This lifestyle change was never going to be easy. I know myself enough to know that it was going to be an emotional and physical roller coaster.
I love food too much to give up my goodies without mourning the loss of my perceived “food freedom.” While the freedom made me feel good when I fulfilled my cravings, it really put me in a health prison where my life was dictated by illness.
I went into month 3 hoping to at least lose 7 lbs, but alas life rarely goes as planned. My oldest child turned 18, Mother’s Day arrived, and two days after, my youngest son was severely injured in an accident.
Dinner with friend – sauteed mushrooms are my new favorite!
I ended month 3 with a 2.5 lb loss and a lot of reflection. I was so disappointed in myself for not being more disciplined. Then I realized that while I let myself eat more than normal, and Keto ice cream was my best friend, I really had a victorious month.
I was under extreme mental and emotional stress. I felt completely broken, yet I stayed faithful to my new low-carb lifestyle. In the past I would’ve used every excuse to eat whatever my heart desired and binged until I was sick. I would’ve gained 5-10 lbs and felt justified doing it.
Instead, I ended the month with a small loss. Yes, I ate more than normal. Yes, I used food (Keto ice cream) as a stress reliever, but compared to where I used to be, it was a victory!
Part of making this a lifestyle is being faithful and committed even when life gets to be more than I can handle. I feel like that was my lesson this month.
Paleo sausage on Cloud Bread (recipe below) with Primal Kitchen Ketchup, Caulitatoe Salad, and Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms (recipe below) for our Memorial Day BBQ
I still struggle with feeling disappointed in myself, but I’m holding onto my little victories. I can’t let the rollercoaster of life derail me.
We had some amazing food. My fasting blood sugar was completely normal. My triglycerides were in the normal range for the first time ever! I fit into several pairs of pants that had no possibility of fitting 3 months ago. Good things happened!
Amazing Smoked Brisket for Memorial Day BBQ
Here is to all of our victories, small and large. Keep moving forward. We can do this. We can make positive changes one step at a time.
I would love to hear from you. What victories do you see in your life? What encouragement do you need? Supporting each other is so important. Please let me know if I can be of assistance.
It’s just a dream….sometimes I feel like I’m living life like it’s just a dream.
My body and brain seem to disconnect and I just go through the motions.
My son got hurt this week, and though I know he’ll physically be okay, he is mentally and emotionally distraught. He was involved in an accident with his sister and ended up with 2 toes, literally, chopped off.
JJ did think that the ambulance ride was pretty cool….when he was awake, that is. Thank God for pain meds.
It’s one thing dealing with your own emotions and processing traumatic events, but when you have two children who are devastated, and all you want is to is take away their pain, what do you do?
I know accidents happen and life’s lessons are often way too brutal. The physical battle wounds will heal, but the broken spirits are completely different.
When my children cry in fear and regret, as they try to understand why bad things happen, I point them to Jesus. I don’t have the answers they seek. I do know that Jesus loves them more than I ever could. I know that forgiveness is essential, and we grow together when we cling to each other and Jesus during difficult times. I know that we have a hope that is not of this world.
His siblings have been amazing! They have cheered him on and tried to help him any way that they could!
Hebrews 13:14 (ESV)
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
When my little boy cries and says he wants his toes to grow back and my daughter is devastated that she hurt her brother without meaning to…we hug, cry, talk, pray, and sing. It all seems like a dream; a weird twisted dream full of grief, sorrow, hope, and healing.
Nothing can keep this boy sitting for more than a couple of minutes!
Romans 8:34 (ESV)
….. Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us
I am not doing well at the moment. I find myself praying less. Not because I hate God or don’t know that he has a plan, but because I’ve already prayed, beat my fists, and asked for answers. Now I just wait. I am thankful that Jesus is interceding for us, when I just don’t have the strength to do it. I don’t know what the right thing to do is. What does God want from me? What are we supposed to learn? What is the purpose of this string of trials that has plagued us for the last 14 months? I just don’t know. I have tried to trust, I have studied the Word and preached myself the truth. I haven’t lost my faith, but I feel like I’m wandering down a long, dusty road with no rest in site.
2 Corinthians 1:8-9
8 …… For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
I’m waiting for my answers, and I’m pointing my children to the only one who can answer theirs.
I can only hope to come out of this with a deeper understanding of God and a stronger faith. It sure does make heaven appealing. This world is not my home.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
It’s been a long 2 months. Some of the longest months of my life, truth be told. I decided to completely change my lifestyle (food wise), start blogging more, went on a big trip, two of my kids had surgery, there have been more doctors appointments than I can count, and we’re looking at major changes in career and possibly our residence.
I’m tired, stressed, and am emotionally spent. The one thing that keeps me faithful to my new low carb lifestyle, is the fact that I need to be healthy for my family. I still have a housefull of little kids and they don’t need me falling apart because of diabetes or dying from liver failure.
Of course there are other perks. I’m slowly shrinking and don’t feel bloated and disgusting anymore. My foot injury will hopefully improve as there’s less pressure on my feet. My energy has improved, but I’m still very tired (thanks to stress), and it’s getting easier to live this way as a lifestyle.
I fast for my health, but I definitely don’t like it. It’s one of those disciplines that I make myself do. It does put me on edge a bit, so that’s something I have to work on.
There’s so much room for improvement and I get overwhelmed by it sometimes. I’m scared to eat anything off plan, for fear of binging. I know I still have a lot of work to do. I just know that there will never be a perfect time to make healthy changes. Something will always come up to make it difficult, whether good or bad. I just had to jump in with both feet and acknowledge the fact that I’m going to stumble and there’s going to be a learning curve.
I’ve lost 22.6 lbs in the last two months. I don’t measure inches ( I’m not a contortionist, and I’m not asking my kids for help!) My daughter graciously takes my picture once a month so I can see what progress I’m making. Some pictures are exciting, while others I can barely see a change. I actually fit into a Go Cart with my daughter (never driven one before; my kids said I was holding everyone up lol) and I’m enjoying the fact that my stomach isn’t in the way as much.
Two months isn’t even a quarter of a year. It’ll be interesting to see where I’m at at my 6 month mark.
It’s encouraging to know that you guys are out there working towards your own goals. There is no perfect journey, and we all have to learn, push on, and improve.
With everything going on in my life right now, I have to back down on my weekly posts. I’ll probably continue to write 2X a month. I’m still thinking of you all and I’m staying committed to my health journey.
Keto/Carnivore Tacos Parmesan taco shell filled with ground beef, shredded cheese, and sour cream🌮
I’m on a journey. It’s my own and no one else’s. I have my cheerleaders and my fellow travelers, but I’m the one who has to make the choices and find the positive.
I write down my thoughts, victories, and struggles and send them out into the internet universe in hopes that someone may find encouragement. Maybe someone will learn from my ups and downs. Who know? Maybe my words will just float around out there and the only good they will do is keep me motivated and on track.
I’m a busy mama and wife. I spend my days teaching my children, running a household, and attempting to make healthy choices. Sometimes those choices are hard. I don’t always get enough sleep. I don’t exercise when I need to. I sit way too much in hopes that my feet will heal and I can take my children on a walk someday soon. I cry in frustration and get excited about my small victories.
Columbia River Gorge
I endeavor to learn new things and cheer on others who are working hard, too, but sometimes I feel drained. I just want to shut myself off from the world and climb the mountain without outside distractions.
My family is my world. When life gets really crazy, like it is now, I just want to wrap us all in a cocoon, away from the world, and refresh.
What the world wants or thinks doesn’t matter. Everyone has an opinion. We all have to make decisions about what’s good for us and our families.
Sometimes we do crazy things for our health. Sometimes our soul needs rest; to soak up peace, to breathe it in.
This week has been full of wonderful things, health wise. My liver numbers were fabulous for the first time in years, my A1c is stable (unfortunately, still pre-diabetic), and I lost several pounds.
I learned that donating blood while fasting is a bad idea (a 5 day headache was the result). I recharged by taking two absolutely gorgeous drives in the Columbia River Gorge. I’m purging excess stuff from my house, and life isn’t horrible.
Columbia River Gorge
The need to wrap my family in a cocoon away from the world is very real at the moment. It’s kind of weird. Life can be going well, yet the feeling is a very persistent one.
If you’re reading this, I hope you know that all your hard work and dedication is important. It doesn’t matter if the world validates you. What do you need to do to be a healthier person?
You aren’t the same as everyone else. God made you an individual, not a clone. You won’t necessarily have the same strengths and weaknesses as the people around you, and that’s okay. With God’s help you can keep moving forward.
Pray and ask God to give you wisdom and peace.
I’m going to be in my little corner of the world, changing my lifestyle one day at a time; closing out the world as much as I can until my soul finds some rest.
I found myself in a bad place during week 5. I was hungry and snacking way too much. I needed to get my eating and hunger under control, so I switched things up during week 6.
I know that getting fat adapted can take some real discipline, and it was time. I decided to intermittent fast from 16-20 hrs every day, and eat 99% carnivore for 5 days.
Now before you freak out over the carnivore way of eating, let me explain it to you. I could eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, cream, full-fat greek yogurt, butter, lard, beef tallow, etc. The 1% that wasn’t carnivore was seasonings, fresh garlic, and ginger.
The Good: I fit into a dress I loved, for Easter, and we had an amazing Keto meal. The charcuterie tray was beautiful and the roast lamb was scrumptious. My smaller jeans finally fit and I was having my own personal party when they zipped right up🎉. I lost a couple of pounds, and overall the week went well.
My Tribe 😉 These wonderful people are my cheerleaders and one of the main reasons I’m on this journey!
The Bad: Fasting is wonderful for healing fatty liver disease and insulin resistance, but I don’t particularly like it. Eating is a habit. I used to eat whether I felt hungry or not. I loved to snack even if it was on “good” stuff. Unfortunately, that’s greatly contributed to the mess I’m in. My fasting app keeps me on track, and accountable, when I just want to eat something. I snacked quite a bit the last couple of weeks, so I was hungrier this week. That’s one of the reasons I buckled down on fasting and carnivore.
The Ugly: I was having a rough couple of days this week. In the past my weight has come off rather quickly, but it’s taking it’s sweet time this go around. It’s really hard to encourage other people when you feel like you’re failing. I cried, and complained, and wanted to give up, but giving up isn’t a choice, unless I want to get sicker.
The lie: I am too tired to fight. If I just give into the urge to binge, I’ll feel better and just move on.
The truth: You can always fight. If you binge you may feel better for a few minutes, but then you’ll be consumed with guilt, feel ill, and defeat your goal of living a healthy life.
Now, I know that I’m not failing, but my “want results now” mentality is really hard to squash. Instagram has actually been a great encouragement to me. I’ve found others who are walking this journey with me. Some are much farther ahead, but we’re all pushing forward. Keto_Ryan posted something this week that hit me square in the forehead. The weight isn’t always going to come off quickly. It took many years to make myself this unhealthy and it’s going to take some time for my body to heal.
It really got ugly Sunday afternoon. One of our relatives makes the most amazing dessert and gave us a bunch.
You know when you feel so compelled to eat something that you almost can’t physically resist? When resisting is so hard you have to hold back tears? When it feels like your heart is breaking because you can’t participate in a well loved family treat? When the smell makes your mouth water and you feel like crumbling beneath the desire to eat? I cannot fully express the overwhelming, heartbreaking, desperation I felt.
Would it have hurt me to have one little bite? Maybe, maybe not, but I wouldn’t have been able to stop at one bite. I’ve worked so hard and I can’t throw the next several days away over a couple pieces of pastry. I can’t willingly poison myself when I’m trying so hard to heal myself. The thought of developing diabetes and dying from liver disease is a good deterrent.
I started listening to The Diabetes Code by Dr. Jason Fung (Everyone needs to read this! I’ll buy you a copy if you can’t afford one. Seriously, read it!). Diabetes has been heavy on my mind. Not just for myself, but so many lives are being ruled and destroyed by this horrible illness. I know there are those whose bodies just don’t work right (Type 1 and accident related), but most diabetics are Type 2. Many times Type 2 diabetes is caused by lifestyle choices (What are you putting into your body?).
I learned that you can be insulin resistant 10-13 years before you ever have blood sugar issues. That would make me around 21 when I started becoming insulin resistant 😯! I also learned that if you have fatty liver even on a small level you have some insulin resistance.
Don’t let the doctors brush off your fatty liver as normal; it’s a big deal!
Our trip to Oklahoma was a real life object lesson. In the middle of our flight there, an elderly lady had a medical emergency. She had diabetes and had a major blood sugar crash. As the flight attendants tried to keep her conscious, they kept shoving sugar in her face to get her blood sugar up, but not one person offered her any protein to follow it up. It was so sad to see this woman, who had only been on the flight for 45 minutes, completely fall apart because her diabetes was so uncontrolled.
Diabetes is such a common thing nowadays, that sometimes I don’t think we remember how absolutely horrible it actually is. People are losing limbs, having kidney failure, going blind, and dying from this horrible illness that could be improved, and in a lot of cases reversed, just by changing their diet.
Wouldn’t it be a revolution if doctors put their Type 2 diabetic patients on a low-carb, high-fat diet and watched them heal?
Let’s be part of turning the horrible health statistics around. Let’s do the hard thing and change our lifestyle!
Smoked Brisketthat my husband made! I’m so spoiled:-)
I have a goal and I’m working towards it! Motivation is truly a wonderful thing. It’s helped me conquer so many things in my life; but there comes a time when motivation just doesn’t cut it. Let’s face it, we as humans get derailed over the smallest things.
Coming off a week of travel and jumping back into “real” life is always hard for me (drowning comes to mind). Between time zone changes and getting back into the swing of school, I was whipped.
Motivation was definitely lacking and discouragement and exhaustion were my constant companions.
On our flight home my legs swelled quite badly(oh, how I hate the tree trunks😭). I think all of the driving and salty snacks finally caught up with me. My skinny ankles disappeared for days and I felt like I was sinking back into my “old” life.
I was eating approved foods, but I was extra hungry and getting back to normal meal times and tracking my food, just wasn’t happening.
My tree trunks really sent me into a spiral.(Pass me the cookie dough, please🍪) Wednesday I was extra teary eyed and just wanted to binge. I ended up snacking more than usual and overate when I had my pizza toppings. It wasn’t a total failure of a day, but man, I wish it would just disappear.
This brand is my favorite fizzy water! I’m a recovering soda addict and this stuff hits the spot. My favorites are the coconut and the black cherry. I’ve found these at Walmart and Fred Meyer.
Thursday was my one month Ketoversary and I was hoping to see more progress. I know that seems silly, since one month into this process isn’t far at all, but I want to look and feel better.
My one month reward was going to be a new pair of jeans, but I just wasn’t small enough to squeeze into the next size down. I weighed one pound more than I did 2 weeks ago, and the knowledge that it was water weight, wasn’t very helpful.
Thankfully, a fellow keto-ite on Instagram reminded me that motivation isn’t always enough. Sometimes we just have to stay faithful and keep putting one foot in front of the other. My motivation hasn’t disappeared, it just wasn’t enough to keep me going this week.
This week it was all about having grit and being consistent; making choices I knew were the right ones even when I just wanted to give up.
Giving grace to myself has never been one of my strong suites. I’m a first born, rule following, perfectionist, and I want to do things the right way the first time.
Growing in grace for myself and others has been a huge learning curve. One big thing has been to analyze the situation I’m in and instead of just seeing how I failed, learn from my experience and move on.
Growing pains are not usually enjoyable, but there’s a gratefulness that comes when you see yourself growing and changing.
My current jeans are saggin’ and baggin’, so I know things are happening. My desire to binge has gotten better, and I love the fact that I can examine my situation and make better choices.
My vision is slowly turning from the micro to the macro. This week the here and now was disappointing, but as I look into the future, I see a me that’s healthy, has self-control, feels good, and lives a life free of binging.
I can’t let my feelings this week distract me from the hope and truth of the future.
(The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly will be back next week. This week my brain can’t work that hard. Lol)
I tried this recipe this week and it was soooo delicious! It was a little tough to stir, because I used heavy cream instead of milk. I added a pinch of water and made it a bit too liquidy. It’s definitely worth making again! Click on pic for recipe link!
Oh, the places you’ll go (go ahead,call me Dr. Seuss😁). This week I went places, when my husband and I took a last minute business trip.
Todo, we’re not in Kansas anymore…but really nearby 😉
We got to experience the Keto lifestyle, while flying halfway across the country, driving in two, new to us, states, and not having the ability to cook for ourselves. We packed up some tasty low-carb snacks and even found some amazing airport food, that provided guilt-free eating.
Airport food can be delicious!
Traveling is a trigger for me. Usually I would love nothing more than to grab a Diet Pepsi, some salty/sugary carb-laden snacks, and sink into the bliss of a carb-coma.
Yes, I may just patent that term, because it’s very accurate for me. The feeling of not worrying about what I’m putting in my mouth, and reveling in the high I get from sugar, in whatever form it’s in.
This time was different. I was actually excited about the opportunity to learn from this situation. I rarely travel and when I do, it’s usually within a couple of hours of home, and I bring a bunch of “safe” food with me.
The Good: I stayed faithful to my new lifestyle while traveling. My emotions were on edge at times, but I didn’t let myself throw in the towel, when faced with temptation and mistakes.
The Bad: When my son, Micah, was 2 his favorite story was about the Jelly Belly Man. Now, I may not be the Jelly Belly Man, but I am most definitely the Jelly Belly Mom. Oh, the shame of it all😩.
I, not so affectionately, called our flights “The Sardine Flights.” On both flights, we were packed in like sardines, and believe me, social distancing was non-existent. This Jelly Belly Mom was very glad that I’d lost a couple pounds before this trip, and yet discouraged that my jelly belly was still, oh, so very jelly.
The evil, heavenly pizza that ruined me😭
The Ugly: Man cannot live on jerky and pork rinds alone….nor woman for that matter. It’s been a week of snacking and not many actual meals. We’ve been driving from place to place for about 12 hours (almost) every day. We kept saying we were going to stop for lunch, but ended up eating moon cheese, jerky, nuts, and pork rinds instead. Friday night we found a pizza restaurant that had a cauliflower crust. We were both super excited (okay, maybe it was just me)! The nutrition information seemed to say it only had 11.5 net carbs, so we ordered our favorite travel food. After my 3rd small slice, I decided to look up the nutrition information again, because this fabulous pizza seemed too good to be true – and believe me it was! My heart sank as I read an article stating the crust was 11.5 net carbs PER SLICE! Oh, the horror! I had just scarfed down 4 heavenly slices, and realized I’d just ruined myself for the next several days. When I read the nutrition information it did say 11.5 net carbs, but in my travel exhausted, food starved brain, I missed the per slice part. I was so mad at myself for making such a foolish mistake. Not only did I go way over carbs, but I was still hungry, and now craving the rest of the pizza.
The good news is, I didn’t let that plunge me into a binge on junk. In the past I would have binged, because I’d already gone over carbs, so what the heck . (Ra, Ra, Amber! Great Job!!🎉🥳)
Golden Corral to the rescue
Traveling this strenuously, and living the Keto life, is not as easy as I’d hoped. I snacked on approved foods, because snacks kept me from going completely crazy, while not eating regular meals. My Intermittent fasting was virtually non-existent, and when I did succeed, it was by sheer willpower.
Gas station find🥳
In the future I need to make sure to take time and eat two regular meals while traveling; since it triggers my desire to snack on everything not good for me, and makes my desire for burgers, fries, burritos, and pizza go through the roof.
This was a very good learning experience, but a painful one.
Steak, chicken, shrimp, mushrooms Mexican style
Thank God for old friends who speak our food language!!
Fried Pork Belly 1/2 – 1 Whole Pork Belly Cut into Chunks Add 1 Cup of Water Summer for Several Hours Until Fat is Nice and Melted and Meat is Brown Salt and Eat Like Popcorn Save Lard for Future Use! This is a Favorite Family Snack. Package and Freeze in Small Serving Sizes. These Can Be Warmed in the Microwave or Oven.
There are so many things in life that require faithfulness and diligence. We feed, clothe, and love our children, work hard at our careers, and maintain our dwellings and vehicles; we do these things all of the time. We do these faithfully, not just because we should, but also because there is reward. We get to see our children healthy and thriving, our reputations as employees or business owners is good, and we have well kept places/vehicles to live and drive in.
Perseverance has been at the forefront of my mind during Week 3. I’ve had cravings, felt extremely fat, been in situations that triggered my desire to binge, and overall just wanted my progress to speed up. I often reminded myself that I’m in this for the long haul; it’s not a sprint.
Own Your Life – Sally Clarkson
Good things are often hard to do. I’ve given birth 10 times and it was hard, but my children are such a reward. Building our business was hard, but seeing happy clients and knowing that we’re helping them and providing for family is so satisfying. It’s okay that this lifestyle change is hard. This is a good thing. I’m healing my body, gaining energy and strength, and doing what I should have done a long time ago – being faithful to the care nurture of my body.
One day I will be stronger, my prediabetes will be gone, and my liver will be healthy. It’s a one day at a time process. I will be the success stories that I read about.
So here is to a week of faithfulness; a week of persevering in the face of all of my challenges!
The Good: Skinny ankles are a wonderful thing. I’ve never had beautiful legs, but since going off carbs, my normally swollen tree trunks have shrunken down to twigs (well, at least comparatively😕). These days I am guilty of gazing admiringly at my skinny ankles (oh, the things I get excited about🥳).
I’ve also gotten in quite a bit of intermittent fasting. It’s definitely getting easier and I know that my liver is loving me for it. Fasting is fabulous if you have a fatty liver. It gives your body a chance to use that fat in your liver, make you more insulin sensitive (yay, for reversing prediabetes/diabetes), and in turn helps balance your hormones. Obesity is a hormone problem. Obesity is caused by an imbalance of insulin and glucagon. I encourage you to do some investigating on this subject. There are several articles online and it’s also discussed in The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes.
I use the Zero App to track my fasts😊
The Bad: Sometimes despite your best efforts you’re forced to break the low-carb rules. This week I had my first colonoscopy. Ah, the stories I’ve been told. It’s enough to make one hide in horror (it really wasn’t all that bad).
The bathroom and I got to be great friends and I got caught up on NCIS. (Too many details?🙄) I got in a great forced 39 hour fast and overall I wasn’t upset about the situation. Except for one thing – the disgusting bowl prep drink. I was forced to drink an excessively sweet drink that almost made me puke and gave me a splitting headache. It was sweetened with sucralose, so technically it shouldn’t kick me out of ketosis, but after that headache I know my body didn’t appreciate it. What a way to ruin a 39 hour fast, right?!
When I got my report, the after procedure comments made me burst out laughing. Number 5 listed, in an oh, so dignifying way: Because air was put into your colon during the procedure, expelling large amounts of air from your rectum is normal🤭. This mom of 5 boys had such a case of the giggles.
Tuesday I ended a 20 hour fast and was just going to have a 4 hour eating window before starting my fast for the colonoscopy. I decided to eat an extra helping at dinner and finished it off with an amazing Keto Chocolate Ganache (Confession – I licked the bowl, it was so good😋). Everything tasted so good, but let me tell you, I shouldn’t have taken that extra helping. Once the food finally settled I felt overfull for the first time in 3 weeks. It. Was. Awful. I can’t believe I felt that way for years and just kept doing it.
The Ugly: When life hits you like a ton of bricks it’s easy to want to give up. I would be lying if I said that I handled the last year well. March 16, 2020 everything fell apart when we were put in lockdown because of Covid. This week was the 1 year anniversary and, boy, has it been a week. Lots of good things happened, but my mental battle was more like a steamroller laying me out flat. I ranted several times about being fat and never being thin. How I was tired of looking old and ugly; I want to look young and fit. How my health problems were defeating me. I want to walk and dance and flippin clean my house without being in pain. (Thank God for an understanding and encouraging husband!) How the laundry just never ends (why do children come with so many clothes?!) So I read some success stories, I reminded myself that the scripture says to press on and run the race well. I tried to find joy in the fact that my belly is deflating slowly and that it’s going to take time; that in two weeks my exercises will be easier. I feel so much lighter. When I was eating the Standard American Diet I felt so weighted down.
Life doesn’t stop. It doesn’t give you a break to just focus on your health. I know that this will take time, but sometimes it feels hopeless. So I laid in bed and prayed for strength to continue on in this journey.
The cravings come when I want to give up. Darn it, just give me a bag of chips and a delicious sandwich. Let me eat my daughter’s birthday cake. Let me lose myself in the “forbidden fruit” of carbs. But my desire to live life well forces me to keep going. To do the hard things – have self-control, heal myself so I can love and care for my family better, so I can live life without feeling sick and weighted down.
I know that I’m not the only one out there who struggles daily. The Bible says to renew our minds. It’s so important to renew our minds with the truth in every area of our lives. This has been a week of preaching to myself. Hold on to the truth – Persevere!!
Food Review: I tried some new products this week. It’s always exciting to try a yummy looking treat that’s also low-carb. The Zevia was a bit too sweet for me, but I’m totally open to trying a different flavor. The Two Good yogurt was pretty good, still a bit too sweet, but overall I would try it again. Lily’s Milk Chocolate Baking Chips have changed my life! They taste so much like “real chocolate chip” and I’m looking forward to experimenting with them. They could also be really dangerous for me, since I am trying to change my taste, so I’ll have to use that darned self-control again. Creo Chocolate isn’t something new for me, but it’s a favorite treat of mine. My dear friends started Creo Chocolate several years ago in Portland, Or (https://creochocolate.com/). Though they have amazing chocolate with sugar, they came out with a bar that is Keto friendly and fulfills my chocolate needs. Their 100% bar meets all Keto criteria and is amazing while sipping a bit of heavy cream. Keto desserts can be varied and fun!
https://creochocolate.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=300KWww6RXYKira’s Chocolate Peanut Butter BallsKira’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls 1/3 cup softened butter 3/4 cup CB’s nuts organic peanut butter 1/4 cup swerve confectioners sugar Cream well 1/2 cup almond flour 1/2 cup coconut flour
Roll into balls, Chill
Melt Lily’s Chocolate Chips; I put mine in a Ziploc, cut the corner, and drizzled it on.
Keep chilled Note: You can sub other Keto approved sweeteners for the Swerve if needed😊
Learning is a never ending part of life; at least it should be. There are so many wonderful and interesting things to learn about. For me this week has been a journey into internet marketing, video editing, and blog maintnence. Needless to say I drove my husband, son, and myself crazy, buuuut I learned so much!
I’m also learning how this broken body is reacting to living the Keto lifestyle. This mama has been freezing ALL week! Everyday as we gathered around the school table, I would bundle up in a sweatshirt, and even draped a blanket over my legs a couple of times. Being cold is a rare occurrence for me. This article was helpful https://www.theartofketo.com/does-ketosis-make-you-feel-cold/. The body is truly an amazing machine.
The Good: Fat people victories – when your skin starts to look shriveled and sag, you know that you’re going in the right direction!! This mama belly has been stretched out so many times (10 babies!) that there’s no way it’ll ever go back to its original shape. (Can you say, tummy tuck😉) As my fat starts burning my tummy starts sagging, but I am going to call that a non-scale victory!!
I also absolutely love the fact that I don’t feel bloated and nauseous. I felt sick for so long and I would just gorge myself until it was almost unbearable.
The Bad: Hormones have been my enemy this week, and as a result I’ve had insomnia and major inflammation. I was already tired from surgery recovery, so this week I was a mombie, and a rather grumpy one at that😩. Achiness seemed to plague me and that made the exhaustion worse. Thankfully, I know that this coming week will be much better as my hormones level out a bit. Tired, grumpy mom + cranky, rambunctious kids = a miserable week. Thank God for a fresh week and the grace to move forward.
Wednesday brought brain fog, which was not exactly helpful when I was trying to teach, so I made myself a Pumpkin Steamer and that helped immensely. (Victory for the healthy fat!)
Coconut milk is a great substitute if you’re dairy-free
Thursday I woke up and had strong to desire to just EAT! I wasn’t hungry and there was no need to eat, so I resisted the urge and moved on with my day. By lunch time I was able to eat a decent sized meal and felt wonderful. As a binge eater/snacker extraordinaire it’s truly a struggle when the urge to eat, eat, eat hits. Thankfully, the frequency of those moments is diminishing. Since binge eating is a big thing for me, I’ve decided to read Brain Over Binge. I’m not even halfway though and I’ve learned so much about binge eating and how to deal with it. I look forward to the information to come.
The Ugly: When your body doesn’t want to cooperate with your health plan it stinks! Let’s talk exercise. Exercise is not for weightloss, but since my goal is to heal myself, getting strong is essential. Now unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with mild to severe foot pain for about the last 18 months. Just doing light house hold chores or grocery shopping makes me hobble like a 90 year old👵, and not one of those super fit 90 year olds you see online💪. I’ve lost a lot of muscle tone and I’m quite stiff. After jumping down a medical rabbit hole and being misdiagnosed several times, I now have an answer. I have a combination of fasciitis and achilles tendinitis in both feet and metatarsal bursitis and a neuroma in the left foot.
Well, I can just stay sedentary and continue to turn into a pile of mush or get creative. I’ve discovered a wonderful YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/fabulous50s/featured) that my kids affectionately call “mom’s old lady exercises.” I’m only 39, but why not dance….er….exercise to the beat of my own drum, right🪘? They good-naturedly make fun of my old lady exercises, but this lady puts out high quality videos, makes it fun, and has several chair routines that give you a great workout without being on your feet (some of my kiddos even join in and do it with me). She has fun workout videos for people who are more mobile, too. I also put together a Pilates mat routine for myself that I can do in 20 min and really get my muscles working.
Since having surgery I haven’t really exercised, but this coming week I’m going to add it back in. The silver lining to this situation is creativity and perseverance have been my friends.
My new nightly routine – 30 min then switch feet and repeat
Friday things definitely got ugly. I threw a bit of a tantrum, because I was just done tracking macros and I wanted to eat my darn meatzza and not worry about going over. (https://cronometer.com/ macros tracking app) So, I ate my meal in rebellion and at the very end, this rule following, firstborn sat and tracked every . single . maco …. sigh.
I had a coffee date scheduled for Saturday morning and as I sat in the couch after dinner I’m afraid I had a mini break down. Out of nowhere I burst into tears and cried, “I can’t even have a muffin with my tea tomorrow! ” I was legit weeping over a muffin🤦. My poor husband didn’t quite know what to do.
Let’s talk food.
Now I would never claim to be a great cook, that talent belongs to my husband and son, but when they’re working I need to be able to make delicious (ok, maybe passable😕) meals for my family of 12. This week I took a package of 2 pork butts🐷 out of the freezer. Bulk cooking was my mission and I would say it was a success (if you’re curious 2 PB provides meat for approx. 6 meals in our large household). I made one PB into carnitas (pretty hard to mess that up) and the other into a pork roast that I served with caulitatoes. Goodness gracious, talk about fabuloso. These are both easy meals to prepare and can be eaten low-carb for those of us who need it or add some respective carbs for the kids (potatoes, tortillas, bean, etc). Both of these are easy to make in large quantities and prepackage for meals for the week or a freezer meal for later.
Carnitas BeforeCarnitas After
Eating Keto when your kids aren’t eating low-carb is very challenging. Meal planning requires creativity and planning. Making a main dish that we can all have, and sides for the LC people and non-LC people can be overwhelming. Most nights of the week we make a ton of meat and veggie sides; I’ll add potatoes or beans for kids.
One of the biggest challenges I personally face is transforming my whole way of eating while homeschooling, running to appointments ( they just never end), and grocery shopping. I have never been one to handle stress well, so this is really a growing experience.
I need this transformation to happen. I need to feel healthy and strong to take care of my family well. I don’t just want to survive anymore; I want to thrive.
Parmesan Caulitatoes 1 Large head of cauliflower 1 cup parmesan cheese 1 stick of butter 2 large dollops of sour cream
*Steam cauliflower in microwave or on stove then drain *Add all ingredients in food processor *Blend until smooth *Add salt and pepper to taste
2.Season liberally with cumin, chili powder, granulated garlic, onion powder, salt, and some taco seasoning if you prefer
3. Add water to bottom of pan until it is several inches deep
4. Roast in the oven, covered, on 300° for 6-8 hours
5. Shred and top with your favorite goodies (salsa, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, lime juice, hot sauce, etc.)Pork Roast 1. 1 pork butt 2. Powdered Rosemary, granulated garlic, salt, onion powder, black pepper 3. In a large skillet fry the outsides of the pork butt in lard, sprinkle liberally, very liberally, with seasonings 4. Move to a deep pan and add several inches of water to the bottom – add more seasoning if desired 5. Roast, covered, in the oven, on 300° for 6-8 hours – keep moist 6. Shred and serve with you favorite Low-Carb side dish
Fried hamburger in cream sauce over green beans sauteed in butter
Week 1 is in the bag, and, as promised, I am here to give you the good, the bad, and the ugly🙂 Please remember that I was already low-carb for the previous 3 week, so I didn’t experience any Keto flu. **If you want to start Keto, but are intimidated, start by taking out sugar, grains, and high carb foods before you jump into the deep end of the Keto lifestyle (don’t worry about tracking in the beginning).
THE GOOD: It was relatively easy to resist temptation knowing that I am healing my body. I even resisted pizza and donuts pretty easily 😯. I did, however, dream that I was eating an amazing pastry😂. I ate some delicious meals and was able to intermittent fast for 14-18 hrs every day, save one.
Chicken thighs drizzled with lard , seasoned, and baked over brussels sprouts
To refresh my Keto knowlegde I am reading The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes and The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz. I also read up on intermittent fasting on DietDoctor.com (https://www.dietdoctor.com/intermittent-fasting). Overall it was really nice to hit the reset button.
THE BAD: I decided to track my macros for the 1st 2 weeks, so I could get a good idea of my strengths and weaknesses. I hate tracking macros!! For some reason it really stresses me out. It takes a bunch of time to weigh, measure, input recipes, etc. I definitely don’t plan on tracking my macros forever. I hope, eventually, intuitive eating will come naturally, and to have enough knowledge to estimate where I am at with my daily macros.
Tracking was not in vain, though. I did find that it was easy for me to stay under 20 net carbs a day. Balancing protein and fat was a little more challenging. It was really easy to get in more than enough protein (Keto is a moderate protein diet, not high protein), but getting enough fat was surprisingly hard. I don’t think I am going to stress if I go slightly over on my protein at the moment, but I do want to get in the right amount of fat since that’s what’s fueling my body now.
I also learned the importance of looking at nutrition facts when eating out. I treated myself to some egg bites from Starbucks and an iced green tea without sugar. I took my treat to one of my favorite PNW locations, had my Bible time, and ate brunch. When I input my carbs I was astonished that the 2 egg bites had a whopping 9 net carbs!! Lesson learned! Egg bites will be a rare treat and not a regular occurance .
Women’s Forum Outlook Columbia River Gorge Oregon
When your body switches it’s fuel from carbs to fat, it really does need an abundance of healthy fat to make it run well. Eating healthy fat (lard, beef tallow, butter, avocado oil, coconut oil, full fat cheese, cream, sour cream, fatty meat) is the key to living on a Ketogenic/low-carb diet.
As much as I hate tracking my food, it is helping me analyze my food choices for the day and eat in a way that will optimize my healing and weightloss.
THE UGLY: I started my lifestyle commitment to this way of eating on March 1st, just 7 days after having my gallbladder removed. Needless to say my digestive system didn’t react well to eating low-carb/high fat (LCHF) this week. Eventually this shouldn’t be as big of an issue, but it’s miserable, none the less.
My husband graciously gave me a mental health day on Wednesday. For whatever reason I woke up and just cried about every little thing. All of the trials we are currently dealing with overwhelmed my brain and I crashed. We took a Teacher In-service Day (😝) and daddy took the kids to the park and to run errands, while I rested and worked through my emotional craziness.
I don’t think this was diet related. I felt good physically, I just needed a day to regroup.
I really wanted to make sure I reset my Keto journey with good and encouraging information. I watched some documentaries, read some LCHF success stories , calculated my body fat and macros (links below) , and generally “renewed my mind.”
I was encouraged by those of you who called or messaged with your own struggles and desires to learn about and commit to healing your bodies. It’s nice when we have a community to support us!
Next week I will share 1 or 2 recipes that I’m currently working on, so stay tuned!
Ravings of a Bacon Starved Mind 