Intermittent Fasting Helps Psoriasis?

Today is Day #5, which really just means that I've done my two fast days this week, and I can eat like I normally do. 

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, I will confirm that fasting on Day #4 was WAY more manageable than fasting on Day #2.  I really didn't feel terribly hungry, and I definitely didn't have hunger pangs yesterday, the way that I did on Day #2.  I felt completely fine.  Also, I thought to check my blood glucose at the end of yesterday's fast, and confirmed that I had a perfect reading of 103.  Not even close to hypoglycemic (which was one concern that I had). 

Have I realized any benefits of IF yet?  I would say yes. 

1. I haven't weighed myself (there is laundry on top of my scale, and I've been too busy to put it away).  I feel slimmer, and I am wearing a fitted top today of a non-stretchy material, and I can see that it fits more loosely around my middle than it did when I wore the same top last week.
2. I am deeply in ketosis. 
3. On Tuesday, while fasting, I felt like I had an abundance of energy, and felt the desire to exercise.
4. I do have a feeling that it is easier now to avoid evening snacking.  Even on the nights where I could eat as much as I wanted to after 6:30 p.m., I didn't.  The fullness from my dinner really held me through and I did not want to eat. 
5. Dermatological improvement.  I haven't changed anything about my scalp psoriasis treatment, but this week, I am less inflamed and flakey than I have been in recent weeks.  There is a tangible difference.  My skin seems to have cleared up all of a sudden.  I had a zit on my chin that has lingered for weeks.  I woke up today and it was gone.  My skin texture has improved (smoother). 
6. However, on the downside, my BMs were very loose last night.  For months, I have been very regular and comfortable.  Now, I'm not sure what's going on - can it be attributed to the fast, could it have been what I ate (homemade thai red curry with chicken and peppers), or do I have a touch of something? I went this morning, and it was more solid.  I feel fine, otherwise.

We will see what happens on Sunday at weigh in/measurement.  If all goes well, I may incorporate one 24 hour fast per week into my regimen. 

Honestly, I have to say that the dermatological improvements alone would make it worth it, even if I don't lose a lick of weight this week.  I have read anecdotal evidence that IF helps to alleviate the symptoms of autoimmune disorders (that is what psoriasis is).  My scalp psoriasis has been pretty uncomfortable the past few weeks (at its worst - imagine the sensation of your entire scalp burning and itching - like sunburn and chicken pox combined).  Today, I have no flakes and a normal scalp.  I'm still using my meds, but maybe over time I can ratchet them down a little.  Stress can really cause a flare up, and life has been stressful recently.  If IF works and could help clear up my psoriasis over time, that would be amazing.

Brownie postmortem

I made the brownies yesterday as planned. The truvia used amounts to 3/4 cup. They were a little too dense and did not have the right texture. They needed less or no almonds, and more flour- textured product, maybe replace almonds with soy flour. Maybe a bit more truvia. Less butter. They were also too big. (What!?) Well, with all of that dietary fiber, they are a little bulky... let's just say they moved things along in a healthy, metamucil kinda way. I have had three healthy movements since eating these last night. I've been cleansed! Lol. I think cutting them into 12 portions would be better, and would spread out the carbs and fiber a bit more. To be revised!

They say its your birthday...happy birthday to ya! Weigh in...

I did not design this schedule, such that I would end up weighing in on this, my thirty-first birthday.  That was just happenstance.  I am up .5 pounds, which I believe to be a product of having my birthday party last night.  My food was all strictly low carb (love that BBQ joint), but I did indulge in some wine with dinner, and champagne later at night with just me and hubby.  It was so good.  I am a little mealy mouthed today.  Gonna weigh in again tomorrow and see if there is a correlation between bad weigh ins and "the day after".  (Note: I already know the correlation between “the day after” and gastro discomfort...a little binding…)

This was a good weekend for me…despite the fact that Friday evening started out stressful, with an angry call from a loony relative, which I met with my own brand of ferocious, righteous anger (little did he know, I was still nurturing a little "evil Kate" in my bones, to which I gave full force and effect).  That incident aside, Saturday was a good birthday weekend kickoff for me.  Family and I painted our own pottery at a local studio, home for lunch (and a failed attempt at “skillet” cauliflower pizza), then mommy went to the spa for a facial and massage.  Ah, sweet, sweet bliss!  I left that place  with legs like wet noodles.  It was just what the b-day called for, a little self-indulgence. 

Now, dehydrated and somewhat disgusting, I am going to suck down some H20 and get my booty to the gym for some “back to reality” (as if daylight savings time wasn’t enough of that).  Luckily, I have really been excited to get back to the gym after my freak, "club kid" knee injury.

Oh happy happy day (of my birth)!!

Weigh In - Week 4 - 1 Month in 2/20/11

Well, it has been a crazy week.  Look at the stats page, and you'll see that I lost only 1 pound from last Sunday.  What the heck happened, you ask?  What about being in ketosis from Tuesday to present day, you demand!!??  Here's the break down.  This has been a MANIC week for weight loss:

• On 2/13/11, I weighed in at 223.5 pounds, reflecting a weight gain of 2 pounds.
• Then, 2/14/11 was Valentine's Day and I carelessly imbibed a ton of champagne.
• The next day, on 2/15/11, I weighed myself in the morning and found out that I had gained 5 pounds since Sunday, arriving at a weight of 228.5 pounds.  Needless to say, I nearly fainted with shock.
• On 2/16/10, I noticed, for the first time, a persistent and slight metallic taste in my mouth, which I believed to be a sign of ketosis (fat metabolism). 
• On 2/17/11, I began testing the level of ketones in my urine with ketostix to determine whether I was actually in ketosis.  I was.
• From 2/17/11 through the present day, 2/20/11, I have checked my ketone level twice daily, and have been in ketosis the entire period.

So, I was up 2 pounds up on weigh in day, up 5 more pounds on day 2 of the week (gain of 7 pounds), and then, down 8 pounds by day 7 of the week.  Totally bizarre.  +7 -8 = -1.  Nuts!!

Lesson learned: ketosis appears to work, being careless with carbs is dangerous; you can't succeed on this diet if you do not perform due diligence on the food that you are putting into your mouth because even little things add up. 

Can I also say that I am so so so SO glad that I measured myself on the past two weigh in days.  I couldn't believe the loss in size in one week, even though my net weight loss from the prior week was only 1 pound. 
I lost:

• 1/4" around my neck;
• 2" around my bust;
• 2" around my waist; and
• 1.5" around my hips.

Freaking fantastic!

My energy is way way WAY up.  Yesterday, we had my daughter's birthday at an activity center, and I ran around having fun with the kids for more than an hour without any discomfort at all.  I worked up a light sweat and increased my heartrate as well.  Plus, my daughter had a ball playing with mommy.  It was awesome, and I learned something very important about getting involved in your children's exercise time.  I felt like a healthy mom, and feel that I am achieving my goals and improving my child's life in addition to my own.  Yay!  Success!

I would also like to mention that the low carb cheese cake recipe that is contained in the recipe section of this blog is very, very good, and totally hit the spot.  I enjoyed it yesterday while everyone else was munching down on high carb chocolate cake.  The recipe makes 12 x 3.5 oz. servings, and I've only eaten 3 this week.  But, I think that the addition of chocolate and either orange zest or 1/4 tsp. cinnamon (in place of lemon zest) will be my next attempt to tweak this recipe, once I've eaten my way through the cheesecake chilling out in my freezer. 

In related news, I would also like to say that I am very proud of myself for not eating the pizza or cupcakes at Anna's kids party, and for not eating any bread, cake, or cupcakes at Anna's family party yesterday.  I did eat the cheese off of three pieces of pizza yesterday (leaving the crust behind).  It was good.  I only missed the crust a little.

Not quite super, but pretty good, poop this morning.  Despite the fact that I had a large salad with dinner last night, I think that I need to get more veggies in when I'm on the go.  Veggie intake is not a problem during a regular week, but when I'm in a rush, it is really a challenge to eat as much as I should.  I am going to have to pre-prep some veggie items so that I have them at hand when I'm in a rush.  Wonder what I can prepare then freeze for later usage?  Sounds like an experiment to me :)

On that note, signing off.  Time to do some work. 

2/15/11 - day 24 - v day massacre!

Last night was Valentine’s Day, and my husband and I had a very nice dinner in – and it was completely on the diet.  We split a bottle of champagne – so I had three small glasses.  Hey, it was V Day and I haven’t had any alcohol in more than a month!  Plus, I&N say that in Phase II (which I am entitled to be on if I wanted to because I’ve been on this diet for 3+ weeks), it is okay to have a glass or two of champagne.  So I did.  This morning, I woke up and weighed myself (I know, daily weighing… slap my wrist), and I gained 5 lbs since yesterday morning.  I also did not have a super poop this morning, and I woke up feeling cotton mouthed (read: dehydrated).

I looked up champagne nutrition, and although carbs in champagne can vary by maker, it is safe to assume that the extra brut we consumed last night had about 5 grams of carbs per glass, times three glasses = 15 carbs.

Oh God.  The chili that I made….  I have rethought my recipe and realize that I inadvertently made some carby chili and then ate about 2 servings worth of it.  It was basically made up of turkey Italian sausage, peppers, onions, garlic, a container of simply enjoy vodka sauce (which is 12 g of carbs), and ½ pack each of mccormick sloppy joe seasoning mix (8 g carbs) and mccormick chili seasoning mix (6 g carbs).  Total 26 grams of carbs, not including the veggies, and I probably ate about 1/3 of it.  Oh no.  8+ grams of carbs, not including the carbs that came from the veggies I added. 

The horror!  At least 23 grams of carbs from those two items alone.  Okay.  Time to be a very good girl!

Day 20 - 2/14/11

I am attacking this diet with renewed ferocity!  Watch out!  Yesterday, I drank at least 9 or 10 large glasses of water, ate a ton of fresh veggies, and was really careful about my carb intake. 

This morning, I had yet another super poop.  Holy crap that was some crap.  Sorry to be gross, but this is totally bizarro and a completely different kind of poop than I've ever had before.  And I experience absolutely no discomfort during its prep and execution, which is new for me.  Once again, I pooed last night before bed - a normal looking, normal sized poo.  This morning, I deposited a long, smooth, thin snake in the toilet that was well over 1 foot in length.  It was effortless, it took only seconds to evacuate.  I think that it is a good sign.  I&N talk about "super poops" as being a sign that the diet is going well.  I've been really careful with following the diet the past few days, and I've been rewarded with 2 super poops in a row in the a.m. 

I daily weighed today.  I just couldn't help it - I had to see what effect my super poops were having on my weight.  It was kind of an experiment.  I'm down 1 pound since yesterday at the same time.  That's it for my daily weighing this week, though.  I am not going to let myself get discouraged.

Week 3 weigh in 2/13/11

Well, this has been a hell of a week. I've been in the hospital with my dad every day, and city stuff went a little haywire on Tuesday, leading to a very public showdown with other members of the administration. It played well, but still produced much anxiety (as if I didn't have enough to start with). Happily, dad's surgery went as expected, and he is recovering well. In the meanwhile, I haven't put the intention and drive into this diet that I have in the past weeks. I didn't cheat this week. However, I didn't do everything i was supposed to, i didn't drink enough water,, i didn't eat leafy greens everyday, and i overindulged on the protein. I actually forgot that the diet required one to eat 2cups of leafy greens everyday. I went back and looked at the book and there it was. One thing that I have noticed is that when my regular schedule is thrown off, such as my being at the hospital all the time, it is hard to get all that water in - i usually just forget to drink until i realize that i am parched, and by then I'm already pretty dehydrated. I should have noticed that I haven't been urinating every 45 minutes to an hour the way that i was when i was guzzling the water in week 1. Also, notably, we did a lot of eating out this week, and its hard to guarantee that what you are eating is as low carb as it seems.

Weigh In
I weighed in this morning at 233.5 lbs. This reflects a weight gain of 2 lbs, for a net weight loss of 8 lbs. Needless to say that i am disappointed a bit, but I have determined what i think i did incorrectly, and i am going to give myself a break because it has been a crazy week. I am also going to give myself a lot of credit for sticking to the diet even when faced with extremely limited food choices and high stress situations, where in the past i would have "treated myself" to a full out pig out. Also, I have not been exercising and i need to do that.

Physical changes i have noticed
I realized this week that i have not had either gas or heartburn since i began this diet. Also, i have never felt sickly over full, as i used to after nearly every meal. My gastro system seems to be working more effectively and healthily without all of the carbs. even though I gained wight this week, i have to say that i feel slimmer than i did last week. I have this persistent impression that my belly fat is melting away. There is some evidence of that in the way that my pants fit. It was so striking this week, that i finally went out and bought a tape measure to record my measurements. I will do those later and update the stats page.

Number 2
Today i had a super poop. I have never seen anything like it. It was fluffy textured, healthy looking, chestnut brown, and unbelievably, approximately 18 inches long. It was like a soft textured snake in the toilet. And my belly wasn't even uncomfortable before i went. Even after i was done, i had absolutely no idea what i had produced. I have literally never seen anything like this in my entire life history of pooping. And I think i pooped last night before bed too. It was bizarre. Where did it come from? I mean i don't think I even ate enough yesterday to supply my body with enough stuff to make it. Wow. I wish i took a picture. It was that crazy.

Day 9 - Week 2 - Phase 1

Day 9 – Week 2

I woke up feeling…better, different, not bloated.  Hopefully I’ve passed the flu-ish period I&N discuss happening sometime during Week 1.  It has been a good day.  I didn’t have any trouble at all getting down my vitamins and supplements.  I had a chunk of fresh mozz and some almonds for breakfast, lots of water, and a satisfying lunch of left-over chicken and broccoli stir fry for lunch.  I feel so positive and motivated.  I’m happy, and I am in this for the long haul.

As for number 2... Who does it work for?  Me.  (Austin Powers reference, ugh).  Thank God, its like all the stuff that I had in me yesterday is gone.  No bloated feeling and that's what it is attributable to.

I did go back last night and go through “the book” again, only to discover that I&N did Phase 1 for 6 or 7 months, and recommend that dieters who have more than 25 pounds to lose should stay on Phase 2 for a while.  I suddenly realized that…I had only read the Phase 1 part of the book, and never gone past it.  So, I’m a little bummed about the Phase 1 thing, because I was looking forward to champagne and low carb chocolate truffles.  Now it looks like that might have to wait a while.  On the positive side, the good thing about going through I&N’s book again is that they are so encouraging, and some of the new text that I read really pumped me up, and helped to reaffirm my commitment to being healthy.  I like that they almost expect you to have cheated during Phase 1.  I feel good that I haven’t so far (and I don’t count sick day number 5 because I had no choice and I was still pretty freaking good).  I feel like an above-average dieter with a good chance of success (for the first time ever). 

My energy is up…like way up.  I feel in control.  I am not having any cravings, even though there was a big open package of chips ahoy sitting on the lunch table only 3 feet away from me today.  It didn’t phase me at all. 

I didn’t weigh myself this morning.  My sister (weight loss guru who has lost 120+ pounds since November 2009) cautioned me about hitting a plateau and giving myself grounds for disappointment if I weighed myself every day (as opposed to once a week, where its more likely your end of the week weight will show a more significant change).  So, I was almost afraid to weigh this morning.  I think I’ve been cured of my addiction to daily weighing.  Its almost like, last week, it was miraculous and, this week, I’m just hoping that the miraculous continues to happen and don’t want to find out that its not. 

I am still searching for a tape measure, damn it.  I keep forgetting, then when I remember, its so inconvenient to go out and buy one.  So, I’m going to put it on my shopping list for groceries, so I’ll actually get it done when I am at the store.

I was so pleased with my broccoli stir fry, I have to put the recipe in.  It is so easy.  See the recipe section.

Day 6 - 1/28/11

Well, this blog has fast forwarded to Day 6 because, between Days 2-5, the stomach bug made a horrifying appearance in my house. I, myself, was personally, uh, occupied, with the bug from Days 4-5.
Day 4, I didn’t manage to keep anything down, even water.
I went off the diet temporarily on Day 5, because all I could keep down was diluted G2 gatorade (about 10 carbs from that beverage for the day) and about 15-18 triscuits. I also skipped the vitamins and supplements on Day 5 because I could not imagine trying to swallow anything as large as my fish oil pill or co-enzyme Q10 pill.
I’m still a little skeeved out about it, so today, on Day 6, I’m going to take my vitamins and supplements this evening when I feel more settled.
Breaking the Habit of Daily Weighing
I am really into weighing myself daily – and the diet book says not to do it. I need to break the habit, because although it has been encouraging (as of Day 4 a.m., I was down 5.5 pounds), if the scale goes the other way, it might lead to discouragement and maybe some poor behavior on my part.
Sidebar
The interesting thing I learned, though, is that I didn’t lose a drop of weight after being sick and literally not consuming anything that "stuck with me" on Day 4. I weighed myself on Day 5 in the morning and was down to 223 pounds, but when I weighed myself this morning, back up to 226, which I attribute to thoroughly rehydrating myself on Day 5. Gross sickness aside, does this mean that by sticking to the diet I lose more weight than I would if I didn’t eat at all? Not that the latter is an option (I’m not the kind of girl that can go without), but just goes to show how effective the diet is and how terrible an idea it is to starve yourself.
In any event, I am feeling much better today. I am not going to give myself heck about my carb intake yesterday – I was sick, it was minor, I needed electrolytes desperately, and there was no way I would keep down dairy or protein if I tried.
My Resolve / Head Games
I told my husband, last night, that I felt really good about this diet, and I thought I could lose a lot of weight on it. I really mean it. It worked immediately, and seems to still be working. I feel like I am in control right now, and that feels even better than my initial weight loss, because I’ve always said about myself and diets that "I have no willpower".
I am realizing now that "willpower" may not be the issue, because… as India and Neris observed in their book (and I am very loosely paraphrasing), the first and most important issue is your perspective, i.e., you have to keep firm in your mind that you are not "suffering" on this diet, that you are not "denying" yourself, and focus on enjoying the delicious, fresh food in front of you and not bemoaning what you can’t have and would really enjoy. You’ve got to be firmly positive inside your own head.
When dieting in the past, I’ve always obsessed about what I can’t have, and I’ve gotten overwhelmed and cheated, then completely fallen off the wagon and never looked back.
Now, I am positive about what I’m doing and what I’m eating. I made some kick ass pork chops in a brandy-mushroom cream gravy the other night, with spicy sautéed spinach on the side, and as I ate it, I was like, "heck ya, I am not denying myself" and I really meant it. My daughter’s mac and cheese was appealing, and so was my husband’s side dish of plain white rice (see Cravings section, below), but I didn’t feel the desire to cheat, and it didn’t take much "willpower". It was an easy decision on my part, and by making it, I felt that I was doing something good for myself.
Cravings
I don’t have major cravings yet, although I have been lusting after… plain boiled white rice with butter and salt on it. Crazy, no? Maybe its because my stomach’s been off and that is about as bland as you can get. I foresee some difficulty in the future with bread, pasta, chocolate, etc., but I’m going to cross that bridge when I come to it.
Number 2
1 cup of sautéed spinach is nature’s broom. It was some scary…stuff.
I’m not sure what the deal is, but somehow, lightly sautéed spinach seems to work better for me than raw spinach. Maybe it is because sautéed spinach is more dense and compact than fresh, so you get more in 1 cup of sautéed than you do in even 2 cups of fresh (and I have a limit to how much of the fresh stuff I can eat in say, a salad). Also, I really enjoyed the sautéed spinach a lot more than the raw stuff (even dressed up).
Recipes

Porkchops with mushroom cream gravy:
4 1 inch thick, boneless pork chops
Quick Brine (4 tbsp salt, 1tsp honey, 1 cup water, shake well and put in tupperware)
Butter
8 oz mushrooms
Splash of brandy or cognac
2/3 cup cream
1/3 cup chicken stock (gluten free)
Brine porkchops for 2-4 hours, dry thoroughly. Brown porkchops in butter in frying pan over medium high heat. When browned on both sides, remove chops to plate and keep warm (don’t worry about cooking through). Add mushrooms to pan (don’t add salt) and brown thoroughly. Add splash of brandy and deglaze pan. Add cream and chicken stock. When mixture bubbles, turn heat down to medium, add pork chops, put lid on pan, and cook for about 5 minutes more or until chops are cooked through. Take off heat and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes before consuming.
Note: you probably won’t have to add salt because your pork chops will add plenty of salt to the party. Also, I’m not worried about the honey in the brine… not much actually gets in to the chops.)
Sauteed spinach
Butter
1 garlic clove, smashed
½ cup cream
1/8 tsp Crushed red pepper flake
Fresh nutmeg, grated, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups raw baby spinach
Cook garlic in butter medium saucepan over medium heat until it softens but does not turn brown. Add everything but the spinach to the pan, infusing the cream with the other flavors, heat to simmer slowly over medium low heat. Add spinach in 2 batches, waiting until first batch wilts before adding second batch. Fold cream over spinach mixture to help spinach wilt. When greens are vibrant green but softened, remove from heat and serve.