diet – Page 2 – 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

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.

Days 61-68 – Nutritional Ketosis

Posted on February 23, 2013October 9, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

I spent this week in Park City, Utah snowboarding with a good friend of mine. I was interested to see how nutritional ketosis affected my performance on the slopes! I’d characterize my self as a beginning intermediate level snowboarder. I can heel and toe edge on the board pretty comfortably but I still get nervous at high speeds and I don’t do any jumps or tricks. I’m content just going up and down and taking in the scenery. Until this trip, I hadn’t boarded in about 2 years so I was definitely rusty.… Read More

First 60 Days of Nutritional Ketosis

Posted on February 20, 2013February 18, 2015 by BJJ Caveman

I officially started my n=1 experiment on nutritional ketosis on 12/12/2012 (you can read about why I started it here), and I wanted to write a summary about my experiences and what I’ve learned after completing my first 60 days.

I weighed 180.0 lbs on day 1, 12/12/2012 and on day 60, I weighed 179.2 lbs, for a loss of 0.8 lbs! I know, not very impressive but I do feel that my body composition improved over all. I started receiving more compliments from people who thought that I lost more weight, and I noticed that my body started having a little more definition. … Read More

Why I Decided To Try Nutritional Ketosis

Posted on February 18, 2013October 9, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

I’ve always been on the heavier side and struggling with my weight was the norm for me. While I wouldn’t have called myself morbidly obese or anything, I would say that I was doughy with a good amount of ‘spare tire’ and ‘love handles’ with an estimated body fat percentage of around 30%. I am 5’9″ and at my heaviest weighed around 215 lbs. I managed to lower my weight to around 200 lbs using a lot of caloric restriction which left me hungry and unsatisfied most of the time. … Read More

Can you believe the calorie counts on those labels?

Posted on February 13, 2013October 9, 2014 by BJJ Caveman

Great opinion article from the New York Times on the inaccuracy of the calorie counts on nutrition labels. The author took 5 items and compared calorie count listed on the labels with the true calorie count from an actual calorimetry measurement. Turns out it can range anywhere from being spot on (Subway sandwich) to almost double the amount listed (tofu sandwich). Of course there will always be some degree of variation when foods are made and no label can be exact, the fact that they almost all underestimate the total amount is a little deceiving.… Read More