Month: May 2020

Well, friends, I was wrong about low carb. After Keto didn’t seem to work on my migraines, I couldn’t see past the negatives to appreciate the positives. I lost weight and especially belly fat I’ve been trying to lose for almost a year. I’m no longer lactose-intolerant – which is actually huge because I’ve been lactose-intolerant for 20 years.

I was mainly doing low carb (meaning a lot fewer carbs than the average American’s diet, but more than in Keto so I’d no longer be in ketosis) as a transition out of Keto. Then I thought maybe I’d keep on watching my carbs and see if I could keep off the belly fat. But it somehow seemed harder than Keto.

Good news! I’ve been able to make low carb work. I eat 70 or fewer grams of carbs per day (compared to 20 grams on Keto and 225-325 grams on the average diet) and continue to focus on moderate amounts of protein and high amounts of fat, which I’d gotten used to on Keto. But the extra 50 carbs means I can enjoy more fruits and vegetables, small amounts of starches, and the occasional treat (more on that below). My weight has stabilized at below the weight on my wedding day 19 years ago, and I’ve kept off the belly fat. Also, my brain is functioning better. I’m clearer-headed, able to concentrate on writing again, and have found the motivation I’d been struggling with for the past 2 years.

And I still get to at least taste some of the treats my husband keeps making. And a taste (or 2 or 3) has been satisfying enough. I don’t need an entire slice of banana bread or more than half a brownie.

Mr. K has been baking up a storm, like many people, during the stay-at-home orders. And a neighbor gave us some of the discard from her sourdough starter, so we’ve been feeding it and making use of our discards. Our starter is now named Floyd, after the recently deceased chef, Floyd Cardoz.

During quarantine we’ve enjoyed (the kids more than me, of course) sourdough banana bread, Nutella banana bread, sourdough crepes, sourdough English muffins, sourdough brownies and regular brownies, Swedish cardamom buns, Paratha Aloo, and more. (Caveat: None of these goodies is low carb. He made them for the kids. Mostly.)

Enjoy a few pix!

On the other hand, each kid is helping my husband cook one meal per week. So they’re learning skills and I’m being fed really well, from homemade pizza (on low carb crust for me) to a Korean BBQ feast.

How are you beating stress these days? Share your baking prowess or other newfound talents in the comments!

(You can read about my Keto journey here, here, and here.)