The OldDoughouse

(Scott) #101

At least it wasn’t full of red wine when it took the dive.

(CharleyD) #102

I don’t recommend placing your lantern on your desk, next!

(Doug) #103

So here we are - Full Moon, Friday the 13th. :slightly_smiling_face:

Worthy goal - live until the next one: August 13, 2049.

30 years from now. I’d be 90. Fairly tall order, given my life thus far, but hey - I’m 2/3 of the way…

#104

Hey, 90 is the new 70, you can do it! :grinning:

(Doug) #105

Danger. :open_mouth: Food talk ahead.

A battle is underway, one that seems winnable, at least for now. Fasting, got 6 days under my belt. Last 2 days it got harder - the first 4 were not much of anything. Two nights ago I was looking at the best-rated buffets in Las Vegas, stuff like that. Oh, the Prime Rib, the Seafood, the King Crab Legs…

Not eating today. I tell myself this, and usually that does it, but wow, what the mind can come up with, all sorts of BS and just a very active consciousness of the boringness of not eating, all the old tendencies to eat for recreation and an outlet for a lifelong love of excess trying to return.

I have it easy - lots of fat to lose, nothing like real physical suffering yet, I’m warm (maybe even warmer than normal) and I do feel better - there is a lightness of being and have had a couple episodes of extra mental clarity. But dang… The emotions and the mentality - yesterday afternoon, got a text from my best friend and co-worker - he was at a bar, and another old friend of ours was in there. Friday evening… Not sure how I got past that. Ugh. Rolling, though.

(Susan) #106

Wow, congrats on the 6 days, that is fantastic. How many days are you going for? Are you just going to go until your body tells you to stop? Or do you have a certain goal in mind? Best wishes either way, that is terrific =). Is your lovely wife doing Keto too? My hubby doesn’t, but I keep hoping he will one day =).

(Doug) #107

My wife needs Keto badly, but it isn’t happening at the present time. 12 days would take me to Friday evening, and I’ve got an A1C test that day, so for now that’s the goal. Over time, the mental struggle wears me down and I always just cave in, rather than really having true hunger stomp its foot down.

(Susan) #108

Well I wish you all the best in meeting your 12 day goal, that is really amazing. The longest that I have managed is 74 hours.

I make most of the meals around here (my girls do make a lot of their own things as well) but I cook my hubby’s meals; and even though this is way easier now then it was when I was newer to Keto, when I have been fasting for a few days, it gets more annoying doing that when fasting is all. If I lived on my own (I never see this happening and that is probably good as I am very social and like people around, even when they drive me nuts) then I would find Fasting to longer periods easier for sure.

My hubby could use Keto very badly as well (he has diverticulitis, bipolar, hydrocephalus and Parkinson’s) and is over weight and has a big beer belly; but I feed him Keto suppers most of the time, even though he snacks afterwards. He has lost over 20 pounds since I started Keto just from me doing that, though, haha… and annoying too!

(Doug) #109

Newly retired, I’m spending some time with my dad and step-mother. Hadn’t seen them in two years. Dad has Alzheimer’s Disease, as did both his parents. It’s slow-progressing in his case, thank goodness, and it’s an interesting thing, but also a fickle and heartbreaking one. ~13 years ago he had a very mild stroke, from which he recovered nearly entirely. It was about that same time when the memory loss and dementia of Alzheimers began to show themselves.

He’s 83, and is doing relatively well. It’s increasingly a burden on my step-mother, and the wear on her is evident. That is the single worst thing about this. I’m one of 5 kids and we all wonder how long before they have to make major changes in their lives. Some years, we hope. Medications are helping a lot, as of now. Dad has always been relatively healthy; had prostate cancer 15 or so years ago, good outcome and in very little danger at this point from what I know. Good weight, never any blood sugar issues, no family history of ‘body’ problems, rather only the mental deterioration of cognitive disease. His father lived to 93 and his mother to 100. His days pass well; he’s happy and busy.

He was always on the ‘good’ side of the Standard American Diet. Ate a lot of vegetables, not so much processed food, and didn’t go crazy on anything. He also was never interested in diet or health issues as they relate to diet - he largely ate what he wanted and never suffered from it (unless the mental decline can be traced to what he ate - which I think is at least somewhat probable).

Now he is entirely unreceptive to thoughts or concerns of what he eats. If anything, he tends to forget to eat, and just “getting enough in him” can be a problem. His taste for hot, peppery things, formerly prominent, has almost entirely faded. Now, the thing he likes most is… mashed potatoes. :smile: My step-mother gets as much protein into him as she can, some meat and cheese here and there, maybe he’ll eat a couple hardboiled eggs with salt. But he’d easily eat mashed potatoes and gravy twice a day or more.

He’s 6’4" or 193 cm tall. 184 lbs/84 kg. In good shape for 83, he works around the farm, fixing buildings, mowing grass, taking care of the dog, still plays cards as well as ever. He can heat things in a pan on the stove, and use the microwave. He still drives a little, can get stuff done, and he’s never taken off and not returned. There are shifting and definite areas of memory loss, going back to childhood, one day he will have no memory of a time or an event, the next day he can recount it in considerable detail and with very little fumbling for words.

He’s never not known me, but that time is probably not too many years ahead. Once, in talking to me, he said, “your wife,” rather than say her name. That had never happened before. I’m his oldest child, and I look a lot like him, except I’m much fatter. When I shave and see my face in the mirror, I often see him. But wow… Mashed potatoes. :roll_eyes:

#110

Is there any chance your stepmother can work some flavourless protein powder into those potatoes? I know that trying to get the elderly to eat well can be quite tricky.

Sorry to hear of the situation but I hope you enjoy your retirement and your stay with them :slightly_smiling_face:

(Laurie) #111

I hope it all works out okay, Doug! Good luck.

(Susan) #112

I know that this is a very difficult time, seeing your parent like this. I hope and pray for you to still have a few good years with your dad and step mom. My mom lived for years with Lewy Body Dimentia (and was almost 92 when she passed) so I hope for a slow progression and still some happy memories to be made still.

Enjoy your stay with them and hopefully you can give them some helpful advice for food =).

(Doug) #113

:+1::sunglasses::partying_face: I think that’s a great suggestion! Yes, it can be done. Thank you, T.O.P.

Thanks also, @islandlight and @Momof5 - Laurie and Susan. Driving back from the store today I was thinking, comparing things - he’s still substantially himself, and heck, he could be dead. I also compared it to losing a child. Nothing to complain about here. I made sea/dry scallops and they were a big hit; plenty of protein was consumed by all. :yum:

(Bob M) #114

How do you make your mashed potatoes? With butter? Sour cream? If so, load up on those. Potatoes really aren’t that bad, and theoretically (see the Fire in a Bottle/croissant diet posts) might not be bad at all.

You could also try adding MCT oil somewhere, if he can tolerate it.

(Doug) #115

Bob, never made them in my whole life. :smile: But yes - I would certainly go heavy on butter and sour cream (mouthwatering thought, frankly :+1:). My dad has these pre-made things that come in their own bowl, just have to heat it up. Probably a bunch of additive crap in there too; I haven’t looked yet, but good stuff could definitely be added.

(Bob M) #116

I only made them when I was testing a targeted keto diet with high saturated fat. If you do want to make them, they are quite easy to make, and they do suck up a TON of butter. (I was using high-stearic-acid ghee, but butter should be the same.)

(Doug) #117

Shaking My Head (and rolling my eyes) Department:

Retirement --> drastically more time at home, more time to shop --> new Costco membership (a “big box” or warehouse store for food, etc.). Internet links to “The best things to buy at Costco” and similar… Then how about “What not to buy at Costco…”? So many items rated “unhealthy” on the basis of how much saturated fat and salt they contain… Meanwhile, any number of things that consist almost entirely of sugar, white refined wheat flour and seed oils (with a short to horrendously long list of chemical additives) are “just fine.”

Did I go through a time warp and it’s 1977 again? :confounded::rage::angry:

I know, I know - nothing new; just my rant for today.

#118

I predict we’re going to see A LOT more of you around here.

(Of course, work never slowed you down either.) :grin:

(Laurie) #119

I find lots of hidden gems at Costco. Not just the obvious (roasts and the like).

Apart from low carb, two of my prioroties are convenience and tenderness (I have “steakhouse syndrome”). Some of the items I buy contain sugar or starch but still say 0 carb. Of course every person and every Costco is different. A few of the things I’ve found:

Hot cooked ribs (next to the rotisserie chicken)

Precooked pulled pork (prepackaged prepared meal section), 0 carb

Frozen precooked sausage patties (frozen breakfast food section), humanely raised, no hormones, 0 carb

Sliced roast beef (lunch meat section), little to no junk, 0 carb

Precooked chicken breast (I think same section), no junk, 0 carb

Frozen salmon patties (next to beef patties), wild caught, 2 carbs

Some decent deli sausage at good prices (near the wieners), 0 carb

Precooked real bacon crumbles (they keep moving them)

6 pack of canned salmon or tuna at a reasonable price; also sardines, etc.

Sour cream, 1 litre for CAD 3.99; they now (finally!) have 10% fat plain yogurt as well.

Whipping cream, lowest price anywhere.

Cambozola cheese at a great price. Very high in fat. Many other interesting cheeses at great prices. These are in a separate section from the large blocks of regular cheese.

Huge bags/containers of nuts and seeds at good prices.

Big thing of organic coconut oil, cheap.

(Bob M) #120

Ghee, olives in brine (no PUFA oils), California olive oil (great), keto ice cream bars (good, they limit you to one package where I live), Cheeses like Gruyere and Manchego (sheep’s milk), beef sticks, other beef products (grass fed), etc.

Some of the stuff is a bit much. We don’t buy sour cream there, because it’s a massive tub. Same with cream cheese, it’s too much.