For those who want to be enlightened about a low carb/keto lifestyle...

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

For those who are not already on a low carb/keto lifestyle plan, I highly recommend reading:

'Why we get fat and what to do about it' by Gary Taubes

Below is an EXTREMELY winded post. You have been forewarned.

Let me start by saying I am not an expert. I am not a doctor. What I am is a pre-diabetic and my husband recently learned on Sept 7th that he has become a type 2 diabetic. My husband went to the Dr because he started getting symptoms for pain in his feet. Additionally, over a 3-4 month period he lost about 30 lbs without dieting/changing eating pattern/lifestyle (quite scary).

Let me add more for a full picture...
My husband already takes an average of nearly 30 pills a day for other issues...about 20-24 of the pills he takes is related to his having his gall bladder removed. He takes mountains of fiber pills daily. He also takes pills for cholesterol and his thyroid (which he has taken meds for since his late teens) and a daily pill for neuropathy issues in his legs.

So, with all that said, the Dr told my husband he had to start being on a couple of meds for his new diagnosis. My husband asked is there any way he could avoid taking any more meds. The Dr suggested he start counting his carbs daily and keeping them under 60 every day and in about 3 months after losing about another 25 lbs, he will see if that is possible.

Since that Dr's visit, DH and I have changed our eating...DH at 100% and I'm at about 90-95%. There are a few things I still am having difficulty weaning myself from, but I'm working on it.

Now you may be thinking, well, why would I need to change my eating habits?...I wasn't diagnosed as a diabetic. No, I wasn't...however, I was starting to experience some symptoms and knew I was headed down the same road. DH and I both ate the same types of food. The last few times I had been at the Dr's office my blood pressure had been increasing. I knew it was only a matter of time that I would probably have to take meds for that and change my diet anyway. Additionally, being adopted, I found out my biological mother died when she was 49 of complications due to diabeties. She had both of he legs removed 3 weeks before she died. So I have that to seriously take into consideration. I knew for awhile now that I should start cutting out sugars/carbs, but shamefully I didn't have the motivation til now to implement the changes. Along with my DH, we had to accept 'moving our cheese' and change our ways...NOW!

Medications I had been taking were for GERD, heartburn, acid reflux over the past 5 yrs. With each passing year I had to take more and more to where I was on Prevacid daily and eating Zantac like it was candy. I will update you on this shortly, but I need to continue the chain of events 1st.
The evening of DH's diagnosis We went through our pantry, everything in the cabinets, and in the freezer/fridge upstairs and the one in our basement. We removed everything we couldn't eat anymore. The amount of food we had to throw out was sickening...no less than $400-$500 worth, but there was no turning back. Some examples of what we threw out...Juniors mini cheesecakes and Authentic Gourmet Croissants!

For the 1st couple of weeks it was painful on SO MANY levels. We were shocked by certain foods we couldn't eat/drink anymore. Most of coarse were just plain common sense/logical...others, not so much. We each spent hours nightly on learning all we could about low carb/keto lifestyle, finding the best possible 'replacement' recipes for our favorite meals...some of which we just can't eat but hope to maybe next year on rare occassions if the Dr gives the 'OK'...like beef stew with POTATOS/PEAS/carrots, and my homemade Olive Garden style Tuscana soup with POTATOS.

The 1st couple of weeks were difficult for hunger pains, eating a VERY limited variety of foods til we started to gather lists of staples to have on hand, replacements for food we had to remove and figure out a rough menu plan for just a week to week basis with a new set of foods. There was more than just a few times we were about to give up from it all. Honestly, it was becoming overwhelming for both of us.

DH started testing/documenting his daily sugar #'s...wake-up/morning, before meals, 2 hrs after, etc and his daily counts of carbs/calories (which really aren't necessary if you are on a really low carb/Keto plan), but still writes those too anyway. He has been able to keep his carb intake daily from 40 to less than 60 daily.

As for myself, I have been averaging between 65-80 daily carbs. Even though DH and I eat 90% the same things daily, I am having to wean myself off of Coffee-Mate creamer...and it's ABSOLUTELY PAINFUL! I drink 4-5 cups of coffee a day. I never paid attention to anything related to even calories with Coffee-Mate til now.

I had an awakening I still have yet to come out of shock from related to my habit/addiction? to flavored creamers for coffee. On Sept 7th I started to use a tablespoon to measure how much creamer I put into each cup of coffee I have at home. Well, having my usual coffee (Newman's Own special blend k-cup with the Keurig setting on 'strong brew' for 12 oz) I put in 3 tablespoons worth! I put one tablespoon in at a time and it wasn't til the 3rd tablespoon that I realized this was going to be the hardest part of the new lifestyle for me. So, each cup of coffee was 15 carbs and 105 calories...X...lets say 4 cups of coffee daily...that brings JUST MY COFFEE INTAKE OF CARBS/CALORIES. to 60/420. Holy ******! I had really hit the carb limit for the day just with my coffee!

Since that day I have slowly weaned off of Coffee-Mate and into using heavy whipping cream and flavored drops by Sweet Leaf. I now average only one or 2 cups of coffee with Coffee-Mate and 2-3 cups with the heavy whipping cream and Sweet Leaf drops.

Now, some folks mught say well, heavy whipping cream is loaded with calories/fat...yep, you are right. But on the low carb/keto lifestyle, most fats are allowed. And yes, the calories are high...50 calories per tablespoon and I use 3 per cup of coffee...so 150 calories per cup of coffee...BUT 0 CARBS! As for the flavored sweet drops...no additional carbs or calories!

So now my higher carb count compared to my DH's is reflected in the 1-2 cups of coffee I still have daily with Coffee-Mate creamer. I'm hoping that by the end of November I can get myself down to just one cup with Coffee-Mate daily and then by New Year's Eve I will be totally off that creamer and will be able to stay under the 60 daily carbs a day (my personal goal).

I'll bet some folks will say...well, Coffee-Mate has sugar free options. Yes, they do, but the carbs are about the same AND since the sugar free version is less creamy, I wound up using twice as much to enjoy the cup of coffee...nuts.
Just one more bit of info about k-cups & carbs. Many of the ones I treated myself too a few times a week I had to throw out...like Swiss Miss peppermint hot cocoa, Grove Square - Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino...painful.
Ok, off the coffee train...continuing...

Google blogs, You-Tube and Pinterest have become friends by way of helpful sites with Keto/low carb advice, tips and recipes. One that is a fav of ours is called Keto-Connect. One of their you-tube videos they tested several brands of sugar replacements with their blood glucose meter.

*** Not all sugar replacements are alike and effect everyone differently.

Another we follow on You-Tube is 'Highfalutin' Low Carb'. He also did a video testing his blood sugar with his coffee every morning for about 10 days using several sugar replacements/cream/black coffee. The results are eye opening!

Some helpful guidelines for those interested in the process:
1) the 1st 2-3 weeks are the hardest
2) you must document your counts daily - measuring portions
3) menu planning is extremely time consuming during the 1st 4-6 weeks. DH & I are just now starting to be able to cut back on the time spent with all the number crunching/documenting/finding recipes/menu planning/grocery shopping (50% online due to specific ingredients that are not found in grocery stores)
4) for those that want to make the change and will have to do it alone without the support of the rest of the family getting on board, it will be quite challenging with the wrong foods still in full view.
.............................................................................
Updates since Sept 7th:
1) DH has now lost 50 lbs
2) I have lost 16 lbs
3) Just 2 weeks after the start, I have not had any Gerd/acid reflux/heartburn whatsoever! I am currently only taking 1 Prevacid pill a day and I will stop taking that on Nov 1st and see how it goes. That alone is AMAZING and keeps me on the 'straight and narrow'...so to speak.
4) We have NOT started an exercise plan...no joke. Read the book I mentioned! DH and I do plan on starting one though the beginning of next year. We are taking this one step at a time and thankful it is not necessary.
5) Sure, we miss our favorite things...DH misses potatos, corn and his Mountain Dew the most. He has replaced the Mountain Dew with Zevia, potatos with cauliflower (for certain things), but corn is still a no go. He also misses the refried beans, spanish rice w/corn and taco shells on our taco dinner nights. So we have wraps instead with Mission 'carb balance' wraps.

For me as you know it's the coffee creamer, cereals (we only kept 'old fashioned' Quaker Oatmeal and only have it for breakfast once every week or 10 days...stick to the portion control and use a partial teaspoon of brown sugar Truvia to sweeten it) which is 26 'net' carbs (that's minus the 4 carbs of dietary fiber) for just the oatmeal/sweetner! I also count out 14 raisins and add 4 crushed walnuts for some added texture/flavor to mine...LOL

I also miss crackers/crunchy snacks terribly! The carb count for the average 3-5 crackers is off the charts...even for those made with nuts. I will be learning how to make some though. Keto-Connect just put up a recipe for pumpkin spice keto crackers that I'm going to try.
Utz big tubs of pork rinds have become our friend too! A handful with a sandwich (made with sprout bread) and a cutie we had for lunch yesterday replaced potato chips and instead of club or ritz crackers with soup, pork rinds to the rescue. they are tasty.

Well, my fingers are now officially numb. In conclusion, our goals for the start of 2019 is for DH to be able to be off of the diabetic meds and 25 more lbs lighter. I hope to lose about the same amount of weight by then. This journey is of coarse for us to become healthier, but for us also not to have to both be on diabetic meds which DH's insurance only pays a small fraction of (we don't know how we could afford hundreds of dollars monthly for both of us to be on insulin...oy!).

We have learned through many sources/stories online that a large number of folks CAN get off their diabetic medication IF they are diligent making the lifestyle change needed...FOR LIFE. It is those who became a diabetic, or pre-diabetic later in life through their poor diet/lifestyle that have the best chance. I'm not including those who have been diabetic all their life. However, for those that still eat a high carb diet and take insulin, any improvements to lower carbs will help them as well...easier said than done. I personally know diabetics that chose to take more insulin than changing their eating habits.

Typing all of this I hope is helpful for those 'not in the know' and will read the book. It is worth every penny. It has made the process of making a lifestyle change easier knowing the 'real' truth about nutrition...so to speak. I recommend reading the reviews for the book on Amazon too

Kalli · ‎03-11-2010

@Susan Louise Congrats on making a plan and sticking to it! 😊

About ten years ago I realized I was addicted to flavored coffee creamers and I needed to quit. It was really hard to do.

Now I have become a coffee snob! Once you get rid of all those sugary flavors, you’re left with the actual taste of the coffee and by trial and error you find the flavors you really like.

I still put some milk in my coffee. Drinking coffee has helped me cut down on sugary snacks, which is my current goal. I look forward to my morning coffee but I always wait for 2 hours after taking my calcium supplements so the caffeine doesn’t impede absorption. It’s always something....😉

BirkiLady · ‎02-22-2015

Stay with a true healthy food plan and you will never want another potato, cracker, refried bean, white sugar/wheat ladden foods, or any of those other foods you've been eating! You are on the road to excellent food and in a few weeks won't consider going back to the former eating styles. Your body will adjust to the natural foods, rather than the starches and sugars you've been ingesting for years, which have been so toxic. Too bad it took so long to realize all that junk food was unhealthy! Sounds like weight and other health issues have been red flags for both of you, which were apparently ignored. Fortunate something far worse than diabetes didn't happen in the meantime.

Money screams; wealth whispers.

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

@Kalli wrote:
@Susan Louise Congrats on making a plan and sticking to it! 😊

About ten years ago I realized I was addicted to flavored coffee creamers and I needed to quit. It was really hard to do.

Now I have become a coffee snob! Once you get rid of all those sugary flavors, you’re left with the actual taste of the coffee and by trial and error you find the flavors you really like.

I still put some milk in my coffee. Drinking coffee has helped me cut down on sugary snacks, which is my current goal. I look forward to my morning coffee but I always wait for 2 hours after taking my calcium supplements so the caffeine doesn’t impede absorption. It’s always something....😉

@Kalli I'm a coffee snob like you...LOL

You are lucky you can use milk in your coffee. We can't have milk anymore. We only have heavy whipping cream now for my coffee or adding in recipes.

One cup of 1% milk has 11 carbs! Heavy whipping cream has 0 carbs. That's another reason why we can't have dry cereals anymore...because of the grains and the added milk...a double no-no for us...sigh. I miss my bowl of Special K with a sliced banana and skim milk. Bananas are a BIG no no too

I can't drink black coffee...I've tried. So I have to get used to heavy whipping cream and flavored drops. There are a couple of flavored coffees I drink so I don't have to add flavored drops to them, but the Sweet Leaf drops also add sweetness too

56nic · ‎02-14-2011

I just started the Keto diet a few days ago and it was nice to see your post! Congrats to you and your hubby on the great progress you've both made!

I had to chuckle because I was addicted to the coffeemate creamer too. Heavy cream user now, just like you!
But i did try something today that I HIGHLY recommend, Get yourself to the baking section of your supermarket and pick up McCormicks Pumpkin Spice extract.

A couple of drops mixed in to the coffee/heavy cream is HEAVENLY!

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

I wish this book came out decades ago and I had read it then...

I would have been living a low carb most of my life!

Susan Louise · ‎03-14-2010

@56nic wrote:
I just started the Keto diet a few days ago and it was nice to see your post! Congrats to you and your hubby on the great progress you've both made!
I had to chuckle because I was addicted to the coffeemate creamer too. Heavy cream user now, just like you!
But i did try something today that I HIGHLY recommend, Get yourself to the baking section of your supermarket and pick up McCormicks Pumpkin Spice extract.
A couple of drops mixed in to the coffee/heavy cream is HEAVENLY!

@56nic Thank you

I will try that extract...ty!

Another thing I miss are certain fruits & fruit juices...especially orange and apple. I'm able to have a cutie (which DH and I share 1 serving=2 cuties) every other day. As for a replacement for apple juice/apple cider, I have found Sparkling Ice's 'apple crisp' to be a great replacement...0 carbs/calories

BirkiLady · ‎02-22-2015

@Susan Louise I was raised in the 50's and 60's. Yes, we had potatoes periodicially, but we hated gravy! My sister and I preferred cooked or steamed cabbage in place of potatoes OR sweet potatoes in place of white potatoes. We ate a lot fresh lettuce salads, mixed fruit salads and veggies. Mom didn't buy jello or pudding, which were full of sugars and chemicals. If we were sick, she'd make home-made tapioca pudding. I did the same for my son when he was ill. Home-made custard (using brown sugar) was a Sunday evening favorite!

We were City kids; no one in our heritage ever lived on a farm. Recall my grandmothers saying, "Corn is feed for cows." Mom never served it; I never have served it. Cannot imagine anyone wanting to eat it! Friends mother's would cook with lard, which grossed me out. We simply ate healthy forever. Seldom ate canned goods; it was fresh produce or canned from a Farmer's Market in the country. Never ate white breads; always had whole wheat. Now, it's only 100% oat breads (and not often). We were active in sports, golfed, swam and volunteered in our community. Never have dieted or been overweight.

I've always preferred fish, chicken and pork over beef. As an adult, I don't eat much meat; it's too heavy and filling. Find protein comes from mixed nuts, mushrooms, dates, figs, and other sources. I snack on bell peppers (mixed colors) all day long! Love a quality dark 86% chocolate piece (or two) daily.

That's my short list.

PS: The farmer's will do fine! Go to your farmer's market. They are thriving with business. Their fresh produce sells quickly. Their free-range eggs are hot commodities.

Money screams; wealth whispers.