Invited to celebrity chef dinner!

(What The Fast?!) #1

AHHHHH!!!

I was just invited by a very good friend to go to a dinner prepared by one of my favorite celebrity chefs. I want to go because a.) it’s his 40th birthday and b.) I LOVE this chef (Brian Malarkey) c.) this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

BUT, I will have zero control over the food, it’s a prepared dinner, I won’t be able to order anything specifically.

Should I just live a little? I could fast prior to it and do a big bike ride the day before to get ride of all my stored glycogen??

Help!

(Ren) #2

I am a massive foodie and in a great opportunity like this, I would just eat whatever was prepared and not worry about Keto for that meal. Then the next day I would get back on my horse and keep going.

(Duncan Kerridge) #3

You answered your question

(What The Fast?!) #4

Thanks to you both! I just told them I’m in!

(Michelle) #5

Totally go for it. Don’t get in the diet mentality (I know, hard when you are tracking again). Live life and don’t worry about it. Back on Keto the next day.

(I want abs... olutely all the bacon) #6

Live it up and enjoy!
My caution is if you struggled with cravings in the past be prepared with your keto strategies. Make sure the foods that will get you through a day or two of cravings are in the house before your meal, or commit to a fasting period. Many people have shared it wasn’t the first meal that started the slide away from keto, it was all the little choices during subsequent cravings.

(What The Fast?!) #7

My willpower is stronger than a champion powerlifter’s legs. :smiley:

(Georgia) #8

That sounds so cool! I hope you report back on the meal so I can live vicariously.

(Siobhan) #9

Sounds awesome, I would go. I would just fast the next day and make sure it doesn’t become a habit - but like you said once in a lifetime.

(What The Fast?!) #10

Just got the menu for this Thursday’s dinner!! It looks amazing - and what’s great is it’s not that bad (in terms of varying from keto). I’ll for sure have more carbs than usual, but I can have a bite of the carby stuff (like the brioche) and focus on the other food. (I’ve done this in the past for client dinners when we have shared menu items. I’ll literally have one small bite of the carby things. It works well and doesn’t draw attention.) I’m planning to fast Wednesday and then do a bike ride early Thursday morning too! Woo hoo!

Check it out!

IMG_4221.JPG1571×2395 1.74 MB

(Ren) #11

Great looking menu. Looks like Chef Malarkey has learned to edit himself a little bit more since his time on Top Chef.

(What The Fast?!) #12

Hey guys! For those of you following along, tonight is the dinner! I did a 24 hour fast from Monday night to Tuesday night, a 15 mile bike Wednesday morning, ate normally yesterday, then a 20 miler this morning and am planning to fast til the dinner tonight… burned about 950 cal this AM, so I say planning because I’m pretty hungry already!

I remember hearing on the podcast (I think) that if you know you’re going to eat non-keto, the best thing to do is to empty your glycogen completely, then fast, have the non-keto meal and then empty your glycogen again after the non-keto meal. So, if all goes as planned (and I’m not hung over), I’ll fast today, eat the dinner tonight, then jump on the bike in the morning again tomorrow to empty out those glycogen stores (assuming my sit bones let me ride three days in a row…ha)!

If you have any advice or thoughts, please share!

(What The Fast?!) #13

Ok, I lied. There’s no way I’m fasting all day. I’m ravenous after that bike ride this morning. Bacon, eggs, I’m coming for you. Must. eat. food.

(What The Fast?!) #14

Alright fam…here’s some interesting data.

6:30am: coffee with 1T heavy cream
7am: 20 mile bike ride, 1000 feet climbing, hurned about 920 cal in 95 min.
11am: 2 eggs, 2 slices bacon
8:30 - 10:30pm: amazing dinner, mostly keto but no tracking, couple non keto things and heavier protein than usual (see menu pic above)…and then dessert. Had a couple bites of a couple desserts brought for the table (and felt totallly fine about it) and some espresso with heavy cream. All this accompanied by a “pickle back” whiskey shot, 2 glasses of champagne.
11:30pm took glucose and ketone readings: BG was 65 and ketones 0.5.

11:35pm Chugged 24 oz of keto-aide. Going to bed now and plan to jump on my bike first thing in the AM for 15-20 miles to knock out that glycogen.

I thought it was interesting that my blood sugar was so stable after that meal, the drinks, and dessert. Any thoughts? Have you experienced anything like this and what does it mean?? Or, is blood sugar because insulin is high?

(Richard Morris) #15

I suspect you made insulin when you needed to, and that 20mi ride had put a hole in your muscle glucose tanks so it went straight in. Then tomorrow you can make a new hole in your muscles glycogen. You might have a little high glucose in the morning before the ride. I wouldn’t worry about that.

Nice menu tho. The only course I’d skip outright would be the second - probably just pick the cheese off it.

I’ve got a Truffle Degustation tomorrow

image.png695×599 271 KB

I plan to sneer at the cob loaf and eat the truffle butter straight off the knife. Eat around the mash, and skip the patissiere course and the matched Botrytis entirely.

Apparently Willow the truffle dog will be at our table, so I expect to play with a dog too … while eating a 7 course truffle meal :slight_smile:

image.png604×1074 1.18 MB

I’m going to fast after that for a week, and probably do a 65km ride the day after too.

(What The Fast?!) #16

i had a single bite of that second course to taste all the flavors together…goat cheese and beets is probably my favorite food combination. :slight_smile:

The dinner was totally worth it, but I’m back on the wagon.

I tested this morning before my ride and showed 0.7 ketones and a BG of 81. I’m glad I heard the podcast advice about emptying glycogen before and after!

My ride was ROUGH this morning but that was due to 3 days of riding in a row and also it was already 90 degrees when we started at 7am! It was a quick one at 15 miles, but my legs were empty on the climbs. I’ll probably fast til the evening. We have family in town but I’ll be eating only keto. It’s so easy to eat keto in good restaurants - ribeye here I come!

(Richard Morris) #17

That strategy is just my opinion, tho. It’s what I am doing personally this weekend … so I am walking the walk :slight_smile:

(Dave) #18

@KetoLikeaLady –

First – hats off for the high temperature rides! We’re meandering the same environment, so I definitely relate.

I think you primed yourself well by both eating little and depleting your glycogen stores very effectively by this marathon of exercise before the meal. Again, given your numbers (as I’m sure @richard would agree), you are likely very insulin sensitive and with an empty tank to put your glucose, you had no trouble plugging it in.