Thanks Nutter :)
You'd better pray for me too :lol:
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Thanks Nutter :)
You'd better pray for me too :lol:
I totally agree. We went on the diet for health and I had no idea that weightloss was even something that might happen. It seems to be the biggest thing that wins people over though. I'm more interested in the fact that I'm infinitely healthier than I used to be. I used to always feel this niggling sense of impending doom that I was going to develop cancer or diabetes or osteoporosis and I just don't feel concerned now. I feel healthy. I'm actually hoping I start to gain weight again as my bone density should pick up.:
What sweeteners do you use? We use fruit or honey.
I use rice malt syrup, coconut sugar or 100% maple syrup. I also use dates in energy balls but they are really high in fructose so I only have one a day.
Starting a revolution, N2L ;)
Weight loss for me was very gradual but it was "easy". I never had to try, it wasnt a conscious thing where I felt actively restricted or on a diet; it was just how we eat. I also never really exercise to exercise if that makes sense, Im quite active in general (walk to the park, shops, run around the yard, take the steps, park further away kind of thing) but I dont specifically ever work out... yet. It took a bit over a year after each DD to get back to my healthy range, about 20kgs each time so only a kilo or two a month but I was in no rush personally. I never really weighed myself so not sure how linear it was or anything, one day my old clothes fit again lol.
Will be interesting whether I need to step things up once I stop breastfeeding as I have been for 4 years so both times and Im sure that has impacted things although by how much, I have no idea. Also how my metabolism might alter with age? Again, I dont know. The most important thing for me is energy levels though, I feel much calmer when I know I can get through the day and whatever it throws at me without feeling too much strain. As long as that is maintained Im less fussed about the number on my clothes tags.
The hardest part is initially, the further you get past the "cravings" the easier it becomes to say no. It is a more you have it, more you want it kind of thing which can be a hard cycle to break.
ETA: should add that whilst I've been high fat, high protein, low carb for a while it is only recently that Im becoming more discerning about which fat, which protein and which carbs. And still have much to learn!
I have been doing this just since Monday. And af arrived on Tuesday and it was a real shocker with loads of pain and feeling so swollen.
But regardless of that, the scales say just over 2kg down:o, in 5 days, with af still hanging around! I've had no sugar cravings and no sugar/carbs/white anything which in itself is miraculous especially when af is around.
I've been eating full fat cheese and cream and cooking in butter or oil and I am quite astounded to be honest and I've not felt hungry which is so different to anything else I've done before and I love not counting calories.
Oh and due to af being so awful, there's been no excercise at all this week other than normal stuff work related.
Hoping this continues!
Okay ausgirl.... I'm feeling inspired....
So far its the lack of carb alternatives that I've struggled with, I'm still falling back to pasta and rice... Didn't have much in the way of bread last week - except for a gluten, dairy yeast free bread I found at Safeway....
I made cauliflower rice and it was actually pretty good as an alternative. I also used the slicer thingy that has different settings to make thin ribbons of zuchini which was kind of like spaghetti.
I don't have spaghetti or rice very often though anyway. Fruit has been hard for me to give up, especially my morning banana.
My attempt at zucchini spaghetti was not that successful :) lol more like zucchini mush
Lol, yep it takes some fine tuning!
Get one of those peelers Myturn. Zyliss make them. Mine worked really well using one.
Yours lokked awesome!! The general trader??
I think so.... Google it and see.
Eta - yep, and House. Also Kitchenware Direct.
It's called the Zyliss Julienne Peeler.
I have a spiral slicer and I love the zucchini pasta it makes. Better than pasta :)
We generally roast a tray of vegetables every night and have those with our dinner for our dense carbs. Every thing you would put on pasta goes great on veggies instead.
I make paleo bread when I feel the urge but that's rarely. I generally make coconut flour brownies or cupcakes if I want that 'baked goods' feeling.
I just found a good recipe for flax seed meal "focaccia". I'm going to try it :)
Is that the Loving Our Guts site? I want to try that recipe. I've gone off soup since I can't dip bread in it and I think that looks like it would work. I've been buying sprouted flax & sunflower seed crackers and they are SO good.
I need lunch ideas that don't need pre-baking..... Anyone...?
Where do you guys buy your healthy baking stuff. My closest big supermarket is a Woolworths though I haven't looked there yet. Otherwise it's an 1.5 hour drive to a health food store anywhere!
I mainly take leftovers for lunch, so I cook extra at dinner time so there's some for a lunch or 2. But you can do salads with lots of chicken/ham/other meat and cheese. Soups are great.
No, I got it off a blog called Low Carb, Better Health.:
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
* 2 cups flax seed meal
* 1 Tablespoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1-2 Tablespoons sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener [* I will leave this out]
* 5 beaten eggs
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/3 cup oil
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.
1) Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.
2) Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.
3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)
4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).
5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.
6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.
Nutritional Information: Each of 12 servings has less than a gram of effective carbohydrate (.7 grams to be exact) plus 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein, and 185 calories.
:
At Woolworths I buy -
Coconut oil (in Asian food section)
Coconut cream/milk (Asian food section)
Flax seed (aka linseed)
Flax meal (both in health food section)
Peanut butter (no salt, no sugar) - Macro brand or sanitarium, check labels
Almonds - all nuts actually - get them in the kilo packs near the vegies, not the Lucky brand near flour section
Almond meal (macro brand cheapest)
100% pure maple
Butter
Apple cider vinegar
Milk
Eggs
Cheese
Dates (homebrand)
And a million other things....
I buy coconut sugar and flour at health food shop but I know you can get them online.
Rice malt syrup I get at Coles.
Myturn -
Smoked salmon
Smoked chicken fillet
Salami with cheese
Hummous (not strictly no carb) with celery
Salad
Soups
Boiled eggs
Curried eggs
Tinned tuna - add mayo, on celery
Leftovers
I'm having a hankering for cheese on toast.....
Just had steamed mini dim sims for lunch.... Not strictly no carb... But anyway.....
Really.... You just have salami and cheese???
or chicken and nothing else??
I keep getting bought back to my home ec days at school where there was an insistence on a little bit of everything I each meal...
I would probably have soup as well.
Or salad, or celery with hummous, or paleo bread.
Speaking of bread, first loaf of flax focaccia in the oven :)
Eta - focaccia out of oven. Pic on my FB page.
Eeta - omg! It's great!! It has a really similar texture to real bread. I think I like it better than the paleo bread!
N2L do you think it would go with a garlicy butter mix? I miss garlic bread lol.
Seems like I might need to get onto baking :)
JF, I can't see why not.
So pleased I found this post!
I have been following a paleo lifestyle for the past 18months and I can not recommend it highly enough. Initially I changed my diet to lose a few kgs in order to get healthy to fall pregnant (was having fertility issues).. but it turned in to so much more once I saw the benefits with weight loss and also my health in general.
I have lost 18kgs much more than I ever anticipated.. and that was mostly from dietary changes. I didn't start exercising until I lost about 15kgs (!) and then found a love for crossfit.
I fell pregnant within 6 months of changing my diet (after 14months of no luck).. miscarried unfortunately. But please to say I am now pregnant again (about 9 weeks) 6 months after my miscarriage.
I have to say I am finding it difficult to stay completely paleo now I am pregnant, due to food aversions mostly and my body craving carbs. Instead of resorting to grains etc for my carbs I am just eating a lot more starches like sweet potato and even rice.
I think sweet potato and rice are a good idea. You could sprout the rice so it's healthier and better to digest. We actually follow GAPS and the author of that, Dr Campbell-McBride, advocates following your cravings where needed but then staying on track (ie. eat rice if you crave it but then don't just add it back to your diet unless you're still craving it). She also recommends homemade sourdough bread for pregnancy.:
I need to make some flax focaccia!! Sounds delish!
This is the recipe I was looking at from Loving Our Guts. Looks like it's the same recipe but converted to GAPS as it doesn't use baking powder, artificial sweetener or oil.
Flax Focaccia Bread
- 2 C. Whole Flaxseed or Flaxseed Meal
- 1 tsp. Baking soda
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 2 Tbs honey
- 5 Beaten Eggs
- 1/2 C. Water
- 1/3 C. melted butter
- (optional) Garlic Granules, parmesan cheese, Course Sea Salt, or Onion Flakes to top the bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Beat eggs, then mix in butter, water and honey and set aside.
Grind flax seeds in a Vitamix or an Electric Spice Grinder to make flax meal. If you use a spice grinder/coffee grinder you will need to grind it in batches. Flax meal goes rancid quickly so if you are going to purchase it ground or grind it ahead of time be sure to store it in the freezer.
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well. I used my Hand Blender to get it all mixed up nicely. It tends to want to be lumpy and you need it very smooth. Let mixture sit for 3 minutes.
Place into prepared pan and shape into a flat circle or oval.
Sprinkle with optional toppings.
Bake for about 20 minutes or till done.
Serve warm with butter or your favorite topping.
Yep, sounds like the same recipe. I didn't use any sweetener (and I don't ever use artificial sweetener). I don't think you'd need it.
Meow, I know GAPS relies on bone broths. I was wondering if you could share how you do yours?? Thanks :)
I found a good recipe for flax crackers last night. Also one for almond crackers.
FLAX CRACKERS
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup flax seed meal
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
Preparation:
Heat oven to 400 F.
1) Mix all ingredients together.
2) Spoon onto sheet pan which is covered with a silicone mat or greased parchment paper.
3) Cover the mixture with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Even out the mixture to about 1/8 inch. I find a straight edge, like a ruler, works well, though you can use a rolling pin or wine bottle too. The important thing is not to let it be too thin around the edges or that part will overcook before the centre firms up. So after you spread it out, remove the paper and go around the edges with your finger and push the thin part inwards to even it up.
4) Bake until the centre is no longer soft, about 15-18 minutes. If it starts to get more than a little brown around the edges, remove from oven. Let cool completely - it will continue to crisp up.
5) Break into pieces.
The whole recipe is 6 grams of effective carbohydrate plus 35 grams of fibre.
Mmm flax crackers sound good! I want to start making more things from seed flours too as the kids can't take nut things to school.
I think americans are just hooked on sweet bread- leaving out any sweetener in the focaccia sounds good to me too.
Bone broth instructions (copied from when I wrote it for a friend)
I make bone broth using a big stainless steel pot (like it must be about 6 litres) but you can certainly make less of it in something smaller. Just don't use a non-stick saucepan as the long slow cook draws out the toxins in the metal so stick to stainless steel or enameled cookware.
Put the bones in the pot. I keep bones as I use them and pop them in a freezer bag till I have how many I want (generally a 4 litre bag worth)... we end up using a mix of say chicken bones and perhaps pork rib bones and/or beef bones. I generally buy some beef soup or marrow bones to add. Any bones are good, though organic, free range are preferable as they have better minerals and nutrients and less toxins.
I add some apple cider vinegar (though a dash of any vinegar is fine- about 1-2Tb in my big pot), about a 1Tb of sea salt and a few peppercorns. Then bring to the boil with the lid off and skim off the gunky stuff that comes to the top. Reduce heat low, pop on the lid and leave it for 24-36 hours. You want it barely bubbling or less, not simmering.
You can add some veggies and garlic if you want (I'm just usually too lazy!). I am just starting to save veggie scraps in the freezer with the bones so they go in too (carrot ends, onion ends/skins etc).
I then pour it into glass jars and store in the fridge. When it's cool, skim the fat off and use that to fry veggies in or whatever you want and reheat the broth in a small pot and drink or else use it to cook with. You can simmer it down and make it really concentrated which makes good stock frozen in ice cube trays.
I had major food aversions in my first trimester - I had to quit paleo. All I could stomach was toast - every paleo breakfast I had been having turned my stomach and made me gag. I'm still a bit off dates now.:
Plus every time I stood up I would want to pass out (feel faint, see black etc) and it didn't matter how much sweet potato I ate, nothing stopped that except for bread!
Can't wait to get back to it after the baby is here!
I've been doing this for 9 days now - I did cheat a little on Saturday as Iwent to a 40th birthday party and I had some sugar and a few white carbs but didn't go too silly.
I am exactly 3kg down this morning. I can feel it in my jeans that they are a little looser.....still feeling amazed.
Going on holidays to friends house on Saturday afternoon for a week, so while I'll try to stick to it, I will have to eat what's offered while there but I'll be back on it as soon as I get home!
Oh, and still no additional exercise other than what is normally with the job - cleaning, chasing kids around, etc.
Hi all :)
Just wondering how people are going? Is anyone else still with me?? I have now lost 5kgs so very happy. Been a bit lax this week with tracking my macronutrients and making sure I get enough fat (family crisis) but am planning on getting back into serious monitoring this week.
I also think I have low stomach acid so looking to boost that. I'm not sure if it is dietary change or coincidence (also read it can be thyroid), but my food is constantly sitting in a lump at the top of my stomach. Need to sort it out.
I have been measuring the ketones in my urine and I am in nutritional ketosis (which means i am burning fat, not carbs eaten by me, for fuel).
Anyway, interested to see if anyone else is still on board....
funny that you posted tonight - I was just trying to work out where this thread was so i could go looking at the webpages you posted again :)
I have lost 400 g since sunday (which of course could be AF related, could be fluid, could be nothing... but makes me feel better anyway....)
I am starting with 1 month of cutting out the sweet stuff/crap snacks (i.e. lollies, chocolate, chips etc), and working on portion sizes.
At the same time I am going to reduce the carbs and increase the protein. I don't think I'm feeling the 'high fat' thing - but (as I just said to DH) I want to feel okay with the fats I do have - so if I want to have normal cheese, I want to feel okay about it.
I am back on board, I've been on holidays with friends for a week and it was mega tough! I caved and ate weetbix (lol) and hot chips and sticky date pudding! I have been back in the zone since monday. I practically put all of the weight I lost back on while away damn carbs! I have made the flaxmeal parmesan crisps and like them quite a lot. Also made casheroos and yum - is this dangerous given it has a bit of honey in it? Oh and I also made the grain free granola which is a nice change for breakfast too.
Where do you get the ketone measuring thingos from?
Woo hoo :) Im not alone ;)
Myturn, just wondering about the fat thing. What puts you off? The benefit of it is that you eat enough calories, it fills you up and it's tasty :lol: Read through the Diet Doctor site. It is really illuminating.
Ausgirl, get ketostix or keto-Diastix from chemists. I paid $9.95 for 50.
Good job on the weightloss chicks!
funny.... I was just reading the Diet Dr... and thinking... hmmm.... it makes sense when it's written that way ..... I am channeling you tonight I think ;)
was just thinking about the low sugar thing.... thought I was doing an okay job... then realised..... I've increased my fruit juice intake the past week... without even realising it I have just swapped what I get my sugar from .... lmao :)
oh dear... just felt the anxiety increase in the pit of my stomach just thinking about cutting it all out all together... think I had better make it manageable and just cut the crap for this month (being aware of the rest of it, but not beating myself up).... Am feeling that 'that' is something I can achieve for now...
all because I cut out 'brown' chocolate over the TWW, and realised I am not missing it.... okay... I had white chocolate and a few lollies instead.... but I feel like I might be able to do it... which is a big step for me.
I am still following - enjoying seeing stuff on FB, not managed to do much myself - but am changing some of my choices and feeling better about them. I just need to get organized doing alot of traveling at the moment which has made breakfasts easier!
Long term, the best fix for stomach acid is getting your gut flora healthy. So make sure to include lots of fermented foods in your diet such as unpasturised sauerkraut, pickles, kefir, kombucha, yogurt etc. Short term you will probably benefit from supplements such as HCl or digestive enzymes. I find adding a dash of unpasturised apple cider vinegar to my meal helps. A glass of water with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar at the beginning of your meal can help too.: