Personal Introduction
lamiller82
Posts: 31 Member
Little bit of history on myself, just as an introduction to the group. I am a 34 y.o. HS Math teacher; my educational background is in engineering (BS and MS... plus some). Single, no kids... except the 90 or so that sit in my classroom every day.
In July I had a hemithyroidectomy, where a 6.5 cm tumor was removed that had been eating my thyroid. The surgeon left me one functioning (and presumably healthy) lobe of the thyroid. So, in order to support the remaining thyroid, the doctor ordered me onto a LC diet... but with no other directions. To that end I'm somewhat designing a "roll your own" mix of low-carb lifestyle. Since the last week of July, I'm down approximately 30-35 lbs. (Depends on which initial weigh in number I use... doesn't really matter so much to me.)
My problem is somewhat two fold. I'm getting bored with the food that I have been relying on to meet my goals. Also, living in rural podunk midwest US, finding fresh produce in the winter is a PITA. As a result, I have a tendency to under-eat, and I get exhausted really fast. I supplement my hydration with propel zero, so I don't really think it's an electrolyte issue. I thought joining this group might give me some new ideas for winter foods.
Blood results I got back last Friday show that while I am not facing a standard anemia (my total hemoglobin is within ranges) my red blood cells are a bit out of whack. I have an abundance of tiny red cells instead of a moderate number of mature normal sized cells. I have microcytic anemia; I wouldn't think anemia was any kind of issue on a LC diet, but evidently dairy interferes with the absorption of iron from meat? That's my current conundrum. Has anyone had experience with combining LCHF with treating anemia?
In July I had a hemithyroidectomy, where a 6.5 cm tumor was removed that had been eating my thyroid. The surgeon left me one functioning (and presumably healthy) lobe of the thyroid. So, in order to support the remaining thyroid, the doctor ordered me onto a LC diet... but with no other directions. To that end I'm somewhat designing a "roll your own" mix of low-carb lifestyle. Since the last week of July, I'm down approximately 30-35 lbs. (Depends on which initial weigh in number I use... doesn't really matter so much to me.)
My problem is somewhat two fold. I'm getting bored with the food that I have been relying on to meet my goals. Also, living in rural podunk midwest US, finding fresh produce in the winter is a PITA. As a result, I have a tendency to under-eat, and I get exhausted really fast. I supplement my hydration with propel zero, so I don't really think it's an electrolyte issue. I thought joining this group might give me some new ideas for winter foods.
Blood results I got back last Friday show that while I am not facing a standard anemia (my total hemoglobin is within ranges) my red blood cells are a bit out of whack. I have an abundance of tiny red cells instead of a moderate number of mature normal sized cells. I have microcytic anemia; I wouldn't think anemia was any kind of issue on a LC diet, but evidently dairy interferes with the absorption of iron from meat? That's my current conundrum. Has anyone had experience with combining LCHF with treating anemia?
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Welcome aboard!!
I am anemic but nothing beyond plain old normal sometimes we are anemic anemic and have been since my daughter was born in 2000. I've been taking iron and B vitamins for ever. I haven't had blood work done yet since going Keto but seeing the doc on the 2nd. I'll let you know if anything comes back "weird".
I'm going to guess that Propel does not have enough electrolytes in it for us ketophiles. Check out the launch pad for that info.
Again, welcome aboard!!1 -
> I'm getting bored with the food that I have been relying on to meet my goals.
Boredom is in your head, not a sign of nutritional problems. Fight it. Food is not entertainment. You only have to feed yourself. In time, you'll retrain your taste buds.
Your lack of energy is likely due to the anemia more than anything else. Sure, under-eating may contribute to it, but I would focus on fixing the anemia first.3 -
Welcome, @lamiller82 . Sorry to hear of your health trouble. And it is difficult to get excited about meals for one but on the other hand, it is easier to stick to a diet when there is just you and you don't have to cook more than one meal.
There are a number of recipe sites that we use.
ruled.me
skinnytaste
dietdoctor
ibreatheimhungry
atkins
all take a bit of effort. To be honest, we normally eat a protein and a veg with salad for dinner. Breakfast is usually egg, bacon or something cheesey (I put a fried egg over spinach often). If budget will allow, egg over smoked salmon with hollandaise sauce is a winner and for lunch, tuna or salmon with mayo and a bit of lettuce.
There are is a thread on this group about "what do your meals look like?" with hundred of ideas and photos. Have a look. Cooking from scratch on this diet can be as complicated or as simple as you want. Hard to cook exciting things when you are tired though. I hope you get your energy back soon. Bone broth may be more nourishing and balance electrolytes better than Propel. Many just drink pickle juice or eat sauerkraut.
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Chant to yourself: Food is fuel and ELECTROLYTES.
Check out the sticky at the top on Keto-Flu.
We feel you. We've all gone through this. It's hard.
But Goat is right, it's a mental game.
Check out the thread: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10274397/what-does-your-low-carb-meals-look-like#latest
And this one from another forum: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=4045940 -
Although not single, my wife is a vegetarian (more like pasta-etarian) and my daughter is super picky, so I am generally cooking/fixing something separate for myself. There are many many many websites with good LC recipes. Personally, I eat about 18 eggs a week in various ways. I think they are the single most versatile food for this or nearly any other WOE.
If you need additional iron, spinach is great. For LC, it is even better because it also has potassium and magnesium so it can help with the electrolytes. I eat a ton of it as well both fresh/raw and canned/cooked. It is about the only veggie I get that is not either fresh or frozen. I have read in a couple places the frozen veggies are often actually fresher than the what you get in in the produce aisle because the are frozen right after harvesting versus the "fresh" produce that may have endured a 2-3 day trip to get to your store and then sat on the shelf for a couple of days. With that in mind, maybe moving to frozen veggies from "fresh" can help with your issues getting produce out where you live.
I think many of us have large freezers for taking advantage of sales on good meat. I use mine for keeping a good store of frozen veggies as well.
In the launchpad, there is a section with a bunch of recipe sites for you to use. If you see something you like but aren't sure about your ability to make it, I would suggest googling it. I have found there are youtube videos showing how to make most of these foods. Being able to see it makes it a ton easier for me to understand how to make it. Up until last year, I cooked very little. Now, I cook all the time.
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I try to find one new recipe to try out on the weekend or at least a more involved meal that I can look forward to. Things like oopsie bread, coconut cream chia pudding, and my favorite recent item: steak with whipped horseradish cream, yum!
I tend to eat the same things for ease through the week, so having something interesting to look forward to is helpful to me.0 -
Welcome! While I can't profess to know much about your health concerns, I do know a bit about food shopping & prep. In addition to the great suggestions above, I'd like to double up on the extolled virtures of frozen vegetables. If you're into studies, this article includes links to research on nutritive values of cooked frozen vegetables: http://greatist.com/health/frozen-vs-fresh-which-vegetables-are-best
I purchase a lot of frozen vegetables for the ease of storage & choice when cooking. I don't tend to boil vegetables, except when making stocks. When I want to make a quick soup, I'll rinse my chosen frozen vegetable(s) and add them to the broth to cook to taste. For variety, I'll puree the cooked veg & broth to make a nice creamed soup.
Obviously the texture of frozen vegetables are different, so one can't prepare, say, frozen asparagus and expect it to taste garden fresh. But I can say that frozen Brussels sprouts, coated w/olive & coconut oil, salted, peppered, w/some garlic & onion powder, can roast in the oven @375-400 Farenheit for 30-40 minutes and compete with fresh. Frozen spinach (and other chopped greens) make great creamed greens or dips or soup additions. Sometimes rinsed, slightly steamed spinach as a bed for eggs or ground beef... Frozen"California Blend" broccoli & cauliflower is one of my favorite steam & season, soup, or puree options--great w/sauteed sausages, etc.
I keep a pretty large seasonings cabinet and have learned the general flavor profiles of various ethnic cuisines to keep things interesting and delicious. Fortunately, fat helps carry flavor and helps make mild vegetables like cauliflower really bold, if you like.
Here's to a flavorful, LCHF winter!0 -
One last thing - when in doubt, add bacon or bacon grease. It is hard to find anything that doesn't improve with some bacon flavor. The Brussels sprouts mentioned by @40DayFit above are even better with bacon/bacon grease. In fact, that is about the only way I like them.2
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They are running additional blood work to figure out the anemia issue and another follow-up thyroid panel to see where the exhaustion is coming from. I am a bit of a pickle fiend as it is... however I am always on the dehydrated end of the spectrum, because as a teacher, I don't get regular potty breaks.0
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As a person who suffers hypothyroidism, I can tell you that I've only recently learned that your thyroid function is driven by insulin, so dropping insulin in huge numbers (I'm also insulin resistant, so my numbers are way wacky) can actually STALL your thyroid. Additionally, the thyroid tends to be the throttle, telling the liver how much stomach acid to release/create. So if your thyroid is functioning at less than 100%, you can add all the iron rich foods or supplements in the universe, but unless you add something to trigger more digestive stomach acids, and potentially digestive enzymes as well, YOU WILL NEVER PROPERLY BREAK DOWN OR BE ABLE TO ABSORB THAT IRON. So please look into this side of things. I've only barely gotten my numbers to start creeping up...but I also do not have a gallbladder to help with concentrating and releasing the acids.
One of my favorite things to eat to help with this is organ meat in Braunschweiger. It is a type of pork pate that has livers and other things in it. I've heard great things about the US Wellness brands, but I can't get them locally or afford the online prices, so I stick with the Kretchmar brand. Another thing I've looked into recently is getting back to eating sardines. They are a nutritional powerhouse for supporting thyroid function - as well as other body needs - and someone had a recipe recently for making a spread with sardines and roasted garlic that sounded AMAZING.
I've done a lot of research into this due to my own dramas. I think there are some links in the sticky post about digestive issues...if not, holler, and I'll look up the links for determining if low stomach acid is a factor. @lamiller82
(P.S. Standard stuff talks about Betaine HCL, and I couldn't tolerate that as stand alone, so a balanced formula may be more of what you need. I'm happy to make suggestions for what I use personally... You can start as naturally as using digestive bitters, etc., or switch to Rx meds - which did not help me at ALL, or us a reliable formula... If your thyroid function improves, you can always dial back the need for these supplements - I'm in the process of reducing mine as my levels are doing better these days.)0
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