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If you look carefully at the first pic with Romeo you will notice the wagging tail...

Puppy progress update (sorry, I have been a little "absent")... Romeo. The cutest boy you can imagine. He's a real mate, one of those dogs that you can take anywhere with you. He loves being with me and is quite happy to sleep behind me when I work while the other dogs play outside. Pretty little Peaches. The kindest girl you can imagine, but with quite an explorer soul. Loves being outside and bringing pieces of trees inside to chew on. We vacuum half a vacuum cleaner full of pieces of bark out of the house 2 x / week.... Two peas in a pot. They are really an absolute pleasure, now getting to about 6 months, so the neutering and spaying is around the corner... both house trained super easily and I can count on my one hand the blapsies that we had. They now use the trapdoor and come and go as they want. No MAJOR mishaps, except that one time when I left my R6,000 prescription Oakley glasses on the coffee table.... but that was my fault entirely

Love this ! And as you say - when your weight drops, your power to weight ratio improves and when you then complete the muscle adaptation process on LCHF in the next 2 - 3 months you will never look back at how you were riding before. Keep going and keep everyone updated, I find it motivating and inspiring to hear these stories !

I have to thank you for the "push" to start doing this again. Huge wake-up call, and I think I have been in La-La land for at least the past month... funny how one quickly rationalizes something like weight gain as "entirely stress related", meanwhile I have been backsliding on my food intake. My claim to fame used to be a 16kg weight loss on LCHF, but alas that is no more and I have been eclipsed by your spectacular 17kg loss - absolutely amazingly well done, considering you were coming off a much lower base than I was. But watch this space... I am back and I am bad

Marge, I can only talk from own experience and what my wife experienced. I could happily trundle along between 50 - 100g carbs per day and remain in full-blown dietary ketosis, while she really, really battled. In the end, we realized that her cut-off with carbs was only around 30g per day !!! And I thought I was carb-sensitive ! However, she is not diabetic and does not have metabolic syndrome or any similar conditions, she just could not get into ketosis or get her weight to drop until she really cut almost all the carbs from her diet. Her "problem" is that she loves cheese and yoghurt and we soon figured that this was what was pushing her over that limit. According to her, she is still over her ideal weight, but what has happened is that she has stabilised at a weight based on us not obsessing about carb intake anymore. I am convinced that if she really restricted her carbs down to around 20g/day, she would drop another kg or three. You need to find a happy medium somewhere. If you want to really loose those extra kg's, then realize that you will probably have to measure ketones and keep an eye on your BG, but that would probably mean radically cutting carbs for at least a few weeks. If you are happy with how you are feeling now based on a restricted carb intake, then you may have to accept that your weight is what it is for now. But Google "weight loss plateau on LCHF" and you will find lots and lots of references from people saying what you are saying - many get stuck on not losing weight for months and then suddenly start dropping. Remember we are all trying to undo a lifetime of bad eating habits in weeks here ! Here's one of the best references on how to break that plateau from Mark Sisson: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/weight-loss-plateau/#axzz2YoWYRvDu

I have a Freestyle Optium because I measure my ketones with it. It is one of the few meters on the SA market that can measure both, simply by using different test strips. Just be warned, the keto test strips are very expensive. My medical aid (one of the top Discovery options) pays for some of that, but in the end you pay for it anyway. My other meter is the Accu-Check Performa Nano, which is a real litte gem if you only want to measure BG. I say this, because with the add-on interface and software you can even upload and graph your data on your PC and it is a tiny meter that requires the minimum amount of blood to test. But that may be a bit of an overkill for most people The strips are covered 100% by my medical aid. When you look to buy a meter, always look at what you will measure most (BG or ketones) - it is usually BG. Then look at what the BG strips cost. The pharma companies will give those meters away (in fact most have a free lifetime exchange warranty) as that's not where they make their money - they make it on the strips, so that is your biggest cost over time. I would opt for the Freestyle Optium as my meter of choice and just restrict the blood ketone measurements. The urine ketostix WITH your blood BG readings should give you a pretty good idea of what is going on. Just a word of caution on the Freestyle meter. If you are squeamish about blood or you are going to find it difficult to squeeze blood from the pin prick in your finger, this is not the meter for you. To measure ketones it requires more than just a drop of blood, so just be warned. The meters that do BG only usually require the tiniest amount of blood to measure. Shout out if I can assist in any way, otherwise chat to the aunties in the pharmacy !

So here's how the numbers hang together... bear with me, my numbers are exaggerated because I am carb intolerant, but there is a message in there Started with the n=1 carb abuse on Tuesday in order to see what my measurements would do, but in hindsight I have not measured blood BG or ketones in more than a month so I wasn't expecting what I got. Background again - increased protein consumption, reduced (read stopped) exercise and wasn't in a happy space generally. Big protein and cream drink got my BG to 7.9 A high-carb dinner got me to 9.4 Woke up on Wednesday and it was 6.4 Fatshake with milk and protein got me to 10.4 (mild panic setting in at this point) Ketones were 0.2 (which means I was far from ketosis and def not burning fat) Ate nothing during the day, did an hour of medium intensity MTB and dropped BG to 6.5 I decided to take 500mg of Glucophage on Wed night as a chemical intervention - Thursday AM BG was 6.2 and ketones only 0.4. My Thu shake was made with water, but still had protein in, 1 hour later BG was at 8.5 (so now I have eliminated the milk as the high spike source as this was too high compared to earlier experiments). By 2 hours later my BG had dropped to 7.5. At this point I was still quite unhappy, as this was a high reading for me, having not had anything else to eat until then. Went for another hour of Road riding later, came back and BG was at 5.9. Another hour later, it was at 5.3. Then I measured ketones, and that was sitting at a much better 0.6 (you want to be above at least 0.5). Had lamb chops with a tomato and cheese salad for dinner, all nicely covered in olive oil and 1 hour later BG was at 6.3, which is well within spec for me. Woke up this morning, and BG was at 5.7 (sigh of relief), had my fatshake with one scoop less protein but added kefir i.s.o. milk and my BG an hour later was 6.3 ! Now we're talking ! Measured ketones and it was at 1.1, well within the fat burning zone. Decided, just as a check, to weigh myself this morning and I am 1.8kg down from where I was on Tuesday. My lessons from this: I am more sensitive to protein than I am to milk. There is a finite point (probably around 1.5 scoops) where the protein has an almost pure insulinogenic effect on me. I will thus have to spread my intake to at least 2 servings. When your blood sugar goes up, your ketones go down and you start adding weight (fat). The moment I controlled my BG by massively restricting my carb intake, my system started correcting itself (and my weight started dropping). Even moderate levels of exercise assist in getting the carbs burned and the BG down I am not recovering from carb abuse as quickly as I did e.g. 6 months ago. Could this be because I eat so little carbs that I am becoming even more carb intolerant ? I am going to start measuring my BG and at least urine keto levels again. I have taken my eye off the ball and I have suffered the consequences of not managing the basics. Hope you find this of some value

Saw this on Wikipedia: "Traditional kefir was made in skin bags that were hung near a doorway; the bag would be knocked by anyone passing through the doorway to help keep the milk and kefir grains well mixed."

Not sure if health shops sell it, but you may want to ask on here if someone is willing to donate you a small piece of the plant/organism - it grows like crazy once it is going. Make sure you get the kefir for milk, I believe there is a water variety as well.

I believe using full cream is da bomb, so that's next up... Question - do you leave it until it separates into whey and water and then just mix that back up, or do you leave it for a shorter period ?

Do you have a kefir plant in hibernation ?

Chris Kesser wrote a very nice post about kefir, and that actually got my thinking started: http://chriskresser.com/kefir-the-not-quite-paleo-superfood @thatsme - I seem to have buggered up my BG a little after two days of wild self-experimentation, with my BG this morning hitting 8.0 after my fat shake WITHOUT any milk (just water), but with protein. I am going to do a 24 hour fast after dinner tonight just to try and eliminate whatever has been causing the high BG, but I am also still feeling a little full of cortisol and not 100%, so it could be my body fighting disease or high stress levels. If that doesn't work, I may have to drink glucophage just for a few days to get it down to normal levels. And then people want to know why I am so super-strict on my carb intake... In the past I have noticed that some of the modern, short-dose antibiotics have the same BG spiking effect - clearly the liver takes strain in metabolising the meds and the BG levels then start running away. Once I have that under control, I will do more detailed experiments with various forms of dairy and I will pulse my protein feed. I am too very keen to see the BG effect of kefir, but because I ferment mine for up to 48 hours (and I make it with cream and milk) I am thinking there will be almost no milk sugar left. I like to think of my "condition" as an amplified version of a normal person's response to carbs, protein and dairy - so if it happens to raise my BG it may well do the same but on a much lower scale in a non-diabetic person. Will keep posting.

Anyone on here have any experience with Kefir ? (HappyMartin ?) Just got a kefir "plant" from a mate and I have made my first 500ml (from milk) - must say I quite like the taste and from all I have read it is a far better probiotic than yoghurt. Thinking of adding that to the old fatshake in AM i.s.o. milk.

HMT - that's not good. 2.8 is considered hypo... even my software throws up all kinds of warnings at that level (not that I have ever been that low). Do you often dip this low or do you think it was due to disease ? Either way, please keep an eye on that.

Mmmm.... Futurelife.... I know a lot of people swear by that stuff, but it is made from genetically modified soy... do you REALLY want to put (blatantly) GM foods into your system ? PS. That's a great link that I have often used, Marge !

Old saying that goes "if you can measure it, you can manage it", tombeej. I stand by that

So this is what being insulin / carb resistant looks like from a Blood Glucose perspective. For those of you who measure BG readings between 3.5 - 4.5 on most days, keep it there... I am a diagnosed Type 2 diabetic who has kept my diabetes under control following the LCHF way of eating. That was partially because the glucophage (metformin) medication impaired my top-end performance on the bike (it severely limits the liver's glycogen capacity under VO2Max conditions) and I wanted to get off the meds. My "usual" fasting BG levels without any meds on LCHF vary between 4.7 - 5.5 My HbA1c (long term BG) level tested a month ago is 5.7. The cut-off for diagnosing diabetes via HbA1c is 6.5, so although I am on the higher side of the scale, I am well within "normal" limits. I have not tested my BG regularly of late, as my diet is boringly stable and does not vary by much. Like I have reported recently, I have however seen an increase in weight and BF since supplementing with whey protein. So following on suggestions from tombeej yesterday, I decided to do a bit of n=1 experimentation, but I cranked the amps up a bit: BG prior to any of the below was 5.7 I consumed 100g of PVM whey protein, mixed with 200ml cream and 100ml milk. 1 hour later my BG was 7.9. Two hours later my BG was still 7.2. I then went out for dinner and had pork belly, but instead of the expected potato gnocchi, it was served on mash & onions. I gobbled that down and decided to really stretch things, so I had half of a chocolate brownie with some ice cream for pudding. 1 hour later, my BG was 9.4 !!! (PS, I felt like death afterwards) My fasting BG this morning was 6.4, so I had my fatshake, which also had about 50g of PVM whey added. 1 hour later, BG was at a massive 10.4 (I am thinking part of the reason for this is a residual effect from yesterday as well as a cumulative dairy + whey effect). Went for an hour's MTB and BG immediately post that was 6.5. My blood ketones this morning was a measly 0.2 - far from being in the fat burning zone. So... I will by a process of elimination establish what my insulin response is to dairy (milk and/or cream) and protein, separate from each other, but for now my money is on the protein as a big cause of the spike. What to do about this ? - probably means I need to either spread the whey consumption out a bit more, or consume it immediately prior to or just after a ride. @Helpmytrap - if you do supplement with protein, it would be interesting to compare notes ? PS. On that reading after the 3 sips of milk, just do another control check to be 100% sure. I have often found my BG being higher than normal after longer, intense rides, and my theory is that it is the liver and pancreas trying to supply energy due to the higher demand, therefore you have higher levels of available BG. But I may be wrong... edit:typo

Absolutely acceptable - as with all things, just don't overdo it. Strange thing is - I cannot remember when last I craved chocolate in that form - it is as if my body has completely forgotten about it, and I was a real chocoholic....

Bro, I mix a scoop of whey protein with about 200ml of thick cream and then add just enough milk to get it to a slightly thinner consistency - I then eat that very slowly with a spoon.... that's my pudding whenever I feel the need to do a self-reward I reckon if you cover your puds in thick cream it will have a very minor blood-spiking effect Try it and let us know. We could start a whole LCHF Cheaters thread !

I don't have to test everything, tombeej, I can tell you that them Pink Crisps would take me above 6.5 and sometimes above 7 even (depending on the sweetness of the specific apple). I have no reaction (virtually no) to low GI veggies like brocolli or cucumber. You have seen what "health bread" did to me. I won't be trying that again soon. On protein supplements, I have tried to stick to PVM and SSN and although the PVM lists higher carbs, it has never really "spiked" me, but I ascribe that to the fact that I always take protein with a lot of fat, like full cream (I mean loads of it). Having a load of fat with your carbs definitely mitigates the insulin response, I have proven that time and again. When I get the opportunity to try some of the items on your list, I will post that. I am going out for a restaurant dinner tonight which will contain a small amount of potatoes in the form of potato gnocchi - will do a very unscientific before and after of that as well.

The first rule of LCHF is that we don't talk about LCHF...

I see your spike and raise you ! This was one of the readings that literally changed my life. This reading was taken 2 hours AFTER eating 4 slices of a Dischem health bread in September of last year.... your reading is but a blip, Sir

I find this fascinating, as I have had the same response from quite a few pharmacies. It's a little like Marge's experience with the nurse that did her BG test.... No, Sir, we cannot get keto sticks and we have heard that they have been discontinued. It's not like at least 20 people on this board alone have enquired about these sticks.... do you think the pharmacies are in denial about this ? Even Noakes mentioned M-Kem in Bellville as his source - is Mr Mulloch of M-Kem the only pharmacist in the country who "gets it" ? Somewhere there is a business opportunity in here that a lot of pharmacies are just completely missing...

Marge - check the pricing of the STRIPS before you buy. You will find that the meters all go relatively cheaply, but that the pricing of the strips vary significantly. Also check if the meter can communicate with anything else (if that is important to you) - the Nano has an infrared port and with another little Roche gizmo connected to your PC you can then download the data for processing and review. Don't buy the first meter you see, they are not all created equal ... and you may get smoked when you buy the strips. Opinions on what a "good" BG reading is varies, but the Pathcare guideline for fasting BG is 3.5 - 5.5, so if you have tested below 5.5. without fasting then that is good. Except, you NEED to have an HbA1c test done to really determine your average BG in order to know if you are insulin resistant or not. Your BG reading could also be low because you are insulin intolerant and if you have not eaten for a few hours you could be going "hypo" (as opposed to "hyper") meaning your BG levels are falling too low. If you are REALLY interested in this in more detail, and I see you are in the Western Cape, send me a PM and I can forward you the details of the Roche "rep" - she also does diabetes education and is a really good source of info before you buy anything.

These are not KETO strips that I am talking about, they are Blood Glucose strips. I have a meter that can do both BG and Ketones - a Freestyle Optium, but those ketone strips are hellishly expensive - IFIRC it was about R200 for 10 strips. You can get them from M-Kem in Bellville (it may be worth it to give them a call and ask if they will ship to you if you are located elsewhere) - http://www.mkem.co.za/ Also remember there is always the urine stick option to measure ketones, and those are referred to as Ketostix. Also not so readily available from pharmacies but you can get them from @flexia Reflexology in Durbanville - she has shipped to many members on this board. Not as accurate as the blood meter, but still good enough an indication. For pricing on the BG sticks, speak to your local pharmacy - I buy then in boxes of 50, but because my medical aid covers it, I cannot readily recall pricing.