[Off-Topic] Community Chat Thread

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 3 years ago

materpillar wrote:
3 years ago
I've been tearing through Rhythm of War by Sanderson. I'm on page ~700 now. It's pretty solid.
I read the first three books. I loved the first book but the next two made me want to shoot myself so..... I think I am done with that series. I really hate a lot of series that give equal time and focus to a bunch of characters. Beyond that I felt like he gave me about 8 times more backstory than I needed on literally every character to the point that I just didn't care anymore. The character that I liked from book one (the bridge guy) turned into a whiney cry baby and I just lost my will for that series.

I have actually read a few of Sanderson's series and while Mistborn was decent, I just can't find myself caring too much for his writing style.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

User avatar
toctheyounger
Posts: 3984
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Post by toctheyounger » 3 years ago

cryogen wrote:
3 years ago
I started back on keto again since I wanted to lose 20 pounds and instead gained 20 more pounds. I didn't actually do anything to try and lose the weight, and Thanksgiving/Xmas happened, but still. So yeah I'm trying to relearn how to eat on that diet.
What can you tell me about it, if anything? My wife and I are somewhat interested in losing some weight, but she also has a whole lot of allergies that make it hard to eat anything that isn't predominantly homemade (allergic to corn, intolerant to gluten). We've looked a little at keto, but it's hard to know where to start putting together a list of foods you can/can't eat and how it all fits together to achieve stable body weight.
Malazan Decks of the Fallen
| Shadowthrone/Lazav | Raest/Yidris | T'iam / The Ur-Dragon |

User avatar
materpillar
the caterpillar
Posts: 1299
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: Unlisted
Location: Ohio

Post by materpillar » 3 years ago

bobthefunny wrote:
3 years ago
I enjoy cooking. Haven't made too much in the crockpot lately, but I can probably find some older recipes. As I recall, I mostly did braised beef types of things or meatballs in the slow cooker. Recently, I've mostly used the slowcooker for mulled apple cider and hot chocolate (mine is small).
...
On the stove, there are several curry recipes that are very easy. I have a coconut+lemon curry as a backup recipe that I like, that only takes about 15-20 minutes.
I really like cooking... just for other people. I really really don't like planning meals and grocery shopping. As a result I get extremely unmotivated and lazy when I'm only cooking for myself. Tell me 4 friends are coming over tomorrow and I'll have a great time whipping something up. When I cook for myself I sometimes get too lazy to reheat a frozen dinner. For example right now... I just don't want to cook any dinner for myself. I'm probably going to end up throwing in a microwave dinner. >.>

Ooooh I don't have any curry recipes. Those other recipes look solid.

toctheyounger wrote:
3 years ago
My wife and I do a lot of crockpot stuff of late - it's a lot easier to just do a big batch and reheat for a few meals to avoid cooking when the kiddo is cranky. We've got a really nice enamel lined cast iron crockpot that works nicely. Our favourites of late are creamy peppercorn chicken and one pan creme fraiche chicken. The first is like 20 mins prep and 30 mins cook time, super easy. The second is like 40 mins prep. 90 mins cook time. Happy to write em out for you if you're into it.

*We only eat chicken - my wife doesn't do red meat and I just don't bother cooking it for one person, too much hassle.
Yeah, I'd be interested in reading some recipes.
WizardMN wrote:
3 years ago
I got it on release day and had been trying to read the first three books again first (though I never actually finished Oathbringer). I have been reading at the gym and then things got shut down again for nearly 6 weeks so I am way behind. But I am definitely looking forward to it when I finally get to it. Glad to hear it is pretty good (not that I was expecting much else).
I personally am enjoying it more than Oathbringer by quite a bit. I'm not sure how I'd compare it to the first two though. it's been a while since I read them.
ISBPathfinder wrote:
3 years ago
I read the first three books. I loved the first book but the next two made me want to shoot myself so..... I think I am done with that series. I really hate a lot of series that give equal time and focus to a bunch of characters. Beyond that I felt like he gave me about 8 times more backstory than I needed on literally every character to the point that I just didn't care anymore. The character that I liked from book one (the bridge guy) turned into a whiney cry baby and I just lost my will for that series.
Interesting... join me in spoiler town?
Stormlight Archive Spoilers books (2-4)
Show
Hide
I'm curious to know what in the next two made you hate them so much? Was it just Kaladin's (bridge boy) descent into whiney-ness or were there specific plot points? I thought Oathbringer was a touch weak overall but I rather enjoyed Words of Radiance. Admittedly, I don't mind multiple POV books at all.

Personally, the originality of the setting is what keeps me so interested in the books. I find the world Sanderson has painted to be fascinating and quite original. It's rare to find fantasy settings that don't feel extremely Tolkien based. Everything about the spren and Parshendi I find to be very neat and interesting. In the latest book there's a lot of time spent with the voidbringer characters. I also find the plot twists in relating to spren and the voidbringers to be well built up and they took me extremely by surprise which is a feeling I value very very highly because that has become much rarer as I get older.

As for the characters, I find Shallan to be quite interesting and I get excited to read all of her chapters. I find Kaladin and Dalinar to be rather uninteresting in comparison. I find them to be serviceable enough to get me digging deeper into the lore of the world. In the 4th book Sanderson is going pretty deep into Kaladin have extreme depression and PTSD which isn't something I'm used to reading and I respect Sanderson for going there. I can see why that might be unenjoyable though.

User avatar
toctheyounger
Posts: 3984
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Post by toctheyounger » 3 years ago

materpillar wrote:
3 years ago
Yeah, I'd be interested in reading some recipes.
Peppercorn Chicken

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced or minced
50g butter
1 sprig fresh Thyme or 1 tsp dried
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup chicken stock
1 Lemon
2-3 chicken breasts, diced
4-500ml cooking cream

Sautee the onions and garlic in a cast iron skillet or crockpot until clear and soft, then add the thyme, bay leaf, pepper and sautee further until aromatic. Then add chicken and stock, and simmer for 5-10 mins. Squeeze the lemon juice/zest into the mix, stir, add cooking cream, and place in preheated oven at 180c for 30 mins. Done, easy peasy.

We usually serve with roasted potatoes (we get a little saucy and grate parmesan on top because cheese is the best thing ever) and whatever you do for salad.

I'll come back to the other recipe, it's a little wordier.
Malazan Decks of the Fallen
| Shadowthrone/Lazav | Raest/Yidris | T'iam / The Ur-Dragon |

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 3 years ago

materpillar wrote:
3 years ago
Interesting... join me in spoiler town?
Stormlight Archive Spoilers books (2-4)
Show
Hide
I'm curious to know what in the next two made you hate them so much? Was it just Kaladin's (bridge boy) descent into whiney-ness or were there specific plot points? I thought Oathbringer was a touch weak overall but I rather enjoyed Words of Radiance. Admittedly, I don't mind multiple POV books at all.

Personally, the originality of the setting is what keeps me so interested in the books. I find the world Sanderson has painted to be fascinating and quite original. It's rare to find fantasy settings that don't feel extremely Tolkien based. Everything about the spren and Parshendi I find to be very neat and interesting. In the latest book there's a lot of time spent with the voidbringer characters. I also find the plot twists in relating to spren and the voidbringers to be well built up and they took me extremely by surprise which is a feeling I value very very highly because that has become much rarer as I get older.

As for the characters, I find Shallan to be quite interesting and I get excited to read all of her chapters. I find Kaladin and Dalinar to be rather uninteresting in comparison. I find them to be serviceable enough to get me digging deeper into the lore of the world. In the 4th book Sanderson is going pretty deep into Kaladin have extreme depression and PTSD which isn't something I'm used to reading and I respect Sanderson for going there. I can see why that might be unenjoyable though.
Some of it goes back to Robert Jordan. I felt like after a point it felt like instead of having one story there was like 12 stories and he would cliffhanger you on one of them and it would be like half a book or more before you would get more. I would prefer to have less focuses and just have a good story than split off and have a whole bunch of stories that I get little by little. I guess this actually goes back further probably to Tolken as he did the same damn thing. I feel like splitting POVs is really just a way to add a lot of extra stories into one thing happening. I would prefer less focuses and if you want to put more poeple and different stories into this world just start them up their own books rather than splitting focuses. I feel like multiple POVs is a way to just constantly get cliffhangered and it annoys the hell out of me.

Backstory - I felt like he was painfully redundant on hitting on the same things in people's past. It got to the point that every single book he seemed to take like 30-40% of the time redundantly explaining back story to me when a lot of them had one core thing happen that he stretched out over an overly painful and long thing that he would constantly jump back to. Most of the character's backstory isn't that interesting and I felt he spent at least two to three times longer than I needed diving into the backstory. I would personally have rather focused on less characters and even less on the backstories of the other characters.
SPOILER
Show
Hide
Kaladin was super interesting when he was constantly in life or death situations but when things stabilized I just felt like he fell off. Maybe it was that the focus then went elsewhere but it felt like after they got free and started training other bridge teams he stopped being as engaging or interesting to me. I have on a few occasions gone back and went through book one just skipping the hell out of chapters I don't care about but really that felt like I skipped half the book at least.

It probably didn't help that I didn't really seem to care at all about any of the characters other than Kaladin which led me to get bored and fall off on the series. I currently don't have any intent to continue on as of right now because.... yea books 2 and 3 were painfully unfulfilling for me.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

User avatar
WizardMN
Posts: 1965
Joined: 4 years ago
Answers: 124
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Twin Cities
Contact:

Post by WizardMN » 3 years ago

materpillar wrote:
3 years ago
Stormlight Archive Spoilers books (2-4)
Show
Hide
I'm curious to know what in the next two made you hate them so much? Was it just Kaladin's (bridge boy) descent into whiney-ness or were there specific plot points? I thought Oathbringer was a touch weak overall but I rather enjoyed Words of Radiance. Admittedly, I don't mind multiple POV books at all.

Personally, the originality of the setting is what keeps me so interested in the books. I find the world Sanderson has painted to be fascinating and quite original. It's rare to find fantasy settings that don't feel extremely Tolkien based. Everything about the spren and Parshendi I find to be very neat and interesting.

As for the characters, I find Shallan to be quite interesting and I get excited to read all of her chapters. I find Kaladin and Dalinar to be rather uninteresting in comparison. I find them to be serviceable enough to get me digging deeper into the lore of the world.
SPOILER
Show
Hide
I too enjoy the multiple POV books. At least, this series anyway.

I get ISB's distaste for Kaladin as well since he does have a bit of whiny-ness to him. But I find that written well enough that his reactions and attitudes make sense; he *did* get betrayed after all and most of it comes from the inability to trust. And it leads to a bit of growth for the character where he lost Syl and got her back after coming to terms with a few things himself. Which, while sort of clichéd, was still entertaining and satisfying.

I have to say that the politics of Dalinar are actually quite interesting. He is a man who is trying to navigate the side of war outside the battlefield and I enjoy reading about it. And, of course, the spot where he kicked the %$#% out of Elkohar and told him he was dating his mom. That was pretty cool :)

I do agree that Shallan is more interesting than the other two, but not by a lot. Not for me anyway. I find different facets of each entertaining and interesting in their own way. But Shallan is written in a way where she faces something new and takes it in, head on. Dalinar and Kaladin both are pretty reluctant to change so it is refreshing to see her face a new challenge and just go "well, I guess this is what I am doing today".

On a final note, I do enjoy how much time and effort Sanderson takes to flesh out the Parshendi as well. They are the "enemies" but the sections about them are insightful. At least, he allows them to be humanized to a certain degree.
@ISBPathfinder I guess I never noticed the same things being rehashed about their past. I know some things were touched on a couple times, but I liked that it showed their histories. I can see where some of that isn't as fulfilling since it isn't really about action or things being done in the present, but I never thought it was done poorly or was repetitive.

To each their own of course. To be fair about the multiple POV thing, it *was* a major turn off for me for Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. It was really hard to follow along with the story when so many people were brought up. I have found that Sanderson has a good balance, but not good enough for you :P

User avatar
Hermes_
Posts: 1760
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Hermes_ » 3 years ago

WizardMN wrote:
3 years ago

To each their own of course. To be fair about the multiple POV thing, it *was* a major turn off for me for Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. It was really hard to follow along with the story when so many people were brought up. I have found that Sanderson has a good balance, but not good enough for you :P
Harry Turtledove does the same thing in his numerous series, and sometimes he just kills characters off in mundane ways like one POV character was killed from blood poisoning caused by mishandling a chicken.
The Secret of Commander (EDH)
Sheldon-"The secret of this format is in not breaking it. "

User avatar
toctheyounger
Posts: 3984
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Post by toctheyounger » 3 years ago

WizardMN wrote:
3 years ago
To each their own of course. To be fair about the multiple POV thing, it *was* a major turn off for me for Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. It was really hard to follow along with the story when so many people were brought up. I have found that Sanderson has a good balance, but not good enough for you
@ISBPathfinder @WizardMN you're both amateurs. Come back to me once you've read Steven Erikson. You know you're in for a kaleidoscope of perspectives when each book starts with a Dramatis Personae and 3-4 maps.
Malazan Decks of the Fallen
| Shadowthrone/Lazav | Raest/Yidris | T'iam / The Ur-Dragon |

User avatar
ISBPathfinder
Bebopin
Posts: 2154
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: SD, USA

Post by ISBPathfinder » 3 years ago

@toctheyounger im fairly certain that you aren't selling me with what you just described.
[EDH] Vadrok List (Suicide Chads) | Evelyn List (Vamp Mill) | Sanwell List | Danitha List | Indominus List | Ratadrabik List

User avatar
toctheyounger
Posts: 3984
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Post by toctheyounger » 3 years ago

ISBPathfinder wrote:
3 years ago
@toctheyounger im fairly certain that you aren't selling me with what you just described.
Oh, absolutely. Based on your critique of Sanderson I 100% guarantee you these books are not for you. They're great, but if this style of writing bugs you, definitely give them a miss.
Malazan Decks of the Fallen
| Shadowthrone/Lazav | Raest/Yidris | T'iam / The Ur-Dragon |

User avatar
Airi
Queen of Salt
Posts: 417
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: she / her

Post by Airi » 3 years ago

I have a deep hatred for Robert Jordan and his portrayal of women.

---

Malazan is a great series, but if multiple POV stories are not for you, it's probably among the worst examples of it to read. It goes on long tangents with different characters that are confusing to untangle, especially on the first go. Great series, not for the faint of heart (though it's at least a fair bit easier to follow than the Second Apocalypse cycle).

For single POV books though, I'm always happy to peddle The Goblin Emperor to anyone willing to give it a shot. 10/10, best and most heartwarming book I've ever read, and I usually prefer grimdark to uplifting stuff.

User avatar
Hermes_
Posts: 1760
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Hermes_ » 3 years ago

my walmart had two boxes of mystery boosters (said on the back th boosters were from 2017 to 2020),i resisted the urge to buy a box.
The Secret of Commander (EDH)
Sheldon-"The secret of this format is in not breaking it. "

User avatar
bobthefunny
Resident Plainswalker
Posts: 467
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Contact:

Post by bobthefunny » 3 years ago

Sanderson is a good writer. I really like his world building, and he has good pacing.

However, every series of his that I've read so far seems to end "because god". The endings to me feel like they just undo all character development and growth from the previous books.

I've stopped buying his books until he actually finishes a series.

User avatar
bobthefunny
Resident Plainswalker
Posts: 467
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Contact:

Post by bobthefunny » 3 years ago

Hermes_ wrote:
3 years ago
my walmart had two boxes of mystery boosters (said on the back th boosters were from 2017 to 2020),i resisted the urge to buy a box.
price?

User avatar
Hermes_
Posts: 1760
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Hermes_ » 3 years ago

bobthefunny wrote:
3 years ago
Hermes_ wrote:
3 years ago
my walmart had two boxes of mystery boosters (said on the back th boosters were from 2017 to 2020),i resisted the urge to buy a box.
price?
I honestly,don't know because those labels and products are all over the place in that area but the website says 30 dollars. It wasn't a booste r box,but just four booster packs inside this item https://www.walmart.com/ip/Magic-The-Ga ... /980054247
The Secret of Commander (EDH)
Sheldon-"The secret of this format is in not breaking it. "

User avatar
bobthefunny
Resident Plainswalker
Posts: 467
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Contact:

Post by bobthefunny » 3 years ago

Oh... one of those. I was thinking you were talking about the actual Mystery Boosters line for a second there.

User avatar
Crazy Monkey
Arcane Themes
Posts: 571
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: New Mexico, US

Post by Crazy Monkey » 3 years ago

bobthefunny wrote:
3 years ago
Sanderson is a good writer. I really like his world building, and he has good pacing.

However, every series of his that I've read so far seems to end "because god".
I am personally a bit overinvested in his books, and the superseries of Cosmere specifically, but this was entertaining due to some of the cross-series events that have been bleeding into his recent work.
SPOILER
Show
Hide
The short stories between books of the stormlight archive, and both events and chapter headings in rhythm of war have started fleshing out connections to the system/universe of the mistborn series(s) and warbreaker. The "because god(s)" portions of various books looks to me like it's going to cross-over with increasing frequency.
Commander Decks


Kemba | Kytheon | Talrand | Unesh | Teferi | Geth | primer Zada | Krenko | Torbran | Patron Orochi | Ghalta | Gargos | Medomai | The Count | Xenagos | Nikya | Jaheira, Artisan | Trostani | Athreos | Jarad | Ivy | Nin | Krark & Sakashima | Feather | Osgir | Gisela | Roon | Chulane | Sydri | Ertai | Mairsil | Vial & Malcolm | Prossh | Marath | Marisi | Syr Gwyn | Riku | Riku | Animar | Ghave | Tasigur | Muldrotha | Rayami | Zedruu | Yidris | Kynaios & Tiro | Saskia | Tymna & Kydele | Atraxa | Akiri & Silas | Sisay | Ur Dragon | Bridge | Horde | Najeela | Genju | Traxos



User avatar
Hermes_
Posts: 1760
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Hermes_ » 3 years ago

bobthefunny wrote:
3 years ago
Oh... one of those. I was thinking you were talking about the actual Mystery Boosters line for a second there.
If it had been that line, i would have totally picked it up and then resold it lol
The Secret of Commander (EDH)
Sheldon-"The secret of this format is in not breaking it. "

User avatar
bobthefunny
Resident Plainswalker
Posts: 467
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Contact:

Post by bobthefunny » 3 years ago

Crazy Monkey wrote:
3 years ago
I am personally a bit overinvested in his books, and the superseries of Cosmere specifically, but this was entertaining due to some of the cross-series events that have been bleeding into his recent work.
SPOILER
Show
Hide
The short stories between books of the stormlight archive, and both events and chapter headings in rhythm of war have started fleshing out connections to the system/universe of the mistborn series(s) and warbreaker. The "because god(s)" portions of various books looks to me like it's going to cross-over with increasing frequency.
I was disappointed in the ending of the First Mistborn Series (haven't read the second one yet) as well as the ending of the Reckoners series. Especially the Reckoners.
SPOILER
Show
Hide
The first Reckoner's book sets up an interesting world that explores that people who gain great power are easily corruptible. It sets up an underdog resistance, and a protaganist needing to overcome his lack of (literal) power against the very personification of that power, and fuels his motivation with the loss of his father, and how that impacts him as an individual. By the third book, each and every one of those points is undermined, completely.
The first book of either series is fantastic though, which saddens me for the series. I like the Stormlight Archive so far, but again the first book was the best, though I really liked the section with the corruption of the Parshendi and the revelation of the Parshmen.

I rather really like the Evil Librarians series, but with only one book left to go, I can see a very easy path of "but, God" in it, the way things have been going. I also really like the Rithmatist as a standalone book, but afaik he hasn't continues that line yet.

User avatar
cryogen
GΘΔ†
Posts: 1056
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Westminster, MD
Contact:

Post by cryogen » 3 years ago

toctheyounger wrote:
3 years ago
cryogen wrote:
3 years ago
I started back on keto again since I wanted to lose 20 pounds and instead gained 20 more pounds. I didn't actually do anything to try and lose the weight, and Thanksgiving/Xmas happened, but still. So yeah I'm trying to relearn how to eat on that diet.
What can you tell me about it, if anything? My wife and I are somewhat interested in losing some weight, but she also has a whole lot of allergies that make it hard to eat anything that isn't predominantly homemade (allergic to corn, intolerant to gluten). We've looked a little at keto, but it's hard to know where to start putting together a list of foods you can/can't eat and how it all fits together to achieve stable body weight.
Well keto avoids bad starches and carbs, so no corn or wheat grain! It's easy to go off the deep end and get intimidated by going keto since there are lots of calculations when you go down the rabbit hole. The wife and I never did. I just stayed very simple and aimed for target daily carb intake of 20-30, and then tried to guesstimate to hit 15ish. That way since I wasn't measuring exactly quantities (like cream in my coffee for example) I would probably stay under my target maximum.

As far as stocking your kitchen and what you can eat, it wasn't that bad depending on what you like to eat and learning which veggies are bad. The initial stock of replacement flours, oils, and sugars sucks, but once you have your basics it isn't too bad. We go through eggs and cheese like crazy though. There are some good recipes out there and decent replacements. I found a really good bread that is mostly eggs. It's moist and dense and taste like you're eating French toast, which honestly is awesome. I can eat an entire loaf worth of sandwiches in one or two sittings if I'm not careful. I also found a fathead pizza crust that is mostly cheese, and it is really good also. We do a lot of chicken and burgers (wrapped in lettuce). Shredded cabbage with bacon and cherry tomatoes sautéed in oil is really good also.

Worst part is the constant prep work and everything is fresh so I feel like we are constantly going to the grocery store (which sucks juggling work and two kids). Also it is disheartening to see something that you want to eat and and being like, "man this is 8 carbs, can I swing that?" And of course looking at things you used to eat and cringing when that glass of egg nog you drank was 60 carbs.

Don't get intimidated by it is my best advice. There are plenty of charts showing what to eat and avoid, so start there since allergies is a concern. Then figure out your target carbs and Google some recipes. Plenty of good cookbooks as well, most of which have an intro giving you a crash course in going keto.

Edit: And the nice thing is that since it just takes a few days to enter ketosis, you don't have to feel guilty if you have a cheat day. Some people do a cheat day once a week. I tried to avoid it, but if I caved I didn't sweat it and lose all my willpower to quit altogether.
Sheldon wrote:You're the reason we can't have nice things.

User avatar
toctheyounger
Posts: 3984
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Post by toctheyounger » 3 years ago

cryogen wrote:
3 years ago
toctheyounger wrote:
3 years ago
cryogen wrote:
3 years ago
I started back on keto again since I wanted to lose 20 pounds and instead gained 20 more pounds. I didn't actually do anything to try and lose the weight, and Thanksgiving/Xmas happened, but still. So yeah I'm trying to relearn how to eat on that diet.
What can you tell me about it, if anything? My wife and I are somewhat interested in losing some weight, but she also has a whole lot of allergies that make it hard to eat anything that isn't predominantly homemade (allergic to corn, intolerant to gluten). We've looked a little at keto, but it's hard to know where to start putting together a list of foods you can/can't eat and how it all fits together to achieve stable body weight.
Well keto avoids bad starches and carbs, so no corn or wheat grain! It's easy to go off the deep end and get intimidated by going keto since there are lots of calculations when you go down the rabbit hole. The wife and I never did. I just stayed very simple and aimed for target daily carb intake of 20-30, and then tried to guesstimate to hit 15ish. That way since I wasn't measuring exactly quantities (like cream in my coffee for example) I would probably stay under my target maximum.

As far as stocking your kitchen and what you can eat, it wasn't that bad depending on what you like to eat and learning which veggies are bad. The initial stock of replacement flours, oils, and sugars sucks, but once you have your basics it isn't too bad. We go through eggs and cheese like crazy though. There are some good recipes out there and decent replacements. I found a really good bread that is mostly eggs. It's moist and dense and taste like you're eating French toast, which honestly is awesome. I can eat an entire loaf worth of sandwiches in one or two sittings if I'm not careful. I also found a fathead pizza crust that is mostly cheese, and it is really good also. We do a lot of chicken and burgers (wrapped in lettuce). Shredded cabbage with bacon and cherry tomatoes sautéed in oil is really good also.

Worst part is the constant prep work and everything is fresh so I feel like we are constantly going to the grocery store (which sucks juggling work and two kids). Also it is disheartening to see something that you want to eat and and being like, "man this is 8 carbs, can I swing that?" And of course looking at things you used to eat and cringing when that glass of egg nog you drank was 60 carbs.

Don't get intimidated by it is my best advice. There are plenty of charts showing what to eat and avoid, so start there since allergies is a concern. Then figure out your target carbs and Google some recipes. Plenty of good cookbooks as well, most of which have an intro giving you a crash course in going keto.

Edit: And the nice thing is that since it just takes a few days to enter ketosis, you don't have to feel guilty if you have a cheat day. Some people do a cheat day once a week. I tried to avoid it, but if I caved I didn't sweat it and lose all my willpower to quit altogether.
Thanks for this! We're probably at least a few months away from dipping our toes, as we've been advised she shouldn't be breastfeeding on keto (can lead to ketoacidosis, which is pretty nasty).

Honestly, it's pretty tough to know where to start looking for guidance. A whole lot of sources say see a doctor and talk over the diet (I don't trust my doctor to know enough about it though tbh), then there's gimmicky sites and clickbait which just don't give you the specifics you'd need to give it a good shake.

Do you have any reliable sources where I can look at more specifics for macros/micros and specific ingredients? I feel like we're fairly close to the diet anyway with some of my wife's restrictions, but I know actually entering ketosis will require us to be a bit more precise.
Malazan Decks of the Fallen
| Shadowthrone/Lazav | Raest/Yidris | T'iam / The Ur-Dragon |

User avatar
pokken
Posts: 6281
Joined: 4 years ago
Answers: 2
Pronoun: he / him

Post by pokken » 3 years ago

The cornerstones of keto back when I did it in my 20s (when it was atkins:P) for me were eggs and cheese and spinach. Most of what I ate was spinach salads and omelets. It worked great and was easy to manage.

Then I'd add whatever meat. The key to success there was a george foreman grill. I'd go to costco and get salmon patties, chicken breasts, burgers, etc. by the truckload and just throw a few on the foreman.

I didn't really worry about precision and ketosis was pretty easy. Meat, cheese, eggs, green leafy vegetables, nothing else for the first month.

Taking a high quality multivitamin was recommended and that worked well for me.

The big thing is with veggies to avoid traps like onions, tomatoes and carrots that have way more sugar than you would think.

User avatar
toctheyounger
Posts: 3984
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him
Location: Auckland, New Zealand

Post by toctheyounger » 3 years ago

pokken wrote:
3 years ago
The cornerstones of keto back when I did it in my 20s (when it was atkins:P) for me were eggs and cheese and spinach. Most of what I ate was spinach salads and omelets. It worked great and was easy to manage.

Then I'd add whatever meat. The key to success there was a george foreman grill. I'd go to costco and get salmon patties, chicken breasts, burgers, etc. by the truckload and just throw a few on the foreman.

I didn't really worry about precision and ketosis was pretty easy. Meat, cheese, eggs, green leafy vegetables, nothing else for the first month.

Taking a high quality multivitamin was recommended and that worked well for me.

The big thing is with veggies to avoid traps like onions, tomatoes and carrots that have way more sugar than you would think.
Thanks for that. Sounds pretty doable. I think the more precise I have to be, the harder it'll be to implement, especially with a child in the mix too, just in terms of prep for meals etc. (to be clear, we wouldn't alter the kid's diet, just taking him into account eats into your available time)

I've just found it hard to find specific reputable information, and I need to make sure it'll work before we get into it purely because my wife is really specific with foods she can/can't eat. As well as wheat/corn, she's allergic to kiwifruit, tomatoes, shellfish and fish, and there's a ton of food she just won't eat, too. It means a lot of our means are predominantly chicken and salad based, which seems like a relatively good start, I just need to know what I can add to round out meals and add variety etc.
Malazan Decks of the Fallen
| Shadowthrone/Lazav | Raest/Yidris | T'iam / The Ur-Dragon |

User avatar
folding_music
glitter pen on my mana crypt
Posts: 2236
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: they / them

Post by folding_music » 3 years ago

downgrading myself from casual collector of MTG to someone who just keeps up with the new cards so I can still talk to Magic people. all my fave sellers are now on the other side of the Brexit gulf =P I've had lots of problems adapting recently anyway and the main thing I like about the game is building my own decks, and I have enough, and at this point they're just theoretical anyway, so I'm not too sad to say I've bought my last card.

User avatar
Hermes_
Posts: 1760
Joined: 4 years ago
Pronoun: he / him

Post by Hermes_ » 3 years ago

I regret nothing about this post:

Convicted hitman, Jimmy 'Two-shoes' McLardy confessed today that he was once hired to beat a cow to death in a rice field using only two small porcelain figures. Police admit this may be the first known case of a knick-knack paddy-whack.
The Secret of Commander (EDH)
Sheldon-"The secret of this format is in not breaking it. "

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Commander”