Day 21

Life has been busy but I'm back and definitely need to get back on track. 

Wt: 148! (thank you delicious pumpkin beer and popcorn and lack of sleep and eating at weird hours)

Today was going to be the day I gave up coffee and booze for the remainder of the 100 but since I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee I guess I'll just start with booze.....maybe just once a week. 

Breakfast

• 1 Egg w/tbsp butter

Snack

• 4 tbsp Ricotta cheese

Lunch

• 50g Kale w/ 2 tbsp olive oil
• More ricotta

Snack

Dinner

Exercise
Biked to work (Ryan's bike since my was stolen!)
Walked to post office from work (3mi?)

Day 10

Still 142

Breakfast

  Bulletproof coffee

  3strips bacon

Lunch

  IKEA pickled herring! 

  Pickled veggies

  More coffee, of course

Dinner

  No bun burger w cheese

  2 strips bacon

  Side salad w ranch

Snack

  Starbucks latte (heavy cream) 

Sorry about lack of editing. I'm only willing to put in so much work while in vacation!! 

Day 9

Wt: 142.....I'm sensing a trend here.....
Probably going to be stuck here for a while as I am about to leave town. 

Going to try to eat well while traveling in Portland. 
There are few paleo places there I hope to try!

Day 8

Wt: 142

I'm stuck. And again no time for blogging.....

Day 7

Birthday! 

Wt 142

Busy day! No time for blogging! 

Day 6

Wt: 142
BP: 109/72
Wake Time: 7:05am
Woke thinking, "why the hell do I have to work today?! And why did I stay up so late?!" 
Day 2 of Menstruation 
Bed time: 12:30

Why eat this way?! Why not????

Cancer cells express an abnormal metabolism characterized by increased glucose consumption owing to genetic mutations and mitochondrial dysfunction. Previous studies indicate that unlike healthy tissues, cancer cells are unable to effectively use ketone bodies for energy. Furthermore, ketones inhibit the proliferation and viability of cultured tumor cells. As the Warburg effect is especially prominent in metastatic cells, we hypothesized that dietary ketone supplementation would inhibit metastatic cancer progression in vivo. Proliferation and viability were measured in the highly metastatic VM-M3 cells cultured in the presence and absence of β-hydroxybutyrate (βHB). Adult male inbred VM mice were implanted subcutaneously with firefly luciferase-tagged syngeneic VM-M3 cells. Mice were fed a standard diet supplemented with either 1,3-butanediol (BD) or a ketone ester (KE), which are metabolized to the ketone bodies βHB and acetoacetate. Tumor growth was monitored by in vivo bioluminescent imaging. Survival time, tumor growth rate, blood glucose, blood βHB and body weight were measured throughout the survival study. Ketone supplementation decreased proliferation and viability of the VM-M3 cells grown in vitro, even in the presence of high glucose. Dietary ketone supplementation with BD and KE prolonged survival in VM-M3 mice with systemic metastatic cancer by 51 and 69%, respectively (p < 0.05). Ketone administration elicited anticancer effects in vitro and in vivo independent of glucose levels or calorie restriction. The use of supplemental ketone precursors as a cancer treatment should be further investigated in animal models to determine potential for future clinical use.

© 2014 The Authors Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of UICC.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24615175

Breakfast

• Bulletproof Coffe

Snack

• Coffee w/ Heavy Cream

Lunch

• Coconut Flour Pancake with Pumpkin

2:35pm

Snack

• Bacon, 4 slices

Dinner

• KC Ribs!! Birthday Celebration!
• Lots of alcohol!
• Dark Chocolate

Exercise

• Dancing like a crazy person

Tomorrow we see what alcohol does to Ketosis.....

Day 5

Wt: 142
I woke feeling: Tired, but period began today. Sorry if this is too much info but plays a big part in mood and energy levels. It also means I want eat anything and everything! 

Breakfast 

• 2 Eggs 
• Bulletproof Coffee

Snack

• Ricotta Cheese
• Coffee w/ Heavy Cream

Lunch

• Coconut Flour Pancake with Pumpkin
• Cream Cheese

Snack 

• Coffee w/ Heavy Cream

5:45pm, Heavy Ketone Production

Dinner

• Steak & Veggies (Out) 

Snack

• Cashews
• Dark Chocolate
• Bulletproof Coffee

No Exercise

Day 4

Wt: 144! 
BP: 
Woke: 3am.....
I woke feeling: At 3 I was wide awake. Perhaps something to do with our neighbor having all the lights on in his out, curtains open, so some light shining through??? Did you read the facebook post about light exposure? Out of bed at 6:25ish.

The first thing most people say when you tell them you've lost X amount of pounds in X amount of days is "it's water weight," There is some truth to this but instead of water weight I call it inflammation weight. I also call this way of eating the anti-inflammation diet. When I recently got back from a trip to WI and when I stepped on the scale I was nervous. I usually gain while travelling. Added stress, lack of good food availability, lack of sleep, etc. This time, however, the scale said I weighed the same as when I had left. I thought this was odd because my shoes were fitting tight, and I had struggled to get my rings off my fingers. Then I thought INFLAMMATION! Aka, water retention. 

So be gone water, and inflammation! I will talk more about why certain foods create inflammation as time goes on. 

Of course today my weight is up so I don't need to worry about having this conversation....

Also, staying hydrated IS important. I don't track it here but besides coffee I primarily drink water, as much as I can, when I can. 

Breakfast 
6:45am

• 2 eggs
• Bulletproof coffee
• I was hungry

Snack
11:00am

• 4tbsp Ricotta Cheese

Lunch

1:15pm

• Coconut flour pancake with 2 tbsp pumpkin
• 2 oz cream cheese

Snack

4:15

• 4tbsp Ricotta Cheese

I'm back on top! 5:45

Dinner 6:00

• 4oz Pork Loin (lots of leftovers, which are finally gone)
• 1 sm Organic Eggplant
• 1 sm Pepper
• 3tbsp Butter

Near Perfect!

Exercise

• Cardio Intervals, 30min

Day 3

Wt: 141, down 4lbs
Glucose: 98
Blood Pressure: 107/78, closer to my norm
Woke At: 7:15
I awoke feeling: AWAKE! Actually woke up before alarm went off, but did just lay there for a bit.

Why Eat This Way? Major perk of eating well: ENERGY! And the best sleep of your life. No stiff muscles or achy joints for me today! 

Still curious to see if I am producing ketones after all that food. I've noticed that sometimes it takes my body a day or two to catch up to a particular dietary decision. I would not be surprised if I gained 1-2 lbs back by tomorrow's weigh in. Add to that the stress of work today: Daycare Day. 

Stress/cortisol levels can really screw with my innards!

Breakfast 
7:45am

• Bulletproof Coffee, w/ 2 tbsp pumpkin

No time for morning snack

Lunch

12:00pm

• Coconut Flour Pancake w/ 2 tbsp pumpkin 

Snack

3:00pm

• Avocado w/ 1tbsp mayo

Do I know my body or what?! Too much protein or too much food in general....?
Still seeing pink though, 5:15pm

Dinner

5:45pm

• Beet Green Chips, Recipe
• Roasted Beets
• Pork Loin

Exercise:

• Bike to and from daycare: 2mi? 
• Bike to and from gym 8mi
• Interval Cardio 45min

Recovery Drink  SOOO GOOD!!

• 1c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, 2 drops stevia, 2 tbsp pumpkin

Can you tell I'm trying to use up my pumpkin? 

Day 2

Weight: 143.5, down 1.5lb
Blood Pressure: 112/76
Woke At: 8:30
I awoke feeling: A bit tired but also got to sleep in due to work schedule change, which was nice. Had a very productive morning, although did not make it to the gym as planned. 

Why so many meals?
Somewhere along the way I found a guideline for starting ketosis. It stated you should eat 4-5 small meals (200-300 calories) primarily made of fat, 3 hours apart, and eat no later than 8pm. This is why I'm starting my 100 days eating many small meals. As time goes on I plan on adjusting amounts, and scheduling.

Today, however, will be a bit different because we will be eating out. We have a coupon/groupon thing about to expire. Fear not, it is a low carb option, but too much protein can also throw me out of ketosis. 

Day 2

Breakfast
8:45am

• Homemade Pumpkin Latte
• Original Recipe Found Here
• Made mine w/ 1/4 heavy cream, 2tbsp pumpkin, 2 drops liquid stevia, dash of vanilla extract, 1tsp pumpkin spice, 4oz espresso, blend

Lunch

11:00

• Pork Loin Fried in Butter

Snack

2:00

• Coffee w/ 4tbsp Half & Half

Dinner

6:30

• Em Chamas
• Brazilian Steakhouse where they deliver gorgeous cuts of meat to your table
• Brazilian Steakhouse where I always overeat
• Brazilian Steakhouse that might throw me out of Ketosis....

But totally worth it!

Exercise

• Biked to and from work, 8mi

Bed At: 

Day 1

Weight isn't the only thing you should be measuring on your path to getting healthy. I will be weighing myself daily and periodically checking blood pressure, glucose levels and body measurements. 

Wt: 145
(Up 10lbs from last fall)
Fasting Glucose: 118!
(In the past my fasting glu levels were in the upper 70's. I'm surprised by today's reading)
Blood Pressure: 112/79
(Also high for me, but not a concern)
Hips: 43.5"
(Up 1.5" from last fall)

I woke feeling: 
Awake! Only hit sleep button once


Breakfast
6:30am

• Coconut Flour Pancake, topped with Coconut Oil
• No Coffee
• 500mg Magnesium, B Complex Vitamins

Snack
9:30am

• 4tbsp Ricotta Cheese

Lunch
1:00pm

• Beet Greens with 2tbsp Olive Oil

Snack
2:30pm

• Coffee with 2tbsp half & half

Dinner
6:30pm

• Roasted Beets with Garlic and Bacon
• 2oz Pork Loin (because I was still hungry)

Ketones Present! 6pm

Exercise 

• Bike to Work, 4mi
• 45min Cardio/Interval, 5min walk @ 4mph, 5min run @ 6mph
• Bike Home, 4mi

Nutrition Breakdown via My Fitness Pal

The Beginning

Recent events have inspired me to start this blog. 

I want all of us to feel like a health rock star! 

As most of you know I've become a bit of a health nut. Not in the "super fit" or "I run marathons for fun" way, but in the "I want to understand how the body works" way. I love to read and talk about it, much to the dismay of my sister. 

One of the reasons I talk about it so much is because I care about those around me. I hear your stories of weight gain, pain, medications, surgeries, diabetes, arthritis and I just want to help. While I'm not doctor I do believe a simple changes in diet can make a world of difference. I don't want to preach, lecture or make you feel guilty. I'm simply going to document my journey. I hope you follow along.

As you may have noticed my blog title is "100 Days of Peeing on a Stick." 

What. The. Hell.   Your first thought, right? 

Well, it's because I'm going to pee on one of these for 100 days in a row. 

Technically, I'm going to be cutting them in half so I get 100. I'm thrifty that way. 
These strips measure Ketones in your urine. I got mine at Target: $12.49/50 strips.

What are Ketones?
Simple answer: an acid created when a body begins to break down fat for fuel. 
I will talk more about this as the blog goes on.  Releasing ketones in a non-diabetic, insulin stable body is a natural process. Do not confuse with Ketoacidosis, which can be harmful or even fatal for diabetics.

In the next 100 days I will be training my body to break down my current fat stores. I will do this by eating a low carbohydrate, high fat diet. Yes, high fat. How does this work? You'll just have to follow along....

What I hope to post daily:
My current weight
My meals, including nutritional info and serving sizes
How I feel (mood, energy)
Exercises
Pics of my ketostix

What else you will find here:
Recipes
Nutritional Resources (you don't have to take my word for it)
Exercise Examples
Helpful blogs, youtube videos by health professionals I follow

This thing begins tomorrow!