FHHM - Day 17

I wanted to take a minute to talk about the recipes that I've been using from Suzanne Ryan's Keto cookbook.  You can find her link to the right under my Health Inspirations.

The main idea behind this diet is to force my body to use fat for fuel rather than sugar.  It is completely safe though people (including doctors) may get it confused with ketosis which is a dangerous condition that can occur in people with diabetes.  That's one reason why you should consult with your doctor before starting the diet, especially if you have diabetes.

In order to get your body to burn fats instead of sugars, you need to reduce your carbohydrate intake.  Once there are no more sugars, your body starts burning fat in order to create a potent energy source for your brain, known as ketones.  People who follow this diet often experience more energy and generally feel sharper.

The changes that need to be made aren't too bad, and there are workable substitutions.  The foods that should be avoided on the diet include carbs (grains, rice, potatoes), sugar, some dairy (high fat is good), and beans.  But all sorts of proteins and fats are encouraged!  This is what makes the diet so appealing.  There is so much flavour in the foods and eating fats is very satisfying.  There are substitutions that can be made though: almond flour in place of wheat flour (though is a bit heavier/denser), stevia-based sugars instead of granulated sugar, almond milk instead of cows milk.  Certainly, there are recipes for any meal that you would want to make, keto-ized.  :) I even found one for Chicken Pad Thai!

On Friday night, I made a keto version of the pepperoni pizza.  Paul brought home Little Caesar's and it smelled oh so good!  Certainly, my pizza was no comparison to that!  It was a bit dense, due to the almond flour, but also much higher in calories.  As an example, my pizza was slightly larger than a regular slice of the Little Caesar's large, but came in at about 500 calories!  Two of the ooey-gooey Little Ceasar's pizza slices would have been a bit less than that. I think that trying to take a very carby food choice and make it low-carb is not terribly successful, but it can be done only it won't taste as good.

However, there are certain benefits.  For lunch I had made a keto chicken salad that was made with chicken breasts, bacon, mayo, ranch dressing and green onion.  So yummy!  Rather than have it on bread, I wrapped it in boston leaf lettuce.  I wouldn't change a thing with that one.

So far, so good.

I ended up taking today as a rest day, as Paul made me breakfast in bed in advance of my upcoming birthday this week.  I meant to rest, but after logging my calories for breakfast, found out that my three keto pancakes and sausages ran me up 900 calories!  I had to go for a quick run this afternoon to burn a few extra calories.  Like I said, going low-carb can be done, but calories shoot up.  It takes some planning that's for sure.

I hope you all had a great weekend!  Tomorrow's workout is a doozy.... just wait to hear about it.  And wish me luck. :)

Nighty night,
Peach