Join us for the Fall 2016 Low Carb Challenge!
ย
Happy Monday! ๐ Weโre kicking off the 6th week of the challenge, and itโs time for the 5 Week Weigh-In.
If youโre participating in the Challenge Facebook Group, use that link to post your weigh-in. Otherwise you can leave a comment here on this post.
As usual, Iโll share my own easy low carb meals with you, to give you some low carb food ideas.
I included my last three days of MyFitnessPal diaries too, so you can see how I log my meals. Below is what I ate on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. You can see my Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday meals here too for even more ideas.
I look forward to your updates, and your thoughts & questions!
Fridayโs Low Carb Meals
I had dinner leftovers for breakfast (grilled chicken & roasted veggies), my low carb cereal for lunch, and for dinner I just snacked: a mozzarella stick, some pistachios, and a turkey & cheese rollup.
View Fridayโs MyFitnessPal Diary
ย
Saturdayโs Low Carb Meals
On Saturday I just had three meals. I had my low carb cereal for breakfast. I had a fun โsnack lunchโ of cucumbers, pineapple pork sticks & mozzarella.:)
Then for dinner I had a Roast Beef Max from Arbyโs without the bun. Thatโs also the day my Keto Krate box arrived!
View Saturdayโs MyFitnessPal Diary
ย
Sundayโs Low Carb Meals
I had my low carb cereal again, lol.
Itโs my favorite healthy low carb breakfast! Itโs just 1/2 cup crushed pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy brand cottage cheese, 4 small diced strawberries and 17.5 grams of hand-picked blueberries. (6 net carbs and 85% healthy fat)
For lunch: the other Roast Beef Max I got at Arbyโs the day before (I bought two!), with a serving of Cello Parmesan Whisps. Quick & easy! And only 2 carbs. ๐
My low carb dinner last nightโฆ was breakfast. ๐
I made sausage & fried eggs. A super easy one-skillet mealโฆ
I ended up staying up late so I got the munchies before I went to bed. ๐
I had the Sugar-Free Cinnamon Nut & Flax Granola with mozzarella sticks. The granola is only 2 net carbs, and itโs delicious!
I donโt normally snack muchโฆ
What do you snack on late at night??
ย
Hereโs My MyFitnessPal Diary for Sunday:
Calories: 1791
Net Carbs: 18
Total Carbs: 41
Protein: 113 Grams
74% Fat, 22% Protein
Water: 56 ounces
Macronutrients: Simple Explanation Of Low Carb Macros
How To Get A Net Carbs Column in MyFitnessPal
ย
ย
I really like the Cello Whisps. ๐ I make my own cheese crisps at home, but these are great for eating low carb on the go, or a quick healthy snackโฆ and packing up for hiking trips too! They are less than 1 carb per serving. Have you tried them yet?
ย
I got those Cello Parmesan Whisps in my Keto Krate when it arrived yesterday. Thatโs the only thing Iโve tried so far, but theyโre SO good! You can see what else came in the box here. Iโm going to try the hazelnut coffee shot today, so stay tuned to hear my thoughts on that. It has GREAT reviewsโฆ
I think today is the last day for the $11 Fabletics eal, by the way โ and the September Keto Krate will be selling out quick this week too, so go ahead and sign up today if you want one! ๐
Iโll be traveling tomorrow, so watch my Facebook and Instagram for fun updates along the way โ including my low carb meals on the go. Iโm off on a road trip to see my daughter for some fun girl-time, and to celebrate her 20th birthday.:)
If you havenโt โmetโ my daughter yet, you have to check out her hooping video (and mine, lol!) from our low carb beach vacation in June. ๐
How are things going for you?
Itโs day 36 and weโre kicking off the 6th week of the challenge. ๐ How are you doing with your low carb meals & macro tracking? Any questions or struggles?
I would love to hear your results so farโฆ
Donโt forget to weigh-in, here or in the Challenge Group.
Leave a comment and letโs talk!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
ย
ย
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
ย
Iโve made it 1 week! I weigh on Fridays though as I tend to drink a little alcohol on the weekends and the scale will be up for sure! So I started last Monday and weighed Friday and was down 4#. I did start in the middle of TOM so I also lost that extra water weight.
I ordered the keto krate also and should get it tomorrow!
Awhile back I bought that writing program you had the deal on. Now that the kids are back in school I need to start looking into that. I would love to find a way to work from home and earn some money. It seems most things I come across are scams.
Congrats, Barb โ thatโs a great first week! ๐
What kind of drinks do you enjoy on the weekends? I like rum & diet coke (zero carb), for wine I like White Zinfandel (1 carb per ounce), and for beer I prefer Mich Ultra (2.6 carbs per 12oz bottle). Alcohol will definitely metabolize slower, resulting in โthe alcohol stallโ so that was smart on your part.:)
That was a GREAT deal on Aliceโs site at Writer Help Wanted. This is the discount link for anyone else interested: http://lynnwsn.writerhelp.hop.clickbank.net/?pid=annivers Iโm a member there too. ๐ Sheโs a good friend of mine. Youโll LOVE all the help, resources & writing jobs!
* You can read more about it here: http://www.clicknewz.com/12095/get-paid-for-writing-jobs/ but make sure you use the special link above to get it cheap.:)
p.s. Note that alcohol hits you much faster and much harder when youโre in ketosis โ so youโll want to drink slower, and drink less than you normally wouldโฆ until you know for sure how itโs going to affect you. ๐
Quick questionโฆmy husband is making spaghetti for today and he always makes his sauce homemade. Iโm nor sure how to track it. I used the recipe tool on MFP but Iโm not sure how to do the servings and what exactly a serving would be (cup, etc). I plan to put in over a plate of squash and zucchini but Im afraid I wonโt calculate the sause correctly and be over my 20 daily net carbsโฆ.??
Hi Casey ๐
The recipe calculator is the ideal way to do it. Thatโs what I use too. How much do you usually use? Half cup seems like plenty of sauce over veggiesโฆ
My advice: Go ahead and enter the veggies now, and enter a serving as one cup. See how it comes out carb-wise. Then if you use half a cup, put โ.5โ instead of โ1โ in your entry.
Just wanted to check in finally! The last few weeks Iโve been out of town with my elderly mother who was very ill. Sheโs much better now thankfully. Anyway, I managed to stay on plan through all of this. I am not a stress eaterโฆ.I actually canโt eat when stressed. Although I didnโt track a single thing I just tried to eat what I know and am down to 139 this morning. This woe does become a habit and gets so much easier everyday. Reading everyoneโs posts helps so much! Have a great day!
Iโm so glad to hear sheโs better now, Marti! And kudos to you for eating healthy through a stressful situation, because thatโs when you need your strength most! Itโs also when itโs best to feel centered and grounded (not out of control). ๐ Well done! Congrats on the weight loss too. ๐ ๐ *cheers*
Itโs been a crazy week for me, I was down 3lbs into the week and now Iโm up 3lbs so Iโm the same as last Monday. I think my feeling deprived has still been a problem. It will pass, I do so good during the week and then the weekend hits. Iโll answer here from my last post about the weekends being hard, and the Fun Fridays LOL. We usually do always have pizza on Fri but not always the tacos & lasagna on Sunday. Your suggestions were good though so thank you. I canโt blame my hubby but it does make it harder when he doesnโt eat this way and itโs just the two of us and we eat together :).
Not only is my weight up but so is my blood sugar, so the Maltitol may be the culprit, it states that is does effect your blood sugar as well as stalling your ketosis. So undoubtedly I have to give the SF candy up.
I wish it was as simple as weighing on Friday instead of Monday because of having a few drinks during the weekend, itโs still stalling your weight loss isnโt it? With me it seems I just gain back the weight I lose when I have a glass of wine. Itโs depressing. I want to live in a world where I can have my wine and weight loss too LOL.
Oh and I saw this cute cartoon on FB and immediately thought of you, I canโt post the picture here, wish we could, but it said: I thought I loved coffeeโฆit turns out I love creamer! LOL.
LOL!! That is SO me, haha ๐ Love it!
So letโs talkโฆ
Last year I was happily engaged and madly in love. You might remember that, maybe not. He was thin and could eat anything, and we ate together a lot. I had a hard time staying on track too. The engagement ended, both kids have left home, and Iโm all alone. And eating alone. I lost everything and everyone โ and weight too. That is NOT a good trade off. I miss my children. I miss family meals together. I miss the life I thought I was going to have. I donโt miss the extra weight, but I *could* have had the weight loss TOO (that was MY choice).
We have so much in life to feel grateful for, and to feel deprived of too. I guess itโs a matter of finding the ever elusive balance (or myth of).
My daughter popped in last Thursday for a surprise visit. She lives a 9 hour round trip away now, so that was a BIG surprise! lolโฆ We grabbed our favorite take-out, which has a HUGE dessert case at the counter. I got grilled chicken & roasted veggies. She got her favorite healthy meal โ and a slice of cake the size of my head. We used to do that together โ get ridiculous meals and watch a movie and hang out. ๐ We still ate together, and she ate her cake. I didnโt feel deprived at all though. I was OVERJOYED just to have her home โ even for a couple of hours (crazy kid, lol).
Our minds are the trickiest part of this whole thing. Losing weight is easy. I never would have believed that โ it SEEMED so hard, lol. But itโs a fact: weight loss IS the easy part. *sigh*
And you can weigh in on any day of the week you choose. ๐ Then just post your Friday weight on the weekly weigh-ins!
Thank you Lynn, I do remember your fiance. My 46 year old son is living with us, I wish he was a 9 hour drive away LOL.!! Ainโt life funny.
Thanks for the talk, it is all about choice and I know I can do it, itโs just challenging when one eats one way and you eat another for the same meal. Usually I can work it out, Iโll just have meat and veggie but the pizza, taco, sushi meals are hard, not so much to convert but to not indulge when itโs right there ya know?
Iโll start over again tomorrow and get back on track. I hate this losing and gaining the same weight over and over.
I know I can weigh any day, my point was drinking is stalling your weight loss whether you weigh on Friday or Monday.
Thank you so much for your advice and insight. It helps more than you know.
Big Hug!
I *do* know โ that was all challenging for me as well. Not because of anyone or anything else, just because of my willpower.
I stayed on that same weight loss/gain roller coaster for quite awhile โ gaining and losing the same 10+ pounds forever it seemed like. ๐ It IS frustrating!
There are always wonderful foods to pick. I really wish I had always picked them (back then). Like at the sushi place I love grilled salmon with sauteed mushrooms and avocado slices. Itโs delicious!
Getting OFF that roller coaster is the best thing ever. Itโs a chicken and egg thing though. I had to force myself off of it, but once I didโฆ I no longer even feel tempted by those things at all. ๐
Also, I donโt tell myself I can never ever have those things again. If a friend says, โOh, you canโt have that can you?โ I say โI can. Iโll eat whatever I want, I just donโt want it today.โ ๐ Or I say, โIโm in the middle of a challenge, so maybe after thatโs over.โ (to myself)
I like knowing i *can* have whatever I want, and that itโs simply a choice โ because I *want* to get in amazing shape this year (more). That makes it feel less like depriving myself, and more like working toward something awesome. ๐
Hi Lynn, I just ordered my Keto Krate! You are a great motivator! It seems everything you are eating I want to try, eventually, lol. I am slow to change my habits, but eventually I do! Have a great week!
Youโre going to LOVE the Keto Krate, Julie. ๐ Iโm slow to change too, lol. I always joke that Iโm the caboose on every train.;) haha. Itโs been FUN to mix things up and try new stuff though!
Hi Lynn,
After 4 weeks of staying on track (even while on a 2 week fishing trip) and hardly any results, I was so disappointed and frustrated. (Didnโt even have the awesome ice cream they have at the lodge!) Of course, went off track for the past week, but am back at it again. I may have been consuming more carbs than I thought I was. I made your sausage, spinach, cream cheese with eggs on top for breakfast yesterday and I really liked it. But, my husband LOVED it!! Thank you!! Have to keep trying!!
Hi Trudy!
I thought you had GREAT results on that 2 week trip. ๐ I know you were disappointed in them, but you did great! What made you want to go off track the past week โ discouragement or disappointment? Or just taking a break?
Iโm glad you enjoyed the sausage & spinach dish! Itโs a favorite. Such an easy one skillet meal, and a great way to sneak in LOTS of spinach. ๐
Hi Lynn,
Yes, I was discouraged and that part of me saidโฆjust forget it! But the part of me that knows it is the best thing for me says get back on track and make it a lifestyle, just not all about losing weight. Love reading your posts! Sure helps! :-))
Iโm glad ๐ and glad you got right back on track! My weight has just fluctuated slightly for the last month really, no real loss to speak of. I should actually double check my entries on that. But I just keep on keeping on. ๐ The alternative is me gaining โ because I can gain super fast, lol.
Iโm very curious about your cheese crisps. I love the. Wisps so Iโd like to try making some like yours. Will you share your recipe?
Hereโs the recipe Marian โ or simple instructions, I should say: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4232/low-carb-chips/ Yummy homemade cheese crisps! ๐ Enjoy!
Hi! I just discovered your blog this weekend and spent most of yesterday reading all of your past posts. You are incredibly motivating. I have lost about 25 lbs total, but I too have lost and gained the same 10 over and over. Iโve worked hard to get into decent physical shape with lifting weights and cardio, but really want to lose the last bit of weight. Iโm starting today thanks to you!!! Thanks for the push! ๐
Welcome Nikki ๐
Iโm so glad you found the information here helpful & motivating! That makes my day.:) Did you lose your first 25 pounds eating low carb, or another way? I have really enjoyed the low carb lifestyle โ for more than just weight loss. Iโm in amazing health now!
Week 5 .. Already behind me??? Wow! This has to be some sort of record for me as far as sticking to something and truly not even falling off for a day or quitting! I donโt get to report a loss this week .. I actually was a day late weighing in and up .7 from last week. However, itโs that time of the month for bloating and all the wonderful was of being a girl so I was actually expecting a gain. Iโm going to keep working hard and moving forward and Iโm so happy to be making good changes! I can feel it! I actually wore jeans over the weekend that I couldnโt wear last year!
Thatโs such an awesome feeling isnโt it, Jennifer? ๐ Way to go!! The weight loss itself is such a great reward, but I love the way it FEELS to be on track and sticking to my goals โ and in control. ๐
Thank you for all of your information and motivation. Right now I am stuck in a rut. I have gained almost a pound a week for the last two weeks. Overall I have lost 27 pounds (which I try to focus on when I get depressed). I have been eating 70% fat, less than 20 carbs per day. I am nowhere near my goal weight, so that isnโt it. I havenโt exercised much in the past two weeks because of my work schedule. Could that really cause me to gain 2 pounds though. I thought I should still lose weight even without the exercise. Any suggestions? I know I canโt be upset with the weight loss I have, but two weeks in a row makes me want to just eat a bunch of carbs. The willpower is much harder to maintain during an increase in weight.
Hi Crissy ๐
My weight fluctuates by 1-3 pounds ALL the time. Instead of saying youโve gained two pounds, say โIโve lost 25 pounds!!โ The alternative (eating a bunch of carbs, as you said) will make you gain a lot more than 1 or 2 poundsโฆ ๐
Just hang in there, let your body adjust, and eat for your health! Thatโs what I have to do. My weight has barely fluctuated (no real loss) in about 4 weeks now I think. But Iโm NOT gaining! ๐ I say that to myself every day. ๐ YAY, Iโm NOT gaining!
A pound or two up doesnโt count as โgaining weightโ โ plus I know Iโm eating healthy and keeping my body healthy.
Itโs not the lack of exercise, probably just a normal โhold patternโ in your weight loss trend. Keep doing what is obviously working โ how you lost the first 27! If you have changed anything, go back to what you were doing before. ๐
How are you tracking by the way? Are you doing 20 net carbs max, and 70% fat minimum?
Thank you so much! Sometime it helps just to hear from someone else! I track on myfitnesspal. And yes, I do 20 net carbs max and 70% minimum fat.
The only thing I can see is maybe I have increased nuts. I will try cutting back on those a bit and see how it goes.
You encouragement is just what I needed today! Some brought in a homemade lemon cake to work today (my favorite) and I wonโt even walk by it ๐ I havenโt had many cravings, but when you are feeling down, itโs easy to indulge. But you are right, 25 pounds is still an accomplishment. No lemon cake for me!!
Thanks again for all you do! You are truly an inspiration!
Iโm so glad, Crissy ๐ ๐ That makes my day!!
Sticking it out during the tough spots is exactly how I got where I am. When I gave in to the mind game before, I was on a constant roller coaster gaining and losing the same 10-20 pounds โ and frustrated all the time.
Decide to BEAT it. ๐ It feels GOOD! ๐