Back to Basics...Carnivore & Coffee Accountability

#1

So, I took a bit of a side street with Keto at the beginning of September after attending a lovely wedding. I didn’t think getting back on track 100% would be so elusive! It’s funny, after 6 months of clean eating, extended fasting, intermittent fasting, and going carnivore - one little 4 day segue sure wreaked havoc!

In addition to all the foods we were treated to while on our 4 day trip, once we arrived home - sneaky carbs crept in through some deli chicken salad that I bought in haste- for lunch at work. A few times. Then nuts…waaaayyy too many nuts! Diet sodas. ( I don’t even like them, yet here we are. ) I seriously need to clean up my meals!!!

So, given that I felt my absolute best doing carnivore and coffee, that is what I am committing to. It has to stay 100% clean. And, there are boatloads of challenges that lie ahead. The most difficult is that of breaking my bodies’ intense craving now for bad stuff. I cannot even explain the ridiculous, intense, mind boggling kind of frenzy I’ve experienced - on and off since returning home from the wedding trip Sept. 8. The frequency has increased. The intensity has increased. (So has my weight!) The whole craving thing is just inexplicable.

To prepare for this week, I’ve pressure cooked some grass fed beef stew meat with salt and water. Dipped it in butter, and that has been the main meal for the day. Coffee with HWC. Water, water, water. And vitamin supplements. Should be simple stupid, but I gotta get through this stupid craving phase! Blah. I almost feel defeated. Almost. I know there is hope. Its just really awful - the level I feel I’ve sunk to.

Any helpful hints, encouragement, words of wisdom are all welcomed and accepted joyfully!!!

(Susan) #2

We are here to encourage and support you getting back on track, you can do this!! The important thing is you are nipping this in the bud, now. You are a strong Keto woman and you got this! You yourself have figured out what you need to do to get this sorted, and are making positive changes to achieve these goals! Best wishes!

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

In my experience, cravings are easier to deal with in the complete absence of the substance craved. So I think you’re on the right track.

(Tamela Robinette) #4

I have no advice other than to offer you moral support, as I am in the same boat (seriously on the diet soda🙄.) I have been slipping and cheating for a couple of months now, and gained 10 pounds in the process. Starting a new job, which added stress and disrupted my routine hasn’t helped either. I am watching YouTube video after video, drinking tons of coffee and making positive statements in my head about my ability to get through this. Just remember how good you felt before the wedding trip and focus on getting back to that place. I’m rooting for you!

(Failed) #5

I haven’t had many cravings at all, which is astonishing given that I have been existing on nearly exclusively carbs for many, many years (I’m 70) and was a raging diabetic. I didn’t even intend to start keto, all I did was start taking inositol and choline several times a day to try and increase my insulin sensitivity. I was still eating mostly carbs when I started taking the inositol and choline. Over the next few days, I started not wanting carbs, and started eating fewer and fewer.

That’s when I started keto. I still take the inositol and choline at times, mostly because it’s become a habit.

In my n=1, I am convinced that carb cravings are the body’s cells way of screaming that they are literally starving, the inositol allows them to get the nourishment they need, so they quiet down. I have no science to back me up, but it works for both me and my husband.

(Kirk Wolak) #6

Advice… I am FULL OF IT! LOL…

Honestly, this is advice I picked up from Dr. Fung.

We have Feasting and More Feasting, with Bigger Feasts… We never fast anymore.

So, I PURPOSELY created an OOPS Protocol. Whether it be Planned or UnPlanned. A commitment to Fasting immediately after any such transaction, vacation, etc. I have augmented it to allow for a 1-2 day Fat Fast to help break any new found addictions.

I beg EVERYONE… Please PLAN AHEAD for these events. They are 100% guaranteed to happen. I will eat some CRAP at my daughters wedding. TRUST ME. I will even have “alcohol”… And I don’t care. Because after the wedding, I will follow my protocol to fast until the cravings are gone, the damage is repaired, and I am back on track.

In fact, I IMAGINE “stuff” will happen about 4 times a year where I will go off plan. And I will recover. Partially BECAUSE I PLAN on going off plan, so I can PRACTICE getting back on the horse and riding it out… I will build that muscle…

Because during my group coaching sessions… I listened every time to at least ONE person who fell off the wagon, and regained ALL or 90% of their weight, and a couple who had to start back on their Rx drugs…

With LOVE… I say to everyone. LOVE YOURSELF ENOUGH to have a plan. And practice it. Yep. Have a KETO dessert (I don’t have them often, just did recently), and then follow the protocol you put in place.
My basic:
Optional Fat Fast (I needed this after Thanksgiving, alcohol and some desserts)
Then I fast for as many days as I need to lose the weight gained (assumes a 1-2 day event). Otherwise it becomes a cycle of fasting, eat, fast some more.
Until I get back to my old weight.
Then I fast one day longer.

I also want to see my blood glucose down to pre-oops numbers, and my ketones where they should be (I cannot tell you, it changes).

That’s the price I am willing to pay to maintain this WOE for the rest of my life.

When the vacation is done, so are the bad habits!

Good luck to you… Let me know if you end up building a protocol to make sure you get back on track faster, and if you practice it!

#7

Thank you for that info! I will get some when I go to the vitie store!
@Momof5… Thank you so much for the encouragement!
@PaulL… Its just those things that on the surface seem like they’d be okay (like the chicken salad), but instead wreak an unholy kind of hell on my body. There has got to be something in it that just creates or activates that craving mechanism, and set me off. Going cold turkey is the only way out that I can see. Glad that it makes sense to others- not just me. Thank you for the reassurance!
@Robinette71… Thank you bunches for the support! I know stress has done its part to create in me a bad environment for easy weight loss. Cortisol has been my uninvited. overstaying guest for far too long. The ginger capsules have helped tremendously. Having said that, the daily stresses of life still present some obstacles. I’ve got my jobs under control, and can handle the schedule pretty well. Its the other stuff, though. In a couple weeks, I need to travel some 550 miles to my brother’s house, and gather some family heirlooms his iwidow no longer wants. My brother died a little over a year ago, and while I’ve been coping- I’m not sure how being there, in our childhood home, is going to set with me. I think perhaps, that has been in the back of my mind- and maybe causing a bit of stress-eating to sneak in. Not sure, but its a good possibility.
Thank you, for the moral support! Hoping you get on well with this, too!!!

I made it through a hectic morning with the puppy and big dog, then my shift at work, and came home to one of my kids that has just vomited in the bathtub upstairs. Cleaned that all up, and entirely lost my appetite. Hoping tomorrow is a bit less wild.

#8

@CaptainKirk…WOW! What a cool idea! It seems like I might have read something like this awhile ago, and it completely escaped my mind! But definitely, yes. That would have been the best thing to implement as soon as the plane landed. I pretty much did fast, but maybe should have fasted for a longer period than 24 hours. Thank you for that reminder!!!

(Kirk Wolak) #9

Yeah, we have all these desserts, foods, snacks, cheats…

But the ONE thing we really need is a METHOD for keeping this WOL going.

I credit Dr. Fung for saying “You can go have whatever… Just follow it up with some fasting”. I took it to the next level. “Enough fasting to completely recover!”

(Tamela Robinette) #10

I love it!

(Edith) #11

Always look on the bright side: at least the vomit was in the tub and not on carpeting. :grinning:

#12

Made it through day 2 of Carnivore and Coffee. No issues really.

Gradually some aches in my legs and feet have been increasing, though. And, initially I was thinking it was because of working so much. But in retrospect, I can see where I was sipping diet sodas rather than the electrolyte solution I’d been drinking prior to my little detour (Dr. Berry’s mixture). So, its likely not from being on my feet so much at work, but rather being on my feet AND not drinking electrolytes. I’ll be making up a nice vat of the electrolyte stuff and drinking it more consistently.

I have to keep going back in my mind, and asking myself, “Now, what did I do before my “detour” that worked so well?” I remembered the carnivore phase, then the electrolyte drink. The next thing might be incorporating longer IF windows, and some EF. Its funny how just going off for a short block of time creates this little fog in the mind, making Keto recollection/implementation more unclear and difficult to re-institute.

One thing that has been at the back of my mind has been this trip to go pick up some of my brother’s belongings. Not just the emotional/stress aspect, but the example I’d like to set for my nephews and sister-in-law. Obesity was a factor in my brother’s health issues. And, it seems as though it runs in his wife’s family, too. It is obvious that least one of my nephews is plagued with it now. I’ve been relatively heavy since they’ve known me, and I want to show them that staying heavy doesn’t have to be the norm - and that it can be undone. I’m not going to put myself under intense pressure to shave off my regained few pounds, but, I do want to be in the best reasonably-possible shape that I can.

Sorry for the rambling. It does help when I write/type things out - memorializing houghts a bit more so I can re-read and stay the course. Anyways…starting day 3.

#13

Day 3 is about over. Made it through pretty well. Breakfast was quite late- ate two scrambled eggs and butter. And coffee. Linner (Lunch/Dinner) ended being some ground beef and salt. Had a couple of cravings during the day, but, I just kept busy and they passed. Since beginning this thread a few days ago, I’ve dropped 5 pounds. I weighed in this morning, because I looked like I’d gotten thinner and was curious. So, that was cool.

We have a whole week coming up at work when we can wear jeans, and I have none that fit. Everything falls down, and is so baggy that a belt won’t even help. So…I had this online coupon for Ann Taylor. (love that store!) And my absolute limit on spending is $50 for jeans. Without the 50% off coupon +Free shipping…it never would have happened. They should arrive Monday or Tuesday. I’m excited. Oh, they ended up costing $49. :grin:

Well, going to try and get a little work done. Toodles for now!

(Susan) #14

Congrats on day 3 over. I hope that this goes well for you =). The new jeans sound nice and an awesome deal!

#15

Day 4… Down 6 pounds.

It appears that I am beginning to lose the actual pounds while eating carnivore- that I had lost from fasting at the end of August and regained in Sept. Yay!!!

(Susan) #16

Congrats, that is great =).

(linda) #17

Keep up the good work!!
MCT oil for cravings works for many of us!
You can do it ----new skinny jeans and all :slight_smile:

#18

Oh…the MCT oil! Here’s the thing: I was getting some pretty awful stomach pains a few days ago, and wondered if I’d been hitting the MCT a little too much. So, I’ve been laying off it until I feel normal again. I wasn’t sure if it was the oil that did it, but, thought it best to stop until things settled down.

I’m feeling close to normal now, so I’ll try it again when a craving hits. Thank you for the reminder!!!

#19

Day 5…Down 7 pounds.

Quite honestly, I was not at expecting this kind of rapid loss, so pleasantly shocked right now. I’m within 3 pounds of my lowest weight, since adopting this Carnivore- Keto WOE in March.

Detailing what I’ve been eating now.
Coffee: Sometimes black. Sometimes w HC, Sometimes with MCT. Switching up brands and flavors. Intense French, Highlander Grog, Dark Chocolate Ecstasy.
Tea: Ginger Tea or Earl Grey. Contemplating a Toasted Coconut with cream- in lieu of a dessert.
Unsweetened iced tea at work. Its the Gold Peak, with the screw on cap.
Meats.
Mostly beef, since we’ve got a lot of it.
Short ribs pressure cooked in salted water/garlic and onion salt. . Once tender, I do a chili-rub on it, then sear it in a clarified buttered, cast iron pan until it peels right off the iron. Crispy outside, melt-in-your-mouth inside.
Ground beef…added my own “taco” seasoning to 3 pounds of the cooked meat. Put it in a container and refrigerate. I take 1-2 cups at a time, melt cheese over the top, and that’s a meal.
Steaks with my dipping sauce (melted butter)
Roasts or brisket. Just cooked in the iron dutch oven, low and slow. Cut a few slices, dip in butter.

Chicken - not so much. Maybe a couple legs or thighs. Doesn’t really do it for me, so maybe once in the past week I had that.

Fish - salmon.

Eggs - scrambled with HC and butter. salted.

That’s about it. Doing OMAD some days, and TMAD others. Fluctuating the IF hours, so my body doesn’t really know what its going to deal with. And, maybe that is part of the magic here. I don’t know. What I do know is, this crazy method is working beautifully. And, I am feeling like it might be the best thing just to continue this indefinitely.

Thank you for all of the support, advice and encouragement!!!

(Susan) #20

That is really great, congrats =).