The holidays - will you extend your food choices?

(Robin) #43

My husband and I are both on the Ketogenic diet, although I am seeing that we certainly eat more cheese and meat than veggies. I made KETO chocolate chip cookies,(Yummy) and a few other KETO desserts through the holidays, but otherwise we have not changed our WOE. I even lost a pound! And my husband is dropping weight like crazy albeit he had much more to lose. So far he has lost 76 pounds since March, me 32 pounds in 14 months. KETO4LIFE and Happy New Year y’all!

(Andrea) #44

So a couple of things I’ve learnt:

  1. I’ve had bowel issues my whole life. Carni (after a good couple of months) sorted it mostly. Going back to eating small amounts of carbs I’d say things never got as bad as they were before but I felt like I spent the whole time at the bathroom!!!

  2. Still confirms my feeling that it’s “carb overload” that makes my joints hurt rather than any specific single food. Looking forward to zero carb calming everything down.

  3. Had a real nasty cold over the hols. Over two weeks later I’m still hacking away (but def on the mend). It’s been ages since I’ve had a cold so I can’t complain too much. Last time I was away camping and fasted the whole time (3 days). I still wonder if fasting helps recovery happen faster.

  4. I’m in the UK and one thing I miss is take-away curries. Had a couple over the festive period. Shocker that I learnt…rice and naan give you indigestion/heartburn!! I had always presumed it was the oily curries. But we had take-away curry (careful to choose ones that shouldn’t have much/any sugar etc) with no rice and no bread…and voila no indigestion! My hubby and I both said the same thing. Who knew it was eating carbs that gave you the bloated/indigestion feeling?! :slight_smile:

  5. Carb depression is real…living with other people again who eat carbs just made me more aware of the mood-swings due to food. In the past we’ve had lively debates with family members (usually about politics!) but this time I came away feeling sad. I became more aware that their feelings/reactions where in many cases due to their food choices.

Still, now it’s time to get back on the carni path!

Happy New Year to everyone. x

(Chris) #45

Last year I stuck with my plan strictly and it went well.

This year I allowed some sugary desserts and it went fine, however it illustrated for me just how easily I drop into a binging stage. It’s pretty important that I continue to stay strict because I’m a dirty carb addict and I’ll run any excuse I can get to cram some sugar in.

(Andrea) #46

Lol I managed to stay away from the desserts and After Eights (my one true weakness!) but I can eat an impressive amount of 90% and higher dark chocolate. :slight_smile:

(Nicole) #47

I indulged more than I planned, and I’m paying for it. I gained a few pounds, my joints are hurting, and I’m hungry… It’s 8:30am and my stomach us actually growling in an embarrassing sort of way. I usually don’t eat until the afternoon

It will take a few days to get back on track, and probably a week or two to get feeling good again.

You play, you pay. :wink:

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #48

Dunno about that, but I do think that keto makes colds more bearable, and I am wondering if ZC would help even further. I am still getting over a cold that I started coming down with in late November, oy!

(Andrea) #49

Sorry to hear that. Though I did notice the impact of diary during my cold. Cream definitely didn’t help…though it didn’t stop me having it!! :slight_smile:

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #50

#METOO

(Troy) #51

So true!:smile:
Zombie Apocalypse everywhere :rotating_light:

This is when I make my exit from the members
A nice peaceful walk most of the time

Memo to self…
Queue Song😂

“You’ve got to know when to hold 'em
Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run…”…
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers

#52

With the flu I and my husband had, i went into it after a year of ZC keto macros. My husband went into it after sampling the Xmas goodies for several weeks. His lasted twice as long and was much worse.

What makes it even more interesting is that I’m the one with the mucked up hormones, the weird blood glucose and a history of worse cold viruses than him.

(Cathrine Helle) #53

We’re currently experiencing a bad case of the cold/flu in our household, my daughter started by completely loosing her voice on Saturday before New Years Eve. My husband and I started feeling poorly this Friday, and he’s still out of commission. I’ve got a sore throat, am sniffling and have the occasional shivers, but have been able to do all I set out to do over the weekend anyway. No napping or feeling overly exhausted.

My husband, however, have been laying flat on the sofa the entire weekend, and looks like he’s about to die at any moment :stuck_out_tongue: And I’m sure we’ve got the same bug, as it’s obviously from the same source. I’m at work today, of course feeling a bit under the weather, but coping just fine. I don’t know how much I can thank the diet for feeling better through this, but I think it has at least SOMETHING to do with it. My husband follows more or less a standard diet, perhaps this is the price he pays? REALLY hope he’s feeling better soon, as this is affecting his mood as well in a bad way :sweat_smile:

#54

Old thread BUT haven’t been on it before…and the holidays are rolling around for us now so I thought I would answer the old post.

Stick to plan.

In truth Carnivore is not what I do…it truly is who I am.
So this eating different junk just cause it is a social time and holiday times are considered ‘free to eat junky’ cause that is built into those social holiday times isn’t for me.

It was…oh boy it was :slight_smile: but once I truly hit my way of eating I love I realized I don’t have to go back there. I have that choice.

What I will do. On Christmas meal we are having filet mignon. Then thinking of a few good crab…the King Crab legs, versus the little snow crab I buy. So I am gonna put my money onto fab meat and seafood and not into pies and other crap.

The family eats it all…so they get the same meat/seafood and then maybe some roasted corn with it, dinner rolls on the table, maybe some sweet potatoes and a pumpkin pie for dessert since they all love that pie.

For me the rest of it means nothing. Been doing this long enough that food is not a focus as it used to be and I am so thankful for that. Once super keto adapted the body just doesn’t scream out for having to eat that junk. Time on carnivore plan gives this to you. Something I truly don’t want to give up! It took a long time coming here and since I am a true meat love and seafood lover, I will hold there and not sway.

I can find all the good in family, friends, traditions without the food focus. I plan to go thru this Christmas the way I did last year, on my plan cause that is who I am and not give it another thought.

Do I fantasize a bit during this time…yea I admit I do cause they flood the stores with something I loved! Those little chocolate covered cherries with the liquid clear center. I hate the creamy center, I like that clear sugary liquid center. OMG I ate boxes of those suckers each holiday season in the old day. Now when I see them on the shelf…My hand still reaches out and I pull back…LOL I see that red box with that big old cherry candy on the front and I have to immediately walk away as fast as I can. So yea it is never a cake walk for anyone but the only thing I can say to myself is I have a choice. Which way are ya going? You going to eat a ton of sugar and feel horrible and hit that keto adapted body and monkey with that which saves you…or are ya gonna just smile and walk away. I smile…usually grimace a bit in there cause I have to say no…haha…and walk away. In fact I have been eyeing the stores now and oh yes the darn choc. covered cherries are out there darn it :slight_smile: But I will survive, they don’t rule me anymore :slight_smile:

(Marianne) #56

I started in February, so haven’t experienced Thanksgiving or Christmas, but I am not concerned. My intent is to stick to plan. We have entertained several times during that period and also gone to cook outs and social occasions, and I am not tempted to go off. I understand my relationship with food is very tenuous. I know how easily I can eat inappropriate foods to excess, so I don’t dabble in having things off plan. I got fat because I loved food and bingeing on food, and I couldn’t control how much or how often I ate those things once I started. Finally after all these years, I have learned to look at cheating as a slippery slope that I don’t want to go down. Some people here can do it occasionally with no issues. Think about where you are on that spectrum and then decide.

#57

No idea yet but I plan to do my best (without actually using much self control, that’s not my thing)…
It’s about cake for me despite eating my own cakes whenever I want, even every day. Well, that was long ago, I am quite bored of cake now but I’m curious. The cake competition last year was tempting and I don’t resist temptation.

I plan low-carb on the family Chrismas dinner, it’s easy enough. Last year there was a keto food item too! Not just breaded meat, rice, way too carby salad and baked goods.
It would be the simplest to just fast as I would need at least 2 lbs of chicken breast (I don’t like that but it was the only edible and really low-carb food last year) to reach satiation… Am I ready to do that to my beloved relative when I feel just fine on low-carb? Nope. It’s not that important for me.

I don’t think social life has much to do with actually eating the food. I am there and talk with my family, that’s the main part. Eating is optional. I don’t say eating together is nothing, it’s clearly something to my relative but it’s a tiny part. But if ketosis isn’t really important for me all the time (and it isn’t), I can eat some of the food but not just anything in any amounts. I probably bring some of my own staple food as I can fast but can’t have a small meal and while my relative cooks and bakes wonderfully, the usual Christmas dinner menu is very bland to me, I would rather eat 10 eggs (eggs are wonderful, I always eat them). Anything she makes when I visit another time is way better, it’s odd but not important, I don’t go for the food. Just the baked goods are delicious as ever but those aren’t good for me. I will taste them but that’s all.

But even if I make a wrong decision (I never eat something unconsciously, after all. I know what am I doing) and fail epically, it just makes coming back to keto irresistible. I don’t feel right on many carbs and sugar is especially bad but keto heals me. So I never worry about slippery slopes (and I usually do low-carb anyway, I like to feel well).

I do low-carb since about 9 years (with the occasional carby day and in my worst times, more) and I played with keto, now I wish to be more serious. My body started to be more choosy too, I abused it enough in my past, I guess. I won’t be super strict but going crazy with cakes, seriously… So stupid. I don’t feel nearly as tempted either.
So I plan for a better, smarter holiday food wise. My body knows very well what is good for it and me too. I just need to avoid relapse of judgement.

#58

Those little chocolate covered cherries with the liquid clear center. I hate the creamy center, I like that clear sugary liquid center. OMG I ate boxes of those suckers each holiday season in the old day.

I loved the ones with the creamy centers! Very addictive, lol.

#59

Renee, too funny…polar opposite on the cherry candies but oh so addictive is right!!
omg I need to forget about them now LOL

(Susan) #60

I don’t plan on going off program on the holidays because I am a Sugar addict, so I can never have it again, it is that simple for me.

For Christmas day I will have eggs and bacon for lunch (like my family will have too, I just won’t have the toast, cheese, etc with it, just the eggs, fried in butter, with bacon =). I will be roasting a turkey, and making mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, a cranberry dish my kids love and a few vegetable dishes and I will have some of the turkey, some form of vegetables that I make plain for me probably just a tad, and maybe a small Keto desert for me (maybe… I tried to make Keto icecream for my birthday and it didn’t turn out so I dumped it all and was mad at myself for the money lost, so it is debatable if I will attempt anything that way for Christmas). I will maybe have a drink or two for both Christmas and for New Year’s Eve but I will stick to a few ounces of vodka in a sparking no calorie/no artificial sweetener water so reduce the carbs/calories that way.

#61

Sounds good! I always imagined it would be so easy with more than minimal meat (I typically eat zero at home), it’s so much more tempting than almost any cake but only if it’s really good, my morals and tastebuds are in agreement that cheap meat isn’t nice.
My keto ice cream is mosly whipped egg yolks and it’s great, just requires lots of egg yolks (and some flavors, sweetener and I add some whipped egg whites as well). It’s even better with heavy cream (I realized my eggnog is basically ice cream, a very good and always creamy one) but I almost never has any heavy cream and I still like the result but well, it is mostly good quality, tasty egg yolk! :smiley: An ice cream must be rich, fatty, made from delicious ingredients… What can possibly go wrong there? :slight_smile: I can’t do fruit ice cream (fruits are mostly water and that’s no good) but it doesn’t matter much on keto anyway.

(Daisy) #62

Last year was a straight disaster. I made tons of keto goodies and ate THEM ALL. Lost my fat adaptation and struggled this entire year with my weight. New to carnivore, finally heading towards my goals and I will not be going off plan this time!!!

(Susan) #63

This is the recipe I made that I ended up throwing out as it wouldn’t solidify at all for me:

I do not use artificial sweeteners (I stopped them all in June) and was making an except to use some for this, but since it didn’t work, I just dumped it.