This is my account of how I am turning around my health problems by changing how and what I eat.
In September of 2017 I had just been diagnosed as diabetic, My A1C lvl was an 8 on the diabetes scale I weighed 329 lbs and felt like crap ALL the time. As I'm sitting in front of a Dr. listening to her diagnoses. All I can hear is your over 40, your over weight, your over eating, your headed to an early grave. Well not in so many words but that's what she was saying in her own polite way. As the Dr. tells me I would need to start taking a medicine for my newly found health problems I was faced with a decision to make. Do what the Dr. Said or go my own way about fixing this issue. I decline her request and received a stern warning and a request for weight loss before my next appointment. I submitted that I would do what I could. But inside I didn't hold much hope to loose weight before the month was up.
How did I get to this point, how do I fix this? All questions I was asking myself as I listen to her speak her stern warnings. The problem I was having inside was the confusion over what caused me to get here. I mean I know I over ate from time to time, But I didn't feel it was what I ate that got me here. In fact I probably ate better quality food than most people do. My diet at the time of the diagnosis wasn't what I would call junk. My wife cooked for our family each day and we ate mostly "real" food not overly processed junk and no soft drinks. So my diet consisted of mostly home cooked meals with healthy ingredients. So why am I now sitting here an obese diabetic with health problems?
I had tried Diets and exercising many times over the past 15 years and like most people had mixed and ultimately failed results. Each time I lost weight on a diet I would end up adding that weight back plus more. So I was gun shy of even trying to "Diet" I mean I know what "a healthy balanced diet" looks like. I had seen the food pyramid and my diet wasn't that far removed from what was supposed to be "good" for me. WHY AM I FAT AND SICK?
First Let's look at what the "Experts" say a balanced diet should look like..
Notice the Bread, cereal rice and pasta in the above. 6-11 servings! Oh I know what your thinking, It's "Healthy grains and whole wheat" Not white bread and white rice! You see my Problem was the fact I was already eating "healthy wheat breads and brown rice". So if this triangle is correct then WHY AM I FAT AND SICK?
I decided to change my eating habits for good, not to just go on another "Diet". like I had done so many time in the past. I started researching diabetic diets and alternative ways to help with blood glucose. That's when stumbled on an entirely different way of looking at "healthy eating".
Whats Keto you ask? In short It basically flips the normal "healthy" diet on its head by putting fats and oils as the base. Not grains and breads. The whole low Calorie and low fat eating "healthy Grains" diets had failed for me over and over. SO I figured hey why not try this crazy "fat doesn't make you fat" thing and see what happens.
Keto Food Pyramid
Normally, carbohydrates contained in our food are converted into glucose, which is then transported around the body for fuel. The problem with this is to turn carbs into glucose, a hormone called insulin is needed. And when insulin is present in blood you cant burn fat for fuel. That's right if your eating carbs you can't burn fat. The American diet is high carb high fat, and we wonder why over 60% of us are obese.
However, if there is little to no carbohydrate in your diet, your liver converts fat into ketone bodies. The ketone bodies replace glucose as your energy source. If you have an elevated level of ketone in your blood, then your in a state known as ketosis.. Or Keto for short.
I have found in my experience over the past few months that I am not only losing weight but I feel Amazing. I'm rarely hungry and have lots of energy. SO far I lost over 50 lbs. And my blood glucose levels are under 90. If your interested in taking on the KETO lifestyle I have some pointers.
Links for more info:
@ketoconnect
Dr. Ken Barry
Is Keto dangerous
3 John 1:2 ESV
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
