A few tips for a disabled guy?

(shawn) #32

I agree, I’d eat a meal instead of a smoothie. If you want to try incorporating greens in another way, try browning hamburger or other ground meat, and adding cabbage, spinach, whatever spices sound good, and a favorite cheese. When you’ve got your carbs down to less than 20 grams, make sure you get enough salt and magnesium.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #33

Hey, Randy, welcome to the forums. You’ve been given so much great advice already that anything I could add would simply be redundant. As you seem to have caught on, people are offering ideas based on what worked for them. You know yourself and how you operate, so take their ideas and work them into your psychology. Your mileage is going to vary, but there are common pitfalls that a lot of us have fallen into, so when people make suggestions, it’s because we want to save you the grief we went through.

My own experience is that I am led on by good experiences. I started this way of eating by cutting out sugar and sweets and started feeling so good that pretty soon I didn’t want the bread, the rice, and the oatmeal anymore, either. It wasn’t a deprivation, it was a move to something I wanted more. I suspect that keto eating will operate on you the same way. So if there’s something you can’t give up right now, I bet that as you feel better you’ll find yourself just naturally letting it go.

You’re in for a great ride. Just Keep Calm and Keto On, bro!

#34

Do you like guacamole? Walmart definitely carries that in the produce department over by the bagged salads and the refrigerated salad dressings. If you have a Sam’s or Costco nearby, they both carry avocados and guacamole. I used to buy the little individual packets of Wholly Guacamole at Walmart and freeze it. It freezes well.

#35

Welcome.

It sounds like you are doing great so I am not sure I would change much. If you are inclined I would lose the banana, beets, mango and papaya but first see how much is really in there since that sounds like it is about 7 servings.

I have been LCHF for 8 months and only started exercising about 2 months ago, a couple of times a week when I have time. Mostly because I felt like it and swimming calms me. I have a friend with MS who does a lot of swimming, easy on the joints but again only if you want to.

I second the Wholly Guacamole. It is great and stores well. The problem with real avocados is they are not ripe and then all of sudden they are ripe and then they rot. I threw too many out

My favorite blog is IntensiveDietaryManagement.com

start reading from 2013. It explains everything about why insulin is the problem and how to repair it

I have not tried MCT oil. I use heavy whipping cream in my coffee and nothing else. I do use swerve sugar substitute for recipes but rarely. I personally find stevia bitter and prefer nothing to stevia but mix in swerve it is ok. Some people react to any artificial sugar so I try not to use it. I trained myself not to use anything in coffee other than cream over the last year.

Supposedly egg shells in the coffee filter make it less bitter but I am not sure how sanitary that is

(Trish) #36

You should be able to pick the Ketosticks up at any pharmacy. In Canada, you just ask the pharmacist for them and they’re about $8 for a pack of 50. It’s pretty much the same as testing the pool for chlorine actually LOL.

(Dan Dan) #37

You can try a Cheap Breathalyzer I think it would work better for your purpose :thinking:

“May the Force (fat adaption) be with you”

IF/EF Keto WOE is Self-Discovery :wink:

Good luck and much success in your journey in IF/EF Keto WOE :grin:

(Rusty Andres) #38

Thank you all again for all of the wonderful tips!

I have been watching Dr Eric berg on YouTube learning all about insulin, and I think it’s safe to say I have insulin resistance, and probably poor adrenal health.

Today I officially went 20 hours without eating so I am now doing the 20:4 intermittent fasting.

I picked up a lot of new things at the grocery today. I got d3, omega3, chromium, mct oil, nutritional yeast, and potassium. I also got stevia liquid and I surprisingly love it.

I just finished making a new batch of smoothies for the week and drastically altered it.

Kale
Spinach
parsley
broccoli
cauliflower
macadamia nuts
Walnuts
flax seed
Mct oil
Heavy whipping cream
mineral water to thin it out

It’s not good but much less disgusting than I thought it would be. I can chug an 8oz glass and not throw up so that’s a success in my book lol.

(Laurie) #39

Hi again, Rusty - Have you tried heavy whipping cream (HWC) in your coffee? Heavenly stuff. Also, you can try a flavored coffee - most don’t have any non-keto ingredients but check the label to be sure. I don’t taste any coconut flavor when I make my BPC. I use 1 T coconut oil and 1 T butter and the most important part is to blend it so it doesn’t taste like an oil slick :smile:
I happen to love vegetables but if you don’t, then don’t force yourself to eat them. Many people here and on other sites don’t eat any vegetables and can give lots of scientific reasons why they are not essential as we’ve been told.
You’re doing great, just try to keep learning and adjusting as you go. You don’t have to have it all figured out in a week or a month or a year.

#40

@Rusty_Andres
I found your first post of this thread so inspiring, and your later ones great as well (you’re so open to suggestions!). If your smoothie is just barely tolerable, I also wonder if it’s not quite worth it. As Laurie mentioned, some folks do really well with minimal (or no) vegetables but you could also get one of those supplements (like Amazing Greens) that are kind of like a concentrated green vegetable dose. [Full disclosure: I’m not sure of the carb content on those, and they’re not cheap, but one serving might actually cost less- and be a whole lot less work and hassle - than your smoothie ingredients.]

One of the lovely things about keto is that the food is really enjoyable, so it seems a pity to just choke something down.

And one more (completely unsolicited) piece of advice: Teresa Tapp has some really fantastic exercise videos and one of them is called MORE. I think the whole workout can be done seated and is specifically for folks with injuries or extra weight, and if you can do light yoga it’s probably doable. She herself had several vertebrae fused from an accident as a teenager and she’s really smart about human physiology. (I almost didn’t look deeper into her stuff because the website just didn’t seem a good fit for me, and you might find that even more - not too many guys on there - but it’s a supportive forum and MORE is excellent, can be profoundly beneficial in ways that extend far beyond what we usually think of as “exercise” benefits.)

Please keep us posted on how you do, and congratulations on your success and your attitude.

(Rusty Andres) #41

Wow thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, vegetables, especially cruciferous ones, are necessary for me. Being on painkillers for 10 years plus losing weight rapidly with keto can cause fatty liver, so I have to be vigilant about it. So far I have no liver issues. I get it checked at least twice a year and I don’t drink alcohol. So far so good.

I’m also trying to train my pallet to appreciate bitter foods. About a week ago I took a sip of soda just to see and it was way too sweet. I used to drink around 6 cans a day. So that was very surprising and encouraging for me.
When I start a new project, whatever it may be, I tend to turn things up to 11. So that’s a big part of why I’m choking down smoothies. I like to push myself and find my limits, which is how I injured my back in the first place. Maybe I’m a masochist lol.

Another reason is produce is extremely cheap where I live and I’m poor. KY has tons of local farms so even organic stuff is fairly cheap. So training myself to like greens is a very good thing for me on many levels.

(Rusty Andres) #42

I just discovered the awesomeness of heavy whipping cream today as a matter of fact. I’m going to try keto coffee tomorrow once my 20 hours has passed. It made my smoothies much creamier so the texture is much more enjoyable.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #43

See? What did I tell you? You’re already finding your way. KCKO! :bacon:

(Todd Allen) #44

Next time you cook a steak or any fatty piece of meat as soon as you pull it out of the pan toss in a handful of spinach or other quick cooking greens (turnip, chard, etc.), sprinkle on some salt and any other seasonings of your choice and cook it until it wilts and is well coated in the drippings. If you only have a modest amount of drippings add some butter. You ought to find it a tasty addition to your meal instead of something you must suffer to choke down.

(Rusty Andres) #45

I just made my ghetto version of keto coffee.

1 k cup
1tbsp butter
1tbsp mct oil
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
2 squirts of stevia

Wow! It was amazing. I’ve always hated coffee. I love cappuccino and some lattes but normal coffee always tasted like an ashtray to me. This stuff was heavenly.

I’m going to be getting a French press and some actual coffee beans soon but this was all I had right now.

#46

Yay!!! Glad you like it! Remember to add a little good quality salt if you find it getting a little bitter.

I think you’ll really like the french press because it keeps all the good volatile oils which gives (I think) a better, fuller flavor. Coffee made with a paper filter tastes horrible to me now.

(Sophie) #47

Gimme my French Press or gimme death!
When I exit stage left, they’ll have to pry it from my cold dead fingers! :smile::coffee:

(Darlene Horsley) #48

I do that very same ghetto version.:rofl:
I love it!

(CharleyD) #49

Fantastic news! You are well on your way to detoxing from glucose/fructose and ready to appreciate how yummy natural fats can be!

(Consensus is Politics) #50

Well, I used to hate coffee until after about a year in the Air Force. First it was to wake up for being at work at 0630. Then it was drank in large quantities to keep worm in the desert winter nights in So. Calif.

Now I drink it just about anytime day or night. The caffeine never seems to hurt my sleeping. I lay down, I’m ready to sleep. Give me five minutes and I’m out. Unless the wife is there asking me questions every 4 minutes ( yes, I actually timed her, ever 4 minutes for an hour, like clockwork🙄)

My favorite, and this will be hard to believe I’m sure, is a particular instant coffee that actually tastes pretty good. It’s my choice because of the taste. You can work the brand name out in that sentence if you really care to. I have tried every brand of instant I could find in the local supermarkets. All of them but the one brand taste like dirt. I couldn’t believe anyone would willingly drink the stuff. Not kidding. Tastes like brewing soil. I never would have gotten hooked on this one without the wife insisting on it. I was still brewing my own. But this works out so well I just gave up on brewing. I’m too old to get up early to grind beans, and brew a cup. Or to spend the money on one of those auto grinder/brewers on a timer.:cowboy_hat_face:

(Rusty Andres) #51

Today I used freshly ground dark French roast coffee and a French press to make it. Omg what a difference! Best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life.

I also made low carb cheesecake cups.

For the crust I just used almond flour and butter. For the cake I used Cream cheese, Stevia powder, eggs, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.

Then I made some icing using organic peanut butter and unsweetened Cocoa powder. I kept adding heavy cream as I was whipping it up until I got it to the consistency I wanted.

After baking them it said to let them refrigerate for 24 hrs but mine set completely after only an hour or so.

They are amazing and taste no different than normal new York style cheesecake.

For the exact recipe just Google keto cheesecake. I used the one that makes cupcakes. I substituted the sweetener they suggested with powdered stevia in the raw. I used about a quarter cup of it. Turned out absolutely perfect.