​This week, it's been gloomy. We had several days of non-stop rain, which was quite unusual for August. However, it's good because it will help with the wildfire situation in BC and Washington. They are so destructive.  In the end, smoke from those fires hovers over our Bay, and it's pretty miserable once that happens.  Our son Stevie came in on Saturday morning just as Bethany and her family left. It's really great seeing him. He and Steve went fishing several times and hauled in many crabs. He'll be taking a suitcase full of seafood back with him to Austin tomorrow morning. We also had guests over on Saturday night. These are people that we met last year at Thanksgiving. They live in Semiahmoo and spend a great deal of time in Hawaii. We visited with them when they went to Oahu, and now that we are back in Birch Way, we've been wanting to try to get together. We finally managed to do that Saturday night and had a lovely visit. Our friend John had just been on a fishing trip in Alaska and caught a ton of lovely salmon.  He brought us a huge king filet. So far, I'm continuing to lose weight even with all the gatherings I'm participating in. Our neighbors participated in a block party on Sunday that turned out quite well. The idea was for us to meet one another and visit with those we already knew. Everyone brought a snack, and we all sat around and talked for a few hours. It was quite nice. There's nothing new on the keto front except that it works. I'm looking forward to reaching my goal weight by the end of September.

     ​Crabbing started on Thursday this past week and is as good as ever.  Steve caught our limit, totaling ten, two days in a row, but pulled the crab pots because the Lummi Island natives started crabbing in our Bay on Friday.  Sometimes, they remove the smaller pots, probably because they resent the fact that Chief Seattle gave their lands away by treaty.  Chief Seattle, leader of the Suquamish and Duwamish tribes, led the negotiation of treaties with the U.S. government, particularly the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott, which shaped the future of the tribes in the region.  The treaty led to the loss of much of the tribal lands and their access to waterways in the area.  Although Chief Seattle negotiated to ensure peaceful relations between his people and the settlers, many younger Native Americans in the area resent his actions and decision-making.  This area remains culturally and environmentally significant, and efforts to preserve its ecosystems and the heritage of the Native American tribes that have lived there for millennia became part of Washington State's policies several decades ago.  However, resentment remains among many people whose lives center around fishing and crabbing in this area.  Therefore, it is best to get out of their way, and that's what we did.  They moved on at the end of the day Sunday, so Steve put his crab pots back as soon as the tide came in.  He'll go back out later this evening and bring them in again until Thursday when crabbing is allowed again.  We had several crab feasts, including one on Saturday evening.  Steve's sister and family came, as did our White Rock, B.C. friends. We had a wonderful time, and our food was delicious.  This time of year is always enjoyable because people visit, and we can easily provide a fabulous food fest.  Best of all, crab with butter is keto-friendly, so I can fully participate! 

​     I just returned from a lovely afternoon with my neighbors in Birch Bay.   My friend invited us all over for tea and homemade muffins.  I had to forgo most of the food, but I enjoyed the visit.  I'm enjoying other visits as well.  We spent the weekend with family including Steve's sister, who came to Birch Bay with her girls.  Steve took her out fishing along with his brother.  They caught lingcod, coho, and king salmon, all delicious!  I cooked one of the coho whole, and everyone enjoyed it.  It's fun to get together, especially around excellent food.  In other news, I'm considering discontinuing my blog at the end of September, even if I have not lost all the weight I planned on losing.  I still have about ten pounds to go.  If I lose the final ten, I'll be at the top of my appropriate weight. However, I intend to continue the keto diet for many reasons. I plan to continue this diet for the rest of my life. I've delineated all the positive outcomes throughout this blog. I may modify it slightly, but because my blood work is so good and I've experienced minimal impact regarding my lifelong epilepsy issue, I plan to continue keto. Living a primarily carb-free life has benefited me tremendously. As I said last week, some studies have linked simple carbohydrates to Alzheimer's disease, and I certainly don't want to go down that road.  Whether it is good to follow a keto diet indefinitely depends on various factors, including health goals, lifestyle, and any underlying medical conditions.  I know I'll find it easier to maintain my weight loss on a keto diet because it reduces hunger and cravings.  It also helps stabilize blood sugar levels, which can benefit people like me with insulin resistance.  I think that I have higher energy levels and mental clarity on keto.  The problems occur if I do not monitor my intake of foods with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but I'm very careful and include my statin smoothie every day, which covers that for the most part. My cholesterol levels are good, so keto is not a problem.  As with all things, monitoring myself and adjusting if necessary are essential.  So far, I'm thriving on keto and feel I will continue to thrive. It definitely works for me!

What a great week!  The weather was gorgeous, and because it was so lovely, Steve got in several fishing days and did very well.  He caught two large salmon and a huge lingcod, my favorite fish. Everything he caught works for keto, and he really enjoys eating fish as well. We had company this weekend and shared our catch.  It was a wonderful time!  Steve's sister and family arrive today, so we plan on having much more family fun.  In the meantime, I've been thinking a lot about keeping my brain in good shape. I'm not concerned about Alzheimer's because there is no history of it in my family. Nevertheless, I don't want to take any chances, so I do everything possible to prevent it.  It surprised me when I saw that a ketogenic diet may help combat Alzheimer's disease.  Because the keto diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, the liver converts the fat into ketone bodies that can fuel the brain's neurons. People with Alzheimer's have impaired glucose metabolism, so the brain may benefit from using ketones instead of glucose for energy. Also, the ketogenic diet may reduce inflammation, which can also benefit the brain.  One study found that the keto diet delayed the onset of Alzheimer's by increasing levels of the beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) molecule.  BHB supports energy transfer from the liver to the body in humans when glucose levels are low.  Another thing I learned is that Alzheimer's directly involves the shrinking of the hippocampus in the early stages. According to my research, the hippocampus begins to shrink as people age, particularly if they do not engage in new learning. However, working to learn new things can cause the hippocampus to maintain or even grow. As with weightlifting, if you don't increase the weight, your muscles will not grow.  Therefore, working on difficult things that cause some real learning is like weightlifting for your brain.  I’m weak in math.  Consequently, I've started reviewing geometry and aim to learn higher-level mathematics. I started this week and will let you know how it goes. This endeavor should help me maintain or grow the hippocampus, which is critical for many brain functions, including memory retrieval, emotion regulation, spatial navigation, and other things. I'll sit here in my living room and work on geometry while I watch Steve come in with more fish! Yum!