I missed Bread -now I don't

Out of all the carbs in the world, when going to a  Ketogenic diet, one of the hardest things to give up is bread.  Specifically, hot buttered toast for breakfast....yummmmmmmmmmm

Although I loved the 'Noatmeal' recipe I found on Pinterest (an oatmeal-ish hot cereal made from Chia seeds and Flax) I ate this for several months and then I missed toast.

I found some great ideas on Pinterest for English Muffins, and I thought, I can work with that!

I make a sweet cinnamon version for breakfast, and I make a heartier version that I use for a sandwich.
Here's a picture of my bread as a sandwich:

 

That's a genuine carb free sandwich, my friends!  Tomato, Swiss, lettuce and light mayo

How do I make this magnificent wonder?
In my microwave
How much did I inject to eat it: NOTHING!!!!!

Here's how:
Sandwich worthy English Muffin

You need 1 medium ramekin or Pyrex bowl

• 2 Tbsp Tahini (that's sesame butter) 16g Fat & 3.6g NET carbs
• 1 Tbsp butter  12g FAT
• 2 Tbsp ground flax meal  6 g Fat & 1g NET carbs
• 1/2 tsp baking powder 0g
• 1 Tbsp unsweetened Almond Milk (or any milk, or water) 0g
• 1 large egg 5g FAT

1. In a microwave safe soup bowl, Microwave for 15sec the Tahini + butter so well melted
2. mix this up (I use a knife )
3. add the almond milk and baking powder and mix well
4. add the almond milk and mix well
5. add the egg and mix well
6. Pour into well greased  ramekin or 1 medium Pyrex
Microwave on HIGH for 2min  

Remove carefully, because those bowls get really hot
It will look sort of like a puffy pancake
cut your 'English Muffin' in half with a serrated knife and you will see all the lovely air holes that make it English Muffin-like
Now toast it on high to crisp up

Dress it up and sandwich yourself!
total NET carb: 4.6g
total FAT: 39g  very good choice for Ketogenic diet!

Breakfast English Muffin
You need 2 small ramekins or small Pyrex bowls

• 2 Tbsp Peanut butter (or any other nut, soy, or sun butter)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp Almond Milk (or any milk, or water)
• 1 Tbsp Stevia in the RAW (optional: I make mine sweet cinnamon, this is the sweet part)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 1 large egg

First, as before Microwave for 15sec the peanut butter + butter so well melted
Next, mix this up and add the almond milk and baking powder ( and stevia and cinnamon if using) and mix well, then add the almond milk and mix well, finally add the egg and mix well

Pour into 2 small greased ramekins 
Microwave on HIGH for 1min 35sec 

Remove carefully, cut in half with a serrated knife 
Now toast it on high to crisp up
one for now and one for tomorrow
per muffin: 2g NET carbs and 20g FAT


Your welcome! 

Ketogenic Me

Hello my Dear Readers,

So much has been going on since I last showed signs of life!

 I changed jobs and provinces.

I got a Fit Bit

 I started boxing again

My Medtronic pump died at the ripe old age of 9.

I switched to a beautiful pink waterproof Animas pump, for which the waterproof failed me and left me in the lurch on vacation! 

I missed my strong and steady Medtronic and got a new Veo.

We are very happy together.

And equally as exciting, I have been keeping Ketogenic diet since mid July 2016.

I have moved from a Type 1 Diabetic that injects 1.5units of NovoRapid Insulin for every 10g of carbs I eat, to a Diabetic that eats no carbs and only injects basal (background insulin).

It started simply enough:

I was scheduled to go home and see the family in Montreal the first week of August

The month of July was very busy with work, lots of meetings, and travel.

I did not have a chance to get to the gym. 

This happens sometimes, in the past I always cut 15-30g of carbs out of my diet to compensate for moving less, however, I handled it all wrong: I moved less and ate more.

Because all those meetings took place at outstanding restaurants!!!! And then there was the portions, and the chocolate, and the pasta....

I stayed in a carby blissful unawareness until 12 days before my scheduled travel, when I finally had the opportunity to find my way back to a Zumba class.

I love Zumba! (it's worth about 6,000 steps per class, by the way)

I give it my all, and when I don't know the steps, I don't even care!

During this particular Zumba class, when I did this arms up dance move, I discovered I was  puddling over my size 12 track pants (Mother of Muffin Top!!!) Track pants that had always been flattering and on the loose side.

I did a little research and found that the quickest way to lose weight, would be to cut the carbs.  Then I stumbled on another thread discussing the benefits of eating high fat, explanations on eating FAT not making you FAT, further research into carbs and their role.

Ultimately, I realized the role of carbs: in addition to being the key focus of my entire blood sugar management routine, carbohydrates are a fuel source for your body, AND an energy that can be stored.  Basically, you burn off what you need and the rest you store...as fat.

Let's be clear: I am not a doctor, I'm just very opinionated and outspoken

Which led me to look into successful ways to lose weight.

What I found was a few sites discussing eating low low carb, a maximum of 20 g of carbs and high fat, good fat about 80g per day, would result in consistent weight loss.

This is called a ketogenic diet, because you are trying to achieve a state of ketosis, where your body  burns fat as a fuel source.  And thereby emits ketones in your urine, not to be confused with Ketoacidosis, an extremely dangerous state of insulin deprivation which requires immediate and urgent medical intervention.


I found the internet a bit light on Ketogenic diet info for Type 1 people with diabetes, not to mention vegetarian type 1's, hence my return to this blog.
Since I inject for every carb I eat, I pretty much store every carb I eat.
So I thought I would try, and shed a few pounds.
Also, if memory served, this was similar to Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution for steady blood sugar, so there was some precedent.


The result was strangely enjoyable.
I ate entire avocadoes, full fat cheese, hard boiled eggs, butter!!!!


I injected nothing!  Only basal insulin.
I had NO LOWS, not one hypoglycemic incident!  (I normally had at least 3 a week)


When  I checked my Blood glucose, it was in the 5's or the 7's or even in the 9's
I still did nothing and each pre-meal check found me back below 7.0


SO, that's me
I have experimented with Keto recipes.
I have learned the magic of coconut flour
Stevia and I have become reacquainted, I'll be sharing my recipe  findings and experiments as I go.


Oh, and I had no clue what I actually weighed (since I don't own a scale), but when I last checked in for a flight, I climbed on the Air Canada luggage scale and noticed I was down about 8 pounds, (from the weight I thought I was), also, I am presently a happy size 10.


Lastly, Zumba was awesome today!
I wore my new Lululemon leggings...






.

Creative carb counting

Are all carbs the same?

When I give myself a dose of insulin in order to eat something, I count the carbs and then inject for them.  Whether it’s rice, Quinoa, couscous, pasta, potatoes, bread or fruit, the ratio of carb to insulin is the same.

 

So that means:

 

Supper #1

 I have Tilapia with couscous and broccoli

-          1cup cooked couscous is 36g of carbs,

-          1 cup steamed broccoli florets is 10g of carbs

-          1 1/2 Tilapia fillet: protein

o   For supper, I inject  

1.5units of insulin for every 10g of carb I eat

o   so that’s 46g of carbs

o   a dose of 7units of insulin

The Confession

How crafty can I be staying within my daily carb allocation?

See, I’m a chocoholic, not a carb-a-holic 

How about I tweak my supper just a bit and eat:

Supper #2

-          The fish: protein

-          1 cup steamed broccoli florets : 10g of carbs

-          1 entire 35g bar of 70% Lindt dark chocolate

The chocolate is 12g for the entire bar and 3g of protein AND 15g of fat too…but isn’t dark chocolate healthy?  Like the chocolate equivalent of celery, right?

Let’s just say it is because I really want to eat that chocolate!!!

SO, that’s22g of carbs total.

See, it seems like a better choice than the couscous!

(However, the trick is to not turn around and then eat the couscous too!)

Did I eat that or not?

Carb counting confusion

Every morning I prepare breakfast for my children and me.

My son immediately chooses the sugary sweet artificially colored cereal, which he thinks he likes but often just plays with.  I pour him a small portion and then I toast a few slices of bread:

-          1 slice to be shmeared with full fat cream cheese and cut into little squares

o   for my 1 year old to eat (and stick on her head and throw onto the floor)

-          2 slices for me to butter while hot and eat while deliciously fragrant and dripping butter

 Our current favorite is Bon Matin flax seed bread, so for 2 slices ...

15g per slice – 5g protein – 2 g of fat (but a good fat…. Mostly, Omega-3 polyunsaturated fat which provides an essential fatty acid that our bodies need.)

For breakfast I dose 1.2 units of insulin for every 10g of carb I eat, so that’s 3.6 units of insulin

BUT!!! It smells so good that my son declares ‘I’m jealous, I want hot buttered toast too!!’

So happily I give him half a slice(don’t want to overwhelm him), then the little one wants to taste my toast so I offer her a few bites here and there.  If I’m lucky, my son devours it and snatches the second half

We are all fed and happy and full of crumbs

…and then I get to work and go LOW!!!!! Because I forgot to replenish the carb value of my lost slice!

I NEVER thought I would EVER be too busy to eat!!!!!!

Had I known I could have eaten more chocolate!

 Man, do I love chocolate

One more year

Here we are, 1 full year later and I'm again fundraising and recruiting for the JDRF Walk-A-Thon

Have to admit, it's a bit more challenging with 2 kids

My letter of invitation was written with my baby on my lap trying to yank my glasses of my face and pull out my earings (which she did, by the way)  


At least I have good news about where the money is going:

The JDRF is funding several research projects that could be very significant to me in my lifetime

Such as, the artificial pancreas project: this is basically a software that will read my blood sugar, and automatically dose me with insulin to fix it,

Or the Beta Cell Encapsulation project, the idea being to give a person with juvenile diabetes new beta cells and putting them inside a casing that will not allow your body to destroy them

The JDRF is also looking at Preventing diabetes.  I mean they never actually cured Polio, they just eradicated it with vaccines preventing people from getting it

Lots of promise….

My big fear of shame is showing up with a team of 4- me, my husband and the kids

Or falling so far short of my fund-raising goal that the JDRF organizers look at me and whisper between themselves that people must not like me very much. 

SO here's my plea:

 

Please sponsor me: Tamara Segall

Last year, my team raised a total of $5,227 this year I am setting us an optimistic goal of  $8,000!!!!

(So far, I've raised $118.00 )

Please join my team:Team Dex4

Last year we were a team of about 30

My friends, my colleagues, my family

We brought baby strollers and sunscreen

We talked about summer plans and work and music and maybe a few comments on how fat and pregnant I’d gotten

It was really great and everyone who went has already started asking about this year’s walk

The walk:

Sunday June 9, 2013.

At the park: Centre de la Nature in Laval

Registration time: 8:30 am
Walk time: 10:00 am

At the end they feed you lunch.  And it's good too, I swear!

The web site to register for my team or make a donation is now open as well:

http://jdrfca.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=1467

 Thank you!