Insulin resistance, Diabetes, and prednisone

Day 5

2006-04-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - as before

Lunch - two chicken drumsticks, two small peices of cooked squash.

Dinner - two small lamb chops - fat removed, with one corgette, one cup broccolli, one glass of merlot.

Two plus litres water.

Went up the mountain today, and my 40 min walk became a 2 hour walk!

still 10-15 on the ketostix

Day 4

2006-04-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

Breakfast - same as yesterday

Lunch - chicken breast (x1) and 1/2 cup of broccolli

Dinner - 3 x chicken drumsticks, 1 cup of broccolli.

Supper - 3 slices tasty cheese (3mm thick)

Feeling more energy today. The scales are telling me I am 2 kg lighter - I know it is mostly fluid.

Oh - by the way, I am drinking an absolute minimum of 2 litres water per day!

Started with the ketostix, and I am in mild ketosis - between 10 and 15 on the stick - safe.

Took my 40 minute walk - it took over an hour!

Day 3

2006-04-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: same as yesterday

Lunch: missed, as I went to the Dr, and figured he would want a fasting glucose.

Dinner: One lamb chop and 1/2 cup of courgette, sliced and cooked in advocado oil.

After Dinner: 3 slices tasty cheese.

Dr told me the way to loose weight is to walk briskly for 40 minutes per day. (considering that one hr workout at gym, in aerobics class, never helped me loose a lb, I wonder how walking will work). I will start by walking to kindy in the am with the lad.

Headache has gone.

Day two

2006-04-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Breakfast: 2 egg whites, 1 scoop of soyamax, 1 scoop of hi protein whey powder (choc flav), 1/4 tsp spirilina, 1 tbsp brewers yeast, 50 mls grapefruit juice, one scoop psylium seeds. blended together. Multis and prednisone.

Lunch: - one small chicken breast with 1/2 cup brocolli

Dinner: two small lamb chops with 1 cup brocolli.

Supper: 3 slices tasty cheese. (2-3mm thick).

Horrible headache today.

Day one

2006-04-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

So, this morning I had my am pills (with the prednisone) and a smoothie as above but without the brewers yeast, cause I didn't find out about that till this afternoon.

For lunch I had two chicken drumsticks and some broccoli.

For dinner I had a breast of roast chicken (skin removed), one piece of squash, and about a cup of broccoli. I added some low salt (low sodium) and fresh cracked pepper, and brewers yeast for flavour. I was naughty and had a wing - with its skin on (gotta have some fat right?)

Later - I will be naughty and have a glass of wine, but I'll take some gymnema first. :)

Insulin resistance, diabetes and prednisone

2006-04-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

Have you struggled with your weight for years? Do you find that you may loose a few pounds, then put them straight back on again when you go off the weight loss programme?

I have fought with my weight on and off for many years. As a teenager I was a wee thing, and my aunt used to worry about me being anorexic. I used to laugh at her cause I so love my food, I could never be anorexic!

I tried a programme which required me to eat 5 small but complete and balanced meals a day. I lost some weight and was rapped! But 5 meals a day? It is fine when you are not busy outside the house, but once you are working, its very hard to orgaise yourself into 5 meals a day!

Then I fell pregnant. I was fortunate that i did not put on a lot of extra weight while pregnant, but my baby was not well, and I put a lot of weight on sitting around in hospital with him in my arms!

I made the decision I would loose my weight once I had weaned my son from nursing, and searched for a good wieghtloss programe.

I found one. I lost 28 kilo (thats about 60lbs) over a three month period. I felt great! I looked great! I fitted into my nice clothes! Everyone commented on how good I looked!

I was very careful with my eating, and gained only 5 kg back over the next year. I allowed myself a few naughty things.

I then found out that I am insulin resistant. This means that my body does not correctly recognize my own insulin, leaving glucose in the bloodstream rather than it being taken into cells. So of course, the body stores this "excess" glucose as fat.

To add insult to injury, after Christmas this year I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The Dr put me on prednisone to control it. Of course, prednisone can cause insulin resistance in people who are suceptible. Result? I have now gained another 8kg – in 8 weeks.

Caught sight of myself in the mirror the other day – it was not a pretty sight! I decided I needed to do something, and do it fast. So I did some research.

Turns out that prednisone can cause not just insulin resistance, but also diabetes. This form of diabetes is much like gestational diabetes, only it does not always go away when the prednisone is stopped.

Took my blood sugar level yesterday, 41/2 hours after lunch. I had had no sugar, simple carbs, or high GI foods for over 24 hours. My bgl was 6.2. My friends was 4.2 by comparison – normal.
So it is confirmed. My blood sugar can be high even if I have not eaten anything which should raise it! No wonder I have gained all this weight.

So I did some more research.

One of the ingredients in the weightloss pro gramme that I used before was chromium picolinate. So I googled the term. I found that this form of chromium decreases insulin resistance.

My next task was to find out where I could find chromium picolinate. My research showed me that it is naturally high in brewers yeast. So I am giving it a go.

My new dietary regime then is:

No hi GI foods (wasn't having them anyway) – that means no sugar, bread, cereal, juice.
Reduce carb input for two weeks to less than 24g of carb a day. Buy keto stix to ensure I don't go into a deep ketosis.
No chocolate ( I eat the sugar free choc normally, but that is out for at least the next two weeks)
Start the day with a tablespoon of cider vinegar in warm water.
Then for breakfast have a smoothie with three protein sources – 2 egg whites, one scoop of hi-protein whey powder (choc flavour) and one scoop of hi protein soy powder, mixed with 100 ml of water, ¼ tsp spirilina and 1 tbsp brewers yeast. Supplement with 100 mls of sugar free tomato juice – or another low GI juice(for some carbs!). Am thinking I can probably even use some psyllium husks for carbs and dietary fibre.

Lunch can be a protein source – chicken, lamb, beef, fish ( I love fish), with some good quality carb like broccoli, beans, courgettes or salad.

Dinner is the same as lunch – only use a different vege and a different meat.

Then a repeat of breakfast before I go to bed.

I will also knock down some multiminerals and antioxidants to ensure I am getting all the nutrition I need at each meal.

After two weeks, I will start to reintroduce some low GI carbs to my diet, to give me some variety!

I will diarise my daily diet, and let you know how I go!

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