Monday, May 30, 2016

Bulletproof Coffee

Can we talk about sleep?

Recently, I've been trying to improve my overall health and well-being by changing my eating and fitness habits.  Since I was taking a long break from work to go on vacation, I thought it would be a good time to start my new plan.

Then... I went back to work.

Being a night-shifter for several years, I never realized the toll that a lack of sleep could have on me.  

The days leading up to my return to work were great.  I didn't feel hungry.  I had a new goal in life and it felt realistic.  I was exercising.  I was LIKING vegetables, like, at every meal.  It was only a few days, but it felt like a huge positive change.  

Then, the morning following my first shift back, everything changed. 

My energy was gone.  My willpower was gone.  I felt it dissipate as soon as I got to work.  The constant temptation of office desk candy and late-night pizza deliveries loomed over me.  Working night shifts is something I truly feel contributed to my obnoxious and embarrassing weight gain.  The sleep cycle changes screw up my metabolism.  The meal time changes screw up my mindset.

It seems wholly unfair that you can mistake bored for hungry, but also tired for hungry.  Why is it that at 3AM, I just want to plow 150 grams of carbs into my face?  And, sometimes, I do.  And, it never helps.

So, I wanted to come up with something I could make in the middle of the night that could stave off cravings, keep me energized and get me through until morning.

First, I tried vegetables.  Now, I'm not calling myself a genius, but my mind does know the difference between candy and cucumber slices.  My mind was also unwilling to be satiated by veggies made of mostly water.

I researched ketogenic fat bombs, but the ingredients list is far too specific.  My pantry consists of things that I can use in several recipes.  I don't have baking chocolate made with 99% cocoa, or MCT oil, or whatever erythritol is.  If I need a fat bomb that bad, it's going to be the real thing!

Then I found bulletproof coffee.  It sounded...disgusting.  Butter in coffee?  What???

Trying to be a little less cynical, I decided to, at least, look it over.  No harm in a little reading, right?  I had coffee at home.  I had butter.  I had coconut oil, which has these MCTs in them that everyone seems to be raging about these days.  If it sounded somewhat legit, I'd be worth trying it.

I had to sift through a ton of a debatable "research" and just decided to go with it.  Everyone, it seems, on the internet has an opinion about what type of ingredients to use.  Grass-fed vs. Grain-fed butter.  Coconut oil vs. MCT oil.  Espresso vs. Coffee.  I don't know that I believe there is a huge nutritional benefit one way or another.  Plus, I'm not using this as a stand-in for my veggie-laden omelets or my vitamin-packed smoothies.  I need something to keep me from drowning in carbs at random hours of the night while I work.  I used grass-fed butter because I buy it from a local Amish establishment that sells it.  I buy coconut oil because it has several other applications in my life.  And, I drink coffee normally, so I stick with that over espresso.

So, this is the recipe I tried, and it's actually... not that bad.  It definitely doesn't compare to a Frappuccino or an Iced Capp from Tim Horton's, but it's an easy meal/snack replacement I can do at work that does make me feel a little fuller.  I can't say that it's a true meal replacement option for me.  I wouldn't sacrifice my normal breakfast options for this.  But, I think it gets me over the 3AM hump, so I can get out of work in the morning without reaching for candy.  It keeps me awake, and keeps me away from the snacks.












Bulletproof Coffee

1 cup of brewed coffee
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp coconut oil


Combine ingredients in a coffee mug and sip as you would coffee.

I tend to use a little natural sweetener in this also.  I've read some posts about using cinnamon and cocoa powder as well, but I have not tried it.  You can sweeten and flavor this any way you want!

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