Low Carb & Chop Suey

Navigating our way through life in the middle of a world wide pandemic has brought up several challenges and obstacles. From curfews to cancellations, any semblance of the life we used to live now seems like a far off and distant memory.

Luckily, certain pleasures we once enjoyed are making a comeback. One of mine being concerts. I have been going to shows from a very young age and the past year and change of the absence of that took its toll on a percentage of my mental health.

Live music just has a way of letting you know you're alive and walking this earth to a steady beat, for me at least. Nothing has brought me more joy than when live music began filtering its way back.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN

The theme of the past couple years has been nostalgia. Bands from way back in my day have been making a come back on the tour trail and I am here for all of it.

From small venues like at the Whiskey a Go Go, to Ozzfest and even their own headlining shows, System of a Down has been a huge favorite of mine. So much so that when the original October 23, 2021 show at the Banc of California had been announced my brother, partner and myself immediately bought tickets.

It was all the more devestating when that show had to suddenly be rescheduled due to COVID reasons. Our day had been planned down to the most minute detail. We were sadly on hold till February 5, 2022.

As of today January 31, 2022 just five days shy of the show, I am both anxious and nervous. The October show had been cancelled just a day or so before the actual date and I will definitely have this feeling till we are actually at the venue, beer in hand singing "Chop Suey" at the top of our lungs.

CONCERTS, KETO,& LOW-CARB

I have led a keto lifestyle for a few years now. Once topping the scales at 250, I am seventy pounds down. Since the pandemic when we were all in lockdown, I changed my routine to fit more a low carb plan for myself.

Not being the only one on this journey, my brother has lost over a hundred pounds while on keto as well. He too is now sticking to a more low carb lifestyle. Even my partner is conscious of his health and fitness.

When planning for our Saturday, I am aware that while we may stray from the strictness of our daily routine, we are going to minimize the damage by staying on plan as much as possible.

This speaks to our level of commitment and mindset. Twenty year old me would not have thought twice about what I was going to eat in order to be properly prepared for the concert. I may not have even given thought to food itself. Fast food was most definitely my friend and go to.

That not being the case now, I know and understand the importance of being prepared and covering our bases so as to not eat everything in sight during our drunken happy concert moments.

THE MENU

The day will begin like any other with my partner and going to the gym just as always then head over to the grocery store to pick up last minute items needed for the day.

BRUNCH

The day will start off with Lumberjack Omelettes and Keto Custard Tarts. The Omelettes will be 2 egg for me and 3 each for the gents, filled to the brim with ham, bacon, sausage, mushroom, onions, spinach,asparagus and cheese.

I plan to pair our omelette with a Keto Custard Tart. I was searching through my favorite known keto pages on Instagram and @theketodashians posted a quick how to tutorial on this tart and I knew right away I wanted to try it out with our meal.

This is perfect for all our appetites and will guarantee full bellies. It is important to incorporate a certain amount of carbs into our systems because we all do plan on drinking and in order to last all day and night, that alcohol will need to be absorbed by carbs.

DINNER & DRINKS

Normally I stay away from starchy veggies. However, since we will be drinking, I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate and improve our chance for survival throughout the night.

Dinner will consist of steaks, cesar salad, and a baked sweet potato with a side of garlic bread from a keto friendly loaf. A cool and refreshing strawberries and cream for dessert will be plenty.

The meal will be filling and satifying to our dietary needs for the concert.

We shall be sipping on micheladas (no chamoy) for the morning and Michelob Ultras with whiskey shots throughout the day.

THE REAL-REAL

Full disclosure, we are very likely going to cheat at some point that night. The point of preparing the way we are is to minimize the damage of what we eat.

Instead of waiting till the end of the night and binging on street dogs outside the show and then six tacos, two mulitas and one burrito from Flacos my favorite taco truck the idea is to not feel the need to do both and cut one of the activities by half.

I chose this journey to better because I wanted to not only extend my life but to learn balance and teach it to my children.

This naturally means that on ocassion I will stray from my strict routine and enjoy some of the foods I used to indulge in so gluttonously and without thought.

I have learned how to get back on track and more importantly through therapy, I gained the tools necessary to be successful on this journey to better.

I learned not to beat myself up when I stray and thus sabotage my progress with actions of guilt.

Life is a beautiful gift that is meant to be savored and enjoyed with the gusto that we partake in our favorite meals.

IN CLOSING

My love language is food. There is nothing that brings me greater joy than preparing meals for those I love and care for.

When I first started on Keto, there was a lot of trial and error. I did not really cook for many people.

It was not until the most recent years that I feel confident enough to cook for more people than just myself.

Being more confident and accustomed to this way of life I enjoy making food for others especially when its something that will maintain their own lifestyle goals.

All there is left is to wait for the concert