When I last posted, I was so full of hope that I’d be thin and svelte in no time flat. Sadly, that has not happened. We’re about halfway through our fifth month on this way of eating and I’m down just 17 pounds. However, I am down 2 jeans sizes (from a 14 to a 10!!!!), which is amazing and I can’t get over how awesome I feel overall. I’m actually sleeping through the night most nights, (epic freaking win!), and I even wake up feeling mostly refreshed. Considering that previously, I was lucky to wake up feeling even slightly refreshed, I’m counting this as a major success. I also haven’t had any major flare ups since we made this lifestyle change. This isn’t to say that I’m totally pain free, but my pain on average is way down and my trigger points haven’t made any appearances in MONTHS.
Another major success I’ve encountered is that the cravings I used to have for horrible food, (chocolate/sugar/all the carbohydrates), have basically disappeared. I still want chocolate, but my cravings are now for Lily bars, which have no added sugar; they’re sweetened with stevia and erythritol. I also get random cravings for bacon, but since that is 100% keto friendly, I am ok with this.
What am I eating to make me feel so awesome? I’ll show you, but before I do, I’d like to explain my approach to keto. Chances are, if you’ve ever heard anything about a ketogenic diet, it was explained in a way that makes it sound like a fat free for all. It is high fat, this much is true, but I’m not eating sticks of butter or pounds of bacon every day. I like to call our approach the “neurotic clean keto”. We don’t eat any grains, legumes, (except the occasional peanut), or added sugars at all, which means very little of what we eat is premade or processed. I am constantly reading ingredient labels for hidden evils. The whole point of the ketogenic way of eating is to keep carbs extremely low, 20g per day or less. The carbs that we do eat come exclusively from vegetables, (mostly green, with the odd carrot), dairy, nuts and seeds.
Most days, I’m at 10-15g of net carbohydrates. I choose to count net carbs, (total carbs – fiber = net), rather than total carbs so that I have more room for vegetables and avocados! I have found that this approach helps keep me “regular” and keeps me full so I don’t gorge on fat or go too far over my calorie budget. I know that a lot of people only worry about their macros, (fat, protein, and carbohydrates), but if I don’t count my calories, I will over eat. This helps me stay accountable!
Enough explanations, on to the food!! Breakfasts are usually simple affairs with some combination of bacon and eggs, with the occasional veggie add in. This first picture is a simple salad of cabbage, celery, kale and a teensy bit of shredded carrot, that I pan seared just until the veggies started to wilt with over easy eggs and bacon.
Next, is a bacon, egg, and cheese “sandwich” using two over-hard eggs as the bread. Quick, easy, and tasty!
We don’t always do fancy breakfasts, most days it’s just a couple of eggs and some bacon. Some days we get extra fancy and make waffles or bagels with almond flour! Sadly, I don’t have a picture of the waffles, but I’ll take one next time we make them!
Oh, and don’t forget the coffee! There is ALWAYS coffee with a splash of heavy cream. Mmm.
I’ve fallen out of the habit of eating lunch, mostly because I’m just not hungry. When I did eat lunch, it was super simple: some salami and cheese most days. Maybe some salted almonds and a cheese stick or guacamole and celery. These days, I’m happy with a ginger-vinegar tonic. (Sounds gross, I know, but I swear it’s delicious!!). It keeps me full for several hours and is a great way to sneak in some extra electrolytes.
I’m out of time for today, but I’ll cover dinners, (and desserts!), soon!!
Fighting Fibro with Fire 