January was an absolute crap month for me - I was dealing with deadlines, travel and being so overwhelmed with my daily life that I wasn't able to do my typical meal prep / planning.  I didn't work out, I didn't spend anytime on my pilates practice and my morale was in the crapper.

It's no longer January - the month of bad decisions ... It's February which means I'm back to my normal routine.  Thankfully.

Meal Planning & Prep is a huge component to my success but I don't have a ton of free time so I need easy and delicious go-to's that I enjoy and keep me on track.
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Nothing is easier or yummier in terms of creating easily portable and Keto friendly meals than Egg Cups.

Most Sundays I make different versions of Egg Cups as I find if I have them at the ready, come Monday morning, I can just grab a portion and head out the door.  This reduces the chance I'll grab a ketosis killing snack at the office. 

Anyone that works for a software company is familiar with the typical start up company kitchen - they are always crammed full of pop, snacks, sweet treats, beer, etc. Combined with lunch being brought in many times a week - there's temptation at every turn. 

With a bit of planning I can stay on track - these are one of my favorite items to have on hand.

Today I made Sausage & Ricotta Egg Cups:

Ingredients: 

• 6 Eggs
• Spicy Sausage - 1/2 package (tube)
• Whole Milk Ricotta - 4 oz
• Cream Cheese - 4 oz 
• Parmesan Cheese 
• Cheddar Cheese
• Heavy Cream - (1/3 Cup)
• Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder
• Spray Oil (coconut or olive)

How To:

• Combine Eggs, Cream and Ricotta together using an emersion blender.  This is the preferred way for me as I like to have a really smooth consistency - additionally it adds a great amount of air to the mixture creating a very light and airy texture. 
• In a muffin / cupcake tin, spray with oil to prevent sticking
• Add sausage 
• Pour in Egg Mixture - I actually mix everything together in a bowl and transfer it to a large measuring cup to make it easy to control the amount I'm pouring into the tin.  These rise a lot so I usually fill them about 3/4th of the way
• Add cubes of cream cheese - I usually do two cubes per egg cup
• Sprinkle with Parmesan and Cheddar Cheese 

Tip:

• Place your muffin tin on a sheet pan just in case you overfilled them.  This will prevent any spill over
• Adjust the ratios to your liking - like sausage?  Add as much as you'd like.  Hate Cream Cheese?  Don't use it ... 
• I make so many different variations of these - the only thing that remains the same are the eggs & heavy cream ... everything else I switch around depending on what I have on hand and what I'm in the mood for!

Place in a preheated oven (375) and bake for about 30 mins. 
​You'll know they're ready when they have risen, are firm to the touch, and the cheese is a beautiful golden brown.

For those of you that have shared that I use too much cheese - I think you may need to take a step back and really evaluate your life through a critical lens.  Something is wrong.  I'm worried about you.

I have been following, what I think is a flawless execution of a KETO lifestyle for nearly a month. 

I never "cheat" ... I follow it to the letter.  I'm always in Ketosis, it seems. Maybe I am missing something?

I don't think I'm under estimating my carb intake.  A typical meal for me is a bunless burger &  sautéed spinach. No sneaky carbs on this plate.

​I test for Ketones and I'm always between the 4.0 and 8.0 range.  I don't think I have ever been a 16.0 nor have I ever been lower than a 4.0.

But I have been reading a lot lately about the difference between Ketosis and being Fat Adapted ... 

Fat Adapted? I've adapted to the fact that I should never wear a unitard ... I actually can't think of anyone more fat adapted than me.

Imagine my surprise - that's NOT what Fat Adapted means.  Think of it as a transition period where you body truly makes the leap from using Glucose for Fuel (carbs) to it burning nothing but Fat.  Your body has transitioned into a fat burning machine.  YASSSSSSS ...

This can happen in as little as 3 weeks but can take 4-6 weeks in some cases.  4-6 weeks?  That's a long time for someone like me who isn't a massive fan of delayed gratification.

I thought at 6 weeks I'd be near my goal weight. Kidding ... for the most part.
Now that I am educating myself and gobbling up as many resources on the topic as I can get my hands on, I'm able to connect a lot of dots in terms of what I have been experiencing over the last 4 weeks.

It's absolutely fascinating and I've enjoyed this period of time to incorporate being incredibly mindful of what I put into my body and recognizing how my body feels as a result. 

With each passing day I feel better, I truly do and I have to say this is the absolute longest span of time I have stuck to a plan without binging or falling off track.  It's effortless. I have never been able to say that before when "dieting", not ever.

A testament of my transition: today my flight to Boston was delayed several times over.  What was supposed to be an easy 3.5 hour day became a 9 hour exercise in me not losing my mind with each passing delay.

MENU & MACROS

Breakfast: 2  Eggs cooked in Coconut Oil & 1/2 Avocado 
Lunch: Cobb Salad with Roasted Chicken
Dinner: Bunless Burger with Bacon & Smoked Gouda 

Carbs: 17 / Fat 100 / Protein 60 which is pretty dead on for my calculated macros.

I have also had a ton of water which isn't always easy when traveling. I'm fighting a cold and am convinced I can drown it out of my system by drinking lemon water with droppers full of goldenseal and echinacea (it's horrible).  

My hotel room doesn't have a scale - will be interested in seeing where I am upon my return (5 days) as I really should be on the verge of being fat adapted.  

Before discovering KETO - I spent a great deal of time on diets that were more focused on what I COULDN'T eat.  As a result, socializing over a meal wasn't something I looked forward to as Low Calorie / Low Fat diets can be so incredibly high maintenance at times.

​Me:
I'd like the grilled chicken (no oil)
Side of plain steamed broccoli no added butter or salt
Side salad; no cheese, croutons, bacon, olives, or dressing
Though could you bring me a lemon wedge and vinegar?  
Unless it's balsamic, I can't have that.  If you don't have Red Wine vinegar - Apple Cider is great  unless it's in a pre-made vinaigrette then I'll just take a few lemon slices.
On and On and On 

If I happened to get a waiter or waitress that relied on memory alone I could see the moment they realized how useful putting pen to paper would have been.  I'd then apologize for existing and would throw in an advanced apology that I knew they were going to bring me broccoli slathered in butter & parmesan which I would then return.

KETO completely changes the dynamic of how I can navigate social situations & celebrations while making it incredibly easy to be mindful of what I put into my body.  

With the rise in popularity of Wine & Cheese shops it's so easy to go out and order a cheese plate or charcuterie board and know you're staying on plan.

No other pairing works so seamlessly with KETO!

I love Bitto Bistro, which is really close to my house in Broomfield. I went to dinner tonight with a girlfriend and we split a plate of Blue Cheese, Cotswold, and Prosciutto .  It was perfect for the two of us.

Meat, Cheese, Pickles, Olives and a single glass of Red Wine and an evening filled with great conversation.  Easy and Enjoyable. Not to mention the waiter didn't want to slash my tires due to me being a massive pain in the ass.  

The best part is that KETO adds such ease when going to dinner with friends.  I didn't wonder about how something was prepared or portion size.

After dinner, I came home and tested my ketones - I was right around 40 mg/dL.  That's the upper range of "moderate" and is a good range for me.  

I'm in Ketosis, I'm losing weight, I feel great and have finally found a lifestyle that actually lets me live with fewer rules.

I don't think I realized how much time I spent thinking about food until I didn't have to think about food as much.  I have a straight forward plan that gives me parameters to live within and that is so incredibly liberating.

A few things I have noticed and wanted to share:
I kicked off KETO on November 4th 

1. I didn't lose much weight the first week.  It actually was surprising enough to give me pause and make me doubt the path I was on. 

KETO to me was like the holy grail of lifestyles - some diet nirvana that once attained would make you look like a 6" ft tall / 120 lbs Pilates Instructor. Maybe that's more of a week 4 thing ... will report back.  

I do think KETO comes with high expectations which are often justified but they should be tempered by realistic expectations as well.  I have spent most every day of every month of every year of every decade dieting, to various extents.  I have to think my metabolism would file charges against me if it were able.  Thankfully it's not.

15 days in, I am consistently losing weight nearly every day.  The loss can range from .5 to 1.5 which is amazing.  My current run rate is about 5 lbs a week.  Know that when I built my daily macros I wanted to be at a 25% deficit - with each loss milestone I'll adjust my macros.  My goal is to realign my macros as I navigate this journey and find that perfect balance of maintaining where I'm most comfortable.

Right now, it made sense for me to be most restrictive as I'm at the start of the weight loss journey.  By the time I hit my goal weigh my macros will look very different than they do today. I don't have a ton to lose so I'm not in a rush as I'm trying to make lifelong changes.  

2. I'm also finding that Ketosis is often confused with ketoacidosis.  Several people have shared that I'm doing "tremendous harm" by being KETO which is simply not the case.

Ketoacidosis is a dangerous condition for diabetics in particular. However what makes it so incredibly dangerous is ACID not the ketones per se.  Ketones are produced by the liver and operate as a very efficient fuel for the body.  They sort of take over when there isn't enough glucose.  As I understand it, when your glucose levels become depleted / low enough your liver takes notice and converts oodles of stored fatty acids into Ketone bodies that become your primary source of fuel.  Thanks Liver!!

3. All cravings are gone now ... what I want to eat has shifted.  I think on low fat diets all I think about are the things I can't have.  It was always about beating my cravings into submission until I'd go bananas one day and eat 2 cupcakes.  Then I'd feel like shit, my stomach would hurt, I'd feel guilty, etc.  KETO has broken that cycle for me because I'm eating such rich foods, my body doesn't feel deprived.  

I'm in a FB group with some girlfriends of mine - who are all trying to lose weight and the cycle is the same for every single member: amazing week / horrible week / back on track / OMG I ate 2 bagels / sort of on track / I just ate a snickers dipped in peanut butter / off the rails / no hope left in humanity / the world is ending / **Start Over**  / amazing week / horrible week / back on track / off the rails / shame silence / **Start Over**  ....

Wildly supportive group of woman - amazing woman who are all strong and beautiful and perfect the way they are.  But we're struggling.  The thing is, it's not just me or you ... it's this cycle of trying to deprive ourselves into "healthly" which has proven to not work over and over again.

This was my life for the last 30 years.  I actually once said "Oh no, I'm full - I just ate 6 grapes".  Believe when Is say KETO is fairly life changing on so so many levels.

4.  There is such a thing as too much protein.  I think the first time I did what I thought was KETO was me just eating a shit ton of Protein and not enough fat and it didn't work.  So I abandoned it after I gained nearly 5 lbs.  What I didn't realize is, excessive protein actually converts to carbohydrates though a process called gluconeogensis ... who knew that?  Well clearly a ton of people but I wasn't one of them.  

5. I'm never hungry & I don't snack any longer.  I eat 3 meals a day with one small snack usually between Lunch & Dinner and that's all I want.   I eat less often and need smaller portions because I stay full & satisfied longer.  It's really rather remarkable on so many levels as I'm someone who loves (loved) to snack - I celebrated with snacks ... I celebrated my snacks with snacks.  I just don't have much desire to snack at all now.  I celebrate in other ways.

That's what I know / have experienced thus far.
I went to the TwentyOne Pilots concert tonight with my son and I didn't even have a stadium snack.  I just enjoyed being out with Finn having the most fun I have had in years.  What an amazing evening.  More on that ... and more on my KETO journey as it progresses!!

FAT BOMBS ... On any other plan you would think this was a mistake you made.  It sounds more like a response to a friend asking how your diet is coming along, "Oh I fat bombed it completely today ... maybe tomorrow will be better"

But today was awesome because not only are Fat Bombs okay they are encouraged.  Fat Bombs are easy to make, satisfying, so incredibly decadent and have about 2 net carbs per bomb.

Today I spent most of my time organizing my closet - it's something that I love to do. I think it makes me feel like an incredibly well adjusted adult.  Especially if I can get all my laundry sorted and stored away 1. in the same day and 2. in an orderly fashion.

But it's also incredibly motivating - the back half of my closet is crammed full of items that I love but can't wear comfortably.  If you bend over and feel as though your pencil skirt is sawing you in half -  I'd like to emphasize how powerful a KETO meal plan can be in helping you make your way to the back half of your closet.  Fat Bombs are just another tool to get you there.

A tasty tasty tool ... 

After I mastered being an adult this afternoon I turned my attention to meal planning and wanted to incorporate a few sweet treats into this week's menu by way of making two kinds of Fat Bombs:

1. Hazelnut & Coconut (4 ingredients total)
2. Peanut Butter & Chocolate (3 ingredients total)

Of note: I meant to sprinkle sea salt on top of the hazelnut & coconut ones but spaced it entirely.  That little salty bite would be fairly spectacular and it would also enhance the other flavors.  Now that I think about it, I also spaced it the last time I made them as well.  I'm not sure what's going on with me and my inability to add this ingredient but I seemingly refuse to do so.

HAZELNUT & COCONUT FAT BOMBS:

• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• MCT Oil
• Lily's Chocolate Chips
• Roasted Hazelnuts
• SEA SALT!!! 

PEANUT BUTTER FAT BOMBS:

• No sugar added Peanut Butter
• MCT Oil
• Lily's Chocolate Chips

HOW TO:
They are the easiest thing to make. I do think having a silicone candy mold is the key to having an easy go at making fat bombs as they just pop out perfectly each and every time.  

1. Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips.  If you're not familiar with a double boiler, just boil water in saucepan and place a stainless bowl over it and add the chocolate chips.  The hot water will heat the stainless bowl and melt the chocolate evenly and quickly.  
2. Add MCT Oil once the chocolate chips have completely melted and stir until the chocolate is smooth and shiny with the oil being incorporated completely
3. Place a small layer of the chocolate in the bottom of your molds
4. For half my tray I added three hazelnuts and shredded coconut / For the other half I added a layer of peanut butter
5. Cover with the chocolate & MCT mixture
6. Optional: Top with Sea Salt, Coconut, etc.
7. Place molds in Fridge to set - they will set quickly
8. Once set, I throw them into a ziplock and store in my fridge

TIPS:

• In my opinion, these chocolate chips have a different consistency than other types of chocolate - I'm not able to temper the chocolate properly so maybe it has something to do with the additional ingredients or cocoa butter ratio, or me, etc.  
• I feel like I have to work quickly (hence my messy mold) otherwise it can seize up a bit.  Throwing it back over the steamy water will fix that as will adding a bit more MCT oil.
• Some times I top mine with a bit of whipped cream - since I use absolutely no sweetener in my whipped cream it actually tones down the sweetness associated with the stevia.
• About those chips! I prefer Lily's Chocolate Chips - they are amazing with absolutely no lingering aftertaste.  I usually don't like the taste of stevia and I wasn't sure how well I'd like these chocolate chips but after trying a few brands, I landed with Lily's - they are absolutely amazing with zero aftertaste and make the perfect Fat Bombs.  Definitely gives these a try.
• Serving Size: 1 Fat Bomb

I track everything I eat to make sure I'm hitting my macro % / grams for the day.  A Fat Bomb will help me hit my target  if I'm  running short. 

I think they also lend a sort of luxury to the meal plan as they are so decadent.  For those of you that like something sweet to end a meal, they are perfect and will satisfy that need. 

I have always preferred savory over sweet but every so often I crave a bit of chocolate.  For me these are a really easy way to feel like you're indulging while staying on track.

My goal is to be able to walk into my closet and wear absolutely anything - no treat is worth derailing that.  With Fat Bombs you don't have to compromise and that's pretty awesome.

In my next batch I may add Bacon - a bit of crunchy savory in my sweet!!  

Stay Tuned!

I have had one of those weeks where you sort of look and feel like you were hit by a bus, then dragged through hell only to be launched back into your normal day to day life and land in a pile of dog crap.   

I have placed myself in timeout.  

I showed up to work today with my hair in a ponytail and a coworker was concerned that something happened to me.  

Again, hit by bus, dragged through hell, & landed in a turd pile are on the highlights reel.  I'll save those for another post entitled "Are you trying to get punched in the throat?"

With everything going on I only worked out twice because I missed every single pilates class at the gym due to getting stuck in parking garages (street level construction) each day this week and last minute meeting requests darkened my outlook (literally and figuratively).

But I'm feeling great 10 days into KETO.  My stomach doesn't hurt, I don't feel bloated, someone said I was glowing and looked amazing today (despite my ponytail), and I'm losing weight.

That said, for the last 24 hours - all I can think about and all I want is something absolutely LOADED with carbs.  This was a super stressful week - I think in my mind french fries or (and) a croissant would decrease my stress.  I'm sure it would, like a little hug of support for my tummy.

I found myself standing in front of my pantry staring at a plate of chocolate croissants with more longing in my eyes than I have ever had for anything or anyone ... ever.

I can only imagine this is what Oliver Twist would feel like looking at an endless supply of porridge - mouth open & wide eyed

I think I blacked out at some point because I'm not even sure how long I stood there but I'm happy to report I didn't eat one.  I did however eat a small plate of olives. 

As yummy as they were it was a shitty substitute for a chocolate croissant.   I was actually so put out by it all I ended up just escaping to my room where I cleaned my bathroom and settled into creating next week's menu!  

A good friend of mine is doing KETO as well. She has lost a lot of weight and continues to do so faster than I am losing mine.

​She suggested I look into Exogenous Ketones. I bought a starter bundle from PerfectKeto.com containing:
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• 1 Keto Collagen (Chocolate) 
• 1 MCT Oil Powder (Unflavored)
• 1 Bottle of Ketone Testing Strips (100 count)
• And 1 Exogenous Ketone Base (Chocolate)

I actually have no idea what I bought entirely but I saw "Chocolate" and stopped reading.  I don't even care at this point.  

I religiously use MCT Oil in my coffee & when making fat bombs.  I just love it.  I'll get a powder version of that in my starter kit.  I'm most excited about that.

Re: the ketone strips, I have been testing my blood a few times a week (in the am / evening) just to see where I have been hovering range wise.  I'm staying in an optimal zone it seems, so all signs are pointing to me being on the right track.
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I do wonder why my progress is soooooo slow.  I am armed with oodles of books and am reading through them and will try to adjust next week's menu.  I don't think I'm eating too many calories - I'm monitoring my macros and watching my caloric intake so I think once my metabolism resets I should start to see fairly significant results.  Fingers Crossed.

But here's the thing - I feel better ... even though weight isn't melting off of me, I feel a rather remarkable improvement.  I'm fairly blown away by that.

That's my update! A bit more reading and a bit more blogging and I'm calling this day / week over.

Oodles of sleep and my pilates classes tomorrow should reset my morale.

I'm looking forward to seeing how I progress next week while hopefully keeping my stress levels a bit lower. 

There's just so much going on in my life / around me that it's hard to not become distracted or derailed.  

I just think with how great I'm feeling it's not really a diet or something to suffer through - it's just a new approach to how I live my life.