Day 521...Kestival 2021

Day 521...

And today we were off to a festival...a food festival...a keto food festival in fact, called Kestival 2021.

About two weeks ago one of the low carb doctors that I follow, Dr Jen Unwin, mentioned on her Instagram page that she would be speaking at an upcoming keto festival so with my curiosity spiked I followed the link. I then discovered Keto Fitness Club a UK based group devoted to promoting all things keto and fitness and who were hosting a festival near Northampton in August.

Intrigued I visited their website to find out more and booked a couple of tickets for Simon and I to attend during the day element of the festival. We thought at just £10 a ticket each, and knowing that Jen Unwin and her husband Dr David Unwin would be speaking, we'd give it a go. Having bought the tickets I then began a further look into this Keto Fitness Club and discovered a family that wanted to spread the word about the keto lifestyle and subsequently I now follow them on various social media platforms as well as discovering their extensive range of recipes online.

Ordinarily whenever I look up any keto or low carb recipes online I invariably get pointed to US sites with US ingredients and US measurements which is not only confusing but very frustrating. The only website that I have found that I go back to again and again, and in fact am now a member of, is Diet Doctor because not only is there a mountain of easy to understand information but all their recipes are in both US and metric measurements and with links to 'translate' ingredients that for some reason go by different names in the UK and US!.

But with Keto Fitness Club I have found somewhere that talks my language...literally! All the right names for things and all the measurements that I understand and all with handy hints as to which supermarkets or brands to go for that support a keto lifestyle the best. 

So just a 55 minute car journey away we found ourselves spending the day in a very large marquee (thanks to the great British weather being a tad on the wet side) chatting with like minded others, watching cookery presentations, perusing the stalls and eating some fabulous keto food. 

On arrival, just as we were checking-in, I looked over and saw Dr Jen Unwin who waved at me, smiled and asked how we were...the last (and only time) I have met Jen was two years ago at a festival she helped organise called Real Food Rocks...totally amazed that she remembered us. We later got to speak with her and her husband David, who also remembered us!!

We tried some cacao tea (iced) which was rather nice and refreshing; we had a little demo of some essential oils - peppermint and wild orange - which I can still smell on my hands!; we discovered a way of making keto crepes using bamboo flour and then there was food!

Me and iced cacao tea!

Included with the £10 ticket was a 'food token', not sure what to expect we ventured off to find what was on offer. Thinking we would have to choose one thing but no it was a buffet where we could try as much or as little as we wanted...

...we had burger, sausage, tandoori chicken, pulled pork, falafel, salad and coleslaw and it was all extremely yummy and of course all keto friendly. It was so great to be out and not have to worry about finding something on the menu that is anywhere close to being keto.

We then watched a great food presentation by a chef called 'The Spice Guy' who made three very simple and tasty dishes in about thirty minutes. Not only did he cook up some great food but he was funny and engaging to watch.

Later in the afternoon we found ourselves chatting with a young couple about all things keto and low carb and how best to manage that with a young family. We also were able to listen to both Jen and David Unwin speak and answer questions.

Dr David Unwin in full flow

We had a great day and didn't let the weather get in the way. We had a little break in the rain which meant we could sit outside to eat our lunch but the event was so well organised that the rain didn't stop them from doing everything they wanted; a great example of why having a 'rainy day plan' is essential.

We have had a lovely day, that felt more 'normal' than anything we have done for a long while. And are rounding it out with homemade keto pizza which seems to have become our Saturday night go-to meal!

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 107

Day 107...

And the last day of the working week for me, and the second of my two days actually in work this week. Could someone please tell the weather the month is July and that it's supposed to be warm and sunny?!! Because at times today it was blooming freezing!

My work day was pretty straight forward, a few emails, little bit of accounts, and some more prep work ready for the new school year in September.

Once home it was shower, change and have a coffee before sitting back at my laptop to respond to a few emails and add to my grocery shop that is due to be collected on Monday.

I then made some keto bread for the weekend; this is a fab recipe from the Diet Doctor website called Golden Sesame bread and goes great with pate, cream cheese or simply butter! And it's keto...yum!

So here in the UK we are about to enter the next stage of our lockdown restrictions easing which sees pubs, bars, restaurants, hairdressers and others being able to open their doors from tomorrow. They will have to operate as 'COVID secure' (whatever that means) and the social distancing rules can be relaxed down to one metre with mitigation. This basically means that if you can't keep two metres apart then you need to be wearing a mask...or at least I think that's what it means?!

To be honest the messaging from the UK government at times is less than clear; there are a lot of 'recommendations' rather than 'must do's' and the whole message around masks is somewhat vague. Apparently if you are on public transport then you must wear a mask, but if you are out and about and might struggle to meet the two metre distancing, then wearing a face covering is probably a good idea and, if you can, try and sit/stand side by side and in a well ventilated space.

So as our pubs and bars open tomorrow it is going to be interesting to see what going to a pub in this new way is going to look like and will it be anything like what we are used to experiencing? For me personally, and I'm not trying to sound anti-social, but I really am in no rush to go out to a pub...to mix with people I don't know, that I don't know where they have been and to have to queue to be let in or only be allowed to sit outside, and if I want to meet friends we need to be at least a metre apart and should really, probably...maybe...wear a face mask - sorry but that doesn't sound like a fun night out...I think I can wait a bit longer.

I would much rather have a few friends around to sit in my garden, socially distanced, and have a few drinks, at a fraction of the price, in a much safer environment and enjoy the experience. I am sure over time as things improve and get to be more 'normal' (although I think normal as we knew it is a long way off at the moment) I will venture back out into the world at large but for the time being I will keep on doing what I have been doing as that seems to work for me and mine.

And I will still say that while I appreciate the economic need for these businesses to be able to open their doors and start earning, it does feel rather cruel that we still can't hug people that we care about and haven't been able to see or spend time with over these last few months. I would much rather spend quality time with those I care about than sit in a bar worrying that I might go home with an uninvited guest!

Whatever your plans are this weekend, wherever you decide to go please just do it safely, follow the guidance, wear a mask and most importantly stay safe.

xx

But I couldn't give up...

Oh, but I couldn't give up....

This is one of those phrases that creeps into the conversation whenever I tell people that I follow a low carb/keto way of eating.

OK, so let me make a confession - ‘My name is Jayne and I follow a low carb/keto way of life and I apologise’.

But why do I feel the need to apologise? Why is it that I’m made to feel like some sort of weirdo or freak because I don’t eat carbs?

I have friends who are vegetarians but to the world at large that’s perfectly fine.

I have friends who are vegans and again to the world at large that’s perfectly fine.

But when I say ‘sorry no potatoes for me’ I’m made to feel like there’s something wrong with me!

I can go out and about for coffee or for meals whether that be in a small local cafe, a city centre restaurant or even when visiting friends or family and there are numerous concessions made for diets. Plastered on menu boards everywhere is ‘vegetarian friendly’, ‘vegan this or that’, ‘gluten free’ or ‘lighter options’ but never anything to say ‘low carb’ or ‘keto’.

Now OK I am a big girl and actually following a low carb/keto way of life is pretty straightforward; I have no problem asking a restaurant to substitute in some extra veggies or salad instead of the potatoes or asking for cream when ordering coffee. And to be fair there is now more and more places that will have on their menus (although often hidden at the bottom somewhere) that burgers can be ‘bunless’ or that rice can be swapped for salad.

But I do still feel that what I’m asking for is considered to be a bit weird, often met with a questioning ‘so you don’t want the potatoes?’ Well that’s what I’ve just said!!

I’m really not looking for any special treatment or a special menu just an acceptance that it’s perfectly normal to not want the beige and boring carbs!

Now don’t get me wrong I am aware that we are beginning to see some companies and small businesses that are catering specifically towards the low carb market; often providing a low carb alternative to those ‘western diet’ favourites of bread and sweet things. These items are not necessarily the cheapest but at least it’s good to know that this ‘low carb thing’ is beginning to get recognised. For me personally I am a bit wary of these low carb alternatives as I’m not a lover of the artificial sweeteners that can be used but I think it’s great that options for those that want them are appearing.

At ‘Real Food Rocks’ back in July I was able to try some low carb pitta bread (Low Carb Food Company) and some low carb dark chocolate and raspberry brownies (Deliciously Guilt Free) which were both delicious. And for both of these I would personally consider them an exception to my usual way of eating. In fact if I fancy ‘a treat', something that I would not ordinarily consume, like a cookie or a piece of cake then I will allow myself to indulge. But this is only a rare occurrence and often I will find that sharing a piece of cake or just having a couple of bites is enough to satisfy any ‘craving’ I may have. A phrase we like to use in my home is ‘rare and appropriate’ (a term coined by Penn Jillette during his weight-loss); so for example when I reached the end of my radiotherapy treatment I figured it was appropriate to mark the occasion with a coffee and a nice piece of ‘full on’ cheesecake! So I had a piece of ‘proper’ cake and enjoyed it and that was that!

So let’s get back to what I started with at the top of this post...but I couldn’t give up…

I think this happens to everyone who follows a low carb/keto way of eating as soon as we begin to explain what it means we have the standard response ‘but I couldn’t give up...’ followed by one (or all!) mention of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta. Interestingly the ‘naughty’ foods of cakes or cookies are never mentioned because everyone knows that these are not good for us but the complete indignation that can be met should I dare suggest that perhaps pasta is not all that great is really rather surprising.

For those of us that have found low carb/keto and have experienced the benefits, whether that be weight loss, general health improvements, skin improvements, better mood or reversal of type 2 diabetes and more, we find ourselves wanting to spread the news. I know that I have done a lot of reading and continue to do so. Names like Gary Taubes, Gary Fettke, Tim Noakes, Dr David Unwin, Ivor Cummins, Nina Teicholz to name but a few are commonly spoken about in our house. We actively seek out new information, podcasts and websites. I absolutely love dietdoctor.com for the vast amount of information delivered in an easy to understand way along with a collection of recipes to suit everyone’s budget, tastes and cooking ability.

I find myself feeling quite passionate about this way of eating, especially knowing that the traditional diet of low fat, eat less and move more simply doesn’t work and is actually completely wrong. We have been ‘fed’ information over the past 30 years, and more, that was wrong, that was never tested as it should have been and has never been corrected despite evidence to the contrary.

So when people do ask me about losing weight, or keeping the weight off or simply ‘what is is that you eat?’ I want to tell them as much as I possibly can. But I am constantly surprised that most people seem to stumble as soon as they hear ‘no bread, no rice, no pasta, no potatoes’.

Perhaps I need to change my approach and tell them about all the lovely things they can be eating; all the cheese, meat, bacon, eggs, full fat yogurt, cream in their coffee, green veggies, some berries and my favourite extra dark chocolate!

Everyone knows that cakes, cookies and anything sugary is bad for them but what they don’t understand is that some of our food ‘staples’, and foods that we have been led to believe are ‘good for us’ are actually also full of sugar. I can’t recommend Dr. David Unwin’s infographics highly enough where he equates those staples of our diet to the amount of sugar in them, such an easy and surprising way to get the message across.

Infographic courtesy of  phc.org

I also tell people to try eating the rice, the pasta, the potatoes or the bread just on its own with no sauce or seasoning to see how bland they actually are. These are after all bland and beige and I’ve never known anything that is bland and beige be ‘good for you’!

So ditch the beige and embrace tasty, satisfying and filling foods.

Eat the right foods and your body will do the rest. There is then no need to worry about ‘how much’ or ‘how many calories’ or feeling hungry. Listen to your body, eat when you are genuinely hungry and eat foods that will leave you feeling satiated and full of energy. You will turn your body into a fat burning machine and you will never look back.

Five and a half years ago I took on a challenge to lose a bit of weight, little did I realise back then that I would be able to keep that weight off, drop 2 dress sizes and feel great. I have learnt so much since then and I just want to be able to give those who want to listen and are prepared to give something a chance all the help, advice and encouragement I can.

Taken Summer 2013 - Standard Low Fat Diet
150lbs

Taken Summer 2019 - 5 years low carb
131lbs

 Please go back and read my other blog pieces about how I discovered this way of eating and how I've managed to stick at it for five and a half years.

Eating Well, Staying Healthy
What's Wrong with Real Food?
Four Years On
Eating Healthy and Proud of it
One Year On
90 Day Challenge

Four Years On

And if any of this gives you cause to think then I urge you to just give it a try and you never know what might happen!

New Year, New Me!!

Isn't that how all blog posts etc are supposed to start this time of year - New Year, New Me!!

Lots of articles about diets, getting fit, moving more, eating better, being healthy etc, etc and how NOW is the time to do it! After all what better time to do something about your weight, or shape or fitness than the start of a new year!!  OK I hope you can detect my sarcasm as I write this because really?!!

Just because we start a new year shouldn't be the reason to create a new you! If you want to do something about your weight or how you look you should do it because the want is there not because of what time of year it is.

Now I will be the first to admit that over the festive period I have like most people indulged in foods I wouldn't normally have done, probably had a few drinks more than usual and not moved as much as I do usually. So yes the New Year, or rather the end of the holidays, is the kick start back into my usual routine.

There will be lots of 'diets' out there that will promise amazing results in amazing amounts of time or fantastic results by buying their products or sticking to a 'points' system or some other type of gimmick normally involving a 'discounted price' to entice you in. The problem with most of these 'quick fixes' are that they are just that, a quick fix, that doesn't last and the only thing that you can guarantee being any lighter is your purse! Now don't get me wrong some people will use these diets and for them it will work and it may even work long term for them but for most of us we buy in, stick to it for a while until we hit a bump in the road and we go back to square one.

Now for anyone who has read my blog over the last few years will be aware of my own success at losing weight and feeling better about myself and body shape. Have a look at my page called - 'Getting Real' where I go into detail about how I lost weight and started a new way of eating...a lifestyle change.

And I think this is key to anyone who really wants to lose the weight; it is not dieting that will help you to lose weight it is making a change to your lifestyle.

Having changed my lifestyle two and a half years ago I have not only embraced it but I continue to learn more about what I am now doing and how that affects me and my body and how the way most of us eat is doing us more harm than good. And it is a lifestyle that I found relatively easy to adopt and one that the whole family now follows. So what did I do?

Have a look at the page on this blog called 'Getting Real' as well as my post from June 2015 called 'One Year On' as both of these document my journey and how I got to where I am today.

Basically I have adopted what is often referred to as either 'low carb' or 'low carb, high fat' (LCHF) way of eating. This means cutting down on the sugars and starches - so no potatoes, breads, pasta or rice - while eating plenty of fish, meat, eggs, natural fats and veggies (those that grow above ground!).

I don't count calories - lots of studies now show that not all calories are the same; the way your body processes calories depends on where they come from! Take in sugars or carbs and your body doesn't really know what to do with them and so stores them as fat which leaves you feeling hungry...so you eat more (usually more carbs) and so the vicious circle begins. Take in fats and proteins and your body uses these for energy and actually starts burning your fat stores, you also feel satisfied when you've eaten fats and protein and so avoid the cycle of eating more when it's not needed.

The key to all this is to eat real foods and ditch the highly processed sugary rubbish that is way too easily available. Many years ago the official dietary advice to lose weight and keep your heart healthy was to eat low fat foods...the food industry obliged and provided us with a ton of low fat or fat free alternatives. The problem with removing the fat was that the food tasted pretty nasty so the food industry replaced the missing fat with sugar or sweeteners. But this meant our carb intake increased; we didn't feel 'full' so we ate more. The food industry recognised they were onto a good thing by supporting the official dietary advice and so kept on producing more and more processed low fat foods. We now find ourselves with a food industry still supporting the 'low fat advice' and not wanting to make a change because of the detrimental affect it could have to their profit margins.

The latest evidence now tells us that fat has never been our enemy, it's been sugar all along. The advice that governments followed about having a low fat diet was wrong...they simply listened to those that shouted the loudest, those scientists who, at the time, had the connections and believed their ideas to be right...unfortunately for us they were not. I urge you to read a book called 'Why We Get Fat and What to Do About it' by Gary Taubes - a fascinating and easy read which explains why we find ourselves today with the highest obesity and diabetes rates ever, despite following all the government advice to eat low fat.

So the answer is simple ditch the carbs, enjoy fats and protein and eat real food. No fads, no gimmicks, no magic powders simply good, tasty, satisfying real food. And yes you can throw some exercise into the mix as well but the exercise won't make you lose weight; it will keep you fit and will tone what you've got but it's what you put into your body that will make the biggest changes.

I have been eating this way for two and a half years. I complete a set of body weight exercises most days. I dropped from a size 12 (UK) to a size 8 (UK) and have stayed that way. Yes my weight will fluctuate every now and then but it stays pretty consistent. While changing the way you have eaten all your life can be daunting and a challenge I have found it really straight forward to stick to; there's no portion control or calorie counting it's simply finding the right food, eating it and enjoying it.

If you want to make a change, feel good about how you look and at the same time improve your health and well being then give this lifestyle a try. I did, it worked and I'm staying this way!

Please feel free to comment below, or contact me via Twitter @JaynePhipps should you want to know more.

A really good website to give you more information is www.dietdoctor.com