I am continually amazed at how eating fat so efficiently quells hunger, and the satiety I feel from eating fat lasts for hours. Yesterday, I had 6 oz. half-and-half yogurt, 2 eggs fried in ghee, and about 4 oz. roasted chicken with mayo for breakfast. (No, I'm not a lumberjack - I'm just way hungrier in the morning than the rest of the day). That lasted me for 8 hours.

Around 5pm, I was only barely hungry and ate my coconut oil/flaxseed/cinnamon "cookie," just because I wanted to get these things in me for the day. Again, instant, complete, and long-lasting satiety.

Sometimes, I completely skip dinner because I'm just not hungry. As time goes on and I listen to my body more and more, my food intake goes down because I'm keeping the fat high, my blood sugar is a calm, peaceful hum, and my hunger is miniscule.

Jen..
thanks sooo much for that tip on the ghee! my son is casein intolerant!! he cant eat butter and so i was told for recipes with butter...the only thing i could use for him was fleishmanns unsalted margarine because it is the only butter or marg out there that is casein free! i really DESPISE the idea of giving him margarine!! So i am THRILLED to find out about Ghee being casein free!! i dont care how much it costs..its worth it!! THanks sooo much for this most awesome discovery!! it is freeing!
karen

also Jen..are you sure the half n half yogurt is casein free? is there a way to find out? could you tell me exactly how to make it?? thanks!

Karen, I don't think the yogurt would be casein free, but the cultures eat the lactose making it low carb. Since the milk solids are still present in yogurt, the casein is still there (i believe). Jen has researched this and knows more than I do so I'll let her tell you for sure.

Good luck!

Karen,

I don't think there's any way to know for sure if any milk-based yogurt could be casein-free. I can't even remember where I read that now, but it was just one person's opinion and a little scientific input, but not undeniably convincing. Unfortunately, the consensus seems to be that casein is still present no matter how long the yogurt is cultured.

Can your son tolerate goat milk? I know it's supposed to be easier for some people to tolerate than cow milk. Don't know the particulars.

For me, I didn't know if I had a problem with casein or not, but now that I've been eating my homemade half-and-half yogurt for a while, I don't think that I do because I'm not having any issues. It must be the lactose that I am intolerant of.

I have made yogurt using almond milk and some gelatin to firm it up. It's not as good as half-and-half, of course, but it's an acceptable alternative. There's a thread in the "Kitchen Talk" forum called "non-dairy yogurt," which was started by Nancy LC. It talks a little about almond milk yogurt, but Nancy is the expert on coconut milk yogurt. You might be able to find direction there.

With non-dairy yogurt, you have the challenge of obtaining a non-milk starter. I found two companies that produce it online: GI ProHealth and Custom Probiotics. Both are expensive. But you use miniscule amounts, so they would last a long time. The shipping is expensive too, as it has to come in a cold pack to keep the cultures alive.

I'm with you on the margarine. That stuff is nothing but nasty transfat. The ghee I bought is "Purity Farms" in a 13-oz jar. It says 100% certified organic butter, lactose free, casein free, no GMOs, salt free, kosher. And it is so absolutely delicious! After this jar is gone, I think I'll try my hand at making my own using Organic Valley butter.

I just saw this link in another thread and had to post it here: "WHY LOW-CARB DIETS MUST BE HIGH-FAT, NOT HIGH-PROTEIN" http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/fat-not-protein.html

Here's the thread the link came from, which is also very interesting: http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=269247

The fermentation reduces carbs debate has occurred here many times in the past. I believe this is the best thread about it. This one is also worth reading.

Thanks, Taming! Even considering the full carb count, my daily intake of 6 oz of h&h yogurt amounts to 8 carbs. Before I started the yogurt, I was on a stall, and still am, so am just waiting this out to see if I start going down again!

I have gotten the gist of the threads posted, but I'm still optimistic. Here's a quote from a Diabetes Update review of the "Four Corners Diet" written by Drs. Goldberg & O'Mara:

I have no reason to believe that Goldberg's contention that he tested this in his own lab and confirmed the lower carbs is not true.

It seems to be a matter of choosing which side of the debate you want to believe...

I've been eating yogurt for awhile now, and although I never incorporated as much as you currently enjoy into my active weight loss eating, my sense is that it is contributing to my GI health, and is serving me well now. I had not eaten yogurt for a long time. The "new improved" fruit and fat free stuff just didn't taste as good to me as I remembered yogurt being when I was younger. The plain yogurt I eat now, which is organic with 3.5% mf, tastes wonderful to me.

For any Canadians reading this, it is President's Choice brand.

Folks on this thread may be interested in reading the book Eat Fat & Grow Slim by Richard Mackarness, M.B.,B.S. (1958). It's posted in its entirety at: http://www.ourcivilisation.com/fat/index.htm

Thanks Coolwater. I just ordered and received a used copy I bought. I didn't know it was online. I am looking forward to reading it.

The last two days I have increased my fat intake. (Sunday, I had 117 grams of fat to 68 grams of protein. Monday, I had 125 grams of fat to 61 grams of protein.) My carbs were under 20 grams both days (or less if I do the net carb thing).

Not only was it filling and satisfying, I'm feeling more energy, my mood is more balanced, I slept sounder, and slept less. AND, I dropped a pound overnight! I've been on a stall forever, so this is very exciting!! I feel like I've stoked the metabolism fires to a new level.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this takes me. I just made some jerky. I think I'm going to thaw out some bison fat and make pemmican out of it! Never made this before, so I hope it turns out ok!

I'm starting to feel like an Inuit or something! (I'm part Native American, so maybe my indigenous nature is starting to emerge! )

Jennifer, what recipe did you use for your Jerky and what are you eating to get the fat in? I'm going to check you journal for menus, but any guidance would be appreciated. Any other recipes for the VCO?

Jennifer, you have mentioned cinnamon a few times so I wanted to share an article I saved a long time ago. Hope you enjoy and people find it useful.

Cinnamon Helps Type 2 Diabetes: Also Helps Cholesterol -- But More Than A Sprinkle Required

By Jeanie Lerche Davis WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD on Friday, December 05, 2003

Dec. 5, 2003 -- A spicy tip: Cinnamon can improve glucose and cholesterol levels in the blood. For people with type 2 diabetes, and those fighting high cholesterol, it's important information.

Researchers have long speculated that foods, especially spices, could help treat diabetes. In lab studies, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, and turmeric have all shown promise in enhancing insulin's action, writes researcher Alam Khan, PhD, with the NWFP Agricultural University in Peshawar, Pakistan. His study appears in the December issue of Diabetes Care.

Botanicals such as cinnamon can improve glucose metabolism and the overall condition of individuals with diabetes -- improving cholesterol metabolism, removing artery-damaging free radicals from the blood, and improving function of small blood vessels, he explains. Onions, garlic, Korean ginseng, and flaxseed have the same effect.

In fact, studies with rabbits and rats show that fenugreek, curry, mustard seeds, and coriander have cholesterol-improving effects.

But this is the first study to actually pin down the effects of cinnamon, writes Kahn. Studies have shown that cinnamon extracts can increase glucose metabolism, triggering insulin release -- which also affects cholesterol metabolism. Researchers speculated that cinnamon might improve both cholesterol and glucose. And it did!

The 60 men and women in Khan's study had a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes for an average of 6 1-2 years but were not yet taking insulin. The participants in his study had been on antidiabetic drugs that cause an increase in the release of insulin. Each took either wheat-flour placebo capsules or 500 milligram cinnamon capsules.

• Group 1 took 1 gram (two capsules equaling about one-quarter of a teaspoon) for 20 days.
• Group 2 took 3 grams (six capsules, equaling a little less than one teaspoon) for 20 days.
• Group 3 took 6 grams (12 capsules, equaling about one and three-quarters teaspoons) for 20 days.

Blood samples were taken at each level of the study. Cinnamon made a difference! Twenty days after the cinnamon was stopped, there were significant reductions in blood glucose levels in all three groups that took cinnamon, ranging from 18 to 29%.

But these was one peculiar finding that researchers don't understand at this point. Only the group that consumed the lowest level of cinnamon continued with significantly improved glucose levels -- group 1. The placebo groups didn't get any significant differences.

Taking more cinnamon seems to improve the blood levels of fats called triglycerides. All the patients had better triglyceride levels in their 40-day tests -- between 23% to 30% reductions. Those taking the most cinnamon had the best levels. In groups taking cinnamon pills, blood cholesterol levels also went down, ranging from 13% to 26%; LDL cholesterol also known as "bad" cholesterol went down by 10% to 24% in only the 3- and 6-gram groups after 40 days. Effects on HDL ("good cholesterol") were minor.

Cinnamon should be part of our daily diet -- whether we have type 2 diabetes or not, writes Kahn. However, for the best effects, just a sprinkle isn't enough. ________________________________________
SOURCE: Kahn, A. Diabetes Care. December 2003; vol 26: pp 3215-3218.

I upped my eggs to 3/day and fry or poach them in ghee, eating all the drippings, and usually eat 2 strips of bacon/day. I upped my CO to 3 T/day. Don't have any new recipes, though. I just melt it, add 2 T. flaxseeds, 1-2 T. almond butter, 1 t. cinnamon, and a shake of stevia. I freeze this into a cookie. This usually suffices for my lunch, which I eat late due to the eggs/bacon/yogurt in the morning.

On my yogurt, it's made from 1/2 & 1/2, so it's already pretty fatty. Last night I put some yogurt in a coffee filter to drain, so I have kind of a cream cheese to eat at some point this morning. I eat my homemade mayo liberally with chicken, fish, roast beef slices. I eat skin from chicken, fat from meat, etc. That's about it. Once I try my hand at pemmican, I'll have something more to choose from!

Jerky Marinade: I use Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, some walnut oil, a little stevia, some celtic sea salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican oregano, and whatever other herbs seem right. I don't measure anything. I like the ACV instead of soy sauce or Worst. sauce, as I don't want the sugar, soy, additives, or 'fake' fermentation (which is really just pasteurization).

I could use more ideas, too, for adding good fat if anyone has them.