OXtoberFest ZC Challenge

[Fangs]

Good Carnivore morning

a bit BBrrr and chilly here and woof, I don’t like it one bit

day got away from me yesterday. good thing is we zc people can go very long without food but it can work against us too in that way.

food was
small steak, like an 8oz one, like eating nothing LOL
3 chicken legs
tin of sardines

One meal day. Got home later from my day and then I was hungry til I walked thru the door and found I warped way past that hunger. So I ate later in the day and even then I wasn’t that hungry. Again, which is fine but when hungry I don’t like missing meals when out and about but it happens from time to time and goes down this way for me.

Home today and I got that 1 lb. big boy ribeye that was targeted for yesterday in my sights with shrimp as a pair up. Will eat normal time and just carnivore on as usual.

I ‘feel like’ I need to be eating more so today I am gonna do just that. After my surf and turf meal I got some burger to eat along with a few leftover chicken legs.

I got a ‘good empty feeling’ in my body most times, but right now ‘my empty feelings’ are more on that gnawing edge ya know. I even have some tummy rumbles of hunger this morning, which I almost never have tummy rumbles requiring food anymore, those are a thing of the past, but with lower eating the last days, I feel like the old body is saying, eat darn you, eat up a bit more and oh yes I will listen and do just that!

Where is SB? They working her very hard and she hasn’t checked in yet.

And can’t wait to hear about KPs night out Should be a fun story to read!

ZC ON everyone!

[Shinita]

I never have an empty feeling. I don’t even notice when my stomach is empty, I need to focus or wait for very long until my stomach actually complains. And that’s usually subtle, poor thing seems to know I don’t care about its state I eat when I am hungry or tempted or think it’s really time already, my stomach has no say.

I thought I will eat more today, I was sure that weekend helps… Well, no. I am still very very satiated so it’s not impossible I will have another OMAD day. And I have broth, with the biggest satiating effect per calorie content by far… Well, we will see, it’s not even 3-4pm yet. Many meals could fit into the day.
But for now, I have 1200 kcal at average. It’s disturbing a bit, no matter how elated I am that I finally eat little, it’s so exotic to me
But I definitely enjoy the satiation all day, it’s nice and comfortable.
But even my protein intake is adequate… It’s very, very rare in my life (it’s usually high) but I barely eat now. And some people do this when dieting… I lost fat with 2000 kcal, that was very little food but 1200 is nothing. But if I ignore plants (still not 100% but it’s fine for me) and I am in my not hungry times… It works. For a little while, at least. I wonder when my body will resume its calorie counting, it normally throws temper tantrums at this point - or way, way earlier. It’s super rare for me to be able to eat 1100 kcal without being very hungry at midnight. I was hungry but not seriously, I didn’t want to eat, I felt okay, it was after 2am and I just went to bed. And I woke up very satiated as always and stayed that since.

So it’s nice now. I hate getting hungry all the time (or simply staying hungry despite eating). It’s rare but still annoying.

My duck broth isn’t as good as my chicken neck broth was. Less flavor, too much fat (I can’t add water if it’s not flavorful enough - or I need to add vegetables too. I actually did that - after I took out a nice amount for me later -, Alvaro seemed to be interested in it despite he cooks cabbage soup for himself - and scalloped potatoes, using up ALL my sausage. Our sausage but he almost never eats it and I have no smoked pork meat now! The sausage is very little already so we can’t share. Well I guess I will survive the next 2 days until we go shopping to the pig shop, I have duck meat And fish but nope, I still don’t want fish. I probably could have said NO, I am way more agressive, I am a Fire Dragon and he is an Earth Goat/Sheep, I know what I want and he does too but he is sweet and we easily can decide things in peace, being compatible enough… I am not sweet or nice, I just have lots of empathy, consideration and love. But as I wrote, it’s not a big problem. I am just used to eating sausage or at least smoked pork every day, in small amounts, it’s very nice… But 2 days, seriously. And I can eat scalloped potatoes if I want, of course. It’s not my carnivore month, it’s my October without restrictions. Of course I try to restrict myself, I can’t turn this off, I often don’t even notice I do it. But it’s still less strict. Just more effective I think I love being free now. I am the type who hates feeling restricted, rebellion happens very quickly but if I am free, I may behave way better. It depends.) But maybe hungry me will think different and I think it needs more salt too.

At least I just wrote much in parentheses. In my past, I used parentheses inside parentheses.

I still think too much about food. I never needed any hunger or appetite for it.

Even cold can’t make me hungry and I couldn’t go out, stupid weather, I want sunshine already, it was too many days… But my energy level is higher than usual, it’s odd. Maybe my efforts to keep my carbs low pay off again? I am bubbly and I am never like this when I have no sunshine and barely exercise AND my sleeping pattern is off too. Wow, it’s very strange. I just did my weightlifting this week and some walk but only once or twice, it was raining almost all the time.
Oh I keep at it then, almost anything for energy!!! Even not eating stuff I don’t actually desire just nice and we have it… I feel spoiled now.

[Polly1]

It is early afternoon here, and I have been close to ZC all the way so far today. I had breakfast mid-morning which consisted of lamb chops re-heated so the fatty parts were crispy. Yum.

I have had decaf coffee with cream and may have a glass of wine tonight, but the solid food has been totally of animal origin.

[Polly1]

Sorry your pork sausage has been nabbed by A.

Would your duck broth taste better if you put it in the fridge for the fat to set, skimmed the fat off to use in cooking later and then reduced the remaining liquid to get a stronger flavour and more jellied consistency?

[Shinita]

Oh, you are totally right… It must be the weather and bad sleep, I theoretically know these things, I cook since 30 years and I am not dumb… It’s kind of embarrassing
Thank you!

[VirginiaEdie]

Yesterday was bacon and eggs for breakfast, a hamburger and egg for lunch and a New York strip steak for dinner. Overall a good carnivore day. I’m finding I’m not liking seasoning as much as I used to. Salt is perfect.

I did actually have a Diet Coke. I was driving home from helping out my parents and was very tired. I wanted the caffeine and I just can’t stand iced tea from fast food places. It is too bitter.
I don’t think it has set off any cravings through. No urge for it today.

[Fangs]

I never have an empty feeling. I

thing is this is what goes down on Zero Carb/Carnivore all in and no plant eating and I absolutely get why you haven’t had this sensation and full change into what a full on carnivore plan is about…and that is COOL cause you are doing what works for you…but what I chat about is well know in zc language and experiences we all know if on plan.

I still think too much about food. I never needed any hunger or appetite for it.

yes I get this. I was food crazed and not to take that to the extreme it sounds as in I was not a foodie, but food was my life focus ‘in a way’ and only time that ALL dropped is full on zero carb eating plan. But those who are ‘food lovers’ and want to be a chef type, or enjoy vacation love of different foods and tastes and desire that in their every day life, it is a harder walk to drop that, and do ya wanna drop that? for benefits for health and more? so in the end it is a very personal walk on how we change from ‘food in face and desire of it thru our day’ to ‘food is now not only fuel only but very desirable thru what we like to eat’…and it is a darn hard balance for many. I was one, no doubt but in the end I choose a path and it works superior for me and my personal issues…I guess that is all any of us can do…keep trying and learning thru changes we make and flip up some mindsets we ‘feel are deep ingrained in us’ but still can change it up…yea hard darn road to travel for each of us thru the journey!

I have had decaf coffee with cream and may have a glass of wine tonight, but the solid food has been totally of animal origin.

You are fine. You are ZC point blank. Don’t do this to you Relaxed zc is ALL about what little we can add back----that is not a major food meal—and you can have some of this stuff IF YOU do well on it. So you are ZC all the way gal and I ain’t whistling Dixie on that call!

Crispy bits, omg so good, I hear ya.

Coffee is fine if you do ok on it or later try without if you feel it works against you or keep it and do fine that is personal and our way of life must must must work long term on our major food intake for nutrition so your coffee and cream is cool…and wine, alcohol is part of life for many and HOW it effects you, and you will see and know, will decide if it is kept, lessened or given up.

You are so ZC right now it is super great!!! Do not pretend or cut yourself down in any way here…you are doing the zc plan Polly and I super commend you for holding on and doing so great!!

[Fangs]

Yesterday was bacon and eggs for breakfast, a hamburger and egg for lunch and a New York strip steak for dinner. Overall a good carnivore day. I’m finding I’m not liking seasoning as much as I used to. Salt is perfect.

very good eating day for you VE! that would easily be my type of eating, you are doing great.

A diet coke…cool in that ‘it didn’t draw you in’ for more ya know. It is like that little ‘wanna see what it does to me’ but in the end, you will find since it has mostly no ‘grab effect’ you find your life becomes so easily great without going there and drinking it ya know…you are walking that step and it is super neato on that!!

and tea. OMG I was SO HOT tea for a long time ZC and then I was ‘cold unsweet’ tea when out with the family and had to drink something and felt like I ‘needed to order’ a drink ya know…not water, LOL but water is ALL I drink now. One day I drank some cold unsweet tea and my mouth went weirdo numb kinda but not numb and it was like this drink is giving me bad vibes! I kinda got this ‘overall throat crazy feeling’ I did not like ONE bit and I dropped tea point blank from my life. Best call, but it is ok you need to experiment on drinks for you. My walk won’t be your walk You keep seeing what things do to you at all times and while I say omg I had to ditch it, it could be something you can keep and enjoy!!

Super cool chat on the board!!!

[VirginiaEdie]

I kinda got this ‘overall throat crazy feeling’ I did not like ONE bit

Something similar happened when I ate the seafood salad. I had an overall unsettled feeling in my body, almost like it was vibrating.

[Shinita]

No, I mean basically everyone knows the empty stomach feeling on every woe as far as I know. I don’t. For some reason, stomach state seems to matter for people. We surely have different signs and urges and while our woe may play a role, individual differences are great.

Thinking about food has little to do with wanting to eat the food in my case… I know why I have this addiction and how to solve it but even if I have a zero appetite for a year, I am interested in food as it’s different, nothing to do with my eating. I am very excited about food even when my appetite is below zero so the idea of eating makes me nauseous. This is what I have now. I shouldn’t write here as it keeps it alive but I actually should focus on more important and useful things. Though I was into food when I had much to do as well… Well I am a hedonist who loves eating (and fasting). Food always will be an important source of joy, in various ways. I just should bring it to a healthy level.

I stuffed myself as best as I could I feel very good now, just don’t bring food near me in the 20+ hours The duck wasn’t particularly amazing after making me my broth but it was meat and I enjoyed it to some extent. I just am aware there are higher levels, mmmmm…

Alvaro was a dear and left me 7g sausage I left a piece of duck liver. It will be very useful for me tomorrow, time to have some egg sandwiches again! I ate most of my duck, it wasn’t much and I gave the meatier parts to Alvaro. And even the cats will be happy with the bones. Yep, fowl broth is a good idea for everyone here.

I didn’t drink water today, my throat is still sore. I drank coffee, tea (they will stay for a while for sure) and a lot of broth Broth sounds better and better and it sounded good to begin with…
Fine, a tiny bit water too. I only like cold water.

[FrankoBear]

Would your duck broth taste better if you put it in the fridge for the fat to set, skimmed the fat off to use in cooking later and then reduced the remaining liquid to get a stronger flavour and more jellied consistency?

I had a mix of beef marrow bones and lamb with meat on the bone in the slow cooker for 24 hours. It cooled and I skimmed off the fat to use for cooking. The leftover is that gelatin broth that is good to drink with salt.

—
Yesterday I had an interesting experiment. I have had some oxalate Oxctober Fest dumping symptoms not held in check by a daily coffee. They are heart flutters and some twinging leg cramps.

It was a lovely mid Spring day, blue sky warm sunshine, so I took the dog to the beach and had a swim. Plenty of Vitamin D and sea salt.

Breakfast at 1pm was 4 eggs and bacon and 4 slices of matured cheddar cheese.

Then I got down to doing some work on the computer.

At 4 pm a deep thumping bass beat started. Someone was down from the city into this rural area and they think they can crank up the music because they are free from their suburban restrictions. No problem. I just closed up my house and put headphones on. But the deep base beat still penetrated. At about 5pm I had a throbbing headache. So, I escaped in the car and went to check the beach. It was nice and quiet. But the headache still remained. On the way home again I checked the post office box and stress bought some chocolate. I won’t name brands, it was top quality, I ate it. It has been months since I had chocolate. It gave me an instant high (uh, oh… I’m going to be paying for this for a few days, I thought). Unfortunately I felt better.

When I got home the music was still thumping through the rural valley. It wasn’t my close neighbours, who I know.

The sweet food set up my appetite and I fried a large fillet steak on the wood fire stove. A thing I call “the Fangs Reset”. I tried to ignore the music but the subsonic boom of the bass was inescapable.

The sugar crash hit and I felt miserable and terrible in equal measure. My wife got home from a busy night waitressing. And we found we could not do a catch up talk. I couldn’t listen, my thinking and talking were jumbled.

Luckily we have a place we can go, a friend’s farm over the other side of the ridge. I had to leave my own home to escape someone else’s entertainment. It was about 10pm and the bass music had set up a thumping headache with nausea. The chocolate binge probably exacerbated it. I slowly drove down the valley and followed the beat down a dead end side lane and found the party. It was a full on rave with DJ, massive concert sound system and drugged out hippies. It reminded me of the 1990s. Being so close, I was on the edge of vomiting. So, I found the property power board, flipped the main switch to “off”. Childish, I know. Then drove away to find a quiet sanctuary and some sleep.

Headache has gone this morning. Hopefully the hippies as well. It’s a sunny day again. A new day.

The chocolate seemed to help relieve some oxalate dumping symptoms and this carnivore WOE, seems to have increased my aggression, well at least my petulance.

Sometimes things are outside of nutrition and outside our control.

[Bubby1]

Hi everyone… I don’t like carbs now.. And I have no choice. As I’m stuck in hospital. To eat carbs and sugar and then just lay in bed is driving me batcrap. I’m having major trouble and it’s only day two… ( somebody just had an accident in their pants ) well it’s NO wonder with this food… awwwwww there’s a cute black kitten on tv called " Sugar Blossom". Pity they named her after Sugar. This is difficult… I’m jiggling my leg and panicking. I sort of knew this would happen… I dealt with it last time… but this time…its gonna be longer… So it’s harder… Sorry… I’m bored in hospital and yeah… I’m watching Yorkshire vet… carbs and sugar when you have been keto Carni for basically 10 months… Ouch… I love this lifestyle and now when I eat carbs… I feel poisoned… I just can’t do the desserts. The potatoes and breads and stuff is bad enough… I’ll shut up now… but why can’t they have a low carb menu…

[Polly1]

I think you were remarkably restrained. What a horrible thing to happen to you in your own home, so intrusive and such disrespectful behaviour by the organisers of the party.

I hope you had a much better day on Sunday. x

[FrankoBear]

I hope you had a much better day on Sunday. x

A perfect Spring day. Just about to take the Labrador to the beach to watch the sun set.

Day #18: 2MAD. 4 eggs 2 cheeses omelette. Black coffee. Then after sunset. Fillet of fish called Barramundi and sparkling rain water. (There is a fillet steak in the fridge… it calls to me.) But today was Surf and Squawk - that’s what you call it when it is fish and eggs?

[Fangs]

The sweet food set up my appetite and I fried a large fillet steak on the wood fire stove. A thing I call “the Fangs Reset ”.

LOL that is funny. but yea I tell ya, a big old steak can reset alot of stuff in your life in that moment. I bet that steak was delish!! Hope you sure enjoyed it. I find a big old steak actually comforting

WOW on that party. A full on rave and you flipped the power switch. Wild. I thought you were more off the grid, and kinda out on your own area that isn’t so populated and that sound got all the way to your home to that level? WOW it wouldn’t drove me nutso also. Kinda like someone just tapping on your brain all day. ugh. feel for you on that.

sounds like things are back to normal and FB, don’t you not be eating. You eat good and you throw another steak on the fire today! Meat and seafood is our friend ya know HAHA

Much is outside of our control. That is for sure! We wanna believe we have that final control in so many issues in our lives but we don’t and I sadly know what you mean on all that! But you put your best foot forward and navigate thru the crazy and in the end, you will bob and weave thru all the nutso crap and come out alright on the other side…at least I say that to myself some days

but why can’t they have a low carb menu…

I know. I know the hospital can serve the worst menu! Maybe ask…right before dinner to put in for ‘more meat’ and no taters or something to get your meat portion increased and have them take one of the carbys off the plate? Will they do that for ya? So sorry you are going thru this mess B. Sending good vibes to ya!!

[Fangs]

Just zc’ing along. All going fine. Had a nice steak. Had some sardines. Had something else and heck I can’t remember.

funny I eat the same things, and my selection is more narrow since I know what I love and eat all the time, and right now I can’t remember what else I did eat but I know it was good HAHA

I tell ya, some days right?

Got a NY strip steak for later.
I found some crab legs on sale. Bought 1 package. Too darn pricey to live on ya know as a constant food in my day. I wish they weren’t that high in cost. Heck the meat amt in the snow crab legs ain’t all that much once you eat them ya know, pay a steep price for not alot of seafood, can’t go there too often But will eat up that crab with a steak today cause I just had to have some…darn things better be good LOL

Everything going well but hubby got hit with ‘almost into pneumonia’ diagnosis and is on drugs to get that better. darn he is wheezing and more and just kinda went down fast on being sick…Kid and me are ok but right now I got that ‘sicky taste’ and man I am praying I don’t get the crud he has…so took some aspirin and gonna swig down some ‘flu meds’ and just throw some stuff into my body…will it help? Probably not HAHA but I just feel better taking some meds to maybe pretend to prevent getting the crap he has? oh well…I can only avoid him in the house so much, he has germs flying around here like crazy and it irks me HAHA but fingers crossed I don’t get anything. So far so good but I don’t know if I can outrun all germs all the time ugh

Oxtober is winding down. We are thru to the other side and heading to the final run. I tell ya some months go fast and Oxtober is flying right on thru for me.

Hubby and my mom and me, just chatting what to do about Thanksgiving and Christmas and all that and my mom who is 92, at home and doing very well I might add :), said she doesnt wanna come here for Tday or Xmas cause she is worried to be out of her home and I get it…and hubby’s mom kinda said the same thing and she is not sure if she wants to ‘gather’ and all that…I don’t know. I found it very depressing. The Covid Crud is going to change alot of holidays for many and obviously it is a devastating issue in our society over the globe, but it just took the wind out of my sails ya know. Been coping like everyone else thru the crazy times, but when we chatted holidays and nothing is gonna be like it was, ya know, all messed up in some way, and for like millions of people it just made me very sad. But fun times can be had thru hard times. Happens thru the decades over and over so I guess I will get thru it all in ok shape somehow. I don’t know, just got that harder hit of the tough stuff our society is facing and it just dragged me down in my thoughts. But things are what they are so I will just muddle thru like everyone else.

be good carnivores!

[Shinita]

Maybe ask…right before dinner to put in for ‘more meat’ and no taters or something to get your meat portion increased and have them take one of the carbys off the plate? Will they do that for ya?

No, they won’t. They don’t even give her something for the horrible pain… I am so mad at them.

I don’t get it, Hungarian hospital food is little and cheap as there is not enough money for that - but they know that you don’t give everyone the same food. And we can look up hospital food in richer countries and it’s not a sugar and bread fest at all. But enough about that.

Well. I wanted to make some nice low-carb day today for good enough for me reasons, multiple ones. But we went to buy Halloween stuff (skull shaped plastic shot glasses. I had to have them even if I had to cycle 38 km for it. I needed the exercise anyway though too much uphill and my knees are sore now) and I saw turkey legs… And there was liver, oh I already missed it. So I obviously had a carni meal, what else? There was meat, it’s a waste not to make my OMAD day in my current strange state (when temptation is hard to come by… okay, I was tempted by the turkey leg :D) carnivore. Meat is precious and rare in my life. Probably it won’t be in November. Unless I get bored of fowls.

In the end, the turkey leg took ages, it was about 17:30 when we started to bake it in the oven. I was pretty okay even with my exercise but I do was a bit hungry and what’s more important, I felt I should eat already. So I had egg sandwiches, duck broth and whatever I find. When the turkey refused to get ready and I already ate “everything”, I half-warmed some carbier food, one of our favs that I was supposed to eat today… And put it back in the fridge a bit later. I just… Don’t want it. And I already had such a well-behaved meal without effort. So I ate some quark and sour cream. Just a bit but it was enough for the last bites.

It was surreal. I never was like this. I respected my decisions even if I wasn’t into them as much. Lovely food is meant to taste even if it’s far from my default woe, at least a bit. And my rebellious self needs its mental feeding to feel free… My reasons to eat food, oh you don’t know how many I may have. I don’t need hunger or desire… Sometimes it’s enough that the food is there. And nice. And it won’t be there always.

Something tries making a good girl from me and I don’t know if I should feel insulted or scared.
I never was like this.

But well, it’s fun

Oh and it was a beautiful day! Perfect weather, wonderful scenery! And I still feel illogically energetic. It’s not like I didn’t eat carbs lately, I mean, more than I do on carnivore-ish but changes still started after I tried carnviore first. And they are way more intense when I stay close. And I start to lose them when I eat more carbs for a while.
So my “carnivore helps with my energy” hipothese got stronger and as I already wrote, I would do A LOT for energy. Maybe that’s why my desires changed, not simply due some physical reasons. My beliefs and stubborn determination is very powerful and my hedonist self is my main, controlling one as far as I know. And it’s a smart self Not a whimsical idiot. It wants me healthy and energetic as it’s so not hedonistic to feel unwell or have damaged health (well the two are correlated, of course). If someone eats a little or a ton of sugary sweets and feels awful afterwards, well that’s anti-hedonistic in my eyes and I am sure I am right. It’s another thing I definitely not give up my joy for health if possible (if not, well, health is my top priority, I sacrifice things for it in a heartbeat), I definitely want something way tastier than the sweets. It makes me very creative sometimes. But it’s way easier on carnivore or even close to it.

I am very pleased now. And I already felt spoiled. Why get I this with less efforts and about no sacrifice while others try harder, behave better and have problems? Maybe my genes. Oh well, I have my huge personal problems too, don’t worry.

I do and track and decide if I want to eat from my turkey (it’s Zornfast but there are more important things. I did good enough anyway). I can’t get hungry two times a day now and it’s my 4th low-cal day in a row and surely a super big deficit today. I don’t want to stress about it but I probably will if I don’t change things.

But not today. I feel very very fine now.
(And I didn’t even eat the turkey. Or the liver. But I know I will so it’s almost that good. It’s pretty and roasted now. Alvaro couldn’t help himself and put potatoes below it, fortunately I am no vegetarian whose food can’t even touch animal fat or meat in the oven. It’s not like they stick to each other anyway.)

[Shinita]

Well it was expected. I got hungry. My second meal was significantly bigger, around 1400 kcal and 110g protein… I broke some record, at least I never tracked this much for a single meal, I think… I probably went over 180g protein today (this is a tracked record too but just barely), well turkey is kind of lean… It was nice, tender, juicy, not overly lean… Not nearly as flavorful as some really good stuff but it was very enjoyable by hungry me I made some pancakes with quark and sour cream too, it was somehow enough that way.

I really need to focus on fat in the future especially if I embrace eating cheap, lean fowl meat and have higher than usual activity at the same time. But as those days are few, maybe it’s not as important… Or maybe it’s all good and not wasteful…? No, no way I need nearly as much protein. I may need some other nutrients but not that. But I don’t want to overthink this. I keep tracking (in general and on my simple days, I plan to stop now. if I can contain my curiosity I won’t even be at home for 3 days) and I will see and decide something but still happens what happens. Most of my days are pretty good lately, eating wise, no matter how I look at it. Of course it’s my amateur biased opinion but it’s good enough for me.

[Polly1]

There are likely to be a lot of oversized turkeys around this winter in our part of the world. Farmers will have raised large birds for the usual market only for restrictions on indoor gatherings to make the big family get togethers impossible.

I suspect many of us will be getting turkey at good prices in the coming months.

[Shinita]

I have no idea about turkey prices elsewhere. It seems it’s a cheap fowl here. I was surprised, it’s exotic to me Let’s see… The drumsticks were around $2/kg? I call that definitely very cheap I am not used to such cheap meat. It’s barely above the price of the cheapest chicken. The bone was about 20% of the weight? Hard to say as I weighed it after baking and it probably lost water too. I don’t know these things.

I have magnesium problems again. I am very curious about November but I guess it will disappear. On my first carni trials it happened, now I don’t know what is the problem, the occasional much more carbs or little meat but I guess both. But November will be different.
(Still, my magnesium levels must be low now so it’s a bad starting point. I eat very little magnesium since ages, I know that, I just never could change it so this is the only nutrient I supplement, at least on keto.)