My leg muscles are tight and sore. My clothes are falling off of me. My scales keep inching further and further away from a weight I lived with for so long.
Spring is in full tilt, and life is good! ๐
This challenge has been an amazing experience for me so far.
Iโm concerned Iโm going to totally blow it tonight. Iโll share more about that below, along with my fun walk with Slim todayโฆ
Here is my Low Carb Food Diary for Day 38 of the โGet Lean For Summer!โ 90 Day Low Carb Challenge. Itโs not too late to join us if you havenโt already!
Day 38: Wednesdayโs Low Carb Meals
I had a late breakfast again, closer to lunch time. I enjoyed my usual: 1/2 cup pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese and 4 small diced strawberries = 5 net carbs and 85% healthy fats. (This meal has great macros!)
Berries are not a fruit, by the way. I donโt eat any fruit at all.
I usually eat my breakfast while Iโm writing you these posts, or reading your comments. ๐ Thatโs also when I drink my first 24 ounces of water.
Pardon my mess! ๐ lol
After breakfast, and my morning work, I had a nice long afternoon walk down by the river. Slim and I even did a little creek wading to cool off. ๐ I worked up a good appetite, and had a small chili from Wendyโs for lunch (15 net carbs).
15 net carbs is really high for me, but it was a nice treat โ and easy & fast. After that I took a nap, then had Oscar Mayer Smokies (zero carbs) later in the evening.
Hereโs My MyFitnessPal Diary for Wednesday:
Tracking Macronutrients (Simple Explanation of Macros)
How To Get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal
Calories: 1132
Net Carbs: 28
Total Carbs: 41
Protein: 42 Grams
74% Fat, 15% Protein
Exercise: 2+ Mile Walk
FitBit Steps: 7,687
Water: 48 ounces
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Here are a couple of pictures from our walk today:
Itโs nice to have someone to go walking with, and someone to take pictures of me โ so you can see more than just my feet. ๐ lol!
I rarely ever walk the trail. Youโve probably noticed Slim and I usually walk downtown. Heโs not โdog friendlyโ when heโs on a leash. He does great at home if other dogs come over, or playing in the yard โ but on a leash he has always gone completely nuts at other dogs. ๐ Thatโs why I avoid the walking trailโฆ
We did cross paths with a few dogs today. Unfortunately one of them really set him off and I got beat up in the scuffle. My fault โ I lost my footing and got tangled in the leash. I maintained my grip though and all the dogs were kept safe! ๐ I have quite a few scrapes, bruises and leash burns though, lol.
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Tonight Iโm finally having my off plan meal. Iโm making an event of it too, and having friends over for dinner & a movie. Weโre going to watch The Descent. The perfect movie to watch before my next big caving adventure. ๐ haha!
I fully expect my dinner to knock me out of ketosis, which means Iโll have keto flu to deal with again in a few days. I aim to stay on track otherwise, eat โlean & greenโ for a few days, and continue getting plenty of exercise.
This is called Life Balance. ๐ This will be a true test of how strong I am, and whether Iโve really mastered the art of mindful balance -lol. I think Iโm ready!
(And yes, Iโve already dealt with the flood of thoughts like: โyou might as well just eat ****** for breakfast while youโre at it, then pig out on ****** for lunch and really make a day of it!โ To which I said: NO. I am standing firm with myself on the intentional choice to have one off plan meal, period.)
I aim to beat my food problems. Not just lose weight, but finally get past my old habits and the โfood mindsetโ that got me unhealthy and overweight in the first place.
I am retraining my mind, accepting a leaner me as the โnew normalโ (vs fighting it, and sabotaging my weight loss progress over and over), and learning to live a whole new lifestyle โ as a healthy happy person, without a constant mental struggle.
Weโll see, at least. ๐ Stay tuned to find out how it goesโฆ
How is your week going so far?
I look forward to your thoughts & questions today!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
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Lynn,
I just wanted to say thank you for your posts on Low Carb. You have taught me more than all the books on the subject have. However, I wanted to tell you that you are NOT slow in your weight loss. It has taken me two years to lose 30 pounds, give or take (I say that as my weight bounces up and down all the time), on low carb dieting. I had multiple surgeries for cancer and MRSA. As a result, a lot of my stomach and intestines were removed. You would think that should make me skinny, right? No, it didnโt. In fact, I went the other way. I am also very limited on what I can eat or I end up using my wastebasket for an unintended purpose. The only thing that has worked since then, and I have tried them ALL, is beyond low carb to almost no carb eating. I need to get a bit busier on the exercise.
Iโve been meaning to say thank you for some time now but life always gets in the way. So. . . .THANK YOU. . . . for all the help and introducing me to new things I can eat (like Oscar Mayer Smokies). I was on one of your blogs a long time ago when you were just dispensing business advice, so it was great to โseeโ you again. I wade through my email every morning looking for your posts to help me get through the day.
Thank you, Carla ๐ Itโs great to see YOU again too!!
I hate to hear youโve gone through all of that. Wow! What an ordeal, geez. Good for you for taking control of your health though. So many people just choose to live in sickness, or as a victim to their circumstance. Kudos!!
My weight loss this go round has been slow for ME, my usual I mean. But then again I weigh less, have less to lose, and am not bouncing and out of ketosis this time. ๐ lol
I just want to thank you for all the work you put into this site and on facebook. Thanks to your suggestions and inspirations, I finally am seeing the scale move again. Down to 203.5 from original 215. So looking forward to being under 200 again and never seeing that number ever. My sister is a retired Weight Watcherโs training manager and doesnโt believe in this plan at all. She is coming over next week to visit for a few days. I plan to overwhelm her with what great food I can eat and lose weight while doing so.
My sister is coming for a visit this week too. ๐ In fact, sheโll be here tonight! Congrats on your recent weight loss. Itโs so encouraging to get so close to a weight that makes you feel SO good โ and blasting past it once and for all! ๐
Hereโs a good post to read for some points to consider before her visit: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4943/when-people-dont-support-your-low-carb-diet/
Your post are always so real and transparent. I have struggled with yo-yo dieting and emotional eating for 30 years. I am encouraged by your postโฆplease continue! Congratulations on your success and allowing us to share in your balanced lifestyleโฆit is truly encouraging to me. Enjoy tonight and Descents, itโs my daughters favorite movie and a great soundtrack. Blessings!
Thank you, Kim! I saw the movie a couple years ago and canโt wait to watch it again. ๐ Iโve struggled with it too of course, and Iโm so ready to be OVER that roller coaster experience.
I look forward to my fun plans tonight, but Iโm already second guessing my meal choice lol. Iโm having a hard time with the physical desire for it here on Day 39, but it may just be the best way to get it off my MIND. Ha โ weโll see what happens when it actually comes down to it. ๐
Hi! What are your thoughts on homemade smoothies/shakes on a lc diet? For instance, 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, 2 tbsp. of natural peanut butter and 1 scoop of protein powder.
Hi Sue,
I prefer to eat my food, so Iโm not a fan of smoothies and shakes. Plus it makes a big mess in my kitchen lol โ compared to grabbing a slice of cheese off the block and 1/2 cup of pecan halves or something easy like that.
Youโd have to put it in your tracker and check the carb count and macrosโฆ
I enjoy reading your posts every day. Itโs something I look forward to every morning. I have been living the low carb lifestyle since Aug 2015 and have lost 40 lbs. Winters in Chicago make it very hard to exercise outside so Iโm so happy for Spring to have finally arrived. The scale has been stuck for me so I am considering following your daily menu for 1 week to see if that gets the scale moving down. Regarding your plans for tonight, Donโt over think itโฆjust ENJOY it! I just watched the trailer of The Descentsโฆ..it looks scary!
Congrats on your 40 pounds lost, Vickie. ๐ Thatโs awesome!!
Try this when your scales are stuck: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6064/3-ingredients-rule/ Basically just 3 ingredients per plate or meal โ max. That cuts out any processed foods of course, as they are multi-ingredient. Just keep it real simple, real foods, very few combinations. Even mono meals are great, which you see here often on my blog.
Good advice about not overthinking it! ๐ Thatโs part of the bad habit that needs to be broken, lol. Iโve seen The Descent (and part two!) but itโs been agesโฆ so I cannot wait to watch it tonight!! Especially after my recent caving experience, and with another big cave hike coming up. ๐
Thank you for the link Lynn. I have read it before BUT it is a great re-read. I will give this a try. 3 โ ingredient โ rule.
I do believe that single daily atkins bar, that I treat myself with, may be the culprit. ๐
I think the bars can definitely be a problem. The carbs in those have a higher glycemic effect on our blood sugar than real food. I found that Adkin bars take me out of ketosis.
Yes, that would be the first thing to cut for sure. Try doing without the bar for the next two weeks and see what happens. Replace it with 1/2 cup pecan halves instead. They are very filling and super low carb โ and a real food. ๐
Iโve had to stop eating the Atkins bars too in order to get the weight loss going again. But boy do I miss them!
Finally getting back on track after reading your posts. Making a point of reading them each morning and getting meal ideas from them. Also managed to get the tracking in MyFitnessPal to finally work for me, it would never save my percentages before.
Sick and tired of feeling so sore and stiff from my pinched nerve and arthritis in my knee, looking forward to feeling more human again and dropping this weight.
That was my favorite benefit, Sue โ being out of pain. Eating low carb makes such a BIG difference with any kind of inflammation issues. I have inflammatory arthritis in my lower back from an accident, and eating carbs (starchy foods & sugar) can get me back in pain & stiffness REAL fast.
My โgoalsโ donโt always stick in MFP either. I just ignore a lot of the numbers/data and stick to: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum. Glad to hear youโre back on track!! ๐
Hi Lyn
I love reading about your adventures and walks with Slim and now his pal the Chihuahua. Both are beautiful dogs. I see why you named your great dane slim now. He has beautiful lean long legs. I bet he loves the long walks. I bet he can run fast too.
I got an olโ lazy pit bull mix. He is my sonโs dog but i inherited him (sort of) when he moved out. He is so fat. I need to get him more excercise but i cannot handle walking himโhe would walk me. And if i encountered another dog on an outing, i an afraid it would be badโฆ..i might end up on the ground or worse. Lol. ๐
Maybe i should get my dog on the keto planโ-oh he would love THAT! Dogs love meat!!
He would probably not eat your cereal though lol. ๐ i love it! ๐
I canโt wait to hear about your one off meal today
I havenโt wanted one that badly yet but i DO have the option. ๐
ENJOY your neal today!โฆโฆno guilt-no shame. Isnโt it wonderful when we start to change our mind sets about food!!!!
It feels so free!
lol yes, Slim is definitely lean. ๐ In addition to his anxiety issues, he has an eating disorder โ thus the name. He often screams at his food and has to be coaxed to eat. ๐
It took a lot of training, and a good lead (the Halti) for me to be able to walk Slim as much as I do โ and without hassle. Er, save yesterdayโs incident lol. But I have a really good handle on him now compared to beforeโฆ and itโs so fun to get out and walk together!!
Freedom, yes. Big topicโฆ ๐ I look forward to my company tonight, a great movie and fun dinner โ weโre all looking forward to it!
Berries are not a fruit ?
Why would you not eat low carb fruit ?
Hi Linda,
Right, berries are not technically a fruit. They areโฆ berries. ๐ They are much lower in carbs and sugar, lower glycemic index. Fruit is high sugar, high carb. And I donโt like fruit anyway. I never have.
Lynn, you so sound like me (in your head that is). I too believe I has mastered the โjust this onceโ mindset. If I blow it now, it is generally just one time and then I move on and continue to stay on plan. Too many times I have let one cheat lead to a day or a week of cheating and that has caused me to take 3 years to get 47 lbs off. One big blowout can set me back a week. Iโve decided no more for that and Iโve been successful at it recently. Thank you for all you do for people like me. Good luck to you
Thank you Clare. And yes โ exactly, I have been through that same thing. That is why it took me so long to get below 150 pounds as well. I realize I am really testing myself here, but I feel strong and I feel ready โ and I need to KNOW that I am finally in control of thisโฆ
Just a short note to say โ I truly enjoy each and every e-mail, they are all most helpful and are such a HUGE part of keeping me on track. My question for the day is: I DO NOT eat cottage cheese โ is there a substitute that could replace it for my morning breakfast that would not BLOW my daily carb intake?
thanks and please keep your blog coming
Try fresh mozzarella cheese or Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges. I think either would be a great substitute. You should try it with cottage cheese though. I didnโt think Iโd like it either. But the combination of nuts and berries is a delight! You could also try it with feta cheese. ๐
Thank you for sharing daily with me โ Congratulations on your goal and success. You have for sure been a great day to day inspiration to me.
On your morning breakfast โ I DO NOT like cottage cheese at all โ is there something else I could put in place of it so that I could be able to eat something close?
Thank you and please continue to share
Thank you, Donna ๐
You could use low carb yogurt, unsweetened almond milk, ricotta cheese, or just whatever you DO prefer.
I used fresh mozarella cheese with it before but i actually prefer the cottage cheese
I wasnโt a fan of cottage cheese till i tried this. Its so good!
Also you could try Carb masters yogurt too it has 4 carbs per container. Kroger and Rulers carry it. I canโt find it anywhere else.
Well Iโve never seen the descent lol but a night with friends over would make me want to cheat bad lol. Idk what it is but friends, movies, company in general has my head rolling with ideas of no-no foods. I think it because I celebrate everything with foodโฆ.especially a good night in and a movie lol. Hope you have fun.
My meals yesterday were :
B: bpc
L: cucumber salad, 2 Oscar Meyer smoked sausages
D: 2 grilled boneless pork chops, small side salad
My fat was 86%n net carbs were 10 and I drank 40oz of water.
Itโs a great movie โ if you like scary movies. ๐
I usually do just fine with company, like the Motherโs Day cookout with a houseful. And these friends โ well, we usually eat healthy together โ so itโs an โeventโ for all of us. ๐ Iโm feeling really OFF about it to be honest, but just going to go with it since I already have it planned (and have myself committed).
I look forward to your weigh-in next week to see how great youโre doing, even with the beers last weekend! ๐
Lynn,
Now that you say itโs scary I think I have definitely seen it. My husband is a horror/scary movie fanatic (heโs even got the tattoos to prove it lol). For the most part I do really well when weโre with family or at get togethers, but there are times when Iโm wondering โhmmm, one bite of this or one drink of this wonโt hurtโ. And after arguing with myself I just give up and stay on track lol. Iโm still a work in progress but Iโm proud of myself for the many times I could have thrown the towel in.
And yesโฆ.Iโm excited too about my weigh-in. Iโm really hoping to see some results..even a pound or two would make me happy. โบ
I have gotten to the pon*t now that getting with family or friends does not mean i have to go off plan
It takes practice. I tell everyone that i wa b t to go to a restaurant where i can eat healthy. They understand and support me. Nobody is going to get angry at me if i do NOT eat potatoes, bread or deserts
I only ate salad for mothers day but we enjoyed ourselves
Anyway. It is a mind set change for me that took a lifetime to be able to achieve a n d a good two years on low carb woe. ๐ you can do it tooโฆ.its all a mind game we play with ourselves. ๐
Gigi,
Iโm definitely a work in progress and try my hardest to not give into temptation. I also have great support from family and friends. Actually alot of my family are on LC or have been before so they completely understand. And it really helps that my husband is doing this with me, it makes things a whole lot easier.
Lol Justineโฆโฆi think we all are a work in progress. I fight temptation all the time with food. It is getting easier to resist than in days past but the battle persists in my mind. And everytime i pass DQโฆ..there is a fleeting thought in my mind of giving inโโjust this once. But i just keep driving pwst it now and then i forget about it. I think being on the jeto woe keeps my hunger or cravings from getting the best of me.
Justine you are doing so great with your meals. I am impressed with how you keep b your carbs under 20โฆ..that is not do easy to do. ๐
I meant *keto* grrr * i get mad at myself for making so b many typosโฆ..typing from my phone is difficult sometimes. I will be glad when i get my laptop back. ๐
Hiโฆabsolutely love reading your posts! I kept seeing your post about your โbreakfast cerealโ I have recently discovered that I too love cottage cheeseโฆwho would have thought it? Thanks just doesnโt seem to do it towards you but it is heartfeltโฆso much.
Thank you so much, Linda ๐ ๐ Iโm glad you enjoy it! Iโm not really a fan of cottage cheese myself, but somehow it works so well with the nuts & berries combo!