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Here is my Low Carb Food Diary for Day 78 of the โGet Lean For Summer!โ 90 Day Low Carb Challenge. Itโs NEVER too late to join if you havenโt already!
Note: I havenโt set a date for the next 90 Day Low Carb Challenge yet, but the group stays open & active year round. Join in and stay tuned!!
I mentioned yesterday that my scales havenโt moved in over a week.
Iโm still 144.8 pounds this morning, but I feel like my scales are going to move again any day now. ๐
Waiting out these โholdsโ and slight fluctuations has been the KEY to my success with this low carb challenge.
Iโve only lost 10 pounds during this challenge (so far), but thatโs GREAT given Iโm so close to my goal weight โ and my clothes are literally hanging off of me at this point. ๐
I have some ideas for getting the scales to move a little quicker, so stay tuned to see what I do. ๐ I feel like I have a cold coming on though, so I may have to ride that out first, or maybe itโll pass quick. Either way, I aim to finish this challenge STRONG! ๐
Day 78: Mondayโs Low Carb Meals
I made a HUGE batch of Seafood Spinach Dip over the weekend, so Iโve been eating that for days โ lol. The other night I crumbled up my low carb bread with it and baked it in the oven. That was DELICIOUS! Youโll find both recipes here โ for the dip AND the low carb bread.
Anyway, yesterday I had the dip for breakfast (lol) with crisp cucumber slices:
Then for lunch I had my favorite โLow Carb Cerealโ โ 1/2 cup crushed pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy Brand cottage cheese and 4 small diced strawberries. That comes to 5 net carbs and 85% healthy fats, and itโs a nice crunchy/sweet mix of very healthy foods!
By evening I wasnโt feel well. Thatโs when I started feeling like I may have a cold coming on. Joe invited me over for dinner which was SO nice, given I didnโt feel like cooking โ or eating dip again ๐ lol.
It was a really simple mix of chicken breast with broccoli & cauliflower, baked with โCampbellโs Cream of Chicken with Herbsโ soup. Absolutely delicious! That really hit the spot. ๐ I didnโt eat a lot because I wasnโt feeling well, but it was SO good.
He saved the labels for me too. ๐ That was super nice, hey?! The cream of chicken w/herbs condensed soup is 9 carbs for 1/2 cup condensed (or 1 cup made).
It makes me want to check out other โcream ofโ soup labels to find the lowest carb count. Spread across a whole dish or recipe it comes out fairly low carb!
Hereโs My MyFitnessPal Diary for Monday:
Tracking Macronutrients (Simple Explanation of Macros)
How To Get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal
Net Carbs: 23
Total Carbs: 31
Protein: 74 Grams
70% Fat, 23% Protein
Exercise: None
FitBit Steps: 2,632
Water: 72 ounces
I may have overestimated on the dinner. I donโt think I had 3/4 cup of veggies or 1/4 cup of the sauce. And I didnโt finish my last coffee โ or even half of it. But close is good enough. ๐
Hereโs a picture of my โbaked bread & seafood dipโ that I mentioned having the other night. Youโll find both recipes here โ for the dip AND the low carb bread.
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I have a house full of food at the moment, which I am NOT used to. Joe brought me some fresh yellow squash from the Farmerโs Market, I still have some dip leftover, and he sent me home with a dish of the chicken & veggies.
Hmm, I may bake the squash with the dip and fry smoked sausages to go with it. ๐ I have a whole cucumber and half a second oneโฆ I could make cucumber and salami sammiches, and cucumber salad too.
I bought a lot of groceries last week lol. Itโs easy enough to freeze the meats, but as a single woman eating most meals alone that makes me feel a lot of pressure not to let anything go bad before I can eat it. ๐ Thatโs what I love about frozen berries and frozen veggies. I can just take out what I want and thereโs no stress over it spoiling.
Cooking, shopping, meal planning & meal prep all takes SO much time. Which is why I usually eat out so much, lol.
How are things going on your end?
Are you feeling MOTIVATED? Are you happy with your weight loss so far? Are you struggling to stay on track? Iโd love to hear from you!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
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WTG Joe! Heโs really scoring some points! Lol
I was doing well but fell off last Thursday when I got sick. Some type of stomach bug which has gone thru my whole family. I was better by Saturday but failed to get back on plan. Yesterday involved a trip to Sonic and a shake. There I was back to old habits already. The shake made me feel like crap physically and mentally. Today Iโm back on plan. Just had some bacon and eggs!
You know what really scares me though is maintenance. Am I going to be able to eat like this the rest of my life? Will I be able to indulge in a treat occasionally and not let it derail me? Not sure why Iโm thinking about this as I still have about 40# to go! One day at a time I suppose!
He IS scoring points, lol. And weโre both slimming down A LOT since we met two months ago with all of our โfitness adventuresโ and healthy eating. ๐
A stomach bug is the worst. Ugh! Iโm so glad youโre over that. And Iโm really glad youโre back on plan today. ๐
I used to really struggle every time I ate off plan โ getting back on track, I mean. I finally BEAT that during this challenge. It took me getting seriously consistent for long periods of time. Then when I did allow myself an off plan dayโฆ I didnโt even enjoy it and was more than happy to be right back on track the next morning.
The longer you eat super low carb (20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum) the less youโll even WANT off plan foods, and the more your body rejects it when you do. Just start with committing to 30 full days without going over 20 net carbsโฆ ๐
Iโm on Day 79 as of today and there were only 2 times in that many days that I ate something off plan โ once was a cookie (totally not worth it, it tanked my hike!) and the other before that was 2 off plan meals โ a planned day โ and it wasnโt even enjoyable.
Iโm leaner, stronger, happier, and more committed than ever. ๐
Another idea for that cucumber. Slice thin and mix with sour cream, the heavy black pepper โ so heavy it looks almost black & white. Let it chill for at least 1 hour. Heavenly. Doesnโt sound like it would be, but it is so good and so refreshing in the hot summer.
That does sound delicious! I like to cube the cucumber, add mayo & salt, and a bit of crumbled feta cheese. Quick & easy โcucumber saladโ. ๐
I hope you feel better soon. Summer colds are no fun. I am looking forward to your ideas for getting the scales to move a little quicker. I am still 15-20 lbs away from a healthy weight and Iโm losing at a snailโs pace (but staying true to 1200 calories and under 20 total carbs a day). I expected it to be this slow as I got closer but not this far out. My measurements are not changing any faster. ๐
Thank you, Betsy! Iโm feeling better today so far. Well enough to get out for my weekly hike at least. ๐ And my scales dropped almost half a pound this morning!
Sometimes it helps to increase your calories off and on, with healthy low carb foods of course. Iโll increase carbs to 25-30 some days too, again with vegetables and low carb foods. Being TOO consistent with your numbers seems to encourage those โholdsโ, although Iโm not 100% sure whyโฆ
Anyway, some things to try โ First cut out any bars/shakes or other processed foods (including processed meats) and cut out or cut down on: cheese, nuts, cream cheese & dairy โ heavy cream etc.
If you havenโt tried 3IMAX yet, thatโs a great stall breaker! Itโs basically just โ3 Ingredients Maxโ per plate or meal โ keeping it super simple with real food and very basic food combinations: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6064/3-ingredients-rule/
And last but not leastโฆ wait it out. ๐ My scales didnโt move for the last 8 full days. They went up .2 pounds, then (finally) dropped .4 pounds. Small amounts but I can FEEL a nice difference with that half pound loss! And my overall long-term trend has been weight LOSS. ๐
It IS tough when youโre closer to your goal weight. Definitely more challenging!
Lynn,
Glad youโre feeling better and will be up for your weekly hike. Yay for the half pound loss!
Iโm not doing bars or shakes, but I do occasionally do processed meats, such as Aidellโs Chicken Apple Sausages (only one). We usually have those once a week because they are so easy and we love them. We have very little cheese, nuts, or cream cheese, although since Iโm doing intermittent fasting a few days a week, Iโm having cream in my coffee on those mornings only. Otherwise I drink it black. I think most of my meals are 3IMax compliant. We eat very simply. Eggs with sausage crumbles and a bit of cheese for breakfast; chicken or egg salad with lettuce and a few grape tomatoes for lunch; protein and one veg or salad for dinner. Iโm going on vacation in a week so I expect my weight loss to stop for the week or so we will be gone, but I hope to at least stay level while weโre going. I will probably drink some red wine but continue eating low carb. Wish me luck!
Hmm โ how are you tracking? Are you getting 70% fat or more every single day? If not thatโs what I would focus on. And if so, try going to 80% fat.
How long have you been doing intermittent fasting? I would try doing higher fat and even higher calories on and off instead, just for one week, and see if that shakes things up a bit. ๐