I've been doing Slow Carb Light™ lately. That means I've been doing free day, beans, lentils and occasional cheats (cheese, "white foods"). I've gained 5 lbs doing this which could be more muscle, but may be more fat since I've also stopped all weight lifting. Back on the wagon, I added the magic pill for sub 80 mg/dL fasting glucose: ice baths. I experimented with something new: 20 pounds of ice and 30 minutes instead of 20 in the tub.

The effect of warmer water and longer exposure isn't mentioned in the Tim Ferriss book Four Hour Body. However, he does suggest that he achieved 60% of his weight loss and muscle gain improvements with ice packs on his upper back 5 nights a week. The extreme 30-50 lbs of ice in a tub approach is exhilarating. But, it's also quite painful. A little less cold seems to have the very same effect on my fasting blood glucose. And, for me, this is the indicator I'm looking at.

As mentioned in other posts, a sub 80 mg/dL fasting blood glucose is the goal. There's no question I feel much better with this level, but research indicates there's as much as a 300% increased risk of heart disease with fasting bg above 100 mg/dL. In the study I read, the dramatic segregator seems to be >100 and <80 fasting blood glucose readings. Since I've only one test subject for longevity and defense against heart disease (yours truly), I'm going with the data I know, which marks sub 80 mg/dL as the target.

Other indicators show up in my blood labs. My total cholesterol plummeted from horrible to normal range and my HDL (good cholesterol) went from 30 to 37. HDL under 40 is a heart attack risk indicator on its own. I moved much closer to an optimal level in this 90 day test. No drug presently prescribed and sold on the US market delivers results like this. I achieved this with the Slow Carb Diet™ and ice baths, 30-50 lbs in a normal size tub 20 minutes 3 days a week. HDL is an inigma, largely unachievable without drastic lifestyle changes. But, lifestyle changes do get you there and the numbers don't lie. You are actually healthier if you hit these numbers.

Glucose levels alone are not the number to watch, but that number seems to impact all others in a huge way. If glucose isn't stable and suppressed, everything else goes awry. So, again, a sub 80 bg is the goal and 30 minute baths of 45-50F water seems to do the trick for me.