Thread: The Stabilization of MissM

JGD, here's the keto rusks recipe mrsstrong found for us last fall. I found if I halved the recipe it made the perfect amount for a bread loaf/meat loaf pan. And I used my convection settings on my oven for the second bake to good effect. I also played with ingredients and came upon some really wonderful combinations. Less is more, I decided, and even though I made the recipe as written, I prefer not to have so many things jumbled up together. One of my favorites was slivered almonds with dried cranberries, orange zest, and cardamom plus a little almond extract. I also always add salt. Because baking. And I also made another variety with dried cherries and cacao nibs with cinnamon that was quite lovely. Oh, and always include the flax and chia. . . .

Anyway, enjoy!

This morning the scale is up again, this time to 131.8, so no need to try to correct formally. But cause for reflection.

Though the reflection must start with an acknowledgment that scale fluctuations the first week or so of P3 are perfectly normal. And the fact that my period has begun and is affecting things is there, too. So, I'm choosing deliberately not to sweat it so much. However, there are other things I've observed that are worth noting for me.

My hunger and satiety experiment is very useful so far. I felt absolutely great the majority of the day. First meal was perfect, though I am now questioning the usefulness of indulging in dessert-like foods after meals, even if they're not sweet, like yesterday's three squares of montezuma chocolate and half oz of toasted coconut chips. In fact, today I'm focusing on deliberately NOT eating treat-like foods at the end of my meals. If I'm hungry, I'll eat more of the food I planned for my meal, and only enough to reach satiety. I also will use the bitter herbs from my ayurvedic practitioner as the signal to end my meals. As they're designed to do! I just sometimes forget. But it's a very useful tool of "cultivating the opposite"--a central tenet of yoga and ayurveda. When I think I crave sweet, give the body bitter, and that will help create balance. When we're out of balance, like creates like. So indulging in sweets when I crave sweets makes me crave more sweets! (or in this case, sweet-like treats)

So, today, no dessert-like food items at the end of my meals. Period. As an experiment.

And things went a little haywire for me for my evening meal, but in retrospect, it's all very useful learning.

What happened is I was cooking, and I began cooking before I was hungry, so that was a good thing. But I allowed myself to taste as I cooked and that meant eating while standing and kind of opened the gateway of eating when I wasn't really hungry or ready for a meal. So, I just decided to sit down and eat a bowl of soup. It was delicious, and I was satisfied. But a part of me decided if I didn't eat the planned lamb and tzatziki salad, I'd be hungry again later without the added protein. Thinking mind got in the way. Though it may have been correct.

Anyway, I ate the lamb salad, and it was delicious. But it pushed me past satisfaction. And here's the really important piece of information for me, I think: it seems just one bite past satisfaction stretched my stomach enough that it opens the floodgates to overmuch. In other words, once I've overeaten, even a little, I'm much more likely to keep going. So learning to stop at the right moment of satiety is even more crucial than I thought.

Because what happened after that is even though I was truly full, and full beyond satiety, I opted to create a little dessert-like, compliant treat. And my mind went back and forth between "Girl, don't do it. You'll regret it. You're not hungry," and "Go ahead. It's all compliant food. You deserve to enjoy. And it could be way worse. You have your period. If you weren't on P3 you'd be tucking into a pint of ice cream." Ugh. The angel-devil argument. It's exhausting.

So, I gave in, and with the last of the unsweetened coconut yogurt, added stevia, chia, cocoa powder, a little vanilla, and sprinkled some slivered almonds, cacao nibs, and coconut chips on top. Unbelievably tasty and indulgent. And way too much.

At least I took myself for a walk afterwards, considering how much better I'd feel afterward and remembering the powerful impact a walk after a meal can have on insulin response.

Le sigh.

I exhaust myself. LOL.

But it's all learning, I remind myself. The upshot is the following:

I'm going to avoid nuts and coconut for now, and best practices moving forward include

1. do not eat/sample while cooking,
2. stop eating when I reach satiety, even if I think I still need more/different foods to complete the meal,
3. remember even one extra bite stretches the belly and opens the gateway to overmuch/suffering,
4. break the dessert habit.

Every day presents the freedom to try again, and I'll take it. This is a journey. It's a process, and it's not linear. There will be ups and downs, just like on the scale, and my aim is to learn as much as possible along the way. Even if I have to "learn" the same thing a few times before I fully absorb the learning. It's OK. I'm human. Screwing up is a huge part of being human. But I can allow myself the grace to show myself the mercy that I am free to begin again with every moment.

Originally Posted by FlirtyFlo

nah that i think was the recipe i dug up and did, have some in the freezer
will double check against my printed recipe

I apologize if I miscredited that, Yvonne.

Trial and error. Keep searching the right balance. Your mindset is correct so that is more than half the battle.

Originally Posted by wilsonblack

Trial and error. Keep searching the right balance. Your mindset is correct so that is more than half the battle.

Thank you, friend. "I am my own living experiment, and it's all learning" is my mantra. . . .

[/QUOTE]Breaking the dessert habit is going to be the MOST difficult for me. I am a carb and sugar craver.[/QUOTE]
I hear you, sister.

I can remember years ago during a personal training session I reported to my trainer that during a weekend away to visit extended family I had eaten dessert with every meal. That's how the family does. And she just looked at me, point blank, and said, "You know that's a choice, right?" I've never forgotten it.

Trying to channel her now and make different choices about dessert. If only just for today. . . .

Originally Posted by DivineMissM

JGD, here's the keto rusks recipe mrsstrong found for us last fall. I found if I halved the recipe it made the perfect amount for a bread loaf/meat loaf pan. And I used my convection settings on my oven for the second bake to good effect. I also played with ingredients and came upon some really wonderful combinations. Less is more, I decided, and even though I made the recipe as written, I prefer not to have so many things jumbled up together. One of my favorites was slivered almonds with dried cranberries, orange zest, and cardamom plus a little almond extract. I also always add salt. Because baking. And I also made another variety with dried cherries and cacao nibs with cinnamon that was quite lovely. Oh, and always include the flax and chia. . . .

Anyway, enjoy!

Thank you! Looks delish!