Jac's Countdown to 50! page 14

[Jac]

Had a great day yesterday - I felt incredibly relaxed and happy all day. And it was one of them driving days, too . There is definite progress - just not linear, lol.

I had bacon and eggs for breakfast, then just water until we had leftover beef stew for dinner. I was hungry after that (there wasn't much left over!) so I had a coconut custard. I'd baked a batch of custards while I was home on Tuesday, and had one for lunch. I did get a few fodmap gripes, but they're not too bad and the bloating is pelvic rather than high so it's not a problem. Sometimes it's just worth it. The second custard in 2 days - not such a great idea. Last night and this morning I have abdo tenderness, a bit of diarrhoea, and a bit more bloating. Time to stop the coconut!

However - I slept well again. I can't describe what it's like, after years and years of getting up through the night with racing thoughts, pain, hot sweats . . . to go to sleep at about 10pm and wake before the alarm is amazing. Today I have the last of the chicken broth in the fridge to have with co oil and salt (there's none added - it's a commercial organic broth that is literally nothing but chicken juice), and have some sausages to munch on. My appetite is very cyclic - sometimes I eat regularly and sometimes I skip meals. That's nice, too . Mind you, sometimes that's to do with distraction too.

I've found that since I started this way of eating (12 days for this attempt), even the high cocoa content chocolate starts me wanting more. I love it dearly though, and also love the feeling of indulging myself with it! So I've gone ahead and ordered some crio bru. I'll be drinking it straight, maybe with a bit of stevia, so it'll be interesting to see if I like it!

I ran out of mayo last night, so have to make more tonight before dinner. I do want to try some different oils and see if I can get a less sharp taste. However, having it to add to dinners has increased the satiety factor of eating much less protein than I am used to, helps to get the fat intake where it needs to be - and it adds a creaminess that I've missed to veges. I used to smother them with butter (then stay up with pain all night), but they were delish! Now I have a fully primal alternative. Yuummm.

[Jac]

Friday, sweet Friday!!

I ended up taking pain relief last night, dammit. Too many fodmaps, and for once there were no other variables at all. It was coconut cream.

Yesterday I had a bunch of primal sausages through the early part of the morning, and we bought a ready-cooked chicken for dinner which I had with a couple of tomatoes. The chicken was probably drenched in vege oil, but we were starving and busy. it tasted fantastic.

This morning I've had a bulletproof cocoa, and a cup of broth with salt and co oil. I think I'll have another drink for lunch - maybe cocoa or peppermint tea, and have an early dinner. I have some skinless chicken breasts (how un-paleo of me ) which will go into a fabulous stir fry brew later on.

There's a huge craft market on tomorrow - I'm really looking forward to it! It's an annual thing where the whole main road of the village is closed off and people come from miles away. My family are coming over from the East Coast for it.

In other news - we had a real estate agent come in this morning to do an appraisal. We've just finished this huge renovation project, and have looked around and realised just how much more there is to do! We make a good living, but every cent and every moment seems to get sucked into fixing up and maintaining the house and yard. And we have no kids at home to share it with. We haven't made the decision yet - it'll depend on what this guy thinks he can market it for (and how honest we think he's being). It gave me the shakes a bit, but we'll see what happens. He comes back with the appraisal next week.

[NourishedEm]

Have fun at the craft market. I love those things.

How have your ketone levels been?

[Jac]

I haven't been testing! I know it'll take a good couple of weeks to get there, so I figured I'd stop the daily test until I'm likely to see results. I'm feeling good, but don't have that leap over buildings feeling just yet. How are your numbers?? If you're carbing up, you might not see big changes in blood ketones, I guess?

[NourishedEm]

I haven't been testing! I know it'll take a good couple of weeks to get there, so I figured I'd stop the daily test until I'm likely to see results. I'm feeling good, but don't have that leap over buildings feeling just yet. How are your numbers?? If you're carbing up, you might not see big changes in blood ketones, I guess?

I guess since you commented on my journal, you've seen the answer to that question. Some interesting things happen to your body when you take in carbs in a controlled manner for a set window when you're in ketosis. It doesn't seem to derail the process at all, I read an interesting couple of books by a guy called John Keifer (Robb Wolf was just on his podcast) who runs the website Dangerously Hardcore. It was his research and reading his two books that got me thinking that I may be able to do low carb again without tanking my thyroid. Interesting stuff anyway. Speaking of which, it's carb night tonight. Right now I'm eating a can of chocolate rice pudding.

[Jac]

Thanks for the pointer - I'll find that guy's work. I'd love to go into summer knowing that fruit is a possibility. It hasn't been too much of a hardship so far, and I keep telling myself that if it takes me at least 3 weeks to get into ketosis then one orange isn't worth it. I guess, though, that that is metabolic flexibility - which I don't have yet.

I checked ketones this morning .7 . Quiet whoop here. And that's after having more carbs than usual yesterday because I had a very rich tomato-ey chicken brew last night, followed by entirely too much dark chocolate. However, one of those 100g bars only has 22g carbs in it, so even that little excess (1/2 a bar) wasn't exactly extreme.

Weight is 87kg, and I feel really puffy. Wedding ring on its own isn't comfortable, let alone with the engagement ring. I was quite uncomfortable in the night, and my bowels aren't quite synchronised yet - still random spasming. Today should be the last day, I think - tomorrow will be heaps better.

Off to the craft market!!

[Jac]

The market was great - I talked to a guy who makes olive oil about the different flavours. He said the oil mellows a lot over the first year - I tasted and bought a lovely one that he'd made last year. Can't wait to try it out. I have some mayo I made using lime infused avocado oil and wholegrain mustard - it looks good and shaped well, but the flavour is too intense and it drowns out the veges or eggs I use it on. I think I'll try for a really bland mixture and combine them - not using my new oil though!

I was right, the pain has completely settled. Still a bit puffy, but heaps better. Damn that coconut cream! It didn't happen that badly last time I used it (before this eating experiment - probably about 4 or 5 months ago) - it's a bit worrying that I seem to be more intolerant rather than less.

The sugar demon has me in its grips again, for some weird reason. I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything to spike it, but for the last week or so I've really noticed the sugary things around me - like lollies at the shop and vending machines. The most I've done is to add some stevia to my tea last night and today, and I had 2 segments of orange last night when Tony was eating one and I really wanted some! I'm hoping it goes into its cave again soon . . . I'm also exploring the idea of having a carb meal/timespan at some point. I guess it's linked to the sugar demon, but I'm finding this way of eating quite tedious at the moment, and can't wait to have some fruit. Yeah, I know they're linked. Any ideas about what's happening would be very welcome. Note, though, that I didn't start this by eating more carbs or sugar.

Daylight savings started today, and it's been a fantastic weekend, weatherwise. I have the first bit of colour in my face - yusss!!

[NourishedEm]

I know it's not popular to say it around here, but I tend to think sugar cravings mean you may need sugar, or at least some of the sugar-containing foods. Why is it we believe it when we crave fat but not sugar?

I obviously recommend a carb up and I hope that you experiment with that and see how it works for you (btw, I don't have your issues, but I supplement with Betaine Hcl and enzymes on carb night to help with digestion, you may find you need something too). I really don't suffer from carb cravings at all in between my carb nights.

Totally jealous about daylight savings by the way - stupid backwards Western Australia!

[Jac]

Totally jealous about daylight savings by the way - stupid backwards Western Australia!

Ha, be careful what you wish for! Although I love it because it signals summer, what you actually get is later nights and earlier mornings. Well I do, anyway. I end up doing more in the early evenings, having later dinners, and then having the same kind of 3 hour space between dinner and bed - that means that my later evenings tend to stay the same length as they do in winter but they're pushed back at least an hour because I do more stuff. With the natural increase in daylight time and heat, sometimes they're more like 2-3 hours longer. Then I get up an hour earlier in the morning because work goes by the clock. I seem to lose the internal rhythm I develop over winter.

I tried going to be too early last night, and then didn't sleep deeply so I tossed and turned. This morning I feel like shit. I read Kiefer's work on Carb Nite last night, too (before bed) - which kept me thinking! How could I do a carb nite while staying paleo and avoiding fodmaps?? I'm not sure it's even possible. There seems to be a need for a fairly sustained period of a sharp insulin spike - more than could be achieved by having a sweet potato and adding maple syrup to my bacon!

I have realised what the sugar trigger was, though - it's more activity. I remember reading about it in Phinney and Volek, but I don't remember the remedy. I'll read up and add an edit here when I'm done.

Weight is up another .5kg this morning - a combination of tiredness, some dehydration and slightly sore back muscles from shovelling bark off a trailer. All fluid - can't wait til it comes off again though. I can feel the extra size in my hands, feet, eyes and belly.

Edited to add that I am totally wiped out. Barely even awake!! I decided that I couldn't take it any more, so I went to the shop. I had a sandwich, some chocolate raisins, a bag of lollies, and an orange. This is officially a carb-up, lol. I'm getting something more on the way home - might be white bread. I just don't freaking care. If this turns out well, I'll make it a weekly thing. If it doesn't, well I've only lost a part of one day. Right now, though, I just want to go to sleep. I still have 1.5 hours or so of work, and I think a nap before dinner is in order.

[Jac]

Finished carbing last night at about 7.30. Next time I'll be less stressed out and will start a bit later. Some transitory gas pains but nothing major.

This morning I'm 87.1kg - my lowest last week was 86kg, so let's see where this process ends up.

Working at home today and tomorrow, so I'm taking a very relaxed pace! Everyone else seems to be on holiday with their school aged kids, so I'm a happy camper in my quiet house .

Am about to go and cook eggs and sausage for breakfast. The crio bru should arrive soon - can't wait to try it!