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Abstenuary February, anyone?

TeddyTottie said:
Did you use green peas? I always use dried yellow split peas in pea n ham soup, they are the same as dhal, I think. Or just try red lentils instead as a full or partial replacement, perhaps?
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Thanks. I used the green peas that are used in 'mushy peas'.
 
I meant to say, I had a really tough week at work last week and trotted round the supermarket in search of edible treats on Friday. I found myself going down aisles I hadn’t set foot in for over a year. But... none of it appealed. What I came home with was some posh prawns, to have a gratuitous bowl of prawn-mayonnaise with lemon juice and cayenne pepper, just because. And a bottle of plonk, but that lasts about 3 evenings and is a normal weekend item, so not too indulgent.

I haven’t really felt the need for ‘comfort’ food for a long time, but I was quite impressed by my distaste for my ‘old friends’ and really enjoyed my bowl of prawn-mayo. I must remember that as a nice change. I am thinking a full-on 1970s prawn cocktail might be on the cards this weekend, with home-made pink sauce.
 
TeddyTottie said:
. I am thinking a full-on 1970s prawn cocktail might be on the cards this weekend, with home-made pink sauce.
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Even better with some smoked salmon mixed in. Asda, and other supermarkets do little packs of chopped 'ends' that are quite cheap and go a long way
 

Oh no! Not eggs too! I was trying to cheer myself up thinking at least I can still enjoy eggs snd cheese.
You have probably hit the nail on the head @Goonergal moderation seems to be key ( and I’m not good at that!) I think it was the reason I had to quit carnivore month - couldn’t keep off the loo and it became quite debilitating. In hindsight I doubt it was the meat, just the amount of cream and cheese I was having with it. Didn’t occur to me at the time.
 
Kept to my food plan today, but didn’t go walking We have had an electrician working in our house today and as per Covid recommendations we’ve had all the windows open. Once he’d gone I just wanted to warm up!
 
DJC3 said:
Oh no! Not eggs too! I was trying to cheer myself up thinking at least I can still enjoy eggs snd cheese.
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For me it will be something else, soon. Just as long as it is not red wine I am sure Ibwill cope.
 
Pipp said:
For me it will be something else, soon. Just as long as it is not red wine I am sure Ibwill cope.
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Can’t give a ‘funny’ as I use the app and ‘like’ is the only response - but this did make me laugh and I so agree!
 
Yay! Kept to my food and exercise plan today, despite having to walk in sub zero temperatures still. We’re forecast -9°c tonight
 
Rachox said:
Yay! Kept to my food and exercise plan today, despite having to walk in sub zero temperatures still. We’re forecast -9°c tonight
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Oh that’s like a beach vacation for us.
No walking outside for us this week. Daytime highs -25 and tonight it’s - 32.
So with Covid, no swimming or gyms open. I’ve been trying to concentrate on what I eat. Two weeks with out grains, but a couple of squares of dark Lindt chocolate.
Feeling much better
 
Hi all and bringing to the especial attention of @Goonergal who started and titled this thread on abstinence. I am really enjoying a new book just out - that arrived a few days ago -the Case for Keto by Gary Taubes
The chapter defining Abstinence has an interesting bit about nuts and nut butters! page 185 he says after listing straightforward keto and low carb fods like meat etc;
"The foods that you can eat but only in moderation:
low sugar chocolate, the lower the better
Berries
Nuts and nut butters
Seeds and seed butters
I said "in moderation" for these foods because they fall on the borderline of acceptability: Clinical experience suggests that they can be a problem. Once again, individual variation plays a role in how our bodies tolerates these foods. Fat constitutes the bulk of the calories in nuts and seeds and their butter but they can still have sufficient carbohydrates to stimulate insulin and so fat accumulation and a craving to eat more ie a bad thing. The better the nuts taste, the greater the carbohydrate content tends to be. ........ pg 186 The allowance of nuts, seeds and their butters and the issue of individual variation comes with an obvious warning: if youre not losing your excess weight while otherwise embracing LCHF/Keto then these foods may be a problem for you and you should see what happens when you abstain. Eric Westman is, once again, strict on this account: Nuts and nut butters, seeds and seed butters are not included among the foods he counsels his patients to eat. His experience tells him that his patients too easily overconsume these foods. They think they're eating a modest amount and theyre not. They eat them even when they are not hungry"

Wise words indeed - in the meantime step away from the nuts all those like me @DJC3 who are mainly abstaining from nuts this month.........
Reading this book has definitley helped me to abstain from them and will continue to no longer snack on nuts just use almond flour as I dont often and a few nuts in the occassional salad. Hope you all enjoy this excerpt and i'd reommend the actual book too.
 
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Thank you, @shelly262. (Said sobbingly)
Looks like I need to extend the nut abstention to, perhaps, forever.

Worth knowing, though. I guess I have to have a rethink. Especially as I have used almond flour to make an acceptable to me bread roll for toast. I now wonder if a slice of wholemeal seeded bread would cause me less of a problem.
 
Hiya @Pipp personally I don’t intend to give up almond flour it’s the overdoing of nuts I think that’s the real issue. I do a bread with no nut flour instead using vital wheat gluten if you are not gluten intolerant - I’m lucky in that I can eat gluten . I’m still going to have a few sweet treats made with almond flour - as few carbs in a very small portion. My problem is snacking on nuts and keeping going back to nut tin. I’m not a nut butter addict thankfully but realise that snacking nuts are too much for me.
 
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Well, I may have sinned. Ordered some nuts as part of my Nando’s delivery tonight. Everything Gary Taubes says about them is true! Aside from that aberration all going well on the Abstenuary front.
 
Kept to my food and exercise plan today. Interesting convo about nuts, the way I’ve controlled nut consumption since trying to lose weight recently is to take a set amount of them up to bed, if I eat them before going to sleep, I’m not tempted to eat more cos that would mean getting out of my cosy bed!
 
I too have ordered nuts! I'm pretending this is ok as we only extract two thirds of the calories unless we chew them very, very small!
 
Thanks for the book excerpt @shelley262 what he says is so true.
I won’t give up the almond flour as an ingredient yet either, but agree it’s the mindless snacking on packets of nuts which is a problem.
I think I’ll take a look at the book too, thanks for the recommendation.
 
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