Progress is never linear...

Progress is never a straight line. After two weeks away from the gym (travel and jet lag) today's session (17th October) felt a bit like starting all over again. Only 6.22km @7.5kmph in my 50 minute session. Still better than my lifetime best prior to finding ketosis but now a little disappointing. It was not unexpected. Hope to be back to my recent best ever levels within two weeks. Daily treadmill is so important.

Day two and on empty stomach some modest improvement 6.4km @7.8kmph. Still a way to go!

Day three a bust. Tried a session in the afternoon and despite only cheese and salami for lunch just could not get going and so called a halt after only 15 minutes.

Day four back to mornings and back to better performance 6.8km @ 8.2kmph

Day six and thought I was into ketosis enough to play cricket without concern. I was mistaken and knew it as a ran my second run. Next day and a muscle contracture in my lower back confirmed. Thankfully I was able to keep wicket without issue. Hamstrings also very tight today so no gym.

And that essentially was the rest of the week. OK a mate suggesting a trip to Dhaka for 2nd Test also contributed but tight hamstrings was the major cause of inactivity for this week at least.

(4th Nov) 4 hour overnight flights are never good and the one from Dhaka to Singapore is no exception. Another week without a treadmill session. Am planning though a long walk tomorrow morning to ensure I am in ketosis for the afternoon cricket match.

Further improvement

4 days this week and each 50 min session has seen me hit 7.5km. Today I managed 7.64km for a new lifetime best which is over 27% better than my pre-ketosis best and I feel there is further scope for improvement, which is quite exciting. Travelling for the next 10 days so not sure how much exercise I will manage though I will certainly try to keep things going.....

new lifetime PB

Feels good - 7.38 km in my 50 minute session 20 metres further than prior best achieved in September 2014, makes missing a party last night worthwhile. Instead I fasted from about 7:30pm and this morning had only 3 cups of coffee with a little butter and I took one Green Coffee Bean Raspberry ketone tablet 30 minutes before exercising. Am lucky my commute is short and the gym is just 2 minutes from my office so a late morning session is easy to fit in and that seems the ideal time for me.

Today I started to jog almost immediately and while I slowed to 7 kmph for perhaps 45 seconds on 3 or 4 occasions I was able to jog at around 9.2 kmph for the bulk of the session. Exhilarating..........now to maintain a regular programme and see if I can improve further. Weight loss not coming along as one would have hoped so plenty of work to do.

Targets to achieve....

A trip to the UK interrupted exercise a little but having set myself two targets at the end of August to be achieved by 17th October, when my son comes back to Singapore for a half term break back to the gym today. Targest were weight of 78kg (down from 86kg) and to achieve a year to date PB on the treadmill.

The second of these was achieved today when I had a great session fuelled by only 3 coffees and 200mg of an ketone supplement, which had been suggested might be helpful. I am not sure whether or not the session was boosted by them as I was already in ketosis but 6.94km at an average speed of 8.4kmph, which included a 20 minute jog starting after 10 minutes suggests the supplement may have helped. I then slowed to catch breath rather than because of any muscle pain. A year to date PB is a great way to start the week. Hopefully some weight loss will follow....while I will try now to update at least twice a week on progress.

For those new to the blog I started this back in 2006 when I was first diagnosed. July 2014 blogs are worth a look for those considering a ketogenic diet as those document my journey to finding ketosis and the huge revelation it was to me.


24/8

Have continued with diet and today in my first treadmill session of the week I recorded my best average speed over 50minutes this year of 8.1kmph. Still 10% below my all time PB but already seeing very good signs of improvement as I managed to jog for 32 minutes today, which was very pleasing. More to do....


17/8


Day three of my return to the treadmill and serious Ketogenic diet. I have used keto frequently this year to enable me to play regular cricket without the impact of M to worry about but I have not been a regular in the gym and have been pretty loose diet wise. Having gained several kilos and spurred on by reading of the success of other M people now trying keto, so glad so many are after the initial scepticism of many back in 2014.


This week having taken the time to get into ketosis through diet I have managed 3 consecutive days on the treadmill and my 50 minute session has seen me record average speeds of 7.6kmph, 7.7kmph and today 7.8kmph. Somewhat surprisingly my year to date best (I have been doing more walking this year) is only 8.0kmph so would hope to attack that on Friday. I plan a day off tomorrow, not least because my daughter's A level results come out.....

Fast ended daily life resumes, refreshed, reformed, ready.....

In the end I ate modestly on Day 10 but the fasted to make sure I was well in ketosis for a cricket match on Saturday morning. I certainly was and thoroughly enjoyed my game. Did not score too many but had covered over 10k by the time the game finished.

Post match a meat pie and a couple of beers could not be resisted. Very pleased though that I am now back on track.

I intend to now fast from Sunday evening to Monday evening each week and to make sure I keep my exercise up.

Have also started an Instagram account Mcardle.keto to show some meals and my daily diet for the next few weeks, at least.

Fasting again

16 March

After eating only one modest meal yesterday my fast starts today with travel to Koh Samui this evening. No doubt the next 10 days will be challenging but I plan to maximise the benefit of time away by sticking to only water and coconut water for the next 7 to 10 days. ‎Koh Samui is where my fasting journey started, and where, in 2014 I felt the incredible benefit of ketosis. I return to seek to relax and reenergise, to lose weight and to get back into the rhythm of exercise to keep me at my best. At 84kg, tired, irritable, drinking far too much coffee and not exercising it is time for action and time to get back on track, and then to stick with a Low Carb, Health Fat diet (thanks Terri Chambers) which should keep me in ketosis and energised.

Of course this is in some ways self indulgent but at this juncture, with a space available work wise, it will be a benefit provided I use the time well, which I intend to do. And given many religions include fasting periods I am not alone in finding benefit in a fast.

Some might question a 10 day water fast ‎and I am in no way advocating the path I choose to follow. Each of us makes our own choice. I am not being medically advised and while I respect the medical profession I do not feel they have a monopoly on knowledge. One needs simply to study the advice on eating eggs over the last 30 years to realise medical opinion evolves. I know my body better than anyone and, since there are few McArdle's specialists, I choose to follow the route which I feel best and living in keto is for me the best way. I firmly believe as more study is done that medical science will confirm that, for M patients who can tolerate a Low Carb Healthy Fat diet, that diet will become a recommended one. Not for everyone but given the anecdotal evidence of more and more people certainly a benefit in terms of quality of life for many. Equally fasting is not for everyone and but I have fasted annually, at least once for the last 10 years, though only since 2014 on only water alone.

My daily diary for the fast below: (only water except where indicated!)

Day one a day in the office draws to a conclusion and I feel in good shape though shoulders are reminding me why I normally travel with a bag on wheels, shoulder carrying just does not work with M.

Day two begins and after a disturbed night I awake with a headache. Will be taking it easy today...‎ a walk, a massage a steam and a nap quickly sorted the headache. Even managed a trip to the market where the aroma of freshly cooked Thai food was tempting. A further walk and a 500m swim have completed my exercise for the day. A quiet night in with a bottle of water awaits.

Day three and after another restless night I enter the pool at 7am for a 750m swim. Then a long 10k walk, interrupted by a coffee in a French Boulangerie (my detox, my way), and ‎then a haircut and massage complete my morning. Work email and some reading then follow. Feeling good and could clearly taste ketosis when I awoke, a somewhat acrid lingering taste, but one that promises freedom of movement . Another 8k walk this evening without any hint of M. Treated myself to fresh coconut water in celebration. Think tomorrow will be a swim day. Also a few teaspoons of Greek yoghurt before bed.

Day four and after a good night's sleep, despite mosquito bites, gained in securing WiFi access to follow England's remarkable win over South Africa‎, awake refreshed. 1km swim to start the day with no M issue or even hint of it. Clearly I am well in ketosis and mid morning walk emphasises the point as I throw in a few jogs for fun.
A further 750m swim and walk that sees me up to 13km for the day. Not really feeling hungry but would love to taste some of the food I am walking past!‎ A few more teaspoons of Greek Yoghurt will have to suffice.


Day five a side effect of fasting for me is waking earlier than usual and totally ready to go this morning 6 am. After catching up on sport overnight I was on the road by 7am for a 12k walk. Napped at lunchtime and relaxed until I ventured to the night market. There temptation got the better of me and I sampled some of the local delicacies. Had to engage in some negotiation with bemused vendors who did not understand why I only wanted 1 quail egg, instead of the standard 6 egg portion. A pork skewer, a mini omlette (size of a tablespoon) and finally two spoons of Phad Thai completed my trip off reservation. Hopefully this won't impact the efficacy of my fast. Have to say tasted so good!

Day six pleased to say my ‎indulgence last night seems to have gone unnoticed and I was up early and straight in the pool for 1.5k swim without pause or pain. Boredom was all that stopped me from going further. Without really setting out to have clocked up over 8k walking so far today as well. Have decided to cut short my stay here by a day and so will continue the fast in Singapore, where the chocolate in the fridge will hopefully prove less tormenting than the local food stalls.
Ended the day having walked 13km without really thinking about it.

Day seven begins with an 8km stroll and two tiny Thai fish cakes. Then it's time to pack and head for the airport refreshed and reenergized by my 5 days here. Am aiming for at least 3 more days of fasting all on piste when I get back. In truth food is less and less of an issue and my excursions have been more about taste than hunger. Will be interesting to see the tale of the scales in the morning...

Was seriously questioning my decision to change flights after a "too strong tailwind" caused a last minute go around and further turbulence had some deep breathing around the cabin. Landed to a normal Singapore day. Evening walk took me to 12k for the day, while I checked my blood ketone level and pleased with the 2.6mmol/L result.

Day eight begins with a minor disappointment when scales read 79kg, had hoped for a little more. But given this represents a 5kg weight loss I guess not all bad. 8k early morning walk is effortless and so mid morning after one coffee I head to the gym. Checking afterwards only my fourth recorded session of the year (I really have been lax). 6.36km at an average speed of 7.6kmph was also less than I have hoped but I did manage 3x 6 minute jogs, something I had done once year to date. Equally it was not my muscles causing me to slow but my aerobic capacity. Confident I'll have a year to date best within the next few days and that I can then target my lifetime PB. ‎ 12k walked today so my heaviest exercise day so far. Have enjoyed a few teaspoons of humus and a little chicken salad to celebrate .

Day nine and at lunch time I feel hungry for the first time and so have a small green mango salad and a hard boiled egg. A break in my fast but not the end..........

Time to get serious....

After failing to follow a full keto/exercise regime over the past couple of months I have decided it is time to recommit fully and for me that starts with a fast and exercise week in Koh Samui. Today I have begun to prepare for the fast by adopting a green smoothie diet, with just smoothies consisting of spinach, avocado, walnuts, chia seeds, coconut oil, olive oil and water to nourish me through the day. Plus a few cups of coffee.

I intend that to be my staple for 3 days and then to begin a fast and exercise regime on Thursday in Koh Samui – the aim is to lose 5-6kg in the next two weeks, toget deep into ketosis and then to re-establish a more consistent and regular exercise regime thereafter. 

Keto working well at the beginning of 2016

I don't think I have played two games of cricket in a weekend in at least 15 years. This past weekend I have, and have contributed, and most importantly not had a single M issue. I was moderately in ketosis yesterday at 0.4MMol and in a format where each age range from U20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50 and over 50 has to have two players I was in the latter and bowled 4 overs and over the weekend fielded for 60 overs (3hours plus).



Over Christmas I spent a week skiing again focussing on a low carb diet with plenty of fat. I skied 5 days, morning and afternoon, in a 10 person group led by an instructor. That meant few stops and lots of ground covered. Again M was not an issue.



Whether a full ketogenic diet is needed or whether improvement can be gained simply through keeping carbs low is perhaps up for debate. I am 100% sure that for me restricting carbs and getting into ketosis enables me to do things I could not otherwise. ‎




On the fat front I am finding with nuts seeds, avocado, fish and plenty of olive oil I am hitting a 70/20/10 ratio of fats/protein/carbs quite easily. No longer supplementing with whipped cream or cheese so often.




Have yet to establish a regular treadmill regime in 2016 but have managed a session of 50 mins in which I covered 6.6km at an average speed of 8kmph....