Some truth from one of my favorite ladies

My friend Mary over at Ketovangelist has written an article this week that is just wonderful. Check it out here:

http://www.ketovangelist.com/the-militant-among-us/

Now, look I said up front that Mary is a ball buster. That's not a joke. She is a very no-nonsense lady and that's part of what I love about her. In her piece (you did read it, right?) she delivers some very hard truths that will make some folks uncomfortable, but here's the thing:

She's right!

It has been 92 days since I decided to go keto. In that time I have lost 28 pounds (as of this morning), 2 even clothing sizes, 5 percentage points in body fat, and gone from a W (that's plus-size) to a Petite. I have stopped tracking almost completely. Not calories, not protein, not fat, not even carbs. In fact, the only time I ever open a carb tracker is when I go out to eat at a new place, and that's only so I don't receive any nasty surprises. I control my pantry and fridge and I am vigilant about what goes into it, so I know that I am fine eating what I have on hand and will not knock myself out of ketosis inadvertently at home. I also have had no, as in zero, cheats. No cheat meals. No bites here and there. Nothing. Zip. Nada. 

Know why I can do all that and it still works? Because I knew when I started that this is not a diet. This is a way of living. It is a lifestyle. And it is not something I'm doing for now until I get to my goal. It is something I'm doing FOR LIFE. As in forever.

This is a hard pill to swallow. People constantly "do" diets. It's this one today and another one next month. And that's why people constantly fail. Last week I read a piece from the UK on a long-term study they did. It showed that only 1% of people who were overweight managed to ever lose that weight and keep it off in their lifetime.

One percent.

Let that sink in a minute.

That means that right now, if you are overweight you will likely (as in you have a 99% chance to) remain overweight and unhealthy for the rest of your life.

WHY???

I would contend that is because the vast majority of people "go on a diet." And what happens when people go on diets? They expect to eventually go OFF the diet and go back to eating "normally," whatever that means to them. 

Folks, let me say something you're going to hate. If you go into the Ketogenic lifestyle with the attitude that you will eventually be able to go back to the old way of eating, YOU HAVE ALREADY FAILED.

Don't fall into the diet trap. This is a way of life and it is forever. That is the ONLY way to succeed. Get your mind right, ACCEPT that this is now your life, this is the way things are, and you can kick your excess body fat to the curb. You can beat back your fatigue, high blood sugar, and other symptoms and indicators of poor health. You CAN do it and you WILL do it, but you have to be all in. Make a commitment. Make a change. Make it for life.

KOKO, my babies!

Keto Day 91, and apologies for my laziness

Morning!

I've slacked off on the blogging for way too long. Thanks to my aunt who reminded me recently that it's been a while since I posted an update.

I've been chugging along and continuing to do really well with my new lifestyle. At this point I weigh 188 pounds, have lost 27 pounds total, and have lost about 5% of my body weight. In fact, yesterday morning I measured with my calipers and I have met my goal of making it to 35.8% body fat an entire month early. All of this is very exciting, but the most exciting things are my progress pictures.

This is me in mid-May when I made my decision to change my lifestyle:

Gahhh!!!! I'm very blimp-ish here. Notice just how far my belly sticks out (it's well beyond my chest).

Now, here is me about two weeks ago, wearing an exercise shirt I couldn't fit into when I began:

There is a GIGANTIC difference there. Even though I've gone from Holy, Crap I'm Fat!!!! to just plain overweight, it's a huge improvement. I've also managed to go from wearing a plus size in pants- 20W is what I should have been wearing in May, I just refused to buy them- and shirts, I am now two even sizes down AND am wearing a Petite. I technically fit into the 14 P, but it's still a bit tighter than I am comfortable with. I'm just not the lady that's going to rock the skin tight pants with the rolls spilling over the top, so I will not wear the 14 until it fits properly and I have nothing hanging out.

Anyway, here's a sample of the delicious food I get to eat:

Chorizo Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Deli Salads (this one is made with an Italian meat trio)

Chicken breasts stuffed and topped with spinach and artichoke dip and Italian cheeses

I'm also able to eat out regularly. I've had grilled pork chops and side salads with full fat blue cheese dressing, grilled lemon pepper chicken wings, pork carnitas taco salads (skip the shell and any beans or rice) with salsa and sour cream, lettuce-wrapped burgers with cheese and bacon, the innards of several tacos with a side of broccoli and real butter, and- one of my favorites- breakfast foods like eggs (scrambled or fried) with bacon or sausage and cheese.

Look, folks, this way of eating initially looks very challenging. How on earth do you get by with no bread or rice? It seems darn near impossible. Well, not only can you eat just about anywhere, you can also ENJOY it! The above list is proof.

As far as non-food things I'm doing, I regularly drink between 135 and 152 fl oz of water daily. I've also really committed to walking more since I got my fitbit. I started off with a modest goal of 5,000 steps per day, but have worked my way up to over 13,000 steps per day on weekdays. In fact, I'm walking so much- and it's mostly effortlessly at this point- that I've been meeting that goal in the late afternoons. So I've upped my goal again to almost 15,000 steps per day. 

I've also begun a body-weight training program two to three days a week. It's pretty easy to do at home without any equipment, but is still very challenging. A minimum of two, back-to-back sets of 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 20 walking lunges, and 10 standing rows. I always do two sets, and am working my way up to doing three sets regularly. Some days I make it, others I don't, but I'll get there.

So that's my progress in the last month-and-a-half. I'm going to try very hard to not be lazy about the blog and to update something like once a week.  Until next time, keep on keto-ing on!

Dinner! Shepherd's Pie: down home comfort, Keto compatible

Shepherd's pie is one of those meals that is pure comfort; a savory meaty bottom topped with creamy mashed potatoes. My mom always put a good layer of cheese on top before she baked it, which added some extra oomf. This is also one of those meals a lot of people think they must completely swear off when they go keto.

Not so!

Here's how I altered the classic recipe to suit my keto needs:

1. Use xanthan gum instead of flour in the base. Xanthan gum, when used in the right quantity, is one of those magic keto ingredients. It's pure fiber, so it adds no blood sugar spiking carbs to the dish and it's also incredibly potent, meaning you only have to use a very small amount to get the same thickening result as several tablespoons of flour or corn starch. It is a bit pricy, but IMO, it's completely worth it. I paid around $15.00 for a small bag of the stuff, however I use so little of it at a time that I've been using the same bag for several years. Yes, I said years. I store my opened bag in an air-tight container in the freezer.

2. Go easy on the onions and other carb-y ingredients. My mom only ever put onion in it and so do I, but some folks may like theirs with chopped celery, carrot, or mushrooms. The key thing to remember here is that with a lot of these ingredients a little goes a long way for flavor and texture. 

3. Cauliflower! Cauliflower is one of those ingredients that works great as a substitute in some dishes, and not so well in others. My faux mac-and-cheese is based on cauliflower but I will tell you up front it's not really the same. It just tastes like cheesy cauliflower. Luckily this recipe is one in which the cauliflower works incredibly well. The trick to getting it super creamy- just like those mashed potatoes- is to throw well cooked and drained cauliflower into a good blender or food processor with salt, pepper, and butter. You can add cream if you like it.

4. Normally I would never, ever tell you to drain your meat. Fat is the heart and soul of keto and animal fats are the dietary equivalent of liquid gold. However, if you keep the fat from the meat you will have a very wet base, and unless you like it kinda soupy, I highly suggest you drain the meat.

Remember, this recipe is entirely customizable, so feel free to add any veggies you like (just keep the quantities lower for a low carb count) to the meat part, or sour cream and chives in the cauliflower mash. However you like it, do it!

I served this pile of deliciousness with roasted asparagus that I topped with a creamy garlic and cheese sauce. It was divine!

Keto-Friendly Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

Meat Base:

2 lb ground meat (Beef, lamb, turkey, whatever you like. We like it beefy.)

1/2 c total chopped onion, or veggies of your choice

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tbsp butter

3/4 c beef broth 

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

Salt and pepper, to taste

Spices, as desired (Rosemary, thyme, etc. We like it without added spices, but to each his own)

Mashed Cauliflower Topping:

2 lb cauliflower (I used frozen)

4 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 c shredded cheddar

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F on convection or 400 degrees F regular. Get out a 2 -quart casserole dish.

2. Brown your meat over medium high heat and drain well. 

3. In the same pan melt butter over medium heat. Throw in onions (or other veggies) and garlic and sauté until onion begins to soften a bit. In the meantime, measure out your beef broth, sprinkle the xanthan gum over the top if it, and whisk it in until there are no clumps. 

4. Deglaze the pan with the broth mixture, being sure to scrape up any bits from the bottom. Throw your meat back into the pan for a few minutes until the liquid reduces and you have a mixture that is moist but not too wet. This takes around 3-5 minutes, but you be the judge of how saucy you like it.

5. Put the meat mixture evenly into the bottom of your baking dish.

6. Cook your cauliflower until soft; about 8-10 minutes if fresh and boiling, 6-7 minutes if microwaving from frozen. Drain well.

7. Working in batches if necessary, put the cooked cauliflower into your food processor or blender. Add in butter, salt and pepper to taste, and any other ingredients you like. Blend well, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice, until the entire mixture is the consistency of well-mashed potatoes.

8. Spread the mashed cauliflower evenly over the top of the meat mixture, then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for five minutes before serving.

Serves 8-10

Assuming 8 servings, 455 calories, 37 g fat, 24 g protein, 7 g total carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, NET CARBS 4 g*

* calculated using fatsecret.com, assuming ingredients are as written 

Keto Day 44, and BFC check-in

Good morning!

Here's yesterday:

Breakfast- BPC, 1 cheddar keto waffle topped with 2 fried eggs

Lunch- 1 slice keto pumpkin bread with 1/2 tbsp butter, 2 slices deli ham smeared with 1/2 tsp each mustard and rolled up with 1 slice each cheddar, 10 green olives, 1/2 c cucumbers in vinegar

Dinner- Keto-fied Shepherd's Pie, 1/2 c roasted asparagus with a garlic cream sauce

Water count- 155.2 fl oz

Step count- 6,271

So my first full day of fitbit-ing went really well. I met my goal of 5,000 steps easily. I will likely go another week with that as my goal before adjusting upwards; the last thing I want to do is set my goal too high for my circumstances and be discouraged when it's unreachable. I'm really happy with the device and the app so far. The funniest part was when I hit my daily step goal. I felt a buzzing on my wrist, pushed the button on the device, and was rewarded with a big flashing "5000" like if won a prize on a game show or something, which made me laugh heartily. It also sent me an email congratulating me on making my goal for the day. Overall, silly as it seems, that kind of thing is extremely encouraging. 

I also like that I can connect with friends and family, and I've already got a goodly number of contacts. Being able to see how much my husband, for example, is walking every day makes movement kind of fun by turning it into a little friendly competition. I've got a long way to go to beat hubby, though. The man walks 5-7 miles at work every day, and that kind of movement is inherent in his particular profession so it's going to be quite the challenge considering that a good two hours of my day requires me to sit down with the kids and teach. I'll have to pick it up elsewhere, I guess.

Anyway, I must be off to have a go on ye olde exercise bike. Later I will try to post pics and the recipe for my dinner last night. I basically took my mom's old recipe for shepherd's pie and changed and some ingredients to make it keto-friendly, and it turned out great!

Until later, KOKO, my babies!

Starting my day the right way

Pater Noster

qui es in caelis,

sanctificetur nomen tuum.

Adveniat regnum tuum.

Fiat voluntas tua,

sicut in caelo et in terra.

Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,

et dimitte nobis debita nostra,

sicut et nos

dimittimus debitoribus nostris.

Et ne nos inducas in tentationem:

sed libera nos a malo.

Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and suffering of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sins, the reunion of all Christians; I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.  AMEN.

Keto Day 43, and BFC check-in

Morning!

Here was my day yesterday:

Breakfast- BPC, 1 cheddar keto waffles topped with 2 fried eggs

Lunch- 3 all beef hot dogs, 1 tbsp mustard, 1 tbsp low sugar ketchup, 1/2 c cucumbers in vinegar

Dinner- Sausage and Cheddar Beer soup, 1 piece faux-ccocia, 1/4 c almonds

Water count- 169 fl oz (I was thirsty!)

I got a fitbit! 

My husband has the one that attaches to his belt loop and has been wearing it a lot recently to track his activity. He's averaging 10,000 steps a day and says it helps him to be more aware of old sedentary habits he needs to break. This sounds like a great idea, so I bit the bullet and ordered a new Fitbit Charge HR. It's the fancy shmancy one that goes on your wrist like a watch. It monitors your steps, mileage, stairs climbed, and your heart rate. It also keeps time, has a silent alarm, and will monitor your sleep so you can see how restful or restless your sleep patterns are. The free fitbit app will also allow you to log food and water intake, the website proper has room to log weight and measurements, blood pressure, and blood sugar for those who need such monitoring. 

The device showed up in the mail yesterday in the late afternoon, so after opening the package and two hours charging it up I didn't get to wear it for long prior to bed. I did wear it through the evening hours, especially when I got dinner fixed and cleaned up, and knocked out some laundry. I was surprised at how much I actually walked. When I set up my app I picked a modest goal if 5,000 steps per day to begin. In only two or three hours I managed to knock out over 1600 steps just by doing my regular household chores, so we will see how active I actually am and whether or not I should up my daily goal. 

I was very pleasantly surprised to see my results from my first night's sleep, as they confirmed what I'd already suspected. I'm sleeping very fitfully with few disturbances, which would have been abnormal for me a month ago. I've always been a very light and restless sleeper, with frequent ups and down in the night. I'm also a mild insomniac, with regular intervals of difficulty falling asleep until the wee hours of the morning several times a week. All of that seems to have disappeared since I went keto and these readings seem to confirm that. Hooray for keto!

Anyway, I'm off to eat something for breakfast and then to do a core exercise routine. I'm up to four workouts a week without any adverse effects, so I'm going to add in a fifth today and see how it goes. Wish me luck!

KOKO, my babies!

Starting my day the right way

Pater Noster

qui es in caelis,

sanctificetur nomen tuum.

Adveniat regnum tuum.

Fiat voluntas tua,

sicut in caelo et in terra.

Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,

et dimitte nobis debita nostra,

sicut et nos

dimittimus debitoribus nostris.

Et ne nos inducas in tentationem:

sed libera nos a malo.

Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and suffering of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sins, the reunion of all Christians; I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month.  AMEN.