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Year Four, Day 154:Another Pound Bites the Dust - Keto Mania is a Thing!

Day 4 keto diet.  I woke up feeling lighter, not as stiff and sore as usual.  My belly continues to shrink. And I did a happy dance after I stepped on the scale. Another pound bites the dust!

I have lost 4 pounds so far. About a pound a day!  I am not expecting these results every day, but I'll take them!

I am still doing the intermittent fasting.  That is working well for me.

I do feel a little more spacey today than usual. I keep thinking I need more sleep. I've read that it is common to feel fatigue in the first week. I am keeping up with my daily hooping, but have not been to the gym in a few days.  I keep planning on it, even bring my gym bag with me when I head out on errands, but then end up getting too tired and go back home.

Tonight I am babysitting my granddaughter.  I spent my usual 4 hours with her this morning, so I need to be alert for this evening.  I have enough time for a short workout. Let's see if these short legs will get me there!

This week is a bit of a vacation. I always work everyday at something.  Housework, cooking, reading, babysitting. But I have not done any piano teaching this week. I will back on it next week.

It's strange - I'm tired but also a little wired.  Usually when I have down time I relax. I read.  I clean and get organized for my busy times.  Maybe I am drinking too much caffeine.

Or maybe it is indeed "KETO MANIA" as I suggested yesterday. Hmmm...is that a thing? Be right back, going to consult with Google...

I'm back. OMGoodness! KETO MANIA IS A THING!

"Going low-carb might even mimic the effects of GHB – the recreational drug better known as fantasy, liquid ecstasy or grievous bodily harm – on the brain.
To understand why we need to look at how the body processes a very low-carb diet, one that typically limits carbohydrates to no more than 50 grams a day. That’s one cup of rice, two slices of bread or roughly 10% of your total daily energy needs." http://theconversation.com/feeling-euphoric-on-a-low-carb-diet-the-effect-on-your-brain-is-similar-to-an-illicit-drug-76303

Just for the record, I am at less then 50 grams a day of carbs. Probably more like 20!

I have read in several studies that doctors for many years have been prescribing the keto diet for patients with epilepsy. It may also be useful in treating people with Parkinson's disease (like my father), Alzheimer's, and Multiple Sclerosis. 
It seems that no one really knows why the keto diet works so well for certain disorders.
"What we do know is that epilepsy and other neurodegenerative diseases are all associated with “mitochondrial dysfunction”. Mitochondria are the miniature generators inside of our cells, so when they are not working properly, energy production is disrupted, and all cell activities can be affected as a result.  Studies consistently find that mitochondria produce more energy (ATP) more efficiently on ketogenic diets than on standard “balanced” diets which force cells to burn glucose (sugar) for energy.  Put simply, most of our cells work best when they burn fat instead of carbohydrate."
Some suggest that the keto diet is helpful for people with bipolar disorder.  (Like me)

"So, what does all of this have to do with bipolar disorder?  It is well-established that epilepsy and bipolar disorder share many biological features...
In fact, it just so happens that many of the mood stabilizing medications we psychiatrists prescribe for bipolar disorder are anticonvulsants that were originally designed to treat seizures—Depakote (Valproate), Lamictal (Lamotrigine) and Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine), to name a few.  The fact that epilepsy and bipolar disorder have so much in common begs the question of whether perhaps a low-carb diet could be useful for mood stabilization, as well.  Unfortunately, there has yet to be a single scientific study of ketogenic diets in bipolar disorder." 

Hmmm.....

Now I must wonder that if I go back to eating carbs again, will I crash?  I might have to continue this diet for the rest of my life!
Not sure if that is possible.  I miss my rice and beans.  And popcorn.
For now, I am enjoying this keto high.
And the food is really quite delicious!

Breakfast at The Diner with my mom this morning. 

Homemade keto corndog for lunch!

And now I think I am actually going to try to make it to the gym!

Talk to you tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday!
Love,

Zita


P.S. Here is today's hooping video. Day 90!  (I think I said yesterday was 88. Nope, it was day 89!)

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