Day 30 Keto Sis ....

Today is day 30. I am down 8 pounds. Not much has happened in the last 10 days. I am okay with that. What I want you to know is that this happens. I am not in a panic. I know that the body sometimes takes a break to adjust to a new "normal". One of these weeks I will step on the scale and see a couple of pounds gone. And so it goes.

What do you do when you don't see a loss that you expected?

I used to hop on the internet and look for reasons why I have stalled. I would spend a lot of time and energy looking for a solution -and end up frustrated and disappointed.

This time, I am just doing what I know works.

I had a piece of salmon and some Brussels sprouts with grass fed butter, moments ago. YUM!

I think I have finally switched over to a LIFESTYLE mode rather than a diet.

And really, with Kerrygold butter, life is better!

Today I am going to work on some fat bombs. I love love love fat bombs! I don't like bad fat bombs!

All of my yummy fat bombs are gone, icky ones are still hiding in the freezer.
I love to research. I figure someone else has already done the experimenting and I just have to find it.
I finally found a bunch of recipes I am going to try...
Low Carbe Diem
I have downloaded a bunch of them and will share the results on my next video. Yes, I do videos. I am a talker more than a writer so youtube is a must. Here is a link to my youtube channel : Keto Sis
If you are on there and don't have the link saved, you can search "Keto Sis" with quotes and you will find me!
I want to leave you with this thought... fat bombs are your friend. They crush sweet cravings, they satisfy, and fill you up. I also get bored easily so having all of these little yummies to choose from makes me super happy!
All the recipes from Low Carbe Diem use liquid stevia, which I don't love. So I went in search of how to figure out how much swerve to use for 6 drops of stevia. Sure enough someone else has already figured that out. I thought it would be helpful to share here too. Sneaky Kitchen has the chart that I will use to make the recipes from Low Carbe Diem.
Wish me luck!

Day 20 in Ketogenic Lifestyle

So 7 lbs in 19 days is not earth shattering. BUT it is 7lbs lighter! And considering my age and hormones, I see it as a big win! 

Last Saturday we had a big party. I had to have & prepare loads of carb filled goodies for our guests who do not follow a ketogenic lifestyle. I did it AND I made a few Keto hits too.

Along side of the delicious Costco birthday cake, I made Keto Cookies. I wanted to celebrate with a goodie alongside everyone else. These are my favorite treats. My kids always want them because they are good cookies, not good KETO cookies.

In addition to the best Keto Cookies recipes, I want to share with you my favorite on the go, "fast food" that I like to keep on hand.

Hard boiled eggs.... you can boil them yourself or you can run into the grocery store and grab these. I keep these on hand for quick meal. 

I eat them out of the package with salt & pepper

I eat them with a bit of mayo, & dill relish (egg salad)

I eat them with the yolks blended with a bit of may & seasoning (deviled eggs)

I eat them fried with Parmesan crust

They are just good, fast, and easy.

Next up.... 

I LOVE these! I have one day a week when I am busy from 7am to 8pm.

I usually have these with me. I will eat a few for lunch, and the rest for supper.

I don't really miss  pizza when I can eat these!

My last suggestion for a quick Keto meal or snack:

yum. salt & pepper and eat!

I would love to hear from you on some of your go-to snacks. You meaning anyone out there who may happen to read this... maybe

_________________________________________

Recipe

Lemon Shortbread keto cookies

iNGREDIENTS

• 6 Tbsp butter
• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sweetener (I like Swerve)
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest (I have used lemon juice & lemon extract)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan.
2. Add the almond flour, sweetener, and lemon zest, stirring until fully combined.
3. Form dough (it will be crumbly, this is normal) into a cylinder and wrap tightly with plastic wrap to compress.
4. Chill in freezer for 30 minutes or until firm, or in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
5. With a sharp knife, slice into 1/2 inch thick cookies (if they crumble apart your dough isn’t cold enough or you didn't pack your roll tight enough).
6. Bake in a preheated oven @ 350 degrees (F) on a parchment lined cookie sheet for 15 minutes, or until firm and golden brown.
7. Allow to cool before removing.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cookie
• Calories: 119
• Fat: 11g
• Carbohydrates: 1.6g net
• Protein: 3g

Cooking Vs. Baking

For those of us looking to understand why conventional wisdom about weight loss doesn't work for our bodies/metabolisms, I wish to present to you my own person shift in thinking. Our culture wants a recipe to follow to lose weight. For example:

They will tell you... Eat less, move more. Eat lots of veggies and whole grains. Move more. Get your steps in, cardio 5x a week.... everything in moderation. Or maybe... keep your calories under 1500, eat steel cut oatmeal for breakfast (NEVER skip breakfast it is the most important meal of the day), eat a salad for lunch, and a sensible dinner AND you will lose weight.

How many of you have followed their recipes?

I have.

Even when I turned to Keto, I found loads of people looking for a recipe for Keto. 

What do I eat? Which sweetener should I use? What do I order when at a restaurant?

I was right there with them!

It finally dawned on me after talking with someone that has been quietly successful on Keto. He has lost 80lbs and no one has really even said much of anything to him. I gave him the book, Why We Get Fat, and then I watched him shrink down all year. 

I was frustrated with my inability to stick with it consistently. I sat down and asked him about what he has done and how does he continue to stick with it given his job (his job requires a ton of social eating where he is not in control of menu options). He said he does the best he can under the circumstances, and that if he can't keep 100% keto, he doesn't beat himself up. Instead he jumps right back into it. His year had some ups and downs but overall ...HE LOST 80 POUNDS!

It was after that conversation that I realized I was looking at weight loss like baking instead of cooking.

Still confused? 

I have always professed a love for cooking and a disdain for baking. When questioned about this I always explain it like this... The reason I prefer to cook rather than bake is the same reason I preferred art classes to science class.

In art and in cooking, I am able to play, and express myself and provided I possess a few basic skills and understanding of the process, I can create something worthwhile.

Baking on the other hand is like chemistry class. It requires precision in measurements, timing, temperature, and procedure. There is seldom a successful lets-just-wing-it in baking. It requires you to follow a recipe step by step without variance. 

So what does this have to do with changing how I think about Ketogenic Lifestyle?

I was approaching weight loss like baking.

Give me a recipe to follow. I will do it. I will lose weight.

But in reality, I have been given a list of ingredients: fat, moderate protein,  under 20grams of carbs.

How I throw those together to work for me and my body is different from how others will do it.

Just like in cooking.

Think about potato salad. Every family has their own way of making potato salad --no two salads are the same, but they all use potatoes, mayo, pickles.... some might add mustard, onions, celery, bacon...

you get the picture.

I had to switch my thinking to me and how I do life. Once I had a basic understanding of how and why a ketogenic diet works for someone like me, then I had to figure out my own recipe.

So while it is helpful and encouraging to share what works for you, it is also important to know that each of us needs to find what works for us.

RECIPE

Hopefully, you have read the above entry and understand that I rarely measure. I don't have measurements for you. 

I want to talk about fatbombs.

I love fatbombs. I don't eat them everyday. I don't even eat them once a week. I generally turn to fatbombs for one of two reasons. First, because I am hungry but not wanting to make anything and I just want the hunger to go away. Second, to satisfy a sweet craving.

My first successful batch remained in my freezer for months. I finished them up last night so I went in search of some recipes to try. I have been searching for 4 months. I didn't like any of them. Some that I tried I actually tossed in the trash. They were icky.

So today as I was writing this blog post it occurred to me that I had a basic understanding of what a fatbomb is so why not just make my own. So I did.

I ended up with 4 different kinds of fatbombs: Chocolate/peanut butter, Coffee/hazelnut, Cinnamon Toast, and English Toffee

I started with the two things I like in my fatbombs:

Grass-fed butter

Coconut oil

I took almost a full thing of butter and about a half jar of coconut oil and put it in a pan on low heat to combine. When it was melted, I poured it into a measuring cup and it was 2 cups.

I used 1/2 cup as a base for each of the 4 fat bombs.

Chocolate/peanut butter- I added a couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder and natural peanut butter plus 3 packets of swerve. I combined and poured into silicone molds.

Coffee/hazelnut- I added one packet of Starbucks Via instant coffee, some heavy whipping cream, hazelnut extract, and 3 packets of swerve. Stir to combine and pour into silicone molds.

Cinnamon Toast- I added heavy whipping cream, cinnamon, 1 pump of vanilla sugar free syrup, and 2 packets of swerve

English Toffee- I added heavy whipping cream, 2 pumps of English Toffee sugar free syrup, and one packet of swerve. 

After taking them out of the molds, the sugar free syrup separated from the mix. I won't use it again.

I will stick to extracts. Be careful of too much cream. My coffee fatbombs separated and didn't fully set. 

What I learned: No sugar free syrup. Very little heavy whipping cream. And next time use unsalted butter :-)

Make a Plan.... What Do I Do Now?

Maybe you have done some research on the Ketogenic Diet, and you think this might be a solution for you. If you are anything like me, you are asking yourself, "what do I do now?"

That is a loaded question and not an easy one to answer.

I remember feeling overwhelmed with having to buy this or that tool or new substitute item. I won't tell you what to get but instead offer some suggestions that will  help answer those questions that will suit your life and your situation best.

Do you have a thing or ritual you don't want to give up?

I start my day with one cup of coffee. I enjoy the taste and ritual of it. The problem for me, is that I like it with sugar and half & half. I get bored easily in general and with food. I like to flavor my coffee in a variety of ways. I realized the first thing I need to do is find a Keto way to have my coffee.

The first thing was to switch my half & half for heavy whipping cream. Done.

Next, I need to find a sweetener that I could tolerate. I like sugar. I have never been hooked on soda (diet or regular) so I have never liked artificial sweeteners. 

Here is what the Keto world will tell you to use:

Stevia

Erythritol

Monk Fruit

Swerve

The Keto world will tell you to avoid the artificial sweeteners you are most likely already familiar with. For me, personally, this is a process. I use different sweeteners for different things. I still use splenda in my coffee. There is no easy answer. You will have to try things and see what works for you. I started with my coffee. I purchased sugar free syrups and use them to sweeten and flavor my coffee.

This is the one I tried first. It is sweetened with Splenda. I tried these because they are the ones available to me. I live in a rural area and this was the only brand available at my grocery store. I have tried the vanilla, caramel, raspberry, and hazelnut. My least favorite is the raspberry.

I have just placed an order from Amazon for these:

Another brand but made with the same sweetener. I figure since only drink one cup a day, I am doing it. If you drink more you may find it prevents you from staying in ketosis. Every body is different. This journey is about seeing what works for you and what doesn't. You are the only one who can answer those questions. So coffee was a big deal for me. It may not be for you.  

Figure out what is a priority and work toward a Keto solution.

After the coffee issue was resolved I had to find food to have on hand that I could grab quickly.

Eggs!

I adore eggs. I love fried eggs, boiled eggs, deviled eggs, egg salad, scrambled eggs...

This is my go-to food.

I get my eggs fresh from my friend who has a lot of chickens. I boil some and keep them on hand for a quick meal. When I am out of them or I am on the go, the grocery store now carries boiled eggs in a 2 pack or 6 pack. That makes it easy to keep keto anywhere.

You may not love eggs like I do, so you will have to...

find a quick go-to item to have on hand that will keep you keto 

...but also work with those times when you need something quick. 

Lastly, find a few meals you like and try to keep those items in stock in your home. This has been a challenge for me and one I am still working on a few years down the line. I think because I get bored, and I am preparing 2 meals (one for me and one for the rest of the family) this is particularly challenging. You may not have the same circumstances. 

My family loves casseroles. Most of which are carb ladened. I am still trying to find a way to bring my family's love of carby casseroles and my ketogenic life together harmoniously.  sigh.

If you are just starting out.. or trying again... be sure to make a plan!

Figure out what is a priority and work toward a Keto solution.

Find a quick go-to item to have on hand that will keep you Keto.

Find a few meals you like and try to keep those items in stock in your home.

RECIPES

I shared with you what I do for coffee. As for eggs and recipes I don't have any really, but can suggest the following:

Fried eggs (in grass fed butter) with bacon

Deviled eggs with mayo, dill pickle, and a wee bit of mustard

a slice of hard salami wrapped around a boiled egg (a favorite)!

and I want to share a favorite Keto recipe:

I love Carl Franklin's recipes (of 2 Keto Dudes). I tend to use his recipes rather that Richard's (the other Keto Dude) because he is in the states and I usually am familiar with his recipes and they are easier for my family. No offense to Richard. 

This one I tried a few weeks ago. My kids were all home and fully prepared to make something else after trying my keto pizza. We had a bad cauliflower crust pizza disaster a few years ago and since then the kids have been reluctant to get on board any Keto pizza... until Carl's fathead pizza.

Not only did they eat it, they asked for more!

You can find CARL'S RECIPE HERE

See you next week, 

Your Keto Sis'

Joan

                                                                                    

What is a Ketogenic Diet? A keto or ketogenic diet is a very low-carb diet, which turns the body into a fat-burning machine. Fat is fuel, protein is moderate (just enough to maintain lean muscle mass), and carbs are kept to less than 20 grams a day (from above ground veggies that are low on the glycemic index)

This blog will document my journey through a transition to a Ketogenic lifestyle. I plan to address specific topics each week, answer a common question, and post a recipe I have tried and use.

Getting Prepared for Keto Reboot

I am preparing for a lifestyle change. I have been dancing with it for several years. A ketogenic diet is easy and difficult at the same time. The ease of it comes after you are in ketosis and are fat adapted. The difficult part is the journey from consuming carbage to being in ketosis. Each individual responds differently and experiences varying degrees of severity. 

So why a ketogenic diet?

I should state at the onset, I am not a doctor. I am not offering any medical advice. I am sharing my own journey through ketosis and why I decided this was the best way for me and my crazy messed up metabolism. 

So here is my story...

I was a skinny kid. I grew up and wore a size 4 to a size 8 through most of my life. 

In my mid twenties I was diagnosed with PCOS

I went to see an endocrinologist who told me to run 5 miles a day. Not helpful doc. At age 32 I became pregnant with my first child and I never could lose the weight from that pregnancy. After 2 additional pregnancies (where I had gestational diabetes) the weight just wouldn't come off.

I didn't eat a ton but I was addicted to carbs.

Over the years, I found Adkins and had some success. This was the beginning of the realization that sugar/insulin held the key to my issues. I eventually found Keto and over a couple of years I would go on and off of it. I was able to lose 20 lbs and keep it off, but wasn't fully convinced I needed to stick to it for life. I now know that my only hope of changing my body and health is to adopt a ketogenic lifestyle. This realization has come through reading books, talking with doctors, watching youtube, and listening to others who are finding success with Keto. I have also had periods on and off the diet and know firsthand the difference in my body. So, January 1, 2018 I am committing to go keto. 

I want to document my journey because over the years I haven't found a lot of older women sharing on the internet. The truth is if you are a woman over 50, your experience is vastly different than a 25 year old man or woman. It is all about the hormones. I have heard of men dropping 70 lbs in the first 3 months of Keto. Often women will need to be in ketosis for 3 months before the weight will release. That is not easy. Here is another truth for me... I feel so much better while eating a ketogenic diet. So even if the weight comes of slowly I feel better everyday.

So how do you prepare for the ketogenic diet? 

Strategy.

I drink one cup of coffee in the morning. It used to be a little coffee with my cream and sugar. Knowing that I need to come up with a plan for my morning ritual, I am experimenting with a few things. 

For some people it is an easy transition, it is not for me. I am the only one eating this way in my household and I prepare meals for the family. That alone is challenging. I will try to share what I have tried and what works and hasn't worked along the way. The hardest thing has been finding a sweetner that keeps me in ketosis, that doesn't kick in cravings, and that doesn't taste icky.

Every body responds differently so you really do have to experiment. 

If you are considering a ketogenic diet, please do research and talk to your doctor.

I have a list of books, websites, movies, and podcasts that have been helpful to me - located in the sidebar.