Hives aren’t always for the bee

   I’ve been away from the blog for a few weeks. But, I wanted to give the readers an update. Within the last week, I developed hives on my hands. Never having hives before, I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. My hands were painful to touch, swollen and covered in red welts. A visit to the urgent care center confirmed that it was indeed hives. The next thing was to figure out what substance caused the allergic reaction. My wife helped me to remember everything we had eaten the day before the hives appeared. We tracked it down to either tomatoes or soy lecithin. I didn’t have any tomatoes for several days but the hives were not subsiding. Unbeknownst to me, soy lecithin can be found in many products. Once I understood that, I stayed away from anything that contained soy lecithin. At the end of the day, my hives were beginning to subside. This puts another twist to my dieting.

   Why did I suddenly have a reaction? I’m not really sure but I suspect that I accidently overloaded on soy lecithin on the day before the hives appeared. I have eaten so many of the foods that have soy lecithin, but I do not think I ever had so much within a 24 hour period. Once my hives have cleared, I will have to do some testing.

   My doctor told me that allergies can appear anytime. Things that may have never bothered you before can suddenly cause an unpleasant reaction. Learning what I can and cannot eat and listening to my body is a slow process but it is worth the reward of good health, fitness and long life.  When I think hives, I immediately think bees, but I suppose that hives aren’t always for the bees. I certainly would rather let the bees have their hives, then for me to have mine.

   Take care, stay well, eat healthily, and live long.

The bear in me

   For as long as I can remember, I wanted to sleep through the winter. When the air turns cold and the snow falls, I want to curl up and sleep until spring. I have also noticed that I have a craving for carbs during the cold. I think that, like a bear, my body wants to store up fat for the long sleep or at least insulate me from the surrounding cold. I am not sure, but it might be the decrease in serotonin that happens naturally in the winter months. Carbohydrate rich foods can increase serotonin production temporarily. But I am sticking with the bear analogy.

   I am continually amazed at the separate intelligence that our body has.  It’s incredible that our bodies regulate temperature, balance salt and water levels, and create cravings in an effort to get what it needs. Even when I sleep, my body continues its thousands, perhaps millions of functions. I don’t have to think about it, yet my brain is constantly busy. I wonder if bears dream. I hope so, sleeping all winter gives you lots of time.

 

   I’ve been trying to combat my cravings for carbs with more protein. It’s working until the afternoon, then the compulsion for something sweet really kicks in. I will admit that I do sometimes succumb to the prodding. Now, how to I set my alarm for early spring?

This Incredible Machine

   In my last post I wrote about the magic and wonderment of learning and being in awe of everything around me. I am thoroughly enjoying myself learning about nutrition. Even though I am not vegan, I want to learn about these options and how to apply different diets so that they fulfill the nutritional needs for those who choose them. I am fascinated by the effects of food and our environment has on our bodies, even changing the expressions of our genes. Not only are we what we eat, but everything has an effect on us, good or bad. Learning how our bodies change and react constantly to all the forces on us convinces me that there must be an intelligence behind us. I find these internal mechanisms too sophisticated and beautiful to come about by chance.

    Our bodies are incredible machines, evolving and adapting every moment. The more I learn, the more amazed I become. I am not only learning this for my own health and satisfaction, I truly want to share this new found health with those that might be hurting. I am a long way from being able to provide any professional services and I hope that the passion for this does not wane.

    Do you want to see something incredible? Look in the mirror. You are an incredible creation. You are an incredible creature adapting and changing every day. I hope that you like where you are today. If not, you can change it. No one knows the future, but it can be more assured if you take the steps to get to the future you want.

    I know there can be tough circumstances, we all have had them. But think about how you came through those circumstances, usually stronger and wiser than before you faced them. You are an incredible machine, a living miracle. Have an incredible life. I wish happiness, love and health to you.

What's Up Doc?

There are very few times that you want to see your doctor. My last visit was one such time. I had gotten blood work done two weeks before. I wanted to know the effects of my low carb, high fat, anti-inflammatory diet on my diagnostic health.

I sat, waiting in the private room for my doctor to appear. He asked if I had blood work done, I said that I did. He began reviewing the records. He said that my blood glucose level was good, it was 100. Even with trying to keep my carbs below 100 grams, mostly successful. I was happy to hear that my fasting glucose was good. The then told me that my Total Cholesterol level as 188, the best in a long time, down from 203 in February. This actually surprised me since I was sure that my total cholesterol level would go up with the saturated fat and eggs that grace my breakfast so very often. I have been trying to get 60% or more of my calories from fat. I have been using olive oil, coconut oil along with butter and animal fat. I was very happy.  My HDL cholesterol had increased from 40 to 42. My LDL dropped a little from 135 to 127. My doctor was surprised that my Triglycerides fall to 97 from 136. He was very pleased with my progress. My blood pressure was good 118/84.

My doctor then lifted his brows, almost asking, “You have lost 30 pounds. The last time you were at this weight was 6 years ago.” Then after pausing for a moment, he asked “What have you been doing?” I told him that since I had last seen him, I had been on a low carb – high fat, no nightshades and no grains. He asked, “You mean no breads or cereals?” I answered that yes, it meant no breads or cereals. He asked what my typical breakfast looked like. I told him that it could be bacon or sausage, an egg, sautéed broccoli, 3 oz. of yogurt with 2 teaspoons of ground flax seed and bulletproof coffee. Explaining that bulletproof coffee for me was coffee with a tablespoon of coconut oil melted in it.

I explained to my doctor that I was trying to heal my stomach and that the weight loss was a fortunate side effect of the diet. Being my doctor, he was familiar with the stomach problems that I had been experiencing since last August. I proudly announced that my stomach, although not healed, was feeling much better. I also told him that I had stopped taking three of my prescribed medicines, namely the pain killers and acid reducer. I told him that I wanted to stop taking my other medicines as well.

My doctor was quite pleased with my overall results. I explained to him that this has been a miraculous journey for me, that I now have more energy than I ever had before. He remembered when I had to walk with a cane because of my arthritis and neuropathy, but I assured him that I now walk for miles. I even bragged to him that I went on a 7 mile hike with my son.

He was excited for me and told me he looks forward to seeing my progress in August. I am looking forward to that visit as well. I feel like a new person. I have been given a new chance at an incredible life. Life is precious and fleeting. I do not want to take it for granted ever again. I have found my new medicine – it comes on my plate. What I put into my body matters. Listening to my body is important. Pain is a body’s way of saying something is wrong. Doctors are usually great at treating symptoms of problems, but I think it is more important to go to the root cause. My body speaks and I am listening.

Justin's Grain-Free Adventure Update News 2/23/2014

As of Feb 10, 2014, I have stopped taking my pain killers and my acid reducer. My pain has subsided to the point that I feel I no longer need them. My plantar fasciitis still bothers me just a little. The only arthritis that is bothering me is some bursitis in my right knee. Today: I have lost 13.2 lbs thus far. My current weight is 262.4 lbs.