California Shrimp Salad with Goddess Dressing

I am obsessed (that's putting it lightly) with the shrimp salad at a certain popular chain restaurant. It was almost like the heavens opened up and Angels sang hymns the moment I tasted that deliciously high carb salad. So obsessed that I made a ketogenic version of the goddess dressing to satisfy my crazy. I hope you enjoy too!

California Shrimp Salad

• Fresh spinach (THE MORE THE BETTER - SPINACH IS GOOD FOR YOU, SON! I'm looking at you, Husband!)
• 5-8 black olives
• 2 ounces of tomatoes
• One half of a small Haas avocado - sliced.
• 1 bag of peeled, deveined shrimp - medium sized - may have to take tails off.
• Seasoned salt because I'm a lazy cook. 
• Careful though - Read the label! Might contain sugar, which my season salt does. I'm using up my last container of Lawry's and going homemade. That recipe will be linked down the road.

Thaw shrimp under cold running water for 5-7 minutes. I took the time to remove the tails while the shrimp was thawing. Once thawed, I sprinkled probably about 1-2 teaspoons of season salt on the shrimp and cooked it on low in 3 tbsps. of bacon grease - cook until no longer see through. I usually cook shrimp until it has a nice crisp on the outside.

While the shrimp is cooking, assemble your salad and get the dressing mixed!

Goddess Dressing

• 4 ounces of cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice - preferably from a fresh lemon
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons Almond milk, unsweetened
• 1 whole Haas avocado - remove skin and seed.
• 2 cloves of garlic (I like garlic)
• salt and pepper to taste

There's several ways you can do this - you can use a potato masher and mix by hand (it'll probably be a bit chunky - still delicious though), use a hand blender, or the magical Kitchen Aid thingamabobber. Whatever floats your boat. There's no special way to add the ingredients so just toss them together and mix!

Dressing: 4 servings (2.65 ounces, or approx: 1/3 cup)

Cal: 214 kcal, Total fat: 20.7g, Total Carbs: 6.4g, Fiber: 3.0g, Sugar: 1.5g Net Carbs: 3.4g 

Money, Food, and the Dreaded Grocery Shopping

I hate grocery shopping (especially with my husband). I hate dragging myself to the store where people tend to not pay attention to anything outside their bubble of stupid; taking up the entire aisle, walking very sloooooowwwwlllyyy in front of you, ignoring your presence even when you say "excuse me". One day, there may be a Royal Rumble going down in the dairy aisle if people don't get the hell out of my way! Don't get me started on the parking lot. UGH.

But, I digress, I am not here to bitch about the grocery store - I am here to share some money saving ideas when it comes to eating a ketogenic diet. Taking on an entire new diet can be very daunting when it comes to paying for it the first time, but once you figure out a system, and what you enjoy eating, going to the grocery store will be a walk in the park. Your health will thank you for it as well.

Look at the beautiful money tree! If only such thing existed!

1. Grow a Garden

A lot of people assume that the ketogenic diet is all meat. It definitely is not. Fibrous green vegetables are very important to maintain a well balanced diet. Depending on your location, and what you like to eat, grow what you can at home so you will always have fresh, nearly free vegetables on hand. It can be hard work, but the delicious noms right from the garden makes the work worth it.

I would grow a garden if I could, but unfortunately, I live in a sardine can of an apartment with no yard. I have one window that light comes through and it is low enough for my cats to completely destroy any effort I put into growing anything. Rest in peace, agave plant. If I were to grow anything in a pot on the sidewalk, I'm very sure some douche canoe neighbor will let their children rip it up or throw their cigarette butts into the pot because who has ever heard of being respectful toward other people's things, right? Yeah, yeah - sidewalks = public property. Still doesn't give them a right to be a complete asshat. (Whoa, slow down there tangent! Get back on track!)

I actually asked my Grandparents to grow spaghetti squash for me in their garden this year, and they said yes. (Yay!) I go through a lot of it especially since I use to be a pasta fiend, it is quite nice to have that substitute. Even at Wal Mart, Spaghetti Squash is expensive - priced between 98 cents - $2.99/lb. When I'm paying $8.00 to eat a damn vegetable, I know that I either need to cut back or grow it. Luckily, it can be grown. :) Can't wait for the near endless supply.

2. Buy in Bulk

If you have the ability to buy in bulk, it will make your life easier. 99% of the time, we have to cook to ensure we're eating properly so you will definitely go through the bulk goods. Since I just moved back into my hometown area - I no longer have every day access to Costco. I do have a Sam's club in my area, but I don't know yet of what they offer in regards to good ketogenic products. Some examples of stuff to buy in bulk include:

• Meat - I tend to buy it at Wal Mart, but the quality doesn't compare to Costco's meat department. After John and I get a chest freezer, we're splitting a cow with my brother and his wife. $250.00 for a half a cow. Jackpot.
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Eggs
• Heavy Cream - can be frozen in ice cube trays and stored in freezer bags. Good for popping into coffee, soups, stews and sauces.
• Flour - almond and coconut flour.
• Nuts - almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachio, etc. (Watch out for carb content!)
• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds and/or meal
• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Whey Protein

3. Figuring out a meal plan = Staying on Budget

Impulse buying is a pretty big pain in the back pocket especially when you go to the store and have no idea what to buy for the week or if you are hungry. (Snack on some almonds before heading in or something...)  Having a weekly meal plan and budget to stay under will allow you to walk out of the store feeling like a boss. I know I do when I have money left over in the bank after grocery shopping. Also, unless you need condiments, stick to the outer perimeter of the store. You'll be less likely to buy junk food.

There you have it - short and sweet tips. I'd love to hear your tips on saving money on food. I'll have to post an example of my meal planning later on to give an example of what John and I eat every week, and how much I spend monthly. Definitely something I look forward to. It's almost like pantry porn. I love pantry porn. :3

Stay Frosty, my friends.

Salek

Bulletproof Coffee - Breakfast of Champions

I start my day off with bulletproof coffee.

What is it? Amazing. That is what it is. If I'm not fasting, I usually survive off of just BPC and bacon in the mornings - keeps me full and energized until I'm ready to eat which usually isn't until 7 or 8 o'clock at night. (I'm pretty sure that is a form of fasting, dumb dumb.) Bulletproof Coffee is coffee mixed with butter and coconut oil, and it is absolutely delicious. It's actually a really simple process if you have a hand blender. You can whisk the ingredients together, but the end result doesn't stand up to the blended coffee. I know from experience. As much as I love butter, I don't like tasting butter by itself floating on top of my coffee, along with the coconut oil. Yuck.

Take 8 ounces of fresh brewed coffee, add 1 tablespoon of salted butter and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or Medium Chain Triglyceride oil (webMD explaination of what MCT oil is, since I'm lazy). Blend it with your hand blender until the coffee is frothy and dump it in a coffee mug. I always add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream into the mix to add more calories and fat.

Recipe for Bulletproof Coffee

• 1 Cup of freshly brewed coffee
• 1 tablespoon of salted butter
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or MCT oil

Instructions:  Mix that shit. Drink that shit.

I know there is a big hurrah for using the finest ingredients when it comes to the food you consume, but I'm a broke bitch and I do what I have to do to ensure that I am eating close enough to a healthy diet while consuming the cheaper end of the spectrum. For instance, a lot of folks use Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter which is $4.99 for 8 ounces. I can find 1 lb of salted butter for half that price at Giant Eagle. Almond flour is just ridiculously priced, especially since low carb is becoming the next big thing; I use my coffee grinder and grind up 1 pound bag of sliced almonds I buy from Wal Mart for $8.00. May be chunkier than almond flour, but it works for baking just the same! I don't use it often so a little goes a long way.

For coconut oil, I use LouAna Coconut oil (Found at Wal Mart), but I may shell out the money to find something better. Preferably the Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil for $27.00 when I'm back in Pittsburgh next month. LouAna is supposedly bleached, and I'm not down with that even if I'm a broke bitch. I'm also considering MCT oil to try out instead of using all of my coconut oil for just my BPC since coconut oil is expensive.

I might have to go into more detail later on how I try to keep as cheap as possible when it comes to groceries in another blog post. I know folks are always interested in saving money, right!?!?

Stay Frosty, My friends.

Salek

My Body Wants to Be Sith. Hell No, I say!

Ranty post, but I got to rant some where I guess. Why not my blog? Plus, writing this down holds me accountable - especially since my friends and family read this blog. I hope it will encourage them to not let me fall back into the mud.

I am accountable for my own action and inaction. It isn't anyone else's job to make me lose weight. It is all me. I've been doing the ketogenic diet for nearly two years now, and yet here I am back to nearly square one at 202.4 pounds. What had gone wrong? I can tell you that it is a number of things - Burning out from cooking all the time, moving, never having enough money (that has changed now that I have a real job), and just sheer laziness. I compare my douche canoe body to the dark side of the Force - it is trying to fight me always - trying to consume me.

Can I tell you I ate straight keto these past two years? Absolutely not, but 90 percent of the time, I have been in a state of ketosis with nothing to show for it, but bad breath, a better personality and less "I'm a crazy bitch thanks to sugar" moments. (At least having a better personality is a good thing, right? :P )

There is no time for excuses - If you want something, you strive for it; make it your goal to be a better person at the end of each day. It is a struggle. It is especially a severe struggle for me. Some folks can cut calories and lose all the weight without a problem - I can't. I have to be on top of my game with my calories, carbs, sugar, water consumption and how much I workout or I simply stagnate. It is the most frustrating thing ever. I see my friend already losing 50 pounds by eating keto, and she had just started doing the damn diet! I have been in a stall since my first pregnancy in 2013.

It makes me want to rip my hair out.

Instead, I'll cry for a minute, and go workout and continue to count my calories and carbs. The struggle is real, and I cannot let it eat me alive. That's a path I no longer want to take. I'm going to be the Jedi Master of my own body, I will bring it over from the dark side. I'm done letting it run the circus. It's my turn.

On that note - here's a HIIT workout for you to do today. I am doing it myself once I post this blog entry.

By the way, Fitness Blender is amazing. A lot of body weight workouts on their website. I'm so glad I discovered them because they make you work up a sweat at home! My gym membership is currently inactive at the moment, but I definitely plan on going back to weightlifting using the Strong Lifts 5x5 in two weeks. :D

<3 Squats <3

Stay Frosty, My Friends.

Salek

Bacon Cream Cheese Pancakes with Sugar Free Maple Almond Syrup

Say that title ten times fast. Phew! If you have ever seen that mathematical show, Adventure Time, one of the main characters, Jake, decides to make bacon pancakes. He sings a catchy tune while cooking - I've had the song stuck in my head since last night so I decided to make bacon pancakes myself!

But before I dive into the recipes, listen to the awesome song:

It only took 10 seconds for the song to get stuck in my head. Now it is in yours.

You're welcome.

Sugar Free Maple Almond Syrup

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of Stevia for baking (Available at Wal Mart)
• 1 teaspoon of Watkin's Imitation Maple Extract (Available at Wal Mart.)
• 1 teaspoon of McCormick's Imitation Almond Extract (Available at Wal Mart)
• 1 teaspoon of xantham gum  (I use 99 cent Hogson Mill packets from Wal Mart since xantham gum cost your first born child, and I don't use it very often any way. Last night was literally the first time I ever used xantham gum for a recipe)
  
  Bring the water to a boil on your stove top and whisk in stevia until combined. Add both extracts and slow the mixture to a rolling boil. Sprinkle the xanthum gum into the mixture and whisk until thoroughly incorporated. The mixture will thicken to a nectar consistency (thin syrup). I stored the syrup in a pint mason jar. Tried two tablespoons of syrup this morning and it. is. amazeballs! One jar should be enough for 16 servings of two tablespoons. 5 calories, 2 net carbs.

Bacon Cream Cheese Pancakes

• 1 strip of bacon (or more because bacon)
• 2 ounces of cream cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of stevia for baking

Dice the bacon and throw it in a skillet to cook up. Mix the cream cheese and eggs together using a hand blender or a kitchen aid stand mixer until frothy, and then add the cinnamon and stevia to the party. (Mix that shit!)

Don't do what I did and just dump the bacon into the batter. It sinks to the bottom and makes it a pain in the butt to fish up. I'd say 1/8 cup of batter should make a 6 inch pancake - it is a thin batter. Once you put the batter on the skillet, sprinkle some bacon on top and allow the pancake to cook until the edges start to brown, flip over and cook the other side until firm. Voila! BACON PANCAKE! Add 2 tablespoons of syrup and enjoy.

Servings: 2
Per Serving: Calories 208 kcal, Carbs 4, Fat 17, Protein 10, Fiber 2, Potassium 127

Keto Coco Cereal? Is This a Dream Come True?

When it comes to chocolate cereal, I am like a crack addict. . . I need my fix. I loved peanut butter cup cereal, cocoa puffs, and well anything that involved chocolate or peanut butter in milk honestly. To my joy, someone had posted a recipe for chocolate cereal on /r/ketorecipes - I had to make it.

Boy, was I NOT disappointed either.

It is the perfect consistency to be satisfy the chocolate fiend in me, and it is actually very filling. Just last night, I decided that I loved the cereal so much that I'd make bulk in a coffee can (Remember, addicted).

Adapted ketogenic recipe from Reddit User /u/LarryitSeatwDoritos

Original Recipe from Maria Mind Body Health Blog

• 1/2 cup vanilla whey or egg white protein (I used Body Fortress Vanilla Whey Protein Powder)
• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 TBS Truvia + 1/2 TBS extra for sprinkling
• 2 TBS water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a medium bowl, stir together the whey, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, 2 tablespoons of the sweetener and salt. Add in the coconut oil until evenly distributed. Stir in the water to form a stiff dough. (Note: dough will look pretty crumbly, and not really like a dough. This is okay.) Place parchment paper on cookie sheets, and lightly grease. Sprinkle the dough in cereal-sized pieces over the parchment paper. Bake for 6-8 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven, sprinkle the remaining Truvia, and break up the pieces into pebble-sized cereal bits.

Out of the oven.

And into the bowl!

My batches of cereal go a bit longer since I only use 1/2 cup. I'd say there are more along the lines of six servings. I also used 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk and 2 tbsp. of heavy cream!

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 286 calories, 25g fat, 12g protein, 2g net carbs, 5g fiber (Not including the almond milk and heavy cream)

Finally, the flax seed recipe I promised. Someone is lazy.

I say I am going to post, and I don't; merely because I'm a lazy puke. Sometimes I wonder how in the world there are people out in internet land that can make a decent living by maintaining a website, but I really don't need to wonder - They have motivation, desire, and a want to be successful. I lack motivation most of all... and a reliable camera. Oh, and a decent sized kitchen with good lighting, which seems to be a problem no matter where I move to...

Who am I kidding? No motivation is a shit poor excuse. I quit smoking almost a month ago, and my  motivation was saving money and getting healthier. It is merely a psychological warfare that I put myself through. I either do it, or I don't!  So I choose to do. (Now if I could psych myself up to pick up the phone and call people. Ha.) I can't guarantee that my posts will be up to par with super bloggers, but I will do my best to entertain.

Now that I'm done with my soliloquy, just a bit of information regarding the flax meal recipe I made. I did make the food, and I have pictures to post, I swear! My phone just won't bloody charge for me to get to them. Once I get it charged, I'll put the pictures up. I need to get a camera...

Well, I found this recipe for faux cinnamon crunch cereal on I Breathe... I'm Hungry (Seriously love that blog). I changed a couple things in the recipe because I didn't have hemp seeds, and apple juice isn't keto friendly. Here's the quick and dirty recipe.

Keto Friendly Cinnamon Crunch Cereal

adapted from I Breathe… I’m Hungry

• 1/2 cup ground flax seed (I used Bob's Red Mill golden flax seed meal)
• 1/2 cup almond meal (Grind your own, saves you money. Almond flour is ridiculously expensive!)
• 2 Tbs. cinnamon
• 1 Tbs. melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/4 cup granular natural sweetener (I used stevia, but you can use  xylitol, erythritol)
• Make sure you have parchment paper or a lot of coconut oil!

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Dissolve the sweetener in the water. I like to have very few dishes to wash, so I threw all the ingredients in my blender after measuring it all out with one measure cup. (Remember, I'm lazy.) Blend the crap out of the batter, and quickly! Flax seed thickens up like whoa! Spread the batter super thin on to parchment lined cookie sheet, or make sure the sheet is well oiled with coconut oil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Pull the pan out, and cut the cereal into little squares. Put the sheet back into the oven and lower the heat to 250 degrees. Bake 10 minutes. (I would suggest you bake longer. Probably bake for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it.) Turn the oven off, and let the cereal sit in the oven until completely dry and cool. Break the cereal apart and store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Lasts a week safely in your refrigerator. Enjoy your noms.

What I adapted:

• Substituted the 1/2 cup of hulled hemp seeds for 1/2 almond flour.
• Use 1/2 cup of water to 1/4 cup of sugar substitute instead of apple juice (I use Stevia in the raw, 5lb bag)
• For some people, sugar substitutes will knock them out of ketosis. Be aware before you dive into the different sugar substitutes.
• You may need more water. The batter is very thick and hard to get out of the blender if you let it sit too long. The flax seed gets gelatinous. I think the next time I try this I'll add a little bit more water, probably about 2 tbsp.Might help keep the batter thin, who knows... Yay experimenting!
• Don't follow my mistake- please use parchment paper! I tried to use wax paper (I always do this. I'm so dumb sometimes), and it stuck to the paper. I salvaged some of the batter, and had to start all over. 
• Second time around, I greased the pan I was using with coconut oil. Be very liberal if you have to go this route. My cereal still stuck in some spots. :(
• I really need to invest in parchment paper.
• After all the baking is done, the recipe says to leave the cereal in the oven for an hour with the oven off. I will probably bake the cereal longer next time I make it. It was still fairly moist after following the directions; probably has a lot to do with sugar substitute. I'll update this post when I try it again.

Taste Test - Although the cereal is not the same as cinnamon toast crunch, it definitely holds its own. The cereal actually reminds me of wheat chex with cinnamon and sugar thrown on top. I ate the cereal with a 1/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk. The sweet taste was subtle, but enough to satisfy my sweet tooth.  Definitely will make again!

Nutritional information - Six 1/2 cup servings. Calories: 113, Total fat: 9 g, Total carbs: 8 g, Dietary fiber: 5 g, Net carbs: 3 g, Protein: 4 g, Potassium: 11 mg.

I added the nutritional information on both SparkRecipes, and on MyFitnessPal. The data is almost spot on with each other. Enjoy!

Don't forget! DID YOU DRINK A BUTTLOAD OF WATER TODAY!?

Just a rant post.

It's been a rough week for me. I'm going to take a moment to complain a "bit".

I've been having the hardest time getting back into keto since I moved back to my hometown. John and I had decided about two weeks ago that we were getting back into the lifestyle hardcore, and that nothing would stop us! Well, I'll tell you what has been stopping me: Sure laziness, and the lack of space. I will not deny that I've been eating junk carbs; cooking sucks in the kitchen made for ants. I take a step in the space and lose the will to cook, and it's really put a number on my body - bloated, weird sleeping pattern, weight gain, lack of desire to get up and do anything. Heck, I'm surprised my menstrual cycle hasn't called it quits yet! I am, once again, going in the opposite direction of Happyville, and straight back into the ghetto that is called Depression. I seriously need to figure out a keto system for John and I before I lose my damn mind.

I need to do something. I think, tomorrow, I'm going to reorganize and clean out the 'fridge and a cabinet, or just designate a spot on the counter for all my supplies. (This works well enough) If its in my view, I can't deny that I have the ability and need to cook real food! Now to tackling the laziness - Doesn't anyone else get tired of cooking? I'd love for my husband to cook for me, for once, but I'm the "designated" cook. The cook gets tired of cooking just the same as anyone else!

Preparing food ahead of time is something I really need to work on - including chopping and grinding necessary ingredients, thawing out and marinading meats, precook all food that can be safely cooked ahead of time, and figuring out the nutritional info. This will save my sanity, and give me something to do other than reaching for a pop tart or gorging on crackers when I'm bored and my blood sugar levels are low.

Look out for a flax seed cracker recipe tomorrow in a week. (Hur hur. And it's actually cereal because I change my mind a lot.). I haven't been a big fan of flax seed since John and I started cooking with it. I'm hoping these crackers the cereal come out tasty and not like kitty litter. Guess we'll find out. Thanks for reading, and I don't mind if you rolled your eyes at my complaints and excuses. I needed to vent my frustrations out. Just time to get back up, dust the dirt off, and keep moving forward!

Salek

Super Short Guide to the Ketogenic Diet

This is a very, very basic guide to starting the ketogenic diet. The reason I do not go into more detail is due to the fact that there are people in this world who can explain the science better than I ever could; especially Joseph Arcita and his Guide to Ketosis. Joseph is a fellow blogger whose amazing break down of the ketogenic diet makes my humble explanation look like child’s play.

Who should try the ketogenic diet?

Anyone can do this diet, but it is recommended for people with epilepsy, and women with fertility issues. Over the past eight months, I have seen people with a variety of health issues who would try the diet and have better managed health including issues such as:

·         Type 2 diabetes

·         Crohn’s disease

·         High cholesterol/blood pressure (these usually go hand in hand)

·         Anxiety and depression (also can go hand in hand)

·         Fertility issues – Lack of menses and PCOS

  I am a combination of both the fertility issues, and the anxiety and depression. My anxiety has lessened, and my depression is gone. PCOS is managed, and my cycles have returned.

Basics of the diet

Consume less than 25 g of carbs per day. That will ensure that you're in a constant state of ketosis. My husband consumes 35 g of carbohydrates because that is the amount he can consume and stay in ketosis. I consume between 19-25 g. (Read about my change in carb consumption in the macros section)

Cut out all sugar, sugar alcohols, starches, and 95% of your carbohydrates. No more bread, cookies, cake, beer, soda, milk, root vegetables, and fruit (I know, I’m sorry about the fruit). You will still get carbohydrates from the food you are allowed to eat on the diet. We aren't completely strangling carbs from our diets.

Here's a list of keto friend foods and their carb count. Very useful google document! Print it out!

Also try Linda's Keto Recipes - I use this every day. Love this website!

WATER IS YOUR FRIEND.

I cannot stress this enough. You must drink 2 or 3 liters of water every day, or deal with kidney issues. It is no joke!

Keto flu

You will experience something called the keto flu within the first two weeks of the diet; usually a bad headache and fatigue. It is just a result of your body being starved of carbohydrates. The best way to fix this is to get your electrolytes back in balance. Purchase and use lite salt (found at any grocery store), and magnesium supplements, and drink chicken or beef broth. Good sources of potassium include lite salt, coffee, spinach, kale, salmon, avocados, almonds, pistachios… to name a few.

Please read more into the keto flu and potassium and magnesium deficiency here: “Keto-flu” and Sufficient Intake of Electrolytes

Hitting your macros

Macros are your ever day nutritional goals. You should eat 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbohydrates. To figure out your macros use the Keto Calculator created by a Redditor named Martinus.

I just now redid my macros, and it looks like I have to lower my carbohydrate intake. My personal macros are: 1600 kcal, 85g of fat, 90 g of protein and 15g of carbohydrates. That is what I have to eat every day to ensure weight loss is happening, which it has not since my pregnancy in February. Time to fix that!

Best way to ensure you’re staying under your macros of fat/protein/carbs is to have and use a food journal. I have a food journal on MyFitnessPal.com, and customized it to ensure I am following my macros. I have made it a habit to use my journal every day. You’d be surprised at how easy it is to blow over your goal, even if you’re eating only keto food. Food scales and measuring cups are also pretty freaking awesome to have, and thank God for nutritional labels. Always read labels!

Tonight, after I'm done babysitting, I will set up a variety of links that will help you in your journey on the keto diet. reddit.com/r/keto has been the most helpful with information to this diet. I love that community so much! Go and visit!

Salek

An introduction. Do we like introductions here?

Hellooooo,

I'm Salek! (Say-lick).

I guess you'll eventually figure out a bit more about me as we chug along with the blog, so I'll keep introductions to a minimum. (Okay I lied, I talked a lot. I'm sorry) I'm 25, married, have a cat and two obnxious birds. I swear like a sailor, enjoy video games, books, music, and a variety of activities my husband deems as "old lady hobbies." Whatever, John.

Let me start off by saying that I have pretty much done every single diet fad that has or is being marketed in today's health food industry. From low fat to low calorie, vegetarianism to lean meats, "healthy" junk food to diet pills - I have done it all; not a single attempt has brought me anything but misery and hunger, and surprise, surprise, more weight gain.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, and insulin resisticance are the main culprits in the (now shrinking) tire around my waist, my previous lack of a menstrual cycle, and my awesome hockey playoff goatee. (Let's Go Pens!) Fourteen years of this crap, I eventually reached the "I don't give a fuck" stage, and gave up even caring about the why and how to fix it. PCOS and my weight be damned, I chose chocolate ice cream and potato chips that wouldn't satisfy me over a little weakling of a salad with icky low fat, low calorie dressing that wouldn't satisfy me either. I picked my poison, and it was sugar and carbs. I guess that was the depression talking... He's a jagoff.

Last September, being the lazy jerk that I am, I was spending my morning browsing Reddit, and was checking out the PCOS subreddit. Some of the ladies were discussing the different types of diets they were doing to combat their PCOS, and the one that caught my eye was the ketogenic diet, which is a low carb diet. The only diet I knew of that was low carb was Atkins, and I thought it was suppose to be unhealthy for you.

There was even a keto subreddit! There was SO MUCH information to read, and it was truly overwhelming. Redditors were posting their progress, non-scale and scale victories, and stating how much better they felt, and how quickly the weight was coming off. I was definitely intrigued. Eating a high fat, moderate protein diet? Was everything I was told about my diet and health a complete lie? To be honest, I LOVE fat. I never felt shame about grabbing the steak fat off a family member's plate because it tastes good. Maybe the diet would work for me? Might as well try it out once.

I started reading the google document linked in the sidebar called "Keto in a Nutshell", moved on to the FAQ, and than eventually the documentary called Fatheads. I watched Fatheads with my husband. When we finished the movie, we both decided to try the diet out and see where it would take us. Took less to convince my husband than I thought. He's a very stubborn meat and potatoes guy so I was shocked when he said he'd try it out. I didn't say a word about his decision because I didn't want him to back out in anger or frustration at me, and the diet. At least I had a diet buddy. Buddies are important!

In the first week, John lost about eight to ten pounds, and I lost five. It was all water weight, but I can't complain, my clothes fit better, and I was sleeping better. John's health issues included sleep apnea, heartburn and general gastral intestinal issues. My health issues were/are depression, anxiety, PCOS, insulin resistance. Can't forget our weight either! :3

Within a month, John's sleep apnea, heartburn, and plumbing issues disappeared. He had lost twenty five pounds. Myself, I finally got my menstrual cycle after going over a year without it, my depression went away, my anxiety lessened, and I lost fifteen pounds. I actually lost weight. Holy shit.

So, we stuck with the diet because it was working, and still is working. In February, and March of this year, I lost no weight and couldn't figure out why. I was stuck at 28 pounds lost.  My husband assumed it was the jar of natural peanut butter, and whip cream I was going through every day that was stopping my weight loss. Couldn't help it. I needed it.

Turns out I was just pregnant. I was mother fucking pregnant. Me!? I never thought I'd be able to have children. We had gone seven years without contraception, and never got pregnant. The fact that I was knocked up was a cross between disbelief and excitement. I cried, I jumped for joy, and said outloud, "I'm going to be a mommy!"

Well, two days later, I miscarried. I felt like shit. Some days I still do, but I know it was not my fault. At least I know I can get pregnant now, and the baby fever has finally set in... to the "joy" of my darling husband. All the more incentive to keep on this path John and I are both taking.

Tomorrow's post is going to be geared more toward how to do the ketogenic diet, and who should try it out. If you want to do your own research, /r/keto on Reddit is very informative, along with Gary Taube's books Why We Get Fat, and Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Hope to see you! I'll probably post a recipe tomorrow as well. Aww yeah, recipes!