What is Owen Eating?

This is a 2:1 meal

 The big news this week is that we have changed Owen's ratio to 3:1. His ketones had been steadily going down and he had been acting hungry ALL the time. He was also cheating by trying to eat Brenna's food. Ketosis tends to suppress appetite, so rather than change his calories we are trying a ratio change first. We spoke to his keto team Thursday and changed his meals halfway through the day.

Sausage wrapped in a "crepe"

 His ketones are back up, but so far we haven't seen a change in his hunger. He asks for food CONSTANTLY! Unfortunately, lowering his ratio actually decreases his portion sizes. Fat is much more calorie dense than protein or carbs, so even if he's getting enough calories he isn't getting the portion sizes he's used to.
 The change fron 2:1 to 3:1 is actually quite dramatic. For example, his macadamia nut pancake recipe remains the same for the pancake itself, but he now gets 2 grams of butter with it and gets 13 grams of apple instead of 40 grams.

Chicken Pot Pie with Keto Crust

 

 

 

 This also means that we have had to re-work all of our recipes. I've gotten most of his favorites switched over, but it's been a lot of computer time and extra time in the kitchen testing to see if the new plans work.  I can re-do a recipe so that the numbers all work in the computer program, but that doesn't mean that they will be appetizing. His broccoli and sausage recipe had to be re-done to include an extra method of serving fat, because once I reduced the broccoli and increased the butter to meet his new ratio, the meal was just swimming in butter. Now he gets a little "chocolate" with it. The chocolate is butter and coconut oil with a few grams of cocoa powder and a few drops of stevia mixed in.

Pizza

 

 

 Owen has been very upset at not getting as much fruit as he's used to getting. This boy loves his fruit! I've been trying to replicate his favorite meals as much as possible. The other day He informed me that he wanted a sandwich. " Bread on the bottom, cheese in the middle, and bread on top." Keto breads are generally flatbreads, more tortilla like than bread like. I managed to make the keto bread in a rectangular shape and cut it down the middle to make two pieces so I could give him a "proper" sandwich. This is now his favorite new meal.

 We see the doctor again next week, so we'll get bloodwork done then. Hopefully we will get to stay at this ratio, but I think we might end up increasing calories. The diet is a lot easier if I can have some items (like the bread) made up in advance, but that's hard to do when we're making frequent changes. We should be at this level for at least a week or two, so I can get a few things pre-made.