First Post. Hello!


#1

Hello,
Thanks for the education and shared experiences; this has been a full packed 48 hour wake up call that I’m extremely grateful for.
I’m 50, struggled with a surprise hormone crash 11 months ago and am just about back to normal. I found you whilst looking for info on a strange symptom and realised my 3 week wholefood (new WOL) was low carb/no fat and likely to make me ill. It certainly didn’t make me happy!
Finding this forum has really woken me up, Day 3 here following your help. Life’s good and I can run and enjoy it again. Still a bit nervous about eating so much fat but I realise that I’ve got to forget everything parents/society drilled in and continue learning.
Thanks for being a big part of my new life.
Victoria.


(Robin) #2

Hello and what a great introduction! I hope the smooth sailing continues for you. I was lucky and had a nice easy transition to keto. Others have some speed bumps, but we can talk you through them.
Glad you found us.
You got this!


(Marianne) #3

Great! Just be careful about the exercise. It’s not bad, however, make sure you are feeding your body and eating enough. I’d get your fat and protein macros and meet or exceed those loosely every day as a guideline. Keep the total carbs under 20g/day.

I would also suggest checking out dietdoctor.com. You can subscribe for a 30-day free trial with absolutely no strings, no spam, and no obligation. They have a ton of videos and content about the science of keto, which is fascinating, informative and encouraging. Another good resource is Dr. Ken Berry’s videos on Youtube. He is a physician and covers most of the questions everyone has.

Good luck to you!


#4

Welcome and good luck!
You poor soul, well plural as it seems to be the case for most on this forum, it’s still so odd to me that anyone ever was taught to be so shy around fat! I always ate super fatty and it was the normal around me. Too bad tons of all kinds of carbs were the norm too and the wrong kinds of fat as well… But it could have been worse.

Well, we can change! :slight_smile: I hope you are physically fine with your fat intake but if you don’t, know that you don’t necessarily need to eat it in huge amounts. Of course, you should eat enough not to starve but you may do higher protein lower-fat if that works better.

How much fat and protein do you eat? If you wish and can you tell. I am always curious about such things :slight_smile: Mine is all over the place but 120g for both is a nice lowish amount I am very pleased with.


#5

Hello!
Thank you all for such a lovely welcome, I’m so pleased to meet you all.

Thanks Robin, I’m expecting speed bumps, I’m watching the 2Dudes vids in between work, it’s fascinating info.
Thanks Marianne, the diet doc link looks good. I was a bit suspicious about the 30 day trial so really pleased to hear it is safe to subscribe. You’re right about the running, I’m getting enough exercise with crazy spaniel puppies so I’ll leave the running until I’m more settled with food/cooking/prepping etc. I’m using MFP to track macros as I don’t know enough about nutrition values, I’m trying to ignore calories but not nailed that properly yet! I’ll check out Dr Ken too, thanks for the tips.

Thanks Shinita, this low fat thing is what I was brought up on and we had to climb fruit trees for dinner in summer as my Mum didn’t eat or cook! This eating lots of fat is certainly new to me but I managed to accidentally mess up macros yesterday by eating half a tub of heavy cream in about two mins! 936 calories and 101g of fat AFTER dinner so I spectacularly clocked 186g of fat and have put the remaining half in the freezer out of my way!
Historically I’ve not been a meat eater until I found you lovely people, now I’m eating steak three times a day which has added up to 117g of protein today. I’m eating spinach with meals and have come in at 7g net carbs today and 12g yesterday.
I’m expecting to put weight on whilst I find my feet and understand when my body is hungry. Today I’ve learned that beef fills me up for longer or yesterday’s cream is still fuelling me! I daren’t get on the scales!

I’m probably not doing this WOE correctly as I’m not struggling with keeping to under 20 carbs per day so far. But, this is only day 3 of finding you and the previous 20 days consisted of low fat plain yogurt protein and an industrial amount of spinach, romaine lettuce and kale. It was miserable! I’m not moaning though because googling ‘why am I getting up 3 times a night for the restroom’ got me to this forum!

I think the veggies/ zero processed junk started fat adapt stage. I dropped 8lbs of water and haven’t lost any since starting Keto and that’s perfect. I’ve got a new life after 11 months of thinking I’d gone insane so I want to enjoy eating sustainably forever, not in any hurry.

I’ve really rambled on, sorry! I’m very much looking forward to hearing how you’ve all changed your lives, trying to read older posts and learn my way around this huge forum.

I hope you’re all having a lovely day!


(Robin) #6

You are an excellent addition. Enthusiasm isn’t mandatory, but very contagious.


(Megan) #7

Welcome Victoria, this is a great forum. I’m new to keto too and I’ve received a lot of good info and encouragement here. The keto way of eating is counter to so much of the standard dietary advice out there so ask as many questions as you want to.


#8

Good morning!

Hi Megan, how are you doing? Totally agree, trying to re-educate myself and not trust what I thought I knew!
Something super has happened this morning, my metabolism introduced itself by rumbling! I drank a pint of water, waited ten mins and it was louder! Pan fried beef, mushrooms, spinach in a bit of butter and feel alive!
This must be a valid sign of life in the engine! :sunny:


#9

@gingersmommy
Thanks for the diet doctors link, it’s really, really helped me out today. I’m subscribing, it’s a gold mine resource!


(Marianne) #10

Fab! That’s how I found it, too.

If you like dietdoctor, you may also like Dr. Ken Berry’s videos on Youtube - fabulous. Usually around 10 minutes (just right for someone with a short attention span like me!). I find them succinct, interesting, encouraging and understandable.


(Marianne) #11

The only thing I don’t care for on dietdoctor is the recipes section. I don’t make any of that stuff and consider cooking to that degree to be a pain in the neck. I’m sure the dishes turn out delicious, but one serving usually has too many ingredients, a lot of carbs and wouldn’t be enough to satisfy me. I’d want to eat the whole thing, which would defeat the point. My food is very simple - usually whole food, one or two ingredients, and the protein is flash seared in a smoking pan or cooked on the grill - easy peasy but delicious.


#12

Thanks! I’ll be watching Dr Berry tonight.
I have to keep it simple as my meat cooking ability is dire. My pups are sharpening their teeth on my disastrous attempt at cooking pork belly overnight: 7 hours cooking resulted in what looks like a tyre. Obviously the oven is defective! :wink:

My previous thinking of keeping carbs under 20g is easy has quickly changed, I was doing it wrong!
I REALLY appreciate your help and have dusted my non stick pan!

Thank you and have a lovely weekend.


(Kirk Wolak) #13

@VictoriaA
Cooking meat 101:
First for pork, if you prefer it “more done” (no pink) then I recommend Sous Vide…
But EASIER is an OVEN Bag. It will not melt, I use them for Turkeys. You can bake the Pork In them. that will stop it from drying out. Bake the pork in the closed bag in the oven.

For steaks, I prefer sous vide. I was horrible at steaks before… Now my daughter compares them to Ruth Chris! I actually cannot eat out even at the GOOD places because there is very little difference between their steaks and mine! (Except 3-4x the price).

Regardless, if you tend to overcook your steaks, learn to Sear them on both sides.
Then put the (oven safe pan) in the oven, and finish it in there at 350. (So, heat the oven first, sear the steak for 2 minutes or so on each side), slip the pan into the oven, close the door.
The timing? Depends on the thickness of the steak. (It’s not a cake, so you can pop it out, hit it with a thermometer, and put it back in). Remember it will gain 5-10 degrees when you take it out of the oven as it finishes cooking. If you feel you overdid it, let it rest on a PLATE, not the hot frying pan! If it might be under done, the pan is fine. (Although there are Air Fryer Recipes that are easier. Straight from Frozen!)

For Chicken. Air Fryer. Or Sous Vide. To keep the moisture…

Good Luck. You have the rest of your life to figure it out!
Find Guga Foods and Sous Vide Everything on YouTube. Lots of videos/learning!


(Jane) #14

Welcome Victoria!

Lots of us here came from the low-fat world because that is what we were taught. I was terrified when I started adding butter to my first morning coffee and loved it. I just KNEW I would start gaining weight. But nope.

I have been keto for 4-1/2 years and love it and love the way I feel. It is easier to eat out now than it was 4 years ago because of the popularity of keto.


(Bob M) #15

Interesting. For us, they have quite a few good recipes:. This is a Maria Emmerich recipe, to me it’s a dead ringer for lasagna:

A great blue cheese recipe:

And I’m sure I’ve made many more. Can they take a while? Yes. But can they hit the spot when you’re looking for something to replace a staple? Yes.

Now, I don’t do a lot there, no breads for instance, but if you like to cook, they’re a good resource.


(Marianne) #16

I’m sure this is delicious. Lasagna was definitely a favorite of mine. For me, that would be a binge food, even though it’s keto. I’d eat probably half the pan or more at one time.

I have made the blue cheese dressing, not necessarily this recipe but similar. It is fantastic.

If you like to cook and can manage your consumption of these recipes, that’s great! It would certainly provide more variety.


#17

Plenty of good advice here.

I found this forum/community by accident having already started keto after Type 2 diabetes and other problems…but I have learnt and debated a lot more since joining here.

It’s all good…and a bit dynamic; which in my opinion is good.

Welcome to where I was welcomed. Good (and varied) advice.

:smiley:


#18

Good Morning,

It’s really, really lovely to start the day reading your messages, thank you.

I’m loving this WOL, trying to implement all the learning whilst trying to let go of old beliefs. I’ve donated all my old food stuff, bought knives, sharpening block and a skillet and done a trade with a local butcher who will supply meat for me and the puppies.

@CaptainKirk

Hello! Thank you for detailed and easy to follow instructions, I bought the kit above and bags after reading your post. I had a 5oz fillet which resembled a tennis ball size so seared the edges too, rested for 7 mins. It was browned/cooked for the first 3mm and red throughout, YouTube states that’s ‘rare’ and it was divine! What really surprised me (not as much as the taste!) was it didn’t shrink and didn’t need a steak knife to cut. I cooked it in butter with garlic, salt & pepper and mushrooms with a piece of Stilton on top.

The Sous-Vide looks interesting, I shall be investigating on You Tube this evening.

Pork joint, will the rind crackle if cooked in a bag please? I’ve not got a joint yet as it’s been too hot to collect the meat but I think pork is a good meat choice going forward.

Air Fry - Really interested in getting one as I’ve zero experience with chicken and am highly likely to carbonise it!

Your 101 is spot on and you couldn’t have better timing, thank you!

@Janie

Thank you and Hello! It’s brilliant to hear you feeling good, that’s my priority! It’s really confusing to drop what we thought was correct, I feel stupid for blindly following an unhappy path but so grateful that it brought me here. I’ve not tried butter in coffee yet and it still doesn’t ‘sound’ right but I will be!

Four and a half years is amazing, well done! Did this WOL feel right from early on please? It feels right for me, it does not feel like ‘newbie-fad’ or anywhere near the dreadful DIET word!

@ctviggen

Hello and thank you! They look wonderful and I’ve saved them as I love lasagne and blue cheese. Oh and I honed in on the mention of noodles! I need to stock up on the ingredients and practise.

@gingersmommy

Hi! I so relate to you regarding certain foods being risky! I’ve only woken up to this since finding this forum, anything that is supposed to be portioned/put back in the fridge is high risk to me. I’m drawn to anything that resembles HWC, cheese, yogurt, ice cream with no stop button. I don’t want to sound dramatic but I recognise addiction behaviour in myself with some foods. Any form of convenience snack whether bought or home baked is outside my comfort zone yet as I’d eat the lot!

Thank you for posting earlier about cooking one meal in a skillet as that is the solution and keeps everything simple, this a key part of my new WOL.

@coopdawg

Hello and thank you for a lovely welcome. It’s a wonderful place, it’s full of knowledge wrapped in personal sharing, it’s very special.

@amwassil

Bok Choi recommendation, thanks. I don’t ever have to endure Kale again!

Sorry this is a looooong post!

Have a wonderful Wednesday folks!


(Marianne) #19

That was exactly my impression when I first heard about it. Once you try it, however, you will be hooked. I put everything in a plastic container with tight lid and shake it vigorously. It gets creamy and frothy, plus the taste and mouth feel is delicious. You can feel how satisfying it is as you drink it. Once I had several weeks behind my belt of eating three meals a day, a cup or two of this coffee would replace “breakfast” and easily carry me to lunch or beyond without needing to eat.

As far as the air fryer, we only use ours to cook chicken wings. I don’t know about where you are, but they are a big deal in most parts of the US. When they are done, I toss them in bottled hot sauce (no carbs), and believe it or not, bacon grease! Just discovered that - delicious (that’s how much I love fat, I guess)! I eat five or six with a piece of meat for dinner and that is enough. Really so good.

Sounds like you are trying sous vide (?). If you still cook conventionally in a cast iron skillet, I’d invest in a meat thermometer (if you don’t already have one). I find it essential when cooking some pork cuts because many are so lean. I use it when cooking pork loin chops, which are thick and have virtually no fat. If overcooked, they can be so dry. When cooked to 145, they are much better. I always supplement them with a dollup of bacon grease or ghee and lots of salt. I like this cut because it is very inexpensive.

Not dramatic at all. For me, I absolutely know I have a food addiction with certain things. After sixty years, I don’t ever go there because I know where it will take me. My husband hasn’t gotten to that point yet. I see him again and again try to “control” his sweet consumption and he is off again and back on continually. It’s a shaky foundation at best. I won’t go there, let alone put my metabolism through that.


(Kirk Wolak) #20

Unfortunately, it will NOT crackle the Rind. Since it locks the moisture in.
The trick I use with the TURKEY is to cut the top 1/2 of the bag away, and let the broiler brown the skin, watching it carefully!

Oh, and Emeril showed us a great gravy without flour. I put sweet potato slices under the turkey, with other veg, in the bag… And then I throw that with some of the Juices into a food processor (I actually used a Wand Blender) and blended it into a Sweet Potato Gravy. OMG it was the HIT of the dinner, the joke was people were saving some to put on the Cheese Cake, it went on EVERYTHING.

So, it wont crackle the skin. But you do that in a second step. If it was able to fit in a skillet, I would just take it out, and put it in a hot skillet with butter/tallow/lard. Quickly. Being VERY Careful, the moisture will splatter like crazy as it instantly boils touching the liquid.

You will do find on this WOL if you keep the curiosity!