My hips measure what!!!

Okay, seriously slack in the update department and I do apologise. 

When I finished round 3 in November 

I was 68.3kg.   

Today I am 65.4kg  

Not a huge loss but I figure throw christmas and raw cheesecake cheesecakes in there, I haven't done too badly.  

I have been following Low Carb High Fat principals but not to the point of macro counts or anything. Just clean eating, good amount of fat and trying to cut the carbs as much as possible.  

There is a fantastic guideline on Tim Noakes' website Real Meal Revolution that lists foods you should and shouldn't eat.

The interesting thing has been my measurements.

People have been commenting on how much weight I am still losing and my clothes are getting looser, despite not actually losing much on the scales.  Yet I was totally surprised at my last measurements that I have lost so much on hips and waist.  When I look in the mirror I can start to see some waist line curves too. 

I guess my skin is pulling into shape, which is good as having loads of saggy skin is my biggest fear. I expect at my age to have some and that I will have to live with that but I do hope I lose some of the arm bat-wings and inner thigh sag.

So, how are things looking to date??

From 111kg to 65.4kg ?

I have to say I am pretty pleased so far.  I hope to lose another 10-15kg in all and then reassess the situation.
I trust that my body will stop when all excess abnormal fat has been used up.

I still am not overly active.  I try to walk a few times a week but did get a bit slack for a few weeks.  

Have started again this week as I want to motivate my kids and the best way is to lead by example.

So how do I look after 11mths and almost 

46kg gone??

 

How do I feel?

I still have no real pain.  I do see a chiro regularly but suspect I inherited my dad's skeletal fuck ups and have a back that goes out all too readily.

My mobility is fantastic, I really notice the difference and love that I can move with ease.  Simple things like cutting toenails don't require contortionist tricks any more and I can actually paint my nails!

I can walk distances without pain and can even jog!!

Any Issues?

I have had some abdominal discomfort, this came on during the phase 4 period on HCG Protocol   I really had no idea what it was other than a fist like feeling that gave out referred pain to my ribs.  It would come and go but I couldn't pin it down to one thing causing it.  I figured it was part of detox and left it at that.  The last few weeks I found it was worsening to the point of being quite uncomfortable and the rib pain getting stronger.  I also had some constipation that seemed to go with it.  I am on various LCHF/banting groups on facebook so started to ask around and do some reading up on liver/gallblander.  I also asked Jo from Primal Living about the fat consumption and side effects.  

Anyway, to cut a long story short it seems the sudden jump to high fat may have aggravated my gallbladder.  Not sure about stones but I think it is unhappy.  

Unfortunately I suspect it is dairy that is causing the issue.  Which pisses me off no end as I love cheese and butter!   On reading up I have found that coconut oil doesn't require the gallbladder to digest so I have been using that more than butter and cutting back on cheese.  I have also been upping the water kefir, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and taking a chinese herbal  liver tonic and my symptoms have disappeared.

I intend on going to see someone at Gary Fettke's clinic the Diabete's Health Centre.  It is funny as I either hear people say they haven't heard of it or think it is just for diabetics.  I will report back with a review once I have been.

What am I eating then?

I tend to have my main meal at breakfast.  Usually eggs, sauerkraut, bacon or a paleo sausage  and avocado.  Occasionally I will do a smoothie and use  Grass Fed Whey Protein isolate as the protein.  I received a sample of this at a conference and thought I might buy some more as it is a good way to get your protein.

This usually does me until dinner time.  I will occasionally have a snack of some nuts, pate  or cheese (insert sad face) but a mid morning coffee with cream generally does me.

For dinner, I make sure I have a really good helping of green salad or veg with some meat, sauerkraut and more avocado.

I have days where I stick to under 20gr of carbs and sometimes I go over.  I don't stress too much as I figure in the bigger scheme of things I am doing pretty well.  Today I bought an icecream for the kids and I had one too.  Full of sugar, crap and carbs but it is the first one in 11mths and I don't care.

Tomorrow I will be back on track again :)

Have I missed anything in my update.  Probably.  I'll blame having a newborn in the house, even though she isn't here tonight LOL

If I hav missed something or you would like to know something please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you :)

Week four and counting

Round 3 (started loading 11 Oct 2014)
Phase 2   (Started 13 Oct 2014)
Day28
Blood group A+

Fourth week down.   

No detox symptoms to speak of this week but am struggling with a 'chest thing'.  Some hard congestion that won't shift and so I am feeling really tired as my body tries to fight it.  Using olive leaf extract, vitC and a Himalayan salt pipe to try to clear it.   Have been walking heaps this week too which is good for the lungs.  No hard core, just gentle walks (lots of stop/start as with kids) of about 3-4km.

Losses have picked up again which is much better for my anal, impatient self :)

Weights for this week are:

3 Nov - 70.8kg

4 Nov -70.6kg

5 Nov - 70.3kg

 Nov - 70.1kg

7 Nov -70.1kg

 8 Nov -   69.8kg
9 Nov -  69.5kg

Total loss for week=    1.3kg

Overall R3=8.4kg

Starting measurements 10 Oct:

waist    94cm

hip  109cm

thigh  52cm

upper arm   33cm

chest  97cm

calf  35cm

This weeks measurements:

waist    88cm

hip  102cm

thigh  50cm

upper arm   30cm

chest  96cm

calf  34cm

(I just added up total cm lost since starting the Protocol and I have lost 124cm!! Mind you I only started measuring my calf halfway through round 2)

Walked:  9km

Meals for the week:

Breakfast is generally an apple and a cup of black coffee.  Although this week I have had a blueberry smoothie and a blueberry sorbet.

Lunches:

beef burger and salad

lamb and broccoli

chicken dumpling soup

beef burger lettuce wrap

Dinner:

lamb steak and zucchini chips

BBQ chicken breast and asparagus salad
chicken dumpling soup in bone broth
Omelette with sauteed fennel
chicken and broccoli in bone broth

Week three round up

Round 3 (started loading 11 Oct 2014)
Phase 2   (Started 13 Oct 2014)
Day21
Blood group A+

Third week down.   

I have found that I am suffering less from detox symptoms this week.   

Still have some pain in left ribs and a small amount in the right ribs.    

Loss has been slower this week again.  

I mean, seriously I have stalled for 3 days AND had a bloody gain!!

Not happy Jan!

However, overall average for 3wks is pretty damn good and I lost 8cm this week so can't complain really.

But I will.

Weights for this week are:

27 Oct - 71.6kg

28 Oct -71.4kg

29 Oct -  71.1kg

30 Oct  - 71.3kg

31 Oct -   70.9kg

1Nov-   70.9kg

 Nov -   70.9kg

Total loss for week=   700gr

Overall R3=7.1kg

Starting measurements 10 Oct:

waist    94cm

hip  109cm

thigh  52cm

upper arm   33cm

chest  97cm

calf  35cm

This weeks measurements:

waist    88cm

hip  102cm

thigh  52cm

upper arm   31cm

chest  96cm

calf  34cm

(I just added up total cm lost since starting the Protocol and I have lost 121cm!! Mind you I only started measuring my calf halfway through round 2)

Walked:  12km

Meals for the week:

Breakfast is generally an apple and a cup of black coffee.  Although this week I have had a blueberry smoothie and a blueberry sorbet.

Lunches:

 tuna and celery salad

Chicken and broccoli  soup

Mexican chicken and zucchini lettuce wraps
Chicken and asparagus stirfry
BBQ beef burger with zucchini chips and salad

  

    Dinner:

 Veal zoodles

Chicken and Broccoli soup

Chicken and zucchini stir fry

morrocan beef cauliflower risotto
chicken bolognaise with zoodles
Asparagus and chicken meatball soup

  

OMG! I have cheek bones and shoulders. Who knew!

Soooo,  I have been on this health thing for a bit now.  

Started hard core in February and haven't looked back.  

For those not aware, I suffered severe fibromyalgia and was on prescription pain meds, severe depression and anxiety and could barely walk to the letter box some days.

I was also 111kg.

Nuff said really.

I would look at people carrying loads of excess fat (as was I) in those mobile skooter things with disgust.  

The day it dawned on me that I would end up in one was the day I knew I had to do something.

I had been looking into  the Changing Habits, HCG Protocol and decided to go with that.

I have also followed the principles of low carb, high fat since February.

I wish I had taken better before photos that I could share.  

These are the only ones that really shows what I was like.

 

The most recent I have to offer are these 

 

You can kinda see that

I have now officially lost over 

40kg

just sayin'

Oregano chicken zoodles

I am pretty sure I have said this before but I will say it again:

Sometimes the simplest things are simply the best!

This is a great phase 2 recipe but for outside of that phase you can fry that chicken in loads of fat!!

While I was making this I had a 25ltr pot of bone broth simmering which was handy for creating a sauce for this dish. 

 (Although, for phase 2 I would recommend only a little amount due to the fat content)

This week I ordered a vegetable spiraliser. 

I had previously bought a small hand twisty one on ebay but found it didn't work very well and tended to squish the zucchini to pulp.   

A friend bought one the same as this one in a local Perth store and I was totally jelly!    

Hunted around and most online were around the $100 mark.  WAAAAAY out of my budget so I was rapt to find this one for $24 from PurpleSpoilz.   

It is exactly the same as the expensive one but loads cheaper.  Delivery was nice and fast too :)

So, needless to say zoodles, carradoodles and appoodles are all the go here!

Anyway, back to the dish.  As I said, nice and simple so ingredients are few:

100gr chicken

1c zucchini ( I go with half a medium zucchini pre zoodle)

sprig of fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp of dried if you don't have fresh)

S&P

stock or water to create a sauce

Steam your zoodles lightly and put aside.

Cut your chicken into bite size pieces and fry in a tiny bit of water with the oregano.  Once nicely browned and cooked through season with S&P and add your zoodles.  Continue to fry until a crust starts to appear in your pan, then add your water/stock (just a couple of tbs) and stir to get crusty bits off pan.  This will add colour and flavour to the sauce.  Let simmer for a bit for the sauce to reduce and thicken up a bit.

I love oregano, particularly with chicken and this works so well. 

For anyone not in phase 2 then go sick with any added veg you want, don't limit your chicken amount and slather butter on your zoodles!

Week one

Round 3 (started loading 11 Oct 2014)
Phase 2   (Started 13 Oct 2014)
Day 7
Blood group A+
Loss to date - 38kg

So week one is done and dusted.   

I have found that I am suffering detox symptoms quite severely this week.  Round two wasn't so bad with them.

I have had headaches, itchy skin and a shocking pain in left ribs.   The latter I had for much of round two  and it is back again.  My chiropractor thinks it is to do with liver detox so I guess I should be grateful my body is working hard at mending but gee it is annoying.

Weights for this week are:

13Oct - 78.1kg (post loading)

14Oct -76.4kg

15Oct- 75.5kg

16Oct 74.8kg

17Oct - 74.5kg

18Oct- 73.8kg

19Oct - 73.6kg

Total loss for week= 4.5kg

Starting measurements10 Oct:

waist    94cm

hip  108cm

thigh  51cm

upper arm   30cm

chest  100cm

calf  36cm

This weeks measurements:

waist    94cm

hip  108cm

thigh  51cm

upper arm   33cm

chest  97cm

calf  35cm

Walked:
Approx 5.5km intentionally

Meals for the week:

Breakfast is generally an apple and a cup of black coffee.

Lunches:

stir fry chicken with broccoli, onion, garlic

egg and zucchini frittata

egg salad with celery, tomato, lettuce, lemon juice

Chicken and Broccoli salad
Curried Chicken and cauliflower soup
Tomato, zucchini and chicken soup

 

Dinner:

Broccoli and spinach soup with shredded chicken

beef broth with zucchini, spinach and beef meatballs

Poached chicken with spinach and cauliflower mash
corned beef (preservative free) and broccoli
Lemon chicken and asparagus with tomato
curried chicken and Cauliflower soup
Calamari and broccoli stir fry

Recipes for the week

Curried Chicken Soup
100gr chicken
1 cup cauliflower
water to cover
S&P
oregano
1tsp curry powder of choice

Simmer until chicken is well cooked through and cauli is soft.  Blend to a creamy texture with food processor/stick blender/bellini/thermomix.

I like to do multiple batches at once and then divide up for future meals.

Calamari & broccoli stir fry
100gr calamari cut into rings
1c broccoli cut very fine
1/2onion cut fine
S&P
cumin
Coriander
Garlic
1/2 lemon
Marinate the calamari for at least 30 minutes in the juice from the lemon and plenty of S&P.  Lightly steam the broccoli while doing this.  Heat your pan to very hot then add a splash of water and fry the onion, add the calamari and garlic and fry until cooked through, toss in the broccoli, cumin and coriander and let the water absorb so you get some colour in the calamari. At the last minute put a tbs of water in and swish around to create a type of sauce.  It will be brown from the previous step so don't stress.
Serve on a bed of lettuce greens.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Round three - Loading Day 2

Okay, I admit it.

I am STUFFED!!

I started the day with a bullet proof coffee, eggs, bacon and the left over creamy chard.  

A delicious start to the day if I may say so.

Most people who do bullet proof have their own fave formula.   You can buy a ready made MCT oil blend to add to your coffee or you can play around with coconut oil, butter or ghee.

Whilst I have tried the Optimoz blend and quite like it I prefer to stick to my own mix.

I have played around with ingredients and measures and have found that the following is my fave blend:

1 sm plunder of good coffee

1tbs butter

1tbs coconut oil

Put into thermomix, bellini or stick mixer jug and blitz until frothy, creamy and well combined.

Trust me you won't look back, this is seriously good!

My mid morning smoothie today was similar to yesterday's offering but

 I added an avocado to the mix  

A girl can't have too much good fat on loading days right!

I had lunch out and forgot to take photos.  

Rest assured I ate up big. 

I was fortunate enough to attend the AGM for the Migrant Resource Centre and there were three different stalls offering international cuisine.   

I tried some delicious Afghan meatballs in a tomato sauce, Bhutanese momos (dumplings) and an a divine African Cassava Leaf dish with chicken.

I came home so stuffed I couldn't face anything for ages.

I managed to shovel in the last of the Ashgrove camembert (seriously THE BEST camembert I have tasted) and some of their blue with a couple of dates.

Dinner was meant to be a creamy chicken dish with zoodles (zucchini noodles) but I wasn't sure about the chicken so I tossed it.  

I found a beef bolognaise in the freezer and dug that out.  Had buttered zoodles with some meat sauce and parmesan instead.

To be honest, I am not sure I could have faced another cream based dish LOL

I am feeling a tad full, reflux-y and glad this is the end of the loading days!!

However, I do know that I am fully loaded in the best possible way.

I hope to go into this round in the best shape possible. 

I have come out of round two with no major pain or inflammation.  

I lost around 8kg in P4 without trying really and feel happy with the maintenance.

I really struggled, but seeing I had gone to the effort to make a sugar free chocolate icecream, I felt I should do it justice.

For dessert/supper I had some.  

Not much though (think 1/2c) as 

I just couldn't do it justice.

But OMG!  It was good.

Stay tuned and I will post my recipe in the next week.

So, tomorrow begins phase 2 for 43 days.

I won't bore you with daily posts but thought, for those starting out it might be a good idea to see what others do for the phase.

I plan on doing a weekly post on stats and meals with a few recipes thrown in.

I will also link to past recipes from the last couple of rounds.

Hope you enjoy the ride :)

Round 3 loading day 1

Oh gosh, how good is this!!

Day one of loading and I am on a roll. 

Went out to the Harvest Market and had a full fat large coffee with a    Mt Gnomon free range pulled pork taco for breakfast.

All the noms I tell you.

Next up I had this beauty!  After a quick visit to the Organic Grocery Store to grab some raw milk I came home and made a loading smoothie.

Super creamy, tasty and soooooo high in good fats.

I don't normally drink a huge amount of milk but for loading this 

is a 

great source of nutrient dense fat

Ingredients:

1.5c full fat milk (you could use a nut milk if you prefer)

1/4c ashgrove cream (optional, but I had some in fridge)

2tbs raw cacao powder

1tsp probiotic blend

1tsp living green blend

2tbs raw cashew butter

1/2c blueberries
1 banana

Blend all ingredients until well combined.

And that is my morning of loading!  

Next snack on the plate is some Ashgrove camembert and blue cheese served with sliced apple.   I do love cheese and after stopping in at Ashgrove the other day was delighted to see that had some of their soft cheeses in stock.  If you haven't been to their on-site store I highly recommend the visit!  You can also order their products online.

But wait!
There's more!

All the goodness of grassfed, free range lamb loin chops.  OMG!  They were divine and I recommend you take a look at 
Conmurra Farm for their meat if you are in Tassie.  

This meal was baked chops with creamy bacon chard. 
I do the chops in the oven on 200c for about 20minutes.  I like them quite pink in the middle. 
The chard was sauted in ghee with garlic, cracked pepper and bacon.  I put a dash of cream in at the end and let it reduce.

Finally, I am finishing off the evening with a block of my fave raw chocolate.  This is divine and a real treat as it is a bit expensive.
It has a coconut butter base so nice and high in fats and is sweetened with agave.

What are your loading day favourites?

Kelli's cake of trickery

I am sure you have heard of the trickery that is THE Magic Bean Cake!  What? You haven't?  

Well go and check this one or this one out.

See!

So incredibly easy, fast and OMG!! It is delicious.  My kids are in love with it and ask for it when we are going somewhere and need to take a plate.

Once people taste it they also ask for recipes, it is such a winner.

Each time I make the thermomix one I try to reduce the sugar levels, even though I have been using coconut sugar.  

Today I thought I would have a go at adapting it and make it sugar free. 

I have to say

I DONE GOOD!!!!!

This turned out incredibly well.  Moist, sweet and you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

So good I have to share it with you.  

Kelli's Cake of Trickery

Ingredients

400gr tin of kidney/white beans

1c raspberries (any berries will do)

4 eggs

120gr butter (melted)

1tbs agave/honey/maple syrup 

2tbs coconut flour

3tbs raw cacao

1/2tsp bi-carb

1/2tsp baking powder

1tsp vanilla essence

1/2tsp salt

Method

Turn oven onto 200c to heat.

Drain and wash your beans well.  

Blend beans with one egg until smooth.  Add remaining eggs and all other ingredients except berries.  Blend until well combined, then stir through your berries.  

Pour into either a ring tin or 20cm x 20cm cake tin.  

Bake for approximately 30-40min.   

When skewer comes out clean in centre it is cooked.

I leave in tin for about 10min then take out and cool on a tray. 

It is really nice served warm with some cream or cold as a brownie style slice.

You're welcome :)

Home made Protocol tomato paste

I love home made tomato paste and it is very easy to make.

As you will know, commercial pastes have oils in them and often are loaded with preservatives and other nasties.  

This makes them very no-no for phase 2 of the protocol.

The addition of tomato paste to a dish can make the difference between bland or divine!  It is rich and full of flavour and enhances so many recipes.

So, lets get started.  I make this in bulk.  When I see a box of tomatoes at the greengrocer marked down, or if I have a glut of tomatoes in the garden I will make paste.

No measurements required here, you just need a couple of kilo of tomatoes really.  You can add herbs, salt/pepper, garlic or onion to taste if you want but I tend to make mine just plain with a dash of salt.

Because this is a time consuming task I sometimes cheat a little.  I roughly chop the tomatoes and put them in a pot on the stove top and boil them for an hour or so to give the reduction a head start.   

In the mean time I get my baking dishes organised and turn the oven on to 180c.

Next, I drain off some of the liquid and then puree the tomatoes, no de-seeding here cos I am lazy!

Pour into baking dishes and pop in the oven.

Now the time intensive part starts.   You need to check this at least every 30 minutes and give the tomatoes a stir.   The over all process will take about four or so hours.

You cannot leave this to do it's thing or you will burn it!

When your mix starts to look like this, turn the oven down to 160c as you don't want your tomato mix to burn.

You are nearly done!

A little longer and you are done!  

This is beautiful stuff.

There will be a tiny bit of liquid in your mix but that is ok.  

Just take the time to smell this.  It is heavenly stuff.

Now, you can preserve this in jars (like jam) or you can do what I do.  

I pop it into ice cube trays and freeze then tip into a plastic bag/container and keep in the freezer.

This makes it handy for cooking, especially if you don't want to have a jar sitting in the fridge for a long time.  

Why do you eat?

This is something I have been thinking about lately.  

We know that to survive we have to eat.  

But when we eat and why we eat is something I am working on at the moment.  Changing your lifestyle is such a huge thing.  It isn't just about ditching the crap and embracing the good stuff.  I have found it to be a massive psychological journey too.

In online support groups I see multiple posts daily from people lamenting that they have 'fallen off the wagon' or 'cheated'.   

These folk know that eating certain foods will make them feel ill, gain weight or have some other reaction.  Yet, despite this they still eat them.  This could be due to cravings, emotions, peer pressure, habit, boredom or time restraints.

For me, I don't tend to crave anything much since changing my diet.  I attribute this to being so ill beforehand and feeling so much better within six weeks of starting the protocol.   There is no way I want to go back to feeling like I did!  This doesn't mean I don't have the occasional flare up, but this is mostly due to testing something and finding it doesn't agree with me.  On the rare occasion (okay the other day), I will have something I know will react but do so anyway.  Damn that kebab was good!   Yes, I had a gain and my body aches but I doubled my ACV and water intake to try and flush it through faster.  

This isn't my biggest challenge though.

Ask yourself this.  

Are you hungry?  

Seriously, when you sit down to eat tonight really think about that.   

Do you have set meal times?

How often do you look at the clock and think about breakfast, lunch or dinner?

I know, right!!

I do it too.  

Because I home educate my kids I have two kids harping for food often LOL  Actually, I should correct that because since going LCHF (low carb, high fat) in our house they don't harp nearly as much as they used to.  

But they also clock watch!

"it's 12.30pm we have to have lunch now!"

Something I am trying to teach, not only them but ME! 

 Is to stop.  Just stop.  

Then ask "am I really hungry?" 

Because we start our day later than most because we can and arent you jelly around 9am we don't have breakfast until late, this means we don't really NEED lunch until later.   We have also been having high protein breakfasts, which we know is filling and will keep you going.  

Another reason to ask that question, "am I really hungry?"

Recently I went to the Primal Living conference in Hobart.  The food provided was very high protein, high fat.   This challenged me, I was full for two days and was not hungry at all, yet I struggled with that demand of the clock.  It is meal o'clock so I should be eating!

I ate a meal the following day and felt ill.

The next day I decided enough was enough and I didn't eat for 1.5 days after that.

You know what, I survived!  

I did not need to eat, I was not hungry.

I am trying very hard to break this habit of eating because the clock says to.  

Another question I ask is 

AM I THIRSTY?

We often mistake thirst for hunger.  When did you last have some water?  Go have a drink now!

If you think you should be eating, go have a glass of water and wait 30 minutes then ask yourself if you are really hungry.

Do we need to snack?

I say no.

Again, I find myself offering food to my kids and I am trying to stop this habit.  IF they are truly hungry they will ask.  No doubting that!

When I think "oooh it is 3pm I better get them a snack" I am trying to stop myself.  

Again, LCHF they shouldn't need a snack.  If I fill them up with good food for main meals that should sustain them.

For myself, I rarely snack now. 

I will have the occasional raw date/nut ball and I often feel like something salty so I will sometimes sprinkle some himalayan salt on it for that hit.  When I am not in phase 2 I rarely eat fruit and again feel fine with that. In phase 2 I want that extra snack as my protein is reduced and all fats stopped for the duration but in phase 4/5 I am full most of the time. 

So, why do you eat??

What a year

You have to remember that I didn't start the HCG protocol until Feb 2014 and had gained more weight than you see in the first two pictures!!

Many people have mocked what I am doing, questioned it's validity and whether it works.  

I think the pictures speak for themselves don't you!