Beverly Jones – Old Keto Chow

Beverly’s Day 100 and Following
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Beverly’s Day 100 and Following

100 days of keto, 100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Day 100 and Following

This entry is part 16 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

My anticipated weekend foods all changed that very first day of eating solid foods (but not like Chris who started with a keto cookie!). My first solid food item was a string cheese stick Friday afternoon at work. Friday evening, I had a grilled chicken breast with bacon and cheese. A few hours later, I noticed that my jaw was SORE and it took me a few seconds to realize why – it was from chewing for the first time in months! For lunch on Saturday, I had bacon and scrambled eggs; for dinner, I had a bunless bacon cheeseburger. My jaw was sore again this day. For lunch on Sunday, I had a chorizo and cheddar omelet. There was so much yumminess in one weekend but the omelet was utterly the best!

In total, I lost 16.2 pounds in these 100 days. For someone who has been obese her entire life before keto, this is absolutely nuts. Who would have ever imagined? Seriously, not me or anyone who has ever known me.

Many assume that I did this challenge in order to lose more weight. But that is not why I did it. I did get momentarily caught up in that thought along the way, but my reasons for doing this challenge did not primarily revolve around weight loss. So why did I do it? I had to review some notes I made for myself in the beginning.

to let Chris know he was not doing his project alone
to represent a product that has been the essential tool that changed my keto game forever
to support a company I trust and believe in
to accomplish the presented challenge
to see my own personal blood test results showing reactions to the different fat sources in a controlled setting
to dial my calories back in because I had gained a few pounds with lazy keto
to be a low carb rock in my diabetic husband’s world
to remain actively immersed in the keto lifestyle
to offer encouragement to others who might want to try something similar

This week, I am continuing with my choice as a preference of butter for my dietary fat. In a pinch on Sunday and without thinking, I quickly made up one batch of shakes with heavy cream the way I used to make them so I would have shakes available the next day. When I drank a shake Monday afternoon, I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. I had to think about what was different about this shake than the shakes I had drank the previous day. Heavy cream! With no other way to describe it, the “mouth feel” is better with butter for me. Butter is smooth and rich but without the extra filminess that I get from heavy cream. Before this experiment, my choice was heavy cream so it is surprising that I reacted this way. But it confirms for me that I do like butter the best! That evening, I mixed up six days’ worth of shakes made with butter to get me through the rest of the week. The latest blood test lab results arrived a couple of hours ago so I will be looking at those closely as well to decide scientifically if butter is an acceptable option.

Looking back at my first post, I am a little less than thrilled with the fact that I exposed my saggy elbows on Day 1 but – since I did – I have to do it again for Day 101. sigh I always wear a garment of some type that covers my elbows. On these days pictured, I removed my sweater for the camera. These elbows will never be seen in public again after this! :) However, I must say that I am not upset about having some loose skin. It is a symbol of what I have accomplished and shows me how far I have come. I think no one should avoid weight loss with the excuse that they are afraid they will have loose skin.

100 Days Keto Chow Challenge
L: 01-02-19 (weight 135.6) R: 04-12-19 (weight 119.4)

These graphs make me curious about how they fit in with the rest of my keto journey which began in May 2016. On keto since then, I have lost over 120 pounds. My highest weight was 261 (previous to when I started keto) so, in total, I have lost over 140 pounds. In a couple of weeks, I will write a post about my keto journey and will include a timeline that outlines what has worked for me along my way.

My current but changeable non-strict plan (read here: flexible) is to drink Keto Chow throughout the week (shakes each made usually with 2 tablespoons unsalted butter) while permitting keto snacks such as string cheese, boiled eggs, and pork rinds. I will enjoy a variety of keto meals on weekends as desired. Lazy keto is my absolute food dream come true. I hate tracking. I just need to be more careful about portion sizes now than I have had to be in the past. To be honest, keeping portions small has been incredibly difficult for me this week but I am hoping to find it to be easier soon after I have fed my cravings. If not, then I will need to take an honest look at the situation and make some tough decisions about my plan.

Next week, my incredible husband is taking me on vacation to a BEACH! It has been about 15-16 months since we last took an entire week off from our jobs so this is exciting. As ever, we are planning to take our Keto Chow supplies with us so we can make shakes for two meals each day. I do not want to focus on food or restaurants. My husband disagrees with me slightly as he is looking forward to lots of shrimp and fish! (yuck) While a bit of sunshine and warmth is quite welcome and anticipated, what I really want is a break from everyday life and some time alone with the great man I married. :)

By Beverly Jones|2019-04-17T15:02:41-06:00April 17th, 2019|Categories: 100 days of keto, 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100 days|6 Comments

Beverly’s Week 14 (Week 8 of Science) Day 99 !!!
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Beverly’s Week 14 (Week 8 of Science) Day 99 !!!

100 days of keto, 100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Week 14 (Week 8 of Science) Day 99 !!!

This entry is part 15 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

The final week is here!!! Today is Day 99! Tomorrow evening, I will be enjoying my first solid meal since January 1. Woo hoo! :) I will be making scrambled eggs and bacon. On Saturday, I plan to have chicken wings. On Sunday, I plan to have a cheese omelet. After this weekend – meat, meat, and more meat. Meat is what I want. I was surprised to hear Chris say in his Day 99 video that he is planning to eat only Keto Chow and meat. That is exactly what I am planning to do! I copied him for this 100 day challenge, but I promise you that I am not copying him now. I just want meat! Is there a meaning behind the fact that he and I are both craving meat? Hmm, I will let you decide that. I have an interest in the zero carb (carnivore) lifestyle so I am moving in that direction but beginning loosely by incorporating my own guidelines/allowances as I do with IF (Intermittent Fasting or Time Restricting Eating) by allowing heavy cream in my coffee and mugs of warm bouillon throughout the day.

Here is my last official batch of shakes made with butter as the fat source. I let them rest for a minute to release some warmth before adding the lids. In truth though, the water I used was barely warm.

These buttery shakes are delicious! I am a sweets fiend so I made (left to right) Cookies and Cream, Snickerdoodle, and Salted Caramel this time around. Although I said this is the last official batch of shakes made with butter, I do plan to continue using butter as my preferred fat source in my shakes unless there is a reason to stop based upon the blood lab test results.

Along with eating meat, I am also looking forward to returning to lazy keto. No more continuous tracking of consumption. No more daily morning weigh-ins. No more daily afternoon ketone tests. No more Friday morning trips to LabCorp. (The next set of results are due in this afternoon so those should be posted on Chris’ spreadsheet very soon.) And probably no more consuming the majority of calories between 4:00 and 8:00 pm. (still debating this as it helps to avoid snacks but my blood sugar gets a little too low in the afternoon). I will continue drinking Keto Chow shakes every day. I will continue attending yoga classes. I intend to continue prohibiting snacks but know I am weak in this area.

This weekend, I will be re-stocking our refrigerator and freezer because I essentially emptied both completely before this challenge began, much to my supportive husband’s dismay. Along with happy anticipation of having groceries in the house again, my fantastic husband is really looking forward to us eating out together again. We both completely enjoy across-the-table time with each other, and we both totally miss it. Although we have gone out a few times during this 100 days, it was certainly not as often as it was before. We can and will have regular date nights again!

This past Monday, I had a quick visit at my doctor’s office for a prescription follow-up. When the doctor entered the room, he said, “Have you lost more weight?” My response was that I didn’t think so, maybe a couple of pounds. The nurse piped up and said, “Yes, she’s lost 13 pounds since her last visit in December.” Well, cool! I was not thinking about the 100 day challenge and recent weight loss nor was I considering when I had last been in their office. They were exactly right though. I have lost 13 pounds since December! That number matches mine exactly.

Interestingly, my weight seems to have settled at 122 without any intent or effort. I first reached that weight on February 22 which was Day 52 of the challenge. Now 47 days later on Day 99, I still weigh 122. Based on this fact (nearly 7 weeks at the same weight), I might venture to say that 1200 calories is maintenance for me. Or perhaps this is a “stall” and I would lose even more if I continued this journey for longer. As I transition back to lazy keto and eating animal products again, I will see what happens.

AVERAGE DAILY KETONE LEVEL
First six weeks of challenge with heavy cream: 2.0
Week 1 of science with heavy cream: 2.53
Week 2 of science with heavy cream: 2.66
Week 1 of science with avocado oil: 2.5
Week 2 of science with avocado oil: 2.83
Week 1 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil: 3.23
Week 2 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil: 3.11
Week 1 of science with butter: 2.53
Week 2 of science with butter: 2.11

Next week, I will submit one more post with a few comparison photos and some final thoughts to wrap up my time visiting here on the Keto Chow blog. See you then!

By Beverly Jones|2019-04-17T07:53:22-06:00April 10th, 2019|Categories: 100 days of keto, 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100 days|1 Comment

Beverly’s Week 13 (Week 7 of Science)
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Beverly’s Week 13 (Week 7 of Science)

100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Week 13 (Week 7 of Science)

This entry is part 14 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

What a week it has been! The beginning of the “butter phase” began Thursday evening when I prepared enough shakes to get me through the weekend because my fantastic husband was taking me away for a couple of days. Because Chris had generously shared a new flavor with me, I had more variety than I was expecting to have available this week.

I made three shakes of each of the following flavors (pictured left to right): Chocolate, Creamy Tomato Basil, and Savory Chicken Soup. All the shakes turned out beautifully! I was SO looking forward to tasting each of them – I honestly was ready for the two oil phases to end.

Mixing my shakes with butter as the fat source was a breeze. It was no different than mixing shakes with heavy cream or with oil(s) for me because I already mixed all of my batches of shakes in a blender. For people who typically use a Blender Bottle for mixing, there may a bit of an adjustment phase with mixing if they decide to try butter.

My first shake on Friday was the new flavor! You can almost see how appealing it looks in the photos I took. I could not decide which picture to add, so I am adding both! I have to say it is very exciting to have another savory option on the menu. (I can’t wait to try the Spicy Taco flavor that is also being developed.) My second shake of the day was Chocolate, and I was swooning over it! Creamy deliciousness has been returned to me! Did I warm it up the way I thought I would need to do for a shake made with butter? No way! That Chocolate shake looked all the same as a made-with-heavy-cream shake to me so I went for it with my straw. Ah-maze-ing!

While I can’t find the original post now (I was going to give them credit), I know someone commented on the Facebook support group on Friday that mixing the Salted Caramel flavor shake with butter as the fat source was a good combination. Well, duh! Butter is a primary ingredient of caramel. I did not have any Salted Caramel in stock, so I quickly placed an order for Salted Caramel along with Snickerdoodle because – again, duh! – butter is a primary ingredient of Snickerdoodle cookies – and Cookies and Cream because – well, because it is my favorite flavor.

Chris has reported that his Chocolate shakes made with butter separate a bit after blending. For the record, this has not been my experience. This Chocolate shake (shown on the left, taken during my lunch break today) is from a batch I made Sunday evening – and today is Wednesday. Zero separation.

Last week after I had a mini-meltdown about the scales no longer moving with a downward trend, a new friend kindly brought my focus back to my original goals. Why did I even do the challenge? Was it to lose weight? No. I said that I did not have a goal weight and that I did not know if I would even lose any weight on this journey. When I unexpectedly started seeing real weight loss by Week 7, I got caught up in that. Can I weigh less than 130? Can I wear a smaller size of jeans? Can I get below 120?? Can I weigh less than a certain sister/friend? I think that a focus-shift like this is a natural thing to have happen to anyone, especially in our culture. This new online friend was so thoughtful and gentle in her approach to me, that I was receptive to it in a way that I might not have been with someone else. So I appreciate her.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention something else important that I experimented with on this butter phase – salted butter vs unsalted butter! After that first weekend of using salted butter with all three shake flavors, I decided to give unsalted butter a try with my sweet flavors. My vote for mixing with the sweet flavors is for unsalted butter but both are good! You might try out different options yourself. But definitely go with salted butter for the savory flavors!

In previous weeks, I pointed out that my ketone numbers went up when I was consuming MCT oil. Well, guess what? Those numbers came right back down when I stopped consuming MCT oil. Check this out:

AVERAGE DAILY KETONE LEVEL
First six weeks of challenge with heavy cream: 2.0
Week 1 of science with heavy cream: 2.53
Week 2 of science with heavy cream: 2.66
Week 1 of science with avocado oil: 2.5
Week 2 of science with avocado oil: 2.83
Week 1 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil: 3.23
Week 2 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil: 3.11
Week 1 of science with butter: 2.53
Week 2 of science with butter: ?

So my husband had given me a weekend away, and I rewarded him with… wait for it… crankiness. This is sadly true. I was mentally and emotionally out of my mind for several days (most of last week and over the weekend). While I am feeling better this week, I am still evaluating my feelings, behaviors, and the reasons (hoping I can think of some justification). One fact is that this journey has been challenging in ways I did not anticipate. The first time I took this “only Keto Chow” road, I did not have a scheduled end date – I was doing it indefinitely. So I never before had an “APRIL 12! APRIL 12! APRIL 12!” chant playing in my head like I do this time. I do not like the sound of that chant, so last time around was easier in that regard.

My sweet husband said to me excitedly last night, “One week plus one day!” Yay, he is so right! In a sense, it is hard to believe the time is nearly here. But it is. And it is exciting! I think the least I can do is let my husband choose the restaurant and/or the meal… that first weekend… and every day… for the rest of our lives. I just might owe him that!

By Beverly Jones|2019-04-08T16:50:29-06:00April 3rd, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, 100daysofketo, keto, weight, 100 days|4 Comments

Beverly’s Week 12 (Week 6 of Science)
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Beverly’s Week 12 (Week 6 of Science)

100 days of keto, 100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Week 12 (Week 6 of Science)

This entry is part 13 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

Since I am currently eating my first meal of each day at 4:00 p.m., I am not calling my first meal “breakfast” and my second meal “lunch”. My fantastic husband and I ask each other things like, “which shake is that?” or “how many shakes do you have left?” to communicate which “meal” of the day we are eating or anticipating. I do refer to my last shake of the day as “dessert” though and probably always will. That last shake of the day is always warmed in a big mug, and I always look forward to it.

So… you can see… I have not lost any weight in over five weeks. In fact, I am up six pounds from my lowest weight. This morning, the scales said 124.8 (down 10.8 pounds since January 2). The first time I saw 124 was on February 17 (more than five weeks ago!). My lowest weight was 118.8 on March 18 (down 16.8 pounds since January 2). That was 9 days ago! This can be flat-out discouraging and is a perfect example of why I do not normally weigh myself every day. Those scale numbers can sometimes even affect my mood though I try to tell myself they do not matter.

But let’s look at this again. Literally as I am writing this post, I am looking at the chart above my words and am seeing (being reminded) that I essentially lost no weight the first five weeks of this journey – so this recent five weeks of essentially no weight loss is really the same as that. Right? Hmm, that gives me a slightly new outlook.

Since I eat exactly the same thing every single day, there is certainly no direct connection between my morning scale weight and my daily caloric intake or food choices. Times like these are when we dig in our heels and remind ourselves to KCKO (Keep Calm, Keto On). I wanted that weight loss trend of Weeks 6 to 8 to continue on at the same rate. I was excited by it! But that is not the reality of my journey. And I am overall still trending in the right direction so I should be encouraged by that reality and stay the course.

And I can now know/show that higher ketones for me do not equate to greater weight loss. I am maintaining/gaining weight yet my ketones are higher now (especially after adding MCT oil) than they have EVER been. Higher ketones do not mean faster weight loss. Good to know!

AVERAGE DAILY KETONE LEVEL
First six weeks of challenge with heavy cream: 2.0
Week 1 of science with heavy cream: 2.5
Week 2 of science with heavy cream: 2.7
Week 1 of science with avocado oil: 2.5
Week 2 of science with avocado oil: 2.8
Week 1 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil: 3.2
Week 2 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil: 3.1

The butter phase of this challenge is going to be so much easier now that Chris has discovered that butter will not separate after being emulsified into a shake made with warm water. With this information, I know I can pre-mix my shakes just like I have done all along. And since Chris is sending me a bag of the Creamy Tomato Basil soup, I am excitedly planning to incorporate that flavor into my rotation!

There are only 15 days remaining on this 100 day journey!! Can you believe it???
All I can say is this: I am ready to EAT MEAT!

p.s. If you are someone who likes charts or who is interested in the cholesterol results of the science phase, please visit Chris’ spreadsheet. (I am “Female 3”. The “100 Days of Keto Charts” tab is super interesting!)

By Beverly Jones|2019-03-27T15:42:35-06:00March 27th, 2019|Categories: 100 days of keto, 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100 days|4 Comments

Beverly’s Week 11 (Week 5 of Science)
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Beverly’s Week 11 (Week 5 of Science)

100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Week 11 (Week 5 of Science)

This entry is part 12 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

My 100-day experiment of eating “only Keto Chow” continues with today being Day 78!! We are well into the final quarter of the challenge. When hearing Chris say in today’s video that there are 22 days remaining, I felt like “only 22 days”? Wow, this is really almost finished. Three weeks is nothing compared to 14! At this point, I feel I could continue indefinitely. This has once again become a comfortable habit and routine for me (I have done this before and for longer than this!). However, I am certainly looking forward to incorporating a few of my favorite keto meals into each week. My neglected husband probably can’t remember the last time we ate out together, and I know we will both be looking forward to that. I honestly can’t remember the last time we ate out either. We went out to eat a few times during the first month (well, he ate and I drank a beverage) but we have not been out recently. I find myself contemplating which meal (or meals) I will enjoy that first weekend… sausage and cheese omelet, pizza toppings, buffalo wings, chef salad, cheeseburger, taco toppings, grilled chicken caesar salad?

This week was the first week of the science phase using MCT oil. This ingredient has posed no problems or challengers for me. I notice absolutely no difference between using avocado oil and now using avocado oil and MCT oil. For each 3 shakes, I use 6 tablespoons of oil to get the right amount of calories for me. So for this phase of the experiment, I am replacing 1 tablespoon of those 6 with MCT oil. I have not noticed any change in energy level nor any digestion concerns (I am still taking a probiotic). There is no flavor difference. The only thing I have noticed is my daily ketone level has increased significantly. This number is not necessarily important to me but I do find it interesting. I have never seen readings in the 3s before.

AVERAGE DAILY KETONE LEVEL
Week 1 of science with cream: 2.5
Week 2 of science with cream: 2.7
Week 1 of science with avocado oil: 2.5
Week 2 of science with avocado oil: 2.8
Week 1 of science with avocado oil & MCT oil: 3.2

So what will the average be next week?
What will the average be while on butter?
I am curious.

My personal dietary journey this week has not varied. I am a creature of habit (aren’t we all?). I eat the majority of my 1200 calories between 4:00-8:00 p.m. I do allow myself one 16 oz. coffee with 1 tablespoon heavy cream (50 calories) in the morning, and I drink bouillon pretty much any time I want to (5 calories per cube). I drink lots of diet soda and sparkling water. I go to yoga 3 or 4 times each week.

My weight loss remains at exactly -15 pounds as of Tuesday morning (same as last week) but I did see -16.8 pounds a day or two ago so I continue to be hopeful to keep going in that direction but I am not holding my breath. It is very likely that my body is finding the final weight where it wants to stop losing. I have heard that can happen. Or maybe it is just “pausing” again before the next stretch. Time will tell.

My dear husband is traveling on business this week so I have enjoyed a few quiet evenings alone at home watching movies he might not want to watch. As always, I enjoy my mug of warmed Keto Chow as my last meal of every day. I call it my daily “dessert”. It is thick and rich – I slowly eat it with a spoon, savoring every bit. This week, I have been loving on the Snickerdoodle flavor. I have found that cinnamon does not mix in well if I add it right before drinking my shake so, instead, I add an extra amount of cinnamon while the shake mixture is in the blender and it’s perfect!

My husband and I have a weekend away planned for March 29. I had been thinking in my mind all along that I would still be on oil as my fat source so I would just have my pre-mixed shakes ready to go the night before to put in my lunch box like last time we traveled. But… uh, oh… March 29 will be Day 1 of using BUTTER as my fat source. This will not be as easy as I thought – I can’t pre-mix shakes with butter! So I called the hotel to inquire if a refrigerator and microwave were provided in each room. Good thing I called because those items were NOT already included. (Really?!) For a fee of $20 each, they can be reserved and added to the room. So, whatever. I will pay another $40 per night since both items will be necessary as I will be making my shakes on-site at meal times. I am looking forward to the two-week butter phase though. Not only will it signal the closing of this experiment, but I think it will be delicious!

By Beverly Jones|2019-03-20T14:50:01-06:00March 20th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100 days|0 Comments

Beverly’s Week 10 (Week 4 of Science)

This entry is part 11 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

Another great week on this 100 day challenge is complete. In a sense, it is not even challenging. I am back to a mental place where this is easy, and I know longer feel extra hungry like I did last week. I had thought that the avocado oil was less filling for me but now I do not think that at all since I am having an easy week. I am sure that my body fluctuates and has differing levels of hunger sensations despite the fact that I am eating exactly the same amount and type of calories every single day and living at the exact same level of activity every week. That only makes sense but is frustrating when I feel more hungry.

Every weekday morning of this challenge (aside from the days I was out of town), I have packed my lunch box with one Keto Chow shake, two diet sodas, and three sparkling waters (because that is what fits in it perfectly!). I add some Blue Ice mini freezer blocks on top of the canned drinks. The front of my lunch box has a zipper pouch which perfectly contains my Keto Mojo supplies. With this, I am all set for the day though I usually buy more diet soda during my lunch break and/or from the vending machine in my office building. This is the same lunch box I used last week for my two-day trip with my husband. I placed six Keto Chow shakes in this box (three for each day) and used a different container to carry all my other beverages.

By yesterday morning’s scale reading, I have lost 15 pounds. But Tuesday morning, the scale indicated I had lost 16.2 so I am excitedly headed back there and beyond.

Over the weekend, I told my great husband with a chuckle, “It really will not matter when the 100 day challenge is over – I am still going to be drinking Keto Chow every day!” The difference will be that I will usually drink it for two meals a day instead of three. Plus, I will not be tracking every calorie and data point with such precision and compulsion. I will no longer check my ketones and glucose every afternoon. I will no longer weigh myself every morning. And I will no longer go to LabCorp every Friday morning!

But there are still four weeks remaining… I am almost half way through the science portion of this project! I completed two weeks with heavy whipping cream and am now almost finished with avocado oil. Starting on Friday, I will be replacing a portion of the avocado oil with MCT oil. I will do that for two weeks followed by two weeks with butter.

MCT oil will be new for me. Other than measuring a tablespoon into my coffee every morning during a short phase a few years ago after a friend told me it gave her great energy, I have never used it. The bottle I had purchased back then was eventually discarded and now a new one has been purchased for use Thursday night when I do my meal prepping for the coming week. I am interested to see if MCT oil affects my energy level, if it upsets my digestion, if it changes any of my cholesterol numbers, or if anything else noticeable occurs.

My husband’s most recent favorite mix is Chocolate / Strawberry. His previous favorite had been Chocolate / Caramel. (The side photo shows an extra scoop of unflavored protein powder on top that I add to his shakes since his macros require more protein than mine do.) Last night, he mentioned a concern that we are using up our canister of Chocolate too quickly since he likes Chocolate mixed with ALL of his flavors. No worries – I plan ahead for such things and have three bags of Chocolate in the pantry. Chocolate is the only flavor I keep “stocked up” on. The other flavors are only ordered after they run out (or slightly before if I notice it and want to replace it right away), but Chocolate is a must-have. If we only ever had Chocolate, my husband would be fine with that. I like it but I enjoy several of the non-Chocolate flavors more and think they offer better variability for my tastes.

If you want to contact me, please post a comment on this page or remember you can easily find me through Facebook or Reddit.

p.s. If you are a numbers geek or want to see how the cholesterol lab tests are comparing, go look at Chris’ spreadsheet. I am “Female 3” and have my own tab. There are charts on a different tab named “100 Days of Keto Charts”.

By Beverly Jones|2019-03-13T14:43:42-06:00March 13th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100days|0 Comments

Beverly’s Week 9 (Week 3 of Science)

This entry is part 10 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

Well, I was surprised again!! Just as I was surprised by the excellence of Savory Chicken Soup after being so reluctant to even try it, I have now been surprised by the palatability of using avocado oil consistently as my only fat source every day. I like it! I am stunned and yet very thankful for this, considering I agreed to this project which requires me to use oil as my fat source for four weeks. (This will be followed by two weeks of using butter, but I am not too concerned about that since I like butter in my Savory Chicken Soup.)

In the past, I have used avocado oil as my fat source for on-the-go Keto Chow shakes when traveling but never used it regularly the way I am right now (which includes refrigerator storage for days at a time). After seeing my husband’s made-with-avocado-oil shakes in the refrigerator with floating oily residue, I was not looking forward to this oil phase of the project. I have been dreading it, frankly, and bracing myself for white-knuckling it through each day. But… the flavor and texture are so good! What was I worried about?

What saved me is a user on Reddit gave me a important tip that made all the difference so I have to share it: blend the shake mixture for LONGER and at a HIGHER power level. Early in my Keto Chow experience (late 2017), I ended up with butter chunks in my shakes because I was blending my shakes in the blender for too long and/or at too high power level. I am not sure which was to blame. Since that happened though, I barely blend my shakes at all – I activate the blender for mere seconds each time. No wonder my husband’s avocado oil shakes looked so unappealing to me – I haven’t been fully mixing his shakes either! The oil was literally just sitting there on top without any emulsification. Now that I know this, my husband’s shakes are looking much better too. ;) My sweet husband is a trooper and a great sport, what can I say!

I am using two tablespoons of avocado oil for each Keto Chow shake. Three shakes adds up to nearly 1100 calories for me each day so I am left with an allowance of 100 calories for bouillon, coffee, tea, sodas, artificial sweeteners, supplements, and sugar-free gum. Most people think that these things do not have any calories or carbohydrates but I can assure you that they DO (or mostly do)! It is a disappointing realization if you think they are all zero carb or calorie. (Remember to always check labels, don’t always trust labels due to FDA regulations for rounding down, and add everything you are consuming to Cronometer for accurate daily totals because those “partial” carbohydrates can add up. If you don’t track every day, I recommend tracking a full day once in a while just to get an idea of where you’re at.) My average daily calorie count for these past nine weeks is currently at 1180 so I am on track with that. I have lost 14.8 pounds so far which makes my average 1.65 pounds per week. Not too shabby for someone like me (short, older, sedentary, female, acceptable BMI)! Additional numbers for me include average ketones of 2.2 and an average GKI of 1.7.

There IS a downside to the oil for me… I am feeling less full. I feel more hungry (and often!) even though I “shouldn’t”. So that part is a bummer. I will keep my eye on the timeline and look forward to seeing if there is an improvement in satiety with the next fat source change – and will probably look forward to going back to heavy whipping cream later in April for this reason. :) But it is so good to know that avocado oil is a true option for daily use!

Much like Chris, I spent many months last year testing my body’s responses to different artificial sweeteners by using a continuous glucose monitor and a ketone meter. I did not encounter any concerns. So my opinion regarding artificial sweeteners is this – if I can stay in ketosis, achieve my weight loss/maintenance goals, avoid sugar cravings, and enjoy a sugar-free product, then I will continue consuming it. This is a godsend for me, truthfully. With a project this challenging, I can surely imagine a greater level of difficulty without the enjoyment factors of diet soda and artificially-sweetened coffee.

My amazing husband and I are traveling today and tomorrow. He had to attend business meetings this afternoon and all day tomorrow so I have the opportunity to take two days off from work and visit my favorite aunt! With about seven hours in the car each day, I have to stay attuned to staying hydrated. I love eating snacks while on a road trip so I do miss that! To prepare for the trip, I loaded six already-mixed Keto Chow shakes into my zipperless lunch box so I would have three handy for each day. I also packed straws, bottles of sparkling water, and cans of diet soda. I refilled the Fasting Drops flask that I keep in my purse.

Friday morning will be the fourth blood draw at LabCorp. I have looked at the results each week, compared them to each other, and even compared them to a decade’s worth of annual lab tests. I really don’t understand what I see except that – at a glance – my cholesterol is high (it always has been) but my good cholesterol is also high (again, it always has been but it is now higher than I have ever seen it before). I will leave the analysis to someone smarter like Chris or Dave Feldman (if he ends up looking at my numbers).

I will check in next week!

By Beverly Jones|2019-03-13T14:46:09-06:00March 6th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100days|0 Comments

Beverly’s Week 8 (Week 2 of Science)
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Beverly’s Week 8 (Week 2 of Science)

100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Week 8 (Week 2 of Science)

This entry is part 9 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

The recent flood of Keto Chow recipes being posted by Taffiny, Amanda, and Chris are killing me! They all look so delicious and mostly doable – even for someone like me who can’t cook. When I am on the blog site, I just have to slide my screen right on past those recipe posts and plan to come back to read them more closely after solid food is back on my menu. If you have not checked out the recipes, I recommend starting here to see what I am talking about.

Another week of the science phase has not provided me anything interesting to report on the blog this week. I continue to plod along. Week 8 is closing soon and there are six weeks remaining. It feels really good to be counting down the days and weeks as they pass by now that we are past the halfway point. My scale weight did not change this week (but my weekly average weight went down again which is sweet!).

This week, my wonderful husband worked so many hours at his office that we did not have any chance to eat out. I am certain that he missed the face-to-face across-the-table time as much as I did but we will likely make up for it in coming weeks. I did meet up with one of my sisters at a nearby restaurant on Saturday where I arrived a few minutes before she did. I found myself fixated on the enticing salad descriptions. All of a sudden, my mind snapped awake and said, “Stop looking at the menu, you fool!” :) Then I had to just laugh at myself and find something else to look at. (If you are starting to get the impression that I have lots of sisters, you are right!)

Being in restaurants while on a liquid diet has not been very difficult for me. I do not feel the need to explain anything to anyone. I order my beverage when it is time then simply say “nothing for me, thanks” when the waiter/waitress is taking meal orders. I am truly NOT tempted to deviate from my current eating plan. Sitting in a restaurant with someone else while they eat is somewhat uncomfortable though. Even at home, that feeling is sometimes there – like when my extremely supportive husband is innocently snacking on nuts or meat/cheese. The idea of chewing something tasty sure sounds good. The desire to eat is there but the commitment to my eating plan is stronger.

Friday will be the start of using avocado oil as my fat source. I will be scouring the Keto Chow sub on Reddit and the Facebook support group for tips on making Keto Chow shakes with avocado oil before I begin. I make my husband’s shakes with avocado oil but he does not seem to mind the floating residue the way I do. Maybe I can find a trick for how to successfully mix oil and water (ha!).

In a meeting I attended a few days ago, the speaker used the word “endurance” which caught my attention, and I jotted it down in my notes. The definition reads, “the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way” and “the ability to sustain a prolonged stressful effort or activity”. I like this word! Perhaps the word endurance can be used to describe me and my efforts in this 100-day challenge… I would really like to think so even though Keto Chow is not the least bit unpleasant. :)

By Beverly Jones|2019-02-27T14:45:45-07:00February 27th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100days|0 Comments

Beverly’s Week 7 (Week 1 of Science)
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Beverly’s Week 7 (Week 1 of Science)

100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Week 7 (Week 1 of Science)

This entry is part 8 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

Hello Keto Chow blog readers. TODAY IS DAY 50! Even though these 50 days have been really quite easy for me, I am excited to be at this point in the journey. Up until now, I have not been fond of knowing what day I am on. There were too many days ahead – I just couldn’t deal with it in that sense. I would rather just think of it as an indefinite lifestyle decision. As I told my sweet husband when we did our liquid diet together over a year ago (with no anticipated end date), “This is life!” I said it all the time (eyes rolling, even at myself). It just is what it is. Deal with it. Move along. I have a dry sense of humor and a practical approach to life so this is just how I am.

This week is still technically Week 1 of the Science Phase (this Week 1 ends Thursday night – the weekly starting point is now Friday morning instead of Wednesday morning). Since the fat source for the first two weeks is heavy whipping cream, everything in my diet and life is same-same as it has been the past 6+ weeks! I am still doing 1200 calories per day, still drinking my three shakes between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. each day, and still going to yoga classes three times a week. The only thing that is different for me during Week 1 and Week 2 of the Science Phase is a standing appointment for a blood draw first thing every Friday morning. Then there is the looming dread of Weeks 3 through 6 where I will be using oil(s) as my fat source. I am not looking forward to that because I really love the way that Keto Chow shakes taste when they are made with heavy whipping cream!

I said I would not be sharing charts anymore – but I have to! I have something important to show you. Check out how my weight loss has like been these 7 weeks to see what true weight loss looks like (it is NOT linear):

This whole time since January 2, I have been trying to not expect weight loss because my weight was already “acceptable” and because I had never tested the 1200-calorie daily limit to see if I could lose on that amount. But look what is happening – I am losing weight! I have lost 12.6 pounds in 7 weeks! If you look at the numbers closely, it almost looks like my body held onto the weight I was at for over five weeks before finally giving up and deciding to start losing again. Who would have guessed?! Not me! (There are four blank days because I did not weigh myself when I went to visit one of my sisters.)

My weekly average chart interests me (and surprises me) also. It is not at all what I expected would happen. I was quite content to see a weekly loss of less than 1 pound per week. Yet here I am with a total loss of 12.6 pounds and an average of 1.8 pounds per week – crazy!

I am anticipating that my weight will stall again right where it is and bounce around like it did in the beginning for a few weeks. But I could be wrong again. I can’t wait to see what happens these next 50 days!

By Beverly Jones|2019-02-20T14:04:00-07:00February 20th, 2019|Categories: 100 Days of Keto Chow|Tags: easy meals, experience, Weight loss, Keto Chow, science, User Experiences, keto, weight, 100days|0 Comments

Beverly’s Week 6
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Beverly’s Week 6

100 Days of Keto Chow

Beverly’s Week 6

This entry is part 7 of 16 in the series 100 Days of Keto Chow - Beverly's Experience

This has been a fun week for me! Spending three days with one of my sisters and her family was a much-needed and enjoyable break from regular life. I missed my great husband and my little dogs but three days goes by in a blink. When scheduling my trip and then during the time leading up to the trip, I was a little nervous (for lack of a better word) about the liquid diet aspect of life and how that would translate when traveling. I even considered choosing a trip date post-April-12 when I was booking my flight. But I honestly did not want to wait that long to see her! A few days before the trip, I finally reminded myself to focus on enjoying the trip rather than overthinking the diet.

What could I have possibly been worried about? Everything went GREAT! In an airport, I paid $2.47 for a cup of hot water so I could mix up some bouillon. I will try to do that differently next time. ;) When I was feeling a little shaky during a flight, I tipped a little salt packet onto my tongue and chased it with some bottled water. My fantastic sister made my diet a breeze for me by stocking up before I arrived on everything I would need including heavy whipping cream, diet soda, and flavored sparkling water. She already had large Blender Bottles. I remained hydrated during each day’s activities and easily stayed on my usual schedule. When she started making dinner for her family each day, I started mixing up my first shake of the day then had my other two shakes within the next few hours.

The most difficult part of the trip for me was Sunday morning during the layover between flights. Even though I had a coffee earlier, a water on the first flight, and was sipping on a diet soda, I just wanted to eat. It wasn’t the food I was seeking though – rather, it was the comfort and relaxation I was wanting. I was exhausted – I had gotten up at 3:00 a.m and I was longing to be home. All I could think about was the fact that almonds and possibly Quest bars were right there at every snack stand and shopping spot located such short distances away. I gathered my resolve and buckled down to staring at my phone intently. I scrolled through all the comments on my familiar Reddit keto sub groups and the Keto Chow Facebook Support Group. Being engaged in these active support systems really helps me every day so it fits that this is where I turned when I was struggling. By the time I arrived home, I was ready to drink the two Keto Chow shakes I had left in the refrigerator before my trip (thank goodness my husband didn’t drink them!). After a nap and a few chores, I mixed up a bunch of shakes so that my husband and I are both stocked up again – 12 shakes for him (4 each of Strawberry, Chocolate, and Salted Caramel/Chocolate) and 18 shakes for me (6 each of Snickerdoodle, Cookies and Cream, and Salted Caramel).

My ketones were a little wonky on the days around the trip (charts are below as usual) – and I forgot twice to even check them. The day after I returned home, the scales indicated a weight loss of 6 pounds which I’m sure was due to hydration levels especially since my weight went back up 3 pounds the next day. After this week, I think I’ll skip adding the charts when I write each week (they are boring since the numbers are the same every day) but I won’t stop tracking the data. I think I included the charts in the beginning for accountability.

Tip: Those little salt packets are great to keep in your purse. You can pick up a couple when you see them in fast-food restaurants. Or you can keep a little flask of Keto Chow’s Fasting Drops with you. I will have mine soon because I have an order (along with Savory Chicken Soup and Chocolate) arriving later this week.

Chris mentioned me by name in his Day 41 video! It is cool to me that he remembers I once did “only Keto Chow” for longer than he ever has. Woo hoo! In his video, he gave me credit for over 160 days… the stint he was referring to started at the beginning of November 2017 and lasted until sometime in March or April 2018. Unfortunately, I do not remember the exact ending date or exactly how many days I did (Chris might know better than I do!). That extended liquid diet was interrupted in the middle by a cruise in January 2018, though, so I never felt I could claim the entire length of the liquid diet anyway. While on the cruise, my husband and I ate one or two reasonably small keto meals and drank one or two shakes each day (we both lost weight!). During those five months of liquid diet, I was journaling my experience on Reddit under a username that I have since deleted – so I lost a lot of information and stories that I wish I still had. :( Little life regret.

By the way, does anyone else shake their Blender Bottles as aggressively as Chris shakes his? Has anyone else even noticed what I’m talking about? I watch him in wonder because when I mix a shake in a Blender Bottle, it goes quickly: water, cream, powder, lid, sideways shake, upwards shake-shake-shake, more water, shake-shake, done. He shakes and shakes and SHAKES each bottle! I am physically unable to put the amount of effort into mixing a shake like he does. So thank goodness the product doesn’t require it. :)

Back at work on Tuesday, I forgot to eat lunch. Of course, I am technically speaking of my first shake of the day which I have been drinking at 4:00 p.m. At 4:50 p.m., I suddenly realized I had not eaten yet. I didn’t even feel like I needed to eat! This was unusual because most days I am counting down the time for 4:00 p.m. to arrive. Since I was heading to yoga soon and didn’t want to wait until 7:00 p.m. for my first shake, I went ahead and drank it about 5:15 p.m. Hunger has been almost non-existent this week. This is a huge relief after having many days of thinking about food all day long.

Speaking of Chris and his videos… I really enjoy listening to him (along with Miriam and others when they chime in) talk about the day’s happenings. It makes me smile to know that I am not alone on this liquid diet journey! Like him, I am starting to make plans for what those first meals after April 12 will be…