My mystery pound came back off, which brings me back to 151 pounds โ and 3.6 pounds lost so far in the first 6 days of this low carb challenge. ๐
Iโll share my Day 6 meals with you belowโฆ along with a food confession. ๐
I got a solid walk in yesterday too, which felt great! Slim and I have a serious pace when we walk. Weโve been known to pass joggers (lol).
My muscles are really feeling all the exercise this week. Especially my butt, thighs and calves. So today Iโm going to focus on upper body and give those a break.
On with the photo tour of my meals!
Challenge Details | Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Day Five
Day 6: Saturdayโs Low Carb Meals
I started the day by making my usual (favorite!) low carb breakfast. I only use Daisy brand cottage cheese because it has the best flavor AND it only has 3 (real food) ingredients. Every other brand I looked at on the shelf had a whole paragraph of ingredients I didnโt recognize. ๐
I also use an Ozeri Kitchen Scale to weigh & measure my food portions. Itโs small, inexpensive, and super convenient for proper tracking! The blueberries I added to my breakfast yesterday were tricky. They required math (ack! lol). A serving size is a cup, and I had .35 ounces (less than half an ounce) โ but you can see how I added that to my food diary below. I added it as โ.05 of one servingโ (as close as I could get).
My breakfast was 3/4 cup pecans, 1/3 cup cottage cheese, 4 small strawberries & .35 ounces blueberries. That came out to 8 net carbs and 85% healthy fats.
I stir it all together and itโs a crunchy sweet mix that reminds me of cereal. ๐ Delicious!! If you havenโt tried this yet, you definitely should!
I had a quick low carb snack before Slim and I headed out for our afternoon walk. Just 1.5 ounces of turkey rolled up with a slice of Colby Jack cheese.
I got a healthy low carb dinner from Applebeeโs Carside-to-Go last night (take-out). It was grilled salmon, sautรฉed spinach & mushrooms. Mmm!
I special ordered that meal. Hereโs how I called it in: โjust plain grilled salmon, mushrooms & spinach for the two sides please.โ
I struggled yesterday.
I could have easily caved the entire day. I settled on ONE splurge, and it was fried green vegetable ๐ lol. I had a small order (appetizer size) of green bean crispers from Applebeeโs too. They are 28 net carbs. That was me making the smartest of bad choices.
This is tough for me to confess. Here I am leading the low carb challenge, and trying to help you all make GOOD choices through the first weekend of the challenge, and I caved and ate an off-plan food that didnโt fit within my macros.
I suppose I could have omitted it from this diary, but that didnโt seem fair.
Iโm sure Iโm not the only one that has had a weak moment this week. Thatโs life. This is why itโs called a โchallengeโ โ because it IS challenging. Weโre going to screw up sometimes. The key is not to screw up TOO bad, and to stay on track otherwise. Thatโs not permission (for you OR for me), itโs just reality.
No I donโt think that was the reason I was down a pound this morning. I still went to bed hungry. ๐ Honestly, I think I would have seen a nicer loss on the scales if I had stuck to my challenge macros. ๐
Hereโs My MyFitnessPal Diary for Saturday:
Hereโs how & what I track, and how I get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal.
Calories: 1834
Net Carbs: 48
Total Carbs: 65
Protein: 74 Grams
Macro Ratios: 73% Fat, 16% Protein
Exercise: Brisk 2-Mile Walk
FitBit Steps: 5,797
Water: 32 ounces
Starting Weight: 154.6
Current Weight: 151 pounds
Weight Loss (so far): 3.6 pounds
I was still below 50 net carbs for the day, which is โlow carbโ by most standards. I regret my one bad food choice, but Iโm not going to dwell on it. Guilt leads to feeling like a failure, which leads to discouragement, which leads to emotional eating. I ate fried green beans (at least it was a vegetable, lol).
Log it, live with it, keep on trucking <- that's what I always say. And YES, you should log off-plan foods. You should log everything you eat. It gets you in the habit of Mindful Eating (vs mindless eating), which is the key to taking control of your health.
Hereโs a photo of Slim and I on our walk yesterday, and a photo of what he looks like after our walks. ๐ lol. Poor guy! Great Danes have limited energy, and theyโre good for maybe ONE mile tops. I have to encourage him the rest of the way. This picture made me realize I may be pushing him too hard โ especially for his age (7).
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Iโm cringing as I hit publish to share this with you. I hope I didnโt let you down too terribly bad. I am not perfect. None of us are. Thatโs not an excuse, though. I feel like Iโve had a successful week regardless of that one bad choice, with many smart choices otherwise โ and A LOT of exercise this week!
Onward and upward โ er, downward on the scale. ๐
How did you do on Day Six?
Leave a comment below, and letโs 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 youโll never miss great (easy!) low carb meal ideas. ๐
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Hi Lynn! I will not weigh myself until tomorrow morning but I did stay under my carb intake this week until I visited my good friends home and she offered me banana puddingโฆ. So you are not alone. Youโre human like the rest of us. Iโm uneasy about weigh in tomorrow but no matter what I will press on. I still ate goodโ actually great this week until the โcaveโ
I could have caved every day but I didnโt โIโm proud of that!
You and the 90-day challenge have kept me motivated! So No โyou have not let me down at all!
Iโm glad. ๐ Iโm proud of my week as well, and THAT feels good! It really helps to focus on the positive and stay focused on the goal. ๐ *cheers*
I agree Lynn. I have tried lo-carb before and usually by day 5 Iโm done. My stomach hurts and I shove down a bagel as fast as I can, then my stomach really hurts. You have kept me motivated. Iโm hanginโ in there.
That โday fiveโ is probably keto flu, lol. Itโs when most people cave, just to feel better โ which means you have to start all over and go through it again. ๐ Kudos for powering through it, JS! *cheers*
I have lived by this since I started my weight loss journey in 2009:
โOne bad meal does not blow a day, one bad day does not blow a week and one bad week does not mean give up!โ
Iโm human. Iโm not a sweet lover but I occasionally (every 1 or 2 months) cave to bread or tortilla chips at a restaurant. I also have about 3 intentional/planned brownies a year. *gasp* I know!!
I think we are doing GREAT with living this LCHF lifestyle! Every NEW day is a NEW start and my goal this last 6 years is to string a bunch or days or weeks together and keep on keeping on! Always tweaking.
I also cook more than you, Lynn and I admire your ability to find GOOD food in restaurants. Iโve learned a lot from you. On the weekends I cook up 2 proteins and some veggies or spinach for salads, and generally mix those up through out the week. Iโm a rut eater. ๐ Almost ALWAYS bacon and an egg or 2 for breakfast. That saidโฆ Iโm hungry so I guess Iโll stop rambling and go make breakfast!
lol โ Enjoy your breakfast, Karen! ๐ I agree with you, and those are good words to live by. We have to be careful with those words too, though. One bad meal can become a whole bad day and before you know it youโve been off track for months. Itโs a slippery slope. ๐ But I agree โ power on!! *cheers*
Oh thatโs TRUE! Especially when the emotions and stress overwhelm usโฆ then I say to myself over and overโฆ โPull up! Pull up! Pull up!โ LOL
I talk to myself a lot. ๐
lol so do I! ๐ haha
Hi Lynn,
Give yourself a break, at least you didnโt have fried Oreos. Fried green beans sounds like HEALTHY food to me ๐
And itโs a lot healthier than the Cheetos I will be eating later today because I am pmsโing so bad. They actually jumped right off the shelf and into my grocery cart! Hey if Iโm going to cheat, I may as well ENJOY it right? ๐
That is exactly what I say to myself when I make an intentional off-plan food choice. ๐ Just be sure to log it in your food diary. I find it helps a lot to get in the habit of doing that. And no matter what youโre eatingโฆ Mindful Eating is so much better than mindless eating!
Down 2 lbs since we started! My downfall is peanut butter. The difference now is that I measure out tablespoons instead of eating it mindlessly. But Iโve been exercising like crazy. (3 to 4 miles on the treadmill and using weights) Net carbs yesterday were 31. Thank you for this challenge Lynn. Itโs hard to do this alone.
I agree, Maribeth โ Iโm so glad we all have each other. ๐
Kudos for measuring and tracking, and for exercising!! Youโre doing great. ๐ *cheers*
My splurge yesterday was a glass of champagne and a glass of chardonnay. I justified it by telling myself a 2.5 mile run cancelled it out. Ha! I linked my fitbit alta with my fitness pal and like how it helps add and subtract calories for the day based on activities. Itโs the wrong time of the month for a weigh in so Iโm aiming for next Monday to see how it has gone.
I have mine synced too. ๐ That said, you canโt burn off carbs the way you can calories โ and calories donโt count on a low carb diet. Just keep that in mind.
Also alcohol takes longer to metabolize than food, so itโs good youโre not weighing in until next Monday, as โthe alcohol stallโ can last a few days. ๐
I have my FitBit synced too.
The In-Laws are taking over my husband and son so I never have time with them any more. Got really bad last nightโฆ Iโm an emotional eater and when I get stressed or depressed I tend to eat. Ate 2/3rds of a serving of Lilyโs dark chocolate with sea saltโฆ at least it was sugar free. We all have our triggers I guess, lately more and more often mine appears to be my husbandโs extended family.
Thatโs tough, Kris. Did you read my next post on that topic?? Itโs here if you havenโt seen it yet: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/10307/stress-depression-dieting/ From one emotional eater to anotherโฆ ๐ *cheers*
Iโve been doing really well so far, Iโve stuck to under 20 grams which has been hard sometimes! I tried Hardeeโs low carb thick burger last night and it was yummy โ thanks for the tip Lynn. Iโm down 5# and am hoping my stomach upset goes away soon so I can start enjoying this!!
Youโre doing great, Michele! ๐ I do love the Hardeeโs low carb thickburger. I like to order a double sometimes and then chop it all up into a big โhamburger salad.โ I think Iโll do that today, actuallyโฆ
So far pretty good have kept it under 20 except for yesterday but it wasnโt to bad I did 31 net carbs I was upset at 1st but after reading this I feel better and today is a new day. Thank you โบ
Thatโs not bad at all, Jacqueline. ๐ I think being upset over it is worse than any food we can eat. We have to keep our head in the right place (hold it high!) and move forward with the goal in mind. You did fine! *cheers*
I used ALL my carbs this morning on strawberries, so will have nothing but no-carb foods for dinner today. Probably shrimp only for dinner.
Hi Brenda,
How many strawberries did you eat? It would take A LOT to make 20 net carbs! ๐
Lynn, congratulations, while you are super, you are still human. We all fall off a little and it is good that you shared yours. Personally, I know that when I do (and I surely will), Iโll remind myself that no one is perfect. Thank you for your honesty!!!!
Thank you, Mary. ๐ Iโm pleased that it didnโt derail me, and that Iโm still on track. I think itโs important to accept, forgive, and look forward.
Iโm working more and more on why I make these choices sometimes. I know the closer I get to my goal weight the more I tend to self sabotage. Itโs definitely a mindset issue. ๐
Good Afternoon, I ate alittle over 2000 calories today but stayed at 22 net carbs (5%) a 74% fatโฆDid I mess up that bad ???? ๐
Not at all, Valerie. ๐ Fortunately you donโt have to count calories as long as youโre eating that low carb / high fat. Thereโs a science to the way LCHF works, so traditional calorie counting & such doesnโt apply. You did fine!
Wellโฆas dreadful as the weekend is because of the temptation to cheat cheat cheat I didnโt do too bad yesterday. I only had a cheat with a few ff from fives guys while out with my hubby and kids. I maybe had a handful and I savored every single one of them but did not beat myself up about it which would usually cause me to continue the cheat treat to a treat week. So yay for that! I had a total of 21 net carbs which is a lot higher than I have been eating but oh wellโฆitโs better than 121 net carbs.
B:BPC ,2 eggs scrambled w/1oz colby jack cheese
L: 2 ham and cheese roll ups dipped in mustard
D: five guys bacon cheeseburger w/mustard and pickle only, handful of fries
S: diet dr pepper, slim jim
Way to go, Justine! I would call that a WIN. ๐
Hi
Being a newbieโฆwatcher at this stage i found this post totally refreshing. I am a manager and one if my sayings to staff isโฆโฆ. im glad you stuffed up it means i can too as im human. I know its not giving us license to eat incorrectly. ..it removes the guilt from doing so. Guilt leads to contemptโฆโฆ thank you for being honest and allowing to do so
Well put, Jessie. I agree โ guilt is a horrible feeling, and just as bad for you as junk food in my opinion. :p *cheers*
I have been eating the cottage cheese โ cereal โ I love it !!!!!!! Iโve been reading your posts. Very well put together. Havenโt gotten it altogether to start yet. I have done Pierre Dukan lo-carb in the past. It worked but hard to stay on. No fat or fruit. Thanks so much. Will start soon. . One more thing. I am addicted to flavored creamers. ๐ I see you use coffeemate hazelnut. Is it sweet? Trying to stay away from sweeteners. Thanks again.
Iโm glad, Teresa โ itโs my favorite low carb meal. ๐
I love the sugar free hazelnut powdered coffee creamer by Coffee-Mate. Itโs deliciously sweet & creamy! If you want to stay away from sweeteners, just use HWC (heavy whipping cream). But if you need to transition first (which is totally fine!) use the sugar free hazelnut mixed half with the HWC. ๐
I am on spring break, so it has been particularly hard because I am in vacation mode. I have had 20 net carbs every other day and have been off the plan the other days. That has made me gain and lose the same 3 lbs this whole week. The only thing Iโve had going for me is I have exercised for 60 minutes every day of the break. Looking forward to being back n my regular schedule starting tomorrow. Love your website and all your advice!
Thank you, Kate! ๐ I hope youโve had a wonderful spring break this week. Hereโs to getting those pounds off and getting on a great roll this week! ๐ *cheers*