I have a very candid piece to share with you today, but just like everything else Iโve posted over the last 7 years here on this blog Iโll be completely honest with you about the WHAT and the WHY, and the thought processes behind both.
I think itโs great to โtalk real lifeโ through this journey, and even greater that we have each other to do that with.
Keep reading โ I havenโt totally lost my mind or gone off the rails. yet, haha ๐
First thoughโฆ
I just got my April Keto Krate box. ๐ Thereโs SO much fun low carb stuff this time. Hereโs whatโs inside this month, including a low carb Margarita mixer!!!
(I TOTALLY NEED THAT THIS WEEKEND) ๐
Learn More About Keto Krate: Always Low Carb & Gluten Free!
๐ Promo Code FIVE2018 will get you $5 off your first box
Did you get this box? If so, whatโs YOUR favorite thing so far?
If youโre NOT getting Keto Krate, can I just askโฆ Why not?!:)
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My Planned, Intentional Weekend Binge (Why, What, How)
First, let me clarify that this is two things: 1) a mindful decision, and 2) a LOW CARB binge. Hmm, โbingeโ may not be the fair word to call itโฆ maybe a free-for-all or a let-your-effing-hair-down weekend might be more appropriate.
Iโll let you be the judge. ๐
Before I dive in, Iโm doing my next โclean testโ experiment today for my low carb product testing series. Iโve been eating super clean this week, only tested & keto approved foods, and am testing in Optimal Ketosis levels, soโฆ
Fridayโs Food Test is CHOCZERO BABY! ๐
Yes, this is what Iโm having for lunch while I write this to you -lol.
Itโs 1.9 ounces of cream cheese (Philadelphia 5 Simple Ingredients, half carb per ounce), two TBSP of peanut butter and two TBSP of ChocZero Chocolate Syrup.
Interestingly, the ChocoZero syrups are named Honest Syrup (which Iโm pretty sure is the same as Truth Serum) and the fact that Iโm eating it while writing this post means youโre going to get my truest thoughts and feelings today. ๐
Iโm eating super clean today other than ChocZero products, and staying within my macros, so stay tuned for the results of my ChocZero experiment โ and if or how it affects my ketone levels or knocks me out of ketosis. ๐
Back To My โWeekend Bingeโ โฆ
In my last food diary post, properly called To Be Low Carb Continued, I shared my frustrations with false negatives & positives on ketone testing (thanks to a glow-in-the-dark vitamin, lol) and also that my weight has been โholding steadyโ lately โ or actually fluctuating all over the place within a 3-5 pound range.
So this morning I wake up testing in optimal ketosis like I said, but I weighed in UP almost a pound from yesterday. ๐
Thatโs annoying. I know youโre familiar with that feeling, when youโre forcing yourself to eat super simple meals and whole foods and avoiding even low carb indulgences โ and the scales just mock you. ๐
Truth: the fluctuations Iโm seeing on the scales this week are most likely due to crappy sleep patterns, and nothing at all to do with what Iโm eating โ or not eating. Solid quality sleeps have always made a positive difference in my weight loss journey.
Anywayโฆ
I mentioned in that last post that I was feeling frustrated and annoyed with the whole product testing thing, and how it felt like โdietingโ all over again โ which is why I even care what the scales say, because the whole thing just has me back on that crazy dieting roller coaster that makes me all anxious and stressed. ๐ฏ
Soโฆ
I decided to take today (Friday) to do my next โClean Product Testโ (yay, yummy ChocZero!! ๐ lol) and then for the rest of the weekend I am stepping away from it all.
Meaning: Iโm taking a mental break, NOT a low carb break. I intend to continue eating only low carb foods, but I am going to eat whatever I want without concern for tested vs untested products, and without micro-tracking every &#%!@? gram.
Just typing that out loud made me breathe a HUGE sigh of relief, lol.
I feel so much pressure sometimes over what I eat, my macros, every little ingredient, etc. Some of that is definitely self-induced pressure, yes. But to be fair, being a public figure in the low carb spaceโฆ everything I share gets judged, snubbed, questioned, yada yada yada.
IT.GETS.OLD.
Not to say I donโt LOVE what I do here, because I do!
I just need a break from testing, tracking, tweaking and micro-managing my meals to the point of dreading the next meal. Just for ONE weekend. ๐
Because truth be known, Iโm probably harder / stricter on myself than anyone ever is towards me, lol.
So no, Iโm not going to go totally nuts and eat bread. ๐ฏ
haha
I do have some new products I want to try, without having to test them (yet), and Iโd like to just relax and enjoy whatever low carb foods I want to eat, whenever I want to eat them, however I want to eat them.
Iโll still track my foods in MyFitnessPal, and Iโll still share ALL of my meals (and everything I eat) on both Facebook and Instagram if you want to follow along.
Whether or not Iโll stay under 20 net carbs I canโt promise either way. Iโll see how that goes. I have some new low carb ice cream flavors to review, a few really good products that are higher in carb count, but also have higher quality ingredients, that Iโd like to try, etc.
I canโt imagine I would go much higher though, because I simply canโt eat like I used to. Iโm just going to LIFT ALL LIMITATIONS for the weekend and FREE-FLOW it for a couple of days.
After today of course. Because today is ChocZero testing day!
Then on Monday morning, Iโll get right back to super boring (lol) clean eating of eggs and pecans and such. ๐
I suppose this will result in some interesting things to share with you, so stay tuned! If you have any thoughts or questions in the meantime, let me knowโฆ
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. Are you usually more freestyle low carb or a macro-tracking keto addict like me?:) And did you get the April Keto Krate? Leave a comment & letโs chat!! ๐
(If you need coupon codes for anything you see in the box, I may have one โ so just ask. Our coupon code for ChocZero is TravelingLowCarb. Our coupon code for Keto Kookies is LOWCARBTRAVELER. And the coupon code for Keto Krate is FIVE2018โฆ)
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Please let me/us know how the choc 0 syrup tastes. I have hersheys sf choc syrup and it is terrible tasting unless i add sweetener to it but then it is still not that great
I AM looking for a true lc sugar free ice cream that tastes good. Not halo top โฆit knocks me out of ketosis. Or enlightened brand tastes awful ackkkkkk.
I hate tracking my food. I admire you for that
I would be so happy if i could find a whipped cream that is truly low carb. I tried making my own and it never comes out light and fluffy
Donโt believe that those aerisol. Whipped cream are low carb. All have sugar or corn syrup listed as an ingredient. Though it states it has one gram or less of carbs. I think that is deceiving. It knocks me outof ketosis too. As does peanut butter with sugar as an ingredient.
Whipping real heavy cream with the Swerve confectioners sugar (available on Amazon) and vanilla will do the trick!!! They also make a sugar-free aerosol I have seen at Wal-Mart but even Reddi-Whip isnโt bad you just have to use it immediately not let it sit and canโt put it on ahead of time as it will turn to liquid.
Thanks Dianna. I will try that. I need a whipped topping for my SF jello.
So are you tracking, Gina โ and doing 20 net carbs max and 70% fat minimum consistently? And doing clean testing on things like peanut butter and halo top ice cream? I ask because those two things donโt knock me out of ketosisโฆ
I havenโt tried Enlightened ice creams yet, but have quite a few of their new flavors here to review (and do clean testing on, ugh). I do love Halo Top though โ itโs just TOO easy to eat an entire pint, lol.
The ChocZero syrups are GREAT. They have been my favorite for awhile now, but I havenโt tested them to see how they affect my ketone levels or whether they knock me out of ketosis โ which is what I am doing this weekend. So stay tuned for the results! ๐
I know it is totally wrong but I was a little disappointed by the time I finished your post. I thought โWeek-end Bingeโ meant mashed potatoes and gravy, or French fries, or Hamburgers on real buns, or bread. You are so stellar at staying totally low-carb that sometimes you seem super human and the rest of us are slackers who slip off the low-carb train by temptation. You are a great inspiration , wish I had your strength.
I was hoping we were all gonna have donuts this weekend. Lol. Lol.
Ha! lol Dianna ๐
Iโve had PLENTY of those weekends (and weeks, and months even!) over the years. My archives here are full of such confessions and struggles.
It took me YEARS to work through my relationship with food, emotional eating issues, my RESISTANCE to change even.
What finally worked for me was getting super consistent, for 90 full days, no matter what โ no matter how I felt, no matter what the scales said, no matter what, period.
After that I stopped craving anything off plan at all, and it stopped appealing to me altogether even. That was the best thing I ever did for myself! ๐
Youโre awesome. Relax and enjoy your weekend ๐
Thank you, Amy! ๐
Hi there, I donโt check in much but Iโm still sticking with it! :), AND I donโt ever track my macros, I so admire you for doing it for every meal! UGH. I know you eat a lot of the same things so once itโs logged in itโs the same all of the time, but I just canโt look up every single thing I eat, I eat a lot of salads, a little of this, a little of that and itโs so hard to figure out the macros.
I just read the carbs and try to keep them below 20g, I am down 20 lbs since January. I have the keto strips and they donโt tell me anything, maybe once in a while Iโll get a โTraceโ but most of the time it doesnโt show Iโm in Ketosis. However, I also have the ketone blood monitor and when I test I am always in ketosis?? So your binge weekend is what I do all of the time LOL. Enjoy and have fun!
Oh and I donโt get the Keto Krate, I tried it and they sent me samples of things using Xylitol, poison to dogs, I have two furbabies and I am bad about giving them treats. I will not take the chance of having Xylitol in the house. Just me.
Thanks sweetie, youโve helped me so much! I eat your โcerealโ almost everyday.
hug,
Beth
Hi Roye โ great to hear from you again! ๐
I have a dog too, as you know โ Slim, my great dane. Heโs old though (he just turned 9 this month) and so I definitely donโt want to give him anything that would aggravate his arthritis & inflammation issues โ like carbs. The only thing Iโve ever fed him other than his dog food is spinach, broccoli & carrots.
As for tracking, I do find that helps me be MUCH more mindful about what Iโm eating, and how much Iโm eating. And I needed that kind of accountability. I track everything BEFORE I eat it even, and then measure / weight out my portions and stick to exactly that.
Otherwise I might be right back to sitting down with an entire bag of pecans, and back to mindless eating. And then wonder why Iโm gaining weight. ๐ haha
I used to track each gram and bite and carb, but it makes me crazy mentally.
Iโve suffered with bulima, emotional eating, binges, you name it. Sometimes when I track down to the bite it brings up my food issues. So Iโve decided to do what they call โlazy ketoโ, I donโt keep track on paper, kinda in my head to stay under my 20 net carbs. Even if it takes me a little longer, Iโm ok with that for the sake of sanity. I know exactly what to do, what to eat, I just have to keep at it.
I too, wish I had your strength. I do always get back on the horse when Iโve gone off track. A binge is never, ever worth it, ever. So Iโm trying to break the cycle. Iโve still got 60 pounds off from my highest, but still have 100 to go. Iโm taking it one meal at a time, one day at a time. Iโve removed myself from all social media, so I really, really enjoy these emails. I know this was long and drawn out.
One more thing if I could sayโฆ I commend you on trying all these products. Iโm so glad youโre honest with all of us. Do you ever get tired of being a guinea pig, lol?!
One thing Iโm enjoying is the Ketologie powder shakes. Iโll never, ever be without it again. Itโs so delicious and satisfying and makes my coffee taste like heaven and everyday I canโt wait to go to bed to get up and have more the next day lol.
Hugs
Yes, I do Patricia โ get tired of testing new products. ๐ lol. Not just on my body, but in my MOUTH too! ๐ Some of the products are not so great, or just not something I would like anyway. ๐
I was actually skeptical about the keto shakes actually, but those turned out GREAT and totally impressed me! Iโm really glad youโre enjoying those. ๐
I donโt consider myself a person with particularly strong willpower or inner strength. I really have to push myself (HARD) and am seriously slacking on my exercise goals this year.
Like I said above, sticking to low carb foods has become easy after being consistent for so long. The idea of off plan foods (that I used to love even) donโt appeal to me at all anymore. For which I am grateful. ๐
Those eggs and such get so boring. Enjoy yourself
Eggs do get boringโฆ theyโre just so EASY lol.
I think next week Iโll do some meal prep, make up some of those nut butter muffins and waffles to have on hand maybe โ that sounds good! ๐
Oops, my alias online is Beth LOL, sorry, itโs Roye here :).
Good for you Lynn. We all need a break from being so responsible all the time. I would hate to tell the group what i eat everyday. I really like how you keep it simple and share your likes and dislikes Many thanks to you!
Thank you Cynde ๐
I do think itโs best that we listen to our body, and our inner dialogue even, and make it a point to STOP when something is causing stress. Not to say you should stop your diet, or stop your marriage even (lol), but that you should take pause and listenโฆ and take time to figure out the source of the stress, and the best solution.
You know, before you snap or something. ๐ heh *cheers*
So no donuts this weekend? Darn. Lol.
NO donuts! ๐ hahaha ๐
I have been low carb for almost ten years. I wouldnโt know what a macro was if it hit me on the side of the head. I have doing this long enough to know how many carbs I eat each day. I never stress about it any more. I know what to eat and what not to eat. Dr. Atkins told us in his books that we never had to count anything but carbs. When did everyone start stressing out about macros? This is supposed to be easy and everyone is making it difficult.
Everyone doesnโt make it difficult. My whole mantra is โkeep it simple.โ ๐ I didnโt start tracking until I started having problems. Thatโs when I discovered I was eating too lean. Not only will that totally stall out your weight loss, accidentally eating high protein (instead of high fat) can cause kidney problems โ kidney stones for starters, which are miserable.
Thereโs nothing difficult about tracking, and even with that I keep it super simple: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat simple โ thatโs it. If you keep it that simple, everything else pretty much takes care of itself (25% protein max, etc).
So I donโt go overboard with it, and I only started doing it because I was having problems I couldnโt figure out โ without figuring it out.
Iโve never stressed about macros, btw. Those are easy. My stress lately has been with the discipline of clean testing โ and more so about throwing myself in and out of ketosis with the tests, which is not only hard on my bodyโฆ it makes me feel like I have PMS on steroids. ๐
I read on the Adkins plan you are allowed 40 gms of Carbs a day. This seems more doable for me. I have a hard time staying on 20gms and no more like you, Lyn.
I also, sometimes eat more calories for a couple days then go back to being strict with my carbs for the rest of the week
I think if you eat too little calories for too long your metabolism will slow down
. Sometimes. I think we need to binge a little to truck our body ir else it thinks we are starving and it shuts down the fat burning process
I have never eaten low calorie enough to scare my body. ๐ haha โ In my food diaries here you can see most days I eat around 2,000 calories a day. While in ketosis, I easily lose weight at that, because my body is burning fat based on the keto science โ not burning calories based on the older calorie deficit diets.
Atkins does have several plans and phases available. The key is to find your own balance, and test diligently to find what works best for you.
Iโve heard a lot of people say that a โbingeโ (a true binge) will โtrick your bodyโ or that they experience weight loss after eating one off plan meal. That is NOT the case with me. I ate ONE off plan meal two weeks ago and Iโm STILL up five poundsโฆ and it isnโt budging lol.
Thatโs always been the case for me. It takes me an entire month to undo what ONE meal does. Totally not worth it.
I never tracked macros before I started having problems losing weight. At the point that you are stuck in a very long weight loss stall or plateau, tracking is the only way to find out WHY. ๐
Thereโs also the point that I am currently tracking & testing VERY diligently for the purpose of โclean testingโ all of these new keto products that are hitting the market.
Not just for myselfโฆ but for everyoneโs sake. ๐
Itโs work, no doubt about that. But if I just blindly promote products, that wouldnโt be very fair โ to you. I feel like I have a moral obligation given my position between the merchants and the community, to put in the work and give you the FULL scoop on products.
That aside, I also want to lead by example and teach people how things work and why they work, and what to do when they DONโT work. Because I see entirely too much guesswork going on, and entirely too many people just giving up and saying โketo doesnโt work for me!โ
Keto works, period. So I want to have real answers and solutions for people that get frustrated โ not just guesses.
Nothing frustrates me more than going to the doctor and having them throw prescriptions at me like โtry this, if that doesnโt work try thatโ etc. Guesswork! I dislike taking medication anyway, but taking it by trial & error with all kinds of side effects (like losing my great vision last year!) REALLY sucks.
So Iโm taking a more responsible โtried & testedโ approach here in the low carb community.
Iโm in a good position to help others who are struggling with the same issue I stated at the beginning of this testing phase: Iโve been in a solid weight loss plateau for well over a year, fluctuating up and down the same 5 pounds no matter how strict I am or how consistent for how long.
There has to be a reason for that, and after a full year of just going with it and not really caring that much, I finally decided to dig in and FIND that answer. ๐ Which is where we are nowโฆ
The clean testing experiments Iโm doing require a lot of discipline and patience. I found myself dealing with old feelings this week, and reading back through past diaries here from years ago when I was on/off and struggling with motivation & mindset โ which is why I decided to back off and take a weekend to relax from the โworkโ of it.
But Iโll be back at it on Monday, and actually expect to learn A LOT in the process.
Someone has to do it, right? Iโm game! I need your support & encouragement though, and REALLY appreciate it. ๐ *cheers*
Youโve got it Lynn! I totally support you and encourage you to find the answers youโre searhing for with the โclean testingโ. And as you say it will help all of us. I woke up this morning up 1.5 lbs and out of ketosis?? Iโm so depressed! LOL. Wondering now what I did yesterday or day before to create the kick out of ketosis, just as youโre saying, guess work!
Can you briefly, (I know youโre busy) explain โclean testingโ? I drank a lot of diet coke yesterday and had a few maybe too many pieces of Lillyโs sugar free chocolate (my nemesis, dark chocolate) :). Other than that I had three square meals, and nothing high carb? Oh wait, I did have maybe a few too many pecans for a snack, just like you said. Maybe Iโll try to track what I ate โฆ.. hahaha.
Thank you Lynn! I appreciate you.
Itโs hard to sayโฆ the last time that happened to me it was from taking a vitamin of all things!
Iโve tested Diet Coke on myself, but honestly only drink maybe 1/3 of one at a time, but itโs never affected my ketone levels or knocked me out of ketosis. That said, weโre all different so the only way to know is to test one thing at a time.
This is the post on clean testing: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/20781/low-carb-weight-loss-stall/ ๐
Lynne, canโt wait to see the results on the ChocZero! I appreciate what you doโI have found several LC products I love because of your reviewsโthank you! (Smart cakes and the granola are my newest favorites).
Do you have a place where you are keeping track of the product reviews and/or your clean test results? Iโd love to be able to see these at a glance.
The GOOD news isโฆ after 3 (okay, maybe four!) servings of ChocZero yesterday, I was still in optimal ketosis today. ๐ Yay!! I cannot even tell you how much that made my day, lol.
Our coupon code for ChocZero is: TravelingLowCarb
Iโm so glad the reviews are helpful. I really love finding new low carb products and delicious foods that make it EASY to stay on track!
I do have a list of what Iโve tested so far. Itโs about halfway through this post on Clean Testing: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/20781/low-carb-weight-loss-stall/ ๐
I am more freestyle. I used to track everything and one day hit a wall. I ended up going off the rails and gaining some of my weight back. I had to decide how I could do this and not be so obsessed and regimented because not doing it wasnโt working for me. I donโt lose 6 pounds a week like I keep reading everyone else doing, but I am slowly losing. I also have almost no joint pain and more energy.
Hi Birdie,
I donโt even lose 6 pounds a month โ but then, the only time I ever did was in the beginning when I had way more weight to lose. People who are losing weight faster are usually making a bigger lifestyle change than we are (giving up sweet tea or regular soda for example).
I find tracking as I go to be the easiest, and by logging any food or meals before I eat (or order, or make) themโฆ it makes me much more mindful of my portions and choices. For me itโs a point of control and personal accountability that feels very โgrounding.โ
I think itโs ideal for everyone to find their own balance, of course! Iโm so glad to hear you are experiencing weight loss success and more energy & less joint pain. Those are definitely wins!!
I just read on the internet today that Hale Berry is on the Keto way of life to control her diabetes and weight. She looks fab. at 51. The Keto woe it becoming more popular now cause it works.