Conquering Cortisol

I have been incorporating some 24hr+ fasts into my week, to see if I can get the scales and bulges shifting in a more pleasing, and frankly deserved, direction. What with all the stress of opening night being just 10 days away, the last thing my strained nervous system needed was the struggle to fit into certain clothing items, and the scale showing yet another increase. I have only been eating primal foods, and I have been ensuring my weekly caloric intake average has not exceeded my activity levels. Yet, the increases continued. At first I blamed the basic cortisol issue of stressful times, and then I considered the role of sleep in the equation.

Then something interesting happened.

I became aware that on days where I tried fasting from dinner to dinner, I wouldn't experience keto-breath at all (this isn't noticeable by others, at least in my case, but is instead just a taste in my mouth). Intrigued, I tested myself with a keto-strip, and for the first time since going low-carb, there wasn't the slightest trace of ketones detected. In the past, fasting has still left me in ketosis, wasting the excess, even during caloric deficit.

On days where I ate breakfast, I would experience keto-breath around lunchtime, and it would persist until dinner time. The keto-sticks proved that I was wasting excess ketones, and in the morning, the scales would be showing a downward trend. This would occur even if I was consuming the same amount of, or even more, calories between the two meals as I was in the one on fasting days.

Conclusion? That with the cortisol-inducing stressors I'm currently up against, my body can't take another one - namely, intermittent fasting.

So until the play is over, it's breakfast and dinner every day for me, and whilst I'll still make sure not to exceed my average activity level (as determined by my time wearing the GoWear Fit) in caloric intake, I won't be pushing myself to create big caloric deficits. I also won't be getting on the scale until the show is well and truly over.

So here's a look at the meals of this week - I've been having fun with seafood of late, discovering that pretty much every seafood is delicious when sautéed in coconut oil or ghee! I'm trying to back off on my sodium intake at the moment, getting most of it from the smoked salmon that has been a frequent participant in my meal preparation, and a bit of salted organic butter.

Smoked salmon & egg smash!


Lamb chops, mmm!


Smoked salmon & egg smash - part deux!


Roasted chicken drumsticks, coated in coconut oil and herbs.


The killer breakfast - a lamb chop with a hefty side of bacon.


A new culinary feast for me - octopus tentacles! Decided to keep it simple - take a tentacle, chuck it in a hot frying pan with heated coconut oil, and sauté until cooked through. Surprisingly delicious all on its own!




And again, since it's utterly delicious!


Back to an old favourite - salmon sashimi.


Lamb chop and smoked salmon & egg smash, together at last!


Oh, what, more salmon sashimi? Heck yeah!


Chicken drumsticks, coated and roasted in coconut oil, to juicy perfection!


They went so well together, a reprise was demanded - lamb chop, and smoked salmon and egg smash!


Peeled prawns, sautéed in ghee and garlic. Mmmm!


And finally, tonight's dinner: scotch fillet beef steak, with prawns and sliced fennel sautéed in garlic and ghee.