Ugh. Day 3 on a new low carb challenge is the pits! 😛 That’s when the Keto Flu always hits me. Screaming headache, leg cramps, irritability, etc. NOT fun!
On top of that, my abs AND arms were sore from my killer workout on the Ab Carver Pro, lol. Double Whammy!
I love that feeling though, because it means it’s working. 🙂
I have lost 3.6 pounds in the first 3 days of this challenge. Yay!
Yesterday was an odd day though, given I had the keto flu. I intentionally knocked myself out of ketosis before this challenge started on Monday (I had ONE off-plan meal Saturday night) because I like to kick off a new challenge on the same track with everyone else. (You’re welcome! lol)
I was miserable all day yesterday. I got up at 5am, worked a full day, and totally crashed by 5pm. 😛 I slept a solid six hours, which is my norm, which meant I woke up at 11pm last night ready for coffee. 🙂 lol.
Oh well! Fortunately I work from home so I can do that. 😉 The great thing though, is that I woke up weighing less! I’m down to 151 pounds today.
How to track meals when you’re off schedule? I have this rule that “it’s not tomorrow until I’ve slept.” Since I woke up at 11pm (after a full sleep) I decided it was officially “tomorrow” (today) for me, so I started a new food log. I didn’t actually eat until after midnight anyway. That makes sense, right?!
I guess some people go by the 24 hour clock, some people go by their own clock (day), depending on your work schedule and such. Whatever works!
Challenge Details | Day One | Day Two
Day 3: Wednesday’s Low Carb Meals
I woke up early (before sunrise) and did NOT feel like eating. That’s when you know ketosis is setting in, as it’s a natural appetite suppressant. I had coffee and got some work done, then finally grabbed breakfast when I went out for errands.
I stopped by McDonald’s on my way to my Reflexology appointment. I have no idea what she does to my feet exactly, but I love it. 🙂 Anyway, I ordered a double Sausage Egg McMuffin at McDonald’s (and just ditched the muffin).
I ate one sausage and one egg before my appointment, and had the other half an hour or so later – when I got home from my errands. While I was out I stopped by the grocery store for a few quick low carb staples:
That chicken broth is for my Keto Flu. 🙂
It’s my favorite (Campbell’s canned chicken broth), and it’s PERFECT for replacing the electrolytes and sodium lost during the diuretic process of going back into ketosis. Highly recommended if you’re feeling rough too. 😉
Since I finally had my favorite healthy low carb foods in the house after that trip to the store, I had my “low carb cereal” for the next meal – which ended up being my last meal of the day.
It’s 3/4 cup pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese, and 4 small (frozen/diced) strawberries. 6 net carbs and 88% healthy fats. It’s all “real food” and very filling!
I’ve gotten spoiled on frozen strawberries during the “off season”. I always got fresh berries before, but I find them SO easy to dice up while still slightly frozen – plus I like the icy crunch in my “cereal.” 🙂 And they never go bad before I can use them all! I just wish my local store carried frozen raspberries… Mmm!
My complete MyFitnessPal Diary for Wednesday:
Here’s how & what I track, and how I get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal.
Calories: 1244
Net Carbs: 12
Total Carbs: 22
Protein: 50 Grams
Macro Ratios: 84% Fat, 13% Protein
Exercise: None 😐
FitBit Steps: 1,715 😐
Water: 40 ounces
Starting Weight: 154.6
Current Weight: 151 pounds
Weight Loss (so far): 3.6 pounds
That’s a current picture of me, taken Tuesday night. I love that American Eagle dress (especially the blue color), but it was WAY too short for me -lol. Fortunately I had a pair of matching AE leggings. Not a figure-flattering outfit, but definitely comfortable. 🙂
The lack of exercise yesterday was sad. 😛 lol. I felt like H*LL though, and slept all evening too.
That’s okay. I probably needed a day of muscle recovery after that killer ab workout the day before. Today I am going to do my Focus T25 Fast Track workout. I love the “fat girls can do it too” review on Amazon, lol. That workout is only 25 minutes, so it’s easy to fit in – but it definitely kicks my butt!! 🙂
I just had my usual “low carb cereal” (same as above) to kick off my Thursday, and for lunch (which will happen before daylight, lol) I’m going to have my leftovers from O’Charley’s. It was cedar plank salmon, baby green beans & loaded broccoli.
I was only able to eat about half that for dinner Tuesday night. They give you HUGE amounts of food at restaurants! 😛
It will be interesting to see how today’s food diary plays out, given I started at midnight (lol). I expect my carbs & calories to be much higher as I get back on my usual schedule, but I aim to still try to get as close to my daily macro goals as I can.
I was really excited to wake up at 151 pounds this morning! I’m SO close to being back under 150. 🙂 I have no idea what my goal weight is, by the way. My current goal is to lose fat, and gain muscle mass – meaning: get in AMAZING shape.
It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out in numbers on the scale. I’m using a full body composition scale to track muscle gain, fat loss, bone density, etc. It gives you a much better overview of your progress if you’re also working out, with the goal to tone & gain muscle.
How did you do on Day Three?
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. 😉
deb gudgeon says
Lynne,
I notice you don’t count what you fry your eggs in? Butter? Just wondering since that would add fat to your totals?
Lynn Terry says
Hi Deb,
Those eggs came from McDonald’s. π I fry my eggs in the same pan I cook sausage in, so I don’t add anything to them (butter, etc). My fat is high enough at 84% of my total calories. π
I think it’s counted in the “fried eggs” entry anyway, because two eggs is only 10 grams of fat, and that one says 14.
Tammy says
Hi I think you look awesome in that blue dress with those leggings they look great together and those shoes nice. Anyway it is also my day 3 and I haven’t lost a single pound I feel a little sad but I’m going to keep going. I’ve been suffering from a very serious sinus cold for the last two and a half weeks. And I think that being sick somehow strangely has encouraged me to get on the keto train . So here I am still eating soup and frying hamburger and throwing it in the soup along with some eggs and cayenne pepper garlic onion powder not too much cuz I know it adds to the carbs and ginger powder and salt and pepper is quite good oh and I think I had some broccoli and they’re awesome. I’m enjoying your blog it’s interesting I also have a wheel just a cheap one I think I found it at the dollar store the dollar store but the second hand store like the Salvation Army. Anyway it’s a little black thing one wheel with two spokes coming out the sides with handles and it works great and yes I have a good tip Terry would be to hook your feet underneath your couch so you can still go down far however having something in front of you is a very good idea there’s a guy that I subscribe to on YouTube his name is Adrian Bryant and he has a website called now loss.com he is an advocate of short quick workouts kind of a lot of cardio which I don’t particularly like but he does have ones that aren’t cardio that are weight lifting and maneuvering in such a way that build your muscle and strength in the muscle to create a smaller shapely muscle. I hope all this came out good because I’m using the text and talk instead of typing …it is just too much. Well thank you once again. Have a great day T.
Lynn Terry says
Thank you, Tammy. π The fact that you’re sick is probably stalling your weight loss. I went through that recently too. I wrote about it here: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/9912/mysterious-weight-gain/ and other potential reasons you’re not losing, or seeing fluctuations on the scale.
I’m all for the core strengthening & toning exercises!
Kathy Buttercup says
I am so excited! I weighed this morning and I am down 3.2 lbs since starting the challenge on Monday. Thanks for the motivation and kick in the behind Lynn!
Jennifer says
Awesome results!!!! Keep it up!!!
Lynn Terry says
Way to go, Kathy!! π I’m so glad you joined in!!
For those that missed it, Kathy and I met recently (in person!) and enjoyed a FUN low carb lunch together: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/10098/low-carb-conversation/ π
Justine says
Yesterday went well for me. No off plan meals or snacking yay! I kept my meals pretty simple and logged all of my food in the morning. I had a total of 7 net carbs for the day and of course the headaches have started but I’m pushing through.
B: 2 fried eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, BPC
L: original pork rinds, Celery sticks w/ranch (I was at the drs w/the little one so I brought some food from home)
D: leftover chicken cordon bleu, 2 baby dill pickles
S: homemade iced coffee (coffee,HWC, 1 splenda, SF davinci caramel syrup)
80 Oz of water
Lynn Terry says
Nice job, Justine! I love that you share your meals too. It gives me ideas to try. π I *love* iced coffee!!
Justine says
Thanks Lynn! I love seeing your meals so I figured I’d share mine as well. Plus I’m a visual learner so pictures always help. Lol.
And yes I love iced coffee too!! Actually Starbucks is my bff and she gets a little pricey sometimes so I learned to make them at home. But….a starbucks sf cinnamon dolce iced coffee with Hwc is still treat I like to enjoy here and there
Brenda says
Lost 3.6 since Monday
Lynn Terry says
Awesome, Brenda! π Let’s keep this train rolling!! *cheers*
Jennifer says
I’m starting over today… Wednesday night is date night, and I was going to push to stay home and cook something healthy, but our cousins and my husband wanted to try out a new restaurant, so that’s what we did… I try to allow myself a couple indulgences on date night, so even though my main course was fine (burger w/ no bun), I had to eat those really yummy french fries – I know they’re high in carbs, but still no grains – which is my biggest rule I try to follow even when I’m cheating. Then they just had to order this amazing Butterscotch Bourbon Pudding… OMG!!! So I had two spoons only and it was absolutely delicious. But I’m starting back up with a bulletproof fast. Bulletproof coffee all day until this afternoon – then I will stick to a VLC diet for the day. I am training in jiu-jitsu tonight as well, so it should be a good recovery from my cheat meal last night. I have a splitting headache this morning….. lol
Also, I tried to respond to your last comment on yesterday’s thread. I do my best to find the lowest sugar marinara I can, but the lowest is $10 for a jar and thats more than I’m willing to spend. Either way, I calculate the total into my food for the day, and I try to use less than the prescribed serving size. As far as everything else, I use the barcode scanner in MFP to log my food π
I’m going to limit my dairy a lot – only cream in my coffee for a few days, skipping the cheeses for a bit.
Lynn Terry says
They HWC (heavy cream) always logs as zero carb, and most labels say zero carb because it’s less than 1 carb per serving. Is yours logging in as zero? It’s actually 7 carbs per cup, or 1 carb for 2 tablespoons.
Jennifer says
Yes, it’s logging as 2 carbs for 1/4 cup. But I’ll make sure to keep an eye on it. The label reads <1 carb per serving, which is 1 TBS.
Lynn Terry says
There are 16 tablespoons in a cup. That makes 1/4 cup 4 tablespoons, so that is accurate! π
Most people log HWC as zero carbs, but you’re doing it correctly. π
Kathy Williams says
Not a good start for this challenge. I had appointment with Pain clinic yesterday so that always throws me off. I am getting my back taken care of so I can move around again. No more couch potato for me (potatoes aren’t on the plan – lol)
Two bad days and I gained back 4 lbs. Today was 210, from 206. So I plan today to be super low carbs.
Lynn Terry says
Just jump right back in, Kathy. π I gain super fast too. I wish I could lose weight as fast as I gain, lol.
By the way, eating 20 net carbs max and at least 70% of your calories in healthy fats, helps A LOT with pain. I was in chronic pain before I went low carb. Now I’m back on a water ski and adventurous hikes!! See: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/9378/my-weight-loss-journey/ π
Bonnie whitworth says
Still on my maintenance program. To I have no idea how to do it other than hold the weight. 135-134 etc. I am now on the San Diego bay enjoying the beach living and still walking everyday but down to about 4+ miles a day from 7+ miles a day having some left knee issues. Looks like a little water on the knee and does not do to well on stairs. But I still walk!
Jennifer says
Hi Bonnie – Lucky you! I live in Ramona in the SD Country Estates! SD weather is so conducive to healthy living!!!
Lynn Terry says
Are you wanting to lose more weight, Bonnie – or just maintain?
Bonnie whitworth says
think I might want to stop at 130. Thought I would see what still comes off. Think it will stop when I am where I should be. I like you naturally lose slow. But it is hard for me to stay all that strict since I have been traveling since Dec 21st. We are snow birds. So we will be home in May (Portland Oregon). Contrary to you I love to exercise weights and walking. Bands and treadmill at home as it helps with arthritis pain. So I guess yes. I want a safety cushion at 130. And then stabilize it like I did when I was 150. (I did that for a year until I went no sugar no flour no bread etc. ). And then another 15 lbs. if I didn’t like wine. It would come off easier. But I am Italian ha ha!
Jill Anderson says
stayed the same since Monday!
Lynn Terry says
Hi Jill,
Some people don’t see the scales move for up to a week. If you’re tracking close, and staying within the macro limits, just keep at it and see how it goes over the next week. π
Terry says
Thank you for posting. Very inspirationa .
Lynn Terry says
Thank you, Terry. π I really enjoy having such a FUN community to eat with and lose weight with!! *cheers*
Elizabeth Muehlbach says
I’m not weighing until Monday morning or else I’ll get discouraged if I haven’t lost or if I’ve gained. The last couple of days have been difficult to follow strict LCHF because of my stomach/bowel issues. Bananas have tasted the best and are so high in carbs. I’m not eating much but what feels good in my belly is NOT LCHF friendly. One day at a time.
It does help to know I’m accountable to this group though. As soon as I feel better I can get back on.
Lynn Terry says
Why are you feeling bad, Elizabeth – are you sick?
And yes, don’t weigh, especially while eating fruit/carbs. π Still track everything you eat though. It helps to get in the habit of tracking, for Mindful Eating. It will also help you see culprits – what may be causing your tummy issues, stalling your weight loss, etc.
denise says
Thank you for this forum and support system. So many people like to try and talk you out of low-carbing it. I am down 3 lbs since starting on the challenge and full-on headache, but I will take it. Not fitting into my clothes also give me a headache ;). I lost 25 lbs doing low carb last summer and fall and ate pretty much what ever I wanted from December -March. Mysteriously, I only gained back about 5 lbs? Who knew. Anyway, back on it to lose the rest of the wait 25-30. Other than the headache, feeling much better and much more in control.
Lynn Terry says
Welcome back, and KUDOS for taking control of your health! π I know all too well how UNsupportive some people can be about the low carb diet. See this post: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4943/when-people-dont-support-your-low-carb-diet/ π
Michelle says
Total keto flu today. Mother nature rushed in yesterday so I slept awful last night. Then a 2.5mile run today. I could barely keep my eyes open by 1pm. 2 hour nap and feel a little better. Glad to have this happen because I know it’s working! Looking forward to weigh after this week. π
Lynn Terry says
That is always a good sign, yes. π Kudos on the run! Especially when feeling rough. You should feel tons better, and have much less appetite, now that you’re over the hump. π
Michael Trinchitella says
This is really good stuff, electrolytes can really fix many issues related to how you feel on a keto diet. I liberally salt all my foods, I drink warm broth from bouillon cubes. Have you ever used any of the quick packaged products on Amazon etc when in a bind?
Lynn Terry says
I wouldn’t say I ever find myself “in a bind” but lately I have been enjoying keto broth: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/ketobroth and also the keto shakes: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/ketoshake as far as packaged ready-to-go meal replacements and good sources of collagen, coconut oil, and all the good stuff – without any junk. π
Felicia Gentile says
Hi Lynn!
Iβm currently on Day 3 Keto Iβm pretty sure I lost a few pounds, but I donβt feel any lighter or any different yet. Iβm starting to think Iβm consuming to my caolories per day. Is it ok to skip dinner? How many avocados should I eat in a day?
Looking forward to chatting! Xo
Lynn Terry says
Hi Felicia,
I don’t skip meals, and you should never go hungry on a ketogenic low carb diet. π It’s a natural appetite suppressant and also a natural diuretic. So you’ll find you’re less hungry – but you should still eat when you’re hungry, never deprive yourself.
It takes me at least three days to get into ketosis, some people say it takes longer for them, but after that is when you’ll see and feel results.
As for how many avocados you should eat in a day, I might eat maybe half of one – but not every day. You really just want to keep it simple and enjoy foods you like with plenty of variety to your low carb foods/meals.
Just watch: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum – keep it THAT simple. You don’t need to watch calories when you’re first starting out because it’s not a calorie deficit diet, but rather a diet based in the science of food combining.
Which is why the macros are important. π See: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/7006/macronutrients/ for a simple explanation & illustration on that.