Why the fear over:

1) "I am opposed to vaccines for philosophical, ethical, or religious reasons."

I chose this to avoid a mandatory vaccine when returning to graduate school. People don't like confrontation. No one will question this. At least that is true where I live.

yeah you either have to go keto or keep yourself supplied with enough carbs, you sound like you're hanging in between which is bad...


btw, I'm feeling a lot better already... I feel like I might have already completed the switch to keto(only 9 days lol)... I'll update in a couple days ^_^

Actually I am in ketosis. I test with ketostix daily. Have been there for weeks. It is definitely dairy sapping me of energy. I am staying away from too many carbs, the only real carb source in my diet is nuts/pumpkin seeds, and I don't eat enough of them to go over 75g or carbs in a day.

I wish I could just get these fattier meats as Tyler suggests, but it is really hard for me to find grass fed anything around here except to buy my beef by the side. So, until I go through this side of beef (though I do have the organs this time, I should pull them out of the chest freezer) I need supplemental fat. When I finish it off, I am going to go the slanker route a la Lex.

In fact, I am selling off the more desirable cuts of meat to friends and coworkers (desirable by their cooked steak standards) to get through it faster.

I agree with Lex. I am highly skilled in my field (PhD) and earn a good living, but I got there late in life. I got my first professional job at 38 years old. Finishing that degree in my late 30s opened up a lot of doors for me. I wish I had done it sooner.

As for being highly paid, I earn in the neighborhood that Lex is talking about, and I will be the first to tell you, money does not buy happiness. It can't be a decision just about the money. However, there is a level of anxiety and misery that having a certain level of income alleviates, and this amount of money changes a lot in life. In my 30s I was making 30k. When back to school and tripled it. I can tell you, $30k was comfortable at 25 years old, but as you start getting older and understanding the volatility of life that you may face, you realize that living pay check to pay check is more stressful than you thought when you were younger.

If you are not leaving school for a startup venture that you really believe in, and you're just going to get a job and get by, suck it up and plug away. Get your ticket punched. You will definitely appreciate the opportunities it allows.

Many of my frineds are in the same boat as me. There is a large number of late blooming very smart and clever people I grew up with and we're all just hitting our stride now in our late 30s and early 40s, and we all feel the same way: should have done this earlier.

I agree the microwave function is bad. But a convection oven using a radiating heat element is not so bad. It was the cheapest small convection oven I could find, and it warms the fats nicely.

OK, I am still struggling to get raw animal fat in me. I just don't enjoy the raw back fat I have, nor do I find it satisfying. As a result, I am finding myself drawn to nuts and cheese to get enough calories/fat. Argh. I keep making myself eat the back fat several times per week to try to develop a taste for it. I hop I get there...

Raw meat is a breeze. I tried grinding some raw steaks and raw backfat together. It was disgusting. So I cooked it rather than throw it out, and it was delicious. I don't want to start cooking as a rule, but am I better off getting raw animal fat that has been cooked over eating nuts and cheese (neither of which are available raw near me)?

I am having bowel movements every 3-4 days, but they are actually unpleasant. It is not constipation, but the initial movement is fine, then there are 2-3 movements over a 15-20 minute period, each one smaller and more unpleasant than the last. I hope you are right that this will normalize in time. When I was eating mostly raw plant food, my bowel movements were big and daily, but fast and effortless. I miss that.

What is the difference between ketonemia and ketonuria? And if one is interested in losing excess body fat, is ketonuria (which I assume is presence of ketones in the urine, and indicated with ketostix) an adequate scenario on its own for fat loss, or is it possible to have achieved this state and still not be losing fat from the body?

I ask because I am eating low carb (<100g/day) and am interested in primarily regaining my health, but secondarily losing excess body fat. If further carb restriction might help lose the weight faster, I might be interested. I should do the experiment on myself to know for sure, but what is the theory here?

You can get the back fat from http://www.northstarbison.com/

I can't seem to be as enthusiastic about it. I eat it straight, but can only eat about 60g per day. I bought a meat grinder to try grinding it into my grass fed beef. I went too far. Too much fat compared to beef. I just couldn't get it down. I cooked it lightly, and it made all the difference. This is disappointing, as I want to eat it raw. I will try grinding less fat next time and see how much I can go before it gets unpalatable.

It is better if I warm it to 100 degrees in the convection oven. I figure i just need to keep at it, and hopefully acquire the taste.

How often do you eat grains. This was what it was like for me when I would eat a grain product after being grain free for a while. It took a few of these experiences (and they worsened each time for mew) before I was totally 100% grain free.

My sauna is in my basement, and I have a walk out. This winter, I could conceivably jump in the snow after/during the sauna. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, I am a little hesitant, but I may do it.

OK, the kidney stone was either a false scare, or I successfully dissolved it drinking the unfiltered raw cider vinegar. Either way, it only hurt for part of the path a stone typically travels when I pass them.

I am getting better at staying raw, and staying low carb at this point after falling off the wagon a little at a labor day picnic with all kinds of yummy foods from my childhood. I just couldn't say no to all of it. I managed to keep myself restrained though, and didn't go crazy. I also had my burgers cooked 20 seconds per side on the grill so they were mostly raw.

I did have a hotdog, some potato salad and some baked beans though. ANd a little ice cream for dessert.

Back on my trying to get onto my meal plan, I am still eating bits and pieces form my farm share, mostly raw. I sautéed some onions last weekend and had them with some lightly cooked eggs as a treat. Beyond that, I am keeping at the raw and at the low carb (<100g/day).

I would say I am at least 90% raw by calorie at this point.

Getting better at getting more animal fat in. I have learned I can't eat much at one sitting yet. That is my problem. I eat it at breakfast (bison back fat) until it no longer tastes good. Then I have some more at lunch, or not depending on how I feel and what I crave.

Drinking a lot more water again (about a gallon/day) as I am really living in fear of the return of kidney stones. I can tell I'm inadequately hydrated as I am having allergy symptoms, and these go away when I am hydrated. I am also starting to notice I am needing more salt. Woke up with leg cramps last night. They were mild, but it is a clear indicator.

Anyone reading this have any thoughts of getting good potassium while trying to stay low carb?

Eat some marrow, suet, fat trimmings, back fat, etc.

I start the day these days with a breakfast of about 60g of bison backfat. Usually keeps me satisfied until lunch of fatty ground grass-fed beef (about half a pound to a pound), and then a third meal based on desire or cravings ranging from more meat, more fat, or a few low carb veggies or a little fruit.