Hi friends!
Can we just pretend for a BRIEF moment that I didn't go MIA on your for 6 months and drop these 5 weeks of meal plans right quick? I PROMISE to come back shortly and explain my absence and my life, but that's gonna take awhile, and I don't have awhile, but I DO HAVE long enough to copy and paste some weekly meal plans over from Facebook here for your viewing convenience, so you're just going to have to settle for that for right now... YOU WILL READ IT AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!!!

 Okay, let me make a few disclaimers before I show you these... 

1. ALWAYS EAT TO YOUR OWN MACROS (ruled.me/keto-calculator). You might need more protein; you might need more fat; you can adjust these however you see fit! But make sure they match YOUR BODY AND YOUR NEEDS! Got it? Good!
2. These aren't for the easily bored. I make my weekly meal plan ONCE PER WEEK and then I eat that same food every day for a week. And then the next week I rotate to a new set of menus. This works the best for me in terms of meal prep, food waste, macros, etc. But if you're looking for something to eat something brand new every day.... that probably isn't this! You could always take my ideas as a launching point, buttttttt I prefer to just keep it as simple as possible, myself... which is why you will notice that literally EVERY MORNING STARTS THE EXACT SAME!! (Love my protein coffee!) Though I suppose if you REALLY wanted to, you could use each "week" as a "day" and do it that way but I feel like ain't nobody got time for that........
3. My "recipes" are usually to add all ingredients to a blender, bowl, or pan. So you won't see too many RECIPES with these food lists... if you have questions on how I combined anything, just ask! (Though I will try to leave notes with each day...)
4. SOME ingredients will be *specialty* ingredients.... Pegan bars, Ripple, Lupini Beans, Beyond Beef. I TRY to make everything as whole and simple as I can, but I am only human. BUT you can easily make swaps (or skip that recipe). But I do want to call attention to that and say I'm sorry! 
5. The photos are all saved from my phone, posted to Facebook, then saved again. So I apologize, as well, if any of the resolution got lost in that mix! But it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, right?!

Got it? Ready? Here we go! 

Week 1 Summary:

• Breakfast- Bulletproof protein coffee
• Lunch- Avocado and Hemp Seed Cauliflower Rice
• Snack- 1/2 Pegan Bar
• Dinner- Lupini Bean Salad with Kite Hill Yogurt Dressing

If you are okay with soy, I would add some tofu to lunch and skip the Pegan bar (those suckers are pricey, but soy free!)! If you need more fat, drizzle olive oil or tahini over lunch or dinner! 

Week 2 Summary: 

• Breakfast- Bulletproof Protein Coffee
• Lunch- Avocado Hemp Cauliflower Rice with Beyond Beef
• Dinner- Lupini Bean Soup

Again, if you can do tofu, feel free to swap it out (or tempeh!) for the beyond beef crumbles. If you can't find lupini beans, maybe make a vegetable stir fry with nutbutter sauce or tahini instead of the soup....

In my quest to search up all these old meal plans on Facebook, I also found all my OLDDDDDDDDDDD meal log grids, so I thought I would dump them all into this post, as well! 

PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME DAYS MY PROTEIN WAS HORRIBLY LOW AND I PAID FOR IT WITH HEALTH ISSUES! My lymph numbers and WBC were both LOW LOW LOW and I bumped protein up to 70g, with more regularly from pea protein (since it's absorbed higher) and my numbers are good again! YESSS!

BUT you might get some good ideas from the old logs, so I wanted to include them anyway! (I do not have the time or the patience to put them in numerical order right now, though, so just deal with it.)

Okay I am holding up the errand running process, so I gotta run! Hopefully this is useful to you! I will try to see if I can find some more weeks and add them later! 

PEACE, LOVE, AND VEGAN KETO!

VEGAN KETO MADI

Sigh. 2018. Another year down, and another year ahead...

Okay, scratch that! Let me start over.

2018! Another year down! Another year ahead! 

Was that better? I am trying SUPER hard to be positive in 2018! Turn my mindset around! Carpe diem! Seize the day and Hakuna Matata all that good stuff! But sometimes it's SO HARD. Logically, I know it's just another flip of the calendar (which reminds me I need to go get a new 2018 calendar, as poor Doug the Pug 2017 has reached his [timely] end...) but for some reason there is just SO MUCH PRESSURE every time a new year (or, similarly, a birthday) comes. We suddenly want to be THE BEST VERSIONS OF OURSELVES! As if by December of each year we are all grinches who are the WORST versions of ourselves and somehow the clock strikes midnight and we all reverse-Cinderella and are now the ME that we WANT TO BE. The one who reads more and stops drinking energy drinks (which, btw, quitting energy drinks has literally been by new years resolution for like... a decade straight) and does the dishes immediately after eating instead of just pushing them in the general direction of the kitchen and cursing later when the food is so caked on and then it has to soak for 47 hours to get clean...... 

Ummm is that just me? Where was I?

So, being the good little resolutioner that I am, I made new years resolutions!

1. Write more poetry (I made a poetry instagram and then it just kinda... died out) as well as write more in here (cuz I know ya'll miss me when I'm not around!) 
2. Diffuse essential oils more
3. Research more for Keto (and try new recipes!) 
4. Track my food better
5. Turn off Facebook and read more BOOKS.

And here we are, January 2nd, and I had already been failing.

I thought about writing a poem yesterday, and then... didn't.
I thought about diffusing oils this morning, and then... didn't.
I started tracking well yesterday and then shifted what I ate and could have updated my tracker and then... didn't 
I thought about bringing The Obesity Code to Starbucks today to read and then... didn't. 

I DID finish the book I was reading last night, but that's more of a passive activity, so I feel like it requires less thought than some of the others (though I don't know how much energy it actually requires to put oils in my diffuser and press... on...) 

I brought my laptop to Starbucks today to meet with a friend about a summer program we are creating for teachers and thought about how I could hop on here after and write a blog! But then we met for 3 hours and I was just so TIRED by the end (I have been organizing the house NONSTOP for the last 2 days and my arm was totally flaring up... INJECTION TOMORROW BTW TO SEE IF I CAN GET SURGERY!!!!) and I had a migraine and I just thought.... I'll write in my blog later... (kinda full well knowing I probably... wouldn't)... and then a PERFECTLY TIMED TEXT FROM A DEAR DEAR FRIEND OF MINE CAME IN.

"I came to a realization yesterday... I'm not doing this 'new year new me' stuff because for once in my life I actaully like who I am right now thankyouverymuch. New year, slight modifications to me? Anyway, this is your daily reminder that to me you are perfect just the way you are, or with mods, or literally any way you choose to be. Love you boo" 

First of all, can we just take a moment to appreciate how INCREDIBLY LUCKY I AM TO HAVE PEOPLE LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE!? I have been friends with this amazing human being since SEVENTH grade (and if you can stay friends THROUGH puberty, PAST highschool, and into ADULTHOOD (and I don't mean turning 18 adulthood, I mean where you realize WTF WHERE DID MY YOUTH GO HOW AM I ACTUALLY AN ADULT WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT ONLY MYSELF BUT OTHER LIVING CREATURES? adulthood) then you'll be friends FOREVER... You hear that, Karen?! FOREVERRRRR!)

This same friend also continued the sentiment on Facebook, explaining in a status update...

"I have some goals, I have some plans, but I'm not chaining myself to anything in 2018. Most importantly, there will be NO 'New year, new me.' I'm up for modifications and new lessons, but I'm not starting the year disliking myself. 2017 was spent upside down and inside out, spinning out of my comfort zone, and learning what I'm capable of and what means the most to me. I'm thankful that I had the chance to learn, and now I get to set forth in 2018 with a new mission in mind:

Be the badass that I already know I am (it's not 'that I can be' if it's already proven! haha), and make this year count. Here we go!" 

And I realized when I read this that I was doing myself a huge disservice with my new year's resolutions because although they are all things I really WANT to do, they were making me feel that if I DIDN'T do them that I was somehow LESSER of a person as a result. That somehow my self-worth was tied to researching keto, or that if I didn't pull a poem out of my butt that I was a FAILURE. 

Why do we do this to ourselves? 

So, I am going to follow her advice. "New year, same badass me."

I am going to try to focus more on the things that make me happy, healthy, and honor my time, because I think that's valuable, but I am NOT going to let the new year make me feel like I need to do a complete overhaul of who I am. Because, I will admit, I do have some pretty awesome qualities that make me who I am! So I am going to instead focus on those more! Because, in reality, that was what all of my resolutions were pointing towards ANYWAY... things that HIGHLIGHT the already amazing things happening in my life... writing (both in this blog, and poetry) allows me to dig into my creative side, which- self proclamation- is pretty amazing... researching keto and tracking my food only furthers the gains I made in my health over the 19 months... reading more and diffusing oils helps me relax, which can never be a bad thing! 

ALL THE "RESOLUTIONS" I SET WERE POSITIVE THINGS! Yet they were making me feel so... BAD!!!

So, the only thing I am going to resolve for 2018 is to do what makes me happy and keeps me healthy. 

And even as I re-read this blog and prepare to post, I feel somehow inadequate... like it's not enough... Like I want it somehow to be this BEAUTIFUL, LIFE CHANGING, EPIC creation... and I feel like that's a commonality many of us have (and I even see it in my students!!!) that if it's not PERFECT, it's not ENOUGH. But it IS enough. I AM ENOUGH. 

I posted in Vegan Keto Made Simple (My FB group, which btw HAS ALMOST 16,000 MEMBERS LIKE WHAT) the other day something about mantras, but then I didn't even fully dive into the article that I POSTED. But I really think I need to heed my own  advice.. I need to remember I AM ENOUGH JUST THE WAY I AM.  Just because something might not be EVERYTHING I want it to be doesn't mean it's NOTHING. Whatever it ends up being is enough. Because I am enough. 

I got Christmas gift that said "Que Sera Sera" (Whatever will be, will be), and I think I need to add this to my mantra! This doesn't mean that I stop pushing forward, but that I can't stress myself out to the point that I get sick and anxious with worries about what MIGHT be. Whatever will be will be. I will be.

I will be strong. I will be healthy. I will be happy. I will be enough. 

And for now, this blog entry will also be enough. Cuz I'm posting it! 

Much love,

So, today marks 18 MONTHS since I first said "OH WHAT THE HECK WHY NOT" and went vegan keto!

That's right! May 16, 2016 to November 16, 2017 (AND STILL GOING!!!! ... STRONGish!!!!!)

I know I have lost somewhere *around* 30-35 pounds on my journey, but since I didn't weigh myself at the VERY beginning (I know I was just 148 or higher) and I haven't weighed myself recently (no need, really, I feel), I can't tell you FOR SURE, but I know enough to know that I am ROCKING THIS LIFE!!!!

I have DEFINITELY had some ups and downs along the way... recently more downs than ups, but overall I feel pretty happy and satisfied with this decision! My brain fog is gone on vegan keto... I don't need to sleep a thousand a twelve hours a day... my hunger is down and my energy is up... not bad for LCHF!!!

HOWEVER, no amount of dieting is going to fix my STUPID FREAKING BACK... 

Long story short, they are pretty confident I have "Thoracic Outlet Syndrome" which is where you have compression in the nerves and/or artery/vein that runs between your muscle and your clavicle... either from having an extra rib/skeletal anomaly or trauma... I think mine must be the former, because the only trauma I had prior to my symptoms was working out (only half kidding)... though it could be that...

So, in 18 DAYS I have my vascular surgeon appointment to tell me 

1. Do I have an extra rib?
2. Do I, indeed, have TOS (Though I've been "diagnosed" 3 other places/times before...)
3. What do they intend to do about it????

I am SO SICK OF THIS PAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Physical therapy/massage therapy/trigger point injections/ etc. never made anything feel BETTER necessarily, but now I am seeing that they kept the pain pretty leveled out... NOW, on the other hand.... HOLY COW am I in pain!!!!!!!!

It hurts in my arm.... my neck... my back... my hand.... It's waking me up in the middle of the night now... It makes it hard to do just about ANYTHING... I can't raise my arm above my head or all the bloodflow stops (due to compression) and my hand turns ice cold... My grip is limited... my feeling is limited....

Long story short: I'm a hot mess.

The DOWNSIDE of the particular surgery I might need is when it is on the left side (which mine is), you have to go on a LOW FAT DIET for 1-3 weeks following the surgery due to potential complications...

After eating LCHF for 18 months that will sure be interesting! Oatmeal...? Ummm... Beans and Rice???

I guess I will cross that bridge when I get to it... :(

GASP!

I almost forgot (it was hard to hear my thoughts over all the moping I was doing in that pity party...)

I started a TWITCH ACCOUNT! If you are unfamiliar with Twitch, it's PRIMARILY video game streaming, though they added an IRL (in real life) section to the site, in which people do real life things.....

LIKE COOKING!!!!!!!!!!!! 

So far, I have only done one video, though I have plans for a few others already! (Just REAL life has been getting in the way of my VEGAN KETO life, which I think is RUDE....) 

But you can sign up and get notifications when I go live by visiting twitch.tv/veganketomadi! You can WATCH without making an account, but you can only chat/comment/etc with an account. So it might be worth it to make one! You can also rewatch the video I have up there, though I will warn you it's a test video to the max LOL. I made walnut taco "meat" bowls with cauliflower "cheese" sauce! 

Future video/recipe ideas...

• PIZZA (Vegan keto, DUH!) 
• Stuffed Mushrooms 
• Deconstructed Sushi Bowl

 
And some others I can't think of right now (add any suggestions to the comments below!!!!)

Oh! I almost forgot TIMES TWO! 

WE HAVE OFFICIAL VEGAN KETO MUGS AND SHIRTS FOR ORDER!!!!

My AMAZING friend/owner of www.brittanygarnerdesign.com/ designed a VEGAN KETO UNICORN design for us and is hosting the selling of SHIRTS and MUGS for us!!!!! 

​CHECK. THESE. BAD. BOYS. OUT!!!

ARE THESE NOT THE MOST FABULOUS THINGS YOU'VE EVER LAID YOUR VEGAN KETO UNICORN EYES ON?!?!?! 

Spoiler alert... the shirts/tanks come in BLACK, too!!!!!!!!

(For the record, I am not making ANY MONEY of the sale of ANY OF THESE ITEMS! I don't even get any for free LOL. I just saw the demand for the product and I reached out to Brittany to make them and she came through in a BIG WAY!!!!! THANKS BRITTANY!) 

Anyway, if you want to order, visit: 
www.brittanygarnerdesign.com/collections/vegan-keto-unicorn-mo-carbs-mo-problems.

Check out her other products, too! They make AWESOME gifts! (to others, or... you know... to yourself...) 

I should probably go and do something productive with my life now... Like maybe read the book I have to present on at a conference in March..... Ehhhhhhhh.... I have until MARCH...

And if I'm out 8-12 weeks post-surgery... I will have PLENTY of time to read!!! ALSO Plenty of time to lose my mind and go stir crazy but WHO IS KEEPING TRACK, AMIRITE?!!!!

Okay I love you byeeeeeeeeeeee

First of all, let's be clear about one thing:

I suck!

I knew I'd been slacking on my blog, but I didn't realize I haven't posted since the end of AUGUST! Granted, it's only the first of November, but still. I extend my full HEARTFELT apology for dropping the ball on all of y'all! 

BUT! 

I have something for you I think you'll like (CLIFFHANGERRRRRR) First, you have to read about my life!

In the time I've been gone, I went to NEW ORLEANS!!!! The best part... work paid HAHA! I really enjoyed going to the French Quarter and seeing Faulkner's house and hanging out with my coworkers! 

I went into the trip FULLY THINKING I would stay vegan keto! And I did a pretty good job on the plane ride there! But then the hotel made a big deal giving me a gluten-free vegan breakfast every day (that unfortunately wasn't keto) and I was a poor keto girl and ate it... and then I went to Seed and ate a vegan Po'boy... because... when in Rome... And then I had to try the vegan beignets... and then I just figured I would go back to vegan keto when I got home... 

Aaaaaaandddd then I got sick. Like took two sick days off work and slept for 4 days straight, only getting off the couch to eat and pee (and maybe shower) kinda sick. It was BAD. And I DID try to stay vegan keto while sick, but the high fat was NOT working with my sick, and I was taking medicine for the sick and the medicine hurt my stomach and wah wah wah excuse excuse excuse I decided to trade honoring my body for vegan keto and honored my body for not barfing instead. 

Not proud of it, but it happened. 

Well, that was the SHORTEST update on 2 months of my life, but those are the two key events that pretty much led to me being out of keto... REALLY out of keto... for the first time in the last 18 months! And I am PAYING FOR IT NOW. My bloat and IBS came back SUPER HARDCORE and I am having a hard time getting back to the swing of vegan keto. BUT I'M DOING IT! I am feeling like poop again, but I think it's probably the keto flu, so I need to just ramp up my electrolytes and not give up/in again! 

To help kick me back in gear (and because I've been slacking on my insta lately) I decided to do a Vegan Keto Made Simple Instagram Challenge (VKMS being my Facebook group!) 

So, I brainstormed with my group and came up with a FULL CALENDAR for NOVEMBER to encourage me to post every day in November! TWO CHEERS FOR ACCOUNTABILITYYYYYYYYY!!! :D 
​

If you're on Insta, follow me (if you want) and join our challenge! (I'm vegan_keto_madi)! :)

If you're on Facebook, join us at "Vegan Keto Made Simple" (I'm Madeline Alyce!) 

I gotta run, but I promise it won't be TWO MONTHS until you hear from me again! 

I love y'alls!!!!!!!

Vegan Keto Madi 

Y'all. I needed this chapter right now in my life.

LONG story short(ish), I can't work out right now. Like.... at all. Now, I've never been a huge FAN of working out, but I went. I did zumba for awhile, I had a personal trainer for awhile, I would do the elliptical and watch Judge Judy after work... But for the majority of the last two years (and the ENTIRETY of this last year), I. Cannot. Work. Out. 

So, number one, keto has been a LIFESAVER in that regard (if I gained 15-20 pounds when I WAS working out..........) and number two, I feel incredibly guilty for not being able to work out when I am trying to lose/maintain weight (which is quite silly to feel GUILT about an injury.... But I do....)

So, anyway, Dr. Fung has stepped in and made me feel okay to be human again.  Let's recap chapter 3. 

We talked last time about how calories in/calories out is a big fat MYTH. So you have to go into this with that mindset. (if you aren't convinced, go back and read chapter 3/my summary. If you still aren't convinced.... research those studies. If you still aren't convinced... this book might not be for you...)

He begins by discussing that "calories out" is more accurately called "Total Energy Expenditure" , which is NOT synonymous with "Exercise" as many try to equate. In reality, "Total Energy Expenditure= Basal metabolic rate + thermogenic effect of food + nonexercise activity thermogenesis + excess post-exercise oxygen consumption + exercise" (52). Exercise is a tinnyyyyyy little part of your TEE. Fung explains that MOST of your TEE is actually your BMR- Basal Metabolic Rate, "metabolic housekeeping tasks such as breathing, maintaining body temperature, keeping the heart bumping, maintaining the vital organs, brain function, liver function, kidney function, etc." (52). Essentially all those things we talked before about SHUTTING DOWN IF YOU DON'T EAT ENOUGH CALORIES. See the link?

Anyway... We tend to think of the BMR as constant, and so we fall into this false trap of "if I want to increase my TEE, I need to increase my exercise, so I burn more calories. EXCEPTTTT, like everything else so far discussed in this book.... the lie detector test determined..... that is a lie (sorry, I was channeling my inner Maury there....) On the contrary, the BMR does NOT stay stable and "decreased caloric intake can decrease BMR by up to 40 percent... increase caloric intake can increase it by 50 percent" (53).  Make sure you caught that. Eating less can actually mean you burn fewer calories...

How often do we hear "diet and exercise" paired up together? Almost always, right?  Fung points out that the flaw in that phrase is that it assumes they are equal partners.... He argues, instead, "But diet and exercise are not fifty-fifty partners like macaroni and cheese. Diet is Batman and exercise is Robin"  (Have I mentioned I love his writing style?) "Diet does 95 percent of the work and deserves all the attention... Exercise is still healthy and important- just not equally as important" (53). 

I want to continue this quote, but I need to slow down and make sure you are paying attention, because this next piece is a doozy and many of you are going to throw your phones, tablets, laptops, whatever when you read this next piece.... Be prepared, and stick with me, okay...?

"Exercise has many benefits, but weight loss is not among them. Exercise is like brushing your teeth. It is good for you and should be done every day. Just don't expect to lose weight" (54). 

GASP. I hope you didn't shatter your screen throwing your phone like that!!! Is it okay?! 

Are you still with me, folks? 

Fung has another analogy for you. (He's the king of metaphors, I swear) This time it's baseball...

"Bunting is an important technique, but accounts for only perhaps 5 percent of the game. The other 95 percent revolves around hitting, pitching and fielding. So it would be ridiculous to spend 50 percent of our time practicing the bunt. Or, what if we were facing a test that was 95 percent math and 5 percent spelling. Would we spend 50 percent of our time studying spelling?" (54).

(I really appreciate these metaphors/analogies because he makes them so DUH without making you feel ridiculed or dumb in the process!) 

Recently someone told me that if information was in a book, it wasn't research based... I don't know quite what was meant by that, but another reason I appreciate Dr. Fung is ALL THE STUDIES HE CITES!

He isn't just spouting from his tushie (like maybe sometimes I do....) but he's backing his stuff up! (Seriously starting singing *BACK, BACK, BACK IT UP! Alright STOP OHhhh* I was trying to make it Dr. Fung related but I got nothing and I need to go to bed soon. So. Yea. Sorry.)

1. Studies lasting more than twenty-five weeks show that the actual weight loss was only 30 percent of what was expected. In one recent controlled study, participants increased exercise to five times per week, burning 600 calories per session. Over ten months, those who exercised lost an extra ten pounds. However, the expected weight loss had been 35 pounds" (54). And yes he does footnote those studies!!!
2. "A randomized 2007 study of participants who did aerobics for six days per week over one year found that women reduced their weight, on average by 3 pounds; men, by 4" (54). 
3. A Danish research team trained a previous sedentary group to run a marathon. Men averaged a loss of 5 pounds of body fat. The average weight loss for women was... zero. When it comes to weight loss, exercise is just not that effective. In these cases, it was also noted that body-fat percentage was not much changed" (54).
4. "The Women's Health Study, the most ambitious, expensive and comprehensive diet study ever done also looked at exercise. The 39,876 women were divided into three groups representing high (more than one hour per day), medium and low levels or weekly exercise. Over the next ten years, the intense exercise group lose no extra weight. Furthermore, the study noted, 'no change in body composition was observed,' meaning that muscle was not replacing fat" (54).​

So.... what gives? Fung blames these results on something called "compensation" which is twofold.

"First, caloric intake increases in respond to exercise- we just eat more following a vigorous workout" (55). And I don't know about you, but I always ate more and felt it completely JUSTIFIED. Sometimes, in a "I deserve" this sort of way, and sometimes in a "man my body NEEDS THIS RIGHT NOW sort of way... 

Fung references a study from Harvart of 538 students who ate an extra 292 calories for every extra hour of exercise they did. This is because, "caloric intake and expenditure are intimately related: increasing one will cause an increase in another. This is the biological principle of homeostasis. The body tries to maintain a stable state. Reducing calories in reduces calories out. Increasing calories in increases calories out" (55). Do you think he ever gets sick of dropping BOMBSHELLS on us so casually!?!

"The second mechanism of compensation relates to a reduction in non-exercise activity. If you exert yourself all day, you are less likely to exercise in your free time" (55). Again, looking at children, a study found that kids who got PE didn't actually exercise more than kids who didn't get PE. The kids who got PE did less outside of PE time, while the kids without PE did more on their free time... It all evens out!

ONCE MORE, MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT SKIMMING RIGHT NOW BUT ARE REALLY PAYING ATTENTION...

"You CANNOT make up for dietary indiscretions by increasing exercise. YOU CANNOT OUTRUN A POOR DIET" (56- emphasis of shouty capitals mine). I mean think about all those shirts you see... "Exercise: Because I like Ice Cream" Welllllll Fung is saying this isn't exactly true. 

Another important piece to note: "More exercise is not always better. Exercise represents a stress on the body. Small amounts are beneficial, but excessive amounts are detrimental" (56). TAKE NOTE.

So far we've learned that battling obesity isn't as easy as "just eat less!" (decrease calories in)

Nor is it as simple as "just move more!" (increase calories out).

So, if neither of these works, WHAT DO WE DO TO LOSE WEIGHT, DR. FUNG?

Unfortunately, like every chapter, Fung leaves us with a cliffhanger.... "If we want to reduce obesity, we need to focus on what makes us obese. If we spend all our money, research, time, and mental energy focused on exercise, we will have no resources left with which to actually fight obesity" (56).

And, to return to our test analogy... We spend our time 50/50 on diet and exercise, but diet is 95 percent and exercise is only 5 percent.... So where should we really be focusing our time and energy...?

I wish I could stay and chat, but remember that injury I was talking about earlier? Yea, it hurts.

I go to a specialist on Wednesday (which MAY OR MAY NOT be the right department....) so hopefully I will have more answers then (though I am not holding my breath).

Anyway if you're looking for a TL;DR:

• Exercise is GREAT for health benefits... but it is NOT an effective method for weight loss.

​There you have it! See you next week! When I am hoping he tells us what IS an effective method.....

Oh. 
My.
Goodness.

If you were frustrated and thought you'd been lied to before... Get ready to get LIVID in chapter 3.

Why? Because Calories in-Calories out (you know, the whole basis of EVERY DIET YOU EVER HEAR OF?) IS A COMPLETE AND TOTAL LIE.
L
I
E
LIE!!!!!!!!!!!

Just like we are constantly told "Eat less, move more" we are also told "Losing weight is easy... Just burn more calories than you eat!" or, conversely, "Eat fewer calories than you burn!" You know... if the calories you take IN (consume) are fewer than the calories you BURN (calories out) SKINNY WILL HAPPEN.

Except it only works for a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery short time. And then the weight loss stops. And then you feel like it's your fault again, so you eat less and burn more. And then a tiny bit more weight loss, and then more calories need to be cut, and more calories need to be burned to lose... And so on.

And every time we feel like it's OUR OWN FAULT. That we lack willpower. Or need to move more. Whatever it is, it can't possibly be something PREPOSTEROUS like.... maybe calories in/calories out IS NOT TRUE.

Conversely, "decreasing calories in triggers a decrease in calories out. A 30 percent reduction in caloric intake results in a 30 percent decrease in caloric expenditure" (29). You don't say, Dr. Fung...?

Among other myths that Dr. Fung busts in this chapter is the assumption that "a calorie is a calorie" (31). If you are following calories in/calories out, does it really matter what kind of calories you are eating, as long as you are burning more than you're taking in? You can eat 1,000 calories in cake and ice cream, so long as you're burning 1,500 calories? Maybe we believe this because it sounds so good! 

But Dr. Fung begs the question, "Does a calorie of olive oil cause the same metabolic response as a calorie of sugar?" (31). He follows up with the answer- "obviously, no" (while sugar will cause the pancreas to have an insulin response, the olive oil will not.) Yet we still are told everywhere we turn to reduce calories in and increase calories out and you'll be GOLDEN. (Yet, nothing gold can stay, right?!)

• "Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States from 1990 to 2010 finds no association between increased calorie consumption and weight gain" (32).
• "In the British experience... the number of calories ingested slightly decreased, even as obesity rates increased. Other factors, including the nature of those calories, had changed" (33). 
• 1919, Carnegie Institute of Washington: Volunteers ate 1400 to 2100 calories per day, which was 30% lower than their usual intake. As a result, participants experienced a 30% decrease in calorie expenditure (calories out). "A 30 percent reduction in caloric intake resulted in a nearly identical 30 percent reduction in caloric expenditure" (36). 
• 1944-1945, The Minnesota Starvation Experiment: Participants were given a normal caloric diet at first, with a reduction over time to reach a goal weight loss of 24% (some men were given less than 1,000 calories a day at the end). The findings: "The men experienced profound physical and psychological changes. Among the most consistent findings was the constant feeling of cold" (37).  Dr. Fung explains this coldness, noting "Resting metabolic rate dropped by 40%" (37). THEY WERE COLD BECAUSE THEIR HEARTS WERE LITERALLY SLOWING DOWN AND THEIR BLOOD PRESSURE AND BODY TEMPERATURE WAS DROPPING TO DANGEROUSLY LOW LEVELS. Additionally, "the men experienced a complete lack of interest in everything except for food, which became an object of intense fascination to them... they were plagued with constant, unyielding hunger. Some were unable to concentrate" (37). 

Let me take a second to recap that last one... To lose weight, the men's caloric intake was adjusted to very low levels. As a result, their body ADJUSTED TO THOSE LOW LEVELS BY ALMOST KILLING THEM. 

Yet, when we want to lose weight, we are told to do THE VERY SAME THING. Makes sense, no?

Dr. Fung puts it simply: "The body reacts in this way- by reducing energy expenditures because the body is smart and doesn't want to die. What would happen if the body continued to expend 3000 calories daily while taking in only 1500? Soon fat stores would be burned, then protein stores would be burned, then you would die. The smart course of action for the body is to immediately reduce caloric expenditure to 1500 calories per day to restore balance. Caloric expenditure may be adjusted a little lower, to create a margin of safety. This is what the body does. In other words, the body shuts down" (38). 

I would like to reiterate that last line: When you severely cut calories to lose weight, weight loss is not what is going to happen. Loss of life, maybe; weight loss... not likely. 

True, this drop in calories works in the short term, but that's only until your body catches up with what you're doing and adjusts to compensate. Then you have to eat fewer calories to achieve the same weight loss, and then pretty soon, your body adjusts to compensate (We've all been here, right?)

Oh, and then after the Minnesota Starvation Experiment was over and participants went back to their normal caloric intake...? "They regained the weight rather quickly... but it didn't stop there. Body weight continued to increase until it was actually higher than it was prior to the experiment" (39).

So, not only does severely cutting calories put you on the brink of death, but you're going to gain everything back AND THEN SOME when you realize the error in your ways? How rude, body. 

1. "The key assumption of the theory that reducing caloric intake leads to weight loss is false, since decreased caloric intake inevitably leads to decreased caloric expenditure" 
2. "Caloric reduction and portion-control strategies only make you tired and hungry. Worse of all... you regain all the weight you have lost. I know it. You know it."
3. "We have heard 'caloric reduction is primary' so often that we do not question whether it's the truth. Instead, we believe that the fault lies in ourselves. We feel we have failed" 
4. "The failing isn't ours. The portion-control caloric-reduction diet is virtually guaranteed to fail. Eating less does not result in lasting weight loss" (41).

AGAIN. THIS IS NOT A DRILL: EATING LESS DOES NOT RESULT IN LASTING WEIGHT LOSS.

Still not convinced? Let's check out another study... The Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial was published in 2006 and might be "the most important dietary study ever done" (42). 

"The 'Eat Less, Move More' group started out terrifically, averaging more than 4 pounds of weight loss over the first year. By the second year, the weight started to be regained, and by the end of the study there was no significant difference between the two groups... Weight loss over 7.5 years of the Eat Less. Move More strategy was not een one single kilogram (2.2 pounds)" (43). 

If all that wasn't enough to convince you, how about the fact that your brain is designed to sabotage your weight loss efforts? Fung explains how losing weight triggers your energy expenditure to reduce, while also SIGNALING TO YOUR BRAIN TO INCREASE YOUR HUNGER TO ACQUIRE MORE FOOD.

Remember, your body is not dumb. It wants to stay alive. It thinks weight loss means death. So when you lose weight, it wants you to gain that weight back TO STAY ALIVE. So much so, that "areas of the prefrontal cortex involved with restraint show decreased activity. In other words, it is harder for people who have lost weight to resist food. This has nothing whatsoever to do with a lack of willpower or any kind of moral failure. IT is a normal hormonal fact of life" (45). Man I needed to re-read this tonight!!! 

This piece is so important, because even on keto I come across people who want to cut their calories down to 800, 900, a thousand and don't understand why this is SO DANGEROUS. Because, of course... calories in/calories out, right?

Dr. Fung writes:
"And so we have the vicious cycle of under-eating. WE start by eating less and lose some weight. As a result, our metabolism slows and hunger increased. We start to regain weight. WE double our effort sby eating even less. a bit more weight comes off, but again, total energy expenditure decreases and hunger increases. We start regaining weight. So we redouble our efforts by eating even less. This cycle continues until it is intolerable. We are cold, tired, hungry, and obsessing about calories. Worst of all, the weight always comes back on.
"At some point, we go back to our old way of eating. Since metabolism has slowed so much, even resuming the old way of eating causes quick weight gain, up to and even a little past the original point. We are doing exactly what our hormones are influencing us to do. But friends, family, and medical professionals silently blame the victim, thinking that it is 'our fault.' And we ourselves feel that we are a failure. Sound familiar?" (46). 

It. Is. NOT. YOUR. FAULT!!!

"Eating less does not result in lasting weight loss. It. Just. Does. Not. Work" (Dr. Fung and I have very similar writing styles LOL)/ 'Eat Less' does not work. That's a fact. Accept it." (47).

​Do I really need to say more?

I wish I could stay and write more, but I am having a HUGE flair up of my TOS (specialist appointment in less than 2 weeks! EEE!!!!!) so it was excruciating enough to write this post. But I committed to every Saturday for a blog post, and every Sunday for a discussion, so I'm COMMITTED!!! 

I hope I was able to clearly show you in this chapter that CALORIES IN/CALORIES OUT IS A MYTH.

As much as we all want "Eat less. Move more" to work... it doesn't. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

The GOOD NEWS? THERE ARE THINGS THAT WILL WORK!!!!! STAY TUNED FOR MORE. (Cliffhangerrrr)

I wouldn't say these are "meal plans" necessarily, but if you are looking for different ways to stay under 20 net carbs a day, here is a good place to start! I am starting to try to make my logs with the macros for EACH MEAL, as well as the TOTAL macros, so you can mix and match as you'd like!

As always, my logs are soy-free, gluten-free, and sweetener-free (as discussed before, with the exception of vega essentials) and I think all are under 20 net carbs except maybe one or two, under 25.

If you are super observant, you might have noticed that days 13 and 14 are missing...
I am going to write a blog about those days... but I am still mentally processing my feels about them.
I know there is an epiphany hiding in what happened in those days... just not sure what it is yet!!! 

(Day 18 is gone, too, but that's because I ate the same foods as day 17!)

​Beyond that, however, I want to draw your attention to the FIRST photo and the LAST...

The FIRST has my weight of that day, 113 (actually was 113.4) on it. That was the first time I had weighed myself in 3 weeks. I weighed, almost to the ounce, exactly the same as I did 3 weeks before, despite all my challenges and spills (and successes and soars) those three weeks. THE EXACT SAME. Since I am TRYING to maintain, that was great!

But then, I weighed myself the next day... and I gained a few ounces... and the next a few more... I was still eating the same macros and foods, yet the scale was changing... After those three days, I stopped weighing myself and decided to trust the process. CLEARLY I hadn't gained a few ounces every day for the last 3 weeks. On the contrary, I ended up exactly where I had been, without the scale needing to tell me A DIGGITY DARN THING.

SO I am going to keep it (okay THEM, I have TWO scales) around, but I AM NOT GOING TO LET THEM RULE ME LIKE THEY DID BEFORE!!! In fact, I had a HUGE salad not only ONCE, but TWICE this weekend. (as commented on VKMS, I am giving myself a "cheat" but I am "cheating" on vegetables... this is connected to the epiphany from the 21 day challenge, but again- I still can't quite verbalize it... YET). I am also taking a break from counting macros this weekend. Not that I am eating a ton (today I had the salad, along with BPC and some nuts and seeds), but sometimes I need to remember to breathe and let some things go and LIVE a little bit. Not bathing in chocolate fountains (any MDWAP/Belinda Blinked listeners in here...... no? just me? Okayyyy....) but not restricting to the point that I can't breathe! (I don't OUTRIGHT feel like that, but I think being under so much pressure and constraint all the time...)

WHICH brings me to my SECOND (last) photo to which I'd like to draw your attention.

THIS is a photo of my BRAND NEW CUP that I absolutely ADORE (Bed Bath and Beyond purchase!)

It's my daily reminder to PUNCH EVERY DAY IN THE FACE.

I am STRONG.

I am WORTHY.

I am CAPABLE.

I AM AMAZING AND AWESOME AND I KICK BUTT!

I wake up every morning and put one foot in front of the other and ROCK MY LIFE to the FULLEST.

It may seem silly that it took a cup to convince me (and help remind me) of that, but whatever works!

In addition to the book club, I've been working on two vegan keto side projects...

• gg.gg/veganketofoodlist
• and gg.gg/VKMS-micronutrient-food-list

Feel free to browse both and ENJOY! 

And I KNOWWW I still need to post about my BAGELS (okay, Renee's bagels!) and FLACKERS, but I am going to try to make them both AGAIN tomorrow now that I know (a little more) what I'm doing, so I will take photos THEN and try to post tomorrow night. Good compromise? Thanks, I thought so, too!

Chapter 2 (titled "Inheriting Obesity") appropriately starts with the "nature versus nurture" question. 

It is no question that "obesity runs in families" according to Fung;  but the question is WHY.

It is certainly true that "families share genetic characteristics that may lead to obesity" (21).
However, Fung invites us to recall in chapter 1 that the obesity epidemic did not begin until the 70s.

Are we really supposed to believe that our genes spontaneously decided to make us obese in the last few decades? I think not.

BUT, the same foods that caused parents to be obese might be fed to children, and cause them to be obese (the nature vs. nurture debate!) Shared factors such as eating more frequently- with more meals eaten out, especially at fast food restaurants; increase in sugar,  high fructose corn syrup, and portion sizes; increased use of electronics- including computers and video game systems; and more time spent in cars and vehicles, lead many to believe that obesity is more about eating more and moving less, than it is anything to do with genetic factors. Fung begins the chapter exploring this debate.

He introduces us to a study on obesity, in which 540 Danish adult adoptees were compared to their adoptive and biological parents. Fung notes that, "If environmental factors were most important, then adoptees should resemble their adoptive parents. If genetic factors were most important, the adoptees should resemble their biological parents" (23).

Any guesses what they found...?

"No relationship whatsoever was discovered between the weight of the adoptive parents and the adoptee... In fact, the fattest adoptees had the thinnest adoptive parents" (23). SURPRISED???

What do you think they found comparing adoptees to their BIOLOGICAL parents...?

"The biological parents had very little or nothing to do with raising these children, or teaching them nutritonal values or attitudes toward exercise. Yet the tendency toward obesity followed them like ducklings. When you took a child away from obese parents and placed them into a "thin" household,  the child still became obese. What was going on?" (23).

WHAT WAS GOING ON, INDEED, DR. FUNG?!

Fung shares another study of identical twins (who share identical genetic material) and fraternal twins (with 25% shared genes) who were both reared apart, and reared together. 

What they found was shocking: "Approximately 70 percent of the variance in obesity is familial.

"Seventy percent of your tendency to gain weight is determined by your parentage. Obesity is overwhelmingly inherited" (24).

YET... If most of the obesity epidemic occurred in the last generation... what is going on?

The "Thrifty- Gene hypothesis" became popular in the 1970's and hypothesizes that "all humans are evolutionary predisposed to gain weight as a survival mechanism" (24). Makes sense, right? Therefore, when we over-eat NOW, we are "simply following our genetic urge to gain fat" (24). Ehhhh....

I love Fung's writing style for metaphors like this: "Like a decomposing watermelon, this hypothesis seems quite reasonable on the surface. Cut a little deeper, and you find the rotten core" (24). 

Some highlights from Fung's rejection of this theory:

• The assumption that humans are genetically predisposed to overeat is incorrect. We have hormonal signals that tell us when we are full and stop us from eating until we explode.
• Hence, there is no genetic predisposition to overeating, but if you eat too much you will get sick and throw up... therefore, there is a powerful built-in protection AGAINST overeating.
• Cultures that HAD plenty of food, even way back when, did not find obesity prevalent until "the onset of industrialization and the Westernization of their traditional diet" (25). 
• THIS INCLUDES America, who has not had widespread famine since the Great Depression, yet only really struggled with obesity as a society since (again) 1970s... 
• Wild animals are not morbidly obese, even when they have an abundance of food. (instead of gaining FAT when there is a lot of food, they gain MORE ANIMALS...)
• There is no survival advantage to carrying a high body-fat percentage. Yes, bears gain weight before hibernation, but humans are not bears and we do not hibernate. And bears are not OBESE and do not have obesity related health conditions. They are fat for survival. Big difference. 

THEN Fung gives us a teaser that in part three we WILL see what the root cause of obesity is ("A complex hormonal imbalance with high blood insulin as its central feature" [26]).

The reason we see genetic connections, rather than environmental, is because the "hormonal profile of a baby is influenced by the environment in the mother's body before birth, setting up a tendency for high insulin levels and associated obesity later in life" (26). 

And then Fung, king of the cliffhanger, leaves us with this: "Inherited factors account for only 70% of the tendency to obesity that we observe. The other 30 percent of factors are under our control" (26). 

And of course you have to keep reading to find out what those factors are and how to control them!

You can say a lot of things about Fung, but he sure knows how to hook an audience! Or, maybe it's because for once we are finally NOT being told "eat less and exercise more. If you're fat it's because you are lazy and have no self control! CONTROL YOURSELF, FAT PERSON!" And that feels good. 

That was a pretty short chapter... I'm going to see if the book club wants to move through the book a little bit faster! Stay tuned; the next summary might be more than just one chapter! We shall see!

Vegan Keto Madi

Just in case you are new here, we are starting a Vegan Keto Book Club, at the suggestion of the brilliant ERIN! And by a wide margin, the book that was voted in as the FIRST VKBC book was....

The Obesity Code!!!

So, as I mentioned way back when, I am going to be doing blog chapter summaries of each chapter on Saturdays, and then we will discuss the chapter on Sunday! So even if you aren't able to get through the full chapter in the week (we are all BUSY PEOPLE!) you can still participate in the book club! 

SO, tomorrow is CHAPTER 1... and here is my chapter 1 summary/commentary! 

Dr. Fung begins this chapter with a question I'm sure many have asked themselves... 

​"Why are there doctors who are fat?

I mean it makes sense if you think about it... they should know EVERYTHING it takes to remain a healthy weight and have the dedication to turn that knowledge into action. And yet... this isn't always the case... Doctors want to throw out the simple advice "Eat less and move more!" but if it was THAT EASY, wouldn't they (of all people) be able to do something SO SIMPLE?

If even the most knowledgeable and disciplined doctors aren't able to do this... maybe there's a flaw in that SO SIMPLE LOGIC! Fung sets out in this chapter to explore if the "truths" we all believe are actually, in fact, TRUE...

1. When the number of calories we take in exceeds the number of calories we burn, we gain weight.
2. Eating too much and exercising too little causes weight gain.
3. Eating too many calories causes weight gain. 

I know I've heard them before, and I'm sure you've heard them before. We both probably BELIEVED in them very wholeheartedly, too. So starting the book by DOUBTING these... Dr. Fung, I'm interested.

Fung continues to work through another "truth" that so many believe: Weight gain/obesity is the cause of personal choice. In fact, "In a 2012 online poll, 61 percent of US adults believed that 'personal choices about eating and exercise' were responsible for the obesity epidemic. So we discriminate against people who are obese. We both pity and loathe them" (12). 

How many of you have been in the position of feeling judged (by yourself or others) for gaining weight? I'm certainly raising my hand here! There was a point that I WAS eating healthy, and I WAS doing everything "right" and I STILL WAS GAINING WEIGHT. Clearly the issue was ME, right? I needed to EAT LESS. EAT BETTER. MOVE MORE. I didn't need others to pity and loathe me. I was doing that myself...

But again, Fung wants to challenge these beliefs that obesity and weight gain are caused by the sins of gluttony (eating too much) or sloth (exercising too little). THANK YOU, DR. FUNG!!!!! I like you already.

You know who else I like? Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826). Ever heard of him? I hadn't either. But apparently, he can be thought of as the "father of the low-carbohydrate diet" (TAKE THAT, ATKINS!)

In 1825, he wrote in "The Physiology of Taste" that "The second of the chief cause of obesity is the floury and starchy substances which man makes the prime ingredients of his daily nourishment. As we have said already, all animals that live on farinaceous food grow fat willy-nilly; and man is no exception to the universal law" (13).  Also, don't feel bad if you got to "farinaceous" and were like uhhh what? I'm an English major/teacher and I Googled it, too. It means "consisting of, or containing starch." Welcome.

SO. In 1825, our friend Brillat-Savarin SAID THAT STARCHY FOODS WILL MAKE US GROW FAT!!!

CARBS=FAT. 

IN 1825. 

(Feel free to face palm here. I did!!!) 

Later, in 1863, another awesome dude named William Banting (1796-1878) followed up on Brillat-Savarin's ideas, writing the WORLD'S FIRST DIET BOOK, a pamphlet named "Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public." Banting's journey was like many of our own. He didn't have a family history of obesity and did not grow up obese, but he started to gain weight as he aged. He ate less... HUNGER. Exercise increase led to hunger increase led to... EATING MORE FOODS. (Again, we've all been there!!!)

So, Banting decided again to avoid "all breads, milk, beer, sweets, and potatoes" (14). And what do you think happened? Spoiler alert: Banting lost weight and kept it off; he was then compelled to write his pamphlet regarding his successes! "Weight gain, he believed, resulted from eating too many 'fattening carbohydrates'" (14). I feel you, Banting! 

And, for the next 100 years or so, the treatment for obesity was... A DIET LOW IN REFINED CARBS! (In fact, my mom remembers seeing a book when she was growing up about FAT=GOOD, and CARBS=BAD!!!)

Unfortunately, books on calorie counting were also becoming more popular. At the same time, there were more people dying from heart disease and cancer (because vaccines and antibiotics meant they were NOT dying from other things...), a situation which was falsely considered a "GREAT EPIDEMIC" (Which... epidemic it was not.) As Fung explains, "If people were not dying of tuberculosis, then they would live long enough to develop their heart attack" (16). And so the public sought out the CAUSE for all these heart attacks... well it MUST be dietary fat, right? Doctors plowed forward with LOW FAT=GOOD!

Yet, let's think of our main macronutrients. Fat, carbs and protein.  Fung explains, "Lowering dietary fat meant replacing it with either protein or carbohydrates. Since many high-protein foods... are also high in fat, it is difficult to lower fat in the diet without lowering protein as well. SO, if one were to restrict dietary fats, then one must increase dietary carbs and vice versa. In the developed world, these carbs all tend to be highly refined [therefore] LOW fat= HIGH carbohydrate" (16). 

But wait... carbs were bad, right? But now carbs are good? For so long, carbs were bad, but now carbs are good? Instead of thinking a little harder about which one was truth, nutrition experts shrugged and declared CALORIES fattening, not CARBS. CALORIES were now the enemy, not particular FOODS.

With that, "Calories in/Calories out" pushed out "don't eat carbs".............

..........And that's where it all went wrong.

(Nutritionist John Yudkin (1910-1955) TRIED to warn people, as his work led him to the conclusion that fat and heart disease were not related. He subsequently wrote the book, "Pure, White, and Deadly: How [SUGAR] is Killing Us" in 1972, detailing his belief that SUGAR was the obesity/heart disease culprit.

A few short years passed with scientists debating whether fat or sugar was to blame.

But in 1977, the official decision was made! The "Dietary Goals for the United States" came out and a whole nation of people were told "eat less fat and more carbohydrates."

Specifically, that carbs should be 55-60% of calories, with fat being no more than 30%. Sugar was still seen as a food to avoid, but by all means EAT ALL THE REFINED GRAINS THAT YOU WANT! 

And which nutritionist provided the evidence to change the way we were told we should eat....?

I'M GLAD YOU ASKED BECAUSE IT WASN'T A NUTRITIONIST AT ALL. IT WAS A POLITICIAN.

OUR ENTIRE FUTURE WAS CHANGED BECAUSE A POLITICIAN DECIDED IT TO BE TRUE.

Does that make you as angry as it makes me?! Because it makes me ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To make matters worse, as time went on, the food pyramid eventually came about, with the FOUNDATION OF OUR DIET LISTED AS CARBS!!! 6 or more servings a day, to be exact! The "American Heart Association: An Eating Plan for Healthy Americans" pamphlet recommended these six servings come from "breads, cereals, pasta and starchy vegetables (that) are low in fat and cholesterol" (18). FRUIT PUNCH AND CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS WERE ALSO RECOMMENDED AS DRINKS OF CHOICE.

Y'all.... just.... no... 

And what do you think happened? Sugar, the one evil we could all agree on... hid behind "low fat" and "low carb" labels, and we stopped noticing (or caring) about sugar levels. We ate 45% more refined grains in America... So it wasn't like people were loading up on "cauliflower and kale" but rather "low-fat bread and pasta" (19). 

And by 1996, 20 short years later, fat consumption went down ten percent to 35%! People ate less butter and less animal protein and fewer eggs! They were eating GRAINS AND SUGAR INSTEAD! 

And, "The American Heart Association... felt that low-carbohydrate diets were dangerous fads, despite the fact that these diets had been in use almost continuously since 1863" (19). TUCK THAT FACT IN YOUR TOOLBELT AND GET READY TO FLING IT AT THE NEXT PERSON WHO CALLS LCHF a FAD!!!! 

But hold on. Let's be fair. Let's look at the results of this diet. Just because WE think they are bad, doesn't mean that people weren't RESPONDING WELL to them, right? I mean who would continue to let a country eat in such a way that would be making them FATTER and SICKER, right.... RIGHT!??!!!

Welllllllllllllllll. Heart disease did not go down. (shocker) Rates of obesity, instead, went up (SHOCKER!).

And (this is my favorite part). 

Remember how 1977 was the year that FAT was declared the enemy and carbs okay to eat?

Guess what year these obesity rates began to increase... ????? Oh come on, take a guess!!! (I'll wait...)

IF YOU GUESSED 1977 YOU ARE RIGHT! "The abrupt increase in obesity began exactly with the officially sanctioned move toward a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. Was it mere coincidence?" (20).

So, to recap very simply:

• Long time ago, people who got fat discovered that cutting carbs would not only make them lose weight, but make them feel great.
• But then, people started to live longer and ended up having heart conditions that they never lived long enough to have before.
• Fat was obscurely to blame, and with fat down, carbs had to go up.
• A politician, also obscurely, decided that CARBS WERE GOOD and we should EAT ALL THE CARBS.
• Like good little citizens who thought we were being told the right information, we followed this advice and ate less fat and more carbs (food pyramid, y'all!)
• Instead of being rewarded with lowered and heart disease rates..........
• We instead were greeted with HIGHER OBESITY RATES. That have continued to climb, btw.

EVEN IN MORE SIMPLE TERMS.... Low-carb=good health. High-carb=poor health.

Yet what are we still told we should do? Avoid fat and eat carbs! 

Goodness gracious this chapter made me angry!!!!!!!!!! 
Why would I ever think to question what's being fed to us (no pun intended) as the "healthy" diet? 

They say fat is bad! They say carbs are good! As a result, I eat less fat! I eat more carbs!
And I get sicker and sicker and sicker.

I think it must be my own fault! Move more, eat less, right!? I move more, I eat less!
And I get sicker and sicker and sicker.

THIS CHAPTER ALONE hooked me, though I did feel somewhat of a conspiracy theorist after reading it...
THE GOVERNMENT IS LYING TO YOU, CAN'T YOU SEE!!!!

But who would question what we've been told for so long? (Nevermind the increase in poor health...)

I am SO GLAD I came across this book and I am SO EXCITED to read it along side you all! (Truth be told, I've only read about half the book! But already I knew it was something special we ALL should read!)

So, drop your thoughts in the comments below, and/or join us on FB at Vegan Keto Book Club!

Recently, a friend of mine (who was neither low carb, nor vegan) told me she wanted to try vegan keto (inside I did a little dance! I felt like I'd been preparing the last year for this moment!) I began to compile a list of foods that I regularly ate that were vegan+keto to share with her. Initially, I wrote it on paper, but then thought why not do it digitally, so that I could share it with all of y'all too!!!!

So, the vegan keto food list on Google Docs was born! I spent a LOT of time adding all the vegan keto foods I could think of AND THEIR MACROS (and Robyn double checked the macros and added a few more foods that I don't eat to the list! Thanks Robyn!!!) I am FINALLY satisfied with the Soy/Gluten free version of this list, so I am ready to share it here today! (I am working on a soy list, too, but it's not quite ready yet! It will be added to the linked document once I get it all done!)

I will share all the lists here, but if there are any updates, they will be changed on the live doc, which can be found at gg.gg/veganketofoodlist. PLEASE feel free to share this with your friends who are either wanting to go vegan keto, or ask "what do you eat on vegan keto? GRASS?!" (and then they usually laugh a hyena laugh and high five themselves, as if they're the first ones to come up with this...) 

ANYWAY, without further ado, the lists!!!!

And who says all we eat is grass?! AS IF! :)

NOTE: THIS IS BY NO MEANS *ALL* THE FOODS YOU CAN EAT! Just a great starter list of the foods that I eat, and the foods that are especially great for those just starting out. I find when I start to feel a little meh that I have to go back to the basics and start over again! And this list is a great list of the basics, for beginners and vegan keto vets alike! :D

Like I said, I am working on a soy list, too, so I will add that once I have time to calculate the macros!

Instead, I spent my morning working on RENEE'S TAHINI BAGELS (Herbivorepost.com) and trying my hand at some flackers. Disclaimer... I am not good at following recipes, so my flackers went something like this: *Looks at all ingredients and dumps them in a bowl together... scrolls down and reads "Soak Chia and Flax seeds in water for 20 minutes." Thinks to self, Well, that didn't happen... Shrug!* 

SOOOO those may or may not turn out.... I had a bagel for lunch with almond butter, though, and it was GOOOOD! BLOG ABOUT BAGELS TO FOLLOW. But before I blog about Bagels and Flackers, I need to review/summarize chapter one of "The Obesity Code" because OUR BOOK CLUB STARTS TOMORROW!! 

Join our facebook group at "Vegan Keto Book Club" or just comment your thoughts on my blog! 

I have been loving the enthusiasm leading up to chapter 1, so let's hope it continues through the book! I'm considering speeding up the reading schedule, because people are so addicted to the book that they're almost done reading before we've even had our first *meeting*! Thanks again to Erin for this FABULOUS idea! You rock! 

Speaking of rock, I have declared August *YOU ARE AWESOME AUGUST* and have been reminding my vegan ketoers how AWESOME they are every day! It's an amazing way for me to start MY OWN day, and I hope it's having an impression on y'all too! (If you aren't in our facebook group yet, it's "Vegan Keto Made Simple" (You should see ME, Madeline Alyce, and MEG [from cleanketoblog.com] as admin!)

OH, and our 21 day challenge ENDS TOMORROW!!!!! So I will be blogging about what I learned from that experience, as well (and I think what I learned might surprise you... CLIFFHANGERRRRRR)

Keto on, my lovelies!!!!!

Vegan Keto Madi