Atkins diet
Fat Fast day 3…
It is astounding how un-hungry I am. I have had 725 calories today so far and I am definitely handling this much more easily than I had imagined. This coconut oil is a winner, better than any appetite suppressing pill or potion.
First meal of the day – Half an Avocado with Toasted Sunflower Seeds.
In between my snack was black coffee with a teaspoon of coconut oil in it. Good for ketosis.
The bone broth is a filling drink and enjoyable too, especially with the marrow, meats and soft tissue that comes off the soup bones. This was my second meal of the day.
Somewhere I read that lemon juice or apple cider vinegar was a great addition to the stock pot because it helps to leach out the minerals from the bones. I have been doing that for about a year now and I am certainly feeling healthy.
Snack in between – a little biltong and some more broth.
Third meal of the day is yet to come and will be the brown meat and skin off a roast chicken. Heaven on a stick! You have to admit, being able to eat chicken skin is the best!
There is still a l-o-n-g road ahead as my weight has ballooned in the last 24 years since I got married. First it was a motor bike accident and 10 kgs, then a hysterectomy and 12 kgs, then it was giving up smoking and another 12 kgs, and finally a car crash and a back operation and 23 KILOS!!! I was truly metabolically resistant by then, and somewhat desperate!
Enter the Real Meal Revolution. Thank goodness. Suddenly all my years of trying low carb started to make sense in this one book. And believe me, I have many books on low carb dieting. Now they are all coming in useful as I decided to make a serious study of the general low carb high fat moderate protein angle. I have gleaned many a good and helpful hint during this time of research and I feel that I have finally found a way to put my own spin on this way of life. The books I favour other than TRMR are GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) which is based on the SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet), Nourishing Traditions, and Eat Fat Lose Fat, both by Sally Fallon, Curb the Carb by Amanda Cross, and Rose Elliot’s Vegetarian Low Carb Diet. The latter is so that I can help some of my vegetarian friends.
We all have likes and dislikes and we need to make up our own diets under the LCHF/Banting banner, and that is just what I have been doing. Slowly but very surely it is all falling into place. I can’t tell you how amazing it feels to be 13 kilos lighter. How do I feel after 10 weeks? Great! My poor aching knee is now feeling a whole lot better and I have enough energy to walk the dogs. It really feels good. The best thing? Not feeling any cravings – except for some biltong!
Success feel AWESOME!!!…
Fat Fast Day 2…
On September 26 I started Banting (basic ketogenic/low carb) and lost 12 kilos/27 lbs. in just on seven weeks. Then I stalled for two weeks. I did some carb cycling which helped move the weight a little, and then it stopped again.
Yesterday I started the Fat Fast armed with Dana Carpender’s Fat Fast Cookbook which I find extremely helpful. I also researched sites and forums on the subject and made up a list of helpful hints. I was armed…and also a little al-armed as the day started closing and I had almost reached my calorie limit. Macadamia nuts and a small block of Philly cream cheese saved the day and then everything was just fine. I went to bed knowing that I could have eaten more, but was happy not to. It was a very comforting feeling.
My weight dropped over a kilo overnight. I know that will not continue. Today has been good and I have been drinking a lot of water. The day started with lemon juice in hot water and some probiotics. Mid-morning was Creamy Coffee time and the menu for the rest of the day was eggs, cheddar cheese, bacon, kale, Philadelphia cream cheese, macadamias, sardines and mayo. 1190 calories total.
There was very little fibre in the day’s intake but my tum has been fine. I think it might be the fats that are keeping the intestines oiled, although I wouldn’t do the Fat Fast for longer than 5 days, and also not too often. It is really only to be used by people who are stubbornly metabolically resistant. (That’s me. I have the tum to prove it. Apple shaped.) The Fat Fast is never to be used as a fad diet. Once my body starts burning its own fat stores again, ketosis will keep cravings away and fats (coconut oil is my best) will suppress the appetite.
It is day three tomorrow and I have made bone broth in the slow cooker so I will be drinking that most of the day. The fourth day will be a low to no carb day (meat, eggs and fats) without dairy, and then I will move on to the basic ketogenic/high fat/moderate protein/low carb/Banting lifestyle: Meats, eggs, fats, nuts, seeds and vegetables, adding berries and dairy in small amounts. I have to admit that cream is a standard in my fridge. I have one cup of creamy coffee per day (and another one black) and sometimes I will put coconut oil in it as well. I use cream and Greek yogurt in my cooking so dairy really is a staple in my diet. High fat Boursin cheese has to be my all time favourite. Obviously I am not allergic to dairy but I am aware of the carbs.
This is an interesting experiment and I cannot say that I feel bad at all. The taste in my mouth is changing though, so I will be chewing fennel seeds for that keto-breath! Incidentally, fennel is a diuretic herb so it can help to rid the body of excess water that is being released from the fat cells while we are losing. Well, that’s my take on it 
Day three tomorrow. Bring it on…
Fat Fasting Starts…
Food Journal 8 December 2014
Today begins the Fat Fast.
Back in the late 90s when learning about low carb through Atkins I came across the Fat Fast as a way to jolt the stalled weight loss or plateau, but did not take too much notice of it then. Today I know a lot more about fats and am more than willing to try it out in earnest for three days. You can also do it for 5 if you wish. I am settling for three days.
The only real rule in the Fat Fast is to keep your calories low – Atkins suggested 1000 calories – but I am doing half of my normal low carb calories as I eat calories according to my weight at present, minus 1 000. That’s my take on it. If you need clarity on how many micro nutrients are in foods, sign up with SparkPeople and use their nutrition tracker. That is where I go to and it works very nicely.
I am gathering ideas on foods to eat – and here are a few with which to start:
Egg yolks hard boiled with mayo
Sour cream with cucumber slices
Cream cheese and nut butter on celery
Bacon and egg yolks
High fat cheeses such as Philadelphia and Boursin
4 slices of bacon
Cream cheese on top of a slice of salami
2 Eggs yolks beaten and stirred into chicken broth
Bone broth with marrow
Tuna and mayo
Spoonful of coconut oil
Coffee with cream and coconut oil (Bulletproof coffee)
Today I have had bacon, eggs, creamy coffee, spoonful of coconut oil, and Philadelphia cream cheese. I will probably have tuna and mayo for a snack and a cream chocolate mousse for supper. (Whipping cream with stevia and unsweetened cacao powder, really good.) All this adds up to a superb appetite suppressant! there is only one way for you to find out how it works, just do it! I will be back tomorrow to report on my progress. Have a happy day!
Getting it on with The Revolution!…