BJJ Caveman

The Effects of Nutritional Ketosis on HbA1c Part 2

Posted on March 6, 2013December 4, 2016 by BJJ Caveman

In part 1, I tried to find a reasonable explanation as to why my HbA1c remained elevated at 5.7% before and after 72 days of nutritional ketosis where I remained in ketosis (documented with blood ketone tests) almost the entire time, and to top it off I had low fasting AM blood sugars (avg of 83 mg/dl).

The most plausible explanation I came across was:

Low Carb -> Lower Blood Glucose -> Longer RBC lifespan -> Higher HbA1c

Even though this explanation made the most sense, at least in my situation, I still wasn’t satisfied and had to prove it to myself. … Read More

The Effects of Nutritional Ketosis on HbA1c Part 1

Posted on March 4, 2013February 18, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

One of the reasons I decided to switch from the Slow Carb Diet that I followed since the beginning of 2011 to nutritional ketosis was because I had a blood test that showed my HbA1c level to be 5.7% which placed me at an “increased risk for diabetes.”

< 5.7% is normal
5.7% to 6.4% means you have a higher risk of diabetes
> 6.4% means you HAVE diabetes

I was surprised by having such a high HbA1c, especially since the main idea behind the Slow Carb Diet was to maintain glycemic control to decrease the amount of insulin fluctuations with the exception of one cheat day. … Read More

What Happens When I Try To Cut My Protein Intake Out of Ketone Envy?

Posted on March 2, 2013February 18, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

Despite making good progress and seeing new lows in weight and body circumference I still had some ketone envy seeing how other consistently have ketones greater than 2.0 mmol/L and even upwards of 3.0 or 4.0 mmol/L! I’m not sure how accurate or inaccurate this is, but in my mind I equate a greater ketone number to more fat burning.

I’ve been following the blog of Dr. Georgia Ede who has been doing her own n=1 experiment with nutritional ketosis. One of the things she observed is that when her protein intake was around 75-80 gm/day her blood ketones consistently stayed around 1.0-1.4 mmol/L. … Read More

Of Dragon Curves and Manuals: A Prelude

Posted on March 1, 2013October 9, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

Before I go into my intended series discussing my lab results and the changes I did or didn’t observe, I wanted to offer this small prelude.

A few days ago, I was putzing around the house doing some internet surfing and light reading when I came across the video above.

Then almost immediately after, I was reading an article at the back of a Time magazine and read a line that really jumped out at me. Even though it was written about a show I don’t watch and have never heard of, it just resonated with me:

“Enlightened” is about people trying to fix themselves without totally understanding the repair manual.

Wheat Germ Agglutinin

Posted on March 1, 2013October 9, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

Great post yesterday on Rob Wolff’s blog about one of the other substances you get exposed to when you consume wheat products. One line in particular caught my attention:

“…it increases glucose transport into fat and liver cells while blocking the ability of stored fat to be released. This can make losing weight impossible and the fact that more glucose is getting brought to the liver; it can increase the amounts of triglycerides in our blood. – See more at: http://robbwolf.com/blog/2013/02/28/wheat-germ-agglutinin/#comment-149808″

Yet another reason to avoid wheat products…… Read More

Days 69-78 – Nutritional Ketosis

Posted on February 27, 2013October 9, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

Hit the ground running these past 10 days and spent 8 out of the 10 days in ketosis. I’m currently on a ketosis streak of 5 days, which probably would have been longer had I not fallen off the wagon again and succumbed to the siren song of Georgetown Cupcakes, which our friends generously gave to us. One thing I’ve discovered is that my will power can be pretty strong, and I can resist the urge to buy food…. but when it’s given to me… and it’s free, or rather didn’t cost me anything, I can’t seem to resist.… Read More