CSIRO Visit 10

It's my last visit for the year before heading overseas. I have lost 17kg in just over 3 months. Now to be a good boy whilst a tourist!!

My blood should be bottled

Got my cholesterol results from GP today 2.6!! He said keep doing what I am doing. My HbA1c which gives a 3mth view of my blood glucose was done by the CSIRO and that came through today and is 5.5 excellent glycemic control according to the lab.

Three months and 16kg

Weighed in yesterday and I have hit both 3 months on the diet and its now a 16 kg loss and more! My visits to Kintore Avenue will now be at monthly instead of fortnightly intervals. Have changed the next appointment so I can checkin just before Vivienne and I head to Europe and Morocco and Spain

After 9 weeks

Have now officially lost 15kg after 9 weeks. Week 10 has been tough with trips to dentist with severe toothache , antibiotics and either root canal on a tooth that's already had it done or an extraction as we are going overseas soon . Trip to dentist in an hour will help to answer ..

Weight heading south

I am pleased to see I am continuing the weight loss, no longer triple figures. Its close to 12 kg loss in just over 6 weeks..
I do miss my bread and jam, croissants, fruit and grapefruit juice though!
Lots of compliments though from staff and students.
That helps

Delighted GP!

I saw my GP this morning and he was absolutely delighted with my weight loss. I have lost 10kg since I last visited him. Some much so he said, if I can do it so can he!
He kept on congratulating me. He was not concerned about my vitamin D deficiency and I have been treating myself this morning by working out in the sun!

He said he would stop eating bread, an addiction we clearly both share(d).
I was seeing him because of what he diagnosed as Varicose Eczema (Stasis Dermatitis).
So I guess my overweight body also provided another problem!

The big weigh in... and the result is..

Just got back from my fortnightly visit to the CSIRO and am pleased to find that my weight had dropped from 110.62 kg before I started the diet,110kg at the beginning, then 104.62kg after two weeks, and today I weighed in at 101.7, so nearly 9 kg in just a month!

BGL's up and down, although in a good range.

14/9-
4.1
4.8
5.1
5.2
5.8
5.2
5.8
5.2
5.1
4.7
4.4
5.2

It's been over a week since my last confession...

Still religiously trying to keep to my new diet, here is an example of my daily lunch, salad vegetables with 100g of protein.

.

The weight continues to decrease...

It's official 5kg loss in two weeks ...

Just got weighed at CSIRO and it's official 5kg loss in two weeks on the diet. Everyone is happy.
I discovered I had been slightly naughty by having strawberries, but found I should be swapping them/exchanging for Ryvita's! That will not be a problem.
Hannah, the dietician was a little concerned about my fasting BGL's :

7.0
5.6
5.7
5.2
5.1
5.2
4.8
5.1
4.8
4.4
4.9
4.3
4.4
4.4

It appears supper might be needed....

An update from the Diet & Diabetes Participant Newsletter # 1

This is an update for our group of 114 people...

"Currently ,114 participants are participating in the study and the earliest starters are already crossing the 14 week mark …"

In this time there has been excellent weight loss achieved across the study group. To date, there has been a total of 840 kg lost and an average weight loss of 12.5% of starting weight, as well as good improvements in blood glucose control and reductions in diabetic medications . Another great outcome that we have seen is that some people are no longer having to inject insulin after having had to do so for the last 6 years, this is a great result! All of these improvements are very exciting given that we are only a short way into the study.

We expect that many others will achieve substantial improvements as the study progresses.

These results and improvements reflect the commitment everyone is showing to follow the diet and exercise program."

Alone for dinner

I ate alone tonight, cooked my own stir fry with beef, mangetout ,pecans, almonds, bean sprouts and mushrooms

However news from CSIRO in a letter is interesting as I need to consult with my GP as they sent my Vitamin D blood results which show I am a bit south of the mark.... curious

I went to the Royal Adelaide Show... and stuck to my diet!

I went alone to the Royal Adelaide Show (see my images here ) and I was a very good boy!!

I packed my own diet related food and although tempted, the only thing extra I bought and are allowed( and free on my diet) was a punnet of strawberries . Actually big difference in prices. A bowl of strawberries in the showgrounds at one stall was $8.00 and I bought mine from an IGA show outlet for $2.50.

I had my Nike app working on my IPhone and walked a total of 5.8Km so that was another achievement.

Mind you when I got home a bread roll on the kitchen counter sure looked nice, but again, I resisted temptation.

Week 1 of the diet and exercise

Week 1

Well at the end of week One , I have survived! Already staff and students say I appear to have lost weight, especially in the face. I have been to the gym twice as I somehow hurt my lumbar sacral spine last weekend (moving an exercise bike) and I am still in pain. I made up by walking a total of 3.2 km according my Nike app, on Wednesday.

However I have stuck to the diet and gotten used to having cereal and yogurt and smaller portions.

Fasting blood sugar levels remain excellent:
7.00
5.9
5.7.
5.2
5.1
5.2
4.8
5.1

Early indications are of some weight loss already, perhaps 5kG!!

A long walk

Sore back last night so skipped gym but walked 3.2km today at lunch/afterwork so that should balance!!

Gym night

Attended my first gym session and was delighted to see that my trainer is Christine, who I met recently at a dinner. Small group and I survived the hour. Back again tomorrow and Thursday nights... it will become a routine soon enough

The gym starts tomorrow....

Vivienne and I did a fair amount of walking this morning and have been weeding the garden since but tomorrow it's my first ever trip to a gym... and it will be 3 times a week.
The gym is the South Australian Aquatic and Leisure Centre...

3 hours of gym work has to help me lose my tummy.. or die!!

It would be great to get back to this weight!!

Realised I had seen, but not appreciated this ad

This a link to another Yoplait commercial that I had seen but can now appreciate a lot more..

Fasting blood sugars... and yoghurt

My fasting blood sugars seem to be good:
Day 1. 7.0
Day 2. 5.9
Day 3. 5.7

and its been similar later in the day.

Was not sure about the Yoplait formé yoghurt but this link seems to indicate calories and kilojoule wise that it is ok

Although reading this link now not so sure as it seems to be saying I will miss out on probiotics!


The commercial is fun though:

Lovely tea..and healthy!

Great meal cooked by Vivienne... salmon with my 4 serves of cooked vegetables..

Day two of the diet...

Cereal less dry today as I added some yoghurt 50g to what really is a small amount of Heart1 cereal and I sliced 3 strawberries. I figure this is how I can eat it!!
Big problem is milk,I have to consume 200ml a day and I dont really like it except in my cup of teas....

Day one of new diet...

Well,day one has nearly ended. I am missing my bread, but somehow managed to eat cereal,although I had it dry.

Had Ryvita as well.... it most be 40 years or more since I tried that well known brand of cardboard!!

Also had a tub of yoghurt, again another first..

Viv made me a lovely stir fry with my 4 portions of seasonal vegetables, almonds and beef.

No wine, though, but........

and even a Mood quiz...

Ater a quick breakfast at 12 noon, it was time to jump on computer

Test , after test....

Lots of tests today, multiple blood samples for a start,

and also another bag of exhaled air to be sent off to Canberra.

Goodbye bread, Goodbye cake and its hello to yoghurt...

Update on my new CSIRO diet is that I scored the very low carbohydrate, high fat, high protein diet..

Goodbye bread and cakes and a hello to yoghurt and cereal for the first time..and no fruit!!!!!!

Recent article about the trial...

This was earlier this year. There are a lot more trial participants now...

Dexa scan

This is a full body scan done today to measure total body fat and muscle mass, and of course the results confirm standard BMI results ...

My diet has been chosen for me....

I was told today I am on the Very Low Carbohydrate,high fat, high protein diet.

Some references make interesting reading.
1
and
2

What does this mean?

Well no bread,nor potato,even no sweet potato, nor corn.

Only two standard drink of alcohol a week!!

I get to eat things daily that I don't have now, like yoghurt and cereal!!!!!!!.

I guess the good thing is that I am doing it for my own good health and to be around longer for the people that love me and also I am doing it to improve the knowledge about human nutrition.

One day to go before I discover which diet I have randomly been allocated to!

Why the blog?

I decided to start this blog in week 0 of a 104 week journey. I have volunteered with the CSIRO Division of Human Nutrition for a 24 month diet and exercise trial hopefully you will all see less of me and I will be fitter!!

In week 0 I have been fitted with an accelerometer to measure my activity and an in-dwelling continuous glucose monitor (CGM) which is a a disposable glucose sensor placed just under the skin of my ample belly, which is worn for a few days until replacement.

“In Australia an increasing number of people are becoming overweight, which contributes to an increased risk of health problems, including type 2 diabetes that can increase the risk of a number of health complications, including cardiovascular disease. Although research indicates that weight loss by dieting and participating in regular exercise can improve health and reverse the metabolic consequences of diabetes, there is a lack of understanding of what is the optimal dietary composition to combine with exercise training in managing this condition. Consequently, there is a lack of evidence based dietary and exercise recommendations for treating this condition and which dietary composition will promote the greatest health benefits.

What is the aim of the study?

The aim of this project is to compare the effects of 2 common weight loss strategies combined with exercise on body composition, blood glucose control, markers of heart health and mood. The 2 diets we will evaluate are:

1. High carbohydrate, low fat diet

2. Very Low Carbohydrate, high fat, high protein diet

This study will provide governing health bodies, such as the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Heart Foundation, the evidence needed to make dietary recommendations for weight loss to improve heart health to diabetes management.

In addition to the energy reduced weight loss diet I will be required to follow a standardized exercise program 3 days per week The program will consist of performing an aerobic and resistance based exercises and will be required to attend a centrally based gymnasium on 3 non-consecutive days per week during flexible times either in the morning, lunchtime or evening dependant on participant availability and demand for the duration of the study. The exercise sessions will be supervised by a qualified fitness instructor and each session will last approximately 60 minutes.

What does this study involve?

Volunteers who are overweight and have type 2 diabetes were invited to take part in this 2 year study

I was once a thin young man!