Karen's Whole30 Life

[Kmlynne]

Day 31(not sure why I am counting days - because I have no real goal in mind - but I do)

 

Ketonix:  52 yellow

 

FBS:

M1:  mushroom and cheese omelet with bacon and sausage, sour cream and butter (though of you Brewer5)

 

BS:  77

M2:  Chipotle:  carnita, lettuce, onions and peppers, sour cream, extra cheese, guac

 

ketonix:  53 yellow

[Kmlynne]

Day 32

 

Ketonix:  64 red

 

FBS:  86

M1:  mushroom and cheese omelet, bacon and sausage.  4 pats of butter, sour cream

 

BS:  77

M2:  large salad with 2 cheeseburger patties, blue cheese dressing

 

Ketonix:  59 red

 

Work day today.  After work, went bowling for an hour with DS.  He beat me 3 out 3 games......

[Kmlynne]

Thought for the day.

 

I am on a diet.  I am always dieting.  This is not a bad thing.

 

Definition of diet:

          1. The usual food and drink of a person or animal.

2. A regulated selection of foods.

3. Something used, enjoyed, or provided regularly

 

 

The food that I am eating is my usual food.  It is a regulated selection of food - regulated by my personal and cultural beliefs.  I enjoy my food.  I regularly supply my body with food as a fuel.  

 

It is time to stop the belief that to be "on a diet" is to restrict, reduce and remove foods.  Can I have a candy once in a while?  sure.  But I choose not too because I don't like the way the candy makes me feel.  Can I have a piece of cake once in a while?  Sure - if I decide that the pleasure that I have from eating said piece of cake outweighs the way I will feel later.  

 

What we eat is a choice we make.  It doesn't matter if it is the choice to follow SAD, Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Atkins, Dash, or any of those "diets".  

 

I challenge anyone reading this to stop thinking about diets as something bad, and maybe, just maybe, your food choices will become something good.

[littleg]

I wanted to chime in on this but only had my cell phone at work the last two days and, goodness, I can't type on that thing at all

 

Isn't it crazy that these days when one choses to eat food that nature makes it is perceived as being "restrictive" or "dieting".  Every single day at work I get comments on my food.  My FOOD.  It isn't coming out of a box, it doesn't have ingredients.  It is simply food.  But everyone gives me a hard time about it.  And it would be impossible to find it at work if I didn't bring it.  One can't easily buy FOOD (except at grocery stores) only food products.  It frustrates me that it is nearly impossible to eat out when eating W30 simply because our food system is so distorted (I'd like a chicken breast please, no, not the one with MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, SODIUM LACTATE, SALT, SUGAR, SODIUM PHOSPHATES, CARRAGEENAN, NATURAL FLAVOR, SODIUM DIACETATE, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, SODIUM ASCORBATE, SODIUM NITRITE, CARAMEL COLOR... the one that you just cut off the chicken carcass and cooked).  Adding food coloring and stabilizing gums and preservatives is totally normal and accepted - but eating real food - that is crazy... and that drives me nuts!

[Kmlynne]

Littleg - I hear you!  In fact, I pretty much only get burgers or steaks at restaurants - and make sure they don't marinate them.  

 

Yesterday, I was asked what I wanted to bring to the Christmas pot luck on Christmas day.  I was shown the list of what people are bringing:  hummus with veg, lasagna, veg lasagna, cookies, cake, pie......  I said that I would probably just bring my own food and I got the third degree:  "What can you eat?   It's the holiday - don't diet on your holiday" and so on.

 

So now, I am trying to think of what I can bring for the Unit pot luck on the 14th, the Christmas Party on the 18th, and the staff dinner on the 25th.  

[littleg]

Now that you are keto I'd think it would be easier... since at least cheese is in.  You could make a ranch dressing with mayo and sour cream and then bring in veggies... Or some kind of meatball and dipping sauce.  Or a cheese/veggie casserole... Or quiche with a nut crust!  

 

Ok, I'm done day dreaming about dairy

[Brewer5]

Deviled eggs are always a big hit.  I use this basic recipe, double the bacon, and don't add the cheese.  That's just our preference.  

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/69084/bacon-cheddar-deviled-eggs/

[Brewer5]

"What can you eat?   It's the holiday - don't diet on your holiday"

 

 

This makes me angry for you.

 

If you tried to tell those SAME people:  "It's Christmas.  You don't want to feel like crap.  Come on, don't eat cookies and cakes, please."  Can you imagine how they would take that?

 

Our society is so royally screwed up in the food department.........  It's just not even funny.  

 

These things they are creating -- many of them don't even resemble real food.  Nothing you would ever find in nature.  Yet -- WE are the weirdos for NOT wanting to eat them.  

 

Don't you ever just feel like you are on a bad episode of The Twilight Zone?  doo doo doo doo -- doo doo doo doo -- doo doo doo doo

[Kmlynne]

Deviled eggs are always a big hit.  I use this basic recipe, double the bacon, and don't add the cheese.  That's just our preference.  

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/69084/bacon-cheddar-deviled-eggs/

Thats a great idea!!!!  I love making deviled eggs but haven't for a long time....  I used to make all different "flavors", (i.e. italien, curry, dill, etc)

[littleg]

THIS!!! 

 

My sister in law is a health teacher.  Literally.  She feeds her kids chicken nuggets with anti-foaming agent in them.  And I'm the weird one.  Sigh.

 

 

 

 

These things they are creating -- many of them don't even resemble real food.  Nothing you would ever find in nature.  Yet -- WE are the weirdos for NOT wanting to eat them.  

 

[Brewer5]

littleg, your post reminded me of this one I had on my old log:

 

"How can McDonald’s make french fries with such an uncomplicated list of ingredients all over Europe, but not over here? Why do McDonald’s french fries in the U.S. have to have an “anti-foaming” agent? Do the brits like extra foam? No, they don’t, Europe actually regulates this ingredient because they know this man-made chemical was never intended to be consumed by humans."

 

Check out the link:

 

http://foodbabe.com/2013/10/22/sillyputty/

 

^ That bolded part makes me laugh every time I think of it.  

[littleg]

See - this is why going out to dinner is such a nuisance... because I have to ask if my burger is being grilled on a griddle greased with friggin' Phase Oil.  

 

Grumble.  At least the farm-to-table movement is catching on near me

[Kmlynne]

Day 33

 

Ketonix:  58 red

 

FBS: 92

M1:  2 eggs + 3 egg yolks, scrambled with green beans, spinach and cheese, cooked in an obscene amount of ghee with a venison patty on the side

 

Snack:  nuts

 

BS:  76

M2:  chipotle (again) - carnitas bowl with extra lettuce, sour cream, guac and cheese

 

ketonix:  (taken before meal 2 due to eating late tonight) - 60 red

 

Had a busy day.  I was hoping for some down time, but didn't seem to find it.  Started the day with PT for my shoulder.  Took son to school.  Picked up monthly prescriptions, then my new glasses (just the bifocals - the plain ones for hiking are still being processed  ).  Drove an hour a way to see a new doctor for a facial rash I have - given a 3 month prescription for antibiotics    .  Drove an hour back home, picked up son, got new meds filled and went to the bank to help son get a loan for another car.  Pretty hungry by this point and haven't been to the grocery store.  Thought about eggs for dinner, but not feeling it (they are the only thing in my fridge except for the venison patties).  Anyway, ended up getting chipotle again.  (This has to stop - if only for the budget).  I feel like I am ready for bed now that I have gotten home  Will eat my late supper and turn in early tonight!

[Brewer5]

"obscene amount of ghee"

Karen, just a thought -- please consider --

Carla and I were just discussing DAIRY today & skin issues. She has some pretty serious skin reactions. Like... things you may not otherwise make the connection to at all. I have decided (starting today) to take dairy completely OUT again -- EVEN ghee, which I have never done on a Whole 30 before, because it is allowed.

Remember me talking about the painful cyst that had developed in my hairline? It comes and goes and I am trying to figure out what makes it swell up. Carla has issues with pork, but our dairy discussion today has given me the extra push I need to get it out again and see what improves.

I'm telling you, dairy is a sneaky dude. I HATE to see you on 3 months of antibiotics. Dr. Perlmutter would especially hate it!

Has this flared up since you have started consuming dairy again?

[Kmlynne]

Has this flared up since you have started consuming dairy again?

I don't think this has anything to do with the dairy to be honest.  I have had it off and on for 2 years or more.  Dr said that topicals wouldn't touch it at this stage because I let it progress too long.  He thinks it will take at least three months for full healing but says that if it clears up faster, we can stop the abx early.  The doctor also told me that this has nothing to do with food/drink/creams/environment/etc.  

 

I asked what will happen if I didn't take the antibiotics.  He said that not much would change in the near future, but as time went on, it would continue to get worse, and harder to treat (think laser treatment, abrasions, etc).  Remember WC Fields?  Red nose and cheeks, swelling?  That and more.  So, I will do the antibiotics, and keep an eye on my gut.  

[Brewer5]

I am on my phone so I can't quote or do smileys well. So I will just say "of course" your doctor told you it had nothing to do with diet, etc -- and insert my rolling eyes smiley here.

Darn it. If I had listened to the doctors about this type of thing all these years, we would be an absolute mess.

My eye dr told me years ago that the flashes of light I was experiencing meant that my retina may detach. She went on to tell me how horrifically painful that was and how horrible it was to correct it. When I asked her if there was anything I could do differently -- any supplements I could take, etc? She shook her head at me, shrugged, and said if it was gonna happen, it was gonna happen. WELL. I am here to tell you that was an enormous pile of BS. I came home, did my research, and learned that the eye has the highest (or second highest?) concentration of vitamin c in the human body. I realized all the reasons I was probably deficient. I started supplementing & it all stopped. I was NOT doomed to a detached retina -- but I had to take it into my own hands.

Sorry. Stories like these get me fired up!

Your body is telling you ~something~ ... I will shut up and just wish you all the best in figuring it out.

[Kmlynne]

Believe me, I am not just taking the word of the dr - and when we chatted, he was very big on a clean diet for skin disorders.  We talked about whole, clean foods and staying away from processed foods.  He asked me if any of my dietary changes had made a difference.  I told him that when I first started paleo (w30) a couple years ago, it seems to help just a little bit, but then it returned despite eating well.  I also continue to have flare ups even when I do eat well.  

 

Here is what I have researched on my own this evening:

 

 

 

Flushing and inflammation may be caused by sensory nerves that surround the blood vessels.  There may also be a disruption between several neuropeptides and their receptors.  There is a complex cycle of inflammation through multiple mechanisms, which may explain why some cases can be resistant to treatment.

 

Several studies linked it to Demodex mites on the skin - a mite that we all have, but for some people they are in greater numbers.  An overabundance of Demodex may possibly trigger an immune response, or the inflammation may be caused by certain bacteria associated with the mites.

 

Common triggers — such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation, changes in temperature, exposure to skin irritants, strong emotions, alcoholic beverages and spicy food - demonstrate that stimulation of the sensory nervous system may be involved.

Common triggers by percentage :   

Factors Percent Affected Sun exposure 81% Emotional stress 79% Hot weather 75% Wind 57% Heavy exercise 56% Alcohol consumption 52% Hot baths 51% Cold weather 46% Spicy foods 45% Humidity 44% Indoor heat 41% Certain skin-care products 41% Heated beverages 36% Certain cosmetics 27% Medications 15% Medical conditions 15% Certain fruits 13% Marinated meats 10% Certain vegetables 9% Dairy products 8% Other factors 24%

I do see dairy on the list, but it is pretty low and there hasn't been much difference since I reintroduced it.  

 

Of course, there are many other theories as well including genetic, high niacin levels, and abnormal fatty acid composition in the body.  I will have lots of reading to do, of course.  

[Kmlynne]

These are triggers that were pulled from Patient Charts:

 

 

Foods Temperature-related

• Liver
• Yogurt
• Sour cream
• Cheese (except cottage cheese)
• Chocolate
• Vanilla
• Soy sauce
• Yeast extract (bread is OK)
• Vinegar
• Eggplant
• Avocados
• Spinach
• Broad-leaf beans and pods,
  including lima, navy or pea
• Citrus fruits, tomatoes, bananas,
  red plums, raisins or figs
• Spicy and thermally hot foods
• Foods high in histamine

• Saunas
• Hot baths
• Simple overheating
• Excessively warm environments

Weather

• Sun
• Strong winds
• Cold
• Humidity

Drugs

• Vasodilators
• Topical steroids

Beverages Medical conditions

• Alcohol, especially red wine,
  beer, bourbon, gin, vodka or champagne
• Hot drinks, including hot cider,
  hot chocolate, coffee or tea

• Frequent flushing
• Menopause
• Chronic cough
• Caffeine withdrawal syndrome

Emotional influences Physical exertion

• Stress
• Anxiety

• Exercise
• "Lift and load" jobs

Skin care products  

• Some cosmetics and hair
  sprays, especially those
  containing alcohol, witch hazel
  or fragrances
• Hydro-alcoholic or acetone
  substances
• Any substance that causes
  redness or stinging

 

[Kmlynne]

As far as the mites:  I try not to think too much about the "bugs" that live with/ on/ and around us all the time.   Makes my skin crawl  I mean - if you start thinking about all the bugs crawling on you and living in you right now......  

 

"[We carry around] three to five pounds of bacteria," says Lita Proctor, the program coordinator of the National Institutes of Health's Human Microbiome Project, which studies the communities of bacteria living on and in us. The bacteria cells in our body outnumber human cells 10 to 1, she says, but because they are much smaller than human cells, they account for only about 1 to 2 percent of our body mass—though they do make up about half of our body's waste.

 

....and that is just the bacteria!

[Kmlynne]

Oh - and I didn't mention that I drove so far to see this doctor because he is an expert in this field

[Brewer5]

I'm sure you're frustrated and just want it gone.  I have just read too many things about the downsides of antibiotics -- I mean, that is part of what Brain Maker was all about.  There is so much more to it than just gut health.  It all ties in to our overall health, our brain health...  Now I see your post you've added about the microbiome and YES -- he says we could fill a gallon bucket with everything that lives inside us and on us.  That book was all about the amazing impact our microbiome has on everything.

 

He described how the first antibiotic came to be -- and how, not that long ago, in the 50's I believe -- the first dose of penicillin was flown into this country and driven by police escort to the hospital.   The man who discovered penicillin cautioned us then, that this was a great discovery and also a dangerous one -- he knew even then that these antibiotics would become useless and create havoc if we over-used them.  ...Well, look where we are.

 

I do understand that there can be many triggers for things like this.  And I hope you can get it all cleared up!  I just thought I'd throw it out there about dairy -- because it can be such a BIG one for skin issues.  And you have been consuming more dairy now, and you are deciding to take antibiotics now (rather than at any other point in the past 2 years), so -- in my mind, it made sense that it may be worse right now.

 

Plus, Carla and I had just discussed it.  Today!      

[Brewer5]

The doctor also told me that this has nothing to do with food/drink/creams/environment/etc. 

 

 

And I forgot to add:  I have doctor story after doctor story.  Too many.  

 

These situations are what drove me into having to look at things in a new way ~14 years ago.  

 

I already shared my eye story.

 

We also had a doctor (who'd tried "everything") -- finally just shrug and tell my husband, "Well, you know... For some people it's just normal for them to only go once a week."  

 

 

It was at that point that we went to see a naturopathic doctor and she said, "You tell that man not to flush his toilet for a week and then look in there and see if THAT is normal!"

 

 

I just hate to hear doctors telling people that "this" has "nothing" to do with food/drink/environment/products/etc, because -- of course it does.  They lose all credibility with me when they won't even acknowledge that our bodies are so incredibly complex, and that something has caused this.  They are great at handing out prescription treatments -- not always so great at even stopping to think about why you would need them in the first place?  ...What can you do to prevent this from happening again?  

 

But I said I would shut up awhile ago.    Of course you know that I only post out of concern for your well-being and just wanting to see you happy and healthy.  Good luck!

[Kmlynne]

 

 

I do understand that there can be many triggers for things like this.  And I hope you can get it all cleared up!  I just thought I'd throw it out there about dairy -- because it can be such a BIG one for skin issues.  And you have been consuming more dairy now, and you are deciding to take antibiotics now (rather than at any other point in the past 2 years), so -- in my mind, it made sense that it may be worse right now.

 

 

 

I gotcha - but I made the appointment about 6 months ago

 

and I love and appreciate the conversation (and knowing you care).  

[kirkor]

Thats a great idea!!!!  I love making deviled eggs but haven't for a long time....  I used to make all different "flavors", (i.e. italien, curry, dill, etc)

 

Didn't you make them just recently for that family event?

[Kmlynne]

Didn't you make them just recently for that family event?

I did! But not all the fun flavors . And to be honest, I had almost forgotten about that - it was right in the middle of so much other stuff going on. But now I am going to make them for the next three "events" I have coming up..... And am going to make my favorites.

And to be honest, I boiled the eggs, but DD made them, so I kinda forgot - Thanksgiving was a LONG time ago after all