My scales may not be moving 🙄 but my feet sure are! I’ve been very active this week, and I have to admit… the tense and tender muscles feel GREAT.
I’m up early this morning to get in another fun outdoor adventure before I work, too. 🙂
I love this time of year! It’s so nice to get out walking or hiking, and soon kayaking and skiing. I much prefer outdoor FUN and an active lifestyle to the gym.
I didn’t eat much yesterday, but that’s just because it was a super busy day. I was on the go a lot…
Here is my Low Carb Food Diary for Day 17 of the “Get Lean For Summer!” 90 Day Low Carb Challenge. It’s not too late to join us if you haven’t already. 🙂
Day 17: Wednesday’s Low Carb Meals
I had two appointments in the morning yesterday, and I wasn’t hungry early – so I didn’t grab breakfast until 10:30am (between appointments).
I stopped at McDonald’s and got a Sausage Egg Mcmuffin (make it a double!) – and just ditched the muffin. (zero carbs)
I ate one sausage & egg then, and the other half around 12:30. I still don’t have much of an appetite, but that was enough to get me through breakfast & lunch.
In the evening I was home catching up on some work, so I made my favorite “low carb cereal” – because it’s easy. 🙂
This time it was 1/2 cup pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese, and almost 1/4 cup of raspberries. Delicious!! (6 net carbs and 85% healthy fats)
I snacked on an ounce of cheese closer to bedtime, just for a little something to eat. I probably could have eaten more, but I was SO tired – and just went to bed early. 🙂
That’s my Ozeri Kitchen Scale, which I LOVE. It’s small, inexpensive, and perfect for getting correct portions and macros.
Here’s My MyFitnessPal Diary for Wednesday:
Calories: 1160
Net Carbs: 13
Total Carbs: 21
Protein: 54 Grams
81% Fat, 15% Protein
Exercise: Dancing / Brisk Walk
FitBit Steps: 9,423
Water: 40 ounces
Starting Weight: 154.6
Current Weight: 150.4 pounds
Weight Loss (so far): 4.2 pounds
Macronutrients: How & What I Track
How I Get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal
I got in a good walk yesterday, and also did a “dancing workout” earlier that morning for core/abs. I said I would get a current picture for you, but I didn’t manage to get a full body pic. I did take this one though, after my walk while cooling off under the bridge down by the river for a bit. 🙂
Those are MY legs. A little grass and dirt too, lol – but those are MY lean legs! And size 10 shorts, with a little room in them. 🙂 It still feels really odd to see myself look so different. My plump upper thighs are really thinning out…
I do feel like I need to eat more. I had to make myself eat the sausage & eggs yesterday, and it took me two “meals” to finish those. I feel hungry, but NOTHING appeals – which is very odd, because I LOVE food (lol).
Coffee is good, water is good, snacking on nuts and cheese and berries is nice, but nothing else even sounds or tastes good the last few days for some reason. I tend to just “listen to my body” and go with that, but I do want to try to get some green veggies in over the next few days.
Maybe I should bump up my carbs & calories for a few days. Maybe I should keep going with how I feel, and keep eating lower calorie. Maybe I should just ignore it all and keep exercising and enjoying my days without worrying about it. 🙂 My scales WILL move eventually!
How is your week going so far??
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. 😉
Hello there,
I have only started on the challenge on 14 April 2016 and I cannot believe it, I have already lost 7 lbs.!!!! I have never been hungry once, I have never had a craving, I have enjoyed every single meal!!! This is purely a miracle since I have gone through lots of diets, lots of struggling on the way, never Feeling satisfied, lots of cravings…. what is worse, feeling left out when being at a bbq. Now I just wrap my burger in lettuce, use the mayo I like and mustard,and…..enjoy like never before on a diet.
When I found this challenge on the net, I thought, what the heck, give it a try….I was desperate. Diabetes runs in my Family for every female above 50. I am nearing this age and I am overweight. Needless to say, I don’t want to join this Group, though I love my Family.
What is best of all….my husband is doing this right along with me. He has cholesterol Problems, is NOT overweight, but the medicin he is on is slowly but surely destroying his liver. So when I read all the benefits for me, obviously I ran accross all the benefits for him. When I told him, he immediately agreed to join me in this Adventure. He is the cook in our home, so we’ve been having some great meals Low Carb and I am the baker. So even for our daily Coffee brake, we’ve been having lovely low carb mug cakes.
Every day we’ve been out Walking or bikeriding after work, this we’ve been doing for a Long time, but now….we really want to!!! Our energy Level is high, our mood is bright. Wow!!! what a Change!!! Thank you for putting this challenge on – you might have just saved two lives.
God bless you richly!
That’s SO great, Linsey! And how nice that you and your husband are taking on this health venture together. π Kudos for the weight loss so far, and for finding a healthy lifestyle you ENJOY!
Your note made my day. π
Ketosis is a wonderful thing and would explain the lack of appetite. I rarely loses my appetite no matter what I do because I’m post menopausal. I wish!!! When I exercise it makes me even MORE hungry! I’m envious of your weight loss and your lack of wanting food LOL!!! You are really doing awesome. Your meals look delish too.
lol Debra! Thank you. π This level of appetite loss is rare even for me. I think it’s just because I’ve been busy and distracted this week, focused on other things – and very one track minded, lol.
Lynne, You’re doing great and adding light exercise is so great for mood, motivation and some calorie burn. I *personally* feel it is somewhat crazy to eat more than your body wants..you are just teaching your body to adjust calorie levels upwards. You might want to go and read the free e-book “Appetite Correction” by Dr. Bert Herring (you can find this at the fast-5 website or I think Dr. Bert Herring.com, in any case not hard to find) He has a great podcast with Jimmy Moore posted right now.
I have been working on this program for a while and it absolutely works. If someone had told me I could fast for 16 hours a day and not be too hungry before 2 or 3 PM, I would have laughed them off the planet. There is absolutely zero scientific evidence for ‘metabolic slowdown’ over the short term, esp. in already overweight individuals. Yes, people’s metabolisms will slow down slightly as they lose weight, but the rationale for ‘upping one’s calories and fat’ on a ketogenic diet seems to be wishful urban mythology vs. hard evidence based science.
In any case, you are looking fabulous and keep up the good work. I like your ideas for meals-on-the-run. My on the road go to is Hardee’s thickburger on a lettuce bun, or Subway sub-in-a-tub, but you’ve given me some more ideas. π Deb
Thank you, Deb! I agree that the exercise is really improving how I FEEL, in so many ways! I did a more adventurous hike today… which I’m sure I’ll feel in my thighs tomorrow, lol. It felt SO great!!
I agree too on “listen to your body” and “eat when you’re hungry”. Your body will tell you what it needs. I am going with that for now. I just skipped cooking sausage and eggs for dinner, in favor of nuts & berries… because the idea of meat or hot food just does NOT appeal at the moment. Going with the flow. π
Well…..it happened. I screwed up, and royally too. π
My day started off great for breakfast I had my bpc (yummy and so filling), and for lunch I had 2 fried eggs w/2 pieces of bacon and 1oz cheddar cheese off the block. Total net carbs for both meals Was 4 carbs. Good right? Well then me and my family went to dinner (golden corral) for moms birthday and that’s were I screwed up. I walked in there expecting to only eat meat, beggies, and any other low carb foods I could find. What I ended up eating was grilled chicken, bacon, green beans, a small amount of mac n cheese and sweet potato casserole (about 1 tbl of each), 2 rolls, and a spoonful of banana pudding. Ugh I felt like crap for one and two I spent the rest of the night pissed at myself for giving in. But….I did not continue to cheat throughout the night (which is a huge success for me). I really hope that one meal isn’t going to affect my 10 pound loss that much.
Today I’m going right back to my usual menu and keeping it simple and as low carb high fat as possible.
Don’t sweat it, Justine. ONE meal, or a few bites even, of higher carb foods usually doesn’t throw me out of ketosis. Worst case scenario your body will have to go back into ketosis this week.
But you did GREAT – it was a few bites, not an all out binge. Every time we do that, we strengthen our resolve. We realize, note how it feels (mentally AND physically) and it makes it easier to say NO next time. Easier every time.
The key is to just accept, forgive, forget it and move forward. π Food Guilt sucks, and sucks you in – lol. Don’t let it. π Onward & upward!!
Amen! Lol. The slip up sucked but the not continuing to slip up made up for it all and I’m proud of myself for that. Onward & upward!!! π
Hi Lynn
I’m doing good so far… I hope it continues
The macros are def helping me stay on track I looked at it yesterday and realized I needed a little more fat so I wasn’t really hungry but I ate a chicken thigh? I was at 68% so you think I needed that thigh or would I have been ok with the 68? Just wondering…
I’ve tried the Low Carb bread both plain and everything Ohhhh so good lol lol
I haven’t had any this week because I wasn’t sure if anyone had any issues with the bread stalling them.. What are your thoughts??
Hi Yolanda,
My macros (numbers) are never exact. I had two days this past week where my fat was well below my 70% and I just let it go. I never “eat for numbers” myself… But that one chicken thigh certainly didn’t hurt you in any way. π
The low carb bread didn’t stall me, but I do recommend eating it in moderation. And not daily. Test it and see how you do!
Hey everyone! ! I thought I’d share a website that explains healthy fats and how to incorporate them into your meals. It even gives a few recipes. I thought this could help anyone confused on what is considered good fat/bad fat or those who are having trouble reaching their daily fat goals. π I hope this helps and good luck everyone!!
http://lowcarbediem.com/healthy-high-fat-low-carb-foods/
Hey Justine, that is a great article! Thanks so much. This really explains how fat works during ketosis. Plus it has great links to recipes and other sources. If you find other good articles like this one, please post. The more knowledgeable I am, the better!
Oh good I’m happy you enjoyed it. I kept seeing everyone talking about not getting enough fats in and thought this article would be really helpful. It really helped me alot the very first time I started this WOE. I’ll definitely post anymore articles I come across that might be helpful. Good luck!
Hi Lyn
You are doing great. I wouldn’t worry too much. You look great. The weight loss may be slower now but keep excercising. The way you look means more than the numbers on the scale. Who knows you may be gaining muscle and that might mask fat loss on the scales. More muscle equals an increased metabolism and a leaner body
I read to try to eat most of your allotted carbs during the day and not at night before bed time
Carbs eaten at night are most likely to be stored as fat
Maybe try eating a carb free snack at night instead.
I need to try it as well
Also the nuts have carbs and the berries
I have that for breakfast.
I would not worry or definitely NOT try to up your carbs or calories. Just listen to your body. If you have no real hunger take advantage of that lol. π
I do think you need to add more greens to your diet. I am trying to eat a healthy green salad every day for fiber and micro nutriebts that our body needs to stay healthy
I feel so much better when i have a mixed green salad every day with a squeeze if lime juice and low carb dressing. π
I usually do eat more greens. Nothing appeals lately though, and the berries are high in fiber and nutrients as well, so I’m assuming my body knows what it needs.
I have a full body composition scale, but it’s not showing much change in muscle mass just yet. I’ll see how things play out on the scale over the next few weeks – and months. I will say though… I dipped below 150 today. π I’ll see if that sticks when I weigh in the morning!!
Boohoo, the last 2 days my scale has gone up 1 each day. I’m frustrated…. but my macros have been right on, around 1700 calories….should I lower my calories, should I keep going trusting the program?
As much as people think calories don’t count too much with LCHF, I know they do. When my calories were hovering around 1700-1800 recently, I actually gained weight. I’ve worked with a dietician and learned that my daily calories need to be more in the 1250-1400 range to lose. I’ve dropped down to the 1200s and the scale is beginning to move.
Hi JoAnn,
You’ve seen my scales fluctuate up a bit this past week, but now they are moving back down. You can try lower calorie, as long as you maintain your fat/protein ratios – and as long as you’re not going hungry. π
Most of all, don’t let it frustrate you. Eat for your health, make every carb and calorie count (for nutrition), and maybe only weigh once a week so the normal fluctuations don’t tank your motivation…
Still sitting at the same basic weight, give or take a few points. Tomorrow morning I will weigh in. I’m 2 lbs up, so I’m not too concerned. I’m eating very little today, and drinking very little as well. I drank over gallon of water yesterday, so I’m pretty well hydrated. I’ll sweating out as much as I can tonight, and then I weigh in right after I drop my kids off at school. Once I make weight, I’m going to have a wonderful high-carb day. It feels weird to say that, but in order to be ready with immediate energy stores for the tournament, I need to do this. I am not eating crap though. I’ll be enjoying honey, berries, yogurt, veggies, a sweet potato, chicken, eggs, avocados, nuts, and even some oats! I just have to get through today. So far, I feel fine.
Just don’t eat fats on the days you do high carb. If you eat fat with carbs it get i stored as fat easily.
Thanks Gigi, I am doing my best to avoid most fats tomorrow when I’m carb-loading. Same with tournament day – it’s all about the carbs and protein! I’ve already filled out my food diary on MFP for tomorrow – I cannot even believe how many carbs I’ll be eating!!! In a way I’m kind of looking forward to it, but after eating VLC for so long, I’m a little scared, too! It’s going to feel great to eat though, since I’m mostly fasting today.
iM sure you will be using those carbs for energy and burning them off.
I have to remind myself not to ever ear fars with high carb
I know one day i will want a carb meal for one meal
We are only human. π
Yes, exactly. I am going to need those carbs on Saturday. The goal is to feel up my muscles with glycogen and have plenty of immediate energy available. I have a minimum of two 5 minutes matches and maybe more if I win any of my matches. It will be an exhausting day.
Good luck with your matches, Jennifer!! You’ve done GREAT preparing your body for this event. I look forward to hearing how it goes. π π
Eat fats. I neant. Lol
Good Luck Jennifer. π
Hi there Lynn,
I have not commented on your blog in awhile. You are doing absolutely fantastic! However, how you feel inside and out is what matters the most. <3
I always love the way you show us the real you, with videos and blog posts. I've been distracted this first quarter of the year, but I'll get back my groove.
Thanks so much! π