My wife and I started an approximate ketogenic diet on June 8th. (Approximate in that we are applying basic macro guidelines, without following a prepared meal plan, yet.)

I have dieted in various ways, healthy and unhealthy, for most of my life. I was a high school football player and wrestler, two sports which differ in their “mass expectations.” Even in the Marine Corps, the weight scale was always my nemesis.

A couple years ago I received a “surprise diagnosis” of type-2 diabetes. My March 2015 A1C was 9.6. I worked out regularly and ate more conscientiously, bringing my A1C down to 6.1 by October.   (My last check was at 6.7.)

My daily morning fasting glucose ran steadily around 135 for months, so I stopped daily testing. When we started the KETO diet on June 8 I tested for the first time in months. The result was 154. In the week since: 6/9-148, 6/13-106, 6/14-97. My weight, which is always a more dramatic drop early in a diet and I know will fluctuate, went from 234 to 226.

I am NOT focussing on the scale. Blood work results will be the metric of success. My triglycerides are super high at 517, and I need to see those come down. (I was recently prescribed gemfibrozil 1200mg daily.)

This is not meant to say we have solved anything … just a few objective numbers to consider as we start and evaluate this journey. My goal … to diet and exercise off of my prescriptions.