Stress and Comfort Food. A Bad Combination

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It's been a rough week around here. Oh, all is well with our health, marriage, finances. Our kids and their families are well. But we're all more than a bit stunned by the events of the past week. Stress and anxiety are at pretty high levels.

Granted, many readers of this blog may be jubilant. Some angry. Many in shock. But since this space is meant as a platform to share and, hopefully, help navigate through success with the ketogenic, low-carb/high fat diet, let's look at how all these extreme emotions and states of mind can prove to be landmines when trying to remain on track.

"Comfort Food". Ah, yes. That treat or meal to which we turn to make ourselves feel better. It's a well accepted trope. But I put forth that those self same dishes and time-honored family favorites from our childhood do anything but make us better. They might tamp down feelings for a moment. But nothing is solved. And depending on what the food is, can exacerbate the problem. 

We can't avoid stress. We're sometimes fearful. Life is full of triggers. But we must learn to deal with those things without face planting into a a bag of Twinkies. We simply must.

The following video is pretty disjointed due to - well, due to life happening. So I decided to keep it the messy thing it is, 'cause life is messy. Yet it moves on....

It's been a hard week around here. But food isn't the place to look to feel better. For more information on the ketogenic diet and my experiences, see links below: ☞ SEE MY WEIGHT CHANGE CHART: http://caseydurango.com/my-next-goal ☞ READ MORE AT MY BLOG: http://caseydurango.com ☞ FOLLOW MY FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/ketocasey/

I’ve been fortunate to have exposure to leading researchers, physicians and journalists regarding the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Thanks!  - Casey

A New Low and New Clothes.

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When I started following the ketogenic diet, my wardrobe - and that's a generous word for the cruddy collection of clothes I owned - was comprised of those items with the highest potential to stretch and the lowest potential to draw attention to myself. If you've never been really overweight you may not be able to identify with the magic of the elastic waistband and how that expandable feature allows one to breath as well as to delude oneself. If your trousers still fit you must have stopped putting on weight, right?

Uh, no.

It took me deciding to 'do the opposite', to get out of my comfort zone - and the insistence of my Lovely Mate one day a couple of years ago - to make the leap from someone who dressed like a middle-class bag lady to something of fashionista. I now revel in getting dolled up and attending social functions. This is the opposite of where I was in my head previously. This video explains it a bit. I' very much like the styling service featured in the video, StitchFix. Choices made onmy behalf are often better than those I’d make myself. And, oh yeh, I hit a new weight loss low this morning. I'm now down 91.2 pounds since starting the ketogenic diet and 109.3 pounds lower than my (known) highest weight. I buried the lede!

I've hit another new low. And I received a new shipment of clothes from the service that has helped me add style to my life. For more information on the ketogenic diet and links to products used in this video, see below.

I’ve been fortunate to have exposure to leading researchers, physicians and journalists regarding the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Thanks!  - Casey

Yet Another New Low. This Is Wild!

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As I wrote in this previous post, I'm on my own for the month of October. My Lovely Mate is out of the country and there's no one here but us chickens. (Literally, 15 chickens and me. And the dogs...) And as I wrote and spoke about this this post, while I find the ketogenic, low carb/high fat diet, easy to follow in terms of the wonderful, luscious foods I'm allowed to eat, I struggle with trying to eat only when hungry. To be clear, I don't over eat ever. Not in the sense of polishing off a plate piled high. I used to do that. Often. And I'm going to guess many readers of this blog have done the same. No, I don't need much food these days. But eating out of habit rather than true hunger has been a challenge.

So, I reckoned that being on my own and therefor having absolutely no excuse to eat unless I really was hungry - can't blame my 3-meal-a-day eating spouse and all that food around me - would provide an excellent opportunity to test myself.

What I've found is that I really and truly don't need much food. And, to a large degree, have lost interest in it. What?! Me? Not interested in food? That's like a Kardashian losing interest in publicity. I might be much more like my Aunt Teensy (not an ironic nickname) than like my late father, known to many as Jelly Belly (also not ironic). I'll write more about my thoughts on Teensy and food and all that another day. For now, here's a quick video about today's numbers..

This is getting crazy! My 30 day 'experiment' is showing me that I've been eating more than I need when food is around. For more information on the ketogenic diet, see below.

I’ve been fortunate to have exposure to leading researchers, physicians and journalists regarding the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Thanks!  - Casey

Another New Low! (I'm Really Surprised!)

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I stepped on the scale this morning and was surprised. Shocked, really, at the number, I've been used to getting to new 'lows' 1/10 of a pound at a time. This morning it was down 2.1 pounds! Holy Moly! That's a total of 87.9 pounds lost since I started the ketogenic, low carb diet.

For your viewing pleasure....

I was surprised and thrilled to step on the scale this AM and find myself down 2.1 pounds from yesterday. For more information on the ketogenic diet and links to references used in this video, see below.

I’ve been fortunate to have exposure to leading researchers, physicians and journalists regarding the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Thanks!  - Casey

How Fast Will Weight Come Off on the Ketogenic Diet?

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In my life experience, the ketogenic (low carb/high fat) diet has been the only protocol that has resulted in reliable weight loss. And it's been pretty predictable. That is not to say the weight loss has been in a straight line. Anything but. There have been ups and downs. And occasional flat lines. But it works.

Thing is, it works differently for everyone. Variables such as age, gender, starting weight, level of insulin resistance (how much your pancreas has gone on strike and has stopped trying to regulate getting excess glucose out of your blood, also known as type 2 diabetes), etc., can all impact the rate of weight loss.

In my reading on different sites and support group pages I see that many are frustrated if weight loss isn't dramatic. The video below addresses my thoughts on that. [roll tape....]

My 30 days on my own, an update. For more information on the ketogenic diet, see below. ☞ SEE MY WEIGHT CHANGE CHART: http://caseydurango.com/my-next-goal ☞ READ MORE AT MY BLOG: http://caseydurango.com ☞ FOLLOW MY FACEBOOK PAGE: https://www.facebook.com/ketocasey/

I’ve been fortunate to have exposure to leading researchers, physicians and journalists regarding the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths. I welcome questions, comments and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Thanks!  - Casey