FAO Esnecca

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  • posted by Happyhel35
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    Hello

    I was just wanting to ask please if there are any foods in particular you find helped with your PCOS symptoms?

    Xxx

  • posted by Esnecca
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    My symptoms showed immediate improvement when I cut out the usual carb suspects (bread, pasta, grains, potatoes, etc) several months before I started the BSD. The big ones were the return of menstrual regularity and an explosion of hair regrowth. I had forgotten how when I was a kid I had tons of little baby hairs constantly growing in around my hair line. Within a month of cutting out carbs I saw them again for the first time in close to twenty years. When I went on the Fast800, other issues — persistent acne and excess body hair — resolved themselves almost with instantaneous effect to a degree I wouldn’t have thought possible. The hair on my arms lightened and receded to levels I hadn’t seen since puberty. One armpit wax lasted almost four months and grew back so light it was like a dusting. I literally haven’t been this person since the fourth grade.

    Over the 14 months I was on the Fast800, the foods I ate changed quite a bit as I experimented and my palate changed radically, so in my case I don’t believe there were any specific foods I could point to that helped alleviate symptoms. It was more about eliminating foods that made things worse. So for example I found that I could not eat more than 3 ounces of tomatoes or red bell pepper without feeling a blood sugar impact (tingling in the extremities, blurred vision, queasiness). That remains the case today even though I’ve reached my weight loss goal and am in maintenance.

    I’m sure you’ll find things that work that way for you too as you move forward. My suggestion in general for foods that allow you to reduce your daily carb intake as much as possible while still keeping you full and healthy are high fiber greens (spinach, kale, broccoli rabe, mustard greens, turnip greens, Swiss chard, collards), good fats (avocado, hemp seeds/milk, wild salmon, Brazil nuts, extra-virgin olive oil) and combinations of the two like chia pudding. Chia pudding would make an excellent running buddy, actually. It’s easy to make lots of in advance, easy to customize to your taste and fills you up thoroughly for a long time without weighing you down. Kelp noodles do the same thing.

    Here’s my tips for chia coconut cream pudding that I posted here ages ago:

    Get a can of coconut cream, or if you can’t find it, get a can of coconut milk and put it in the fridge for a few hours. When you open it, the cream will have solidified. Scoop it out and put it in a bowl. Add a third of a cup of chia seeds, fresh vanilla or extract , a grating of lime zest and any of the coconut liquid left in the can. Stir everything together vigorously or use a hand-beater if you have one.

    Chia releases a natural gelatin when added to a liquid. Let it sit for five minutes and it will turn to pudding all on its own. If you keep the chia seeds whole, you’lI get a tapioca-like consistency which I quite like, but most of the time I run the seeds through my spice grinder before adding to the coconut cream because I enjoy the smoother texture.

    The great thing about this pudding is that it’s high in healthy fat courtesy of the coconut and high in fiber courtesy of the chia so it fills you up like nobody’s business. It is also incredibly rich, luscious and silky on the tongue like the creamiest of ice creams. A serving of 70 grams is 177 calories with only one gram of carb.

    If you want to shave off some calories, use a low-carb milk alternative like hemp milk, macadamia milk or almond milk, all unsweetened, of course.

    I hope this helps. I’m cheering you on in a big way. 😀

  • posted by Happyhel35
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    Awww thank you. What a fabulous reply.
    I’m saving your response so i can re read again and again.

    The biggest thing for me will be giving up alcohol. I love 2 or 3 him and tonics every Friday and Saturday. But i would love to be slim more. I suspect giving up alcohol will also yield the quickest results as well.

    I have anemia frim the crazy heavy periods so have recently experienced my hair growing back. But if i could solve the periods and come off the iron…. amazing

    Much love, and thanks again
    X

  • posted by Esnecca
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    Alcohol is a tricky thing. Gin is fairly high in calories (100 per jigger, 1.5 oz), but like vodka, it does not have carbs. It is, however, a poison that in the process of being metabolized by the body generates toxic byproducts that damage the liver and pancreas. You want to help your liver shed glycogen and fat and to repair your less than ideally functioning pancreas, not to harm them further.

    Tonic is a disaster. Either it’s high in sugar or in sugar substitutes which can be just as bad as sugar in terms of spiking insulin. You’d be better off just sipping a shot of gin. But yeah, I’d say it’s best to avoid the whole issue for the eight weeks of the Fast800.

    When my periods appeared at rare intervals, they were monsters. I was only mildly anemic, however, thanks to their infrequent presence. How are you with red meat? I ate a 6 oz sirloin at least once during the bad weeks.

  • posted by Birdy76
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    Morning Essie I hope you are well? Just wanted to ask if I should go back to three meals or stick to two? I don’t feel hungry this morning and I know the fasting helps? I know I will have three meals when on nights, but that is a little messed up as I will have breakfast and not eat again until midnight or 3am. So even though it is the next day as past midnight it is still really the same day for me as I am up and having to stay up because I am at work. I am so glad I only work two nights a week! So bloody confusing. Anyway thanks Birdy🦜💞

  • posted by Esnecca
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    I’m happy as a clam, nursing the delicious coffee (black, of course) my OH made me and enjoying the sound of the rain this morning, thank you Birdy. 🙂

    There is nothing of inherent value in three meals a day. It’s one of those dietary cliches like calories in-calories out that are just made up. In fact, when you only have 800 calories to play with, there’s a big advantage in reducing the number of meals because you can create more indulgent taste sensations splitting 800 in two (or even just one). The longer you go without eating, the lower your insulin levels stay, so my vote is definitely in favor of two meals until your night shift compels the three. Your lack of hunger is a great signal that this way of eating works for you, by the way. Congratulations! 🙂

  • posted by Birdy76
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    That is great news thank you Essie and glad you are as happy as a clam. I can’t get used to black coffee but I am trying it every couple of days, not too bad cold actually but hot I need my milk. I count it in MFP, but hoping eventually I will not need it as it will be extra calls for when I fancy having a little extra protein. I am definitely a protein body as I ell fuller longer than I do on carbs. Have a great day hun. 💞🦜

  • posted by Birdy76
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    Hi I would jump on here save getting ink in the way and ask you a quick question, I get up and of course I am not hungry. So I don’t eat, but as the morning day goes on it pops in my head that I should eat as it is 12 or 3 o’clock, but I am truly not hungry at all. Now today as I have said before will be my first nightshift and it feels like an awful long day as I don’t sleep the day away and carry on as if I will be going to bed so I also don’t want to eat loads of meals just because I am up near on 24hrs. I know when at work I will be begin to get hungry and need food as I expel a lot of energy with my job. So could I eat at my first break at midnight then at my next one at 3am have what would be lunch/dinner in the daytime? What confuses me is that I am then eating two meals close together? I can also then get hungry again around 5/6 am where I might have a snack a god one of course. Then home sort my son out with his breakfast and go to bed until 3pm. So no eating for a while. Then wake and repeat. Do you think this is going to make much difference? I know your insulin can spike with the lack of sleep. Although I am not diabetic. Sorry hope that all makes sense. Thank you.💞🦜

  • posted by Birdy76
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    Hi Essie I hope you are well? I don’t suppose you have a good recipe for fish pie please? Thank you 💞🦜

  • posted by sixturkeys
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    Ooh Birdy, fish pie…If anyone has a BSD friendly version, it will be Esnecca – or she will know who does. It might not even be a thing in the US. As I know it, a mix of firm fish (cod/haddock) with prawns in luxury version, poached and then bound in a roux-based white sauce, good hit of nutmeg, bits of hard boiled eggs, then covered in mashed potatoes, grated cheese and oven cooked, then grilled….The mash bit is definitely not BSD friendly, nor the roux, I know that celeriac mash is an alternative to pots, but that does have a distinct flavour. I love fish, have you thought about a pastry-free koulibiac (spinach/eggs/salmon) or that other British fave, kedgeree, with cauli rice, egg and warm curry flavour. Or my go to is simple oven cooked salmon, with a bit of fresh pesto towards end of cooking time, just with green veg. Then again, Kafin spoke of scallops….

  • posted by Birdy76
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    Thanks 6T. They all sound lovely, I will definitely try the kedgeree. 😋

  • posted by Esnecca
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    Hiya Birdy, I’m doing great, thank you for asking. 🙂 I have never made a fish pie, or even eaten one, but as luck/my obsessiveness would have it, I do have a recipe for a keto chicken and mushroom pie that I think you could modify into a fish pie. It uses a combination of lupin flour and almond flour for the crust and it’s solid enough to allow you to make a pastry cover, if that’s something that is done with fish pies. Judging from 6T’s post, fish pies are topped with a mash? I’d go with cauliflower in that case, roasted before mashing and using ricotta cheese as well as butter for thickness and richness.

    As far as the filling is concerned, I no longer use roux because of the flour. I’d poach the fish in a combination of cream and fish stock and cook it down a little, then if necessary add a plant gum to thicken to the proper texture. My favorite is guar gum because it doesn’t require adding to liquid ahead of time to make a slurry. Xantham gum and konjac root (glucomannan) powder work very well, but you do have to whisk them in a bit of a liquid first before adding them to the filling or you’ll get clumps. You could also use an envelope of gelatine.

    If you haven’t been able to locate lupin flour, Diet Doctor has a meat pie recipe with a crust made of almond flour, coconut flour, sesame seeds and psyllium husk. I haven’t made it yet so I can’t vouch for it personally but it looks good. https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/keto-meat-pie

    Low carb pastry crust:
    1 small egg
    50g beef tallow, butter, or ghee
    30g lupin flour
    80g fine blanched almond flour
    ⅛ tsp kosher or sea salt
    a few tablespoons of beaten egg or milk for glazing (optional)

    Preheat the oven to 200C (400F). Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and knead by hand until you form a dough-like ball. If the mixture is too crumbly to ball up, add a little cold water until it sticks together properly. (If you want to make a pastry cover for the pie, double the recipe and use one ball for the base, one for the cover.)
    Place the ball between two sheets of parchment paper and spread it out with a rolling pin to the size of your pie dish. (Repeat for cover.) Place the dough in the pan and trim to fit. Stab with a fork all over. Brush the top edges with egg/milk for a toasty glaze. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden.

    Fill with the filling. If you’re using a cover, tuck the pastry around the edges and poke a hole in the center. Brush with egg/milk, if desired. Bake for another 15 minutes until the filling is bubbling hot. Serve immediately.

  • posted by Birdy76
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    Hi Essie and glad you are well! Once again you are a lifesaver thank you ❤️😍❤️ Birdy 💞🦜

  • posted by sixturkeys
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    Birdy, I see Army won in the v. Navy rugby! I didn’t even know it was a regular thing. I am curious about the life-saving fish pie search! What is the occasion? Aubergine curry sounds lovely.

  • posted by Birdy76
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    Morning 6T I had been having a discussion with Patricia1066 and she had been looking for a way to make one of her favourite dishes m, which then made me feel yum yes please fish pie! So I did the only thing I knew would help and that was to ask Essie for us both🤗. As you know Essie has knowledge for days when it comes to BSD eating and for that I am eternally grateful. So not a special occasion just us wanting to eat something of old in a BSD way. Yes the Army won 27-11 yesterday and it was a very good rugby match, that I understand a little better now thanks to my son playing and me watching him every week🤣🤣. The Navy’s defence was really good this year but we were still victorious 👍. My OH always calls it a reunion loosely disguised as a rugby match!🤣🤣

  • posted by Suoon2bthinner
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    I make a sauce for fish pie, or fish not pie as we have, just the bottom with no topping- using Philly cheese / cream cheese, add to some chopped onion, lightly fried, then mix into a sauce with hot milk used to poach the fish in the microwave. Makes a lovely creamy sauce, tho it doesn’t freeze well- tastes OK after freezing but the sauce splits.

  • posted by Patricia1066
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    Suoon2bthinner, that is one fish pie sauce I have to try soon. Yummy, as I love the cream cheese and white fish combination.
    But no onion in mine!

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