My scales are finally moving down again, almost a pound yesterday and another pound this morning, for a total of 8 pounds lost during this challenge so far.
I now weigh 146.6 pounds, which is an all-time low for me since going low carb more than 5 years ago. I haven’t seen the 140’s since I was around 30 years old, which was about 13 years ago!
While 8 pounds lost in 5 weeks may not seem like much, and it’s definitely slow, I can easily gain 8 pounds a week (lol)… and my weight loss is going to be slower and more challenging given how close I am to my goal weight.
Personally, I’m THRILLED. Still a little shocked at how I look and feel, and how baggy my clothes are on me 😛 but extremely pleased with my progress – and especially the fact that I have been consistent for 37 full days!! I’m even more excited about the exercise, and the fact that I’ve been working so hard to tone up my leaner body. I’m starting to FEEL results there too, which is so nice! 🙂
And Then…
Right smack dab in the middle of getting on a GOOD roll with this challenge, and getting really serious with my health goals, I made a friend. We started out as Instagram friends, sharing our passion for pictures and moments. We quickly became adventure buddies – going on ambitious hikes and exploring the state together.
His name is Joe. Here’s a goofy picture of us hiking Lost Creek Falls recently:
As we got to know each other better, he took an interest in my health goals… in joining me, but also in pushing me harder, which has been really cool. So yesterday I invited him to try a photo he sees often on my wall, for lunch before our walk…
Here is my Low Carb Food Diary for Day 37 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 37: Tuesday’s Low Carb Meals
I skipped breakfast and just had coffee in the morning. My appetite has been really low again lately! I finally had my usual “low carb cereal” around lunch.
I made two – one for me, and one for Joe to try. I used a little bit more pecan pieces this time: 3/4 cup pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese, and 4 small diced strawberries – for a total of 6 net carbs and 88% healthy fats.
Tip: I find it easier to slice & dice frozen berries while they’re still half frozen. I just thaw them partially for about 10 minutes at room temperature… then slice!
This “cereal” I make has become VERY popular. I get tagged in it on Instagram no less than half a dozen times a day by various people giving it a try – and loving it!!
This was the meal I invited Joe to try, given he enjoys my usual “keto snacks” I bring on hikes – like cheese, meat & cheese rollups, berries & nuts, etc.
He said the same thing I hear from other people almost every day: “I’m not sure I like cottage cheese.” I could tell he was a little concerned 🙂 lol.
The key of course is to use Daisy Brand cottage cheese, which only has 3 ingredients (one of which is salt). It’s a real food, and you can tell it in the taste. Other brands have a whole paragraph of ingredients/chemicals I can’t even pronounce!
That plus the berries & nuts, which are such a sweet/crunchy combo. Mmm. 🙂
He loved it. 🙂 Everyone that has tried it so far does!
I always stir it all up together. It reminds me of cereal that way. And with my breakfast I took my Hair, Skin & Nails supplement – because my hair has been falling out again lately. It does that sometimes, just a few times a year maybe and very briefly, but I find the supplement REALLY helps.
This was a HUGE meal, especially since I used 3/4 cup of pecan pieces instead of half cup, making it almost 700 calories. I also didn’t eat it until around noon, and it kept me full for hours – so I didn’t eat a whole lot later in the day.
Joe hunts, so on his way out to go turkey hunting he stopped by and brought me some venison to try. I haven’t had venison in years!! This was ground venison cooked in a light oil with salt, pepper & crushed red pepper. It was delicious! 🙂
I dipped it in Duke’s Mayo, and that hit the spot as a quick tasty dinner.
I grabbed this pack of peanuts to snack on later in the evening. It was only 4 net carbs for the whole package, and I didn’t feel like cooking (or eating a big meal either) so that did the trick to curb a little hunger.
Here’s My MyFitnessPal Diary for Tuesday:
Tracking Macronutrients (Simple Explanation of Macros)
How To Get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal
Calories: 1269
Net Carbs: 16
Total Carbs: 30
Protein: 51 Grams
80% Fat, 15% Protein
Exercise: Walk
FitBit Steps: 4,353
Water: 32 ounces
Joe snuck this shot of me getting a picture of our breakfast/lunch for you. Slim always likes to watch. 🙂 He was particularly interested in the venison photo, lol.
Those shorts… I haven’t been able to wear them in YEARS, and they were so big in the waist I had to “belt them up” just to keep them from falling off!
Gigi and I were talking here on the blog yesterday about weight loss goals, and about how you FEEL like the same person – or see the same person in the mirror – even after dramatic weight loss or physical change.
I still see the same woman when I look in the mirror. I have to actually look at photos to SEE the visual difference in my body, and it’s a big difference. But even that feels odd… looking at the before & now pictures, I mean. It’s hard to process in your head.
I’ve read a lot about this on weight loss blogs across the web. People reach their goal weight and ask: “Who am I now?!” It’s hard, having to face everything you thought would be “fixed” when you reached that ONE goal you focused on exclusively. Or not feeling comfortable in your own skin (or your new body). Or not knowing who and how to be – as a totally different person.
I think about that often myself.
Especially lately, now that I’m at an all time low on my weight loss journey. I’ve decided I am going to keep pushing myself more, and harder. I’m just going to get more active, try new things, stay in amazing shape, try new adventures for fitness.
I’m going to BE the new ME…
It’s starting to settle in, well enough for me to make plans like that, and that feels good. But I did go through a really weird phase of freaking out every time I passed a mirror, lol. Now I’m making it a point to stop and admire myself, accept the NEW ME, and embrace it as the new normal…
I still have a lot of work to do. I’m currently “skinny fat” with plenty of “pudge” on me still. I’ll get some current pictures, because I aim to have some AMAZING “after pictures” to share with you by the end of summer. 🙂
How is your week going so far?
I look forward to your thoughts & questions today!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Lynn, you are adorable and I’m so happy that you are losing weight and have a new friend! That is exciting! I’m battling a bit of depression what with our really crappy weather here in Illinois. Gray and rainy. Not very motivating. I have slipped a couple of times with my carbs and my weight is showing it. But you are motivating me, especially with exercising. I got an Apple watch and it tells me all my steps. I love it!
Thank you, Maribeth. π π I’m glad you’re finding some motivation. It can be tough sometimes – I’ve been through that plenty of times myself for sure.
I’ve heard good things about the Apple Watch. I really love my Fitbit. I find it motivates me to move more than anything else ever has!!
I think you’ll find more happiness and smiles with exercise and eating healthy, even with icky weather. I know my mood is not the greatest when I’m gaining weight and not really moving much. π
Hi Lynn,
Love your posts. I check them every morning. I eat your breakfast cereal every morning. It’s delicious! I was having difficulty downloading the application I needed to get Net Carbs on Fitness Pal so I got an app called Carb Manager. Very easy to use. My weight loss is a bit slow but I’m feeling terrific so I don’t care. I’m not craving anything and the horrible self talk has stopped. I feel happy and calm. Thanks for giving us a window into your weight loss. You look terrific!!
Thanks, Susan!! π I’m with you – I’m feeling great both mentally and physically, so the slow weight loss… well the weight loss is just a bonus at this point. π
The hack I use for MFP only works online, not on the mobile or tablet app, so that may be the issue you had with that. Glad you found a tracker that’s working for you!!
WOW! Two lbs…..WTG. Your hard work and consistency is paying off
I cannot stress enough to all the readers that following this Woe has to be consistent to work.
I was slacking on my lchf woe for over 6 months of last year. I would be strict maybe 3-4 days a week and high carb for maybe 3 days at a time sometimes. I never went back to binges or unhealthy eating but those so called healthy snacks can be very high in carbs.. Like rice cakes, granola cereal, veggie chips, coconut milk icecream….luckily i was able to maintain my weight but a few times i would have a soft serve ice cream cone out(light icecream) because i cannot trust myself with keeping a gallon of ice cream in the freezer.
Now since i started on this challenge i am losing weight again. And i am highly motivated to get to my goal weight
I lost 143 lbs doing Low Carb in two years.. By being CONSISTENT…..day in and day out
When i stopped being consistent. I stopped losing weight and put on a couple of lbs.
When i saw the scale go up again, i thought to myself “hell no” i am not going back to being unhealthy again.
Now i have been consistent since March 2016 and i lost a total of 150 lbs total in twothe and a half years….i have lost over 10lbs again since March.
Lyn. I am so addicted to your cereal… I eat it everyday now. I used walnuts with it today. I freak out when i am out of nuts or berries now…..its my fave breakfast. I have to go out today and get some more walnuts or pecans. I love the frozen strawberries but sometimes i use rasberries. I love blackberries too. But the frozen blackberries i bought were not sweet at all…
I can never find small strawberries in the bag. So i cut up 2 or 3 med. Ones.
Thank you Lyn…..this challenge is great and you are a great inspiration for us all.
I can forsee you writing a book on all this…..it’d be great.
Thanks for the shout out here on your blog. :D. π
Ps…..i need to find a photo of me at my highest weight–a good before photo and put it next to my after photo because now i cannot remember what i used to look like
I know i look different but i need to be reminded on how far i’ve come
I still have maybe 25-30 lbs to go to be at my 23 year old weight or pre pregnancy weight but it’s slow going lately. π
I
I wish I had better before photos. I’m going to have to comb through tons of old photos, but I bet I either deleted or cropped most of them lol.
You’re doing great!! I agree, consistency is key. I kept gaining and losing the same 10-20 pounds over and over and over the last two years. π Ugh! No more. π
Congratulations on your weight loss!!!! You certainly are a great motivator and proof that if you stick to it day in and day out you will see results.
Thank you, Michelle!! π
I love your ‘breakfast cereal’. I chop the frozen strawberries in a food processor, then add them to the mix…it is fabulous! My husband likes the cottage cheese processed also, then puts the berries and cottage cheese back in the freezer for awhile before adding the pecans – he says it reminds him of ice cream.
Ooh – that does sound delicious, Dianne! Smart π
Hi Lynn, Whos little dog is that in the picture of Joe trying your “cereal”? I know you have a great dane, but this is the first I have seen the little one.
I am doing great on Day 2 (being home from New Orleans and back on this woe/ Breakfast was: bacon, eggs and toast from Netrirtion. Oh, and coffee with hwc and vanilla syrup (calorie free), then just now I had a few pecans and ounce of cheese, cut off the block! Then tonight we will grill chicken legs. That should do it. I need more vegetables, I will see whats in the freezer.
Kudos for getting right back on track when you got home. Julie! π I need more vegetables lately too, but fortunately the berries I eat daily are also high in fiber and nutrients. I don’t feel like I NEED veggies every single day, but I do really enjoy them when I have them!
That’s Joe’s chihuahua. π His name is Waylon. Cutie, isn’t he?! I think it’s adorable how he and Slim are warming up to each other, and will go on leash walks together now, lol. That’s quite the head turner! haha
Here’s a picture of them walking together: https://www.facebook.com/lowcarbtraveler/photos/pb.226460087382594.-2207520000.1463018631./1260699223958670/?type=3&theater π
Congrats on your weight loss Lynn! I’m super stoked for you and you look amazing. Keep up the good work. βΊ
I was going to weigh myself but didn’t because I was hesitant due to my weekend beers lol. So I decided to just wait until next Monday to weigh-in. We’ll see what happens. My meals yesterday were :
B: bpc, cheese omelet
L: chicken salad (canned chicken, mayo, celery)
D: 2 Oscar Meyer smoked sausages, cucumber salad ( cucumber, ranch, feta)
S: coffee w/SF syrup & hwc, 1oz smoked almonds
My carbs were 12, fat was 82% and I drank about 60oz of water. It feels good to be back on track.
You’re doing SO great, Justine! I think it’s smart to wait until Monday, but I bet you’ll be pleased with your results. π
Lynn, I’m so enjoying these posts. So happy for you – losing weight, getting fit, and also the friend you have to experience your fitness goals and (new you) with!
I’m sure he has motivated you a lot!
Thank you, Tammy π Yes, it’s fun to have someone to get out with for sure. Slim and I love our walks, but even he seems to be enjoying the (little) dog company some days -lol.