Well, folks, today was supposed to be DON Day 2, but I’ve been grappling with my glucose levels since the last DON day on the 28th. It’s been a rollercoaster ride. I have been hitting between 5-6mmol, which is quite different than the trend over the last two months. 5 mmol might sound super healthy (and it is), but here’s the deal – I need it under 4mmol/77 mg/dL to starve those pesky cancer cells of their favourite fuel: glucose.
I even told a friend yesterday that this is the most formidable challenge I’ve ever taken on, and I don’t mean Cancer; I mean keeping my glucose at 4mmol and under. Not only do I have to stick to a strict keto diet and throw in some fasting, but I also have to grapple with the fact that our bodies randomly decide to play their own game of “Create Glucose Out of Thin Air” through gluconeogenesis. It’s like trying to solve a puzzle where the pieces keep changing shape! Sometimes it’s stress – and let’s be honest, sometimes you don’t even realize you’re stressed. Other times, it’s exercise, or the lack thereof, a shortage of sleep, too much protein, not enough fat, and certain meds. This “diet and lifestyle” adventure is like navigating a labyrinth.
Anyway, last night, I made a game-time decision to skip DON today. There’s no point wasting precious money on DON when those stupid cancer cells are just going to gobble up all the glucose I am currently unable to manage. So, I have decided to hit the pause button, get back on track, and continue the DON journey when I can get back to consistent 4mmol and under glucose levels again. Hopefully, this will only take a few days. Not the most exciting day, I admit. I stuck with the HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy), and that did help lower my glucose while I was there.
Now, let’s dive into a couple of intriguing ideas around the *** glucose issue:
1. Maybe it’s time to bring back fasting before DON? I had a glorious two-week hiatus from DON, during which I ate every day, multiple times a day (ha!). I also made a serious effort to up my fat intake. And guess what? My glucose was performing magic tricks during those two weeks. So, I decided that fasting might be unnecessary at this point, and then everything fell apart. But is this correlation or causation?
2. I realized today that I hadn’t recalibrated my macros since the beginning and have shed significant weight. So, today, I recalculated my Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is basically what your body burns just by being alive, without the sweat and hustle of physical activity. Surprise, surprise – my BMR is now lower. That affects how many calories I need and my ideal macronutrient targets. The good news? I don’t have to stress about staying under that 9g of carbs I was aiming for; I can even bump it up a notch to 10g (that’s like an extra three nuts). However, my protein intake drops from 30g to 15g, and my fat intake takes a bit of a dip, too, from 116g to 105g. That translates to a fascinating 4% Carbs, 6% Protein, and a whopping 90% Fat. I’m scratching my head, wondering how to pull this off. There aren’t many recipes or ideas for solid food that fit this unique ratio of a 4:1 ketogenic diet. I need some 4:1 food ideas; if anyone has any? So far, my favourite way to get extra oil is one serving of 10% Greek yogurt (3/4 cup) with three tablespoons of MCT oil mixed in and 5-7 blackberries from my freezer on top. But that tops out my carbs for the rest of the day. I also have been doing a whole egg with an extra yolk and scrambling it with cheese and butter, but then that will be a pretty good chunk of my daily protein intake.
So hit me with your 4:1 food ideas. Remember, I can’t go over 1000 calories a day, and it’s 4% Carbs, 6% Protein and %90 Fat.