I felt really out of sorts with the end of the 90 Day Low Carb Challenge.
I had been looking forward to that day for so long, or using it as a focal point throughout the challenge, thinking I’d take a day or two “off” to enjoy all the foods I thought I missed or wanted to eat – then get right back on track.
But after 90 full days of eating a healthy ketogenic diet (well, except for one intentional cheat day and one other screw-up)… I just didn’t WANT any of the junk food I thought I missed so badly!
I was torn. On one hand I thought it might be wise to “get it out of my system” – go ahead and eat donuts and french fries and such and be done with it…
On the other hand… I just didn’t want it. But knowing I’d kick off another Low Carb Challenge VERY soon, it seemed smart to do it NOW. Right? I thought so. 😛
Meh. I got up and made my usual healthy low carb breakfast… I didn’t know what else to do with myself! 🙂 lol *sigh*
It’s 1/2 cup of pecans, 4 small diced strawberries and 1/4 cup Daisy Brand cottage cheese – which comes to 5 net carbs and 85% healthy fats:
That was actually a late breakfast, closer to 11am probably. Joe and I had plans in Nashville for the evening so I waited to eat again knowing we’d have an early dinner.
I had a bit of a problem…
None of my clothes fit right anymore! 😐 A good “problem” to have of course, given it’s because I’ve lost so much weight – lol. But still!
I pulled out this favorite little lightweight cotton dress because it was a sticky July evening… a dress that used to be “fitted” and hug me in a way that made me look voluptuous and curvy – now hangs on me like a shapeless sack!
The dress worked well enough for the evening, but as the night wore on it just got bigger and bigger on me 😛 lol. I need a seamstress. 🙂 Anyway…
We decided to eat at Chili’s Grill & Bar in the city. It’s a favorite spot of mine.
I had no idea what I would order.
All sorts of food ideas danced through my head!! I decided I could have anything I wanted. I considered a big fat greasy cheeseburger and fries – with dessert on top. I looked over the menu and carefully considered all the beautiful foods I normally would never allow myself to have.
I settled on the Quesadilla Explosion Salad…
A SALAD 😯 hahaha. What a lame cheat meal. 🙂 lol. I even looked up the nutrition facts from my mobile – and logged the meal in MyFitnessPal. Old habits die hard!
This salad is 74 net carbs. I’ve always wanted to try one! I usually special order a low carb version, but I really wanted to try “the real thing” just once.
It was fabulous, by the way. 🙂 I ate about 3/4 of it, so it was maybe 50’ish carbs. And I did NOT order dessert! YAY!! I was actually pretty pleased with my choice, given how MANY choices I had…
I mentioned that I usually order this “low carb style”. Here is a detailed description (with photos!) of how I usually special order a low carb version of the Quesadilla Explosion Salad at Chili’s.
Here’s another great low carb meal at Chili’s Grill & Bar too.
I was STUFFED after that HUGE salad. I was also woozy within the hour, as it spiked my blood sugar, and I felt tired (lethargic) the rest of the evening. 😛
Here’s My MyFitnessPal Diary for Sunday:
Joe and I went to see a live band at the City Winery in downtown Nashville. Here’s a fun picture of us from last night:
Getting Right Back On Track After Eating Carbs
As I was winding down last night, I thought: I might as well eat what I want tomorrow while I’m already out of ketosis. Then get back on track. I have to go through keto flu again this week anyway (ugh!).
Then I thought about how hard I worked to lose the last ~12 pounds, at a grueling 1 pound per week average, and how FAST I gain weight back. Double Ugh! 😛
I woke up 1.2 pounds UP this morning.
It stops there! I’m done.
I got up today and made a healthy low carb breakfast, and just got right back on track. This is about making a conscious (mindful, deliberate) decision:
Food or Fat?
Donuts or Hot Body?
What’s one more day going to hurt, you might ask?
I asked myself the same thing. I couldn’t come up with a good answer. Except that it would put me that much further AWAY from my goal, instead of toward it. Or that it seemed pointless. I mean, it’s just food – and tomorrow it would just be a “food memory” and kinda pointless – and I would be stuck with another pound or two to lose again. I dunno. It all seemed so pointless. 😛 It IS pointless.
The only REAL way to “get it out of your system” is NOT to binge out on it… but to QUIT it. I’ve learned that through being so consistent and on track for such a long period of time. Your cravings, your alluring affair with certain foods, completely dissipates the further you get away from it.
It’s like any addiction (or a stray cat, lol): feeding it keeps it around. 😛
So I rationalized why I should NOT binge today, instead of allowing my (fickle) mind to rationalize why I SHOULD.
So what if it’s a holiday. So what if I kicked ass for 90 full days and “deserve it.” Do I really DESERVE to gain weight and feel lethargic? No. Does a holiday have to be about food? No, never – it should be about the holiday…
I almost blew it completely. Then I reeled myself back in.
I’m proud of that decision, and SO happy to be back on track today and working toward my health & weight loss goals! THAT is something to celebrate. 🙂
What about you? How are you doing??
I hope my ramblings here proved helpful for you. Sometimes it’s as simple as being in control of your choices and stopping to MAKE deliberate choices. Other times it takes a little more “soul searching” to get and stay on track with your goals.
If you’ve been off track for awhile, or on/off and struggling to get and STAY on track, read this. I wrote it after a particularly hard time over a year ago, and it’s helped a lot of people get back to a HAPPY place with their weight loss goals (too).
I’m going to spend some time this week going through my clothes, finding a local seamstress, and hopefully finding some clothes that FIT, lol.
I’m HAPPY today! That’s a heckuva lot better than being miserable with myself. I think back on times when I thought I “deserved” a certain food or day or week. Did I *really* think I “deserved” to feel miserable and defeated and hopeless?
Because that’s what I ended up feeling… every single time. Those binges made me feel like I would NEVER reach my goals, that losing weight was hopeless for me, and I felt discouraged and disappointed in myself.
Who deserves that?! I don’t. Not anymore. Whoever that vicious woman was inside my head for so long that did that to me… she’s gone now. Long gone. The only way to get rid of her is to STOP feeding her…
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. If you participated in the Spring Low Carb Challenge and missed the Final Weigh In and the other notes & details, click here and catch up. 🙂





Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER

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