45 straight days. Wow! Well, besides my ONE off plan day. Iโm seriously proud of myself, and I hope you are too! ๐
For this low carb challenge I committed to exercising and toning as well, and it feels SO good to finally get consistent with that. Iโm really FEELING the results already too!
I was 147.6 pounds yesterday, but felt bloated all day for some crazy reason. Today I woke up weighing 148.4 poundsโฆ
This can really mess with your head sometimes. I was looking over my daily weight patterns since this challenge started on April 4th. I weighed 154.6 that day, so Iโm 6.2 pounds lighter โ and have been as much as 8 pounds lighter.
My weight is basically bouncing around just slightly in that little window. Or thatโs what it feels like. The truth is that itโs going down slowly, but it IS going down.
The encouraging thing though, is that my body looks and feels very different.
I also remembered that my pretty green dress fits much looser now than it did the last time I wore it (only a couple months ago). I was surprised at that when I put it on last week. Then thereโs the fact that my newest shorts are already too big.
Even more encouraging is comparing my body now vs one year ago.
So what started out as โblah, this is not working for me!โ quickly turned around to thinking โhey, youโre doing great!โ ๐ It helps to put things in perspective.
I know I donโt want to go backwards, I know everything I am doing right now is GOOD for my health and that I AM making progress. Soโฆ onward and upward! Er, downward (slowly) on the scales -lol.
Plus, fact: my weight always creeps up a hair before it dips down again. ๐
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Here is my Low Carb Food Diary for Day 45 of the โGet Lean For Summer!โ 90 Day Low Carb Challenge. Itโs not too late to join us if you havenโt already!
Day 45: Wednesdayโs Low Carb Meals
For breakfast I made 3 large eggs, scrambled with colby jack cheese (.95 ounce, off the block). Very cheesy. ๐ Eggs are .4 carbs each, so 3 eggs is 1.2 carbs, but most people count them as zero carb.
I had a busy morning and felt tired, so I just opted for a super quick & easy lunch of โrollupsโ. I used Oscar Mayer deli chicken slices (2 ounces) with one Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Wedge (split in two)โฆ then had a nap. ๐
I finally got around to cooking later in the day. It was thatโฆ or go to town for take-out. I didnโt feel like doing either ๐ so I decided to suck it up & make my super easy Low Carb Sausage Biscuit Recipe real quick.
I just updated that recipe, by the way!
I had 3 biscuits, and had Sugar Free Preserves on 2 of them.
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Those were soooo good. ๐
I made a batch of 8 biscuits, so I have plenty for today too!
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Hereโs My MyFitnessPal Diary for Wednesday:
Tracking Macronutrients (Simple Explanation of Macros)
How To Get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal
Net Carbs: 17
Total Carbs: 22
Protein: 95 Grams
70% Fat, 26% Protein
Exercise: Ab Carver Pro, 100 Reps
FitBit Steps: 2,307
Water: 24 ounces
I had to force the exercise. Like any new habit, I guess. Doing โa workoutโ is not nearly as much fun as doing something FUN like caving or hiking. ๐
Iโm committed to my goal of getting in amazing shape though, and toning up this jiggly body! So forcing it, yes indeed. ๐ But I do love the Ab Carver Pro. I can really feel it in my abs and obliques, but also in my triceps (batwings!) which is really cool.
I did 100 ab reps again, 40 to the front and 30 to each side.
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I feel pleased with my commitment and progress during this challenge. I feel discouraged with my slow weight loss. I feel encouraged at the difference in my body.
Feelings are fickle!
You canโt eat by how you feel.
On the days I feel like Iโm fighting a losing battleโฆ I fight back that much harder! It often feels like some crazy internal struggle. It actually IS!
Remember those old cartoons with the angel on one shoulder, and the devil on the other? Yeah โ except I feel like itโs the โfat meโ on one shoulder, and the โskinny meโ on the other. ๐ ๐
My advice (to myself as well): Donโt let discouragement win. Fight back. Prove it wrong. Eat for your health, not for your scales. Work even harder toward your goal. Prove to yourself that you CAN do this!
What about you, how is your week going?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
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Just curious what your goal weight is. I think I read somewhere along the way that you are 5โ5โณ and so am I. At this point my goal is 150, today I was 189.8โฆgotta love that new decade of numbers! I also started back to weight lifting this week. I use the stronglift 5ร5 program. If you google it he has a web page. I like it because itโs only 3 different lifts 3x/week which is very doable, very simple. Just a FYI.
I love your morning updates! I live in Ohio so I sit here and eat my eggs and sausage and read your email and get pumped for a new low carb day!
Hi Barb ๐
I am closer to 5โฒ 4 1/2โณ I think. Iโm not sure what my goal weight is, honestly. I thought it was around 145, but now that Iโm close I still see a lot of weight on me. Or a lot of fat still on me, I should say โ which is why Iโm now toning in addition to losing the rest of the jiggly body fat. ๐
Iโll definitely check that out! I want to get more into lifting and weights for sure, as thatโs the easiest way for a woman to sculpt her body. Thanks for the resource!!
Thank you for all your encouragement, Lysa Terkeurst from Proverbs 31 has said,
โFeelings are indicators and not dictators.โ I love that quote, our feelings donโt have to control our attitude. I do have a question, why donโt you use hazelnut coffee and heavy cream to cut your carbs? Iโm only two weeks into this WOE, Iโve lost 5 lbs so far. Iโm still trying to figure this all out. I know when I use my Fitness Pal app, I get annoyed. I have my settings the same as yours and it showโs Iโm too high on carbs and protein by lunch, when all Iโve have was an Atkins shake for breakfast, coffee with 1T HWC, and lunch a Chicken shwarma salad( which is just 6oz of chicken, 2 1/2 C. of romaine lettuce and about an 1-2T crumble feta cheese and my dressing on the side which is whipped olive oil and parmesan cheese, and I just dip my salad in my dressing too) I have cut out diet coke because Iโm addicted to them and stop having more than one cup of coffee ( I use stevia in the raw). I was a little disappointed I only lost 2 lbs the first week, so thatโs why I decide to drop the diet cokes and extra coffee.
Iโm 46 and Hypo-Thyroid ( which is the cause of my weight gain), I do find that Iโm tired in the afternoon too. I was hoping to have tons of energy so I could exercise, by I seem too tired. Thank you for the advice you have provided already on your blog and FB, but if you have any suggestings for me, I would greatly appreciate it. I started this WOE at 185 and want to lose 40 lbs. Have a blessed day.
Hi Yvette ๐ You may be tired because of the keto flu โ the process of going into ketosis the first week or so has a lot of icky symptoms.
I was using heavy whipping cream and an artificial sweetener before, and it added up to even more carbs โ given the number of mugs of coffee I drink in a day. :p HWC has .4 carbs per TBSP, or 7 carbs per cup, so 2 TBSP is 1 carb. That plus the sweeteners count too. Iโd love to ultimately go black!
Ignore most of what you see in MyFitnessPal. Just keep it simple: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum. Thatโs ALL you have to watch. ๐
Thank you so much, I appreciate your time and help!
Ohโฆ..be careful with Stevia in the rawโฆ..it has a higher carb amount than Sweetleaf Stevia whuch has 0 carbs. The liquid stevia has carbs also. I believe there is dextrose in the ingredients in Stevia in the raw. Dextrose is a simple form of sugar. You really have to read the labels on the sweeteners. Carbs can add up quickly if we are not careful. Truvia has dextrose in the ingredients too.
I meant sweetwater stevia drops or liquid stevia has 0 carbs
Sweet Leaf has flavored Liquid Stevia that is very popular: http://amzn.to/27HlpAN and lower cost than some of the others.
Oh manโฆmy hubby will love those biscuits. Iโm definitely making some of them this weekend. Speaking g of hubby, lolโฆ.he fell off the darn wagon again. I on the other hand stayed safely secured on it lol. He wanted a starbucks frappuccino and he wanted it bad so he got oneโฆand I got a sf iced coffee with hwc. Got it home, took a sip and realized there was no way it was sf (Iโve had plenty of them and can tell the difference immediately). So he got that too. Lol. Oh well.
I had some pretty simple meals yesterday and I know I said I was going to go a week without my bpcโฆ.but itโs soooo good and I look forward to it every morning, and needless to say I havenโt gone without it. Ooops. Lol.
My meals yesterday were:
B: bpc, 2 boiled eggs
L: ham and cheese rollups with 1 dill pickle spear (split in half) in the middle. So yummmy. I also had a handful of pork rinds
D: leftoversโฆagain. grilled chicken, cucumber salad (cucumber, 1 tbl ranch, feta)
S: 1oz colby jack cheese, 14 almonds
My net carbs were 10, fat was 79% and I drank about 30oz water.
lol โ He is probably losing faster anyway, right? Men usually do. I just hate if he keeps having to go through keto flu! Or is not that bad for him??
I donโt think one BPC a day is a bad thing. Especially since itโs helping you with your macros, and youโre obviously losing weight consistently. ๐
p.s. I have my mushrooms ready to make, canโt wait to try your recipe! ๐ Enjoy the sausage biscuits!!
Yeah he definitely loses faster than I do but this go round heโs been off plan so much that heโs slooooowwwllly losing. Heโs a diesel mechanic and the guys in his shop give him hell for being on LC and they also buy each other lunch all the time so he just caves. And youโre rightโฆ.he stays having the keto flu lol. I think heโs just doing this cause I am honestly. He used to be a boxer and was eating salads twice a day and working out all the time so heโs very disciplined when he wants to be. I donโt think right now he wants to be lol. Which is fine.
Oh yay!! Youโll love them. I will take some of the leftover sausage cream cheese mixture and put it in an omelet in the morning. Soooo good. I think Iโm gonna definitely like the sausage biscuits. I canโt wait to try them.
Good tip for the leftover mixture, Iโll try that! ๐
That makes sense. Iโve had times when Iโm not 100% committed so I know what thatโs like, lol. Itโs cool heโs being so supportive and โdoing it with youโ even if not totally committed though! ๐
Yeah I appreciate him even trying to do it with me, especially with him being such a huge bread lover. Heโs done good. โบ
Iโm going to try this recipe. Although I made the sausage balls last week, and I think overcooked them, but really didnโt enjoy them too muchโฆ.I wonder if these would be the same, but maybe the cheese change, and with jelly would help me. I just bought some low sugar jelly! I am contemplating getting that roller thing of yoursโฆ.will look at the stronglift 5ร5 program above, as my arms look horrible. ๐
Youโll love the Ab Carver. ๐ I do! I really like the โbready textureโ of the sausage biscuits, especially with sugar free preserves โ or topped with over medium eggs. ๐
Just made the sausage biscuits. Used smoked sausage. Very yummy, My husband and i both enjoyed them. Itโs a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Iโm so glad you enjoyed them, Debra! ๐
I was thinking it would be great to add a little salsa to the โbatterโ and to also โstuff themโ with a bit of cream cheeseโฆ YUM!
Lynn, why dont you try to shock your metabolism by increasing calories lets say to 2000 just by adding fats, like good amounts of butter or mayo for ex, or peanut butter with CO. I had done this with good results. I find you eat very little, now that you are exercising your needs must have increased too Your body is trying to retain because sees imminent danger.. just my opinion. Thanks for sharing, I enjoy a lot your journey, you are very inspirational.
Thank you, Laura ๐ That wouldnโt hurt to try. I do consume a lot of carbs in my sugar free coffee creamer alone, so I could do a BPC instead once or twice a day to cut down on carbs and increase fat & calories. I do enjoy those sometimes, so it would be a fun experiment. Of course, the last time I tried BPC for a full week I saw zero results (nothing changed), but Iโm always game for switching things up and trying new things!
Hi Lynn, the Atkins 20 puts an emphasis on 12-15 nc in veggies. What are your thoughts on that? It doesnโt seem that you get a lot of veggies in but you still see results. Just curious as I donโt do well with veggies.
Hi Sue,
Sometimes I eat A LOT of greens (vegetables), especially when Iโm traveling or eating out, like this trip: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/9740/low-carb-restaurants-san-diego/ When Iโm at home I tend to just eat easy foods and donโt cook very much. ๐
I usually eat berries daily at home (not yesterday though) which are also full of fiber and nutrients, a good source of antioxidants, etc.
I donโt stress over it too much. I go through phases is all. ๐
There is a website called trendweight which tracks your weight.it can link with fitbit. It really helps see what is really going on when your weight fluctuates a lot.I finally got my trend line to go south.Helps on those up daysโฆso you donโt feel down..you can even share your data with friends so they can see how you are doingโฆ.been a huge help to meโฆ
Very cool! MyFitnessPal has that feature too, which I already use to track my meals โ and it also connects with Fitbit. I like looking at the graph sometimes. That definitely helps!
I went to my doctor appointment yesterday. I was happy that i lost 2lbs. This week. My doctor noticed that i had lost more weight since i had seen him 2 months ago. I was so happy but if i weigh myself tomorrow there probably would be fluctuations so that is why i cannot weigh myself every day. It drives me CRAZYโฆ.:)
For the past two days, i have been trying intermittent fasting which means i do not eat breakfast but i still have 2 mugs of coffee. That keeps me going. I didnโt eat till around 4pm today. I had a container of low carb yogurt and almonds
Then for dinner i had a chicken club (bunless) low carb meal from Hardees. I ate half then i ate the other half later
Yesterday i ordered the grilled chicken caesar salad from Applebeesโฆ..i could not eat it all at one time. I saved the rest for later and put pecans in it per your suggestion
Since i am still staying in the hotel i am eating out more. All i have here is a microwave and a mini fridgeโฆ..i miss my kitchen and stove at home and ny big refrigerator
It really is challenging to eat healthy away from home but after reading all your blog posts has given me some great ideas on how to eat low carb away from home!
I may be in a hotel for at least three weeksโฆ..i miss my homeโฆ.:(
Lynโฆ.i have been also thinking about your weight fluctuations and slow weight loss
You probably do know that the less you weigh, then the less calories you require to maintain that weight and to lose weight
For instance for a 150 lb woman that is sedentary needs only 2000 calories a day to maintain that weight or 2300 if mildly active.
I think increasing your calories with healthy fats or veggies once every three days and then cut your calories significantly the next couple of days along with eating lean and green might trick your body into losing faster again
Our bodies try desperately to hold on to our fat if we cut our calories too low for more than a few days or weeksโฆ..it goes into starvation mode
I think some days you eat too low calorie. I have been looking at your stats every day and you consistently stayed very low calorie many days. Maybe switch it up just a bitโฆ..that is what i have been doing. Some days i eat a lot it seems. (all lowcarb) then other days i eat little
But heck if i were you i really wouldnot worry about the scale but ido understand if you are not comfortable at your weight. You look great and youโve obviously lost inches. I can only dream of the day i get to 150 or underโฆโฆi will get there even if itโs at turtle speed. ๐ (here we go with the turtle symbolism again) Thank youfor all you do
You are our low carb Guru. ๐
And you keep it REAL. ๐
Yay! Congrats on the weight loss!! ๐
What did you think of the pecans in a caesar salad?? Thatโs a FAVORITE of mine. Who knew they would go so well together?! ๐
My weight dropped back down (1.4 pounds) this morning, so Iโm back around my lowest weight again now. Some days I do feel like I need to eat more (but just donโt feel like it). I may make my fudge this weekend: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6247/low-carb-peanut-butter-fudge/ Only because Iโm craving it, but it would definitely bump my calories up. ๐
Well the dental surgery went well and he didnโt have to cut bone so the pain has been minimal โ yay! But I still have to eat soft and blenderized foods. I honestly thought that would bring about weight loss but the opposite has happenedโฆ Iโm up 2 lbs in 2 days ๐ Yesterdays meals:
B: soft cheesy scrambled eggs.
L: Daisy cottage cheese and sugar free strawberry jam mushed up together (delicious but not very filling), Carbmaster yogurt mid-afternoon,
D: mashed up avocado and egg salad, sugar free jello and whipped cream for dessert.
That sounds like a lot of food but it was only a bit over 700 calories and 25 carbs. Normally I keep my carbs under 20 but the last 2 days eating soft foods itโs been hard to do that. And Wednesday (day of surgery) my calories were only 600. Am I gaining because Iโm not eating enough calories? Iโm going to be on this soft food until the middle of next week. Is there something I should be doing differently to keep the weight loss going? Iโm not supposed to exercise for several more days.
Youโre doing great, Betsy! Donโt weigh yourself this week, and donโt worry about the temporary gain showing on the scales. That happens to me when Iโm stressed, sick, hurt, etc โ itโs probably just your body going into โprotective modeโ or something. I experience the same thing, but it will work itself out. ๐