Yearly Archives: 2016

Day 052 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 43 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 205.3
  • Blood ketones: 0.6 mmol/L

Still down compared to last week, sticking to (almost) 100% Keto Chow is working well. I have another weigh-in for the city weight loss challenge today, shouldn’t be hard for me to be lower than last week since that was +4 lbs compared to the prior week. Even though I was terribly tired I ran on the treadmill last night. I’m still tired today but at least it’s my last day at work for this week (tomorrow I’m going to an off-site and I have Friday off; four 10s FTW!)

This morning I got a chance to test out the ketone strips on the Precision Xtra blood tester. I’m worried the ketone strips for the Nova Max aren’t being accurate so today I did both. The Precision Xtra uses a LOT more blood so to do both from the same “poke” I needed quite a bit of blood, that wasn’t fun. End result:

  • Nova Max – 0.5mmol/L
  • Precision Xtra – 0.6mmol/L

That’s close enough, looks like it might be accurate – which is a good thing since I still have about US$100 in Nova Max ketone test strips for the reamining 48 days of this “experiement”

By |2016-02-24T07:50:14-07:00February 24th, 2016|Keto Chow, 100 days of keto|Comments Off on Day 052 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)
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Day 051 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 42 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 205.5
  • Blood ketones: 0.1 mmol/L

Probably going to I.F. (Intermittent Fasting) until this afternoon, might not though – we’ll see if I get hungry or not. The revised formulation of my custom vitamin mix is ordered (with magnesium citrate instead of chloride to see if that removes the metallic aftertaste), hopefully it gets here soon!

I recently switched over to using ShipStation for order logistics and it seems to be working quite well so far. It has some really nice features and speeds up the process of shipping stuff out. It also supports multiple carriers which hasn’t been an issue but is nice just in case I need it down the line. There was only one really big issue I saw: I’m using woocommerce product bundles for the “build a week”, “build a month” and “sample all the things” bundles and they kept coming through into shipstation with a “Part of: Sample all the things” tagged onto them. It was all well and good until we tried to use the ShipStation picking list – the list that gives you a run-down of all the inventory you need to fill the current orders. The problem was the bundled products showed up separately  from the non-bundled items so we would end up with something like the image at the top of this post, but for every flavor and size permutation. Didn’t fly and we went back to using the old “variation report” (on a side note, I’ve sat through enough aquanauts that we’ve taken to calling it the “creature report” – it’s a whole syllable shorter).

I got a response from the WooCommerce support guys on a ticket I opened and they gave me some code that disables the bundle metadata. The basic premise is you follow this guide and add the following code, using whichever of the 3 methods you prefer:

     add_filter( 'woocommerce_bundles_filter_order_items_part_of_meta', 'wc_ninja_disable_bundled_part_of_meta', 15 );
     function wc_ninja_disable_bundled_part_of_meta() {
          return false;
     }

I ended up doing the “write a custom plugin” option since it can easily be activated/deactivated and will survive changes in themes and other tomfoolery. In case some random internet search led you here because you have the same problem, here’s a handy plugin, ready to go: woocommerce-disable-bundles-filter.zip

 

By |2016-10-13T07:27:50-06:00February 23rd, 2016|Keto Chow, Site or Store Stuff, 100 days of keto|Comments Off on Day 051 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)
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Science: Metabolic Effects of the Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Misunderstood “Villains” of Human Metabolism

This entry is part 121 of 139 in the series Ketogenic Soylent

In a recent thread on reddit I was directed over to an excellent journal article from 2004 “Metabolic Effects of the Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Misunderstood ‘Villains’ of Human Metabolism” – it does a really great job explaining some of the actual science behind a ketogenic diet and debunks several myths including “you need 100g of carbohydrates a day to survive”. I would recommend checking it out if you ever have a doctor question you about ketogenic diets (or just want to learn new stuff!)

Abstract

During very low carbohydrate intake, the regulated and controlled production of ketone bodies causes a harmless physiological state known as dietary ketosis. Ketone bodies flow from the liver to extra-hepatic tissues (e.g., brain) for use as a fuel; this spares glucose metabolism via a mechanism similar to the sparing of glucose by oxidation of fatty acids as an alternative fuel. In comparison with glucose, the ketone bodies are actually a very good respiratory fuel. Indeed, there is no clear requirement for dietary carbohydrates for human adults. Interestingly, the effects of ketone body metabolism suggest that mild ketosis may offer therapeutic potential in a variety of different common and rare disease states. Also, the recent landmark study showed that a very-low-carbohydrate diet resulted in a significant reduction in fat mass and a concomitant increase in lean body mass in normal-weight men. Contrary to popular belief, insulin is not needed for glucose uptake and utilization in man. Finally, both muscle fat and carbohydrate burn in an amino acid flame.

By |2016-10-13T07:27:51-06:00February 22nd, 2016|Uncategorized, Ketogenic|Comments Off on Science: Metabolic Effects of the Very-Low-Carbohydrate Diets: Misunderstood “Villains” of Human Metabolism
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Days 049 & 050 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 41 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 205.4
  • Blood ketones: 0.4 mmol/L
  • Weight: 206.4
  • Blood ketones: 0.2 mmol/L

Still down from last week, last night there was asparagus and really good salad so I ate some. It’s funny: trying to do 100% keto chow what I consider “cheating” is still eating keto friendly food =).

Last night I made 2 batches of 6 Chocolate Peanut Butter Keto Chow, looking forward to it. I would have made 3 batches since it only take a few more minutes but I didn’t have enough clean bottles in the cupboard. Turns out there were two in my backpack from THURSDAY. Fortunately for me I always try to wash out my blender bottles at work and then let them dry so the bottles have a slight dried residue instead of really nasty 4 day old keto chow.

By |2016-02-22T08:24:21-07:00February 22nd, 2016|Keto Chow, 100 days of keto|Comments Off on Days 049 & 050 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)
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Day 048 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 40 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 205.9
  • Blood ketones: 0.1 mmol/L

Hey, only up 0.1 and still down like 3 from 2 days ago. I’ll consider that a win. Today I’m trying something new: powdered coconut oil in my Keto Chow. Cost wise it works out to be $0.89 per day compared to $0.59 for the same 301 calories. $0.30 isn’t bad. In a previous post I talked about a powdered MCT oil that used maltodextrin as a “powdering” agent – maltodextrin is essentially pure carbs and isn’t suitable for ketosis at all. Quest, the makers of the ever popular Quest Bars makes a powdered MCT oil that uses corn fiber as the powdering agent. In theory it has 0 net carbs. The MCT oil powder is a little pricey but their powdered coconut oil is a larger container (20 oz. vs. 16) and it’s less expensive. The only problem: regular coconut oil doesn’t like refrigerated liquids and turns into big clumps; maybe powdered coconut oil is different?

Last night I made a test batch of 6 blender bottles in a gallon pitcher and replaced the normal 78ml of MCT oil with 86g of powdered coconut oil. The immersion blender did a fine job of mixing it all up, then it was into the fridge overnight! This morning I tested the result and it was completely unremarkable. Win! Now if I could only find this in large bulk bags that would be awesome. I’m still wary of the “corn fiber” not impacting ketosis but I can test that.

By |2016-10-13T07:27:52-06:00February 20th, 2016|100 days of keto, Keto Chow|1 Comment
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Day 047 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 39 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 205.8
  • Blood ketones: 0.1 mmol/L

I did a good job at mostly only eating Keto Chow yesterday and so far today. My wife is making spaghetti squash  with chicken alfredo for dinner tonight, gotta stay strong =). Posting later today because it’s been so busy. I got the formulation revision sent off and approved, hopefully I’ll be getting a new test batch to sample soon.

I visited my parents, my dad took the remaining Keto Chow product photos and my mom measured my suit pants so she can hem them. She’s awesome =)

 

By |2016-02-19T17:45:26-07:00February 19th, 2016|Keto Chow, 100 days of keto|Comments Off on Day 047 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)
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Day 046 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 38 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 208.5
  • Blood ketones: 0.4 mmol/L

 

Yesterday was interesting, I received in the mail the sample of the new vitamin/mineral mix. I made a 1 day batch, split it between 3 blender bottles and put it in the fridge for 3 hours. When it finally came time to taste it I was disappointed to get a definite metallic aftertaste. My best guess (based on past experience) is it’s caused by the magnesium chloride that I had them use instead of the magnesium citrate. The plan was to help the potential tummy issues (that’s the technical term” of new users by using something besides magnesium citrate. The mixing place can’t get malate and I’ve tried glycinate and it had the same metallic taste as what I’m getting now. I could have tried taurate too but it’s supposed to similarly have the same strong taste. So I’ve requested a re-formulation and a new sample. Will add a week or more to the process.

Didn’t have time to run last night, probably because we were mixing Keto Chow from 4 until 10 last night. But hey: we got 65 weeks and 84 days of Peanut Butter mixed (to name a few).

I think I may have figured out the trick to getting correct readings on the Ketonix, I’ll have to wait until my levels are higher though (which should be easier now that the Jalapeno Poppers are all gone).

By |2016-02-18T12:54:00-07:00February 18th, 2016|Keto Chow, 100 days of keto|Comments Off on Day 046 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)
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Day 045 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 37 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 207.7
  • Blood ketones: 0.2 mmol/L

 

Ran on the treadmill last night and I’m down 0.1 lbs today =) Today will be another weigh-in for the city weight loss competition. Dunno if I’ll be down this time.

I’ve been meaning to get better product photos for a while since the old ones were pretty blurry when you looked at them closely; also they still had the little bags of vitamins which are now included in the mixture. I even bought a better camera so I could take the new photos but just wasn’t getting around to it. My wife reminded me that my dad is a professional photographer, DUH! Last night he set up the lighting and backdrop and we did new photos (well, except for the samples, I forgot to bring those so I’ll be going back soon – I need to see if my mom can hem some suit pants anyway). Funny how much better the photos turn out when you have a pro with the right gear taking the pictures.

By |2016-10-13T07:27:52-06:00February 17th, 2016|Keto Chow, Site or Store Stuff, 100 days of keto|Comments Off on Day 045 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)
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Day 044 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)

This entry is part 36 of 81 in the series 100 days of keto
  • Weight: 207.8
  • Blood ketones: <0.1 mmol/L

 

I was reminded that I need to get running again – with the conference and crazy hours I had completely stopped. I’ll try to get that going again, should help. Water weight is going down again (or so it seems).

The scale I was using to weigh out 300g of Keto Chow powder to make 6 meals apparently was wonky on Sunday. I made 6 and noticed the mix was pretty thick, then I went to make 6 more and when the bowl was almost completely full it said it was only 100g. Reset it and it behaved but that first batch…. Yesterday I went to drink one and it was THICK. Like really thick, pudding thick, undrinkable thick (not to mention probably had 2x the iron, salt and other nutrient levels).

I ended up having to pour 6 blender bottles down the drain which left me hanging today. I didn’t have 6 clean bottles to make another batch of 6 so this morning I took the final 2 bottles to work. Our daughter that’s currently in charge of the dish washer supposedly ran it after showering last night so I’ll be able to make 12 bottles tonight (nearly the entire top rack of the dishwasher was blender bottles) but I won’t have any mixed when I get home for dinner. Might have to eat some of the left over chicken wings for dinner.

By |2016-02-16T07:10:36-07:00February 16th, 2016|Keto Chow, 100 days of keto|Comments Off on Day 044 – 100 days of Keto (Chow)
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My own custom vitamin Pre-mix

This entry is part 120 of 139 in the series Ketogenic Soylent

For those that didn’t know: I’m working towards significantly scaling up my operation. Like full-on industrial manufacturing using a co-packer. Today I finally got pricing for a vitamin/mineral pre-mix. There are a bunch of reasons for this but to name a few:

  • Everything in every room in my house has Keto Chow powder on it. Like literally everything. Rooms on every floor have it on every surface, it’s kinda nuts. Ever done drywall work and had the dust all over? yeah, that’s easier to clean up (I know this because I just did that in the living room).
  • My production capacity is currently limited by how much time I can devote to it, I can’t handle much more order volume than I’m currently experiencing. This limits the business in general. I have refrained from doing any marketing at all to prevent crushes in orders I can’t handle.
  • Haven’t had an issue with quality control other than 2 batches that didn’t get the right amount of mineral pre-mix. One was several months ago and the other was last week, this last one we caught before any were shipped out; anyway – I’d like to improve the quality control so it’s even better than what I currently have going on.
  • I’d like to be able to take a vacation this summer =)

Anyhow several months ago I contacted a few vitamin pre-mix people to see if it was possible for them to make a replacement for the Kirkland Signature Multi-vitamins I’m currently using in my mix. The few places that responded told me they had a minimum order of 100 kg. Back then I balked and let the inquiry die because 100 kg in 10g/week increments would make 9,293 “week” (21 meal) bags of Keto Chow! Now that I’m looking into co-packing I need to be able to get all my stuff in massive bulk quantities so I’m not grinding several hundred pounds of vitamin capsules, it would be a full time job. In my inquiries about co-packing I was put in touch with a place that does nutrient pre-mixes. While hashing out the mix we eventually ended up incorporating several of the ingredients into the pre-mix. Turns out several of the ingredients are particularly hygroscopic and needs to be paired with something to keep it dry. So if you want Choline Bitatrate you have to add Calcium Phosphate or it won’t last 6 months.  We have the formulation formalized on paper and I’ll be getting a sample in 2 weeks or so to test out. In the end we’re replacing

  • Calcium Citrate/Magnesium Citrate/D3 powder
  • Calcium Phosphate
  • Choline L-Bitatrate
  • Kirkland Signature Vitamins
  • Vitamin MK-7

The best part is it actually costs slightly less than what I’m currently using ( $0.20859/day compared to  $0.27655/day) even if I get it in the smallest quantity I can order. If I scale up to 2500kg I can save even more =).

Friday I finally got a sample of psyllium husk that I can get in 55lb and 2000lb bags, it was more finely ground than the NOW psyllum powder, I’m super excited about it! Still don’t have pricing yet though =(

The next step that I’m working on is getting a replacement for the Dymatize protein powder I’m using. It’s gotten harder and harder to find the various flavors and some (Pina Colada, Banana, Cinnamon Bun) I haven’t found in several weeks and don’t think I ever will be able to get again – 2 of my suppliers have indicated the Pina Colada has been discontinued by the manufacturer. I’m working with a lady locally that formulates flavors to come up with suitable replacements. Hopefully I’ll have this ready in the next month and before the Dymatize goes completely unavailable (which I doubt Rich Chocolate and the other really popular flavors will disappear but I haven’t been able to get them in 10lb boxes for months).

So what does this mean for the future of Keto Chow, the recipe? Well, I’ll have Keto Chow 1.0.4 open for anyone to use still, that’s not changing. I’m also going to open the new recipe (tentatively called Keto Chow 2.0) but it likely won’t be something a regular person can make themselves since it’ll require a custom vitamin pre-mix along with using a custom protein powder and custom flavorings. For the most part you’ll still be able to make 1.0.4 yourself but whatever flavors I come up with (along with the expected ones I’m planning on trying for plain and savory flavors!) will only be available from me, but one of the goals in all this is also to reduce the cost and therefore the price of the stuff I’m selling. Better quality, easier to get, less expensive – that’s the plan.

Don’t hold your breath unless you can do so for a long while but that’s the plan for the future. At some point I’m going to check out some of the manufacturers I found that specialize in aseptic packaging of mixed liquids. Pre-mixed Keto Chow in a bottle with the cream and oil already mixed in and doesn’t require refrigeration? Yeah that would be awesome!

By |2016-10-13T07:27:52-06:00February 15th, 2016|Keto Chow, Site or Store Stuff|9 Comments
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