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?

Comments

[AllHeart]

Great news! It's wonderful to see such improvement. May God continue to bless you on this journey.

[DoingTheCaveman]

Thank you for your kind comment AllHeart. This time round I'm sure there are footprints in the sand beside me, despite the damange I've done the body I was gifted with.J

[AllHeart]

You are right. He will always be there with you and you are in the hearts and prayers of all others touched by this journey. Your battle is one fought by a LOT of us and you are never alone.

[DoingTheCaveman]

AllHeart, I take it you're on a similar journey and just interested to know what regime you were following, if you are?

[AllHeart]

Kind of. I have never been obese or hugely overweight but I have been overweight. I am fairly medium-lean build and carrying about 10-12kg too much all on my waist (I am a male) was very obvious every time I looked in the mirror or down at my stomach.

I was in good shape in school but when I finished and got a car I went down hill quickly. Some years later I finally decided enough was enough. I have since then been researching health, fitness and nutrition. It's become my hobby basically and I feel I actually know more then the average personal trainer on these subjects now.

While I support a lot of the Caveman Power ideals I don't live by all of them. I eat 3-4 times a day, whereas I used to eat 6. The biggest change for me has been the content of those meals. I have eliminated most bread products and dairy and live almost exclusively on fresh meats, fruits, vegetables and nuts. I consume "junk" only once per week for one meal.

I also exercise regularly. Usually I walk and also do a bodyweight training routine I developed myself (again through lots of research).

So far I'm down 8 kilograms in the last 12 months. I feel this is great as I have never felt like I was struggling with the food or lifestyle changes. I do every change in a very small incremental way.

For example: One change was to eliminate processed meats and cheeses. I didn't worry about any other changes to my diet for almost a month. Another change was to knock out icecream for desert. Again, I didn't change anything else for a few weeks again.

It's a gradual process of refinement and shedding for me. And it works very well and is very easy I find. Plus it's healthy as you don't shock yourself with sudden changes. No risk of burning either this way.

[AllHeart]

No risk of burning out I meant.

One extra note: My most recent dietary refinement is the complete elimination of all products containing soy. Any trace of soy at all, including emulsifiers and any other way they use it for filler. Soy is out permanently. It's poison.

[DoingTheCaveman]

Congratulations on the weight loss. I understand that fat around the middle is particularly related to stress, adrenalin and cortisol and our caveman ancestors, I've been reading a pretty interesting book about it and I’d dig out the reference but you do sound as if you're pretty well read up on it.

Oh I'm starting to know what you mean about it becoming a hobby, it’s becoming a bit of an obsession for me (like ex-smokers are always the worst anti-smokers I guess).

BTW if you're ever after an ice cream fix I made a simple delicious alternative today -froze 5 chopped bananas , 4 apricots, 2 medjool dates and vanilla (don’t really know if vanilla is acceptable on caveman) and blend until thick and creamy, then re-freeze for an hour. – Not too wicked ice-cream! (BTW that makes at least 6 – 8 servings!)

Soy – funny you mention this as a poison. I’ve been hearing it may not be the wonderful food we’ve always been led to believe! Have you by any chance seen ‘Undergroundwellness’ on youtube? I do have a couple of friends (one vegetarian one ex-vegetarian), but the kind of unhealthier vegetarians who just eat pastry’s cheeses and a lot of soy products. These two friends have developed Lupus SLE - it does make one wonder?!

[AllHeart]

It's no surprise your vegetarian friends are sick. Google "soy is toxic" and read the first 10 hits. That's just scratching the surface of the global lie about the goodness of Soy. It's been pushed for ages as good and healthy and that the Asians have eaten it forever. The truth is the Asians first used it as a rotational crop because of the roots excellent nitrogen holding properties just before Jesus time and in 700AD started to ferment (which takes around 4 years!) it for food, which by the way was ONLY eaten by the very poor when they had nothing else.

The fermentation is required to destroy the toxins that naturally occur in Soy. It's a dangerous plant/bean that nobody really ate historically unless they had no choice, yet today the Soy industry is pushing the lie that it has been consumed for health reasons for hundreds of years. The proof however is just not there, in fact the scientific data shows the total opposite.

I would encourage you to get them to do some research themselves instead of accepting what the multi-nationals spoon feed them. It always surprises me the number of people who just won't think for themselves and are happy to stick their heads in the sand rather then learn the truth through their own research.

[DoingTheCaveman]

AllHeart, thanks for providing the information above. I did a Goggle search as you suggested and have sourced some articles to forward, hopefully they will encourage my pals to do some research for themselves. The problem with Lupus is that with the slow onset the illness is simply put down to misfortune and genes, and the consumption of certain foods wouldn’t be pinpointed as a contributory culprit. However, I'm sure anyone reading the content of what I’ve found would be put off.

To name one, soy blocks the absorption of essential vitamins and minerals - excuse me - isn't our food depleted enough without what we're actually ingesting causing even more trouble. Even the processing of soy, washing with acid then neutralizing with alkaline makes me shudder; if you knew in plain terms what actually takes place in the processing of soy would you really eat it? Then add insult to injury passing off what is an essentially cheap food as a health product and charging a premium for it!

We’re far to trusting, I’m incredulous that in a period where so many diseases have been combated we’re subjected to such foods, and that these products are allowed to be pushed into our food chain causing such insidious ill health.

[AllHeart]

Yep. I've been researching this kind of thing for a few years now. I've completely tuned out to any form of advertising now because I've never once seen a mainstream advertisement that was even close to truthful or accurate. The more you research this stuff the more you realise what a corrupt morally bankrupt system we are ruled by. It's all about $$$$. Everything, health included, is always secondary when there is money to be made.

[DoingTheCaveman]

I'm impressed, how do you manage if out and about or online?

[AllHeart]

To be completely honest, I don't know how exactly I do it. My mind seems to have been conditioned to automatically think "LIES" whenever I see an advertisement for literally anything. As I said, I've been researching my own information for years instead of believing whatever I just get spoon-fed by the media. I guess it's so ingrained now it just happens.

[AllHeart]

Also, this happens with ALL advertising. Cars, hardware, housing, clothes, everything. I always do my own research into the product I want/need and what I require it to do for me.

[DoingTheCaveman]

Oh a mental strategy, I was having difficulty imagining screening packaging and other household items, simply too monumental! Since taking a lifestyle change I do suddenly feel as if I’m perceiving the world differently, although I’m seeing ‘LIES’ visually, when the friendly clown morphs into the Pied Piper.