Making coconut milk yogurt

Image. Coconut Milk Yogurt, luvele.com

I recently discovered I am lactose intolerant. I just bought a yogurt maker and was making yogurt with half and half, which was a simple recipe, but now I am trying to switch to coconut milk. So far, I have had little success. I have made gelatin, which tasted okay but was definitely not yogurt. I had a batch that did not set and one that turned out sour. I used them in smoothies. They are fine to eat, but not what I am looking for.

I am using this recipe https://www.luvele.com/blogs/recipe-blog/best-dairy-free-gut-loving-coconut-yogurt-recipe. It does not seem too complicated but I am having trouble. I have a new batch going now. Fingers crossed it works. They have a different recipe that uses coconut cream that I will try next if this fails.

I probably would give up and just buy non dairy yogurt, but I want to use the maker. I don’t know what else it could be used for.

I have been making green smoothies, too. I drink them most mornings now. Our blender died after 20 years so we got one that makes smoothies and is durable. I put in ice, soy or coconut milk, spinach, cucumber, coconut milk yogurt, ginger, chia seeds, plant protein powder and blend. It is pretty filling.

Image coffee mug with coffee and coconut milk, green smoothie

My weight has been stalled since I had a medication change in June, but my glucose is good and I am in ketosis (on ketogenic diet). I had been logging my food on Cronometer but I think it was overestimating my energy expenditure so I switched to myfitnesspal. You enter your foods and it calculates the calories, carbs, fats, protein etc. I am not perfect at logging but it gives me an idea of where I am at. I have it linked to my Fitbit and scale.

I am still doing 14 hour fasts. It is not too difficult for me. I have not noticed any changes with fasting. I do feel a lot better now that I am not having much dairy.

Weight: you gain some, you lose some

 

weight gain and psych meds seem to go hand in hand.  I gained 25 lbs when I started depakote.  I did an Atkins diet and lost the weight but I did not find that sustainable for me.  Zyprexa, I gained 5 lbs typing the  name, works really well at controlling mania for me, but I got fat and I did not care. Until someone asked, seriously, when was I due.

at my highest I was 198 lbs.  i tried calorie counting with my fitness pal.  It is a huge database of foods and their nutritional value. You type in what you ate and it calculates calories and nutrients,  you enter info about yourself and how much you want to lose and it tells you how many calories to eat.  There is a forum community that you can ask questions.  I lost 15 lbs, but stopped.

now, i am back. It adds the calories i burn from my fitbit steps, so i don’t feel too deprived.  I am basically eating the same foods, just smaller portions.  The badge above counts from when i started at 198 lbs.

I am not sure why the meds cause weight gain. I know I get hungry and really tired. I don’t know if they affect metabolism, too.

i have sleep apnea. I wear a specially made mouthguard and a belt that keeps me sleeping on my side. Not terrible fashionable, but I can sleep better. When I did not have it I was always tired. Now, i am able to work a few hours and walk my dog.

Weight loss is not easy, especially on these medications. I went from obese to overweight. My goal is a normal bmi.