Smilesong's Journal, 19 February 2015

One of the "sweets" that I love is using only heavy whipping cream and cream cheese, and stevia powder as sweetener, with a dash of almond essence. Make whipped cream, whip the cream cheese til nice and fluffy, mix the two and add stevia powder to taste and a dash of almond essence to cover for the slight bitter after-taste of the stevia powder. Also, make home-made mayo. You use raw egg yolks (so having a good, trusted place to get your eggs is essential), mustard, a tablespoon of lemon juice, salt to taste and vegetable oil. You can make it with a hand mixer. The secret is to have all ingredients at room temperature and just drip the oil, don't add too much at a time because it will "cut". Use the mayo for various salads, for example I buy swai fish fillets (frozen) and bake them, then add some chopped microwaved cauliflower and broccoli and of course, mayo. Or you can use tuna and chopped boiled eggs. There are so many recipes that are low carb that you can use the home-made mayo in. 

try nuts and celery and peanut butter, cucumber or red bell bepper with sour cream. Pork rinds with guacamole or salsa. and my favorite.. sugar free jello and whip cream  

I eat a very high diet of MUFA's, low carb, low salt, and have had a huge success with it. religiously I eat one entire avocado a day spilt if 1/4's. I cut in the morning, and scoop out a 1/4, and put the other 1/4 and 1/2 in Ziploc bag. It does not turn brown within 8 hours. 19 - almonds on days I don't eat 4 - 6oz of grilled salmon in olive oil, and no seasonings. Or crush the almonds on a salad. You get the crunch of croutons. Do you like soy? I eat dry roasted unsalted soy nuts. Experimented with different type of tofu's. I prefer the firm, grille it in different types of no or very low carb sauces. I have used Fatsecret to look up the foods nutritional value. I don't count calories that much, since I walk between 15 - 20 miles a day (that is my choice, and it is a huge lifestyle adjustment). I start walking between 3:00am - 3:30am 7 days a week. For proteins, I rarely eat any type of meat. 90% from salmon, clams, mussels, crab, occasional shrimp (Cholesterol a little high for my liking). My cardiologist is a huge believer in getting to the root of plaque buildup, and reversing it. Everything is in olive oil, but in moderation, to much, and there is no benefits. Eggs are always eggs whites with mushrooms, a tad of onions, and Jalapeno peppers, Ms. Dash every now and then. Only cheese I eat is low fat string cheese. Any item I choose to eat has to have 3.0g saturated fat or les, and stick to the serving size. I am by far one of the most extremes when it came to this life style change, but when I saw the results, I was floored. In July I weighed 174lbs, and at my 6 month cardio visit (January 28), I was 149lbs. and blood work phenomenal. Doctor said I am now in the maintain your weight zone....Well I want to loose more, goal is to get total cholesterol under 100 at next visit in July. As I said, I am totally the extreme, the kitchen at works smells like salmon at 7:00am, and I just tell everyone munching down donuts and kolaches....It's lunchtime for me, I have been up since three.....On the turn of the card, I am in bed between 8:00-8:30pm. Just think of the high MUFA food you really enjoy, and how you could use them in other ways. I basically spent hundreds of hours researching MUFA's, and PUFA's on the internet, and came up with a variety of food, so nothing is boring. 

raw almonds, almond butter, grass fed butter, avocado, olive oil, olives, bacon, raw pumpkin seeds, cashews 

I steam mixed vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, etc with butter and olive oil for flavor... easy on the stomach... can also add fish, shrimp, etc.  

The first thing I had to do was log EVERYTHING... otherwise I couldn't play around with different foods to get my proportions right. What phase of Atkins are you doing? I used the old book and took my food choices from those lists. Keep at it and you'll find what works for you! Best of luck :-) 

Thanks everyone....I have been trying to stay under 20 grams of carbs a day and go higher in fat but finding it makes my stomach upset. HCB - I will try the almond butter for a change. Dayberndt - The homemade mayo I will try as well. Never did that! Will try the cream "sweet" dish too Niel - sadly No Fish, No Soy. But Pork Rinds are my STAPLE!! :0) Michael john - will butter up the steamed broccoli and see if that helps. Painful!  

no suggestions except maybe that is not a good plan for you. I tried Adkins 3 differnt times and my body couldn't handle the fat and the low carbs, I had a little kid's stomach ache constantly. Switched to my own plan, lots of plant based foods, averaged fat around 30% or less. I feel terrific! Pork rinds, they are not something I can even choke down, 5 

I agree with wholefoodnut. I have seen several types of diets work for different people. Low carb does not work for me. I loose weight fast but the long term effects that I have experienced are no worth it, gut problems, loss of energy, and increases ravenous appetite are just a few of the side effects I experience. I do not follow just one diet type. Only some simple rules. Clean proteins from all natural chicken and fish. All fresh produce, no packaged or canned foods. Omega 3 and 6 fats. But you need at least a 2 to 1 ration of 3's vs 6's. I normally do a 3 to 1 ratio. Carbs are preference so people have different stomachs and not correctly process certain carbs. For me I started researching resistant starches. Its very in-depth so I'm not going into details. But I do eat 12 to 16 ounces of potatoes a day, white rice, and whole grain. Its geared more towards gut health and the body's micro biome. Resistant starches feeds our good bacteria ( which you can get through probiotics supplements and fresh produce). This link has allot of info on resistant starches and the gut. http://freetheanimal.com/2013/12/resistant-primer-newbies.html This small change could help your stomach issues. It did mine, but keep in mind I added RS type starches slowly and added more RS type foods slowly over time (approx. 5 to 6 weeks) . Does it work for weight loss ( 27lbs in 6 weeks and still counting) PS A very good friend is on the Atkins and he has no problems, you just have to find works for your body. If there was only one diet that works then everyone would be thin. Good luck! 

Atkins worked for me every time I did it, but I could only lose 30 pounds and then my stomach would not take the high fat and I would give it up. I just make sure to burn more calories than I am eating. When I do that, I lose weight. Keep moving! 

A favorite fat-buster is hollandaise sauce! I use the juice of 1 lemon (vit c!), 3-4 yolks (fat. vit a,e), 4-5 tablespoons butter. You whip the yolks and lemon juice together, then begin to slow heat and melt the butter--stirring till thick. I pour it over my steamed veggies or fish! Good luck! P.S. taking ACV daily will help with digestion. 

mmmm, your diet sounds delicious. I may need to try that. 

This_guy, I actually eat a lot of plant based proteins, whole grains, legumes, many days, many weeks no animal proteins. Also lots of veggies and fruits, I also eat potatoes but occasionally. Right now I'm eating more animal as I'm trying to get through the stuff in my freezer and am finding more chicken and some pork that I had forgotten about. I hate wasting food. Once I slowly get through that , with a few dishes a week I will be back to mostly plant based with fish about once a week and an occasional chicken or other meat. More than 3 oz of meat in a day simply makes me sick, I can eat more fish than that. My plan has worked for me. I'm sure won't be a plan most others would choose.  

This is all great feedback from so many different approaches. I agree that there is no one size fits all. Finding that method that works with your body is a long term tweaking process we all have to find. Low carb/High Fat works for me. I need to change my Diet Type to LCHF instead of Atkins. Deb_N - I too kept getting to that 30 pound point and never moved past it. I now see its because Atkins proposes higher protein and I now know that to much protein too is stored as fat like carbs and increases insulin. My starting weight listed is an old one from years ago when I first joined FS. This past xmas I got on the scale it was close to 350 and I was simply done. I had hit my wall and I went straight to some obesity research NIH studies and dove into the science behind the sugar impact on the body. I knew for myself they were describing someone like me. I was a Carb Addict. My insulin resistance is so bad that if I eat an apple, potato or too many veggies my ankles swell so bad I can't put on my shoes and my lung congestion is triggered. Low carb dieting has also dropped my blood pressure low enough to stop the meds. I like the decrease in leg swelling, reduced numbness in my toes and weight loss for sure BUT as a singer I love the clearing of my lungs with the drop in low carb eating. So, there is zero question for me that I must get my body to adjust to a low carb lifestyle. Overconsuming carbs over the years, I have distorted my body's ability to digest them. So. I can manage a little upset stomach from the high fat. This type of diet I am convinced is meant for people like me. If you have the luck of the biological draw and have a body that has not developed major insulin resistance with extreme weight gain, can eat fruit, veggies and resistant starch seriously, congrats!!! No such luck for me. After a few weeks of sluggishness that I pushed through and once I was KETo-adapted, my energy soared through the roof and my hunger was eliminated. I have to now remind myself to eat. Creating an eating environment that helps your body melt its own fat with very little stress or pain/discomfort is working for me. I am just needing to manage the GI glitches. Not looking for another diet because I am dropping with ease, my sleep is deeper, my energy is insane, my hunger gone, my acne gone, my lungs clear, no flu all winter, sleep snoring gone and my blood pressure normal for the first time in 15 YEARS. This diet works for me with zero question, just need to find the fats that work with me. I hope anyone reading this that could be over 300, 350, 400+ pounds takes the time to read more about KETO approach to weight loss and corrective energy balance. Its a difficult approach but I feel it is saving my life. I just wanted to be clear that higher fat eating takes time to adjust to but it does not mean I think the diet has no merit. Just to be clear. 

Great post, smilesong! I also have had some changes that are amazing with the keto approach. I am still new at it but I feel well. 

Keep it going HCB and I truly think it is important to share your success with others you know personally that are struggling with weight. Not a lot of people know about this approach, right? That over consumption of carbs needs to be corrected by halting over eating carbs like a smoker needs to quit smoking, not smoke just a little bit less. Keto flies in the face of convention, but we know it is very corrective for the Obese. I read this one guy compare it to trying to convince an atheist that God actually does exist. Not easy to do so it takes testimony, one on one. KEEP GOING! 

My feeling, if it works for you do it!!! It's not a one size fits all life changing solution. Whatever you do it has to fit your lifestyle, how you like to cook, and what healthy foods you enjoy eating or it will be a punishment not a WOE you can continue for life and health. 

I totally agree with you wholefoodnut - without question you gotta find what works for you as I said earlier. Weight loss sucks so bad and if you can find your formula...amazing! But some people don't even know KETO dieting exist. Spreading the word is important and fundamentally one of the reasons this website was founded I think...to share what works for you in case it benefits someone else. So those that have success on KETO dieting should proudly say so....it is an alternative some should consider if they are having a hard time otherwise with conventional dieting.....especially the morbidly obese that have more than the scale to worry about, similar to me, because KETO dieting helps so much more than weight loss. Most of us that are morbidly obese typically need to address major metabolic distress not just the extra pounds. Diabetes doctors are now turning to low carb eating as the preferred lifestyle change for patients. Severe obesity and diabetes typically go hand in hand as most of us know by now. That's why doctors are now calling DIABESITY for those of us that have both or are on their way to having both....so with a very low carb diet most of us that are morbidly obese have a chance to correct the metabolic damage we have done to ourselves. It is so bad that some of us cannot enjoy fruit or veggies until we get our condition under control. It is an alternative working for me that I am sharing with people not saying it is prescriptive for all. 

I love bacon and cream cheese :)! But to solely exist on it,NO... what kind of tummy issues do you have? Good luck! 

Well, Eggs don't sit well with me but eating them with avocado helps digest them better. Fish Oil pills are hard to take without something solid...but they still make me feel queezy. It's Coconut.... the oil, the flour, the butter, the milk....it is the base of so many KETO dishes...but it is the biggest problem. I have tried it in so many combination. Just can't digest it well with out tummy grumbles and feeling slightly sick. I am trying almond flour this weekend for the first time for carb bread/pancakes. If I take out the coconut from my diet I am fearful I won't have many other options to keep the fat ratio high. Butter and cheese is ok but was hoping to find some way to help my digesting coconut oil so I can keep the antibacterial properties of the coconut in my diet. My best digestive meals are hearty ham & eggs a with avocado or loads of grilled chicken over romaine lettuce and chunks of mozzarella cheese. Any feedback would be great on this....