Second week back at it strict and deep into ketosis

I have to say, this has been by far the easiest transition back onto a strict induction eating plan that I have ever made. I was fortunate enough to waltz right through the first 5 days without a single craving, weak spell, or moment of true hunger. What is even more amazing to me is that here I am 12 days in and I already have to FORCE myself to eat! I don't recall this happening before; I remember not bing AS hungry, but twice this week I skipped a meal. Not good, but I just forgot to eat!

I've been eating a TON of eggs and bacon; two reasons 1) it is a quick, easy, and simple induction friendly meal, 2) it is very cheap and transports to work easily in one container. What can I say... I'm pretty much lazy.

This week I had planned on modifying a recipe for peanut butter pie but it ended up that I needed to order some stuff to experiment with so instead I attempted to make a low carb no-bake cheesecake. It turned out really good (thanks Jamie) and the only things I think I need to change is less crust and more sweetener in the batter. I think they might be related because the almond crust didn't have very much sweetener so it might have just overpowered the flavor from the cheese mixture. I actually had some of the cheesecake for lunch a couple days and it tasted great and was very filling.

I'm planning on working on the recipe conversion this week once my Netrition order comes in. I also ordered some carbalose (low carb flour substitute) so I hope to be able to attempt some other breaded recipes like chicken Parmesan :)

Who wants to double down?

There's been considerable buzz (positive and negative) about this new "sandwich" from KFC... they have both a fried and grilled version reported to contain 11g and 3g carbs respectively. Basically, it is 2 chicken breasts, a couple flimsy slices of bacon, one slice of pepper jack cheese, and "special sauce". I opted for the grilled version but in haste forgot to ask for the sauce on the side. I got mine to go so I had to smell it the whole 8 minute drive home...

I opened it up and my first impression was "wow, this isn't really that big"... then I opened it up and I was like "wow, I expected this to be bigger...". Now it was pretty big, but I'm a big dude and I like to eat so I wanted more than was there. It came in this paper wrapper that let you eat it with one hand which was nice; it kept all the grease, sauce, and melted cheese off my "I ♥ BBQ" tshirt so I was a happy camper. The overall taste was at best a 6 or 7 out of ten. The chicken was juicy and hot but I could barely taste the bacon or cheese. The sauce overpowered the rest of the components, so I think next time I will drop the sauce and perhaps dip it in sour cream or something maybe even some baconnaise :)

All in all, probably a better choice as far as low carb goes, but not worth $5, I think $3.50-$3.99 would be a proper price range. So we'll give the taste a 6.5, the value a 4, and I would say as far as filling my gut... about a 6. I could have easily eaten another one.

Homemade Baconnaise rocks the hizzle

Ok so I'm talking to my good friend Jamie and we're talking bacon.. and about making baconnaise from scratch. She's went fancy and I'm well... lazy. Here is my attempt at making a delish mayo/bacon spread that you can use anywhere you want to taste bacon but need a spreadable mayo.



So of course you need bacon and mayo, but for kicks I threw in a good bit of black peppa, some garlic powder, a little ranch dressing, and a tidge of paprika.

To begin with, fry up three strips of bacon until crispy. Cut, crush, or crumble into small pieces trying to only use the crunchiest parts. I put the bacon in my Magic Bullet and pulsed it into a magical bacon powder :). Getting a fine powder helps prevent it from being chunky.

In a small bowl combine about a fist size pile of (preferably room temp) mayo, the bacon powder, 3 shakes of garlic powder, 0-2 Tbsp of ranch dressing (I love ranch and think it pepped up the overall taste), about a Tbsp of black pepper and toss in some paprika to help with the coloring. Thoroughly mix with a fork and taste. Secret ingredient spoiler.. liquid smoke! Add about 5-8 drops of liquid smoke and thoroughly mix again... taste.

At this point you should either like it or love it. If you don't like it, you can tweak it up or down. If the flavor is too strong, squeeze some additional mayo and remix. If it is too weak, you can add a little smoke, some garlic/pepper, or of course make, blend, and add some additional bacon and taste again :)

State of the Union 4/12

Ok, so I've learned the hard way that if you don't pay attention and "back slide" into some of your old ways, all of a sudden your jeans don't fit like they used to. You don't need a belt because they're so tight they stay up without one :(... So how do I fix it? What is the "plan of attack" to correct this little problem? Eat more food of course, but eat the right food. My weakness isn't bread, it has always been ice cream and cookies; even worse, cookies and cream ice cream LOL.

So here we go; as stupid as I think this sounds, I made a fresh start today (Monday). I cooked breakfast for us this morning and decided to just make a little extra and carry it to work for lunch. 3 bacon, 3 eggs for both meals although the 3 eggs were fried this morning and scrambled for lunch. I actually ate the bacon and eggs cold at lunch and really enjoyed it!

I really think that motivation has been my problem; rather it has been lack of motivation. When I was at my heaviest, I had plenty of motivation... I felt like I was close to dying. So I lose the weight and get to buy all these new clothes and where's my motivation? I thought it would be there to maintain the loss and continue to slowly lose a few more pounds but sadly that didn't seem to be the case.

So I have NEW motivation now! While at the beach for spring break, my wife "proposed" to me and asked if I would marry her again in the fall. We are going to renew our vows on September 25th, 2 days after out 15th wedding anniversary and I just HAVE to get this regained weight off and for good this time. I basically have 5 months or 20 weeks to "drop it like it's hot" (well actually "drop it while it's hot"). Tennis is in full force, I'm really getting into my training for the 5K so I'm trying to run more often now and it's starting to get REALLY warm. Tennis tournament season is starting in less than 2 weeks and I think one of my teams will e heading to the state championships before 9/25. I have to do this! I need all the encouragement you guys can offer me... I need to be held accountable for my mistakes just like everyone else!

Look for some weight updates soon!

I've packed on a few pounds and am ready to shake it off... not with a shake weight or anything silly like that; just a "back to the basics", no frills low carb eating plan. We're heading to the beach in a few days which will prove challenging as always but I plan on getting plenty of exercise running around with 8+ kids as well as playing a little tennis. I intend on completing week 5 of the Couch to 5K running program while we are gone and am looking forward to the flat terrain and warm temperatures :)