reindeershaman

My partner the Ninja Weasel Darth Yoga, who is a massage therapist, pointed out that when I'm too bad off to meditate, I can get some passive Thai yoga massage, which is sort of like Asian PT and very helpful. Range of motion stretches and all that. So that's my third go-to. I'm going to set my "succeed" goal as: leaves every day, and something from the above list six days out of seven - I'm going to try for every day, but I think it's realistic to allow myself one fuckup a week. (Fuckup not being unable to exercise, fuckup is not trying to find something on that list I can do.) If I make six out of seven for this month, I'll try for every day next month. OK! Sunday looms. We are go.

The website I've just recently discovered is She Calls Me Hobbit: http://shecallsmehobbit.com/ The dude is doing ketogenic baking with whey protein! Or whey protein/ nut flour mix! I had pancakes for the first time in two and a half years! And cinnamon rolls! Omigod, cinnamon rolls! (With a name like Hobbit, is this guy on here? Anyone know?) He's also putting up the recipes for his friend the Iron Keto Chef, but IKC's recipes are all very chemical laden, whereas Hobbit can only have stevia, like me. So I'm going to work my way through his for a while. Just to throw stuff out there: The whey protein isolate vs. whey protein concentrate question? If you are lactose intolerant, isolate. If you are bodybuilding or seriously strength training, isolate. If you are trying to limit overly processed food, concentrate. If you are diabetic, concentrate - isolate tends to derange insulin in diabetics. It's better to risk 2 carbs rather than 0 and not have to deal with insulin spikes. So that can help people make their decision on it.

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place to ask this - my apologies if it's not, but I sadly couldn't find a keto board per se. I've been on a ketogenic diet for two and a half years now - not for weight loss, but for diabetes control. I've got liver diabetes which is particularly tricky, and the diet keeps me off insulin. So worth it, even though I often go through days of hating it and wanting carbs desperately. (Yes, I have tried glutamine, several other supplements, and time. Didn't touch the cravings. So I just deal, and use willpower.) I also have a ton of allergies on top of the keto, which restricts me even further. On top of that, I have an autoimmune disease (which caused the liver diabetes) and one of its side effects is that if I eat the same food too often, I'll become allergic and lose it, which is not a good thing on a very limited diet. So my challenge is to keep things varied enough within the tiny range of food that I've got. So ... if there are other ketogenic people out there, what are your favorite recipes? I can eat dairy (and do eat lots of it, my body doesn't have a problem with it) and I eat stevia, but I'm allergic to Splenda and aspartame and sugar alcohols make my gut ache, so stevia is it. (Can't do honey or maple syrup - blood sugar spike.) But I'm doing no grains, no starches (including all root veggies except for a little carrot now and then for Vitamin A), and almost no fruit (blood sugar spikes, I can have maybe a tiny handful of berries every couple of days). If I could get back anything it would be fruit, sigh, but it is what it is. So, recipes you love, ketogenic folks? And if there are any ketogenic diabetics out there who are using this to help control their blood sugar, speak up! All the online keto shit is about weight loss, and the assumption that one will do it, get thin, and eventually quit. It seems like almost all ketogenic nutritionists are what we call "diabetic dodgers" - they don't want to deal with us as a population, they all say "see your doctor" as if your local doctors are likely to have any clue about ketogenic diets. (In my experience, they don't.) Using a ketogenic diet instead of insulin seems to make everyone freak out - surely there are people besides me who are doing this? How are you doing adapting to permanent keto, and keeping your nutrition OK? Anyway, I'll post a recipe here that is one of my favorites. I'll continue to post recipes on this thread. I won't police what recipes others post here, but I'm specifically looking for stuff with no grains, no starches, no fruit, no natural sugars, no artificial sweeteners except stevia; all animal products are OK, and shit like xanthan gum and whey protein is OK. Looking for super low carb but still tasty, not Paleo. But really, post your faves whatever they are. Anyway, crackers because I totally missed crunchy stuff. These are not structurally sound enough to stab into dip and scrape without crumbling, but they are good enough for spreading, and for gently scooping very soft dip. Even my friends who eat normal food liked these. The only person who can't eat them is, ironically, my wife who has diverticulosis and can't have tiny seeds. But the celiac friends, the Paleo friends, the vegan friends, and even the ordinary eaters jumped on them. I can hardly keep the gluten-free third partner from devouring my whole supply. Awesome Seed Crackers This recipe is done with ratios, not amounts, so it’s adjustable for however much you want to make. That said, when I make them, “one part” is about ¼ cup. That makes 3-4 sheets of cracker. Suitable for low carb, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, and nut allergy people. 2 parts roasted sunflower seeds 2 parts roasted pumpkin seeds 1 part sesame seeds 1 part poppy seeds 1 part chia seeds 4 parts water (chia is the key in this recipe, it glues everything together, and chia to water is always 1:4 parts) Salt to taste (I use a generous sprinkle) Lots of herbs (I will sometimes do up to a half-part mixed dried herbs, which makes for a lot of flavor; these can be basil, oregano, rosemary, savory, dill, etc.) Baking parchment (very important, the cracker mix will stick badly to anything else, including tinfoil and pans) Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let them sit for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to make sure that the chia has turned to goo and gotten all over everything. Put baking parchment in the bottom of a baking pan and spread the mix in a very, very thin layer – as thin as possible while still having full coverage. Bake at around 350 for a half hour to 45 minutes, depending on your oven’s strength. Check after half an hour. The edges should be starting to brown, and it shouldn’t be soft and rubbery. If you pull it out too soon and find, as it cools, that it is rubbery, it’s OK to put it back in for 5 or 10 minutes – keep checking it. The sheet should be firm and stiff. Break it into pieces and eat with cheese dip or hummus or guacamole or what you will. I use the "crumbs" on salads like croutons afterwards.

Yes, you can do non-sugar breads - I did that all the time back when I could still eat grains. The problem isn't the consistency, it's that yeast feeds on sugar, and you want your yeast to fluff up. There are some sugars occurring naturally in flour, but bakers usually add more to get the nice light consistency you want, instead of a brick. Are you excluding all sugars including natural ones? If not, you can use honey - there are plenty of honey recipes out there for bread. Also, things like pumpkin, squash, applesauce will also feed the yeast, so look for bread recipes that use those. Easy to google - "applesauce bread", "honey bread", "pumpkin bread" etc. For every recipe, someone has made a variety of alternatives. Now for cakes and frosting and that sort of thing, it does get harder to replace the sugar, which does give consistency. But there are recipes for that too.

Actually, something I can do instead is a half hour of meditation. That is achievable, and right now I need some achievable success. So I will make that my Number 3. Yes, there will be some days when the chronic pain and chronic fatigue are so bad that I can't even do either, and then my discipline will be to not beat myself up about it. OK, I think I have a plan to start tomorrow. 1) Leaves. 2) Exercise on every day that is physically possible, with no self-denigration when it's not. 3) Half hour of meditation on every day that I can't physically exercise, whenever physically possible, with no self-denigration if I can't even do that. 4) Life goal: Organizational Procedure for all Commitments in place!

So I did a challenge round back in November/December and did well. Then the next month I got sick again, and did terribly. The first month, I'd been lucky - no long flares. But I have to be realistic - I'm going to have long flares sometimes. So I'm still keeping one goal because I did really well on it, and it's almost habit, and I want it to become real habit. 1) Eating leafy greens of some sort every day. I count cabbage and bok choy and suchlike. Leaves of some kind. Raw or cooked. Green things. The other two goals were doing things X time per week. That's not realistic - some weeks I could do OK, but at any time I might be struck down for days or even a month. So my second goal, while not nearly as satisfying, is: 2) I will take walks on every day that I can actually take walks. Alternately, if I can do some other sort of exercise (for example the tai chi), I will do that. If I can only walk or exercise ten days out of a month - or less - OK. And just because I need it: 3) I will not beat myself up because my body is down again and I can't do anything. That helps nothing. This means no point system, no little boxes to check off, no little numbers to rack up in a sig line. But it's something I might actually be able to achieve on a regular basis, And my "life goal": Start putting the new Organization Goal of Maegen Jacking into place. I will be organized! -Reindeer Shaman

And as if the Universe was testing me ... I felt OK yesterday, or at least OK enough to walk, if not fast. So I did. And tonight I am up with pain so bad I can't sleep. Not because of the walking, just because this is my life. And I need to be OK with the fact that I did what I could yesterday, and today is just not going to work out, and that's all right. So, working on that.

So I did really well in my December/January first quest, back when they were six weeks. But I was lucky. I didn't get sick for long periods of time, which sometimes happens. February came and I did just that - body fell apart again. And that kind of demoralized me. Plus I've been traveling for work all through Feb and Mar, so I just quit to focus on travel, and get my head back together. I think that part of the problem is that I really wanted to be able to give myself points and have a system whereby one checks off those points, and sees numerical progress, and so long as one manages to do the things, one will be OK and the points will grow. That's what my partner does. But I have to be realistic: I am coping with a chronic serious illness that is not going to get better and will continually relapse, plus a bunch of other genetic health problems. January was me pretending that I could do this like a normal person. I can't. I need to figure out what I can do, what's realistic for me, and set a challenge that gives me a better chance of ongoing success. The one part of my challenge that I quit back in Feb that I actually did do was leafy greens every day. (Well, I count cabbage. I've grown it, those are leaves.) I only missed a couple of days, and that was because I was on a plane or just got back home and hadn't gone grocery shopping yet, and there was nothing in the house. But I've done really good with that. I've done really good with my diet in general. My partner has been amazed at how determinedly I stick to it. Of course, for me, "cheating" doesn't mean just a couple of extra pounds. It means a blood sugar spike, which makes me feel sick, and then immediate horrible weight gain within a day (when I pop out of ketosis), which is double what a normal person would gain because of my constant edema from the lupus nephritis (I'm on four diuretics and that barely keeps it in check for part of the day). So what would be a five-pound weight gain for someone else is a ten-pound weight gain for me. One piece of pie can mean ten pounds two days later. It's insane. So yeah, I don't cheat - immediate and severe consequences. I really don't care all that much about the weight gain, but the blood sugar sucks. And then my A1c will be worse later. So this is my new potential plan: Stick with the leafy green thing as a goal - I think it's almost habit, I noticed that the last time I missed a day (this week, because of being on planes all day) I really craved the greens when I saw them in the store, so maybe my body is getting to the point where it will cue me. Which is good. And, because I could be laid low for weeks with crippling pain and fatigue at any time ... every day I can take a walk, I take a walk. No blame for days when I can't. Before, I was trying to say, 3 walks a week and 2 tai chi practices a week. That was fun, checking off the days, racking up the little points. But it's not practical for me to try and guarantee X number of anything per given week. I have to say, even if I'm only capable ten days out of the month, so long as I did stuff those ten days, I win. If I don't grab every day that actually works, I lose. Work with the uncertainty. So given that, I will start again March 29. Walking as far as is practical, no set length goal, on every day that I can physically manage it. No beating myself up mentally on days where I can't. I am not sure how to work in the tai chi, especially as it's dependent on some outside circumstances, but I'll ponder that over the next week, figure out what's reasonable. And today I can walk, so I'll do it, to start getting myself used to ... not the walking per se, but the discipline of "Can I walk today? Then get out there." I need to remember: My life is constant uncertainty, and always will be. There's no point in pretending otherwise. Work around it. I do not need a point system to feel like I've accomplished something. It has to be more organic than that. Unfortunately. When I can, I will; when I can't, I'll do something else. (Should figure out an alternate thing on bad days. Not sure what to do about that.) I have a "life goal" set too; my partner the Weasel helped me work out the first batch of details. It will be the next phase in my attempts to get organized and create a system whereby I come through on more of my commitments. I need to come up with a cool name for this process - I'm thinking Maegen Jacking. Maegen (the "ae" is pronounced like a short flat "a" as in "flat") is an old word for the personal power one earns by keeping one's word (and is an old cognate to "magic"), and I could use some jacking up of that.

I got the idea for these crackers online, and messed around with the ratio until I got it exactly right. Even people who are not on weird diets will eat these and like them. This recipe is done with ratios, not amounts, so it’s adjustable for however much you want to make. That said, when I make them, “one part†is about ¼ cup. That makes 3-4 sheets of cracker. Suitable for low carb, paleo, vegan, gluten-free, and nut allergy people. How many actually tasty recipes can you say that about? The only person I know who can't have them is someone with diverticulosis, who can't have tiny seeds. 2 parts roasted sunflower seeds 2 parts roasted pumpkin seeds 1 part sesame seeds 1 part poppy seeds 1 part chia seeds 4 parts water (chia is the key in this recipe, it glues everything together, and chia to water is always 1:4 parts) Salt to taste (I use a generous sprinkle) Lots of herbs (I will sometimes do up to a half-part mixed dried herbs, which makes for a lot of flavor; these can be basil, oregano, rosemary, savory, dill, etc.) Baking parchment (very important, the cracker mix will stick badly to anything else, including tinfoil and pans) Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let them sit for about an hour, stirring every 10 minutes or so to make sure that the chia has turned to goo and gotten all over everything. Put baking parchment in the bottom of a baking pan and spread the mix in a very, very thin layer – as thin as possible while still having full coverage. Bake at around 350 for a half hour to 45 minutes, depending on your oven’s strength. Check after half an hour. The edges should be starting to brown, and it shouldn’t be soft and rubbery. If you pull it out too soon and find, as it cools, that it is rubbery, it’s OK to put it back in for 5 or 10 minutes – keep checking it. The sheet should be firm and stiff. Break it into pieces and eat with cheese dip. If you eat cheese. Or hummus or whatever.

I am beginning to learn tai chi with my partner. We did take a class in the 24 forms, but my problem is that I have skeletal malformations and I have to alter the poses just a little bit, and the instructor didn't know what to do with me, so I left. Now I just work on it at home on days when I can move reasonably. I'm very energy aware, so it wasn't hard to figure out how the chi was supposed to be moving, and make sure it was doing that when I moved. Mostly I'm doing it because it supposedly prevents falls, and I'm a crip with a good deal of instability in my lower half.

I actually started with everyone else on the 2nd, but I haven't gotten around to actually posting for days due to being incredibly busy. So: I am going to be boring and repeat the last challenge. I did OK last time - around 90% - but as soon as it stopped, I fell off for two weeks. Which means that I didn't do it long enough to make it a habit. So I am doing it again, to see if it will stick better this time. Anyway, like last time, my 3 goals are: 1) Eat leafy greens of some sort Every Day. 2) Getting out and walking three times a week. 3) Tai chi twice a week. Because of the chronic illness, I know that I will miss some due to bodily dysfunction. What I *don't* want is to miss them because it slipped by. Also, I understand that this time around, the "life goal" is more required ... I am going to ask my partner(s) for massage and/or moxa on a regular basis, instead of just bearing with pain and mentally blocking it out. I underestimate how foggy and irritable I get when I'm ignoring pain, and while some of it can't be helped, I should actively work toward getting aid for what can. (Can't take painkillers - allergic to the whole family of NSAIDs, and resistant to opioids, a side effect of Tourette's.) My first go-to should not be blocking it out; I should save that for what can't be helped after massage and/or moxa. And I have a partner who is a CMT trained in Asian bodywork, so I have no excuse. (wry grin) So, more self-care. So far this week I've done a lot of walking, definitely got the leafy greens, going to attempt tai chi today if the pain calms down.

I guess I can also add in another 9 points, since I didn't quite get enough for 10. So I'm adding them into the same stats.

Well, I didn't make my final day - too much pain still, especially the groin pull from the car accident. I did a lot of walking at a job, but then hurt too much for the final round of tai chi. So my final score is 90 out of 102. Not too bad, all things considered. 38 out of 42 days eating greens. Walking three times a week - check, got that every week. Tai chi twice a week - 8 out of 14 opportunities. So I'll try this routine again for the next challenge. In the intervening two weeks I will work on healing and doing more tai chi to make up for what I missed. And now I get to officially join the Druid guild!

Yeah, I really didn't need a car crash this week, and neither did any of the other people in the car. But that's the way it goes. So I've fixed my stats from the original 9 points. I'm giving myself 3 in Charisma just for doing this, as a group thing, as I'm actually not being solitary about it. I'm giving myself 3 for wisdom for getting through this, and the running is one point for stamina, and the tai chi is one for dex, and the veggies are one for constitution.

OK! So I haven't done as well as I'd like on the last two weeks of this challenge, largely because I got in a car accident a week ago and I've mostly been recovering. I've continued to eat greens - only missed one day this week because there was none in the house and we didn't have a car to go to the store because I'd lent ours to my daughter whose car was crashed (with us in it). I've gone for walks, even though it hurt. But I have been unable to manage the tai chi because of the bruised ribs, hip, forearm, and groin pull and whiplash. But that's improving and I hope to actually get tai chi in tomorrow, my last day. But I've found this valuable, and it did help me to do the tai chi on some kind of a regular basis, So I'll be staying in and trying again in another two weeks. I think I'm going to be conservative and stick with the same challenge over again, because I feel like it hasn't quite sunk in as a habit yet, and another couple of months will hopefully do that. So my scores are: 1) Eating greens every day: 23 out of 27 points. I can gain one more point tomorrow, and then it will be 24 out of 28. Challenges and how to fix them: Remember to pick up extra greens at the store. Of course they don't keep, but the few times I was hamstrung it was because of transportation issues (I can't drive myself due to the arthritis and seizure disorders) and that could be solved by better planning. Also, frozen greens - we have some but they'll run out soon and I need to think about that soon. 2) Walking outside 3 times a week: Just need to do one more tomorrow to get a perfect score. So all good on that. Obviously that will get harder as winter sets in and fucks with us, but I'll still try. The presence of the dog needing all the walks she can get helps. 3) Tai chi twice a week: This was the one that suffered most from me being first sick and then injured. I knew this one would be the hardest. I only got 11 out of 14; I may have a chance tomorrow, on the last day. We'll see. This is why I'd like to try again with the same goals and get them right. I mean, it oughtn't to be this hard. So I'll post in tomorrow with the final update.