THE RESULT'S ARE IN!!!!

Hello Everyone,

I finally had my blood work done.  Today I am going to share with you the results of my cholesterol panel. I will show the changes over 4 years and try to break it down.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance our bodies need to make hormones and digest fat. Our bodies make cholesterol but we can also get it from foods like meat, poultry and dairy. In general the doctors want your cholesterol under 200 but under 150 is optimal.

In 2020 my total cholesterol was 184. That's ok but not optimal. This was when I started to lose weight and in 2021 my number dropped to 183. After that I started carnivore and in 2023 it was 165. Today in 2024 it is 147.  Under 150 which is optimal.

HDL is one component of cholesterol also called the good cholesterol.  You want that number to be 50 or higher. In 2020 mine was 39 not too good. In 2021 44, 2023 50 and today 2024 54.  I am loving these numbers because they are where they should be. 

LDL is called the bad cholesterol and you want that number under 100. In 2020 mine was 126. In 2021 it was 117, 2023 106 and today 2024 87. 

VLDL is next. This is a type of blood fat and is considered a bad form of cholesterol along with LDL and Triglycerides. It is recommended that this number be under 30.  How did I do? 2020 it was 19. 2021 it was 22. In 2023 it was 9 and 2024 it is 6. 

Let's talk about Triglycerides.  This is another component of cholesterol,  This is a fatty substance called lipids.  Your liver packages this with cholesterol and proteins called lipoproteins to move cholesterol through your body.  The FDA say's it is best to have your Triglycerides under 150. In 2020 mine was 95 and in 2021 it was 108. In 2023 it went down to 47 and today in 2024 it is 28.

It may seem like my lipid panels were not that bad. Since going carnivore and losing weight now my numbers are optimal for my health.  These numbers also make me a below average risk for stroke or heart disease. 

We can all benefit from knowing our health markers and live long prosperous lives.

Remember Jesus is Lord, God is in control and only Him do we serve.

Rock on carnivores!!!

MY TEETH

Hello Everyone,

Today I am going to talk about my teeth both the good and the bad.  Sadly, there is more bad than good. That is all about to change. Starting tomorrow I am starting the process of fixing all that is wrong with them.

Let's go back to my childhood that would be the mid late 60's and early 70's.  Dental insurance was a pretty new thing back then and we were blessed to have it. So, I went to our local small town dentist every 6 months like you are supposed to or that's what we were told. 

 There weren't the regulations that there are now and it turned out this dentist took advantage of it. Every 6 months I had 8-10 cavities. Did you get that every six months!!!  Whoever has that?! Now I don't blame my parents because they didn't know better and thought that they were doing the right thing by me.  This dentist was filling all my molars then knocking out the fillings and re filling them. You can imagine the damage that was done.

As I got older a married my molars started to go bad one by one over time. Not having the money to properly fix them I did the least expensive way and got them pulled a little at a time.  Now I do still have some of them but the majority is gone.

I know that I have spoken about my Gastroparesis several times. The reality of it is this has had a negative effect on different aspects of my health including my teeth. I didn't even realize how much damage this condition can have on your teeth until I recently did research.  The chronic acid eats away at your enamel.  Fortunately, we now have a good dentist who says her job is to save my teeth.

Over the years I noticed the bottom of my 2 front teeth were becoming translucent. I also was frustrated that no matter how well I always brushed or flossed I always had bleeding gums and tooth pain.  Since eating carnivores for the past 2+ years , my front teeth are no longer translucent and I no longer have bleeding gums or tooth pain while brushing.  I also noticed my breath is better.

I look forward to having my oral health back.  Carnivore has started me on that journey but my dentist will finish it. Wea lol need good oral health so that we can eat the proper human diet and be healthy.

Remember Jesus is Lord, God is in control and only Him do we serve.

Rock on carnivores!!!

CAFFEINE

 Hello Everyone,

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for me.  I have been suffering with my Gastroparesis a lot. My sleep has been disrupted because of it so when I get sleep I cherish that. 

I have a lot of negative impact on my eating and sleeping because of this condition.  Waking up very sick to my stomach and fighting the urge to vomit. I know that's TMI but it is also reality. Our guts are like our second brain. When I am sick I feel bad all over.  It has become difficult to eat even with my medication. 

I take Protonics for stomach acid and Reggalin to help with my stomach motility. Having nerve damage to my stomach is unfortunately a permanent condition. How I got this we are not for sure but it might be related to having been on pain meds for a long time. But like I said we are not sure.

I eat carnivore and that has been helpful but there are times when any kind of food will not sit well with me.  I do know from experience that if I were to eat high fiber and high carb food I would be up throwing up all night 100%.  I am currently eating OMAD as eating at all has been difficult.

I have discovered recently that eliminating caffeine has brought some relief for me.  I am not going to give up coffee but I switched to decaf and that has had a positive impact. This slow elimination of things is what has brought me to the way we eat now.

I understand that caffeine can impact other things in your body like increased heart rate, breathing insomnia and the big one for me nausea. I used to say that caffeine didn't affect my sleep but I will say Gastroparesis does. 

We see our doctor at the end of this month and I will have a frank conversation with her about what has been going on.  I am afraid that I might need to increase the dosage of my meds.  There are 4 levels of Gastroparesis and I am at level 2.  Praying that this does not advance.

Remember that Jesus is Lord, God is in control and only Him do we serve.

Rock on carnivores!!!

REBOUNDING

 Hello Everyone,

I recently got a rebounder!!  What is that you ask?  It's a mini exercise trampoline
It's 40 inches wide and I got one with a handle bar since my balance isn't the best.  It is fun to bounce on and I am surprised at the workout you get.

This is the one we got but that's not me lol...  I couldn't get the image to transfer.  It wasn't hard to put together. I actually did it by myself. I did suffer much back and hip pain afterwards and was not able to walk the rest of the night due to my disability.  Those are the breaks but I did it!!

I just bounce on it without getting air under me and I walk on it only lifting my heels off the tramp.  My legs and bum really feel it after 10 minutes. I was surprised at how your heart goes up because you think that it's just bouncing but the G force and activity is really surprising.

NASA developed rebounding over 50 years ago to help astronauts recover bone density after returning from space. What NASA found was that 10 minutes of bouncing burns MORE calories than 30 minutes of running.

NASA also found the jumping provided the body benefited on the cellular level like your lymphatic system. This helps move toxins out of your body.  It also helps increase bone density and strength reducing the risk of osteoporosis. I like the sound of that.

Along with that comes improved physical strength, muscular development and balance. I need all the help with the balance I can get. Being a low impact exercise you have minimal impact on your joints.  I have read that it stimulated smaller stabilising muscles around our joints. 

Other areas that benefit from this are weight loss, lower blood pressure, and insulin sensitivity. I have seen my weight stall break this past week from using it a few days.  I have been down and out with my Gastroparesis but I am on the mend and getting back into it.  That said my weight is down to 182 lbs. That makes me 76 lbs down, whew hoo!!

I will report back more after having the opportunity to use it for a period of time.

Remember, Jesus is Lord, God is in control and only Him do we serve.

Rock on carnivores!!!

GASTROPARESIS

Hello Everyone,

It's been a little while since I posted.  I am having some dental work done.  This will be an ongoing for the next month or so.  I want to talk a little bit about it and the cause.

About 3 years ago I was diagnosed with level two Gastroparesis.  I know that I spoke of this before but for those who are unaware this is what it is. 

Gastroparesis is the delayed emptying of the stomach. It's a disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to the small intestines.  It is nerve damage to the stomach which is how I was told.  

One in 100,000 people have this condition.  I went undiagnosed for years thinking it was other things like GERD or my gall bladder.  I finally found the right doctor and had a nuclear test study done which revealed the condition. There are 4 levels I have level 2. When you eat food generally moves out of the stomach within about 3 hours. For me I still have almost 50% of my food still remaining. 

I had great discomfort when I ate and pain that would leave me bedridden. Now I know it was because food was pulling up and not able to move out so I had loss of appetite and other issues like IBS.

I of course asked what has caused this condition. Mostly people who have diabetes, hypothyroidism, nervous system disorders and so on get this condition. I don't fall into any of these categories except for having damaged nerves from an injury. I suspect I have had some form of this for years. The doctors don't seem to know why I have it.

I take medication to help with stomach motility and acid build up. It helps and I have discovered that the carnivore diet aids with managing the acid in my stomach and I no longer have issue with IBS. It turns out that low fiber diets help with may gastrointestinal conditions and contrary to popular belief you don't need fiber in your diet.  My  husband and I do just fine without it.

Because meat, especially, red meat, is the most nutrient dense food I am able to maintain my health better with a healthy weight ,lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol. I still find it difficult to eat enough protein some days because of this condition but I am getting better at it. 

One of the sad results of having this is the deterioration of my teeth.  I had no idea this would cause so much harm to them.  The acid reflux and vomiting over the years has really taken a toll on my mouth. I am fortunate to have found a good dentist who says it's her job to save my teeth and not judge me. What a breath of fresh air.  So I am currently moving forward to do all that can be done because oral health is important to overall health.  I want to continue to enjoy steak, chuck roast and other meats as we are meeting our health goals.

Remember Jesus is Lord, God is in control and only Him do we serve.

Rock on carnivores!! 

INFLAMMATION

 Hello Everyone,

Today I am going to touch on the subject of inflammation. What is it and how it affected myself and my husband and how carnivore lifestyle is helping it.  You may find similarities between our experience and yours.

The definition of inflammation is: a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot,and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection.

That's a pretty complete definition but inflammation also affects the gut and weight fluctuation. Joint pain is another area of inflammation that many of us suffer with. Having had 3 back surgeries my  spine is often in pain.  This past year my husband experienced terrible knee and shoulder pain.

Last year I noticed my weight having big fluctuations of 2-4 lbs on different days.  I was counting my calories back then and couldn't account for this.  I knew I was not over eating and I was walking regularly. I felt like a 2-4 lb weight gain overnight didn't make sense to me since I tracked what I ate and how much to only lose it the next day or two. 

I started searching YouTube for other carnivores who experienced the same thing. My Zero Carb Life is an excellent channel ato follow. Kelly Hogan has been a carnivore for over 13 years and she is a coach who collaborated with other doctors and coaches. Go check her out .She has a wealth of knowledge. There are many others like Belle the steak and butter gal.

This is when I started to learn how food can cause inflammation in your body. I can show up as weight gain, swollen hands, feet and so on. 

I started tracking the what food I ate and how I felt and what the scale said the next day. I know that many people say weighing yourself daily is not good. This time it was because now I have working knowledge of the effects of different foods on me.

Now, food affects everybody differently. What you can eat I may not be able to and visa versa. I discovered that grains, sugars, all carbs and nuts inflamed me. Eliminating these foods led me to the carnivore diet. I believe this is the ultimate elimination diet.  As I started to remove foods I thought I just can't give up peanut butter. Well, I noticed big weight gain the days I had it. finally February 2022 I said ok no more peanut butter or anything else that's not meat based. 

Now I was in a stall at this time. Up and down even as much as 5 lbs overnight!! That month I dropped 7 lbs of pure inflammation.  I didn't change my calories just the type of calories I was eating.

My husband started carnivore this past year and so much inflammation came off of him that his wedding ring slipped right off his finger. Fortunately, he was in the house when that happened. He also noticed his knee pain greatly improved.

Give it a try. start eliminating processed foods and sugar and see if you experienced any benefits like we have.

Remember, Jesus is Lord, God is in control and only Him do we serve.

Rock on carnivores!!! 

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Hello Everyone,

Happy Valentines Day fellow carnivores.  We will be celebrating at home tonight.  We did go out for breakfast and I enjoyed a meat only omelette.  I did not have any of the sides as they were bread and potatoes.  

You can go out to eat and make good choices for yourself and enjoy the company of others while they enjoy their food. Like I said previously, being a carnivore for us is not a diet but a lifestyle. We do not push it on others but we also don't apologize for the way we eat.

We have run into people who say to us , oh, but you are missing out. The question is what am I missing out on? Being sick and vomiting all night? Being bloated and in more pain than usual? My husband is not missing being a type 2 diabetic nor does he miss having high cholesterol. 

Would I say these things to people? No, that would be rude.  We just say that we feel better eating this way.  I might have a talk with family members who persist in asking them to respect what we are doing to improve our health.

Let's face it family or friend gatherings shouldn't be about food but fellowship. So, we usually bring extra meat with us to eat because we don't expect others to cook to our dietary needs. We have never had any issues and if I find myself in a position where I was not able to bring or find carnivore foods I simply abstain.  A little fasting never hurts anyone.

This Valentines Day enjoy being with the ones you love.  We need to do that every day. We will be enjoying a Tomahawk steak for dinner tonight.

Remember, Jesus is Lord, God is in control and only Him do we serve.

Rock on carnivores!!