30 Days of Only Ground Beef
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Just had a delicious ground beef (and bacon, sorry
) breakfast. I want to join the Beefmasters club. @glossbones, you are cracking me up.
And @Fit_Goat, thanks for that reminder. I've been waffling on the Ad Lib April challenge but I think I need to just focus more on my carb limits.0 -
So is this club like... Thigh Master? Or The Beastmaster? (Beefmaster is this Ground Beef challenge but Beast Master is for the AAA group?)0 -
Yeah, it's like Thigh Master. Suzanne Somers is out leader.0
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Here is one of my lunatic fringe ramblings when it comes to calories and low-carb. I think I have noticed a trend, whenever I think I am going to step on someone's toes or say something which might upset some people... I tend to put a funny photo at the top.
I'm about to wander way off into wacky-land, for some of you. I'll probably step on some keto-toes. This is all my opinion. Much of it is supported with many of the books I've read about various low carb diets, but you can reject it as lunatic ramblings if you want. Just don't forget, you can't win an argument against a goat in a suit.
Don't get me wrong. Keto did a lot of good for me, but there are some things that are "keto" that drive me crazy. I could be completely wrong. At the risk of committing a "No True Scottsman" fallacy, I've got to say that if you're having trouble being satisfied, naturally, eating an amount (on a low-carb/keto diet) that causes your weight to normalize on its own, then you're probably doing something wrong or your body is recovering from years of adapting to famine-level calories and will get on board when it realizes that this isn't just a temporary thing.
If you're not losing weight and you're adding butter to coffee, you're doing something wrong. I like butter in my coffee, sometimes. It's delicious. But, it's not something I think is a great idea unless you're using it as an IF type thing to replace a morning meal that would otherwise spike your insulin. And, if you're adding butter to your coffee and eating too much, that's the first thing I would kick out.
Similar things with nuts, cheese, fat bombs, and alcohol. While they all can play a role in a successful low carb diet, they are things which can make it nearly impossible to eat without restriction.
First, and foremost, a low carb meal should be centered around a fatty meat. It should be the first thing you eat as well. Then you should think of low carb sides (vegetables, salad, etc.) that you might want with the meat. For example, "Strong Medicine" advocates for a minimum of 8 oz of what would be equivalent to 75%/25% ground beef three times a day. After you've eaten the meat and fat, you could have more meat and from a limited selection of vegetables (although even those were removed if you weren't losing weight). Plus, you get a cup of coffee. This was the minimum for all patients on the program to lose weight. That's around 2,000 calories as a minimum each day. I'm not saying you need to go that high. But, if you are hungry, your first instinct should be to eat a meal centered around a fatty meat.
[ Edit: This would still be a very ketogenic diet, assuming the minimums. It would be around 108 grams of protein, 172 grams of fat, 0 grams of carbs... 78% fat and 22% protein. So, it's high meat... but not high protein. As, I believe most low-carb diets should be. ]
Second, added sauces and fats are excellent, assuming that using them is still allowing you to make your goals and they aren't playing a leading role in a meal. If you've got lean meat, a heavy cream based sauce is an excellent addition to balance the meal out with some fat. If you want to add some butter to make the vegetables more palatable, that's probably fine. A 4 oz chicken breast with 1,000 calories of Alfredo sauce just makes no sense. Fat is great, don't fear fat. Fat should be the majority of your calories, but it doesn't need to be the majority of what you eat.
All your calorie data from a mixed diet is useless when eating low carb. I can't use the fact that I gained weight at 1,900 calories when eating a "balanced" diet to help me determine a calorie goal to lose on low-carb. In fact, I lost almost all my weight averaging around 1,900 calories on low-carb. Have people gained weight doing everything right on low carb? Yeah, I, personally, know someone who gained weight for six months. They started at a "healthy" weight that they had been starving and exercising to maintain. They gained weight for six months when the stopped counting calories. Then the weight all went back off just as fast as it came on. Still without counting, except the person now felt and looked better. And, that person was now able to eat until satisfied all the time and didn't need to exercise, unless they wanted to.
I know people here are struggling to keep making progress at 1,400 calories a day. And, maybe 1,400 is the right amount for you. But, if it was, it wouldn't be something you needed to struggle to manage. It would be something that would happen automatically. If you're struggling to make it happen, you're probably messing something up. Chances are, you know what it is too. My areas have always been cheese and nuts. I would know I ate too much on them. I would feel it.
In the end, it all comes down to my belief that everyone should be able to trust their body and eat as much as they want while maintaining a healthy and normal weight. For some, especially those with metabolic issues and/or diabetes, this may be a pipe-dream. I'd like to believe those are the exceptions though, and not the rule.
That one is from this thread: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10217248/why-do-calories-not-count-on-low-carb
I flesh out my feelings more completely here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10093268/doesnt-counting-calories-count
What is funny is that you can see that I know I have a dairy issue even back when I posted this. I knew that cheese was one of those things which caused me problems with weight control. I still wasn't about to give it up. I posted this way back in July ('15) and just go around to a full month dairy free now. Sometimes, my rants may be stronger than even my own personal resolve.0 -
We need a "Things Crazy Uncle FIT_Goat said" wiki.
I do find that too much protein gives me trouble on a "Keto" diet (air quotes because too much protein isn't strictly keto). I think my cuts of meat are too lean and the portions too large, in general. Then add almond flour to the mix and I'm just hungry all the time.
I am uncertain in terms of how to handle re-introducing items that will be adding carbs and cutting in on the fat I'm getting now. When I start to think about it too hard I just want to throw my hands up and keep eating just GB. :P
Confession: So this week, at work, there's been a Tiramisu cake sitting on the break room table. It's not that I want THAT Tiramisu cake, but I freaking am dying to get my sensitivity answers so I can make a keto version. Which is SO STUPID because I know those dessert recipes are what really stall my progress. I'm trying to tell myself that it'll take me MONTHS before I'll have added in all the ingredients that I'd need to make such a treat, and let the slow speed deter my craving.0 -
"We need a "Things Crazy Uncle FIT_Goat said" wiki.".
lol @glossbones. it needs to be a line item in the launchpad.
for my money (even though I'm not technically keto) the perfect keto food is prime rib au jus. yum
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I know I said I wasn't going to do a weekly check-in, but spoiler: I only lost 0.1 kg on my trend this week. The scale weight has almost always been above where it was last week at this time. Still down a bunch. But, it does look like it flattened out and started to slow this week. Could be temporary. We will see. Even when this experiment ends, I am going to continue [mostly] dairy free for the rest of April. I have eaten a lot more this week. I have averaged 3,000 calories a day. It brings the experiment average up to almost 2,650 a day. It probably has something to do with the slow-down or stall. I am not worried about it. The calories take care of themselves.0
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Thanks for sharing that, @FIT_Goat.
Also, I've always wondered: What's the story behind your intriguing username?0 -
Ah, my username. I think there was a thread where I explained it before.
It comes from a college fraternity bet. Fifty, two day old, unrefrigerated Hooters wings and a 750ml bottle of Malibu coconut rum.
There was a hurricane. Those sorts of things happen in Florida. The school was evacuated and my fraternity traveled as a group across the state and took up residence in a crappy motel. On the first night there, we all went to Hooters and ordered way too much crappy wings (mild... who orders *MILD* wings, honestly). Being college students, the uneaten wings came back with us to the hotel room. We had no refrigerators in the rooms. A pile of 50 of these wings sat on a night-stand, in a poorly air-conditioned Florida motel room, for two days.
At the end of two days, there was a great debate regarding what to do with these wings. No one, in particular, wanted to eat them. There was a strong case for throwing them out. That seemed so wasteful. Surely something better could be done with these wings. I already had a reputation for eating just about anything that came my way. I don't know if I suggested it or someone else did. I wasn't exactly sober when this bet was made.
A fresh bottle of Malibu was procured and I sat at a table with the wings and the bottle (no mixer and no water) and swore to not get up until both were gone. I got it all down. I can't swear that it stayed down. But, at that point, I was given the nickname Goat for being willing to eat anything. Unfortunately, this is the tamest of my college drinking stories. Everything else borders on ridiculous. There's a reason that I rarely drink these days.
The FIT part has multiple meanings. The primary meaning, for this site's purpose, is that I have never been physically fit. I am getting there now.0 -
Day 27! Five Guys for lunch. If the weight of a patty on MFP is correct, their patties are obscenely tiny. I'll ask when I get there. Looks like they're just under a quarter pound (like 3.3 oz instead of 4).
So last night I picked up more fresh GB from the grocery store and made more patties, including two 4 oz patties to help me boost my intake for the day. I suspect I will be hungry tonight. Yesterday was a high output day, and I'm already hungry now. (I suppose I could always eat the 11.125 oz patty in the fridge after lunch if I need it).0 -
(Did end up eating that patty before lunch. I was hungry, dangit! I can always eat one or both of the 4 oz patties tonight as matches my appetite. After Chili's last week I'm kinda gun shy on eating patties out.)0
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Ya, I'm thinking the 5 Guys patties won't satisfy0
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5 guy burgers are good, but small. You'll need a few.0
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I had three (they knocked the price down since I didn't get anything else). Not dry, but not the texture I prefer for my burgers these days. I'm spoiled by my hand-made patties.
Drinking coffee now. I think I may skip dinner, or only eat one of the 4oz patties.0 -
Thanks for explaining!
And mm, I like Five Guys. I usually get a bunless Little Bacon Cheeseburger. I didn't realize their patties were that small!
Since I did my big batch-cook, I've been eating ground beef 2 meals a day but I'm definitely not at the level of glossbones and FIT_Goat!0 -
Five guys was definitely better the last time I went, when I loaded it with all the low carb toppings I could. Bareburger so far is the only beef that stands on its own. There's one more restaurant I can try if I feel like spending $13 minimum on my angus patty.0
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Alright, I am officially done. But, I have to cook lunch for tomorrow. Spoiler alert: it's going to be burgers. I have a bunch of thawed ground beef and it's easiest.0
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What you all have been doing is contagious. I've been eating much more ground beef and bought my first pkg of 73/27% yesterday. Somehow you've made it much more appealing.
Congrats on your successful month! 0 -
Wish I could find 73/27! I definitely want to lower my protein as I add other foods in, but 80/20 is the best I've been able to find thus far. And even that has been hard to come by. You're not kidding that it's contagious. Clearly someone else in my area has discovered the power of meeeeeat.
Three days left, including today! Of course I'm going to be eating as much ground beef after, while I add things back in slowly. Plus it's way more affordable than the rib eyes I had been eating.
Feeling hungry again today, so I'll probably eat my first patty in a few minutes (once the office kitchen clears of the AM coffee crowd). That's convenient, since I meet a friend for coffee at lunch. Then my second patty for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow is my husband's birthday party (I wrote patty at first). I will probably fast until it starts, and then eat 3 or more bubba burgers once people come over. Otherwise I'll be sitting around like a nob while everyone else eats pizza and cake.0 -
glossbones wrote: »Wish I could find 73/27! I definitely want to lower my protein as I add other foods in, but 80/20 is the best I've been able to find thus far. And even that has been hard to come by. You're not kidding that it's contagious. Clearly someone else in my area has discovered the power of meeeeeat.
Have you asked at the butcher? I bet they would be perfectly willing to hook you up. Mine makes up a batch of bones for me on request, I just ask them a day or 2 before.0
