Sick-bed to ER to Well-dom

 Just over a week ago, I spoke too soon about feeling better. I thought I had the flu bug licked. Until I didn't. My fever came back to visit a couple of times then, just when I thought I really was getting better, one night my throat started hurting and I felt as if it were trying to close up. I took some aspirin and went to bed. 

Oh, Lord. What if I really am sicker than I think? What if I ignore this the way I ignored the sarc and it gets worse? What if I suffocate in my sleep?

Yeah. My anxiety kicked in the door and I imagined being found dead in my apartment. My messy apartment. 

I have a thing about keeping my place neat. I'm not fanatical about it but when your living space is as small as mine is, the least bit of clutter or thing out of place can resemble a scene from that show about hoarders. Seriously. So the only place I let things pile up is either on my bed or at my writing desk. And by "piling up", I mean having my computer, writing paper and pens, and some post-its taking up space. Since I'd been sick, I was keeping all that stuff on the little bed-tray-table thingie I have on one side of the bed. And because I was sick, there were some extra items on the bed - tissue, nose-spray, my pill organizer, a couple of bottles of water, and my Bible. There was barely room in the Queen-sized bed for my body.

The body that my family was going to find dead. In my messy apartment.

from the King Street Gallery
Wish I could afford a copy!

Not only was my bed a mess but so was the kitchen. Again, small space and things out of place. My kitchen is so small that I have to store my toaster on top of the fridge with I'm not using it. All I'd been doing since the bug had bitten me was fixing toast, coffee, and tea. But that had created a mess I had not cleaned up in days - paper plates and used paper towels and spoons sticky with honey and knives coated with old butter.

Someone is going to have to come in here and clean all this up before they can properly mourn my death.

Just like my own kitchen except neater

The more I laid on my bed, waiting for the aspirin to kick in, the more my throat seemed to close up. I was worried that maybe I did have COVID instead of the regular flu or a bad cold. I would die of COVID because I'd been too hospital-chicken to get myself checked. 

Lord, I don't mind dying but I sure don't want to die in a messy apartment.

I felt so sick and sorry for myself that I started to cry. And I started dozing off. Until my throat ache woke me. I sat up and realized I would have to go into the bathroom pantry to see if I had any more aspirin. But I was too freaking tired to walk to the bathroom and back. But my throat...

I guess the crying just made things worse because suddenly I felt like I couldn't swallow comfortably or get enough air in through my snotty nose.

When I called my family, it was about 11 or 11:30. They didn't even hesitate. As soon as I said that I thought I might need to go to the hospital, they went into action. The Conway Calvary was on the way!

Actually, the staff were all
very nice

And, of course, then I had to somehow get dressed. I hadn't showered in days and I had been sleeping in the same yoga pants, ratty t-shirt, bra, and underwear for at least 3 days (don't judge me!). There is not much that can get me to leave my house like that but I just didn't have the energy to do more than mask up my face, lock up my apartment and get myself to the lobby where I could sit and wait for my ride. They were there by the time I made it to the door. Looking all kinds of a hot, pitiful mess.

One I use here all the time

Now here's a weird thing that happened. Not even halfway to the hospital, my throat seemed to be opening up a little. it didn't hurt much to swallow and I actually felt as if I could fall right to sleep. 

The ER people are going to think I am overreacting to minor flu symptoms.

That's what I thought for about 2 seconds and then I remembered that this is 2021 and COVID is a thing. Thankfully, my family is vaccinated.

Too late, my friend.
It's too late,
though we really did try to make it.

So... A 10-minute ride to the ER; 5 minutes to disinfect my hands and sign in; 10 minutes in the waiting area (empty); 15 minutes in an exam room to strip, hide my icky bra and undies in my purse and under my coat (until they could be safely burned); 5 minutes with a nurse; and 10 minutes with a doctor and a lab guy who administered a COVID test. Then I laid there on the table and dozed for who knows how long? 25 minutes? An hour? When the doctor came back he was chipper and non-judgemental.

I don't have COVID. What I had was the lingering effects of the flu. And the problems with my throat closing up? That was most likely from an anxiety attack. I was released with orders to drink LOTS of water, take aspirin for any fever and see my regular doctor asap. I slunk out of there, relieved that I would live.

Funny enough, the ER doc said that he hadn't seen a "regular" flu patient in a long time.

Probably because "regular flu" patients don't rush to the ER in the middle of the night like manic hypochondriacs...

So, yeah. I live. I'm still super-fatigued and am using a lot of energy laying on my side in bed as I type this but at least I don't have COVID.

It was, Apparently, it was.

I've had bursts of energy. I have managed to empty the garbage, pick up the kitchen, and shower myself. I am still living mostly from my bed but I am feeling SO much better. Silly for running to the ER in the middle of the night, but...

If I die now, at least my bed will be the only messy thing about the apartment. 

Today, I made it to infusion and even stopped at the store on the way home for a quick minute. And I have finally gotten to try that WTRMLN Juice I've been hearing about. 

A bit of a 
disappointment :-(

That's the WTRMLN drink I've been searching everywhere for. My family picked it up for me. It's exactly like drinking the juice from a could-be-sweeter watermelon. I don't taste the lime at all, but I keep wanting to add sugar to it. I was disappointed the way I am when I am looking forward to a piece of tasty melon only to get one that's underripe. And I can taste the rind in this. It's not totally disgusting but I won't be rushing out to get more. Nope. (Maybe the other versions are better?)

In addition to trying the WTRMLN, I found a good ginger tea. The WTRMLN I tried might be a bust but...

Instant Ginger Tea with Honey

Now the ginger tea? That is so delicious. I don't like spicy things (wait til I get to the cayenne in a moment) but this is not the same kind of spicy as the pepper I force myself to add to juice. This tea is the first one I could find online that had ginger as the first of the ingredients and didn't have a lot of ingredients - just ginger, cane sugar, and honey. I like to drink it cold with a little bit of apple or pineapple juice or the occasional bit of coconut water (occasional because of the high potassium in coconut water). At night, I will drink it hot before bed.

And, yeah, I have been adding cayenne to my diet - for the capsaicin. Yep, me, the woman who can barely take too much black pepper in her food. 

Haven't had that problem. Yet.

I don't go crazy with it though. I have just been adding a little bit of cayenne powder to my juices and smoothies. If I add it to coconut water or apple juice, the heat isn't too much. Instead of ingesting a lot all at once, I just do little 6-ounce shots throughout the day.  One tip I picked up for cooling the heat is to use dairy (knew that one), something acidic (lime or lemon), or carbs (bread). For me, coconut water or apple juice works well.

Capsaicin is found in various types of peppers but is higher in the hotter ones (I think I'm saying that right). I have heard that, like ginger, it's good for the immune system. I also heard something about how it can rev the metabolism. Hmmm? I don't know. I'm almost beyond caring about that for now. But I can say that it does affect the appetite. On the days that I add some cayenne to my juice, I feel less hungry and less inclined to snack. ~shrug~

So, yeah, I'm trying to help my immune system out as much as I can. 

At any rate, I didn't die in a messy apartment. I am still here and feeling a little more back to my usual (hah!)  level of wellness every day. Hopefully, I will be getting some more posts out of the Draft basket and posted soon.

Peace

--Free

Not All Fiber Works The Same

 Okay. This is going to get a little bit personal. Today, I am going to be talking about my fiber regimen. Not too personal but... real personal.

I told you recently about my need to change up my daily nutritional habits. My kidneys are being crazy and my energy is dropping more than usual. I have been advised to seriously up my fiber intake, lower my intake of preservatives, and drink SO much more water. I feel like I am participating in a water challenge with fiber thrown in for extra credit.

Before now, if I needed it, I would take an OTC stool softener - Dulcalax was my go-to - and that always worked. Eventually. I remember once taking one Dulcalax every eight hours for a couple of days with no result. Until there were results. Results of sudden and horrific proportions.  After that, I stuck to things like Benefiber and it's generic siblings and Psyllium supplements. Same result: they don't work until they suddenly do work too well. Or not, depending.

The past few days, I have been taking in nothing but vegetables (mostly tomato, avocado, onion, cabbage), water, and bread. Not just any bread though but only the most fiber-filled and nutritious kind. I've eaten whole-grain bread, seeded bread, sprouted grain, and sprouted seed bread. I even went near bankruptcy to buy a loaf of the famous Ezekiel bread. 

Here's the thing: not all fiber works the same. The stool softeners and the manufactured fiber supplements work slow and unpredictably. The fiber in the bread and the fiber in the vegetables... That is swift justice. Swift but not brutal.

Without going into more detail than necessary, I will just say that I can highly recommend the fiber found in food over the supplements and manufactured types. Results are more predictable and comfortable. And regular. Very regular.

Also, I feel better. My belly is a lot less bloated so my clothes fit better. I don't have that constant feeling of slight discomfort. My energy is not up as much as I would like but I think that might take more time.

I have learned that with taking in so much natural fiber, the real trick to results and comfort is to drink the water. Lots of water. It's as if the fiber is the wind-up and the water is the pitch. (Look at me talking in baseball lingo!)

Another benefit is that I am not eating as much food. I know that this is Fiber 101 because fiber is more filling than most other nutrients. Eating less means buying fewer groceries, That's awesome because I can only afford one loaf of Ezekiel bread every 3rd quarter of the fiscal year...

Do you know how thankful I am that my family is the best ever? They are getting me a bread machine for Christmas. The makers of Ezekiel bread (and Dave's Killer Bread) will not be seeing any more of my collected pennies once I get that machine. I love their concept and backstories (especially for Dave's), but I leave it to Gwen Paltrow and Oprah and friends to pick up the tab. I really don't see enough difference between Ezekiel Bread and some other choices to warrant spending all that extra moolah.

By the way, the Ezekiel bread is not bad but it's not as tasty (in my opinion) as some of the other grain bread. It's free of preservatives, which is a good thing, but that shortens the shelf-life. Also, I found it to be very dry. I can only eat it in nibbles or else I have to toast it. I keep it in the freezer and thaw it one piece at a time. I have to protect that investment.

I told you previously that I have found an affordable supplier of grains and seeds. I already found yeast in larger quantities so I think I can keep up this high fiber situation without going broke.

For anyone else looking for decent quality and nutritious bread, I can say (speaking with no credentials other than my taste buds and ability to read a label) that Aldi's Seedtastic and Ancient Grains breads are amazingly tasty.  They aren't cheap-cheap (around $3.25 to 3.85 a loaf, depending on the type), but they are so good. 

Ezekiel Bread
Ingredients

Again, I am no expert, so take everything I say the way you would an article in the Daily Mail. Do your own research. I have been checking info from papers/articles by dieticians and nutritionists (you know- doing my search-learning) and, so far, I think there are some rules of thumb to go by and some things I have learned:

• High fiber is best with proper water intake. I wonder if it isn't even troublesome to not drink enough water if you are doing a high-fiber diet.
• When choosing bread and cereals, etc, look for "sprouted" seeds and grains. I can't remember why this is even though I looked it up.
• Avoiding preservatives as much as possible is great.
• The first high-fiber day I had killed my cravings for "junk".
• I have been eating at a different pace (see below) than before doing high-fiber.

A typical day's meals for me prior to this was something like this:

• breakfast of coffee with creamer, white toasted bread with butter and jam.
• lunch of white bread (or Brioche, or thick Italian loaf) sandwich of chicken patty or deli turkey and something sweet like a honey bun
• snacks of honey bun, vanilla brioche loaf (Aldi's has the best), or some other sweet treat
• dinner or vegetables (maybe), fish or chicken of, if I'm lazy or tired, another sandwich.
• evening snack(s) PB&J sandwich or a bun or sweet bread and some hot tea with sweetened creamer.

A typical day recently:

• breakfast of coffee & creamer, toasted bread (seeded, sprouted or something like that) either dry or with butter
• lunch of sandwich of avocado, tomato, sweet onion, and maybe mini sweet peppers on seeded bread with mayo.
• snack of bread, toasted or not, buttered or not.
• dinner or baked fish or chicken with a side or avocado, tomatoes,onions seasoned with sweet and mild rice vinegar or just salt and pepper, a piece of bread - and you know what kind.
• evening snack of a banana or a couple of dates or a piece of bread (toasted or raw, buttered or not).

I am planning to make small batches of honey butter* to put on my bread (as a snack). I have not yet made the trendy "avocado toast" and I refuse to. 

It will be fun to do an update on how I feel after a longer period of eating fiber-filled foods on a regular basis. I promise, but right now, I have to go to the Ladies Room...

Peace

--Free

**RECIPE** Lemon Cream Cheese Fat Bombs

I made some of these the other night from a couple of recipes that I modified so I can tell you that they taste wonderful. I had to modify the recipe because one of the recipes I saw sounded complicated (mentioning to heat, simmer, etc....) and the other didn't have lemon juice (which is something I wanted).

The reason I wanted these fat bombs instead of the chocolate ones I did before is because I'd heard that you could flavor cream cheese fat bombs to taste like little bites of cheesecake (and even red velvet cupcakes). Yum.

OK, here's a pic of one I dug out of the tin with a fork...

... I mean, since I'm sitting here stuffing my face with one!

It's important to really, really like whatever fat bombs you are going to eat if you have trouble (like I do) with getting enough calories and fat. Like I've mentioned before, there are days when I just really am not hungry at all.(NOTE: To get around 120 grams of fat with these bombs, I need to eat about 17 of them, That's going to add up to about 1080 calories and 17 carbs. Both within my daily range. Great for if I'm in one of those no-meal moods. Not something for every day, of course, but it's a get-by for every now and then.)

This is what I eventually came up with, using what I had on hand. I can just about promise that you cannot screw these up. I didn't! Just taste-test your batter before freezing the bombs. That way, you can add more lemon or cream cheese, or whatever.

Lemon Cream Cheese Fat Bombs

Blend all the following:

• 8 oz cream cheese (softened enough for your blender)
• 2.5 oz unsalted butter (softened) 
• 1.5 Tbs coconut oil
• 3 Tbl lemon juice (room temp)
• 1 Tbl Swerve sweetener (or your preferred sweetener to taste)
• about a teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (I didn't measure!)

Prep/Freeze:

Lightly grease a sheet of tin foil with a little bit of oil or butter & place the foil on a cookie sheet (or something that will fit in your freezer later.)

(recipe nutrition info is for 24 servings)

Once the mixture is completely smooth, drop balls of mixture onto the foil and put into the freezer for at least 20 minutes. When the balls are fully firm (frozen), you can store them in a plastic baggie in the freezer.

Nutrition Info per serving (24 servings):

• Calories = 63
• Carbs =1gram
• Fat = 7grams
• Protein = 1gram
• Fiber = 0
• Sugar = 0

By the way, I used MyFitnessPal to calculate these numbers.

I was going to show you a photo but my first batch was done in un-oiled metal muffin tins. Rookie mistake. The drops stuck so badly that I have just been digging them out and eating them one by one. The only reason I screwed this up is because my chocolate fat bombs were fine in the metal tins. The cream cheese in this recipe threw me off!

Here are photos of the second batch (done right):

Now, what I did was to spoon these onto the foil, let them freeze, then I spooned a bit more on top of the frozen pieces and put them back in the freezer. That gave them an interesting, UFO-ey kind of shape!

How do mine taste? So freaking good that I think I should feel guilty every time I eat one. With my first batch, there was the very slightest aftertaste coming from the Swerve. For the second batch, I cut back to about a half tablespoon of the sweetener. Much better.

In hindsight, if I were to tweak this recipe any kind of way, it would be to add a touch more lemon and maybe some lime juice. The sour citrus was such a good tangy addition to the flavors.

Finally, a light warning: If you intend using these to occasionally meet your calories, make sure to watch any other food you eat that day. 1080 calories is under my 1600 daily calorie limit, but I can kill a lot of calories with my buttered and creamed coffee... Just watch yourself, is all I'm saying. These things are addictively yummy.

Peace
--Free

Ketogenics. It's a Balancing Act

Trying not to be this person

So, it's Day Whatever-I've-Stopped-Counting of my commitment to a keto lifestyle. I've lost and gained and lost. Good news is that I've lost more than I've gained. Also, someone pointed out that the bathroom scale is not a friend.

To look at what I have learned and am appreciating about this eating regimen (I love that word), I have to admit that I am more pleased than I expected to be. For one thing, whether or not I lose weight as fast as I want, I am still doing my body (and health) a lot of good.

Pros:

• I don't feel as tired as I did when I was eating so many starches and processed foods.
• My hair loves the keto diet. I think because I'm getting so many good oils in my diet, my hair is staying healthier and more hydrated - even on the days when I don't get enough water.
• My blood pressure is down.
• I am losing inches faster than I am losing weight. (I really do need to come back and do an update on my measurements, now that I am thinking about it.)
• I'm saving money on groceries. Lots and lots of money.
• I'm losing my taste for sugar/sweets. (More on this in a moment.)
• I'm breaking the connection with "bored eating".

Cons:

• It's tough finding the right combination of macronutrients for my personal needs and goals.
• I'm having to get used to grocery shopping in a new way. There's a lot of time spent reading and comparing labels for everything I buy to eat. This goes even for the things that keto allows.
• No one else in my family practices the keto lifestyle. That makes it tough to store and prepare food because of sharing storage space (for foods) and finding time in the kitchen.
• I'm experiencing a sharp decrease in appetite and sometimes have to make myself eat.
• The first couple of weeks was tough because I was quite physically exhausted and felt sluggish.

The positives are definitely stronger than the negatives. All the Cons are things that I can work around or count on improving as time goes by.

You notice that I mentioned I am losing my taste and cravings for sugars and sweets. Do you remember how when I started low-carb eating I spent so much time crying about my Almond Joy coffee creamer? Well,  I broke down yesterday and picked up a bottle. My intention was to just have some as an every-now-and-then treat. 

Guess what? The first time I treated myself, I used the usual amount (about four tablespoons, which is a lot I know) and... Ugh! Too, too, too sweet. I had to dump some of the sweetened coffee and add some fresh black brew. Still, the taste wasn't the same. I almost couldn't bear the smell of it eiher.

What this tells me is that it's true that every change takes time. It's been not quite three weeks of limiting and then cutting out the flavored creamer. In the meantime, I've been using heaving cream, butter and, in rare instances, a little bit of sugar substitute. I must have gotten used to that because it now is preferable to coffee with flavored creamer. Instead of the Almond Joy, I think I will try "treating" myself by adding a little bit of brown sugar in with the cream and butter.

When I tell you that my hair loves keto, I'm serious. I'm going to find a photo from at least a month ago to compare with one I'm going to take today just for this post:

August 15th 2016

September 15th 2016

By the way, I am using the timestamps form my camera. Just lucky that I found the "Before" photo that was from this date last month. I literally paused in the typing of this post to go and take a bathroom mirror shot for you! (My face has slimmed down quite a bit, but I covered it up because I'm not doing makeup-free photos today. LOL)

When I say that keto is a balancing act, I'm talking about getting the ratios of protein/fat/carbs regulated. Not only is this tricky (because it varies from person to person), but it's also ever-changing.

One of my Instagram buddies was doing keto long before I started (and that's one reason I started following him on Instagram) and he is always tweaking his ratios. Everybody I know of (all only online for now) doing keto mentions hitting plateaus, intermittent fasting, egg fasting, and fat fasting. That's because the way the diet works (basically burning body fat for energy rather than storing it) depends on your energy output and calorie input. I guess this is true for any kind of eating plan, but because keto is based on burning fat, the balancing act is trickier. (I hope that all made some kind of sense!)

I've gone through stages of getting too much protein and not enough fat. That's why I had my first stall in weight loss. Now that I am getting more fat in my diet, I need to concentrate on calories. I need to make sure I am getting enough. This is tough because, like I mentioned a moment ago, I have a decrease in appetite.

This is the way my usual day goes with food:

Breakfast - coffee with heavy cream, butter & maybe some coconut oil. No food. I am not a morning eater.

Lunch - if I eat anything, it's usually a brat that I slice longways down the center so I can fill it with about a tablespoon of cream cheese. (Lunch is easy for me to skip because I am usually writing or running errands. I'll make do by warming up my morning coffee.)

Dinner - An Atkins frozen entree. IF I EAT A MEAL. Lately, I've been snacking instead. I like to eat baby dill pickles and green olives with a bit of cheddar cheese, or a handful of raw almonds and about eight or nine mini-pepperoni slices.

My biggest water intake is from the Pellegrino mineral water. Love that stuff and, thanks to Costco, I can get a case of the 25.3oz bottle for around $20.

Sometime this week, I am going to make some cream cheese/cacao powder fat bombs. I will add some coconut oil, Kerrygold butter, and some sugar substitute. I can snack on those when I just don't want to eat.

I'm glad that the seasons are changing because I can use the winter "down time" to lose more weight. God willing that we are all still here, next summer... my skinny jeans will be in full effect.

Peace
--Free

P.S.:

I know that I have been skimping on product reviews. Sorry, but I will try to get back to them soon. My Amazon Prime is up for renewal in October and I honestly can't say yet if I plan to re-up. The shipping and other restrictions on Alaska customers is just annoying. Even though businesses usually give me codes for free products, if I don't renew Prime, I will be doing fewer reviews since I won't have the free shipping. Prime shipping has gotten so slow and unreliable that, for the annual fee, it's just a bust.

P.S. to the P.S.:

I made the lemon and cream cheese fat bombs. OMG, SOOOO good. One problem: I didn't add enough coconut oil and they stuck to the pan. I think they were supposed to be done on the cookie sheet and not in muffin tins...

Low-Carb Eating Helps (and a personal note)

Getting used to living a low-carb lifestyle is challenging. It's not that I don't like the food choices (now that I'm finding all of them), but that there's so much hidden information. I can't wait until the new nutrition labeling kicks in. From what I understand, the new labels will be larger and much clearer with data.

For now, I am using the various sources online to plan my meals and snacks and to keep myself informed and motivated. I wanted to share these with you so here they are:

• A carb guide intended for diabetics 1. Includes lots of useful info.
• A food exchange list 1 that has lots of nutrition info.
• Printable low-carb grocery shopping list 1 (source page)
• Keto grocery list 1
• Bunch of Pins with low-carb shopping list ideas
• Low Carbe Diem is a great info resource (recipes, tips, etc.)
• Ditch the Carbs site

I will be adding to/updating this post often, so check back.

On a personal note, I want to mention (again) that low-carb eating helps the body weigh less but doesn't lighten the pocketbook. Now that I am watching the carbs, I find that I have eliminated a lot of impulse grocery buying. Better food and less food seems to be a theme on this diet.

Not only is it easier to eat better on this 'diet', but I find I'm more fulfilled with less food. Prior to going low-carb, I was constantly hungry - either for a good meal or for something to snack on. In the past few days, I am having to remind myself to eat something. My snacks are smaller and I'm drinking more and more water.

As of today - almost 4 weeks into this lifestyle - I still haven't lost a significant amount of weight, but I feel better. I was almost discouraged that I've only gone down about 9 pounds total because I've heard the stories of other people dropping twice that amount in half the time. Now I am realizing that I'm not adhering as strictly to the regimen. Also, I'm older than most of the people I read about (and not nearly as physically active) so I'm cutting myself some slack. My clothes fit better and I am seeing some progress. The main positive is that I like this way of eating because of the way it makes me feel. The greater weight loss will come (especially when I drag my tail to the gym), but I'm happy with even a slow progress.

I hope some of this is helpful for you. I will be posting some reviews in the next couple of days, then I'll be back to sharing recipes and tips for low car.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** No-Carb BLT from Delish

I'm doing well with my low-carb regimen. I'm not losing a lot of pounds, scale-wise, but I am starting to see great changes in how my clothes fit. Also, I can see the weight loss in my face. Time will tell how much I like that last bit!

My only criticism of this eating regimen has been repetitive meals. That's mostly because it's not yet time for me to do my grocery shopping and my 'old' groceries were not chosen for this diet. Good news is that my shopping list has shrunk. A lot.

Today, my niece scored so many points by finding this recipe from Delish. It's a "No-carb BLT", and it tastes SO good.

I had to make a quick store run for more bacon (because I eat so much of it), and I grabbed a couple more ingredients to make this BLT. I was starving, by the way. Of course, I didn't write down the video recipe (just went off the images), so this is what my recipe ended up as:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a ripe avocado
• 1 1/2 Tbls full fat mayo
• 1/4 of a tomato (I used a hothouse one from Walmart)
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked to medium crispiness
• 3 leaves of  romaine lettuce

Instructions:

1. I sliced the tomato into medium sized "fingers" & mixed the avocado and mayo together with a fork.
2. I spread the mayo-cado mix onto the lettuce leaf, added some tomato, then topped it with bacon.

Best of all is that I didn't even need to use any seasonings because the bacon was seasoned enough.

I chowed on this so hard that I almost chewed one of my own fingers! It's a little bit messy because of the mayo-cado (especially if you dollop on too much like I did) but, oh man, is it a good dish.

Like I said, I was starving hungry, but I managed to get one good photo before I finished all of it off:

This is probably the best thing I've eaten since going low-carb. Man! 

To be honest, I will probably use the mayo-cado mix on other things - sausage or burger patties. 

Apparently, avocados don't keep well once ripened. In order to save money, I guess I will have to preserve some of them by tightly bagging them up with lemon juice. In the future, I will only by small quantities of unripe 'cados (or just go snag a couple of ripe ones as I need them). 

By the way, I think I mentioned in a previous post that one of my favorite low-carb snacks is cheese and olives. While I was at Costco today, I was able to taste these today. Costco (Anchorage, AK) price was $5.69 which isn't bad at all. Very, very yummy and I don't normally do near anything with jalapeno peppers. They aren't even that spicy (at least the heat doesn't last long), plus I eat mine with little pieces of mild cheddar cheese.

So, there you go. I hope that this is helpful for anyone trying to cut down on the carbs. Next post, I will share some recipes that I am collecting from some other online buddies.

Peace
--Free

Confusion: Low-Carb/High-Fat vs Low-Carb/High-Protein (lots of links)

There is a bit of confusion for me as I'm nearing the end of Week 3 of the low-carb situation. Someone emailed me and gave me some clarification. So... I've had to regroup.

First, I started out doing a low-carb/high-protein diet. I lost weight and felt better, but wanted to kick-start the whole ketosis thing. I made a first attempt at an "egg fast", which was wonderful (as far as results) but I didn't realize it was a low-carb/high-fat regimen. I simply didn't think about it.

Second, like I said, I am seeing weight loss, though not as much as I would like. Today I realized that I may be switching up on the eating regimens so much that they are canceling out one another. Apparently, I'm sharing company with a lot of other confused folks.

Egg fast with lots of butter and bacon = low-carb/high-fat.

Normal eating with lots of meat, skipping/cutting back on starches - low-carb/high-protein.

I believe my body is as confused as my mind is so I've decided to take a look at meal ideas for the different types of plans. Maybe clearing things up for myself this way will help someone else!

The first thing I had to do was decide which plan I was going to adopt for a daily for-the-rest-of-my-life eating plan. It sure has to be something I can live with ("live with", get it?) and the prolonged high-protein plan is not for me.

"Prolonged high-protein diets are possibly unhealthy for your kidney or your liver." (source)

That piece of advice is a no-brainer and it's been pointed out to me by doctors who treated my family members.

On the other hand, protein is very important. Since it's protein I'm trying to learn to use properly for weight loss, I decided to keep reading that source article for more info. I only had to glance up one space and there was the answer:

"When adopting a low-carb diet, it’s recommended to aim for 60-70% calories from fat, 15-35% from protein and 5-15% from carbs. Making your protein 60-70% (essentially an Atkin’s diet) leaves very little room for fats, and thus is not recommended." (my emp)

Okay, so that is where I might have been going wrong in my first days. I was loading up on proteins, and trying to completely avoid carbs and fats. Then on my egg fasting days, I was going nuts with only fat and protein. No wonder the MyFitnessPal daily breakdown was always out of whack.

Using the above-mentioned guidelines, I taking some pressure off my kidney and liver. Also, I'll be giving myself more room to meal plan because I can work with that amount of carbs and fats.  Let's face it, when there are carbs even in some spices and seasonings, you're going to miss out on lots of flavor somewhere!

Going by these guidelines, I looked at what kinds of meals I could put together for myself. Keep in mind that I have to share a kitchen so I don't spend as much time there as I'd like. So, when it comes to feeding myself, I need simple, quick and (preferably) pre-planned menus. I want to get in, do my thing, then get out of the way.

Based on my weight and activity level, I've mapped out 1800 calories a day for myself. Using the guidelines I just mentioned, I've come up with this as my daily goal:

Meal Ideas that will work best for me look something like this, which is hard to see, I know. It's a really sucky photo, but maybe if you squint. If not, it's bascially a lot of eggs, bacon, and low carb taco bread.

Looka there. Just 1 carb over my limit, but that sodium.... Yikes. I'm trying to compensate for when I go that high on my sodium by drinking extra amounts of water. However, my blood pressure readings are still great. That might have to do with that fact that I'm no longer smoking. Yay, me!

Of course, I can't do the same thing every day. Well, I could, but I don't wanna. I am learning to switch things up with the groceries I still have left for the month - even though I have had to go back to Costco for eggs and bacon.

That freaking sodium! Damnit!

Okay, I only have to persist for a couple more weeks, then I can be smarter with my next grocery-shopping list. So far, it's looking something like this:

• Eggs (yep, because they are going to be a staple!)
• Cheese (sharp & medium cheddar, and goat's milk, but not too much b/c of the calories.)
• Veggies that I will buy in small quantities throughout the month for freshness/lack of waste. Also, I need to watch my budget. (Spinach, broccoli, lot of cucumbers for my water, asparagus, tomatoes, sweet peppers, avocados, and my beloved collard greens and kale.)
• Nuts (again, not many b/c of calories, but I love sunflower seeds for snacking!)
• Peanut butter (I've found a great recipe for a peanut butter shake that I can't wait to try.)
• Almond milk (instead of my delicious Silk Vanilla Soy. (See the chart below)
• I already have some of the best organic cacao powder around, courtesy of a review I recently did.
• I also have olive oil, red palm oil, and plenty of coconut oil.
• Coconut Milk

source

Apparently, milk choices depends of individual dietary needs. I'm way more concerned about carbs than I am fat, so I can even use heavy cream in some cases.

source

That peanut butter milkshake is going to be on point! LOL

Once I get through this month and get started on some well thought out meals, I will feel better about my eating regimen. I can't believe that as recently as 40 days ago, I was hitting the stores buying bags and bags of those flavored mashed potatoes (fully loaded, buttered, etc.), and instant soups by the case. No wonder I was swelling up like a black blueberry Wonka chick!

Oh - just for the latest on the weight, so far, I'm down a total of 7 pounds. In the last few weeks, I've lost and gained a couple, but I'm proud of my progress. Also, 7 pounds might not sound like a lot, but I can tell big time when I look at myself naked. Ay yi yi! My face is losing the chubbiness and my clothes are starting to feel more comfortable, probably because most of the loss is in my gut. First to come, first to go.

Here are links to some of the sources I'm using to develop menus and grow into my low carb lifestyle.

• Low carb veggies list
• Recipe Analyzer (an invaluable tool!)
• Food Search - for nutrition info (from same site)
• Low carb beginner's guide
• Keto beginner's guide
• MyFitnessPal (I live by this now & there is also a phone app that syncs w/my online data)

This isn't the complete list. Maybe I will put on together at some point. In the meantime, I want to thank Steve, who emailed to help me correct what I was doing wrong. There is also a former co-worker on Facebook who shared some tips. I will ask her permission to share them in another post.

For now, folks, the journey continues. Hope you keep up with me while I ride this out.

Peace

--Free

P.S.:

I have to emphasis how important it is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. When losing weight and working any way to get into shape, the skin will get nuts if it feels neglected. I'm happy to say that my skin is looking and feeling marvelous.

Low Carb Check-in (and a **REVIEW** of Atkins Snack Bar)

So, it's Day 3 (if I am counting full days & not the one where I cheated like Tiger Woods) and I was able to get into a top that I bought months ago, and I was able to get into my cute boots. Yay.

Odd thing is, I'm losing inches but I don't see a bit decrease in pounds. Matter of fact, depending on which time of day I step on the scale, I might be a bit UP in weight from the last time.

Good news is, I've decided not to worry about the pounds showing on the scale as much as I look at how my clothing fits. Also, how I feel is a big indicator of positive results. The most positive result so far: I'm not as crashed-out and tired feeling. Last night I worked on the book for more than 3 hours at a sitting, That has not happened in a while because I either get sleepy or muddled and have to stop working.

I've gotten into a better groove with my eating patterns. I'm not just scarfing down eggs or chops like it's a command performance. I had to learn to eat when I'm hungry. That sounds crazy, because everyone knows to eat when they are hungry. Right? Maybe not. As my body adjusts to this diet, I'm finding that I'm not hungry as often as I used to be. I've had to break the habit of eating food (or snacks) just because they are there, Basically, I'm learning to listen to my true hunger and, for any snacks, I'm pacing myself.

I already told you that I love, love, love this flavor of Market Pantry brand water enhancer:

I actually thought about trying another flavor, but I'm going to stick with what I know! Plus, these are only around $2.65 at the regular price and I'm sure there's going to be a sale every now and then.  My niece and a couple of my friends really like the Crystal Light powders. I wasn't crazy about Crystal Light because of the fake/acidic aftertaste.  (If anyone has tried the Dasani ones, let me know what you think about those.)

One thing that I will be re-stocking is that Viva Labs Organic Cacao Powder that I reviewed not long ago. It has become a favorite substitute for creamer when I need to add flavor to my coffee.  In addition to the yummy taste (which, by the way, is great for boosting those cheap and weak-tasting coffees), cacao powder is good for the body in general. I've been worried about my sarc for the last several months and am doing everything I can to boost my immune system. (Now I will have to do a review of the powder!)

I take the pure cacao (left)
and add it to coffee creamer powder (right)

Okay, that all covers the check-in part of this post. Let's move on to the REVIEW of the Atkins Bars,
which are now a favorite snack of mine - even though I think they're kind of pricey. Or maybe not. I just re-checked my receipt and see that I paid $6.29 for a box of 5 bars. So, not too bad, I guess. I should look for them at Costco or Sam's to see if there is a price-break.

I was only tempted by the name of these. That photo doesn't exactly make the mouth water, does it?

It looks like a lie

Most sugar-free or low-sugar have a weird texture, an odd metallic undertaste, or they just make you want to spit them out and scrape your tongue free of any residue.

To start by telling the truth, I never expect a low-carb, low-sugar "snack" to taste good. My sister, a brother, and my mother were all diabetic dialysis patients. You better bet that I've tasted my share of "high protein", low-sugar bars, shakes, candies, etc.

It's a good thing I got to the stage of opening up the wrapper. I was really encouraged by the look of the actual bar. I have to suggest Atkins changes that wrapper which almost scared me into buying a Snickers instead.

is that malted milk in the center???
I loathe malted milk!

This low-carb treat is almost as good as a Snickers. Mostly. it reminds me of a large version of those little round "turtle" candies but with less carmel.

These are turtle candies

This is the Atkins

No malted milk anywhere in there, praise Jesus.

The chocolate is surprisingly smooth and, well, chocolate-y. Sometimes, "healthy" chocolate has a waxy texture. I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of the store when I had my first bite and, boy, this one hit the tongue like a good, messy chocolate, just the way I like it. After eating nothing but eggs, chops, and neckbones for a few days, this was such a welcome treat. I'm sure that anyone seeing me right then wanted to suggest that my chocolate and I go get a room.

Now, there is a bit of a salty undertaste that I didn't notice the first time I ate one of these. I guess I was so excited about snacking on something involving chocolate and nuts to notice. My tongue was too happy with the chocolate to taste any salt. And the saltiness is not very pronounced or unpleasant. As a matter of fact, just like most chocolate lovers know, the saltiness sort of  intensified the chocolate flavor

So, yes, in my book, this bar is a winner.

Peace
--Free

Getting Lean & Going Low (Low Carb Weight Loss)

Anytime I'm fat and decide to do something about it, I get a little cranky. For that reason, there won't be a regular post today. Instead, here are my recent, current, and pending thoughts:

• If only I'd known about the low carb thing before...
• I'm losing most of my first day's weight just running to the toilet.
• After the first 8.5 hours, I've peed away at least 3 pounds.
• I could do low-carb so easy if donuts were low-carb.
• Or those butter bars from the Walmart bakery section.
• Donuts are not low carb, low sugar or low fat. 
• Butter bars are Satan's latest tool to pull me under.
• Why can't all diet soda taste as good as Fresca? I once drank Fresca for 2 weeks before I realized it was diet. 
• Fresca. Carb = 1g. Sodium = 35mg. Fresca. Good stuff. Liquid manna.
• I never liked hot sauce until I went low carb. 
• Frank's hot sauce is so good that I want to marry it.
• I might not want to marry the super-spicy sauce, but the Buffalo sauce. I'm getting it a ring.
• I really like eggs. I thought that I could live on nothing but eggs if I had to. Then I did an egg fast.
• I can't live on nothing but eggs. (And Grammarly hates double negatives, by the way.)
• Unless I have some of that hot sauce. Then I might make it at least four days.
• Do you know how good and delicious a pork chop tastes after you've eaten nothing but eggs for hours?
• After  hours of nothing but eggs, I almost passed out when I tasted a piece of bacon.
• I can do low-carb and low-fat, but it's really hard to keep those sodium numbers down.
• I was so bloated when I started this regimen that I couldn't even suck in like Homer Simpson.
• Well,  I could suck in but my gut didn't move.
• After 48 hours, I can not only do a suck in, I almost don't need to.
• I have proven something for myself and I feel like a science project.
• I proved that it's both the amount and kinds of calories that make a difference.
• Anyone wants to argue, try eating 1200 calories a day in soup and trail mix. Then try eating 1800 calories in meat/fish and leafy, green vegetables.
• My body gets all skinny and happy on the meat and veggies. On the soup and trail mix, my body was all bitchy and carried a mental switchblade. 
• I can't stop thinking about that hot sauce.
• Wonder if Frank's needs a spokesperson for that hot sauce?
• It's time for my egg snack, but I am really tired of eggs.
• Hmmm... a pat of butter on a warm boiled egg is really quite good. Quite good.
• Hot sauce on the boiled egg tastes better, though.
• Wish there wasn't so much sodium in this sauce.
• Otherwise, I'd be happy dipping celery in it. And I really hate celery. But that sauce...
• My short term, non-critical goals in life are all to do with foods and beverages.
• First goal: find an Almond Joy creamer with less carbs and fat. 
• Second goal: go wrap tiny pieces of donuts up in some fried bacon for a half-healthy snack.
• Third goal: sit on a blanket in the sun, drinking coffee with Almond Joy creamer and eating my "dough bacon" snacks.
• Fourth goal: find a way to market my donut bacon snacks.
• Scratch Goal 4. I think someone in New York beat me to it.
• Note to self: visit New York to try all those hip donut combos I hear about.
• Time to weigh in for the evening.
• Dang. I'm going to do another weigh-in in an hour.
• All those thoughts about donuts added a pound. I'm sure that's what happened.
• Second weigh in went much better. It's my heavy-soled sandals that tipped the scales upward.
• I wonder just how much my hair weighs now that it's grown back out?
• Time to see what the hot sauce tastes like on some neckbones.
• Hmmm... Why am I not that hungry now? 
• I think the best benefit of this diet is starting to kick in.
• I could actually turn my nose up at something sweet and decadent right now (as long as that something isn't in the form of a Denzel look-a-like)...

Seriously, though, I am doing very well on a low-carb (and reasonably low-fat) diet. I wish I knew why this kind of food regimen is discussed more.

The one problem I had when I was at my heaviest was trying to exercise. I don't mean I wasn't motivated because I was. The problem was that, carrying so much weight, I had trouble moving at all, let alone exercising.

If only someone had told me before that there was a way to at least jump start my weight loss - without trying to get to a gym or take long walks in the freaking winter snow or high summer heat!

What I got when I asked around about various diets was the usual spiel: low cal, low fat, more exercise, better sleep, less anxiety... Excuse my filthy moment, but Bitch, puh-lease!

If I had known how easy it is to do a low carb diet, I'd have been back in my size 4's two years ago. So, you can bet I'm going to be telling folks to check out a low-carb diet.

By the way, want to mention the Vlogger who really inspired me, not just because she is sharing her personal journey, but because she dared embark on the journey. She makes the whole idea of losing a lot of weight seem so very possible. Here is just one of her videos.

Check the links on her YouTube page and give her some mad support. That perky attitude and genuine personality is just perfect for a mainstream audience. I don't know why some brand isn't knocking down her door, hiring her as a spokesperson. She certainly got me fired up.

Now, I don't want (or need) to lose 40 or 80 pounds in a couple of months. What I would love to do, is eventually make my way back to the 130-140lb range. After that, I'll start dusting off my size 4 jeans. And when I say I want to be a size 4, I don't say that because there is anything wrong with ladies of other sizes. I say I want to be a size 4 because I do want to be a size 4 again. Before the illness and the steroids, I didn't know nothin' bout no size sixes or fourteens. I really don't think my skeleton was built to hold this size *^%#@%^ body. LOL

I am not doing a low carb regimen as extreme as Kaylah Cupcake's, but it's still a huge change for me. This is just week 1 so I am playing with different plans to see what feels comfortable. This is what I'm starting with:

That might seem drastic for someone who loves their Almond Joy creamer so much but apparently, it's not fat or calories I have trouble with. It's my sodium intake:

I'm over on my fat by a bit, but that's fine. It's that sodium that's crazy!

This shows how easy it is to have ONE item in your daily diet that can mess you up. I still have a calorie allowance for this day, so you know I'm not just pigging out on the world. Nope. I love My Fitness Pal for this single reason: I can pinpoint my food problems.

Damn that wonderfully delicious hot sauce!

So, yeah, I'm having to learn how to move my foods around so that I don't get all bunched up with sodium or fat. Most of my fat that didn't come from meat, came with a tuna-with-mayo snack. I really have to watch my snacking...

The good thing is that I am not hungry in the least - even with almost 600 calories left to go. I'm just going to have to find a low-sodium snack for the night.

Can we all say pistachioThin Addictives???

Done. Hahahaha!!!

Peace

--Free