Lab Updates

In preparation for Fasting February, I wanted to get a baseline for my electrolytes before the fasting starts.  So I scheduled a lab appointment at my doctor’s office.  The electrolytes all came out normal.  I also got my hbA1c check while I was there.  And the results are (drum roll please) 4.4%, the lowest A1C I’ve ever had recorded.  This is on the low end of normal.  Definitely not a diabetic range.  It’s nice to know that even though I’ve been struggling with weight loss and fasting for the last 8 weeks,
I’m still maintaining healthy blood glucose and have my diabetes under control.

For another improvement, my workouts have also been getting easier.  My first couple of strength training days left me feeling quite achy, so much so that it impaired my ability to walk normally.  However, my body has now become accustomed to the activity even as I have been increasing resistance.  My body measurements have also decreased.  Although I’m not sure if some of that may have been due to imprecision when taking the measurements.

These numbers will help bolster my motivation in light of my recent stall.  I’ve always said tha
t the scale is one of the worst ways to measure your progress, but even so I have succumbed to its tempting ways.  After all the scale is easy, step on and seconds later you have a result.  It’s unambiguous, the number of pounds is what you weigh.  It is an easy point of comparison, to yourself in the past and to others.

The problem is it’s too simple.  It doesn’t reflect changes in body composition.  After all the goal is to become healthier, not to reach some arbitrary number on the scale.  Also improvements can be happening to your health that are not reflected in the number on the scale. I agree that it would be healthier for me to lose some more of the extra fat that I have.  After all I’m still extremely obese weighing 265 pounds with a height of 5’ 7”.  But I may have still lost fat this last month.  I’ve definitely seen signs that I’ve gained some muscle in my workouts, so maybe some fat is being replaced by heavier muscle.  Also strength training causes some extra water retention, which could also account for some of the stall.

It also seems like the weight falls of unevenly.  I don’t know if the body need to adjust and re-balance and it just takes time to catch up.  Or if the body is just trying to make sure you don’t lose too much weight too fast, but something in our bodies seems to make weight loss uneven.  And this is frustrating for us humans who are trying to do everything right and not seeing the feedback we are hoping for.

I guess that’s where the phrase “Keep Calm and Keto On!” comes in and I am genuinely pumped about my lowest hbA1c EVER. I plan on continuing to weigh myself daily, but I’ll try not to get too worked up over what the number is.  I am looking forward to the challenge of Fasting February, maybe this will improve my weight.

My next blog post will be the beginning of Fasting February.  You can also read my last blog post about whether or not the ketogenic diet is right for everyone.