It’s time to weigh-in for the week! 🙂 Our current Low Carb Challenge is nearing the end, but we’re gearing up for a FUN spring challenge starting in mid April.
You’ll find the Week 11 Weigh In inside the Facebook Challenge Group, or you can comment here on this post if you’re not participating in our Facebook group.
At MY last weigh-in, I was 1.5 pounds UP at 141.1 pounds.
I shared the details of doing clean testing experiments in an effort to break a year long weight loss plateau, and testing my ketone levels regularly to identify food culprits that are making my weight fluctuate so much.
I am currently in optimal ketosis so it’s a great time to do my next food test ~ and I don’t want to. 😛
Or I’m torn about it, I guess I should say…
My weight dropped half a pound the day after my last report, from 141.1 on Thursday to 140.6 pounds on Friday morning. On Saturday, I weighed in at 140.8 – and have stayed there, every morning: 140.8 Saturday, Sunday, Monday – on repeat, lol.
I know my own weight loss trends pretty well after doing this for so long, so I feel I’m on the cusp of a loss as I tend to lose / hold / hold / lose. And I lose small amounts and very slowly this close to goal weight (within 5’ish pounds, I’d guess).
Half a pound a week is GOOD weight loss for me.
On a good streak I might lose 1-2 pounds a month at the most. That’s because I’m so close to goal weight, like I said. But also because I eat low carb consistently – meaning: I’m not making any major lifestyle (or food) changes.
Something is going on with my hormone cycle right now too, but I’m not sure what it is since my uterus went missing a few years ago. 🙄
Another issue at play with me right now is stress. Sometimes that makes me NOT want to eat, and that’s something I have to be aware of and do something about – because it’s simply the opposite of my past binge eating problem.
It’s funny (not funny!) that NOT eating, or not eating enough, can also stall your weight loss – or slow it down. But I’ve definitely seen that play out with my own body as I worked through my weight loss journey.
Trust The Process – Patience Is Key! 😉
My point with all that is to share that I’m taking this in stride and not expecting miracles or anything. I’m testing, tracking, listening to my body, and just trusting the process – and tweaking as I go.
I’m also going easy on myself, and just letting things play out as they will. The stress will lift, tough phases pass, and your body will do it’s own thing in it’s own time.
I’m planning to put my next low carb product to the “ketosis test” but I’m holding off for two reasons. First, because I want to see what happens with my weight this week, and if I see the drop I’m expecting. And second… because I’m going dancing on Thursday night, and I don’t want to go out bloated – or worse: with keto flu! 😛
I do NOT like the feeling of being out of ketosis, so I’m kicking myself for committing to the food testing process lol. Ugh! But bear with me… I’ll probably resume the tests after my date Thursday night. 😉
I also don’t want to screw up any “clean tests” by throwing alcohol into the mix, lol. I rarely drink, so I’m very much looking forward to a low carb beer, or rum & diet coke!
In the meantime, below is my food diary for yesterday.
Then in my next post I’ll show you my meals and macros going back over the last week, so you can see what I ate to get (and stay!) at optimal ketosis levels.
I should start by saying that my Monday’s are FULL and hectic, and also a very LONG work day for me – so it was definitely a day of “convenience eating” with very little time for cooking ‘n such…
My Low Carb Meals on Monday
It was late in the morning before I finally sat down to eat (maybe 10am?), and honestly I had to eat at my desk and keep on rolling. I finished what was left of my parmesan chicken. I just diced it up, added cheddar, warmed it & called it breakfast.
That parmesan chicken was great, btw! You just coat chicken in mayo, then coat it in finely shredded parmesan, and bake it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Then I topped mine with organic salsa and provolone and stuck it under the broiler for a sec. Yum!
I had a big delicious buttery vanilla coffee keto shake for lunch, because I was consulting over lunch hour. I wasn’t sure how long I’d be tied up, and I would be drinking coffee anyway, so I just turned that into a meal. 😉
I used the Ketologie keto shake mix, hot coffee and butter.
I had a LARGE 24 ounce mug (with 24 ounces of coffee) and used 2 scoops (one serving) of the shake mix and 2 TBSP of butter. I just hit it with the mixer for a sec so it was nice & frothy – and went back to work!
You can learn more about Ketologie in my blog post here.
I have to work until at least 8pm on Monday’s, and had a healthy dinner planned, so I had some cream cheese & Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Almond Butter together for a snack to hold me over…
This is the Legendary Foods Nut Butters I was telling you about in my last post – that I made all that beautiful keto candy with!
I finally got to wind down and get ready to eat my dinner…
I had leftover grilled chicken & broccoli that I got from Applebee’s the night before. It’s Fiesta Lime Chicken (minus the rice & tortilla strips) with steamed broccoli as the side.
It’s on the 2-for-$20 menu which includes an appetizer, and two side salads is one of those options.
I had eaten the salad the night before, and just put the meal away because I was 1) too tired, and 2) satisfied enough with the salad – mostly just too tired. 😉
That would have put me at 18 net carbs and 75% fat for the day. But I changed my mind and put the food back up – and just went to bed without eating dinner. I was exhausted. 😛
MyFitnessPal Diary for Monday
I probably didn’t give my “chicken breakfast” enough credit in it’s entry, because it was A LOT of chicken. Probably at least 8 ounces if I were guessing.
Calories: 1315
Net Carbs: 13
78% Fat, 18% Protein
Protein: 56 grams
Water: 48 ounces
How To Get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal (Free)
Ideal LCHF / Keto Macro Tracking Explained
I got up this morning and made Low Carb Blueberry Cinnamon Bun Muffins using the Nut Butter Recipe I shared with you last week.
The muffins were beautiful, and my friend Kelly tried one and really enjoyed them. It’s a great recipe. But I didn’t feel like eating any. I put them away for when I’m in the mood for them. 😉
I’m not sure what’s going on with my lack of appetite, or lack of interest in food, but I would guess it’s ketosis at work: given it’s a natural appetite suppressant.
That and stress, just normal life stuff, which will pass soon enough. Along with the extra pounds I’m wearing at the moment. 😛
I’ll be interested to test with my keto strips after having a few drinks Thursday night, and seeing how THAT affects my ketone levels. Alcohol is something I haven’t tested yet – so I suppose we can call that my “clean test” for the week. 😀
This testing requires A LOT of patience, with a dash of discipline.
I’m being VERY strategic about it so I can be absolutely sure of the results, and give you accurate reports of what I discover in the process.
I’m finding it much easier to “eat clean” and stick to foods I already know do not stall my weight loss or affect my ketone levels. I’m good with simple.
But convenience is nice too, and I miss having the freedom to just grab something in a rush – like that Cinnamon Know Cookie that was taunting me yesterday, lol.
I’m committed to seeing this through, as much work as it is, and as much as I dislike the thought of potentially throwing myself out of ketosis again.
And I’m committed to patience, and just trusting the process and allowing my body to release weight in it’s own time.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to be lazy or complacent about it. I know that stress and sleep quality play a part in ME holding on to weight, so I’m taking measures to relieve stress and get better rest — and to stop skipping meals, because that just freaks my body out. 😛
How are things going with you this week?
Don’t forget to weigh-in here, or in your comment below…
Leave a comment and let’s chat!:)
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. The Low Carb Waffle Recipe I shared a few days ago also makes DELICIOUS low carb muffins & pancakes. This is the recipe I used to make the Blueberry Cinnamon Bun Muffins this morning. 😉
You can use ANY nut butter in this recipe, but the best I’ve tried so far are the delicious flavored nut butters from Legendary Foods. Specifically: Apple Pie, Blueberry Cinnamon Bun and Pecan Pie Almond Butter. See Legendary Foods and use code LOWCARBTRAVELER for our special discount. ENJOY!
p.p.s. It also makes AMAZING Keto Candy!
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
Great report on your latest Keto journey. Iβm at a real stubborn plateau and have been for four months! I only know myself whoβs on Keto so reading your blogs has helped me. Itβs been 1 year now and Iβm down 5 Stone in weight. Iβll definitely look into the culprits of my weight fluctuations. Thanks again this will really help me Iβm sure.
Hi Richy π
I was just reading your other comment at: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6064/3-ingredients-rule/#comment-81985 and agree that going back to tracking is the KEY to identifying what could be causing your plateau or stall.
I wouldn’t rule out dairy without doing a clean test / experiment first. Start with this: Track your macros carefully for the next two weeks, and keep it super simple: Focus on 20 net carbs max and 70% fat minimum every day, consistently.
Often it’s eating too lean that will stall MY weight loss, and tracking is the only way to know if you’re getting at least 70% of your total daily calories in healthy fats. π Keep me posted! *cheers*
Hi Lynn,
A double chocolate chip KNOW cookie has been temping me at work. I almost ate it as a cookie yesterday after my lunch, but avoided it because a had a good lunch (chicken, some raw carrots and leafy greens). I know carrots are a gray area but I was able to fit a few in my macros. Trying to break the stall by using your IMAX rules and it helped with some mysterious bloating I was suffering through last week.
I’m so glad to hear the 3IMAX method works great for you! It’s been the ideal stall-breaker for SO many of us.
I think the carrots were a better choice than the cookie. π I don’t personally eat carrots, but sometimes I’ll have a few cherry tomatoes in a salad, and I would rather have those than a dessert later myself!
How do you get net carbs to show up on the MFP?
I’m a moron, I see the link.
lol, glad you found it! π Were you able to get it set up to track net carbs? If you have any questions, let me know! *cheers*