that the mood swings could indeed be cyclical.  My diabetes is related to having PCOS and, although these days I have a normal cycle, I haven't for a long time had all the usual pre-menstrual symptoms and probably wasn't ovulating normally.  The doctor confirmed what I was thinking, that these mood swings would be a sign that my hormones could be kicking back into action and a sign that I am once again ovulating normally.

Finally he said that although he could discharge me back to the care of my GP he doesn't yet wish to and would like to review my progress again in 6 months!  Could it be that he's curious about the effect of a diet that excludes modern day foods?

My carrot

I'm trying not to feal disheartened but this month my weight seems to have stayed static, although I am constantly having to hitch up my jeans.  To keep my spirits up and remind myself why I'm doing this I've made a little montage.  This is where I'd like to be this time next year (excuse the picture it's very badly put together but you get the gist).  The last time I skied I promised myself that if I did nothing else I'd ski at least once a year.  Unfortunately, that was the last time I fit into my ski clothes and the last time I went.  I reckon by now  I owe myself at least a 20 weeks so I guess I should start saving.  This my ultimate reward, if and when I manage to lose the weight - what's yours?

Learn to read your body's telling you

I use my forehead as a health forecasting tool.  That sounds absolutely nutty doesn't it, but this is precisely how I knew that I was thriving on the Caveman diet. 

Basically, anytime that I've been under the weather and indeed prior to my diabetic diagnosis the skin across my forehead would flare up.  Embarrassingly, it used to become red and inflamed; my skin peels and sometimes gets a little scabby. It looks a terrible sight, plus it's itchy and sore too! This is my outward sign that there's too much sugar in my system.  It was continually like this and whatever diet I was following the irritation would persist.   

Anyway within the first two weeks of starting the Caveman diet my skin literally cleared up and the inflammation disappeared.  The problem has since flared up only once on the Caveman diet; this is when I decided to make a Ratatouille and slipped on the natural products, using tinned tomatoes.  The following morning I woke up and my skin was raging - you could have warmed your hands on it.  Initially I thought that the Caveman diet had actually uncovered an allergy to tomatoes (not having eaten them for a while), but once a read the the ingredients on tinned tomatoes the reason for the irritation became clear - sugar.

You just can't escape it, even when you're trying to eat healthily.  Tinned tomatoes always did seem a pretty innocent product to me, and as such I didn't review the packaging.  This really brings home to me the point that if you really want to control what you're eating it's really far safer just to make everything from scratch.  Thankfully I have my forehead as my own sugar alarm system.

Almond Milk and Rugby

I've found that almond milk is definitely an acquired taste!  Well I did use some energy to make make my almond milk (despite the Kentucky) but have to say I don't like it very much.   Anyway, I don't even normally watch rugby but so high spirited has everyone been over the last week I'm going to go add some fruit to my almond milk, turn into a smoothie and enjoy alongside tonight's Rugby World Cup. 

POP!

It's a terribly silly thing to do, going out without having breakfast.  Anyway this is what I did this morning as I set of to buy a blender with the intention of experimenting and making up some almond milk.  I guessed I'd take some exercise with it so walked up to the supermarket along the seafront, which is about 2 1/2 miles each way.  

So well intentioned I bought my new toy plus, you know, nice healthy things - pinapple, raw almonds, flax seeds and .... err, umm, whoops, stopped in Kentucky Fried Chicken on my way back.  Unplanned I spontaneously purchased small fries, small 7-up and a variety meal (3 pieces of chicken, 2 hot wings). 

I guiltly started to consume and really wasn't enjoying, but surpsise having not drunk anything carbonated for 3 months a few gulps of this, a few fries and a small chicken wing and I felt full enough to burst.  It seems, finally, I have recovered the sensation of fullness and was able to STOP.

Problem is I now have 3 tempting pieces of chicken sitting in my fridge, which I do have an issue with discarding, some poor chicken having died to provide my drumsticks!

A world without bees

Even the Caveman was able indulge in the occasional sweetness, and the main source I'm referring to is honey.  Being diabetic I'm avoiding this in my effort to retrain and reign in my sweet tooth, nevertheless when eating Paleolithic if trying to pacify a sweet craving honey can be enjoyed.  Personally I use honey regularly on my skin.  A few years ago my hairdresser mentioned that whenever she saw lads with raging red acne skin she had the urge to tell them to smother their faces in honey, it'd do wonders.  Well, since then anytime I take a bath a pot of honey accompanies me - it has a wonderful soothing and calming effect and settles any inflammation or spots and leaves your skin feeling wonderfully fresh, clean and soft.

The 'Man of Bicor' depicts early man as a honey gatherer and is believed to date back to the end of the Paleolithic period.

From the earliest days of mankind honey has not only been enjoyed as an edible treat but also a valuable commodity utilized for its medicinal properties, behind Cavemen the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. 

Honey has again become popular in modern medicine and there's been a return its use for the antimicrobial properties known to speed up the wound healing process.  Additionally bee sting therapy is also claimed to alleviate arthritis. Beekeepers are said by some to be the longest lived professionals and supposedly are less likely to suffer from arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.  This longevity is purported to be down to frequent stings and the consumption of propolis, honey, pollen and royal jelly.

Bees in the Environment:  Have you noticed less buzz in your gardens this year? Have you heard of Colony Collapse Disorder?  Yes, something relatively apocalyptic is happening within the bee world (and therefore to us).  Around the world the bees have been disappearing!

We take our bees for granted and many may have have a romantic notion of the local beekeeper gathering honey from two or three hives in his back garden.  Anyway, sorry to shatter any illusions but bees are 'Big Business', and although exact cause of the disappearing bees is a mystery man is the most likely culprit; by interfering with their natural lives and by farming bees on a massive scale the world's bees population is experiencing this crisis.

Over the last year or so beekeepers have been visiting their hives to discover that entire colonies have disappeared.  However, they're apparently not simply swarming on; any remaining bees found are sick or dead, and the rest of their colony has left and died away from the hive.  Spookily abandoned hives are not utilised by other insects or bees - a phenomenon unheard of in nature and sugesting something toxic actually luked within the colony itself.

Despite our love of their products we do little to assist the nature of bees to promote their health and well being.  In in the name of profit we industrially farm honey bees, and as a result of our manipulation cause stress and make bees susceptible to disease.

1. Honey isn't the only product we obtain from bees we also use them.  Bees are our pollinators and there's more money to be had from migratory pollination than there is from honey.  Where in some places crops are farmed in huge scales we require bees to pollinate crops so colonies are rented and transported for pollination.  However, transporting bees causes them stress and lowers their immune system.
2. As with us, bees have nutritional requirements to maintain good health. In nature bees would forage and eat pollen and honey, but because of the decline in natural foraging areas these needs are not being met and beekeepers inadvertently lower the bees immune systems by feeding them a junk food diet full with artificial supplements, protein, syrups, and not being their natural food this can affect their immune systems.
3. In nature bees ensure their genetic diversity by the swarming process; when the queens leave with a swarm and are replaced by a new queen.  However, again we play with this process and breeding better queens is again profitable. Therefore queens are often killed and replaced and occasionally the Queens wings are clipped to prevent swarming.
4. Over the last couple of years bees have been badly affected by varroa, a mite that depresses the bees immunity making them vulnerable to viral illness.  Hives that have been left empty often do have evidence of this mite.  However, In a healthy colony varroa is sometimes viewed as healthy culling the weaker members, but if the colony is already weak the mites can develop resistance to pesticides and overwhelm the colony. 
5. Apparently, pesticides used in other crops can also affect bees inducing a type of intoxication disrupting navigation, feeding, memory learning and egg laying. 

My thoughts about this is that mankind has always been at the mercy of environment for survival but we have become arrogant in our manipulation of it.  Mass production of any natural product without any foresight will have consequences.  So, as we are seeing in world of bees, if we continue to disrespect and exploit nature's resources in order to create unrealistic supplies, there will be a knock on effect on us and nature itself will turn in and withdraw what it provides to us, forcing future generations to live more sustainably (or a full circle back the Paleolithic)?

'If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man' Albert Einstein

Useful sites:

• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/14/wbees14.xml
• http://www.hmc.org.qa/hmc/heartviews/H-V-v3%20N4/9.htm
• http://www.bumblebee.org/
• http://www.bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk/index.htm
• http://www.beekeeping.org.uk/NL/                                       

the left hand doesn't know what the right hands doing

Here sits typing one confused UK based diabetic.  This is because the diabetic advice I've been given since diagnosis simply hasn't been consistent. 

When I was initially diagnosed with diabetes type II I was told that I could eat cakes/deserts as long as they were consumed following a meal.  Indeed 'Diabetes UK' website has a paragraph that states 'sweets and chocolate are no more out of bounds to people with diabetes than they are for the rest of us, if eaten as part of a healthy diet'.  So this yes, as per this information and the only advice I'd had since my diagnosis I continued to eat sugar, and until this last year my diabetes had been extremely well diet controlled despite this.

Earlier this year (pre-caveman diet) I saw the practice nurse and presented her with my food diary she'd requested, and where I'd diligently noted the teaspoon of sugar I'd taken on my shredded wheat.  She was horrified and exclaimed 'you can't eat sugar at all, you're a diabetic'! 

Then the next time I attended she'd splashed EATING SUGAR! in caps across my record.  I was and am completely miffed about this as this appears as if I was neglecting to follow advice, but the only advice I've ever been given (and also retreived from the website of a British Organisation supporting diabetes) was that that diabetics could eat sugar.  The site even goes on to provide plenty of recipes for deserts containing sugar; one of these recipe served 8 and had 8 tablespoons of sugar in it! 

Is it any wonder I've been confused?  Well, anyway I'm finally engaging with the diabetes which and along with this acceptance have researched and have finally started to better understand my condition.  I now wonder why there's any advice that says sugars OK.  So although on the caveman diet honey and maple sugar is acceptable it will rarely feature in my diet.

Bad hair days

I had my hair cut last week, nothing unusual about that, you may say, but whenever I see my hairdresser I quiz her about new hair growth.  This is because 2 years ago it totally fell out! 

Over a period of about 3 months wherever I went I was followed by a trail of hair, when I ran my fingers through my hair I would come away with a fistful of it.  My hair was long and fine and there was a lot of it  but over a couple of months it simply become thinner and thiner until eventually there was none. 

When I sought medical advice it wasn't my usual GP. The doctor I saw fobbed me off telling me that all women lost hair from time to time and I shouldn't worry about it; well I was worried, here I was  sitting in front of him almost completely bald (and I really do mean bald since the hair left was sparse), I certainly didn't consider this to be comparable with the usual hair loss 'experienced by most women from time to time'.  Additionally, not only was I concerned about the hair loss I was worried about what condition could be underlying the problem. 

Not long after this I did see my regular GP, and although he obviously couldn't remedy the condition he told me that 'it used to be said that after someone had had a febrile illness they could lose their hair'.    It was so reassuring just to have some sort of answer. However, now I wasn't just fat I was bald and fat.

A couple of weeks later I was choosing headscafs when a friend said that their hairdresser was also a trichologist and had said she would see me.  I went along and met Wendy and she ushered me up and sympathetically took a look. 

'Do you want the good news or the bad news' she said. 

'Well, starting with the bad news it's all got to come off, but the good news is that the follicles are still OK and there is some new growth there already'. 

Anyway Wendy gave me some wonderful advice and support during this distressing and defeminsing period.  Unfortunately I can't properly give her credit as she did a flit back to South Africa, however for anyone experiencing hair thinning problems these are the helpful steps I undertook in a bid to gain a new full head of hair. What was actually left on my head was the new hair growth so pretty much it was the same as baby hair.

1. I had to have my hair completely cut back to a crew cut.  This was cut back back hard like this every 2 - 3 weeks.  The first time it was cut back and the remaining few long hairs shaved away I just went home and wept. However, after the first 4 weeks she excitedly showed me my new hair growth. Even once my hair started growing again my hairdresser wouldn't allow me to grow it any longer for several months.  This is supposedly as it instructs and encourages the future desired hair growth.

2. Hair aerobics - stimulate your blood supply by gently massaging your scalp.  If you do have some hair touch it, lift it and move it around.

3. Use the simplest organic hair shampoos and refrain from harsh treatments. 

4. I used to wash my hair on a daily basis and was absolutely horrified when Wendy instructed me to take this gradually down to once a week or even less - eeek!!

5. There are nutritional supplements that can be taken.  I did try these but they triggered migraine so I wouldn't recommend them.

Anyway I'm pleased to say that my hair did grew back.  It's now in far better condition than it ever was before.  Surprisingly, when it did grow back my once straight but sometimes fuzzy fine hair grew back thick, shiny, curly, and initially quite dark although this did lighten in the sun. 

I wouldn't hesitate to cut it short again it's by far the best treatment and boost to hair that has become lank, limp and dull.

The new hair growth on the top of my head until recently did appear to have stopped, but last week my hairdresser told me that I'm currently having a new bout of growth - I wonder could this be due to the nourishing power of the Caveman diet?

Losing lbs and gaining £££s

I had to do a double take at the whole in the wall this week after payday as I'd gained some unexpected money - to the tune of £500!!!  Convinced my bank had made some sort of administrative blip I checked all my direct debits and still found myself to be £500 better off. I'm not complaining of course, but where did it come from?

A  pleasant surprise sure, but the truth is really quite shocking - it's all down to the Caveman diet!  I simply can't believe how disorganized my spending had become and exactly how much I was simply frittering away on junk food.  I know it was difficult staying on an even keel financially but what I thought I was spending, and the actual reality were poles apart.

Although it does sometimes feel quite pricey when I go out hunting for my Caveman supplies the expedition is always over in one go, a weeks supplies sorted.

Pre-Caveman I'd have done one big shop and then topped it up throughout the week but additionally there would be meals, snacks and coffees at work.

Therefore, I've been really critical and honest with myself and totted up my previous spending habits.  Ouch - one sure wake-up call to my previous spending and eating habits.

Here's how I was spending:

There would be a main supermarket shop at approximately £40 - 50 a week.  Throughout the week this main shop would be topped up by a couple of additional outings at £15 a time - that's a conservative estimation.

The place I appear to have been burning most of my money was the staff canteen at lunch, frittering away between £4 - 5 a day (5 day week worked).  Everyday at work I'm entitled to 2 coffee breaks and, oh no, despite having a staff room guess where I'd hang out - one of the the cafes where I would indulge in a latte £1.40 (2 a day) usually along with a snack such as a savory filled croissant in the morning at £1.60 (breakfast) and usually a cake with my coffee in the afternoon again at £1.60.             

I think that's as far as I can go in the breakdown so my calculations below don't take into account other aimless edibles whilst out and about.  This is simply my previous weekly home and work unnecessary expenditure.

Supermarket shop (£40 - 50 pounds a week).  Month = £200

Top -up shopping treatments (a couple a week appox £15 a time).  Month = £120

Lunches at work (£25 a week). Month = £100

Coffee breaks (£6 a day (£30 week)).  Month = £120

                                                        Total  =  £540

Oh my, as I'm typing I simply can't believe how much I was spending on keeping myself overweight.  Take away the £200 I spend on my home shopping my junk the overspend is £340.  Despite shelling out the cash at all these eateries I would have still estimated that my total food budget was just £200 a month. 

Two months on a diet and I could already go on a spending a spree.  Did I ever want to be spending this much money on food - no way!! 

Well when you start a diet you usually give yourself some sort of incentive to aim for - new clothes, holidays etc.  I've estimated that rather than giving my salary back to my employers I'm going to be able to save £4080 per annum. 

It now looks as if I can now look forward to some rather exciting holidays, reward myself along the way or even more responsibly finally be able to save and pay off my mortgage sooner than planned!!

One things for sure I'm never letting my family see this blog!

Improved blood pressure

Phew, I've finally made it to the weekend and fortunately managed to get back on track after suffering the blues last week.  I'm also really excited to have some great news both for myself and the Caveman diet! 

I saw my GP on Tuesday and she again seemed surprised by the progress on the Caveman diet and, in fact, when reviewing the home blood readings said 'I don't think I've ever seen some a dramatic improvement before'.  Well I hope this is true, she may of course say this to all her patients this but I think she was actually quite genuine. 

The really good news I mentioned though is my blood pressure.  I've had chronically high blood pressure now for 3 or 4 years now and have been on medication for this.  Anyway, a couple of years ago I weighed about a 1 1/2 stones less than I am now but the diastolic blood pressure I recall was 105 (can't remember the systolic ?/105).  This week my BP was taken and you can see how it has improved:

December 2006 = 160/92

July 2007 = 142/72 (this was a couple of weeks into the Caveman diet).

2nd October 2007 = 120/80

Anyway, last time I saw my GP in July she'd added an additional medication to my regime but when I picked up my script it was literally on the same day there was quite a bit of bad press about Rosiglitazone - I wasn't sure if it was the same thing so opted not to take it.  Therefore, yes I'm still on the  medication I was already on but my BP has come down without the addition of the third drug and my GP has said it's now not necessary now for me to go on it.