42dayExperiment

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 26

This entry is part 26 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

Spent most of the day working on packaging for Keto Chow 2.1. I also made a centralized page with details about 2.1 so I can have a single point of ~~failure~~ information about the changes and timeline. I’ll update that page as we go along.

Let’s talk a little about packaging, because: why not?

The individual samples of Keto Chow 2.0 are in a REALLY large stick-pack package. It’s very similar to the tear open drink mixes but as big as they can make them. They work well but are a bit weird to open and people mistake them for a protein bar. With Keto Chow 2.1 we’re switching to a square-ish pouch package that looks rather like a protein shake package. This gives us a better form factor and we can run them easier. The stick pack was a necessity with our smaller batch sizes we did with 2.0, we’re going bigger with 2.1. Now, here’s a fun one: what about the packaging material? I looked into using something less expensive, maybe an opaque plastic? Nope. The thick foil we’re going to continue using offers significantly longer shelf life. That means you can buy them, put them somewhere and not have to worry about using them in 2 months. I consider that a better product so it’s what we’re sticking with.

By Chris|2018-01-30T15:16:28-07:00January 30th, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: 42dayExperiment, Macadamia Nut Oil|0 Comments

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 25

This entry is part 25 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

I recorded a podcast yesterday, won’t be out for a few weeks though. Today I’ve been working to get things lined up for Keto Chow 2.1 which is now even more imperative as Chocolate Peanut Butter and Cookies & Cream 2.0.2 are out of stock and won’t be resupplied until 2.1 comes out.

By Chris|2018-01-29T14:39:21-07:00January 29th, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: experience, 42dayExperiment, ketochow2.1, Macadamia Nut Oil|5 Comments

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 24

This entry is part 24 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

This is a few hours late so I’ll backdate it =) No video from today, I actually recorded a podcast today with Steve Swanson of FanPress. He says it’ll be posted in a few weeks, mine is episode #3 and he’s about to post #2. It was supposed to be 30 minutes but after 90 minutes of awesomeness, we called it a wrap.

I added 2x the amount of flavoring to my macadamia nut oil shakes – it’s better than before but still REALLY heavy on the macadamia nut flavor. 4 days left =)

By Chris|2018-01-29T07:31:21-07:00January 28th, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: 42dayExperiment, Macadamia Nut Oil|0 Comments

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 23

This entry is part 23 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

Really quick update, not much to report other than that the Macadamia nut oil has a VERY strong flavor. Would not recommend using it to anyone but it’s what I’m doing and I have another 5 days of it. So goes life.

By Chris|2018-01-27T21:51:33-07:00January 27th, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: experience, 42dayExperiment, Macadamia Nut Oil|0 Comments

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 22, Macadamia Nut Oil, ruminations on Magnesium

This entry is part 22 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

Day 22, past the half-way point! I started Macadamia Nut oil today. It REALLY adds a roasted macadamia nut flavor to the shake. The one I’m drinking now, the flavor is completely overpowered by the oil. I like macadamia nuts but I’m guessing that by the end of this week of doing the oil, I’m not going to want to eat the nuts for a few months, which is a shame. Got my blood tested today, sometime on Wednesday or so I’ll have those results and add them to the spreadsheet.

Let’s talk about Magnesium. Keto Chow 0.9 up to 1.5 used an off-the-shelf Magnesium/Calcium Citrate+D3 powder. Starting with version 1.9 and up through 2.0.2, we’ve been having magnesium citrate mixed in with the vitamin/mineral mix. Magnesium citrate has good bioavailability but has a downfall: in high doses (higher than you get doing Keto Chow 3x a day), it acts as a laxative. People who are sensitive to this effect, or are already on the edge of having “bowel issues” can have problems with the citrate. To fight that, we are switching from citrate to magnesium malate in Keto Chow 2.1. On top of that, I’m increasing the amount of magnesium. Keto Chow 1.9 had 693.3mg a day, 2.0 has 736mg a day, and 2.1 is slated to have 806mg a day. Essentially it’s 2.0 plus the amount of magnesium I was getting in the magnesium malate pills I took before bed. Yes, it’s entirely for my own personal benefit so I don’t have to take an extra pill at night =)

So why Malate? Well, the most common form of magnesium supplements is magnesium oxide. By weight, magnesium oxide is 60% magnesium which means you add 1000mg to your product and you can legitimately claim on the label that it contains 600mg of magnesium. It’s also exceedingly cheap. And… it sucks. Only about 4% of its elemental magnesium is absorbed from magnesium oxide. Let’s take the 736mg of magnesium a day in Keto Chow 2.0 – 4% of that would only be 29.4mg that your body would be able to actually absorb. The citrate version we currently use and the malate version of the future both are readily bioavailable and nearly completely absorbed. If you see a “health” product that uses magnesium oxide, put it down and run away because they plainly don’t care about your health and only want to make the label look good.

By Chris|2018-01-26T11:05:32-07:00January 26th, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: 42dayExperiment, Macadamia Nut Oil, Magnesium, Oil, blood test|4 Comments

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 21, Running on (almost) empty
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42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 21, Running on (almost) empty

42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 21, Running on (almost) empty

This entry is part 21 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

Yesterday afternoon I went to San Francisco. I was running a little late, made it to the gate just in time for boarding (I actually ran a lot of the way with a big backpack and roll display)… and just as I got there, my phone buzzed to let me know that the plane was delayed due to weather. Instead of leaving at 3, we left at 4:30. So I relaxed for a bit… and was nearly an hour late for the event I was going to SF for. That sucked.

I was able to mix up a 4 meal pitcher of Vanilla, Salted, Caramel, and Chocolate with heavy cream (that I brought in my bags) plus another pitcher with avocado oil. I got to talk to a few people, it might have been worth it, dunno yet. Funnily, the people that tried the samples the most and that I talked to the most were the other vendors. I kept getting “Wow, this actually tastes really good!” Shouldn’t be so surprised but I’ll accept it as a compliment =) I packed everything back up and took BART back to the airport, where I proceeded to wait from 10 pm to 4 am so I could check my bags and get to the gate for my 6 am flight.

I’m really quite tired. I slept for about 30 minutes around 11 pm and for about 2 hours between 2 and 4. Got back home at 10 am, took a shower and checked my ketones. As I mentioned yesterday, instead of dealing with bringing food I just ate all 3 meals before I left and fasted until I got home. When I checked my levels I was at 3.5 mmol/dL – that’s pretty high for doing heavy cream!

Anyway, I’m here at work, just like I was 24 hours ago, waiting for the USPS truck to come and pick up the mail, wishing I was asleep but I have too much to do and my brain is on so I wouldn’t be able to anyway (plus our bedroom is getting holes in the drywall sanded right now and everything is covered by sheets so I couldn’t sleep there if I wanted to (which I do).

By Chris|2018-01-25T12:27:59-07:00January 25th, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: preparation, experience, 42dayExperiment|1 Comment

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 20, off to S.F., Grape Seed Oil results

This entry is part 20 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

I’m heading off to San Francisco in a few hours. Rather than worry about how to transport my shakes, I’m just going to do time-restricted feeding (“intermittent fasting”) by drinking all my meals this morning and afternoon, then I’ll eat again after I get home tomorrow. I had to bring everything I need with me to work, including an umbrella. Fun fact: I’ve been to San Francisco almost 10 times now, I’ve never been rained on (misted on, yes, but no rain) looking at the forecast, this might break that streak.

This morning I got back my blood tests from the week of doing Grape Seed Oil. Feel free to head over to the spreadsheet of results and check them out. Grapeseed oil is on Column O.

Let’s see… my LDL-P came way down (1242 to 849) – into the “normal” range thanks to the PUFAs, my LDL-C also came down (116 to 72) – again into the “normal” range. My triglycerides did indeed go up, though nowhere even close to the result I got with avocado oil in November: that one went from 113 to 199, this new test with grape seed oil went from 104 to 117. I guess we’ll see what happens with the subsequent tests with Saturated and MUFA: will the triglycerides go down or not?! While you’re on the spreadsheet, you can pop over to the other tabs and see the ongoing results coming in from the n=3 experiment that’s also going on. Both females have had really stable triglyceride levels, regardless of heavy cream or avocado oil. Makes me wonder if the 199 was a freak aberration (yes I was fasting at least 12 hours before the test).

So what else does the blood test show? On PUFAs my cortisol increased dramatically (9.8 to 12.7) and my fasting insulin predictably went down to 2.4. That’s actually the lowest I’ve ever gotten, 2.7 was the level when I did Avocado Oil. Oddly, my CRP (which along with cortisol is a marker for inflammation) was slightly up but still far lower compared to what I was getting in November.

By Chris|2018-01-24T10:11:49-07:00January 24th, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: blood test, results, science, saturated fat, nutrition, cholesterol, User Experiences, experience, video, Oil, 42dayExperiment|9 Comments

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 19

This entry is part 19 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

Not much is going on, settling into my new job. My tooth still hurts so it’s good I’m on a liquid diet. Just like last time I did an experiment like this, there isn’t much left over of the food I’m eating after it’s gone through my system so no much comes out… if you get my meaning. It’s not like I’m constipated, there just isn’t much there.

By Chris|2018-01-23T15:06:06-07:00January 23rd, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: 42dayExperiment|0 Comments

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 18

This entry is part 18 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

Looks like I have a mustache =)

Day 18 of my experiment. Hey, let’s talk about weight loss! I started this experiment on January 5th and I’m currently (as of this morning) down 14.7 lbs. Some of that is due to me eating a bit more than normal right before the experiment to fit in a few more yummy foods before I stopped eating, and some is from Christmas/New Years; but I currently weigh less than I did when I finished my December experiment. I’ll call that definitive progress =). My ketones are most definitely lower doing heavy cream compared to just oil: around 1.3-1.5 compared to up in the 3’s. That’s not a problem but it is interesting.

I noticed something yesterday when I was getting out of the shower: My back wasn’t sore and neither were my arms. That’s odd because the day before (Saturday) I spent around 3 hours shoveling over a foot of snow and typically I’d expect to be exceptionally sore. Kinda weird.

This week I’m gearing up to go to San Francisco for an event we’re sponsoring on Wednesday. It’ll be rather interesting: I’ll fly there, set up a table and hand out samples, and then head back to the airport. I’ll have maybe 5 hours before my flight so I don’t want to go through the hassle of getting a room so I’ll just camp out in the airport and try to get some sleep on the chairs, maybe watch some “Flash”.

By Chris|2018-01-22T14:51:57-07:00January 22nd, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: 42dayExperiment, experience, Weight loss, video, blood test, User Experiences|1 Comment

42 Days of Keto Chow – Day 17

This entry is part 17 of 44 in the series 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment

Not much to report here, everything is going OK still. I do have far lower blood ketones doing heavy cream, 1.3 mmol/dL this evening when I tested. That’s still a good number and I’m clearly making sufficient ketones. Tomorrow is my first full day self-employed. I remembered to change the “business hours” for Keto Chow on Saturday to reflect that we’ll be open longer.

By Chris|2018-01-21T20:33:22-07:00January 21st, 2018|Categories: 42 days of Keto Chow Experiment|Tags: 42dayExperiment|0 Comments

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