Saturday, January 26, 2013

No sugar-like stuff

I quit eating sugar last July 4th.

So I said good-bye to sugar and all it's cousins like honey and agave. I replaced all that sweetness with the low carb ones. I started using stuff like xylitol and stevia. My favorite has been this one...



Swerve doesn't have any bitter after taste or give me stomach troubles like some alternative sweeteners.

I've been baking cookies and brownies and cheesecake with Swerve. Baking and then eating them.

I'm developing a low carb dessert habit just like I had when I was eating high carb ones.

Time to get this low carb cookie monkey off my back.

For 28 days I'm not eating any low carb desserts. If I want something (I know I'll want something) after dinner, I can have a piece of my 100% chocolate bar with some coconut oil or a few nuts. Or maybe a small bowl of berries with whipped cream.

I'll keep checking my blood stuff too. When I eat too many low carb desserts, I stay in NK but my numbers drop. Yesterday I was at .9.

This won't be easy although I'm confident it won't be as bad as kicking the real sugar habit. That was tough!

Since Feb has 28 days, it's a no-brainer to start on the 1st. I'll use the days leading up to Feb 1 to wean off of the sugar-like substitutions that I've been (kind of) abusing.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

My ketone numbers

they've been going up and down.

Although I've stayed above .5, the minimum to be in NK, the numbers correlate to how I feel.

When I'm at .5 to about 1, my hunger is gone. My energy remains consistent all day, no afternoon slumps.

When I'm at 1 to 2, my hunger is gone plus I have zero cravings. You could shove a tray of brownies in my face and I wouldn't take a bite. I love this feeling.

When I'm above 2, I have no hunger or cravings. I'm also experience bouts of euphoria. It's kind of freaky, I can be doing a mundane task and all of a sudden, I feel giddy and really happy. It feels strange, I'm going to need some time to adjust to feeling this way.

I wonder what would happen if I get into the 3's. My head may explode...

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Intermittent fasting

this time I think it will stick.



Keeping my ketones above 1 makes skipping a couple meals pretty easy.

On a normal day I've been eating breakfast around 9am. This week I'm having an egg/prosciutto muffin with a couple nuts and berries. This keeps me going until late afternoon.

On a fasting day, I've just been skipping my 9am breakfast. My first food comes in the late afternoon. I'm not counting the time but I'm usually in a fasted state for about 22 hours. With no hunger, it still amazes me!

My goal is to do a twice a week fast.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

I've been cooking!

I'm not one to spend much time in the kitchen. I would rather pick up a roasted chicken from Whole Foods than actually do the work myself.

I have been googling keto and LCHF recipes. This weekend I decided to dust off the stove and try a few...


Peanut butter cookies! With stevia sweetened chocolate chunks!

An egg and cheese muffin with a prosciutto crust!


Lemon cheesecakes!

I feel like Martha Stewart if she was in Nutritional Ketosis!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

The experiment continues

I just ordered more ketones strips from Canada.

I'll have about 50 more days to test my ketones and glucose. I was going to do this all year but I may stop earlier than anticipated. Even at $2 a strip from Canada, my wallet is still hurting.

I'm also concerned that ketone testing is evoking the same emotions as getting on the scale every morning. My mood can change based on the number. For example, yesterday my ketone reading was .9. I was disappointed that it wasn't higher and ate some extra carbs. I was in the "what the hell" frame of mind. I pulled myself back before I did major damage, however, I don't like to be on an emotional roller coaster.

On the other hand, getting daily ketone readings identifies a slip before it grows into a full blown bad habit. When I was staying in the 1.5 to 1.7 range, I ate a almost no carb breakfast. That kept me full until dinner. I would have a glass of wine in the late afternoon but it didn't kick me out of ketosis. I think the no carb breakfast and no snacking was the key.

The last day or so I've been eating some carbs in the morning. Instead of my usual turkey and cheese rollups, I've had full fat yogurt with heavy cream and coconut and nuts (it's so good!). Those extra carbs may have been the reason I've been doing a bit of mindless eating before dinner. Couple pieces of cheese, a handful of nuts, small things that add up. If I didn't see my ketones dropping I would have stayed in denial. I can't do so when the lower number pops up. Now I'm back on track.

Bottom line is that daily ketone testing will continue until my new keto-habits are firmly in place. They are..
-No or very low (5gr or less) carb breakfast
-No snacking

Speaking of turkey roll ups, it's time for breakfast...




Saturday, January 12, 2013

Plans, I got some.

Some people on line shop. I like to browse race calendars. I usually see 20 or 30 that I want to complete. Unfortunately  my wallet and legs prevent me from doing so.

In an effort to be (somewhat) fiscally conservative, I'll limit myself to races that are the easiest on my budget. I'm mostly going to do timed events, I love not having the pressure of doing a certain number of miles in a certain amount of time.

I love doing Joyce's races around Las Vegas. Last year I earned her Slam award, 4 marathons or longer in 12 months. I want to earn her Half Slam award, 4 half marathons in 12 months. She has a half in March that I want to complete. She also has a half in June.

There are a series of 12 and 24 hour events that are within driving distance. Moab, Utah, 2 in Silverton, Colorado and Boulder, Colorado. I want to do those races.

The one splurge may be Nanny Goat in June. It's in California. I need to make a decision because it fills up.

And I'm sure I'll be back to Across The Years on New Years Eve.

Between the races and Nutritional Ketosis, it's shaping up to be a fit year.










Tuesday, January 8, 2013

I was tempted to stop pricking my finger everyday

Ketone sticks are expensive. And sometimes it's inconvenient to get a reading every afternoon. There have been a few days when I prick my finger in my car ( I usually have all my blood reading stuff in my purse).

On the other hand..

My ketone readings have been averaging around 1.5. This must be my Nutritional Ketosis sweet spot. I feel terrific all day long. I've been eating a mostly no carb breakfast consisting of some type of meat/cheese combo. Today I had some chicken with swiss cheese and mayo around 8am. I was busy all day with no dip in energy. Dinner was at 6, I could have pushed it back, I wasn't even hungry yet.

No cravings. No growling stomach. Pricking my finger everyday is a small price to pay for feeling so good.

I better order more ketone strips....




Sunday, January 6, 2013

Back from Phoenix

without a 100 mile belt buckle.

I'll get that $%*& belt buckle someday!

I did complete a 100K. That got me a pretty etched glass mug.

Here's a quick recap of the fun..

I flew into Phoenix the day of the race. After picking up my rental car, I headed to Whole Foods to stock up on keto-groceries. I hit the mother lode at the location in Scottsdale. Grass fed cheese and bison. Turkey and salad stuff. I even found some sugar free chocolate. I was stocked and ready to go.

The last stop was to eat lunch at Smashburger..


Smashburger is based out of Denver and they're terrific. I had a lettuce wrap burger with avocado, swiss cheese and a fried egg. Delicious! I was now fueled and ready to walk in circles for many hours.

I arrived at Camelback Ranch around 2pm. The loop is 1.03 miles, a chip that attaches to your ankle records your distance. Every 4 hours, the route is reversed. That keeps you from losing your mind.

Camelback Ranch is really pretty, there is a lake and trees and best of all, a real bathroom! With toilets that flush! I never had to use the dreaded Port-a-Lets.

After about 11 hours, I went to my car to take a nap. Despite being in Phoenix, the temps were in the 30's. I cranked the heat until the interior was toasty and piled all my clothes on top of me. I was surprised to find I slept for about 5 hours. When I woke up it was almost 6am!

The next day I had a hotel room (hot showers and a comfy bed!). I alternated between the Ranch and the hotel for the remaining 48 hours.

Despite having tables of food, all I took was water. I only ate the groceries I bought and felt great. At one point in the race, volunteers were standing on the track with open pizza boxes. People would take 3 slices and roll them up like a burrito. The only thing that was tempting was when the big vats of cherry cobbler arrived. I averted my eyes.

Since the race, my ketones have stayed around 1.5 mm. I feel great at that number, no hunger and consistent energy. My goal is to stay around that number for the rest of January.

I'm researching my next race, I think it will be a half in Vegas in March.