Truly Low Carb

Classic Cutout Cookies

2011-12-13T09:48:00.001-07:00

Happy Holidays!

In my case, that means Merry Christmas, very soon, and while thinking and planning ahead to making old-fashioned sugar cookies with my grandkids, I am also thinking about providing for myself. I can't be around high-carb goodies all season and not indulge myself with a good workaround. Better a legal indulgence than any all-out cheat, I always say.
In the Spirit of the Season, I'd like to share one of my favorite cookies creations with you - I call them "Classic Cutouts" since I can't bring myself to call them Sugar Cookies. I made these first way back in 2001, so they are celebrating a decade this year!
Guilt-free, Gluten-Free, and Sugar-Free with a delicate texture and taste that caused my teenage son and his friends to scarf down all of MY cookies last year - in addition to their regular ones! We had some WORDS about that, trust me! But I couldn't help feeling flattered.
These need no icing to be delicious, but a little warmed cream cheese with some vanilla and sweetener and a teaspoon of cream makes a lovely drizzle. I have also used a lemon glaze instead of vanilla, then sprinkled with poppy seeds... MMMMM!

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Radish Greens Soup

2011-06-28T09:06:00.000-06:00

Radish Greens Soup
3 Tb. unsalted butter (45 ml)
1/3 cup diced onion (80 ml)
2 bunches radish greens, cleaned (about 2 cups or 480 ml)
1 large turnip, peeled and diced (about 1 cup, 240 ml)
4 cups chicken stock (1 liter)
2 cups water (480 ml)
1 cup heavy cream (240 ml)
1 tsp. salt (5 ml)
1 tsp. black pepper (5 ml)
1 tsp. garlic powder (5 ml)
1 tsp. ground thyme (5 ml)
In a medium stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in onions, and sauté until transparent. Add radish greens, and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add turnips, chicken stock, and water and cook, stirring occasionally, until turnips are tender. Force the mixture through a food mill or sieve into a medium bowl (this is easiest to do in several smaller batches). Stir in the heavy cream, and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Strain the puréed mixture again through a fine mesh sieve into the original pot. Bring soup just to a simmer over medium heat. Serve garnished with radish zest, if desired.
4 servings, each: 255 cal, 22 g fat (13 sat.), 7 g carb (1 g fiber), 8 g protein, assuming that radish greens are equivalent to turnip greens - I could not locate a reliable count).
You could substitute other greens, of course, whatever you have available or ready in the garden. You can also mix several different kinds of greens.

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Relish the radish!

2011-06-27T14:25:00.005-06:00

Radishes grow easily and prolifically, as anyone who has ever planted them can attest. I always end up with many more than I intended, and many more than my family could ever eat “plain” without becoming bored with them, so I have come up with a few recipes that enable me to use ALL of my garden’s yield. If you didn’t plant any radishes this year, go to the vegetable stand and “git sum” so you too can enjoy this versatile, affordable, and nutritious vegetable while it is at its peak.

Red Relish - really!

3 large (or 6 small) green onions

1 medium turnip

1 average bunch of radishes

3 drops of red food coloring (optional)

1 cup white vinegar (240 ml)

1 cup Splenda™ Granular (240 ml)

1½ tsp. Carb Counters™ Thick It Up or scant 1 tsp. guar gum

1 Tb. black pepper (15 ml)

2 Tb. dry parsley (30 ml)

Mince white top portions of the green onions in a food processor, pulsing on and off until fine but not pureed. Scrape onions into a large bowl. Slice the green crisp portions thinly by hand and add to bowl. Peel turnip and chop into 8 pieces. Mince in food processor until fine and add to onions in bowl. (If you have a few large pieces left but the rest looks good, stop. Remove the big portions and discard, then use the rest – you want a fine end result without hours of work, not mush!) Clean radishes (this is a great way to use up the "ugly" ones from the garden that are otherwise fine but which never seem to get eaten at my house). You guessed it! Mince and add to bowl. Measure vinegar, Splenda™, food coloring, thickener, parsley, and black pepper into processor and pulse briefly until mixed well and thickened slightly. Mix all ingredients well, and refrigerate.
Excellent with brats, hot dogs, burgers, or over salads or fish or almost anything! Fresh minced jalapeno or habanera peppers would be a great addition to this relish, if spicy is to your liking. Also good when made with all turnips and no radishes.

Yield approx. 2½ cups
Per 2 Tb: 11 cal, 0.1 g fat (0 g sat.), 2 g carb (1 g fiber)

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Kickin' Jalapeno Poppers - by request

2011-06-26T13:45:00.000-06:00

Karen's Kickin' Jalapeno Poppers
Recipe By: Karen Rysavy, LearnLowCarb.com, copyright 2011
Total Servings: 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ready In: One Hour

Description: "The bacon and cream cheese do a lot to tone down the heat of the peppers, and leftovers were even good cold the next day. I originally created this recipe for the grill, but baking in the oven is far easier and yields a more consistent result."

6 large fresh jalapeno chile peppers -- halved and seeded

8 ounces cream cheese -- softened

1/4 cup minced onion

12 slices thick-sliced bacon

2 Tablespoons taco seasoning mix

Slice tops off jalapenos, cut in half length-wise; scrape out and remove seeds and membrane. Mince pepper pieces from around stems and add to softened cream cheese along with onions and taco seasoning. Mix well. If you are a masochist for heat, add 1-2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper along with seasoning.

Divide cream cheese filling among the pepper halves. Wrap a slice of bacon corkscrew-fashion around each pepper, as shown, overlapping or trimming bacon as neeed.

Refrigerate for at least two hours, and for up to two days, before cooking.

Place preformed poppers on a metal rack, over a pan with which to catch the bacon drippings. (I lined mine with foil for easier clean-up.)

Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes, until bacon is well-browned.

Per Serving: 144 Calories; 13g Fat (6g saturated); 5g Protein; 2g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 31mg Cholesterol; 291mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

Suggestions: I beefed up this recipe by adding a cup of minced leftover chicken breast to the filling. Taco meat is a natural here, too!

Visit www.LearnLowCarb.com for more delicious low-carb recipes that EVERYONE will want to eat!

Summer Skewers (Ka-bobs)

2011-05-12T09:23:00.000-06:00

This article and photo originally appeared in the CookingTLC Newsletter way back in August 2001!

Ka-bobs and Skewers make for easy, colorful, and fun meals,

and cooking out on the grill is always wise on a hot summer day. If you don't own a fancy set of metal ka-bobs, don't sweat it! They sell disposable wooden ones right in the grocery store, most times. (Look near the disposable aluminum pans or near the charcoal briquettes.) Just make sure you soak them for an hour before actually using them, so they won't scorch and impart any strange flavors to your food.

When cooking this way, the possibilities in flavors and ingredients are almost endless. I am going to list specific suggestions for the main ingredients as well as some marinades and basting sauces, but as always, I want you to consider my recipes a mere starting point. You should adapt my suggestions as needed to suit your own tastes.

Many people mix the meat and veggies on each skewer to simplify serving, but I like to arrange mine according to how long they need to cook, instead. After all, a piece of zucchini can cook to death before the piece of broccoli next to it is even chewable! I just start the things that need the longest to cook, first, and then remove the food from the skewers and arrange it all on a serving platter at mealtime.

TERRIFIC MAKE-AHEAD CAMPING FOOD: When camping, I just get out all the bags of different food in their respective marinades and let people put together and then cook their own skewers. Amazing how much less picky people (even myself) are about everything being cooked properly when they are cooking their own, over a campfire!

VEGETABLES THAT WORK AND COOK WELL TOGETHER:

- FAST COOKING: Mushrooms, Zucchini, Summer (crookneck yellow) squash, Onions, Bell Peppers, Cherry Tomatoes

- LONGER COOKING: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Green Beans, Turnips

MEATS THAT WORK WELL FOR SKEWERS:

- Deboned: chicken breasts or thighs, high-quality steak cuts, pork loin, lamb, turkey, firm fish fillets

MARINADES AND BASTING SAUCES FOR VEGGIES:

- Mix 1/2 cup olive oil with 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper, and dash hot sauce
- Mix 1/2 cup olive oil with 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs of choice (I love basil and thyme together), 2 cloves minced garlic, salt and pepper

MARINADES AND BASTING SAUCES FOR MEATS:-
- Mix equal parts Worchestershire and soy sauces, then add 1 Tb. Splenda and 1 Tb. black pepper
- Mix 1/2 cup of any type of prepared mustard with 1/4 cup oil and sweetener to taste
- How about wing sauce? Homemade low-carb BBQ sauce? Plain old Kraft Zesty Italian dressing? The list goes on and on... see what you have on hand, and go from there.

There are no real rules, here. I like the lemon sauce on meats (and fish) too, and I like the sweet-mustard combination on the vegetables as well, etc.!

Some important things to note: For your safety, do not marinate veggies and meats together. Do not use the same sauce as both a meat marinade and a basting sauce, unless you boil the used marinade mixture for at least 5 minutes first. Do not use the same brush to apply sauce to the raw meat you just placed on the grill, and then drop the brush back into the sauce which you will continue to brush on the meat as it cooks - that could transfer bacteria to the sauce and brush which will then not have sufficient time to cook away.

El Sabroso pork rinds - surprisingly good

2011-04-27T05:14:00.074-06:00

I am not a huge fan of pork rinds, mostly because of those hard mystery "things" .. {pause to shudder convulsively} that I find in random pieces - and am then hard-challenged to spit out unobserved.
Every time it happens, I stop eating them for months. But when I saw a case of (~~48 oops)~~ 32 individual serving bags of El Sabroso spicy rinds at Sam's Club, I scooped them up for the guys' lunches, and I ended up trying them with some dip. THEY WERE REALLY GOOD.
I have been eating them off and on for months now, and never once had to spit one out. And that's the very best recommendation I can give a pork rind.

As far as ingredients lists go.... it isn't pretty. Maltodextrin is close enough to the beginning of the list (as in third! right after pork and salt) that the bags contain 2 carbs each, but I usually only eat half a bag at a time, and in the grand scheme of things, consider it a small price to pay for pork rinds that I actually like. You'll have to make that particular call for yourself.
Just click these images to enlarge.

4 days of induction eating, 3 pounds gone, gotta love it!

2011-04-21T09:47:00.000-06:00

I have been eating to induction numbers for four days and it is kicking in now, for sure!

The stomach problems (acts like colitis) I have been experiencing all year, which kicked my butt into serious gear, are still here, but are already better...

Yesterday's dinner was green salad, steamed broc, cauli and summer squash in a lemon dill cream sauce, and baked lemon dill cod.... YUM. Tonight will be grilled chicken thighs (maybe Thai style, haven't decided yet ) with salad, and creamed cukes. There is still nothing boring about induction for me, although I am not doing real well in avoiding processed meats. I have been eating lots of pepperoni cheese crisps and not eating breakfast early enough, but that will change naturally with time ... no worries.

I am determined to feel better again, and better nutrition is the fastest path, of that much I am sure.

This most recent rededication to strict low-carb eating is not about the scale, and so I will try to avoid it, no WAY will I weigh daily ever again, maybe not even weekly, but I did hop on it once before starting and then again this morning, and I am down three pounds in four days. Losing that much water already makes me feel better, and soon, subsequent losses will be all fat - oh, and let's not forget, PAIN!

And oh, yeah.... I can now tell you that after TEN + YEARS, your Tanita scale may need new batteries... mine did! lol. How nice that it retained of its custom settings (height, sex, etc. for measuring body fat%) during the battery change!

My 11th Low-Carb Anniversary, and more "1 things"

2011-01-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe I have been low-carbing for ELEVEN years as of yesterday, Jan. 30th!
After my husband and personal faith/morals, I think I have remained loyal to low-carb longer than anything else. "Lowcarb for Life" is turning into just that! Good for me.

Today's One Thing:
I am going to go cook and breakfast, right NOW. I have actually gained back some weight just by not eating on a schedule. For the last several years, at least weekdays, I rarely eat anything (though I never skip coffee) before 2-4PM. For me, that spells disaster because anything I eat after that, my body hangs onto for dear life.
Lowcarb works for me only when I follow my own advice, and keep that metabolism running like a carefully tended fire - long term. Lowcarb or not, there are enough calories in what I eat when "on maintenance", and the Mich Ultra in the kegerator, to ensure that I do not go into ketosis, and without either that state or a good, REGULAR eating plan, I am sunk. Funny how knowing what is wrong is not always enough to get you to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I must be finally ready, hence the public outing of myself.

Today's "One Thing"

2011-01-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

Humans are terribly resistant to change, but remarkably good at it nevertheless. "Give me 30 days" is a common and quite true refrain. Not everyone can immerse themselves in a lifestyle change for a month straight, however. When I started low-carbing (eleven years ago come Sunday!), I was blessed because I was working at home and able to take all the time I needed to learn to shop differently and prepare food in advance.
Today, I am still working at home but I have fallen out of the habit of doing good prep and following my plan strictly. My energy level SUCKS, in other words, and I'm sick of it!
To get back on track, I am going to make sure that I do at least ONE thing every single day that is specifically aimed towards furthering my low-carb lifestyle. I may do more than one thing, of course, and I may or may not list all of them.... we shall see.

My first entry, for today, is simply "HARD-BOIL EGGS".

Won't you join me and list one thing in a reply that you will do today, or have already done today, to help you reach your goal? Together, we can motivate each other to do a little more, every single day. Because we all take our Journeys one day at a time! :)

White Apron Chicken Entrees - Surprise! They are low-carb

2010-09-29T13:58:00.003-06:00

Items like this one are so seldom low-carb appropriate that I spend a lot less time perusing labels than I used to, but this picture of a stuffed, obviously NOT breaded chicken entree caught my eye last time I was in Costco.

Full review: http://learnlowcarb.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=223

Thai Chicken Salad Wraps

2010-08-17T13:39:00.003-06:00

When the recipe for "Thai Chicken Salad Cones" popped up on my home page yesterday, it sounded like something I needed to eat - like SOON. But Betty's version needs some tweaking, for those of us watching our carbs.
I did my magic on the recipe and posted my revised version(s) here. Ranging from 5.3 to 11.3 net carbs each, one version or other is bound to fit into your menu plan.

Attention Cooking TLC Cookbook Owners

2010-08-11T10:47:00.003-06:00

After almost ten years of (patting myself on the back for) specifying only a few specialty ingredients in my cookbooks, ingredients which have all remained available, the run has sadly ended…

I have recently learned that Expert Foods’ ThickenThin NotStarch, the thickener specified in all my recipes, has been discontinued by the manufacturer and is already unavailable for purchase.

I have located an excellent substitute product, Dixie Diner’s “Carb Counters Thick It Up Low Carb Thickener”. You need only use half the amount specified, and it costs less, too! The carbs in this product are 100% fiber, making it a “free” food if you count only the net carbs, like most of us, and meaning that the carb counts in the original recipes do not need revision due to the substitution.

I will be revising the manuscripts for both cookbooks accordingly, but meanwhile, and for those of you who already own the books, you will need to make the necessary adjustment when measuring – either use just HALF the amount of Thick It Up, or use one quarter the amount of guar gum.

Another solution, and an addition I will be making to the books while revising them: Mix your own thickening agent using 1 part guar gum to three parts dried whole milk. (Make sure it is mixed evenly – I use my food processor.) Then you can just measure as specified in the original recipes. (The milk powder is added simply to lessen the clumping effect of pure guar gum, making it easier to work with.)

Thanks for your ongoing support! Watch for my Tenth Anniversary edition “Complete TLC” cookbook to be released this November. It will be a combination of both cookbooks, will include all of my newer online recipe club recipes, and also will feature color recipe photos throughout and be encased in a deluxe 3-ring binder, making it easy to add your own recipe pages to each section.

Warm Regards,
Karen Rysavy

FYI: Big Fiberfit Sale

2010-06-03T13:19:00.003-06:00

Starting today, I am holding a big clearance sale on 4-ounce Fiberfit. I will never sell it at this low price again (practically my cost), so if you need any, now is the time to stock up!

If you are not yet familiar with Fiberfit, which I consider to be my secret weapon for dieting, here's the 411:

FIBERFIT sweetened dietary fiber is an easy and delicious way to increase your daily fiber intake while lwering carbs and calories. Because Fiberfit is 8-10 times sweeter than sugar, you can use just 1 teaspoon of Fiberfit in place of each THREE tablespoons of sugar or sweetener called for (that's 2 tablespoons in place of a full cup!)

FIBERFIT is ideal for sweetening beverages, as well as in recipes of all kinds. Use Fiberfit anywhere you would use a sweetener like sugar, Stevia, Nutrasweet, or Splenda, to add fiber AND sweetness without added sugar OR sugar alcohols!

Fiberfit is a favorite in all sorts of foods, from sauces, dressings, marinades, and beverages to cheesecakes, cookies, cakes, muffins, ice cream, and more. (Note that Fiberfit does not perform in baking or candy making the same way as real sugar or a sugar alcohol like maltitol does. This means that Fiberfit won't work well in just a few things, such as fudge, hard candy, or pecan pie - i.e. things that harden due to "caramelizing" sugar).

INGREDIENTS: Purified water, soluble fiber, sucralose, gluconic acid, guar gum, Irish moss. Preserved with less than 1/10th of 1% potassium sorbate and potassium benzoate.

NUTRITION: 1 teaspoon (5 g) = 4 calories, 1 g carbohydrate (1 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugar), 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 0 g protein

Check out EIGHT FREE RECIPES I developed especially for Fiberfit, including margaritas, bran muffins, dream cake, heavenly mousse, pumpkin cranberry cookies, chocolate sauce, chocolate peanut butter cheesecake, sweet '&' spicy pork (chicken) and peppers -- even kettle corn!

NEW CUSTOMER BONUS: I'll automatically include in all new customer Fiberfit orders, absolutely free, a printed 8-page recipe guide that includes all the sample recipes mentioned above, PLUS the recipe and Fiberfit conversion for my Heavenly Mousse, a Usage Guide, AND my Grand Champion-winning recipe for Sugar-Free Pepper Spread.
Easy and delicious, my pepper "jelly" won Grand Champion of all Soft Spreads at the 2002 Eagle County Colorado Fair and also makes a lovely and instant sweet and sour-type sauce for grilling or dipping. This jelly recipe requires no previous experience or even canning off - although you can do so, if you wish! This recipe is available ONLY from me! To get your free guide with the bonus jelly recipe, just include some Fiberfit in your order. If you are re-ordering and would like another copy, just type the word RECIPES in the comment area of the cart when you check out and I'll gladly send you another copy.

The benefits of a probiotic witch hunt

2009-10-05T12:19:00.003-06:00

The benefits of a probiotic witch hunt
Well, I have been really sick for about a week now, but that only means I have been watching more TV than usual, and I hadn't heard anything about this in the U.S. news. (Such as the fact that Dannon settled out of court earlier this year in a suit challenging the health claims of probiotics.)
I find Food Navigator stories quite enlightening sometimes! I am still too ill to be at all eloquent, so I'll simply leave you with the above link for now - definite food for thought, and a great place to bookmark.

Truly Low Carb Festive Fajita Salad

2009-07-01T18:23:00.006-06:00

another sample recipe from Cooking TLC, Volume 1

Romaine lettuce
Onion and bell pepper strips (add jalapeno strips if you like HOT)
Steak or chicken strips
Hot Pepper sauce
Shredded cheddar, jack, or pepper jack cheese
Truly Low Carb Picante Sauce (or half as much of a commercial unsweetened salsa)
Sour Cream
Toasted low carb tortilla strips (optional)

Sauté onions and peppers with meat until veggies are tender-crisp and meat is cooked through.

Add several tablespoons (to taste) of hot pepper sauce to the pan. WARNING - Do not inhale or lean over the pan at this time! .... ooh-chi-mama, the fumes..... My favorite sauce is made with Scotch Bonnet peppers and 2-3 Tb. over 2 pounds of meat is plenty spicy for me.

Shake the pan gently, to burn the sauce onto the outside of the meat.

Melt cheese over the top and then slide the hot mixture right onto a bed of lettuce.

Top with the Picante Sauce or 1/4 cup commercial salsa, a dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkling of toasted tortilla strips. YUM. Fast, easy, filling, and never boring. I eat this once a week. Black soy beans would be a great addition too.

Carbs and calories vary wildly, depending on quantities and ingredients used - but one meal-size salad made with 2 cups Romaine, 6 ounces chicken, 1 teaspoon pepper sauce, 1/4 of a small onion, 1/2 an average bell pepper, 3 ounces cheese, 1/2 cup Truly Low Carb Picante Sauce, and 2 tablespoons sour cream has 673 calories, 42 grams fat (22 grams saturated), 16 grams carbohydrate (5 grams fiber), and 60 grams protein.

You can watch me prepare this dish on live TV (Denver Channel 2 News, Feb. 17, 2004):

order today!

Picante Sauce (Fresh Salsa) - sample recipe from Cooking TLC Vol. 1

2009-06-30T13:27:00.012-06:00

One of my favorite recipes, to this very day!

1 cup finely chopped, fresh tomatoes
14 oz. can of diced tomatoes, with juices
2 tablespoons minced green onions
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro (may add more or less, to taste, I use 4-6 Tb.)
1/2 Haas avocado, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon granular Splenda™
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 ounce chopped black olives (optional)
1 roasted minced hot jalapeno or habanera pepper OR 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons ThickenThin Notstarch™ (optional, see variations)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and allow flavors to combine for at least a couple hours before serving.

Keeps in refrigerator for 4-7 days (but never lasts half that long).

12 servings, each about 1/2 cup: 33 calories, 2 grams fat (0 grams saturated), 4 grams carb (1 gram fiber)

VARIATIONS:

To omit the NotStarch, I recommend straining off the juices (save them to use when seasoning ground beef for taco salads or wraps?) You can also try 2/3 tsp. guar gum instead, but the NotStarch really is worth having on hand.

You may use all canned tomatoes (2 cans total) with excellent results, or use 2 cans Mexican-style canned tomatoes (I prefer Rotel™) and skip the lime juice and green chilies.

If you like the samples, you'll LOVE the book - order today!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Flat Out™ Fold-It Artisan Flatbread

2009-06-02T11:22:00.004-06:00

Flat Out™ Fold-It Artisan Flatbread

I found these at my local Costco on 6/1/09 for $5.79, which means they run about $0.42 each.

I like this product much better than their original version, which is more like a wrap than a flatbread. These are thicker, more like a traditional flatbread, and they are shaped to make folding (or dividing in half) easy. They toast up quite well, and are light and tender in texture - quite a change from most low-carb wraps, which tend to be dense and chewy (at least when the ingredient/nutrition panel can actually be trusted).

Best of all, they are the PERFECT size for burgers, or sandwiches, which means that if you bring your own, you can go ahead and eat the burger served at your friend's BBQ just like everyone else - without fork, I mean (and without blowing your carb allotment for the whole weekend!)

Their serving suggestions look fantastic, don't they? I look forward to trying them as pizza bases, and plan to cut some up into small wedges and toast them the next time I want something to dip with. (After 9 years, I have to admit that plain veggie dippers are getting a little .... well, plain.)

The ingredients are acceptable to me. The small amounts of sugar and sugar alcohols are not more than 1 gram, and the fiber content is both high and comes from varied sources. People sensitive to soy will not be happy about the soybean oil, which they could have easily avoided using, but at least the dreaded words "partially hydrogenated" are not present in this list. (I do keep trying to picture a "rye chop", however, and failing miserably.)

NUTRITION INFO: (per each 48g or 1.7oz flatbread)

9 Net Carbs ~ 100 calories; 3g fat (0g saturated, 0g trans); 17g carb (8g fiber, 1g sugars, <1g>INGREDIENTS: Water, White Whole Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Oat Fiber, Grain Base Blend (Wheat Bran, Degerminated Yellow Corn Meal, Bulgur Wheat, Oat Flakes, Barley Flakes, Rye Chops, Wheat Flakes), Brown Flaxseed Meal, Soybean Oil, Yeast, Contains Less Than 2 % Of Each Of The Following: Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Maltitol, Sugar, Molasses, Baking Soda, Wheat Protein Isolate, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate, Propionic Acid, Sodium Propionate, Sorbic Acid), Salt, Wheat Flour, Fumaric Acid, Calcium Sulfate, Inactive Dry Yeast , Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum, Yellow Corn Flour, Ammonium Chloride, Calcium Peroxide, Ascorbic Acid Added As A Dough Conditioner, Enzymes, Maltodextrin. CONTAINS: WHEAT AND SOYBEANS.

Bring on the brown fat?

2009-04-11T14:35:00.003-06:00

Have you seen this story?

Studies of 'good' fat could help with weight loss
By LINDA A. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer – Wed Apr 8, 6:22 pm ET
Fight fat with fat? The newest obesity theory suggests we may one day be able to do just that. Just like good and bad cholesterol, there apparently are good and bad types of body fat. Scientists until recently believed this good fat, which spurs the body to burn calories to generate body heat, played an important role in keeping infants warm but by adulthood was mostly gone or inactive.Now three studies — from researchers in Boston, Finland and the Netherlands — show that some good fat remains in adults, affecting metabolism and potentially offering a target to help people shed pounds.Dr. Francesco Celi, an endocrinology and metabolism researcher at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, said the studies show this fat burns large amounts of energy."So it could be used as a target" for a pill that would somehow rev up the fat, he said.Dr. Louis Aronne, former president of the Obesity Society and a weight control expert at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, said the findings are the most conclusive evidence so far of the role of such fat in regulating body temperature and weight."I don't want to use the word 'exercise-in-a-pill,' but it's doing something (that's) getting rid of calories," he said, adding that any obesity treatment developed around the fat could be a potential treatment for diabetes as well.The studies were published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.The good fat is actually brownish, while the more predominant bad fat is white or yellow. Brown fat is stored mostly around the neck and under the collarbone. White fat tends to concentrate around the waistline, where it stores excess energy and releases chemicals that control metabolism and the use of insulin.All three research groups documented the presence and activity of the brown fat by examining tissue samples from some patients and using high-tech imaging that indicated how much sugar, and therefore calories, the fat burned.One group from Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School and three hospitals in Boston looked at scans done on nearly 2,000 patients to diagnose various health problems. The other two groups scanned small numbers of patients, first at room temperature and then after a couple hours in mild cold, about 60 degrees.Here's what the scientists learned about brown fat:• Lean people had far more than overweight and obese people, especially among older folks.• It burns far more calories and generates more body heat when people are in a cooler environment.• Women were more likely to have it than men, and their deposits were larger and more active.Finding a successful treatment for obesity would be a Holy Grail for scientists. Most obese and overweight people are unable to shed pounds and keep them off with dieting and exercise.And despite plenty of effort, pharmaceutical companies have been unable to develop a medicine that helps people safely lose and keep off a significant amount of weight. Any drug that could do that would be a guaranteed blockbuster.Aronne said the findings likely would renew interest in the area of brown fat among drugmakers; at least one briefly studied a treatment in lab animals several years ago.So how could researchers use these basic findings about good fat to eventually come up with a weight-loss medication? One possibility would be a pill to stimulate a specific protein to release more energy from the fat cells in the form of heat rather than storing it for future energy needs, Aronne and Celi said. Finding a way to increase the amount of brown fat in a person would be another strategy. Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston have been injecting certain genes into mice to try to produce brown fat cells instead of white ones. Celi said researchers also could try to make a pill that stimulates nerve endings inside brown fat to make it burn more calories. Or overweight people could simply try turning down the thermostat to see if it makes them burn more energy and lose weight — a strategy that Celi and researchers are testing in a small study that could produce results by the end of the year.

Or... Gee, maybe just this once they could try to discover what NATURAL lifestyle changes encourage the formation of "brown fat".

I find it so disturbing that the writer here (and our society as a whole, usually) immediately jumps to "How can we bottle this phenomenon?" Shortcuts are rarely the way to acheive goals, and in the weight loss game they have NEVER EVER been shown to work.

As a gambling person, I would place a large portion of my personal net squarely on the dot marked "low-carb" when it comes to my original question of which natural lifestyle changes might best promote this process.

Lowering the thermostat meanwhile probably couldn't hurt, either.

THE SAGA OF KAREN'S BACK

2009-02-11T10:08:00.002-07:00

Seven years ago I managed to give myself a severe compression fracture of the L3 vertebrae while having a little winter fun with my son. The fracture did heal, but it left me with what they call scoliosis.
What this means is that my spine is now curved. It stabilized at 11%. Apparently when I first injured myself it was at 19%, so I did get quite a lot of improvement. My Dr. told me that 14% curvature would have qualified me to collect disability for life. Since I am able to function fairly well at 11%, I spend my time thanking my lucky stars that I am *not* disabled. But I am rarely free of pain, either. Still, given the alternatives, I feel extremely fortunate.
Fast forward to Saturday, January 24, 2009 - seven years and two weeks to the day after my initial accident. I am in Nebraska, 8 hours driving time from my home, and still 2 hours away from the family function we've chosen to attend. I think everything's fine. Take a load of suitcases out to the car and head back towards the motel room to collect the dog, dropping my card key in the process. I bend over to pick it up, and my life changes again as I gasp "I think I just broke my back all over again".
We attended the family function later that day only thanks to the fact that I always have pain killers on my person. I do not like to take them, generally I just ignore the pain, but there are still times when nothing will do but narcotics.
All day Sunday we spent driving home in a winter blizzard from Central Nebraska to Western Colorado over two mountain passes. What fun! Let's make the trip even longer than the normal ten hours! At least the pass was open again by the time we got to it. Could have been worse, I have been trapped on I-70 with the pass closed more times than I can count.
I managed to get an appointment with an orthopedist on Tuesday morning for spinal xrays and so on. He was able to reassure me that in fact, my spine was in the same condition that it has been for the last seven years. Then he told me that seven years of strain on the surrounding ligaments and discs caused by the curvature most likely resulted in me having torn something in the surrounding area, and that only an MRI could really tell us what. Since my out of pocket expense for that test is over $1000, we elected to skip it in favor of just treating the symptoms. He put me on steroids for the inflammation, Valium for the spasms, and demerol for the pain. He had me come back in one week, on February 3, and I was able to report about a 50% improvement then. At that time it was decided that gentle massage and electrical muscle stimulation might greatly speed up the healing process. At the words physical therapy I got really tense, however. All too well do I remember the months of physical therapy that followed my original fracture... None of it was fun and I knew that I wasn't yet ready for that again! Not when I could barely even make it through half the day without narcotics yet. But she explained that I would be doing absolutely no exercising, it was all about the massage and relaxation so that the muscles could allow themselves to realign properly. Much later, she explained, traditional physical therapy would then be used to help to ensure that they would stay in place through strengthening my core to prevent future incidents. This all sounded great, so I headed upstairs to the PT place with a written order and managed to get an appointment for Thursday, February 5.

I hate most physical therapists! I swear, (the ones I have run into), think they know more than the doctors do. I showed up expecting one of the first massages of my life. I expected to feel better when I left than when I arrived. Instead, this woman decided to do whatever *she* felt was right, and for the next 40 minutes had me contracting back muscles in turn while she had one thumb jammed in my pelvis and the other one jammed in my back. She then made me perform several different stretching exercises until I was literally in tears.
Now, when I broke my back, I WALKED INTO THE E.R. under my own power and they later told me that no one had ever done that before, and that they would have been nicer to me (not made me walk around and climb on and off treatment and xray tables, etc.) had they realized I was so severely injured, but that I was apparently way too tough for my own good. So, I am hardly what one would call a wimp!
At that point, I lost it and informed her that my Dr. had informed me I would not need to do anything like this before she considered me healed, and that I was only here for massage. She then said that she doubted I was even a good candidate for massage, "if you are all this sensitive" (did everything but roll her bitch eyes at me while saying it) but that she would hook me up to the TENS electrodes now, and that I could come back next time and after 30 more minutes of physical therapy I would be allowed 30 minutes of massage. Can you even believe that????
I decided to book those next appointments because I know I need help of some kind, any kind, if I am to return to my somewhat normal former existence, and I knew I could always cancel if I thought I should, once I had some time to reflect. My doctor wanted me in there for massage 2-3 times per week for the next month, after which I go back for a follow-up appointment and would then presumably start more traditional therapy. Get this - this place then told me they couldn't get me in again FOR EIGHT FREAKKIN DAYS.
I booked the appointments, drove home still in tears, went to bed in more pain than I had been in for days, woke up in about the same condition, and thought things over until noon, when I called my doctor to request a return call, then called the the Therapy From Hell place to cancel the upcoming appointments.
When I told my doc what happened, she practically went into orbit - a woman after my own heart! - saying things like 'she did WHAT? What the HELL? Do they think I write up these orders for my own health? Don't they even READ them? The LAST THING I wanted you to do was exercise those muscles right now' and so on. Talk about feeling vindicated! She said she would be calling Therapy From Hell personally as soon as we hung up. So I have a feeling I won't get a bill for the BS appointment - and I will not pay any portion of it if they *are* dumb enough to send it in to my insurance company. Then she called the other place in town who does PT and spoke personally to them to make sure they understood exactly what I did and did not need, and would expedite getting me started. Whoo Hoo, sounds great.

Later that day the patient coordinator from Place 2 phoned to say that they had indeed spoken, and could he call me back on Monday morning to get us started on the necesary red tape to get me going as a patient. Monday at 2PM he finally called and faxed me 4 pages of paperwork, which I filled out and faxed back in under 30 minutes. TWENTY SIX+ HOURS LATER he finally called me to make some appointments - and guess what - he didn't have a thing before NEXT MONDAY February 16th. At which point I began to cry again (geez! I never do that!) and told him that I that would take it, but at this rate, we were probably completely missing the window of opportunity to actually do me any good with the whole massage thing, and since I have to pay for most of this treatment out of pocket, I could and should probably just go book a massage at a spa!
This morning, Wed. the 11th, he phoned to say he could fit me in at 1:50 this afternoon! He'd had a cancellation and decided I needed it most. So - SOMETHING finally went RIGHT - Hurrah!
I am now praying that this is the right fit, and I am not spending money that I don't have, just to be treated like a crybaby whiner yet again. (i get enough of that at home, after all!)
If you want to send some of your own white light, prayers, good vibes, or whatever you choose to call it, please feel free.... I really do need to stop crying soon, or I won't even recognize myself.
Hopefully, that explains the long time between posts here on this new blog. It's been all I can do just to issue W2s on time and make all my other accounting deadlines for two the companies I run from home. Run... what a funny word, since I do a lot of it from flat on my back via the laptop! I do hate to be whiner, and I hate to post things that are negative, but it was past time for an explanation, I decided, and "it is what it is".
Hopefully my next post will sound more like my typically optimistic self, and won't be made from a jail cell because I was arrested for assault and battery on a physical therapist!

AN EVEN TEN POUNDS

2009-01-21T08:56:00.002-07:00

I got on the scale again today and I am now down a full 10 pounds. I'm trying not to be disappointed that total. It is significantly less than I lost the first time around, and I feel as though I know better what I'm doing this time. But nine years have passed and I've had a hysterectomy in the meantime, so there's no doubt that my metabolism has also changed. I also don't have as much to lose, and that does matter.

I should probably explain why I stopped logging my meals. It all boils down to the fact that I have two companies that I run now and January is my busiest month for both. I have workman's comp and general liability audits next week, a deadline to get W2s out, and all the rest of the happy horsecrap involved in year end, and I just can't do it all. I'm pretty sure my brain has not dissolved after nine years of low-carb, or anything, like some of the research would have you believe, it's more like 'hey I am in my forties, I shouldn't have to do so many all nighters'. Something had to give, so it was the daily logging.

If you did enjoy reading any of these logs, I should direct you to my original journals from the years 2000 through 2002 (bottom of that page). Those many many months of detailed logs probably explain part of the reason I'm not as committed to logging this time. At least, unless I run into a snag. There's no better way to figure out a stall than through a thorough analysis of your menus, but doing it for 700-odd days in a row can lead to burn-out, I guess.

Now, I'm preparing to take off to a weekend family (in-laws for me) event out of state. It's not a funeral, for once, it's a 50th anniversary party, so I am determined to attend. When I come back next week, my entries will be more occasional, but hopefully more generally helpful, too. If I run into a snag trying to dump the last of the pounds I regained this year, then I will start logging on a daily basis again. Otherwise, I have a few how-to YouTube videos in mind and I'll try to get those posted by early February.

Until next week!

Bring on the weekend!

2009-01-17T10:37:00.002-07:00

Friday, January 16, 2009 Food Journal

Breakfast
Karen's Morning Coffee Ritual
TLC Vol 1 MockaRoni & Cheese (0.50 serving)
I ate at 8am!!!! Sound the trumpets!!!! LOL (That's about 1 hr 40 min after I got up. Progress!)
Nutrition (meal total): 234.6 calories; 63% calories from fat; 17.0g total fat; 9.5g carbohydrates; 1.0g fiber; 1.1g sugar; 8.4g net carbs; 12.0g protein.

Lunch
Cheddar Cheese Crisp, large (1 serving)
Deli Turkey Breast (2 slices)
Spinach (8 leaves)
Precooked Bacon (1 x 2 slices)
Onions (1 slice)
what a great wrap! cheese crisps beat tortillas hand-down!
Nutrition (meal total): 587.2 calories; 53% calories from fat; 35.4g total fat; 7.3g carbohydrates; 1.9g fiber; 1.3g sugar; 5.4g net carbs; 62.5g protein.

Dinner
Precooked Bacon (6 slices)
Swiss cheese (3 oz)
Water (13/16 gallon)
2 Barcardi Anejo and diet cream Shastas (no aspartame in those and they are CHEAP)
I had other plans but work got in the way again. This is a whole day's water, too. Should have skipped the cocktails but I what I really wanted was a couple beers, so I figure I can live with this.
Nutrition (meal total): 820.1 calories; 45% calories from fat; 41.6g total fat; 4.6g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 1.1g sugar; 4.6g net carbs; 41.6g protein.

Evening Snack
TLC Heavenly Mousse with liquid Fiberfit (2 servings)
Nutrition (meal total): 613.6 calories; 87% calories from fat; 61.5g total fat; 9.2g carbohydrates; 3.2g fiber; 1.1g sugar; 5.9g net carbs; 10.4g protein.

Note: This percentage chart is not right – the program isn’t calculating the alcohol in there anymore for some reason. It stopped adding up my water properly, too, but the calories and so on still add up for each day … I will have to figure it out soon, but since I only drink occasionally, I’ll try not to let it worry me for now.

I probably won’t post again before Monday. I need some time away from the PC and weekends are the time, so I have decided not to stress over logging my menus on the weekends unless it is convenient…

My appetite checked in, finally

2009-01-16T08:36:00.006-07:00

Thursday, January 15, 2009 Food Journal - recipe link enclosed

Breakfast
Karen's Morning Coffee Ritual (1 serving)
Deli Turkey Breast ( 2 slices)
Swiss cheese (1 oz)
finished by 9:30, 3 hours after rising - not great but better than yesterday at least!
Nutrition (meal total): 327.5 calories; 43% calories from fat; 16.1g total fat; 9.6g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.4g sugar; 9.6g net carbs; 35.8g protein.

Lunch
Planters NUTrition snack size (1 x 1.5 oz pkg)
American cheese (2 slices)
Water (6 cups)
Ooops! Nuts are not generally an induction food, but I am not sure I care anymore. At least I ate, which is better than not...
Nutrition (meal total): 470.0 calories; 74% calories from fat; 40.5g total fat; 8.9g carbohydrates; 4.0g fiber; 2.3g sugar; 4.9g net carbs; 21.4g protein.

Dinner
Coleman Natural Uncured Beef Hot Dogs (3 links)
Cooking TLC Vol. 1 MockaRoni & Cheese (1.5 servings) (RECIPE LINK)
Water (6 cups)
Nutrition (meal total): 914.5 calories; 74% calories from fat; 74.2g total fat; 13.0g carbohydrates; 3.1g fiber; 3.2g sugar; 9.9g net carbs; 47.3g protein.

Evening Snack – more like midnight!
Peanut butter (2 tablespoons – off the spoon!)
Chocolate Cream (1 serving – whipped cream with a bit o Swiss Miss diet cocoa powder)
Nutrition (meal total): 421.9 calories; 78% calories from fat; 38.7g total fat; 11.6g carbohydrates; 2.9g fiber; 6.0g sugar; 8.7g net carbs; 11.2g protein.

Water – over 100 oz – check!
Supps – all – check!
Exercise – NONE :(

My recent lack of appetite cured itself while smelling the Mockaroni cooking… I’d totally forgotten how good it is. This was a more normal day, calorie-wise. Carbs were in line before my midnight nosh, too. Scale says no change, which I am always happy to accept! That makes three weigh-ins in a row, so now I have to abstain for a while… will try not to weigh again for a full week to ten days.

My scale addiction is hard to beat!

2009-01-15T07:11:00.003-07:00

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 Food Journal
Breakfast
Karen's Morning Coffee Ritual (only 0.50 serving!!)
TLC Vol II Instant Hot Cereal - variation with almond flour for oat bran and 1 tsp dry blueberries per serving (1 serving)
Along with pennicillin, supps, and 1 packet of lactinex granules. Can't quite believe I am out of oat bran! and ESPECIALLY cannot believe that I didn't finish my coffee - for the 2nd day in a row!!!
Nutrition (meal total): 303.3 calories; 62% calories from fat; 22.5g total fat; 115.5g carbohydrates; 6.9g fiber; 3.5g sugar; 8.6g net carbs; 13.5g protein.

Lunch
Chicken breast (~3 ounces, leftovers)
Water (1 34-oz. glass bottle)
Nutrition (meal total): 140.3 calories; 20% calories from fat; 3.0g total fat; 0.0g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.0g net carbs; 26.4g protein.

Afternoon Snack
Cheddar cheese stick (1 stick)
Nutrition (meal total): 110.0 calories; 73% calories from fat; 9.0g total fat; 0.4g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.4g net carbs; 7.0g protein.

Dinner
Beef rump roast, braised (4.5 oz)
Cauliflower (1 cup)
Tomatoes (1 slice)
Water (2 34-oz. glass bottles)
Nutrition (meal total): 341.6 calories; 26% calories from fat; 9.5g total fat; 114.8mg cholesterol; 300.5mg sodium; 824.9mg potassium; 14.1g carbohydrates; 5.8g fiber; 5.1g sugar; 8.3g net carbs; 49.4g protein.

Evening Snack
TLC Heavenly Mousse with liquid Fiberfit
Nutrition (meal total): 306.8 calories; 87% calories from fat; 30.8g total fat; 4.6g carbohydrates; 1.6g fiber; 0.6g sugar; 3.0g net carbs; 5.2g protein.

Water, Supps, Exercise:

Got my 100 oz in again
Took them all, but managed to miss 2 of 4 doses of pennicillin - sigh
No, none again, but I am going to just keep pastiing in all of these 'no, nones' until I shame myself into getting started!!!!

Well, I finally prepped something for breakfasts today, my hardest meal (because I don't like to eat in the morning). I'd actually forgotten how good my instant hot cereal was, it's been so long since I made any.

I can't believe how low my calories have been. I am not doing it on purpose, I am just very, very busy and not as hungry as usual - and that second part tells me I am doing *something* RIGHT!

My scale addiction is a hard one to beat. I hopped on there again today, only to find no change. Which beats the heck out a gain. One thing I do remember about this journey from the first time around is just how much my weight loss can vary from one day to another. That does make it hard to not weigh daily, because what if that one day when I do weigh, just happens to be a day when I've retained 5 pounds of water?! So I will keep trying to stay off the scale, and when I do weigh, I think I shall do it for three days in a row, then quit weighing again for at least one week. That way, I can be sure I don't let one abberant weigh-in ruin my mood for the next week. (It is a LOT easier to tell someone else to not let the scale bother them and just keep eating right, than it is to actually do so. Guess that's about the same for all things, though, LOL!)

The scale forced me to get on it

2009-01-14T08:26:00.003-07:00

The scale reached out and forced me to get on it this morning, even though I am 2 days shy of my first two weeks of totally clean eating. I am now down a total of 7.5 pounds, in 12 days. I lost 14 pounds the first time I did induction, but of course, I weighed more then, and I took one day off this time and had a few beers, so I am very pleased with my progress to date. :)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 Food Journal
Breakfast
Karen's Morning Coffee Ritual (1 serving) and a penicillin!
Nutrition (meal total): 99.8 calories; 63% calories from fat; 7.2g total fat; 6.1g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.1g sugar; 6.1g net carbs; 2.2g protein.

Lunch
Pepperoni Chips (2 servings)
Precious brand Cheddar cheese stick (2 sticks)
Water (1 34-oz. glass bottle)
When the town whistle rang NOON I realized I had done it AGAIN - no breakfast! :(
Nutrition (meal total): 428.0 calories; 77% calories from fat; 38.0g total fat; 0.8g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.8g net carbs; 24.0g protein.

Dinner
Karen's Favorite Salad with romaine, spinach, ranch, feta bacon bits, cukes, onions (1 serving)
Chicken breast (1 cup)
Water (1.5 34-oz. glass bottle)
Didn't quite finish the salad, the old appetite is suppressed again.
Nutrition (meal total): 623.3 calories; 54% calories from fat; 34.3g total fat; 9.2g carbohydrates; 2.6g fiber; 2.0g sugar; 6.7g net carbs; 56.9g protein.

Water Tracker
Your water consumption was 115.1 fluid ounces (includes food and beverages). Based on your weight and exercise, you should have consumed at least 103.1 fluid ounces of water.
Supps - all my pennicillin but I forgot the vitamins.
Exercise - No but my knees feel so much better, I think I will be ready to open up the treadmill and actually use it very soon!

I'm here! I'm here!

2009-01-13T10:47:00.002-07:00

On Friday I had to leave for a dentist appointment in Grand Junction, over 100 miles away. Being Colorado, in January, of course it was a snowy day, so everything took much longer, and despite my best intentions, I managed to not journal anything all weekend. {roll eyes}

I did NOT spend the weekend eating Twinkies, but Saturday was my grand-angel Kira’s 2nd birthday party, and I did indulge in 3 Miller Lites that day, which surely stopped my weight loss progress in its tracks. I kept my eating on track, though, and I am back to logging, now. Because I didn’t write anything down as I went along, however, I refuse to try to log it in retroactively – I am bound to forget things! And a journal is no use to anyone, especially yourself, if it is not scrupulously complete!

Monday, Jan. 12, 2009 Food Journal

Breakfast
Karen's Morning Coffee Ritual (1 serving)
Already 10:30 and no breakfast :( Off to get that and my supplements now.)
Nutrition (meal total): 99.8 calories; 63% calories from fat; 7.2g total fat; 6.1g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.1g sugar; 6.1g net carbs; 2.2g protein.

Lunch
Precooked Bacon (2 x 2 slices)
Water (1 34-oz. glass bottle)
10:45 so it hardly qualifies as breakfast (was up at 6 sharp)
Nutrition (meal total): 160.0 calories; 67% calories from fat; 12.0g total fat; 0.0g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.0g net carbs; 12.0g protein.

Afternoon Snack
Pepperoni (2 x 14 slices)
Nutrition (meal total): 280.0 calories; 85% calories from fat; 26.0g total fat; 0.0g carbohydrates; 0.0g fiber; 0.0g net carbs; 10.0g protein.

Dinner
Lean ground beef (1 x 3 oz)
Taco seasoning mix (1 tsp)
Romaine lettuce (1 ea)
Red onions (1 Tbs)
Green pepper Tabasco sauce (1 tsp)
Cheddar cheese (1/3 cup)
low-carb tortilla (1 x 1 small size)
Water (1 34-oz. glass bottle)
Shouldn't have eaten the tortilla, but I knew my carbs were really low and it didn't sound good over just lettuce, plus I was still working and it's easier to eat a wrap at my desk than a salad. Excuses, excuses...
Nutrition (meal total): 445.8 calories; 58% calories from fat; 29.6g total fat; 13.2g carbohydrates; 8.5g fiber; 0.3g sugar; 4.7g net carbs; 38.2g protein.

Water Tracker
“Your water consumption was 93.6 fluid ounces (includes food and beverages). Based on your weight and exercise, you should have consumed at least 103.1 fluid ounces of water.”

Supps
Yes and the dentist has put me on penicillin as well, so I am taking that plus lactinex granules, to stave off the inevitable yeast infection penicillin gives me otherwise – I have had an abscess in my gum for MONTHS. They did a root canal under that area back in October but the infection is still there. Another reason I am on induction and striving not just to lose some regained pounds, but to enter ketosis - I think ketosis cures almost everything that can ail a body!

Exercise
NO – scowl! No time. It’s January and I am buried in a mountain of paper. Two companies to do year-end reports for… Seems the older I get, the worse I handle the same work load I have carried for years.