Keto, Chia & Girls

Hi Nae!
You didn't call yesterday so I assume you were busy. I'm going to try you a little later today though unless you'll be busy.

Chia Pudding Recipe

You can change it up and add cocoa powder or whatever flavoring you wish. It kind of has the texture of tapioca with crunchy seeds, so if that bothers you, you can grind up the seeds before hand or blend it.
Extremely high fiber, 2g net carbs as long as you use soy/almond/coconut milk. Sometimes I make a bowl and just take a few bites throughout the day to spread the fiber out. Completely painless way t get fiber if you ask me.

Also at Walmart/Kroger they have low carb tortillas, same thing, 6g net carbs but like 12g of fiber. I don't usually have both the pudding and the tortillas on the same day, so it gives some variety and keeps your tummy happy.

As for keto - the only differences between that and regular low carb is keeping your daily carbs under or between 20-30 net grams a day, and most of your calories come from fat (low carb, normal protien, high fat). Puts you in ketosis (NOT ketoacidosis) and makes you burn fat for energy. Your body makes the little bit of glucose it needs for brain and organ function, everything else runs on your fat stores.

At the beginning, Gary was really worried about this diet worsening his cholesterol/heart disease/blood pressure issues, so a lot of the links I have are geared toward that. For any other questions you can google it probably, like "keto diet and mood benefits" or "keto diet and PCOS" etc. But here's some to get you started.

http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf
http://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq#wiki_welcome_to_the_.2Fr.2Fketo_faq
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/sugar-heart-attack_b_4746440.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716748/
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/saturated-fat/tips-tricks-for-starting-or-restarting-low-carb-pt-ii/

Some are just written by laymen, some are written by actual MD's. If you're interested in looking into the science (Gary wasn't :p ), then try here:

http://www.reddit.com/r/ketoscience

The keto/Atkins diet has a very bad wrap because many people think it is a high protein diet (proven dangerous), but its not it's normal amount, and also because people have been previously taught that high dietary fat = high cholesterol & heart disease (it doesn't, but the science is new).

Keto diet is recommended treatment for epilepsy and several other brain conditions, fatty liver disease, & PCOS.
Obviously you should discuss this with your dietitian, because you do have other health issues that might make a difference. We had blood tests right before we started, and will be getting more at the 3 month mark.

Really important things to remember if you start this - you NEED a high amount of sodium and electrolytes each day (explained in a few of those links) and you have to drink tons of water, no exceptions. Neither of us ever got the "keto flu" (low electrolyte symptoms).

If you have any questions you can ask me too, I've been reading up on it almost every day of the 20 we've done so far, so I either know the answer or can point you where to find it! :)

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Now for the fun stuff! Cutie Pies!

 Looks like an angel, acts like a devil!!

 I was trying to take a picture of my eye shadow, 

but she wouldn't let me put her down. :p

 We are Texan, after all...

 Cute Willow after getting her hair cut.

 Gary's Mom cutting Maggie's hair in our kitchen.

 What can I say, it's in her blood?

Willow bought a pair of clear play glasses to be like me & Gary, she loves them, 

looks goofy & adorable. Actually wore them to school a few times!

She is leaving for Texas for spring break + 1 day. :( The entire sprink break....gone for Easter... I hate this and sometimes, I hate them (Tim & Jenni). *sigh* Going to be super lonely and low, because my Malaysian friend (Izzy) is going on vacation at the same time, so I'll either be posting here a lot or bothering you on the phone!

I hope you're feeling better, and please let me know if there is anything I can do if you're not.

 Gary and I were talking just this morning about that time we met you guys in NM and how fun that was, and how good of a time we could have had if we had had longer, and that we would like to see/visit you guys again. Hopefully with our income stabilizing and yours increasing, we can make that happen in either 2015 or 16! We love you, talk soon!