I’ve had a crazy busy, super full, amazingly FUN week. 🙂
I’ll share all the juicy details and delicious meals with you, to give you some ideas for how easy it is to enjoy a low carb lifestyle in a variety of situations and places.
I got some GREAT exercise this week as well, so I’ll take you on a photo tour of the last five days and all the meals I enjoyed…
This Week’s Low Carb Meals:
On Tuesday I had a big hike planned, so I started my day with a solid breakfast.
I had 3 eggs scrambled with 1.87 ounces of colby jack cheese (cut off the block), cooked in 1 tbsp of real butter. (1.2 net carbs, 75% fat)
I packed some sunflower seeds for my hike, but I knew I would only be out for a few hours and didn’t end up having a snack on the trail.
I played instead 🙂 hiking off trail in Step Falls and downstream from Big Falls, which included some technical climbs & hiking. It was great exercise!
I worked up a great appetite hiking the Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Area…
I ended up getting 10,000 steps for the day on my Fitbit even. 🙂
On my way back I stopped at Hardee’s for a Low Carb Frisco Burger (3 net carbs, 73% fat). They’ll make anything on the menu in a lettuce wrap for you.
I hurried back after spending most of the day in the woods (out of town) as I was expecting my friend Caroline. She drove down from Nashville to hang out this week for a fun “staycation” and “dane date” at my place. 🙂
We ordered take-out from Gondola Pizza & Steak House for dinner. It’s a great a Greek/Italian restaurant.
We both got Grilled Chicken smothered with real bacon and cheese, with roasted broccoli & cauliflower and sauteed mushrooms on the side (4 net carbs, 65% fat).
Oh, and we dipped our chicken & veggies in the homemade ranch they make there. Delicious! I didn’t even eat half of it. We were busy catching up and laughing. 🙂
We gave the danes the carrots that came with our dinner…
Here’s a picture of Slim and Blue together:
It was a really fun night, and the danes had a great time too!
I had 5 coffees (1 carb each) and 6 waters (48 ounces).
Calories: 1453
Net Carbs: 13
Total Carbs: 15
Protein: 84 Grams
73% Fat, 23% Protein
Wednesday’s Low Carb Meals:
Caroline and I had a serious caving adventure planned 🙂 so after a fun morning of coffee & laughs on the deck I made us cheesy eggs before we headed out.
I had 3 eggs, 1 tbsp butter, 1.5 oz cheese (1 net carb, 75% fat).
Our caving trip turned seriously ambitious, lol.
We spent 4 full hours in the depths of the cave, rock climbing and scaling bluffs, exploring and enjoying both the exercise and the awesome experience! 🙂
Caroline eats healthy too (not a ketogenic diet, but more paleo) so I brought along some trail mix I made from Chunky Musli plus raw pecans and salted almonds. It makes such a tasty high calorie, nutrient dense meal that’s super compact!
The Chunky Musli has coconut chips and cinnamon, and is slightly sweetened with erythritol (barely), giving it an amazing flavor!
We came in later that night totally famished and feeling our awesome workout 🙂 and finished our leftovers from the night before: smothered grilled chicken with broccoli, cauliflower & mushrooms.
I had 5 coffees (1 carb each) and 6 waters (48 ounces).
Calories: 1389
Net Carbs: 18
Total Carbs: 28
Protein: 62 Grams
77% Fat, 18% Protein
Thursday’s Low Carb Meals:
We didn’t eat much in the cave yesterday, and I’d made two large bags of the low carb trail mix, so I had that for a quick breakfast snack on the deck Thursday morning with my coffee & water:
For lunch I made my favorite “low carb cereal” with 1/2 cup of pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese, 4 small diced strawberries and 17.5 grams of blueberries (6 net carbs, 85% fat).
I went out with a fun guy from my hiking group for dinner. We went to a new place called West Main Brick Oven on the square a couple of towns over. It was a really neat place with great music and a cool atmosphere!
Since it was a spontaneous (unplanned) dinner and a new place to me, I had to look over the menu for a second for a great low carb option…
I decided on the Porchetta (an Italian style pork roast stuffed with fresh herbs) and Oven Roasted Broccoli w/olive oil & sea salt.
The porchetta was like a prime rib and pork roast combined. Delicious!
I only ate about half of that meal, and took the rest home to enjoy the next day…
I had 5 coffees (1 carb each) and 5 waters (40 ounces).
Calories: 1469
Net Carbs: 20
Total Carbs: 38
Protein: 59 Grams
78% Fat, 16% Protein
Friday’s Low Carb Meals:
Friday was an easy food day because I had plenty of leftovers from the week. 🙂
I finished the Chunky Musli trail mix for breakfast:
I finished the rest of our Gondola leftovers for lunch: grilled chicken & cauliflower:
It was 77 degrees and sunny and I wanted to “get out and play” SO bad, but I decided to play a responsible adult for the day instead. 🙂 (lol)
I still enjoyed the great weather, and got a lot of great exercise doing things around the house. I worked from the back deck when I was working, cleaned off the deck (a big job! lol), gave Slim a big bubble bath in the driveway, opened all the doors and aired out the house while I was cleaning & organizing inside, etc.
Then for dinner I finished off the Porchetta & broccoli leftovers:
Yum! 🙂
I did get hungry again later that night, so I made my “low carb cereal” again.
It’s 1/2 cup of pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese, 4 small diced strawberries and 17.5 grams of blueberries (6 net carbs, 85% fat).
I had 6 coffees (1 carb each) and 6 waters (48 ounces).
Calories: 1453
Net Carbs: 23
Total Carbs: 42
Protein: 54 Grams
79% Fat, 15% Protein
Saturday’s Low Carb Meals:
Our temperature dropped dramatically here in Tennessee, so I stayed in to catch up on work this weekend. It’s freezing out! 😛 Down into the 20’s at night even. Brr!!
I had eggs for breakfast again, made the same as before, and my favorite low carb cereal for dinner yesterday (on Saturday).
For lunch, I made a Low Carb Grilled Cheese. 🙂
I made it with with Oscar Mayer sliced rotisserie chicken and Borden Natural sliced colby jack cheese. I used Low Carb Everything Bread (you can see the ingredients & nutrition facts at that link).
It’s the best low carb bread. ❤ And only 1 net carb per slice!
I had 6 coffees (1 carb each) and 9 waters (72 ounces). I also had a snack of some almonds with a little bit of cream cheese (half an ounce) and just a few raspberries.
Calories: 1896
Net Carbs: 19
Total Carbs: 44
Protein: 81 Grams
78% Fat, 18% Protein
I got a lot of GREAT exercise this week! I had so much fun on my hikes on Sunday and Tuesday, had a blast caving and rock climbing on Wednesday, and even got in some good exercise doing work around the house on Friday. 🙂
It’s been a really full week of FUN and friendship, and delicious low carb meals. 🙂
Today I stayed in to catch up on some work again, and to stay out of the cold lol, and have enjoyed an EASY (lazy, lol) food day.:)
How are things going on your end?
How are you doing with your low carb meals & macro tracking? Any questions or struggles? I would love to hear how your day went, and what you decided to eat.
Leave a comment & let’s talk. 🙂
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
Ericka says
Thanks for all your great ideas. I really enjoy reading your posts and seeing how easy you make eating low carb. This week, I had 3 off plan meals as I’ve been travelling and had to try the regional cuisine (deep dish in Chicago!). I am also planning on eating ‘off plan’ for Thanksgiving and I’m in that weird space of having a few days before Thanksgiving and I’m trying my best not to totally derail my diet. I’ve been low carbing since October and have lost 15lbs and feel great. I just need to focus on how good I feel and not fall into the carb loading trap that I can fall into when not eating consciously. I’m curious what your Thanksgiving plans are? Will you be eating low carb or eating off plan? Thanks again for your great blog, you have lots of grateful followers! Happy Thanksgiving!
Lynn Terry says
Thank you, Ericka π
I’m not sure yet what my plans are for Thanksgiving, but I’ll definitely be eating on plan. I usually do something non-traditional. If the kids are home I make crab legs. π That’s their favorite! Otherwise I may try a new recipe, like chicken parmesan with some new low carb pasta I haven’t tried yet. It’ll be fun to see how it goes!
Do you have a date set for when you plan to go 100% back on plan and back into ketosis after the holiday? I find that really helps, to set a date and be prepared for that.
Ericka Wilson says
Thanks for the reply! I’ll be back on plan come Black Friday. I’m thinking I’ll get some exercise fighting the crowds that day. I’m also going to buy myself a Fitbit for Christmas as I really like seeing your screen shot results. I plan on finishing the year strong and on plan!
Lynn Terry says
Great plan! π
I love my Fitbit. It’s the first thing that FINALLY motivated me to move – and keep moving, lol.
I have upgraded twice, and love the one I have now: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/myfitbit That’s the one I would recommend. Great gift to yourself!!
Cynthia M. says
I always get jealous of your stops at Hardees…. I never feel like I have a good fast food option for when I am out and about. I carry hard boiled eggs and babybel cheeses and sometimes even a baggy of leftover steak…..but boring!
I would love to hear about other low carb fast food choices that are out there…
Lynn Terry says
Hi Cynthia,
I really love Hardee’s low carb burgers! Unfortunately my local Hardee’s has been down for a complete rebuild for MONTHS, so I can only enjoy it when I’m out of town lately. π
I do like that McDonald’s has all day breakfast now. I often get sausage patties and round fried eggs – anytime of day – if I’m out.
I live in a very small town, so there aren’t tons of options here. What are the most convenient fast food places for you? I’ll help you come up with some ideas!
Oh, at Captain D’s (do you have those?) I get the grilled whitefish & shrimp skewers with double green beans – no rice, no bread. KFC is good for grilled chicken & green beans too. And Applebee’s carside-to-go service is convenient!
Julie wheatley says
Hi Lynn, I enjoy reading about your days, food wise and your activities. I am planning my Thanksgiving dinner with my adult son who lives with me, and who has started this WOE with me recently. It has been fun finding Keto recipes for all our favorite sides. They all sound good and we are looking forward to this first Keto holiday meal. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
Lynn Terry says
What a fun holiday, with you both eating keto! That actually sounds like a great time with all the new recipes and great foods. π I look forward to hearing how it turns out, and what becomes a new favorite!
Marti says
I survived another dinner at church yesterday and stayed on plan. The only things that weren’t compete carbs were brussel sprouts, green beans, ham and turkey. So, that’s what I ate! Someone made a sugar free strawberry pie that was amazing…I just scraped off the filling and threw away the crust.
I’ve been in a slump lately and bored with my usual foods. My weight is steady at 134 even though I’m eating a few different foods such as low carb bread and tortillas. The problem is I don’t feel as good or as lean…an aching knee and hip and stiffness in my lower back. Crazy, but this only happens when I eat the bread things.
Anyway, I’m going to just maintain through the Holidays then hit it hard January 1st and lose the last 10lbs.
Also, Jimmy John’s has lettuce wraps on their menu and they are delicious.
Have a good day everyone!
Lynn Terry says
Hi Marti,
It sounds like maybe you have an intolerance – wheat or gluten maybe??
Betsy. says
Marti – Sounds like you and I are at pace with each other. I weighed in as of yesterday at 135 and have 123-125 as my goal weight (I’m 5’3″ and 65 years old). I started in February at 178. I’m going to try to power through the holidays continuing to lose weight. I’ve been averaging a pound a week and I want to get to goal by my birthday at the end of March. I’ve just started eating the low carb bread that Lynn uses – I’ve only had it twice – so I hope it doesn’t stall my weight loss. I’m going to try to make a low carb turkey stuffing from it for Thanksgiving. I used it this past weekend for a breakfast casserole for company and it came out spectacular! But I don’t plan to overdo the breads and tortillas – maybe once a week or so. But yesterday I made a grilled cheese sandwich with the bread – heavenly! It’s the first grilled cheese I’ve had in over 10 months! YUM! Good luck with Thanksgiving eating.
Lynn Terry says
I do love the low carb grilled cheese π That’s my favorite!!
JoAnn White says
I’m still doing well! Down another 2lbs this week. Taking it day by day. This week, I’m eating 1 meal a day, and then on Thursday will have a few indulges. They are planned, and hoping to be back on full plan on Friday.
Have a great week!
Lynn Terry says
Great to hear, JoAnn! π
Why only one meal a day? You’ll have to get back into ketosis starting Friday anyway, so make sure you eat enough at least. π
Sydney says
Just put in my NETRITION order! So excited to try new stuff…I ordered 3 loaves of bread- everything…sour dough…and rye. Lynns favorites! Some mountain berry jam, BBQ sauce, pancake mix, SF syrup, chocolate PB bars, and brownie mix- ALL in the brands Lynn recommends. Tested tried n true Got the thermal pack too as I live in Florida…even tho our weather is chilly now. If there’s anything ya’ll suggest I get that’s awesome…PLEEEZE let me know!
Lynn Terry says
You’ll love all of those things, Sydney. π
I love the Cello Whisps: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/cello
I love the organic marinara sauce: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/bello
I don’t usually get the thermal packaging or expedited shipping. I’ve tried it both ways (I’m in TN) in all weather, and it pretty much arrives the same either way so I just use the cheap shipping. π
Oh – and the Granola! Cinnamon and Cranberry are my favorites: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/granola
π