I believe you'll be fine. PUFAs are generally the predominant fat when eating out. They're cheaper than olive oil and you can assume anything sauteed or stir fried is done with PUFAs, as peanut oil is avoided now due to allergy concerns. I've had to be aware of this fact when I'm traveling. I often ask for oil & vinegar on the side to dress my salads, as I can be sure by the fragrance that it's real olive oil. PUFAs can be as menacing to health as today's wheat. Hey, it's a jungle out there!!!

Another dance with the devil of PUFA yesterday at brunch, I was able to sit this one out as I found the sour cream and horse radish sauce used on the prime rib makes good dressing for greens too!

Another couple of weeks and out. I'll probably contiunue to avoid PUFA and certainly Sweeteners - They are the most obvious things to avoid, sort of like big bricks in your path. I don't have data to say they are good or bad for health but they are so large and obvious they are easy to avoid so why not

Thanks all, hope you have a good week!

My plan will be to practice these 2 habits for 3 months or so. I began January 2, 2017 and will see how I feel and consider the benefits April 1 , 2017. I'll post observations and or struggles when they occur.

1) Avoid Sweeteners: This includes natural as well as lab made.

2) Avoid "un-healthier" Oils: ( http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/ ) In particular oils high in PUFA and/or over processed.

Observations:

I've having good success with this practice. FWIW the skin on my face has not had an outbreak of eczema in weeks! Main macro changes have been NO sweeteners, NO PUFA and MORE sun as it's getting stronger, VERY low dairy consumption since a long time ago. No significant eczema on limbs either.

I'm currious if I should just continue avoidance or add ONE Of those things back in large quantities for a period of time. Outbreaks could also be the result of just normal coming and going and not related at all

I was thinking about doing another 90 days starting April 1 -

My daily meditation practice needs some re-enforcement and I'd also like to work on this book "Convict Conditioning" it's a body weight resistance book. I've been doing a pushup challenge with a friend and my triceps and pecs are getting a good work out. I'd like to cover all the body and I think this approach will work. It's all about function - not just about muscle swell

about 2 weeks to go. I appreciate you guys!

Adding things one-at-a-time in large doses could only make sense with dairy, and the irony here is that you had already cut back on dairy. FWIW, the PUFAs and the sweeteners are likely the culprits here. Do you really think it's an "either or" or could you just chalk it all up to "the sum of all parts" and take heart in the results as proving you made progress by eliminating two unhealthy substances? Sometimes I ignore the success staring me straight in the face while I'm distracted by inconsequential details.

As for meditation, the more you relax your expectations and ignore rigid rules, the easier it becomes. If you try too hard, results become elusive. There's an app called headspace and you can download it at https://www.headspace.com. This is an app that eases you into meditation in the right way. For anyone new to meditation, the headspace Take10, which provides free meditation guidance, is an excellent place to start. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Another 90 days starting April 1st? Yeah, sounds good!

Thanks for the input Rob! After further review I think you have a good point about "wanting to know" if these things had anything to do with it or not (dariy, PUFA and Sweeteners) I can live pretty well without them - PUFA a little trickier, not for taste but for it's ubiquity and many names

I'll check your meditation recommendation. I have a very basic practice but lately I've been spending more time listening to and considering talks. Balancing it with more time on the cushion will be welcome.

My plan will be to practice these 2 habits for 3 months or so. I began January 2, 2017 and will see how I feel and consider the benefits April 1 , 2017. I'll post observations and or struggles when they occur.

1) Avoid Sweeteners: This includes natural as well as lab made.

2) Avoid "un-healthier" Oils: ( http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/ ) In particular oils high in PUFA and/or over processed.

Observations:

Had a moment yesterday when I was weak and hungry from a long kiteboarding session. I had a 3 hour drive in front of my and picked a spot to have some coffee and maybe a couple of hot dog inserts. I got some coffee and took a sip, cold, bluch... OK not diet soda for me. Hot dogs looked like they were from the 90's - I'll pass on those, damit! Now I'm getting a bit cranky as I can't get a junkfood fix. I think "Almonds! that's the ticket" and find them and as I"m figuring out "wasabi flavor or smoked or lightly sal.... WAIT A TICK! these are fried in PUFA aaaahhhhgggggg!" I got some plain pork rinds and got out of there.

After eating the entire bag of pork rinds (I think it was about 3.5 oz) and finding some coffee down the road, about 30 minutes later I had the realization that I was full - I was not hungry. Thank you pig and your skin for gift to me yesterday. You gave your all so that I could be momentarily satisfied. I hope one day to be able to give back to you and your kind.

hush, the end of March is neigh...

Challenge parameters:
1) No artificial sweeteners. No diet soda, no sucralose, no aspartame.
2) Dairy elimination trial. Saying goodbye to cheese, HWC, cottage cheese, and even butter for a while.
3) Track food daily and keep calories under 2200 and net carbs < 35 on average for the duration of this challenge.

This 90 day challenge is not quite over, but I'm going to give myself an early grade anyway -- a report card of sorts.

For #1 - No artificial sweeteners - I get an A. I may have had trace amounts of AS once or twice over this period, but I stopped drinking regular diet soda and stopped using Splenda, sucralose drops, and aspartame (Equal). I have made my own soda on occasion - making carbonated water and adding stevia based water enhancers. I really don't miss soda much. I do like my gelatin, though. I've made SF gelatin with Kool-Aid & natural sweeteners. It's not as convenient, but I make it work and I like the results. I have not really noticed any real health benefits from abstaining from AS, yet I see no reason to add them back to my diet. I won't avoid them like the plague, but for the most part I plan to keep this up.

For #2 - No Dairy (including no butter) - I earn a B+. I did intentionally consume dairy a couple of times. I ate cheese twice, small amounts of HWC a couple of times, and a few pats of butter here and there. Overall, I'd say my dairy consumption was cut by more than 98%. It was a big part of my diet before. I did this to test the effects of dairy on my cholesterol. The cholesterol labs are now done and I did have a significant improvement - the best results ever in fact. I don't know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this "no dairy" trial resulted in better cholesterol numbers, but considering that Rob had a similar result I'm thinking that I just might have an issue with dairy. Other than those much improved cholesterol numbers, I didn't notice any other health benefits from going dairy free. I miss my butter & HWC. A taco salad without sour cream is not a taco salad. I like cheese. So I will return to eating dairy. However; I will be mindful about how much I consume. I won't be as liberal with it as I once was. If my cholesterol goes nuts as a result, I will reconsider whether I should be eating dairy.

For #3 - Logging all food and eating within limits - I have to give myself a C-. I'd give myself a D, but I did log most days accurately and I didn't gain weight over this time. I had some bad days (overeating) and failed to log my food several times. I could have and should have done better on this one.

Though not stated specifically in my challenge parameters I really wanted to lose some weight over this 90 day period. It didn't happen. After my 10K race on April 1st I will do this challenge again with losing 10 pounds as being the primary goal. Tracking food every single day is a lot to ask for. I will shoot for consistency with my eating. I know my problem OP foods and I need to deal with those issues.

So I guess I'm ending this challenge here and now. I'll continue with #1, eat some cheese and butter, and nourish my body appropriately in preparation for my 10K next week.

Thanks for the report card Ken! I'm ambivalent about Sweeteners and PUFA at this point. I think I will consider Rob's insight and rather than add them back to see if there are issues I'll continue to avoid them but perhaps with not the same vigilance I've used during the last 3 months. But I don't need to make that decision today... Thanks again!

I had an incident that was worth mentioning on Saturday night. I had eaten a meal for breakfast that morning and did a big skateboard session during the day. Plan was to meet a friend and his wife a 30 mins before a show and have a bite to eat.

I showed up 20 mins late and the couple was ready to order, I said, "no, I'm good, not hungry..." but then my friend reminded me that I said that I was interested in something to eat when we made the arrangement days before. It was obvious he was going to pick up the tab So out of a sense of responsibility I asked for a side salad. The waiter asked what kind of dressing I wanted...

SHIT. I asked for blue cheese then quickly asked if they had any olive oil and vinegar, he said they had a "House Vinaigrette".

Now my mind raced as I had a number options I could consider at the moment:

1) Gable with the vinaigrette - I"d assume it had sugar in it
2) Change my mind and don't eat and aggravate my friend further after being late
3) Get no dressing on my salad (I chose this but asked for blue cheese on the side so I wouldn't look like a diet dork )

I chose option 3. When the salad came out it looked ok, 2 or 3 greens and some shaved parm and about 1 oz of dressing in a little cup. I looked at the dry salad and made the decision to use the blue cheese dressing. It was a conscious one but one driven by what others thought of me and my eating habits.

I when I'm confronted with that situation again I'll first, try not to be late and second, if I'm truly not hungry just insist on not eating and have an ice tea or somthing so the other people don't feel uncomfortable. I don't live in a vacuum and I also understand that I don't control how others feel but I can do my best to be peaceful and try to find skillful ways to solve problems.

So, I'm pretty sure that dressing had PUFA in it, I have not run across a store bought yet that didn't

90 days of practicing avoidance of PUFA and Sweeteners has sharpened my insight into what makes my mind work. thanks for helping me with this!

I'm calling it as well and ending my almost 90-day challenge. The protocol I followed:

1) Tea and water for beverages. No dairy of any kind.
2) Good resistance workout 5x per week = Pilates, walking, hiking, other resistance training,
3) Meditation every day. I alternate meditation either with or without a recording. If I use a recording, it's most always a recording developed for meditation by The Monroe Institute (TMI) that features a recording process called Hemi-Sync.

For 1) I was able to go without dairy for most of the time. I know that dairy causes some inflammation. I can also get what is considered good lipid numbers when I eliminate dairy for a few weeks prior to a blood draw; however, I've become convinced that getting my lipid numbers into what is considered a healthy range may be simply chasing a weak notion of what is correlated with heart/ vascular health and not based on fact. I know when I eat low carb with healthy high fats, I feel great, my metabolism is good, I maintain what for me is a healthy weight, and I feel great. That's become my gold standard.

For 2) I was able to average 3x a week since early January. I respond well to resistance and weight training, and I simply need to increase the frequency to 5x a week for maximum benefit. My approach to fitness is very different than years ago when I was working out every day with a lot of cardio for longer periods. I feel just as fit today, without nearly the time and effort.

For 3) I am meditating every day and occasionally miss the odd day; however, I occasionally meditate more than once on some days. This has become easy for me and enables me to keep things in perspective, to see the big picture, and to find answers and solve problems. I've now made this practice a WOL for me.

Thanks, Thud, Jean, and Ken. I appreciate the feedback we've exchanged during this challenge, and I enjoy reading your posts in other threads and your journals. Your thoughtful posts and thought provoking experiences are a part of what keeps me active on this forum. There is always much to learn!

Good job Rob. I appreciate all of your thoughts and feedback, too. I love the support and wisdom of Thud and Jean as well. We have a good group of supporters on this forum.

My plan will be to practice these 2 habits for 3 months or so. I began January 2, 2017 and will see how I feel and consider the benefits April 1 , 2017. I'll post observations and or struggles when they occur.

1) Avoid Sweeteners: This includes natural as well as lab made.

2) Avoid "un-healthier" Oils: ( http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/ ) In particular oils high in PUFA and/or over processed.

Observations:

ALL SWEETENERS:
====
3 month period complete. Avoiding sweeteners was the easier of the two practice areas as they are SO OBVIOUS - They are really only used to excite the senses and for me at least lead to over consumption. Good or Bad for the body? Jury still out but I've found that I can operate fine wihtout them. Craving or the "flash into your mind" moments took probably a good month to settle in but I was 99 percent on this to the best of my knowledge. I used SF gum a few times to clean my teeth away from home and spit out the first few mouthfuls of sweet. Also I think that the toothpaste I use must have some in it as it has a sweet flavor and the coating on the mag tables also has a "sweet" flavor.

Verdict: I will continue to avoid sweeteners as a rule. I probably wont be so nutty if I have gum but will count a carb for it if it has one to count.

PUFA (Oils):
====
Much more difficult and hidden. I can't tell the difference if something has canola oil or avocado in it, on it or under it. A misstep I had was having a small sleeve of almonds and I can't remember if I looked before or after that I saw "vegetable oil" I assume that's some kind of PUFA they are fried in. Stuff like that. Big problem with salad dressings when eating out, I assumed all of them had PUFA. I doubt I'll be carrying around olive oil and vinegar in my back pack all the time so I might ingest some of these. I think I'll note that in my daily log here http://downhaul.com/lowcarb/daily.txt and keep an eye out for the next week for any symptoms of skin issues.

My skin is in very good shape compared to last year, no patches of eczema to start the shortsleeve season My arms might get a good, even coat of tan instead of the usually sunburned leopard spots haha!

Thanks Jean, Rob and Ken for joining me. I plan on doing another one starting today. I'll write up soon. It involves more structured meditaion time (daily instead of ad hoc like I seem to have fallen into) and investigating and working on some body weight exercises using a book called "Convict Conditioning" by Paul "Coach" Wade I think. This is functional body work stuff that I think will be beneficial for the activities I like to engage in. Not a means of getting HUGE - I would optimally like to be small, light, quick and strong. In this way I'll draw no attention to myself and be able to run away from any confrontation at a rapid pace

Anyone else care to try to improve an aspect of your life? Come practice with us for a few months or 90 days. There is no fail, only learning and change.

My goal this time...

LOSE 10 POUNDS IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS

Current weight: 205
Goal: 195

I've been hovering just above Onderland for long enough. The plan is to use what I've learned to get the weight down where I want it to be. I'll do intermittent fasting, I'll eat better and avoid (or work on moderating) on plan foods that I've made a habit of overindulging in. I'll keep the carbs lower than what I have been doing. I'll shoot for some consistency in my daily eating (less feast or famine). I recognize that working out does make me want to eat more. I still plan to workout. For this challenge I need to find the right balance for weight loss while working to keep my body fit. A future challenge will be to find the right balance for consistency in maintenance.

I've started a similar approach where I'm tightening up on my ketogenic situation by strictly restricting carbs and keeping a lid on healthy fats that I may have overindulged in recent past. Protein remains modest. While I may have wandered away from the strict approach I used over the past few years until last summer, I didn't venture far and simply need to revisit what I was doing right. IF is part of the approach. This approach for me will last beyond the next 90 days, however.

My plan is to practice daily these two things below and report observations and issues with the practice. Hopefully they will be of benefit to both body and mind while I maintain a LCHF approach to nutrition. I plan on practicing for approximately 3 months or 90 days or the beginning of July 2017 - which ever comes first

1) Daily meditation practicing a technique called the 6 "R's" - It sounds practical and interesting. For explanation go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egFZO2e799w

2) Read and begin working on "Big Six" progressive bodyweight strength exercises from "Convict Conditioning". Work the exercises in suggested order.

Here's the front cover with all of it's hyperbole



Here we go!