Protein & Macros

Hi everybody--I've had several questions about setting macros lately--especially for protein, so let's chat.  Macro is short for macronutrients.  There are three main macro categories:  carbs, protein, and fat.  There are some subcategories of each macro, but we won't go into those here.   Do you really need to think about how much protein you're eating?  Well, it depends.  If you're going strictly keto, then yes.  If you're eating low carb and are losing weight and experiencing health benefits that make you happy, then that's great!  If it's not broke, don't fix it :)

My first couple months on this way of eating, I ate lots of protein.  And I lost about 20 pounds.  Twenty pounds in two months!  Those were the days! :)

Then a funny thing happened.  Well, not funny ha-ha.  Funny as in strange, weird, and this is not supposed to happen, everybody-else-is-losing-tons-of-weight-every-single-day-and-I'm-just-sitting-here-stuck.  Ugh.  Well, turns out there was a logical reason getting stuck.  Protein.  As in too much of it.

When we eat more protein that our body needs, it turns to sugar.  Exactly the thing we're all working so hard to avoid, right?!?  Sheesh.  Okay, so that meant I needed to know how much protein my body needed. 
 
And of course, because all of life is a trial and error; I then went too far to the other end and wasn't getting enough protein.  Another sheesh!  I was tired and just didn't have a good energy level.  Mary, my coach at Ketovangelist, took a look at my protein intake and suggested that I refigure my protein macro goal.  Mary has been such a help to me.  She's awesome as the Ketovangelist would say.    A couple of weeks with increased protein and I felt much better.  Much better.

You can choose among several ways to find your macros.

1. First, we can use a calculator which can be found several places online.  I have used both the ones at Maria Mind Body Health and at Ruled Me.  The latter gives a bit higher protein macro. 
2. And then Dr. Nally gives us a formula for calculating which is the current method I'm using.  For a five-foot tall woman, we need 45.5 gms protein daily.  For every inch over 5 feet, we need an additional 2.3 gms of protein.  I calculated my protein needs at the 45.5 gms for my first five feet + 2.3 x 3 (I'm 5'3" now) = 52.4.   I use this as a general guideline, I seldom hit it exactly.

So after ten months and 63 pounds down, it seems like I've finally gotten the hang of the protein macro.  Not too much.  Not too little.  Just right.   I know this seems like a lot of info and it may seem too complicated.  And you know what?? If you're losing at a rate that makes you happy, if you feel good with plenty of energy--then absolutely there's no reason to get so detailed about all this.  Lots of people lose weight and gain all kinds of health benefits without ever calculating macros or tracking.  Mark only tracks carbs and he's had an amazing recovery from diabetes.  

But if you're weight loss is slowing or stalled for several weeks or if you are feeling tired with no energy, then maybe it's time to dig a little deeper.  We want to find that sweet spot that will help us feel our best while we're successfully losing weight and also maintaining as much of our muscle mass as possible. If you're following the Ketogenic Success facebook group, there are daily discussions about the topic.  If you need a coach to help you figure it out, then get one.  It's worth it!





 

Halloween

It's a keto halloween so that means costumes, not candy!  Fran and I went to Witches Night Out, a local fundraiser to benefit services for women in Springfield.  We definitely want to go again next year.    And here's my favorite witch of all time:

I'm With Her

I don't usually talk about "serious" things here.  But I had an experience yesterday that shook me up.  I'm okay,  I wasn't harmed physically in any way.  But I felt disrespected and hurt and mad.   Here I am--60 years old--I feel stronger and more confident in myself than ever in my whole life.  But I keep thinking over and over what I could have said and done instead of what I did.
 
What should I have said to the man who stared me down and made a stupid "hmmm hmm" sound when he passed me in the grocery aisle?  What I actually did was turn around and call him an asshole as he walked away.  If he has normal hearing, he heard me.  But of course, he gave no indication of whether he did or not, he just kept walking.

I was steamed.  But I went on and finished my grocery shopping. And have thought over and over about what I could have done instead.

It seems like it's been a week for talking about how some men treat women.  And I say some because  there are millions of good men in the world who would never think about disrespecting someone in the grocery store.  My husband.  My sons.  Actually I don't know one man in my life now who would do something like that.   But I have been seeing a lot of one man who acts that way on the TV lately.

This morning, even has I was thinking about what I wish I had said and done yesterday, I listened to Michelle's speech from her appearance  in New Hampshire.    I hope you saw her or that you listen to it today.   It's even better than her speech at the convention.   I am so proud of her and I am ready to vote for her for whatever she wants to do for our country. 

After listening to her speech,  I know what I wish I had thought to say to that guy yesterday.  I could have followed him and face-to-face said what Michelle said yesterday:   "Strong men. . . don't need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful." And then I could have added (to him and to that man on TV) "It's not okay.  Stop it."  

Would it have made any difference to him?  Probably not.  Would he think twice about which woman he disrespects the next time he's in the grocery store? Probably not, but if there's ever a next time  I still want to say it.  I want to say it for me and the next woman he sees in the grocery--she might be my six year old granddaughter or  my sister or my mother or my best friend.  Or a complete stranger to me.

I don't know.  It probably wouldn't make any difference to him.  Maybe he heard me call him an asshole.  If he's had any smarts, that ought to be enough too.   

Honey Mustard Dressing

Honey Mustard Dressing-- a pinterest find this week.  I've already made two batches!

And to make it even better, be sure to make the mayo first:

1 whole large egg

2-3 Tbls fresh lime or lemon juice, or vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup extra light tasting olive oil

Place all in a quart jar and let the egg settle to the bottom.  Place stick blender at the bottom of the jar and blend without moving the stick for a couple of minutes until the mayonnaise emulsion forms. 

And if you're at Humphrey's, pick up a bag of their in-house pork rinds.  My grandma would have liked them.  Seems like a lot of the food we eat these days was her kind of food.

Dinner Rolls

Okay, so I didn't really try to stage this photo very well.  I do admire the food bloggers who take such beautiful pictures of their creations!  But photo quality aside, these were really too good tonight.  Too good as in I could have eaten several instead of just one.  Tonight was a little get together for friends who helped me practice for my upcoming event Keto With Kynda.  So we had dinner and talked Keto and it was a great time with good friends and good keto dinner rolls!

Recipe from Dietdoctor.com:
Each roll:  5 total carb, 2 fiber, 3 net carbs; 6 fat; 5 protein
1 1/4 cup almond flour
5 Tbls psyllium husk powder
2 t baking powder
1 t salt
2 t apple cider vinegar
1/1/4 cup boiling water

Mix dry ingredients, add egg whites, vinegar and then boiling water together for 30 seconds.  Don't overbeat.  Form into 12 roll-shaped pieces.  Bake 50-60 minutes.  They are ready when they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

When it says 50-60 minutes, believe it.  The original recipe said it made eight rolls, which were way too big and took way too long to cook.  After over an hour of cooking, I turned the oven off and let them sit inside it while it cooled off.

These aren't like a white yeasty dinner roll made with wheat flour, but they were definitely tasty slathered with butter.  I'll save them for special occasions like when my keto peeps come over for dinner.  And maybe Thanksgiving too. 

Thanks for stopping by :)

Ky Lake Fall 2016

We're home from our fall week at the lake.  This year was especially good because Judson & Rachel & BK came to stay with us a few days too.  And the weather was spectacular!

At Patti's--where I had the low carb friendly 1 inch pork chop.  The company was so good, I didn't miss the pie :)

JD & Rach

After the big Patti's meal, we all walked down to the lookout pier. 

With our Judson!

G dog and Skye went with us.  They liked not being home by themselves.  They missed running free in a fenced yard.

 JD & family at the bison park at LBL

Another great vacation.  I am happy & grateful for so many blessings

Family Visit

 We had a fun visit the JD and Rachel & the kids earlier in the month.  It was great having them

This picture is a little misleading because Kyle is pretty much as tall as V too.  We're so glad he doesn't seem to mind having his picture taken now :)

And Rachel sent this photo the other day as they were getting ready to go to church.  Our Betsy is growing up into a young lady.  And we're going to get to see them again soon!

Who Needs to Cheat When You Can Have Cheesecake?!?

Keto Blueberry Cheesecake

Crust:  1.5 cups pecans, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbls swerve, 6 Tbsp butter
--Crush nuts and mix together.  Press in pan and bake 300 for about ten minutes, til browned and toasted.

Filling:  2 blocks cream cheese, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup sour cream, 3 eggs,  1 Tbls vanilla, 1/2 c swerve or to taste.
--Mix together well, pour into crust.  Put a pan of water on bottom shelf of oven.  Bake 300 degrees on top oven shelf for about 40-50 minutes until middle is just past jiggly stage.  Let sit out til room temperature, then cool in fridge.

Topping:  Simmer one pint blueberries in a saucepan with a little water til soft.   Add a tablespoon over each slice before serving.

If I can do this, you can do this!  To get more info and support, join the Ketogenic Success group on facebook or go to Ketovangelist.com.

55 pounds gone--I can hardly believe it myself!

Keto Update

The year 2016 is going down as our Keto discovery year.  Mark's recovery from diabetes and high blood pressure has been incredible.  He's down to one med for his blood sugar and off blood pressure meds entirely.  I've lost 55 pounds and am off all anti inflammatory meds for pain.   And best of all, this is something we can live with--we're not hungry, we're eating great food, and we feel so so so much better.

There's lots of info out there about this way of eating. You may not hear about it from mainstream media and health care professionals yet.  But if you're on the lookout, you'll see healthy fat making a comeback.  The success stories  are amazing.  If you're interested in learning more, here are some resources:  

• Keto Clarity by Jimmy Moore  
• Ketovangelist.com 
• Facebook group Ketogenic Success  
• Dietdoctor.com    

  

  Recent keto lunch at Augie's: Burger of the day sans bun and salad with blue cheese dressing.

Front Door Makeover

 A little facelift for the front door.  

And now I don't have to worry about someone falling off the porch. 

(Before)

California

Isaac & Jenna's cute garage apartment includes a balcony.  

It's a beautiful place to live.  So happy for them.

Maybe they'd hire me?

Yubas River.  It was 100 degrees and 14% humidity.  

Maybe next time we'll avoid the month of August.

Still, it was gorgeous. And of course the company was awesome :)

We toured Empire Mine, the gold mine that started it all.

Crystal Junction

California Coffee Shop

 Miss them something awful.  

Hope they will be home sometime soon

Isaac's Studio

I loved visiting Isaac's studio!  I want a studio like this :)

 Lots of cutting & grinding & polishing goes on here.  Doesn't he look happy?

Cute community kitchen included

LoVe the bathroom sink too!

 

First Day

So glad Rachel takes their pictures on the first day of school.  This year is 1st & 3rd grades.   I always took the boys pictures on the first day and it was always so much fun.  Well, until they started hating it and then it wasn't quite as much fun.  But still, I'm glad we have those pictures.  I should go look for them.  Maybe Betsy & Kyle would like to see their dad & uncle Ike on their first days. 

We're Still Keto Strong :)

Top image was taken at Ryan's wedding a couple of weeks ago.  Bottom is from back in 2012. 

A few pictures of what we've been eating lately:

cheeseburger, no bun with a side salad & ranch dressing--lunch at Augie's

Carne Asada with scrambled eggs & cheese @ Boone's

wings from Canada Garden :)  one of our favorites this summer

poppers.  who says this is a diet?

beautiful salad at Mangia in downtown Springfield

 Yeah, we're so not deprived on this way of eating!  I'll be so happy when everyone knows what  grains and sugar have been doing to us.  If you're interested in knowing more about keto, here's another good website, Ketovangelist.

July Wedding

Ryan and Clarissa got married this weekend.  Ryan and Isaac have been friends since high school.  It was great to spend some time with Isaac and Jenna in beautiful--albeit hot & muggy!--southern Illinois.  The church was so sweet--located in Eddyville IL and home church of the bride's grandparents.

 Isaac stood up with Ryan in the bridal party--here he is with Jenna, his beautiful and sweet girlfriend.  They came in for the wedding all the way from California.

The wedding reminded us of Judson & Rachel's July wedding so many years ago.  We wish Clarissa & Ryan a lovely future together.

Fathead Pizza

This recipe is all over Pinterest because it's just that good!

• Mix 1 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup almond flour together in the food processor. 
• Add 2 Tbls. cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and mix together until the dough sticks together in a ball.
•  Roll out between two pieces of parchment paper to desired shape & size.  Take off the top paper and bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes til golden.  
• Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake til cheese is melted & browned.

Some of those pinterest recipes  melt the cheese & cream cheese together before mixing and  bake both sides of the crust.  I haven't found either of those steps necessary; but if you're interested, you can find those directions here. 

One recipe of the crust will also make 8 mini rounds.  Those can be baked, kept in the fridge, and then toasted for breakfast with lots of butter. 

If you want cheeze-it crackers, make the recipe using cheddar cheese.  Once the crust is baked, cut into cracker or chip shapes & fry in coconut oil.

Once you've made this a couple of times, it becomes an easy recipe to make.  I can hardly believe that we've lost all this weight while still eating good pizza!  If you're on the low-carb way of eating with us, treat yourself to fathead :)

Puppy School

Betsy & Kyle helped so much with Skye's training.  

Many many opportunities to practice NO JUMPING!