Low Carb Happy @ 5 Months

If weight watchers works for you, then that is terrific! I'm happy  for you and wish you the very best.  I wish it had worked for me. But if--like me--joining weight watchers for the 11th time leaves you feeling rebellious and mad and sad and just plain hungry--well then no more.   No.  More.

Maybe my (your?) body is just not going to process those carbs in a way that makes us feel healthy and energetic and alive. Maybe bread--and yes Oprah I love bread too--causes my body to release insulin and then stashes every single calorie securely in my fat cells.

Maybe eating bread and pasta and yes, even my beloved sugar -- has been making me fat and sick.

I think so. Because now that I've been lchf keto for the last 5 months, here's what's happened:

•  I don't have cravings. I eat good filling food when I'm hungry.
• I know that "cheating" doesn't make me happy (actually when does cheating in any part of life ever make you happy??).  
• I've lost 39 pounds. 
• Everything in my closet fits or is too big. 
• I'm off the NSAIDS for the first time in ages.  Most all of my aches and pains have disappeared.  Without medicine.
• I have peace of mind.   I don't worry about gaining weight week after week after week and where am I going to end up? 
• I'm getting better healthier leaner.  And not knowing what to do about being fat is not one of my life's problems anymore.   

If any of this sounds familiar, join me in learning more about the low-carb high-fat way of eating.  There's tons of research out there, but by far the most inspiring place to start is the online facebook support group:   Ketogenic Success.

Don't let the closed group status scare you--just send a request to join and you'll be part of a group of thousands of people who are losing weight, getting healthy, and lowering their blood sugar.  If it's not for you, you can always leave the group too.  No cost, no commitment, but be forewarned--all those stories of inspiring change and yummy recipes and helpful advice is addicting!

Or if you need to hear it straight from a medical doctor, check out Dr. Sarah Hallberg's video  Reversing Diabetes Starts with Ignoring  the Guidelines.   She practices in Indiana, right next door to us. 

Do you have questions or need any further info?  I would love to help you find this kind of positive change in your life too.   If I can do this, so can you!

What?!?  I can hardly believe it myself. 

What's for Breakfast?

My hat is off to all those professional food bloggers out there.  Photographing food is much harder than flowers!

This was my breakfast today--cashew waffles with blueberries.  Does this look like a diet?  And if I had had some whipping cream made up, that would have been okay too!   Sunday mornings are  waffle mornings here.  Mark loves them and he takes the leftovers  to go with his first coffee when he gets to work.  They help him resist whatever sweet breakfast foods might be around.

As for an update on our journey, we both came back from vacation with weight loss!  Has happened never!  What's it like to go to Patti's 1800's settlement and not get the mile-high pie?  Well, in some ways it's tough.  There is a grief when you give up sugar, potatoes, and grains (GPS as Dr. Hallberg says).  It requires a willingness to embrace the positives.  Like not feeling sick to overflowing after you eat.  Like your pants fitting, even after a good meal.  Actually Patti's can actually be a pretty good place for low-carbers.  Their pork chop sauce is less than 1 carb per serving.

I'm so happy and grateful to have found this way of eating.  I'm thrilled when friends and family  express an interest in going along for a test-drive with us.  One of my friends just lost 12 pounds in her first week!  You go girl!  One of my family members just told me that her digestion has been so improved that she doesn't have to worry about staying close to the bathroom anymore.  Mark's diabetes & blood pressure meds have been halved.  Okay, well you get the picture :)

Are you sticking around for the waffle recipe?  It's adapted from Danielle Walker's Against All Grain,  I love her cookbook and her story.  She's not strictly low-carb, but her bread recipes are easily adaptable to LCHF/Keto.

Cashew Waffles:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream or almond milk whichever you have on hand 
• 1 cup cashews raw & unsalted or roasted & salted whatever you can find for a good price.  I get ours in the bulk section of the grocery.
• 3 T coconut oil
• 3 T coconut flour
• 1/2 t baking power and 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt; if you're using salted nuts, may not need the extra salt
• 4 T flax seeds

Mix them up in a food processor and bake in the waffle maker.  Each waffle is 1 net carbs (as opposed to 30 for your general everyday waffle). Be sure to top with butter.  Butter is our friend even though we've been brainwashed for the last 40 years to believe otherwise. 

The blueberry topping is  frozen blueberries cooked in a saucepan with a little water until they're soft and the liquid is cooked down.  Blueberries are the lowest carb fruit out there.  Still they're 11 carbs for a half-cup with 2 fibers. Total carbs minus fiber equals net carbs, so that little half cup berries is 9 carbs.   But just a tablespoon or so of blueberries is a good way to use them.  It's just enough to light up the waffles and not so much that they spike your blood sugar or stall your weight loss. 

Okay, bye for now!  Thanks for stopping by and checking this little spot of the infinite world of blogs :)

 








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Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Mark, aka the best husband in the whole wide world!  I am so proud of him--this low-carb-high-fat way of life has taken his beloved potatoes and bread away but he's seeing amazing results.  His A1C is down by a third, he's gotten off two long-term meds, and all of his clothes are too big.  YaY Mark!  I love you so much and am so proud of you. 

Mother's Day 2016

By the Artist Betsy

Happy Mother's Day!

 1975

 JD's birthday 2016

Everybody's favorite flowers--straight from the garden :)

Low Carb Happy

Christmas 2015.  231 pounds.  I was miserable unhappy eating all the time. And I. Did. Not. Know What. To. Do.  I didn't want to be overweight.  I didn't want to see the scales go up every time I stepped on them.  But I didn't want to be hungry either.  And changing my eating had always meant being hungry.  I love you Oprah, and I love bread too, but every time I went on Weight Watchers I was HunGrY.  And mad about it.  Oh wait--that's another blog post. 

Through some unknown way, I found a  facebook group that told me about a low-carb-high-fat ketogenic way of eating.  Yes.  Low Carb and High Fat.  Keto.   And now I'm down 32 pounds.  My husband is managing and reversing a serious case of diabetes.  Seriously, this group and this information changed the course of my life.

Here's the link--just ask to join and they'll add you as a member:

Ketogenic Success  (11,000+ members and counting)

I'd also recommend the book  Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore. 

The New Atkins book. 

And Dr. Sarah Hallberg's Ted Talk   

Reversing Type II Diabetes Starts with Ignoring the Guidelines 

And Butter Bob's Butter Makes Your Pants Fall Off . 

Pinterest is full of low carb recipes.  If you have a favorite high-carb food, there's a low carb version of it out there.  It may take a while for your sense of taste to adjust, but  it will.

And one last link for now:  MyFitnessPal a free app where you can track carbs, fat, & protein.

Some doctors are on board with LCHF keto way of eating.  My doctor is.  I hope yours is too, but don't be surprised or sidetracked if you hear the 50-60 carbs per meal message--that's still part of the ADA's food pyramid.  See Dr Hallberg's video above for more on that.   

We don't have to be overfed or starve and feel deprived.  It really is possible to be Low Carb and Happy. And if you need some help along the way, join me in the support group, read and watch the links above.  And let me know how it goes!  I wanna hear about your journey too :)

By the Artist Peggy

Mama's angels at The Farm :)

Lilac Bouquet

And That Was March

I got to spend a few days with Judson and the kids last week.  We had a great time.  Here's Bets with Bo-bo.

Off to school.

We made gummy bears.  I'm ready to go back to visit again!

And a little update on our Skye girl.  Here she is with a new toy.

And here she is in puppy class.  She's my little therapy-dog-in-training girl :)

ISFA 2016

Inspired by the class led by Rene Van Rems this past weekend at the Illinois State Florists' Spring Show.  This was originally a hand tied, but I always want to take class projects apart and put them back together once I get home. The compote is very in these days and this one was grandma's.  Rene's work is gorgeous and some of those bouquets were absolutely breathtaking.  Like this one with hyacinth & ruscus, so simple and it smelled like heaven.

  Deborah de la Flor is an ambassador for florists everywhere.  This was my favorite of her bouquets, roses & tree fern. 

 

I made a floral necklace for the banquet Saturday night, inspired by Francois & Susan with some of PJ's beautiful vintage finds.  Wish they had all been at the show with me  too :)

LCHF Ketogenic WOL (Low-Carb-High-Fat Way-of-Living)

Two months ago, I found  Ketogenic Success on facebook.  They  provide a daily stream of education, hope and inspiration on my news feed.

With their help, I've lost 22 pounds.  
And I'm off NSAIDs for the first time in 15 years.  

I used to think there was something wrong with me because I couldn't lose weight--that I was weak and had no willpower.  Turns out the sugar and grains were making me fat and keeping me hungry & craving all the time.

If you're interested,  join us at  Ketogenic Success.
And let me know what you think! 
  

 

60 and Counting

 

Thank you Mark for the birthday flowers!  

I have dreaded the day, but it's here and of course it's all good.  

Hard to believe I'm all of 60; but really, don't we all feel ageless inside?  

I have been blessed beyond all I ever dreamed.  

Golden Report

 Mark has cleaned up all the flower beds for me and the sun is shining, promising another spring.  G is so happy that we'll be having coffee in the garden again. 

 Skye graduated from her beginning Dog Manners class.  She's going to intermediate school next month.  Maybe she'll even go to graduate school :)

Leap Day

The sign reads:  When Life Gets Too Hard to Stand, Kneel in the Garden."  

It was made for me by Amy's rehab class at the hospital. 

Since this bench is on the verge of rotting though, 

I could ask them to make another sign for a caption that reads:

 "Cause you sure as hell can't sit on this bench."

January Golden Report

It's been a up & down kind of January at Canada Garden with new puppy Skye and G Dog having surgery.  Skye is  growing every.single.day and is overall such a good puppy.  G has recovered from his surgery but continues to have a few digestive issues along the way.  It's warming up out there these last few days of January so now instead of snow, we get to deal with mud!

January

I know it's January, but I still complain about the cold!

 

 Photo from Rachel.  I didn't take one opening-gifts picture this year.  I was too busy keeping an eagle eye on Skye who went with us to visit Judson & family.  We had a really good time.  It rained and rained and rained.

And speaking of Skye:

She's making herself right at home :)

Thank You to Grandma Peggy!

Betsy shared her joke book with me, V, and Nanny Laura last night.

Merry Christmas Grandma Peggy!

 

Merry Christmas

Christmas Flowers

The pitcher is one that Mark gave me years ago.

 

 

 

And this container was grandma's.