7-Day Fasting Challenge: Day 1

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So far just one little hiccup on the first day of my 7-Day Fasting Challenge. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net and aopsan.

My last meal was 5:00 pm dinner on New Year’s Eve at a local steakhouse. That means I’m not eating again until 5:00 pm Saturday, January 7. As I’ve written before, the primary goal for the fast is to help my body shed wonky cells before they go rogue on me. Its just one little tool I have to prevent my cancer from coming back.

However, if the fast knocks me into ketosis (fat burning mode), I’m not gonna complain.

First Weigh In Of 2017
The morning of January 1 I decided to hit the scale, something I haven’t done since my surgery (6 months + 2 days ago). I gave myself time off from the scale since I was juggling with a few things:

  1. Endometrial (uterine) cancer discovered during fertility treatments
  2. Surgery to remove it
  3. Recovery from a radical hysterectomy
  4. Surgically induced menopause
  5. Radiation therapy
  6. A leaky bladder thanks to the radiation

The last thing I needed to do was step on a scale. Read More

Jump Starting My Diet: New Year, 2 Challenges

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I’m kicking off 2017 with two new challenges: a 7-day fast and going all of January without alcohol. Images courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net, KENO64 and Simon Howden.

This is how you bring in a New Year. Not one, but two challenges. I’m doing both to improve my health. Following my cancer diagnosis back in June, I’ve been on a six-month pity party, and that resulted in a lot of unhealthy behaviors creeping back into my life.

It’s time for a reset.

Challenge #1: 7 Days, No Food
Yesterday I started a 7-Day Fasting Challenge. That’s right, no food for a week. I’m allowed water, tea, and coffee. Period. Read More

Post Holiday Purge Begins

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Time for my annual After Christmas Purge of all things unhealthy or furry in my pantry and fridge.

After a festive Christmas it’s a blur of activity in my kitchen. No I’m not cooking. It’s my annual After Christmas Purge. Between my 2 pantries and refrigerator I’m discovering lots of strange items – some green and furry, some smelly and squishy. Others decidedly not low carb.

Two full trash bags later my kitchen is back to normal (other than all the food storage containers in the sink). And I’m starting to feel that way too. The mindfulness is helping with my stress levels. That doesn’t mean the rage monkey doesn’t escape the cage. Nor are those depressing thoughts fully at bay. But I’m working on both.

On January 1 I start a different type of purge — my 7-day fast begins. I can’t wait. After the rollercoaster of the last 6 months I can’t think of a better way to kick off 2017.

Healing My Body With A Week Long Fast

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I’m kicking off the new year with a 7-Day Fasting Challenge as a way to heal my body. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhoto.net and phasinphoto.

I’m ringing in the New Year with a week-long fast. Crazy? Not really. I’m a believer in fasting and it’s many benefits like: lipolysis, boosting mental capacity, reducing insulin resistance, and resetting your set weight point.

Intermittent fasting helped me rediscover what it feels like to be satiated by stablizing the hormone leptin (the hormone signals the brain that you’re full).

However, the big driver behind this 7-day fast is autophagy – the cellular cleansing process. According to Dr. Jason Fung, autophagy is the “body’s mechanism of getting rid of all the broken down old cell machinery (organelles, proteins and cell membranes).”

Now all cells in our body are programmed to die after a certain number of divisions. That’s apoptosis. Autophagy takes place at the sub-cellular level. Basically only parts of a cell need to be purged and replaced. Dr. Fung compares this to replacing car parts rather than the whole care.

Fasting not only stimulates autophagy (clearing out the bad), but it increases growth hormone so our body can produce new cell parts. Double bonus! Read More

Coping With My Anxiety-Ridden & Rage-Filled Days

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My stress levels are astronomical thanks to my raging hormones.  I’m giving mindfulness a shot.
Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Mills.

Over the last few weeks I’ve experienced some serious daily meltdowns. My hormones are raging. I’m stressing over every little thing. Emotionally I’m a mess. And I don’t have a clue what to do about it.

I’ve read about mood swings a woman experiences during menopause. But reading about what to expect is far different from reality.

My oncologist said there was a shot that my symptoms could become debilitating. But I brushed that off. Summer and early fall I experienced mild heat flashes. My mood was upbeat. I thought menopause was a snap.

That all changed in November. Read More

My Turkey Day Carb Challenge

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The number I’m staying under for Thanksgiving is 30. Thirty grams total carbs for the day. Not net carbs. Total carbs. I think I have a menu that gets me there. Of course I’m doing a 24 hour fast that ends with Thanksgiving dinner. To me the real challenge isn’t keeping my allowed carb count for the day. It’s cooking while fasting. Yikes!

Anyway, I hit the grocery stores today. Yep, that’s stores with an “s” because this is the week I rarely find what I need at one grocery store. Fingers are crossed that won’t be the case, but Thanksgiving grocery shopping is the one time where you really need to expect the worst but hope for the best.

So, I have my list. I’ve already posted videos of the turkey and stuffing recipes I’m using. I’m adding in a high fat veggie dish — Brussels sprouts au gratin. For the crunch on top I’m skipping the breadcrumbs and going with bacon. Yum!

I’m making a cranberry sauce too, but I’m not making that much. We always have way too much of it stuff leftover. So I’m cutting back on the recipe. I debated whether I should even make it. It is difficult to get a reasonable carb count. But folks love it so. My plan is to limit myself to half a serving.

The husband put in a request for an apple pie. Not a low carb apple pie, but a real apple pie. His argument — “It’s Thanksgiving after all and you’re fasting afterwards.”

True. I planned to try a 7 day fast shortly after Thanksgiving. More on that next week.

I do make a mean apple pie. It isn’t healthy, but it is glorious. So I might just make tiny apple pies for the husband and my mom. As for me? I’d rather have an extra glass of champagne (1.5g of carbs, ya know!).

Dot’s Thanksgiving Menu

  • Turkey (2g carbs/serving)
  • Mushroom Sausage Stuffing (5.5g carbs/serving)
  • Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin (est. 4g carbs/serving)
  • Cranberry Sauce (est. 3g carbs/half serving)
  • Champagne (est. 1.5g carbs/serving)

Overall that puts me just under 20g of carbs so far. So room for seconds, but only if I’m hungry. Just need to stay strong and avoid nibbling while cooking.

Awesome!

Fox In The Hen House! Surviving Our Cookout

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We’re having friends over today for a cookout. For the first time in more than 4 years, I’m allowing these types of foods in my house. Ugh!

Today we’re having a cookout with some new friends who don’t eat low carb diet. What’s a girl who eats LCHF to do?

I’m not the type of person to force my LCHF ways on people. That’s just rude. I’m inviting people into my home. It’s my job to make them feel welcomed. Yes I’ve had a hard time getting back on track since surgery and treatment.  But all I need is a little planning to keep my guests happy and allows me to avoid any temptation.

Avoiding That Fox In The Hen House
The key for success when hosting non-LCHF friends is simplicity. Foods that my guests and I can eat without feeling deprived. Tonight we’re making burgers and dogs, an easy meal for me to stay LCHF. They eat buns. I prefer wrapping my burger in lettuce. We all come out happy. Score!

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Radiation Treatments Are Over…Now What?

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My efforts to regain my health are paying off big time. But what comes next?

After finishing my radiation treatments last Friday, my husband and mother promptly took me out for a little celebration lunch that put an early end to my Whole 30 Challenge.

Disappointed? Nope.

Actually I completely forgot about the Whole 30. Clearly I wasn’t mentally ready to take on a challenge. With my treatments coming to an end, for the first time since mid-June I actually started giving serious thought to my future. Read More

Cookbook Review: Nom Nom Paleo

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I spent the holiday weekend drooling over the recipes in Michelle Tam’s Nom Nom Paleo cookbook.

I picked up a wonderful cookbook – Michelle Tam’s Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans. It’s been out since 2013 but it is still one of the most creative cookbooks I’ve come across. And it is a fun read…how many cookbooks can you say that about?

I’m a big fan of Tan’s blog (same name as the book). If you are looking for healthy recipes and cooking inspiration, you need to check out her site.

Like her blog, the book includes recipes and cooking tips that are easy to follow. The combination of her witty prose, awesome cartoons and wonderful photography (by her husband) depict her love of real food, kitchen gadgets, and cooking.

You can’t read this book and not want to have fun in the kitchen. Regardless of your diet of choice she inspires you to turn away from the processed crap. Read More

September Food Challenge: The Whole30

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My monthly food challenge is back. This time around I’m trying the Whole30.

I planned to temporarily give up dairy in August. Unfortunately I have a lot more of it in my fridge than I first thought. With September right around the corner, my dairy stores are pretty much gone. So it is a good time to start my monthly food challenges once more.

Which leads me to the Whole30.

I’ve thought about doing a Whole30 challenge, but the idea of giving up dairy just seemed more like madness. I mean, cheese is just too damn awesome. And butter! No one is taking my Kerrygold away.

But here I am, months later taking a hard look at dairy.

Since the Whole30 doesn’t allow dairy, I decided to give it a shot. Staying ketogenic is easy with the program.  What really sold me on the idea is that I don’t have to give up my Kerrygold completely. I can turn it into clarified butter (which is allowed!).

And of course this means I get another health/cookbook book to read!

So today I’ll work on a Whole30 compliant menu and head out to the grocery store.  The recipes I’ve spotted look really good. I just need to stay within my keto guidelines.