Update on T2D 20181124

Right off, a few upside victories:

• I fit into a pair of black jeans that I've not worn for a few years.
• My infinite hole belt continues to get longer in use.

There are a number of metrics I pay attention to. To describe what they're telling me, and how I noticed the plateau in my progress, let's go back to first principles:

• I'm a T2D, and not happy about it, or about the insulin I take to control hyperglycemia.
• T2D is a result of being overfed, having hyperinsulinemia, and being insulin resistant;
• Weight Gain is also a result of being overfed.

So, working bottom to top, my primary metric is to lose weight, with the supposition that being at a lower weight, and then, in calorie balance, will improve my insulin resistance, and hence my T2D condition. My technique of choice to do that is fasting. Fasting implies, but doesn't require, calorie restriction. There's virtue to not being in the fed state longer, which is a good thing in and of itself. But, if you intend to lose weight, over time, you need to eat less.

My weight has plateaued at 193-196 pounds, and our grocery spending seems to have dropped not much at all. The implication is that I'm eating "as much" as I have been, even though I'm spending less time doing it.

BG drop per unit Lantus shot

I have one "undemonstrated" ("failed" sounds too final) expectation: BG drop per unit Lantus taken, as a measure of insulin sensitivity. My expectation is that progress here means that I'm more sensitive to Lantus, hence insulin, hence my pancreas is doing more of its job. Well, undemonstrated. The linear regression line is flat. No slope, no trend, flat. The R-squared value is currently very small (and I've seen smaller). No correlation between the passage of time, and units shot.

So, my things to do:

• Keep track of what I eat - calories, macros, et al.
• Use a food log (I know, and I still hate the idea)
• myFitnessPal is free and sufficiently functional
• Push that amount and numbers down
• Continue the established fasting and exercise patterns
• Track weight daily, to keep pressure on my personal feedback cycle
• Continue to eat low carb, and increase protein. Fats make up the balance of calories.
• Zero carb is a meat only diet. I think about it.
• Stay motivated. 
• This condition took me decades to get into, and will take me more than a few months to get out of.

Motivation coach #1: Alexander J.A Cortes @AJA_Cortes

You're Either Disciplined or you are Not

There is nothing profound about this. It's a question of "how bad do you want it?".

As I like to say, pick and choose how you want to live and die. There is no secret to fat loss. You either do what you need to do, or you do not. Discipline is consistency.

A Plateau is a sign of PROGRESS

It means you have solidified skills and you can refine them and practice them before ascending to the next level

A Plateau is when your learning and the qualities you've picked up are fully reinforced

Motivation coach #2: Black Sabbath

Just pull the trigger on your hypodermic pistol
Each time you're dying without knowing, you live too fast
You live too fast