Weight loss

# 26 Uric Acid Part 1: Gouty Tales

Optimal uric acid levels are important, as I’ve recently discovered. Roy says, somewhat sourly*, that I love buying gadgets and machines – and I do! But the gadgets I invest in are relatively small and inexpensive, especially considering their health benefits. 

My latest acquisition is a UA Sure uric acid monitor.

All this – monitor, finger-pricking device, lancets, test strips, log book and more – for well under A$160. A modest investment in our health, right?

And here is Roy’s latest project: the house we’re building in Iluka, WA:

I rest my case.

*The sourness could be explained by the fact that I have been going on a bit about the possible dangers of too much fructose (some fruits, honey, but especially the high fructose corn syrup in ultra-processed junk food); alcohol; and purines (found in all sorts of otherwise healthy foods). So it could just be that poor Roy is afraid of being denied everything that has, so far, made life worth living.

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#24 Hey, Honey – local is lekker!

As you can’t have helped noticing, says VERNE MAREE, Big, Bad Sugar is the new villain on the block, having taken the place of fat. Now fat is good, as long as it is good fat. That generally holds true wherever you’ve planted your flag in the diet wars. (Except for low-fat vegans, who are unlikely to make old bones… or be reading this blog.)

But there may be a special place reserved for honey. There’s most definitely a place for it in my Low Carb, No Crap™ diet and lifestyle plan.

Postcode honey – as local as it gets! Photo credit: Carrie Titchmarsh

That’s because I don’t believe carbs are the enemy, either… unless they’re carbage, like anything white and refined. Eating the Low Carb, No Crap™ way doesn’t mean villifying carbs. (It’s more about choosing your carbs selectively, and according to your unique needs and tolerance levels.)

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#22 How is Your Light Diet? Part Two: Circadian Rhythm

How is your light diet? For your best night’s sleep ever and to reduce unwanted body fat, VERNE MAREE recommends hacking your circadian rhythm with red light in the morning, getting plenty of natural daylight, and minimising blue light after dark.

As promised in Part One of this series on light, here are some thoughts on how sunrise and  morning light sets us up for a good night’s sleep, and how too much blue light can actually make us fat!

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#20 Orthorexia, a new eating disorder?

Orthorexia – or orthorexia nervosa – is a newish and very first-world condition. And no orthorexic is likely to admit to being one, says VERNE MAREE.

I know a bit about body dysmorphia and disordered eating, so when Roy says things like: “I’ll have just one bite of cake,” or “Let’s share that banana”, my spidey sense is alerted.

You’ll remember that Roy lost 35kg on my Low Carb, No Crap® eating plan; and it’s great that he’s determined to keep it off. But when he asks for three chips with his fish, is he going too far?

He has lost the weight, and he’s keeping it off

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#16 Are you gluten intolerant?

Are you gluten intolerant? Gluten intolerance is more widespread than previously thought, and gluten may be harming people in ways they never dreamt of. VERNE MAREE spills the beans on what going gluten-free did for her.

A few days ago, I did a gazillion squats and lunges in a Les Mills Bodypump class at Craigie Leisure Centre, followed by a yoga session. The next day, I jogged 8km along our hilly coastal path. The morning after that, I walked for miles along Burns Beach, basking in the perfection of the day.

So what? Well, just a couple of years ago, that little lot would have seen me limping around, moaning about sore hips and possibly swallowing a bunch of anti-inflammatories.

What’s changed since then? Read on to find out!

Coastal path to Burns Beach – a nice, hilly run
Craigie Leisure Centre gym

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#14 Getting Back on Track after the Festive Season

Getting back on track ASAP after the festive season is a jolly good idea for health and longevity. Fortunately, while you’re still feeling utterly stuffed, it may not be so hard to do. 

Have you recently been derailed by mince pies? – or Prosecco, or pavlova, or whatever your seasonal poison may be? I know I have. It doesn’t take long to go off the rails. Fortunately, there’s nothing to stop us getting right back on track – and in the case of Roy and me, that means back on to the Low Carb, No Crap TM eating plan that helped him lose 35kg… and keep it off.

The pics below, taken a year apart, are presented as evidence. (It’s a shame I couldn’t afford a new dress.)

Slim, svelte Roy, Christmas 2020 …
… and again in Christmas 2021

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The Big Fat Surprise

#11 How Much Fat Do We Need to Eat?

How much fat we need depends on other things – how many carbs we can tolerate, for example, and what sort of fat we choose. Saturated fats from sustainably pastured animals is a pretty good start.

Note: The droolworthy featured image (above) is from the cover of The Big Fat Surprise, by Nina Teicholz

How much fat

I’ve always liked this old 16th-century English rhyme, mainly because it sounded just like my parents – my tall, skinny, carrot-crunching father and my plump, butter-loving mother. Luckily, though I inherited her penchant for pork crackling, fatty lamb chops and anything sautéed in butter, I also inherited a tendency to Dad’s lanky frame – as long as I curb my cursed sweet tooth!

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#3 Low-carb substitutes – how not to fall off the low-carb wagon

Try these easy, gluten-free and low-carb substitutes – almond meal, paleo seed bread, konjac, natural low-carb sweetener, plus ways with cauliflower that are almost too good to be true.

Going low-carb can be an effective diet strategy for shedding excess fat and keeping it off – apart from multiple other benefits that I will get to in future posts.

Here’s how I used easy comfort food substitutes to help Roy lose 35kg – and they certainly worked for him! An amazingly effective tool in lifestyle and body transformation, they can be useful for anyone practising keto, or simply cutting back on carbs for blood glucose control, metabolic flexibility or general health, wellness and longevity.

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Calamari salad and Pelligrino

#2 My Low-carb Lifestyle Plan for Weight Loss

This post explains our low-carb lifestyle: the low-carb, no-crap, whole-food plan that helped my husband Roy lose 35kg over 18 months and come off his blood pressure meds.  Apart from what to eat, it’s also about intermittent fasting, cooking from scratch and moderate exercise.

Before photos

Roybeforebaguette
French meal confit
Roy before Nambiti
Roy before wedding
Roy before Singapore
Roy before
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After a long summer 2019 of gastronomic excess in France, followed by my extended birthday celebrations in South Africa, then niece Charlie’s fancy wedding in London (via France), and a gluttonish stopover in Singapore, when we got to Perth WA at the end of February 2020, Roy was the first to admit he needed to cut back for a while – but neither of us had the slightest inkling of how successful he was going to be.

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#1 Why a health blog?

Here’s why I started a health blog – and it all started with my husband Roy’s  weight-loss and body transformation achievement that allowed him to lose 35kg and ditch his blood pressure meds. I also want to talk about wellness, longevity and biohacking – and to share tips on tackling my own issues: atherosclerosis, osteoporosis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

If any of this pushes your buttons – the good kind! – then welcome to the first post of my new blog, Living Long and Strong with Verne and Roy!

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