Yesterday we kicked off the “Get Lean For Summer!” 2016 Low Carb Challenge.
Join us if you haven’t already!
I’m really excited about this challenge, and my personal weight loss goals as we head into the summer months. 🙂
Every day throughout this challenge I will share my low carb meals, my MyFitnessPal food diaries, my exercise for the day, and my current weight.
Even if I screw up, I’ll share ALL with you here throughout the Low Carb Challenge, to hold myself accountable to you – and to share fun, easy weight loss ideas with you!
I would love for you to join me, and leave a comment with how YOUR day is going too. 🙂 Consider me your personal accountability partner. We can do this… together!
You can subscribe by email below (at the end of this post) if you haven’t already. You’ll get my Daily Food Diaries sent straight to your inbox. That way you’ll never miss a post, and we can stay in touch throughout the entire challenge. 🙂
Here’s what I ate yesterday, on Day One of the new challenge…
Monday’s Low Carb Meals
I started off with a solid breakfast: 3 sausage patties and 3 fried eggs. This is such an easy one skillet meal! Eggs are .4 carbs each, so you count them as 1 carb for 2 eggs. You’ll see that in my MyFitnessPal diary below.
I cooked my eggs over-medium. Some people like bread with “dippy eggs” – you can get healthy low carb breads. Or you can make your own! I prefer these delicious low carb biscuits. 🙂
They were out of regular Tennessee Pride sausage when I went to the store, so I had to get these frozen patties. They’re a little different, but they’re definitely more convenient – and less messy. 😛
I had a quick “zero carb lunch” before Slim and I went for our afternoon walk. They are Oscar Mayer Smokies links, and they have no carbs. (You’ll find them in the smoked sausage section instead of with the hot dogs.)
For dinner I just scoured the cabinets & fridge for ideas, pulled together what few things I had, and made a quick meal out of it all. 🙂
Here’s what went into those low carb roll-ups:
I measured out 3 ounces of turkey, used half a slice of Colby Jack cheese for each, and half a cheese wedge. I microwaved them for maybe 15 seconds, just long enough to knock the chill off. 😉
I also measured out my Blue Diamond almonds, just to make sure I had exactly one serving (2 net carbs). This is my Ozeri Kitchen Scale. I love it! It’s such a handy little gadget for keeping my portions & macros straight. 🙂
I also had a sugar free chocolate pudding cup before I went to bed…
My complete MyFitnessPal Diary for Monday:
Calories: 1600
Net Carbs: 18
Total Carbs: 22
Protein: 96 Grams
Macro Ratios: 77% Fat, 20% Protein
Exercise: Brisk Walk, 1.39 miles
FitBit Steps: 4,237
Water: 48 ounces
Current Weight: 154.6 pounds
Here’s how & what I track, and how I get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal.
Finding The Motivation To Exercise
This was me before my walk yesterday. Not enthused. 😐 lol.
I am COMMITTED to exercising daily throughout this challenge, even if it’s just a brisk walk with my great dane.
My big goal this quarter though is “arms & abs” so I’m aiming to do these arm exercises and use my Ab Carver Pro at least three times a week.
Eating low carb is EASY.
Finding the motivation (and time, and energy, lol) to exercise – that I find much more difficult. 😛
I decided having the goal is not enough. A goal is just a wish, something you want. Instead, I have to make it a PRIORITY, and force myself to do it daily until it becomes a HABIT.
So that’s exactly what I’m going to do!
If you’re new to the Low Carb Diet, or to our challenge community, you may be confused with some of the weird abbreviations we use (lol). Here’s a list of Common Low Carb Terms & Acronyms. 🙂
My starting weight for this challenge is 154.6 pounds. 😐
I decided to indulge in ONE off-plan meal on Saturday night, between challenges, and I immediately bloated up an extra 2 1/2 pounds. 😛 I swear if I could lose weight as fast I can gain it… I’d have it made! 😛 LOL *sigh*
How did you do on Day One?
Leave a comment below, and let’s do this together!!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. You can subscribe by email below to get my Daily Food Diaries throughout the Low Carb Challenge sent straight to your inbox. That way you’ll never miss great (easy!) low carb meal ideas. 😉
For some weird reason, I sabotage myself when I commit to a challenge. So, yesterday was miserable from an LCHF perspective. And the results reflected it this morning. Now that it’s Day 2, I can get past the first-day jinx and go on to shine!
Hi Miriam π
I am no stranger to self-sabotage. I totally get it! At least you got that dreaded day one out of the way! lol
As I mentioned in my update, I ate an off plan meal over the weekend. I have gotten to a point about being very deliberate with my choices: one meal, decided, versus an all out binge or mindless eating.
It makes me feel more in control – rather than it controlling me. π
My day one sucked pond water. I felt wrung out and irritated, and I had to finish a paper for a class. Needless to say, I ate all the wrong things. I am, however, planning for a better day today. I’m not sure I understand the goal for this challenge. Is it accountability, or losing a certain amount of weight or getting carbs under control? Or maybe something else?
Whatever it is, I’m in. I enjoy your blog because I eat the same way you do, generally. I’m single and don’t cook a lot, and I like to snack on simple things.
Hi Karen,
The goal is to eat low carb (20 net carbs/day) for 90 full days. The challenge provides accountability, the results and benefits vary by person: weight loss obviously!
And for many, other benefits include: getting rid of chronic pain & inflammation, lowering blood sugar and cholesterol, more energy, breaking bad habits and managing eating disorders, etc.
I’m glad you’re joining us. π
I am doing better but not completely low carb yet. I realize it prob doesn’t count if your not all in but I figure i have to start somewhere! I can’t do without sugar in my coffee! Then I caved and had the bunn and fries with burger for lunch. However, the list is long of what I did not eat that usually do. Love keeping up with you and going to keep trying! I actually started on April 1 and have done better than ever before.
That’s a great start, Donna! π
My coffee was my biggest hurdle when I first started too. I used Splenda and heavy cream in my coffee. It took a few days (maybe a week) to get used to it, but now I can’t even stand sugar!
I am currently using Coffee-Mate Sugar Free Hazelnut Powdered Creamer. It’s 1 carb per TBSP and VERY creamy and delicious. π
Test some variations with your coffee to start. Once you get over that hurdle, you’ll be on a serious roll!
I, too am committed to exercise more with this challenge, along with eating low carb. We did however get too much snow yesterday and I decided not to walk due to the road conditions…wrong decision, maybe but never the less. I found a really good recipe for “bread pudding”….heavy cream, cottage cheese, sugar free syrup and cinnamon. Whip up and bake for an hour. I added some walnuts…it is a very good alternative to eggs every day. I have to find it again to see what the carb content is, from memory it is very low.
Make it a great day everyone!
OOps, there are 3 eggs in it too…
Breadless Pudding (Variation) – although a dessert, it has a french toast with syrup taste, try for breakfast! 2g Net Carbs per serving
That sounds fabulous, Jill – I’m definitely going to try it! Thanks π
Well I’ve finally joined a challenge. I’ve been following your blog for quite some time now and always want to join a challenge group but always sabotage it before I even start. I’ve been on a LCHF diet on and off for about 10 years. The very first time I started it I was dedicated and nothing could stop me and I lost 40 pounds in 2 months. Then I got pregnancy with my first son and now 3 little boys later I have yet to stick to it for longer than a few weeks. This time feels different though and I’m determined to do this. Reading your blog every day keeps me motivated because you keep things simple and that’s what I need. I’m also determined to exercise more. With 3 little ones, 2 of which are home everyday with me it gets hard finding time to exercise in between the chaos. But today is a new day!! Good luck everyone!
Starting weight: 238
Goal weight after 90 days: 200
I’m not going to weigh myself everyday because seeing the scale move up on days I ate on plan makes me want to destroy my scale in the most violent way. Lol. So I’ll be weighing in weekly and will share those results with the group.
I’m so glad you joined us, Justine! π I have weekly weigh-ins every Monday. You can find those threads in the Pinned Post at the top of the challenge group.
I understand how you feel about the scale fluctuations. They are actually common. Especially during weeks 2 and/or 3 – which is just your body adjusting after the initial weight loss that first week or so. It takes awhile to balance out, which frustrates most people. π
I am doing a lot of at-home exercises, so follow along because I will share those here too. I like workouts that take less time and have more impact – like the ab carver and the arm exercises that I linked to in the post, and also Focus 25: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/5601/focus-t25-workout/ That one’s my favorite!
Oh I completely understand the weight fluctuations. I’ll generally use that as one of my many excuses to say screw it. Lol.
When I do exercise I like to do Denise Austins walk at home dbds. It allows me to walk anywhere from 1 to 4 miles and it’s easy, fun and the time flies by. To get some strength training I use my 21 day Fix dvds (which is another diet I tried and failed miserably at).
You’re not alone, Justine – most people sabotage their progress by throwing in the towel during the “holds” and fluctuations. Silly but true! I think we’ve all been there. π
Correction: Leslie Sansone not Denise Austin.
I do so good all day but my bad habit of snacking at night is so had to break. We eat dinner around 4:00 pm and I am a late night person so by 9:00 I am looking for snacks. I know it is easy to say grab celery etc but that just doesn’t do the trick. Help with some ideas on how I can get through my evenings other than going to bed early.
Hi Marie,
What kind of snacks do you like? Sweet or savory, heavy or light? I am happy to help with suggestions! π My advice: have something handy, ready to eat. Make some meat & cheese rollups, those are great with green olives or pickles too. These homemade low carb bars are easy to make and sweet: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/8855/lchf-peanut-butter-pecan-bars/
Or if you want something filling, these low carb biscuits are great, and like the bars you can make up enough to get through the week: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4275/low-carb-biscuit-recipe/ π
Marie I feel your pain! I too am a late night snacker….after the kids and hubby go to bed and I have shows to catch up on i feel like a rabid animal on the hunt for something oh so bad for me. So…these are a few things I keep on hand so I don’t stray too far from my carb intake.
Sweet: SF jello, whipped cream, Atkins bars, Atkins shakes, cold coffee (to make iced coffee)
Salty: BBQ pork rinds, Celery w/ranch, boiled eggs, slim Jim beef and cheese stick (1 net carb per package), diet dr pepper cans, dill pickles, string cheese, colby jack block cheese cut unto 1oz portions, pepperoni
Hope this helps…good luck!
Since I’m already on track I didn’t have a hard time getting started. My SW fluctuates between 121 and 123. I need to be at 115 by April 23 for a jiu jitsu tournament so I have huge motivation to reach my goals. I stayed close to mbfood goals for the day and trained at jiu jitsu for 1 1/2 hours. The scale was down this morning but I know it’s water weight.
That’s a great motivation, Jennifer! π
Water weight is still weight. I am always grateful to lose it, as I feel more lean and less bloated and icky. π
I really want to do this right. I started off so good, but by dinner I was off track.
I had an emergency with my son and had to travel to get him to the doctors office. I have to learn how to still eat right when I travel. As long as I am home or at my office, I do good.
It’s road trips that kill me. My son loves to eat out when we travel. Ugh! I feel like I am starting today with the challenge. Thank you for sharing your ideas for lunch and dinner. I hadn’t thought of eating those items. I am looking forward to taking this journal with you.
Hi Robin,
I eat out all the time, including fast food. π If you tell me your favorite stops, or your most common fast food joints, I am happy to give you a list of low carb ideas!
We stop at McDonald’s a lot. Yesterday I got the grilled Chicken wrap and small fries. (knowing the fries were bad, bad, bad) That evening we stopped at Logan’s. I ate that fresh hot bread knowing it was the worst thing to do. I blamed it on the stress of traveling for 4 hours, but the reality was I really wanted to eat that right out of the oven bread. I need to stay focused. I really do want to be successful with this. Thanks!
McDonald’s – for breakfast I get the sausage egg mcmuffin and ditch the bread. I often order it “double egg, double sausage” if I’m hungry. Or just order – 2 sausage, 2 round egg if you can’t ditch the bread. π
After breakfast at McD’s – grilled chicken breast plain, any burger without the bun (and no ketchup).
Logan’s is easy, they have tons of meat & greens to choose from. π It’s a matter of deciding you want to lose weight and look & feel amazing MORE than you want junk food. π
I haven’t joined the Challenge I’m like most I would deliberately destroy what I”m doing….. I have been on cue with lchf for about two months now … Actually talked husband into it … Don’t ask how but I did…. He’s not losing anything a pound and gain a pound …. I have lost close to 18 pounds .. This morning I woke to a two pound loss yay me… But it was a big stall for weeks to get those two pounds …. So good luck everyone I’m in it… Just not engaging the plan to stay on my plan…
It can be a real mind trick sometimes, can’t it? π Some people NEED the active challenge, others do better without it! Either way, I’m glad you’re following along here and staying on track!
It’s common not to lose daily or even weekly. Your body goes through adjustment periods. Especially after the initial weigh loss. The key is to stick with it through that adjustment period (keep doing what’s obviously working for you!). *cheers*
I am committing to this challenge. I had lost 17 pounds last year and have almost gained it all back. I felt so much better when I weighed less so I’m ready for this new challenge!
Awesome, Tanya! π 17 pounds can make a BIG difference – I know that one all too well, lol. Kudos for taking action and taking the challenge!! *cheers*
I started along with you all. I’m very discouraged by my weight, the way my clothes fit (because they don’t) and the way I feel physically which affects all other parts of oneself. I’m starting at 5’8″ and 177. I’m a teacher and can do well during the week as I’m on a regular routine given my occupation. After school, the evenings and the weekends are real pitfalls for me. I’ve allowed some bad habits to develop and having a family who eats ice cream most evenings is rough. π Eager to get serious about this. Thanks for running this.
Libby
I get that, Libby. I struggle with discouragement – and with ice cream! – myself. π I have been eating sugar free chocolate pudding late at night when I might otherwise want the ice cream. A small cup of that totally fixes my craving. I also like Breyer’s Chocolate CarbSmart Ice Cream (you can usually find it at Walmart or Kroger). A serving is small, so I mix in pecans to make it a bigger bowl – and more filling. π
Yesterday wasn’t a good start for me food wise. Started off great by hitting a new low of 206. But then I had to rush out the door for appointments and realized I hadn’t had lunch. I knew I would be starving and low blood sugar blues if I didn’t eat something before I left. So I grabbed some granola bars my hubbys eats. Good grief it had 17 grams of carbs and only 1 of fiber. That blew my carbs for the day. Did better for dinner. Had bacon and eggs with grilled onions and a little cheese in the eggs. Oh yeah I always mix in some hwc in my eggs.
Now I am looking for something for breakfast. Time to go grocery shopping. Out of eggs. Think I will have yogurt and pecans.
Be sure to check that yogurt label, Kathy. Most are high in carbs/sugar. I think Kroger makes a low carb yogurt. I often eat pecans & cubes of cheese for a quick breakfast. Atkins makes a great Peanut Butter Granola Bar (3 net carbs).
Started the day really well
B- sausage and bacon
L- turkey and a salad oil and vinegar
Dinner -broiled fish and broccoli
Snack– nuts
Water and unsweetened tea..
Late night watching tv I grab a bowl of veggie sticks!! Immediately I’m annoyed with myself! Day 2 I plan to stick to the plan and be stronger!
Somehow I always sabotage myself
Hi Yolanda,
My advice: track what you ate, and keep on going. That’s what I do if I eat something off-plan: I track it anyway. Doing that consistently holds you more accountable to yourself. There’s something about SEEING it and the act of putting it in your food journal that really helps. π
I’m in the habit of logging my food BEFORE I eat it. Often that will make me think about what I’m doing, and back out. π
Thanks Lynn
Thanks for sharing all this good stuff Lynn! You always find some great easy low-carb things so I love reading your posts. For exercise, I challenge some serious walkers on the Fitbit device so that really helps…..I work from home and if I get tired or can’t focus, I’ll flip on this quick little 1 mile walk video to wake me up…not sure if you can, or if it will even post, but bottom line is there are some great free exercising apps out there in cyberland!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPv__oDWIVU&feature=youtu.be&list=PLe5P3ayTEj7bi528E-3gz-mm2l3td1ubl&utm_content=bufferd31eb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Great video, Joni! Thanks for the share. π I have quite a few I like as well, and often share those here in my posts if that’s my workout for the day.
Are you cutting down on dairy this day? I noticed you did not have your usual cottage cheese breakfast
I eat yogurt and cottage cheese daily but i need to jumpstart my weight loss again as it is going at snails pace.
Also i eat almonds every day
How many almonds can i consume for one serving. I usually do not measure them
I also munch on sunflower seeds when i am hungry
I do not do the low carb breads deserts or noodles. I am afraid to make things like that because these are the things that got me overweight to start with
My problem would be wanting to eat more than one serving of low carb deserts or even fat bombs. So i stay away from all that
As i am getting closer to my goal it gets harder to lose
I finally got under 200 after 2 years low carbing
Any suggestions?
I just wanted to let you know and i think you do know this already: the weight you gained from a one off meal is probably water weight. When we are on a very low carb woe, our cells release water but if we add mor carbs for evem one day our bodies hold on to the water again….plus you may be eating things too high in Sodium. It happened to me when i ate 2 turkey hot dogs one day.
Oh gosh no lol – I’m simply out of pecans & strawberries! π haha I usually eat my cottage cheese “cereal” daily, and lose weight just fine eating that.
Definitely measure your nuts. You want to track everything you eat to get proper macros. π Especially if you’re not losing, or losing slow! Nuts and yogurt would be the first things I would cut out if I wanted to lose faster. That and cheese and/or cream cheese.
Start tracking super close – that will make a HUGE difference. Make sure you’re getting at least 70% of your calories in healthy fats too. Eating too lean stalls me every time!
Water weight, yes – but it makes me feel bloated and icky. π
I love the cottage cheese breakfast. With strawberries and pecanst. It is my fave. But only Daisey brand cottage cheese. You were right about that. I tried an off brand. Ugh. Not the same. Thanks for the great meal ideas. π
Me too, it’s my favorite meal. π So filling! And yes, Daisy makes the BEST cottage cheese!
Lynn, How did you get the Net carbs macro on my fitness pal?? When and how much did you weigh when you started? You look good. After seeing your spanxs pictures I went out and bought them but left my new leather coat in the dressing room π ~ ((Just my Luck))
Oh no, Valerie! Did you call the store to see if they found it? Hopefully they did!
Here’s how I get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4448/myfitnesspal-hack/
I have lost close to 50 pounds, but I ended up having an emergency hysterectomy right in the middle of it all. π I will continue to eat low carb due to my chronic pain & inflammation issues, even when I reach my goal. You can see before & current pictures here: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/9378/my-weight-loss-journey/ along with my story (so far). π
Hi Lynn,
I’ve started back up yesterday with the diet. I’ve done good the last couple of days (including today, however, not over yet) lol…Thanks so much for the inspiration…
Start weight – 208.6 :/
OH AND SPEAKING OF INSPIRATION, (as you know, I’m a huge fan of your videos)…they have motivated me to start doing my own. I’m an Avon rep now and am doing the videos for products, reviews, and what not. I NEVER thought I’d be doing them, honest! Your videos and inspiration helped a great deal, as well as a couple of other people. My first 3-4 are far from perfect, but each one is getting better! π
Oh and hey, I (AM) making those biscuits Friday….I’ve said it before….but now it’s on my Friday list to get done! π Thanks so much! <3
That’s great, Tammy! I remember you said you didn’t really like spinach by itself. I do love it in the biscuits – or combined with other foods. π Here’s the low carb biscuit recipe for anyone else following along: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4275/low-carb-biscuit-recipe/
My first challenge! I started off strong. Yesterday, I had the following: Chipotle Salad. (Romaine Lettuce, Double Chicken, Mild and Medium Salsa, Guac) and then for dinner I had Italian Sausage, Spinach, and Alfredo Sauce, topped with parmasean. My snacks were Jicama Sticks, beef sticks (2). I found your site last month, so I’ve only been low carb high fat for 3 weeks? (lost 10lbs in those) But the reason I found it, was googling las vegas and and low carb, and your blog came right up. We are heading to Vegas on Thursday, just my husband and I. I know there will be beers, and bad food, as that is what we do in vegas. I hope I don’t take away everything I started…the biggest thing will be getting right back on Monday Morning. Looking at your website, and seeing all your ez meals made me think it would be possible with my busy schedule, etc. I have survived Easter, eating out with my family, etc. I don’t drink alcohol very much, maybe once a month…..but not usually a weekend trip like this. I am hoping this WOE will be able to help me. So far so good. I started at 231, yesterday I was 221…..would like to get to 150 evenutually!
Congrats on getting started and taking control of your health, JoAnn! π For beer, I like Michelob Ultra (2.6 carbs per 12oz bottle). There is a Bud Select too I think, but I don’t like the taste as much. For zero carb drinks: rum & diet coke is my favorite. π
You’ll feel best in Vegas if you stick to meat & greens and low/zero carb alcohol. One thing to keep in mind: alcohol hits you harder and faster when you’re in ketosis than it normally does – so drink slower (I sip) and drink less. π But continuing to make good low carb choices will mean less bloating, less feeling lethargic and icky, so you can ENJOY your trip!
Thank you for posting your daily menu I’m excited to learn more as I go. I’m 48yrs old on week 11, down 11.5lbs and feel like its just sooooo slow but I have lost 4″ in my waist. Wish the scale showed more results. I’m eating Turkey sausage instead of regular sausage for breakfast, I’m guessing its ok, I just add a mid morning snack to make up some calories.
Hi Cheryl,
How are you tracking? I ask to see if you are getting at least 70% of your calories in healthy fats. This is a good read on that: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/7006/macronutrients/ (It makes it simple.)
I lose much faster eating high fat – eating too lean stalls me every time! I also lose faster keeping my meals super simple, as few ingredients per plate as possible. See: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6064/3-ingredients-rule/ for examples. π
Hi everyone!
I am embracing this challenge! I need to lose a lot of weight and I know this is a sure fire way to do it! I have done low carb with success in the past, and I know I can do it again! I signed up for my fitness pal and already tracked for the day. I have had some issues with my legs recently and walking around at work is proving difficult so I am joining a local swim club and will start with water aerobics and maybe get into swimming laps. MAYBE. Good luck everyone.
Lynn,
I had surgery on both my feet for neuromas back in November. They are still not 100 percent, any suggestions on exercises I can do until they are healed?
My husband and I will do this!!
Lonna & Dayna,
I lost my weight initially (and so far) with no real exercise – just eating low carb. Definitely listen to your body, and let it heal. π If you can do arm exercises, that’s great. Toning is ideal. I wish I had started toning sooner!
I have been reviewing your site for the past week and joined yesterday for the challenge. Groceries bought yesterday and my meal plan for weeknight meals is done (husband cooks before I get home). I am so determined to make it through the 90 days just to feel better and gain some control!!!! I am excited to start!!!
Welcome Renelle π I’m so glad you joined us!
If you have any questions along the way, just let me know. Here are some updates from Week One of the challenge, with lots of helpful information for getting started: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/10165/low-carb-mini-challenge/ π *cheers*
Just starting today!!
Really looking forward to it. Thanks for such a fantastic site!
Welcome, Elena! π Here are the current challenge details: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/10148/spring-low-carb-challenge/ π