THE BARRY MONTH OF MAY CHALLENGE

[Kapri]

Hi Lise,

I'll be focused. I was not helped by four pecan nuts and an apple at work after a colleague was super patronising!! I can't blame him but I lost the plot.

Carolyn,

Thanks too and for the tip re the ceiling on cream. Sigh

Big smiles to all,
Kathryn

[CindyCRNA]

I just spent some time over at Lauren's site, Healthy Indulgences! Boy, girl knows how to rock coconut flour! Pound cake, red velvet cake, biscuits, molten chocolate cake. I can't imagine I should be making any of that! I have a problem with portion control.

Am I the only one that didn't know about coconut milk?? When people said coconut milk, I thought they meant the canned Asian stuff. I just noticed quart containers in the stuff in the refrigerated health food section of my local Hy Vee. 50 calories and 5 grams fat per cup, thick and creamy. I bought the unsweetened and added a couple of drops of sweetener and vanilla to it and I like it better than Almond Breeze.

No word on DHOR 27. The holiday weekend prolonged the time for results. Maybe tomorrow but she is eating her grain and is putting on weight slowly. DC's are having a lazy day as it is a little too chilly to be out on the deck on lizard patrol. Pork roast in the oven.

Anyone here do Braggs apple cider vinegar?

[CarolynF]

Lauren is a genius, Cindy. I think that coconut milk has recently beome refrigerated. It is very nommie for puddings.. I use Bragg's as vinegar, but I don't drink it. Poor DHOR..but glad she is gaining weight. Yup, it's 59 here, but tomorrow should be warmish, I think.

[CindyCRNA]

Carolyn, I have a batch of your black bean brownies in the oven. It was over on the recipe threads and has been resurrected by some enthusists.

[ebheffernan]

Hi all! Cyndi my new favorite site is Lauren's! I like to adapt a few recipes to make healthy snack food items for my kiddo's (that I admittedly eat a few of LOL) you probably saw I adapted her chocolate chip cookie recipe, took them into work for a potluck contribution and everyone was amazed at how sweet they tasted for the little amount of sugar that was actually in the cookie Plus the benefit of getting that much lauric acid into my kiddo's, something highly lacking after breastfeeding is stopped. I've gone through almost an entire large jar of tropical tradition's coconut oil this month! I also read that raw goat milk has lauric acid in it, yay!
On a sad note, my DH has started to buy bread again (grrr!) I had my kiddo's completely off that stuff for months! I asked if he wouldn't mind sticking with sprouted like ezekiel if he was going to buy it and he graciously agreed, so at least we reached a compromise we can both live with, but if DS's skin stuff comes back he's off of it again! I have also started to try and make them more lactofermented porriges in the morning to avoid the sugared cereals.
I wonder if you could feed your horse homemade curds and whey?? Or soak her grain ration overnight in yogurt? It's supposed to be protein rich, rich in enzymes and lactobacillus for the digestive tract and ease of digestion, and I bet it would help her assimilate more nutrition from the grains she eats. (lactofermenting grains releases vitamins that are otherwise bound up in the grain and pass through undigested and actuall predigests some of the proteins so it's easier on the digestive tract) just a thought.
Last night I succumbed to cheesecake-left me feeling sugared out-blech. No more of that! (it was my leaving the department party) tonight I have packed plenty of veggies, chicken curry, chicken sausage, homemade mayo dressing (ok, I mixed half evil hellman's and half homemade mayo cause that stuff is STRONG!), and some lebni with olive oil and mint to sprinkle over it to eat with my sticks and twigs (lebni-yummy! It's greek kefir cheese, tastes like a tangy cream cheese with a smoother, less gummy texture and it's cultured, hardly any carbs at all!)
Still not counting, but still maintaining my weight. Good enough for now. I'll get serious when I have to start wearing a bathing suit regularly LOL.
I am so looking for refridgerated coconut milk-I've never seen it! I could make my own from coconut cream concentrate but where's the fun in that?
Lise it was me that said I couldn't handle really fatty meats and it's just cause it makes me feel nauseated I still think grass fed fat is great for you, I just have to figure out how to do it without feeling blech afterwards. I do eat leaner chicken and beef but I always add in some VCO, butter, homemade mayo, raw goat cream, cheese, nuts, something to up my fat to an acceptable level. Dark chicken meat I do well with, it's just those very fatty cuts of beef or high fat hamburger that blechs me out I love chicken in a curry, all that fat from the coconut milk balances it out very nicely. I'm weird I'm thinking if I can get my gut up to speed with lactofermented stuff I can handle animal fats. So that's my next goal. I've been making my own raw goat yogurt and straining out the whey and lactofermenting a lot of food. (nourishing traditions style). Gonna try to make some lactofermented ginger carrots and sauerkraut! I get to eat the cheese left over too.
OK enough of me taking your heads off!
Becky

[CindyCRNA]

You know Becky, i had really never perused the dairy case before but now that I am buying organic milk, I wanted to see what HyVee had. There was the coconut milk. I don't know how long it had been there but I bought 2-1/2 gallons so I'll see if they continue to carry it. I'll check Whole Foods to see if they consistently carry it. I like it better than almond milk. I am waiting for my macadamia nut oil to come in so I can make some homemade mayo. I have made it with coconut oil before but it would get too solid in the fridge.

Carolyn, loved your bean brownies. Becky, I bet you would be interested in these as they are gluten free. They start with a can of black beans and you make them in the blender. Carolyn, you eluded to the fact that other beans and cake recipes have been tried. Do you have them anywhere? This is kinda fun!

[CarolynF]

I love black bean brownies..I have used the white beans and put in some cinnamon, nuts, and shredded carrots..

[CindyCRNA]

Lauren has a new thread running of a tweaked version of your brownies that she made into a chocolate cake. I asked about different beans such as navy to make a yellow cake. When you made your carrot cake, did you use the same recipe as the brownies or did you tweak it?

[Fabat40]

Hi all

Lise - I really appreciate people who do straight talk. I'm just starting out on EFGT after finding that I was eating too much protein on Atkins and not losing. I'm in the stage where I'm really struggling to get the ratios right and whilst I have carb reduction down pat, I find it hard getting fat in without also getting in equal amounts of protein.

[Lise]

Good morning everyone...

Just a reminder that Atkins may limit cream to 4T but so what? we are not following Atkins here...we are following EFGT and Barry Groves does not limit cream.

Have a great day

Lise

[sjl330]

That's true Lise. And I'm sure glad about that b/c I know I have at least that much in my coffee every day if not a bit more sometimes. And then sometimes I have some later in the day either in recipes or in another cup of coffee.

Could you post a couple days menues so everybody can see what/how you've been eating exactly? I think it might really be helpful to the newbies and a good reinforcment for us not-so-newbies, lol.

I'm off to see Carolyn and Cindy for breakfast so I must get ready. I'll check back in when I get back this afternoon. Have a great day!!

[Fabat40]

Originally Posted by sjl330

Could you post a couple days menues so everybody can see what/how you've been eating exactly? I think it might really be helpful to the newbies and a good reinforcment for us not-so-newbies, lol.

Oh I'd love to see some sample menus from you experts on how you keep that protein down

[Buffy45]

Morning everyone!
Lise, don't be afraid to speak your mind, we do get off track here, certainly me but it doesn't bother me when someone says something b/c I know I am doing it. You are right, when I was eating LC consistently I was doing good. Mentally I have really gotten off track and not wanting to do it, I am hoping the Endo will get my mood back where it should be.
Have a great meet up you lucky peeps that get to see each other today.

Well, I need to jump in and out of the shower to get off to an early start. Have shopping to do today as well.

DGS is 1 today! Cristian

[Lise]

Buffy...I hope it goes great with your endo today...I know from personal experience how hard it is to get ones head in the right place...we are all human and I believe that we are all addicted to carbs which is a physical thing as well as mental and not easy to get past...set backs do happen but as long as we keep trying we will make it in the end...

Cristian

I think it's so cool that Sandy, Carolyn and Cindy are meeting up today....hope you have a great time ladies...

I've been avoiding posting my menus as I have chosen to reduce my carbs to the point where my percentages don't fit in with those listed...I've been rifling through my book to find the reference and I haven't come across it yet other than on pg 34 he says that "After your body has become accustomed to not getting the level of carbs it had previously, you can eat more or less as you like." Also on page 125 he discusses Stefansson and Andersen's all meat diet in 1928 which was proved to be very healthy and caused no deficiency.

These are a few of the reasons why I personally feel that even though I have decided to reduce my carbs to only those found in meat sources I am still following Barry's teaching. I will post my last couple of days menus if you wish but I'm telling you now they will not fit into the F (60-70%), C (10-15%), P (15-25%) ratios. Following the recommended ratios got my blood glucose and insulin under control but I found that I was still having wicked carb cravings and I was afraid of what would happen to me if I did have a carb binge so I chose to cut all sweet out of my life and it worked. Or should I say it's working .

Thanks and have a great EFGT day

Lise

[sjl330]

Our visit was great fun. We only wish everybody could be there too! Now that would be a fun time, wouldn't it? We had breakfast and then hit a couple of health food stores, . Food, food and then more food. Not surprising I guess since we all love food. After I left them, I met my DH and we went to lunch!! More food, . I told him there might not be any dinner.

Anyway, here's a pic to share with you all.

[sjl330]

Lise, which book is that in? And yes, I'd still be interested in seeing your menues if you'd like to share. I know I do much better with cravings when I keep my carbs down and especially keep them to green, leafy type veggies. Just meats, fat and a few veggies. Simple. So simple it really shouldn't be that hard should it? I'll just keep keepin' on and hopefully someday I'll get it down pat.

Buffy, anxious to hear what the endo said. Hopefully good news for you.

[Lise]

Sandy those quotes are from Natural Health and Weight Loss. Great picture.

My menu yesterday:

11 am--LO cubes of fatty steak nuked for 30 at work
4 pm--more of the same ( I wasn't quite hungry but I was going to an auction and knew I wouldn't be home until late and wanted to avoid getting hungry and eating there...I don't mind cold steak but would rather have it warm or hot)
9 pm--got hungry again so I cooked up some chicken legs ( I mix equal parts of butter and cream cheese and stuff it under the skin and then bake for 50 mins at 400 ) I ate 2 of them

Today:

11 am--2 more chicken legs
evening meal will be 1.5 lb of fatty veal probably around 7 pm quickly seared in tallow in a frying pan


Lise

[jem51]

wow, nice picture. what a nice looking group.
i decided that no one stays on track because i joined. every time i get involved w a plan, it falls apart and breaks down to chit chat. i'm a jinx.
problem is that when a newbie comes along they must get the idea that the plan doesn't work.
this is sad because i believe that barrys plan is a really good one...maybe there's just too much wiggle room. that's what went wrong w thompsons GL plan. but barrys plan is much tighter and i think it works very well.
as far as the carb count; i've said it before that even the groves eat less sugar/starch than his ratios so not to worry about that.

[Kapri]

I hope this is the place for this query ..typical of me I am now starting to question the theory. I am actually on track with Fitday and proportions ..hoorah ..so this is more about health concerns than being able to cope. Please send me to another topic if this isn't the place.

I was chatting with my (low carb!!) hairdresser last night and comparing this diet to the diet of the French in Toulouse, say, which is famed for being fatty and yet they have super low rates of heart disease (a lot of them smoke too ..apparently ..this might have changed). He spends much of his time in Paris and says that with that sort of diet (ie Foie Gras, full fat cheese etc) they tend to have high rates of liver disease.

Last night I emailed Barry Groves to find out if there is any research on the effects of a relatively high fat/EFTG on the liver. I wonder if this topic has come up with you more experienced ladies?

I think I would be more 'comfortable' a) using more coconut oil and avacado etc than simply continuing to be almost uniquely animal based and I think I may aim for the lower range of fat intake too. It does seem to suit my mood and energy ..i have to say ..but I don't want to be storing up problems due to an imbalance.

I certainly don't want to be a jinx on your discussion ...and am happy to take this elsewhere but it is nice to discuss with the community on this thread.

Thanks, getting ready to go to work now (with new expensive hair cut!!)

Kapri

[Kapri]

I lost three pounds this week. Hoorah.

Still keen to beef up on the theory.

x

[Fabat40]

Morning all!

I actually came in fairly on target with percentages yesterday I think. I've swapped over to fitday so I can get a percentage. Anyway, yesterday came in at:

Calories: 1430
Fat (71%)
Carbs (6%)
Protein (23%)

I've cooked up some variants on the cream cheese muffin recipes to get some high-fat snacks in. Instead of doing 12oz cream cheese/2 eggs/half cup Splenda I whisked up 12oz herb & garlic cream cheese/2 eggs/chopped chives/minced garlic/salt & pepper. They came out as very creamy savoury cheesecakes.

[Lise]

Liver study on low carb diet

I'm not sure if that link will answer your questions about liver disease but the information is interesting and there are other links on the site that may have the information you are looking for.

Have a great EFGT day everyone

Lise

[Kapri]

Lisa that's really interesting and also explains why the fat + sugar combination is so very fattening.

Many thanks and I'll follow up other leads too.

Kathryn

[Kapri]

Hi all,

A lovely May day here in England.

When I did Atkins years ago I had no difficulty with it but after a while noticed that I was moody/slightly depressed/irritable. I went to the doctor and we couldn't work it out. Then I adapted the diet and had porridge in the morning (a la Leslie Kenton) and suddenly realised that I was fine again. Clearly it was the low carb levels linked with the resultant dip in serontonin.

I have tried other lc diets and become weedy/pale and listless.

This one has been much better so far ..but into the third week I am noticing an unusually short fuse (I am not the most patient of people generally ..argh) and a small reduction in stamina when I go for a short walk in the local park involving an incline.

I will moniter this. I wonder if you ladies experience this?

I also wonder whether I would ultimately benefit from a slightly higher proportion of carbs (it's a really fine balance I know!) but I know that would be another diet - since I can't have high fat high carbs.

Your collective wisdom is appreciated and i know that people respond differently to different diets,

Thanks!

Kapri

[Buffy45]

Originally Posted by sjl330

Our visit was great fun. Anyway, here's a pic to share with you all.

Oh, what fun! I would have loved to have been there with you gals. What beautiful friends we have here in our little Barry land!

[Buffy45]

Morning peeps!
Didn't get back here after my endo visit on Thurs. I did some shopping that day and came home worn out, then yesterday was super busy here in the house and office trying to get things back under control from being gone so much and not feeling well.

My BS at home Thurs. morning was 107 on my meter but at the office it was 119. Meters can be off a certain percent, plus I had black coffee on the way to the office and the Dr. says that raises it as well. My blood pressure was 160/100 which is too high of course. I had not taken my meds that morning b/c I was going to have blood work done but the Dr. told me that in the future I can take my meds with water or black coffee, just no food. Weight was up about 10 lbs from last visit in Oct. So, there I sat as I told him I was worn out from being sick on the metformin, depressed and feeling very very tired all the time and eating totally out of control. They did bloodwork that day so I won't have my results until next week so at that time he might make some adjustments to thyroid, etc. but we went ahead and changed my diabetes drugs. He told me that metformin that I was on is the generic and that sometimes people do better on the brand name which is glumetza so he changed me over to that. And, we decided to have me try byetta, which is the newer diabetes drug which you give yourself in pen shot form twice a day. Supposed to give very good control but I had hesitated to start on it b/c of it being in shot form, which of course is harder to carry with you, use while out, travel with, etc. It can't get too hot or too cold so you have to be careful not to leave it in a hot car, etc. Ok, so I start the new routine on Thurs. while I am in the office. I am afraid to get my hopes up but so far much much less stomach distress and my numbers came down significantly as of the 1st shot. As for diet, I am to just watch carbs, not go too low carb. Byetta can cause you to want to eat less, (see me here that happens in my case) and thus some mild weight loss. I have had that happen so far but not sure if that stops as your body adjusts to the drug. I have had trouble sleeping the past 2 nights and did feel better yesterday as far as energy and mood, probably b/c I wasn't overstuffing myself with carbs. He also wrote a RX for doubling my antidepressant but I haven't filled that yet, am hoping getting my BS down will take care of the mood, lack of energy, etc. so I don't want to up that while I start this other routine. So, good visit about me being bad and I see him again in 3 months unless I need to see him earlier.

Have the baby's 1st birthday party this afternoon at 4:00. His pregnant mommy just called me, upset b/c the little bear birthday cake she was making for the party was falling apart. She made the bear birthday cake for his birthday on Thurs. and it turned out perfectly and the inlaws got to see it. She also has a little morning sickness setting in now. Practical mother that I am, I told her to go buy a cute cake for the party and don't stress over making another bear cake, he had the original for his birthday, we don't need that for the party. A better mother would have jumped in her car and ran to DD's and helped make another bear cake but I have too much to do today .

Have a great weekend everyone!

[CindyCRNA]

Kapri, interesting thought. Fatty liver is what we see in surgery but I have never seen it discussed on this forum. We see fatty livers with alcoholism and obesity. I'm sure there are other pathologies that would cause a fatty but I can't name them off hand. We had an organ retrieval case on a young 18 year old that was about 75 pounds overweight who had a fatty liver. Probably too young for alcohol so it was his diet AT 18!!! What was sad is we couldn't place his liver with a recipient because no one wanted it. The consequences of diet starts young.

DHOR 27 test results came back positive for EPM so we start a very expensive round of antibiotics. I'm relieved it is at least treatable. It could have been a brain tumor or a stroke.

Buffy, that sounds like an interesting new diabetic drug. Decreased appetite. What a great side effect!

Fab, your numbers look great. I think Fitday makes this much easier.

Jem, your right about wiggle room. I seem to do better with tighter constraints.

Carolyn and Sandy, I had such a good time with you girls. And the pic is great. It always helps to put a face with a name.

[TuscanGirl]

Morning!

Wow! I missed so much!!

OK - Let's see ~ we went to the River Rose Inn on the Ohio River where we watched barges, hiked in the Garden of the Gods and in Giant City National Park, and visited wineries.

It was a fun time!


DH even got a tick! Lucky - right!



Sandy, Carolyn & Cindy!! Great photo!!!! Wish I could have been with you too!
Though I probably would have had to sit on a pillow! I'd love to be tall too!

Buffy - to Cristian!!! And you're a good mom - you gave just the right advice!!

This WOE (like everything else) does so much better when you do it correctly!
I ate so many wrong things over the last few days, I dread weighing in tomorrow!

On a good note since I've been gone - DS16 has been to Rome, Capri, Sorrento, and today he's in Pompeii and Brindisi!

[CarolynF]

Hi everyone...

Gosh, we had such a great time on Thursday. I wished you all could have been there!!

Got back last night from my carby weekend with my Des Moines friends. I was up..LOL
No big surprise there, so I am leaving my weight at 154 for the month..The weight I was before the weekend with the girls.. Had a great time shopping and saw my old highschool friend, Art..and his wife..

We need a June name..???? Anyone???? Anyone????

Off to get ready to work the nursery..

[TuscanGirl]

Spoon, Moon, Rune, Boon, Dune, Loon!!