Yesterday I started a 17-Day Mini Challenge with very specific goals. For the first 9 days, now through August 16th, I’ll be eating by the 3IMAX rule – and exercising every single day. That’s it. Nothing overly complicated. Very achievable.
The last time I did 3IMAX was a great success. You can see my thoughts on it here. 3IMAX means: 3 Ingredients Max per plate/meal. It’s all about keeping it simple.
In my post yesterday… I screwed up on my starting weight (lol). I’m starting off at 157.2 pounds – again. 😐 That really irks me, that I put back on the 5 pounds I lost during the last mini-challenge. 😛
I’m feeling determined. I think sometimes you just have to get pissed off enough at yourself to really DIG IN and make things happen.
I decided to rearrange a few things in my kitchen, and also clean out my refrigerator. The bars and “low carb snacks” got put away in the back of the cabinet. Those were my downfall the last few weeks. I also tossed the ice cream that somehow made it’s way into my freezer (I have other people in and out of the house).
Then I took stock of what I had, and decided to cook the fresh yellow squash for lunch – so it didn’t go bad, and go to waste. I had 1 serving of Captain D’s green beans leftover from my take-out the other night, so I ate those with the squash. I need to get some groceries, for sure. I’ll work on that this week…
THANK YOU for joining me on this mini challenge.
YOU are what keeps me motivated and on track. More often than not I’m home alone and eating alone, and even when I’m eating with Ricky – well, he loves me just the way I am, at any size. I’m SO glad we have the support of our community here and that we’re doing this together! 🙂
Day One Low Carb Meals & Macros
For breakfast I had my usual “low carb cereal” which is 1/2 cup pecans, 1/4 cup Daisy Brand cottage cheese, and 2 (very small) strawberries. (5 net carbs) Normally I use 1/3 cup pecans and ONE strawberry, but I was pretty hungry yesterday.
For lunch I made seared yellow squash and green beans.
The squash was just salted and fried in olive oil. A total of 8 net carbs.
This was quick & easy – the green beans are leftovers from my Captain D’s takeout. The squash was a garden-fresh gift.
I used up quite a few carbs on breakfast and lunch – plus my ridiculous amount of coffee 😛 – so I had bacon & eggs for dinner.
Ricky came over, and we had talked about going out to dinner but we decided to stay in for dinner & a movie. He makes good bacon & eggs. 🙂
It was later (dark) before we ate, so the picture isn’t great – but at least you can see it, lol.
Speaking of, I follow a lot of other low carb blogs and Facebook Pages, and I often wonder what they REALLY eat. All I see are magazine-style pictures and fancy recipes for the most part. Those are nice of course (and pretty!), but you would have to LIVE in the kitchen to eat like that. Right? Ack!
Oh! And because dinner was late, I did have a snack earlier: 1/3 cup of pecan halves and some colby jack cheese, sliced off the block. Cheese is one of those things I usually “guesstimate”, but I have the new handy dandy Ozeri Food Scale now so I decided to see how much an ounce or two of cheese REALLY is. 🙂
I really love the scale. It’s lightweight, and small too so it doesn’t get in the way on the counter, but it’s perfect for measuring foods quickly & easily. I’ll show you the rest of the stuff I got from my Kitchen Wishlist in a new video soon, so stay tuned…
My Day One Workout
If you’re reading this note by email, you can’t see the video below – so click here to watch it on YouTube. I used my Gazelle Edge for my workout, which is great for those days you just want to plop down on the couch and watch a show or something.
It’s lightweight enough that I can move it from room to room, and often move it in front of the TV and workout while catching up on a favorite show.
Today Ricky and I are going to take the boat out so I’ll get my exercise water skiing and swimming. 🙂 My favorite! We both fell asleep on the couch after watching Lucy (which was a great movie!) so since he’s here… I talked him into making sausage & eggs for breakfast this morning. 🙂 He loves to cook (THANK GOODNESS, haha) and I get him to go ahead and make all of the sausage… so I have “easy leftovers” to munch on later in the day or the next morning.
Here’s how my macros worked out yesterday:
The one main thing that eats up my carb count every day is my coffee. Right now I’m using Coffee-Mate Sugar Free Hazelnut Powdered Creamer, which is 1 carb per TBSP.
Obviously I’m going to have to give that up for the “zero carb” part of my 17-Day Challenge, so my goal this week is to start weaning myself off of it. I’m going to start tomorrow by cutting my serving in half, and work toward letting it go.
I’ve been wanting to “go black” for a long time, but I really LOVE my creamy coffee. I used to use HWC (heavy whipping cream) with Splenda but two things happened: I wanted to quit the Splenda, and one day my HWC got all thick and globby and totally grossed me out. And that was the end of that 😛 lol.
I may go back to HWC for the “zero carb” week though. We’ll see…
What about you? How did your Day One go? Leave a comment and share your meals & macros, and the workout you did yesterday!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. We’re in the middle of a Low Carb Challenge on Facebook right now too. You can join in anytime, though! It’s a great group for support & motivation, creative recipes, low carb food ideas, etc. Click the link below and join us if you haven’t already:
Get The Low Carb Challenge Details
See you there!
Cheering your easy and quick approach to pulling together a healthy, low carb menu. That’s key for me!
I really like the Gazelle as it works the body parts I’m focusing on – arms and waist.
The Gazelle is GREAT. It’s low impact, so it’s even good on those days I’m having back pain. Plus it’s just easy – especially when I do it while watching a favorite show. π
I do love easy. I pretty much use whatever I have on hand and just throw together something quick & simple. That really works for me!
When you do a three ingredient meal and have coffee with hac and append a does the coffee count as extra or is it free. Are the ingredients counted in the coffee. I mame breakfast muffins with 2 eggs 2 T veg and 2 T of either ham chunks or sausage and 1T of shredded cheese. If I eliminate the cheese that is my 3 ingredients but what about the coffee
Should be heavy whipping cream and append a. Not what is above. It 1 T of oil a separate ingrediant
I don’t drink coffee with meals – I have it separate. I drink water with meals. That said, I don’t include: olive oil, coconut oil, butter or mayo (or salt/spices) in my “3 ingredients”. I would include the heavy cream though.
The great thing about the 3IMAX is that it forces you to make more conscious food choices – and leave out potential “stallers” or “carb creeps”. You might try your muffins with cheese and without the meat, and with meat and without the cheese. Or even mix it up both ways for variety.
I poor my hwc in a jar with a little water and it keeps it from getting gloopy. Sometimes I add a little everyday if it gets thicker. It works and still tastes the same. What do you think of using stevia?
Thanks for the tip, Becky!
From what I hear Stevia (the right kind, that is) is the best artificial sweetener to use. It takes some getting used to, I think.
I’d like to ditch the sweetener in my coffee altogether though. I’m anxious to see how that goes! π
Lynn, the snacks are 3 or less as well. Are snacks necessary?
Right Brenda – 3 ingredients/foods or less at any meal or snack. On ANY plate. π
I don’t snack much, but I do eat smaller meals and more frequently. That just depends on your schedule really.
Snacks aren’t “necessary” unless you are hungry. You should always eat when you’re hungry, and never when you’re not. π
So excited for this mini challenge. Hoping I have better luck with this one than the last. Going to stick with the 3 item per meal.
You can do this, Tina! π Not much luck to it really, just serious discipline. Which sucks sometimes, but that doesn’t last long – a few days in (or by week two) your taste buds change and cravings go away, and you have MUCH less appetite anyway. π That’s why the bars – and any “crutch foods” – are such a slippery slope. For me anyway. They tend to bring back old eating habits & cravings. Not always, but especially if I’m already teetering anyway!
I also got fed up and I am determined again. I started this way of eating in January 2014 and went from 198 to 162. In March of 2015 I just went crazy with carbs, breads and sweets. I thought after making it through the holidays I was good to go. I was up to 173 last week and I was feeling sluggish, joints hurt and my size 14 clothes were getting tight if I could even get them on so I started on Friday and I have lost 5 pounds. I feel so much better today. I am pumped to see if I can get to my 145 lb. goal now. I am hoping I can make it through our upcoming camping trip. I’ll be sure to have plenty of pecans, cheese, meat and maybe some fat bombs for those times when the smores are cooking. I’ll have something sweet. Thank you for your posts – they really help.
I’m so glad you’re back on board, Jeri. π Congrats for getting back on track and losing five pounds already! This is perfect timing, as the second week you usually experience a “hold” or even slight fluctuations – your body adjusting to the initial weight loss the first week. So this should help through that.
As for camping, I went on a big trip a few years ago if you want to look over that: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/tag/camping/ One thing I really liked in the evenings while they were doing marshmallows etc… was a hazelnut coffee with heavy cream and spiced rum. π Yum!
What about making a salad? Just 3 ingredients including a dressing? That sounds hard.
Salads can be easy, Brenda. π One idea:
Romaine lettuce, grilled shrimp & caesar dressing (Caesar Salad). You can swap out the meat for chicken or salmon. You can swap out the meat OR dressing for fresh parmesan. Just play around with it!
I’m in, gotta do something !
I don’t have problem doing the LC my problem is the constipation π how I can deal with it!!! Please advice need it thanks:)
Hi Rosie,
I know a lot of people have this problem. Magnesium is the main ingredient in most laxatives. Always choose real food over medication when you can!
Sources for magnesium in low carb foods include: spinach, swiss chard, sunflower seeds, almonds, turnip greens, summer squash, edamame, peanut butter, avocado, salmon, halibut, chicken, beef, broccoli.
Also make sure you’re getting at least 70% in healthy fat – or higher. I find that really helps me a lot. Salmon, chicken thighs, real butter, avocado, tuna salad, egg salad, etc.
If it gets too bad, be sure to see your doctor, or get a recommendation from your pharmacist.
What about psyllium seeds or husks? Also there is a tea called Smooth Move that works great.
I too love my sweetened creamy coffee!!! For me it’s so much easier to give up the sweet in my coffee over the creamy….try making your coffee with just hwc. It will be a shock but an easier one than going black !
That’s what I’m considering, Kim – or I may start out going back to BPC (Bullet Proof Coffee) with salted butter & coconut oil. I like that too – with a bit of heavy cream.
Ack! I’m working this one out this week, lol. See my post here about it: https://www.facebook.com/lowcarbtraveler/photos/a.226693510692585.69791.226460087382594/1088668867828374/?type=1 π
I’m surprised by the use of peanut butter since technically peanuts are a legume and grow underground. Please clarify. Thank you.
Hi Sharon,
I use peanut butter in extreme moderation. It’s a great protein and healthy fat, though. I often mix it half & half with coconut oil to cut the carb count. It makes a nice “fudge”. See: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6247/low-carb-peanut-butter-fudge/
(That recipe is 3IMAX Friendly)
I went black so long ago, my husband used to tease me, have a little coffee with your cream & sugar! However even though I’m used to my black coffee now I can’t remember ever really losing weight because I switch!
Interesting, Roye! And lol. π I’m not sure how much impact it will have, but I’m currently consuming 7-9 tablespoons of the coffee-mate sugar free powdered hazelnut creamer – which is A LOT more ingredients than I really want to put in my body every day. It’s one of those things I’m having a hard time enjoying “in moderation” lol. π
Wow, such determination!! At 2am? Now that’s just crazy π Seriously though, I admire your commitment here. I do pretty well except for a few crutch foods that are higher carb, or when I am too busy to eat then I get totally famished and want to eat everything (including the refrigerator itself!) and can’t seem to get “full”. (Working on that.)
I did a search on this site to see if I could find any kind of list of zero carb type foods. Is there such a thing? Is it all carb minus fiber equals zero carb or almost zero carb? In any case, can you point me/us to any kind of “list” of these types of foods? (It might make a cool infographic, ya know.)
I went to the grocery store the other day and it was a big one, and it just hit me, there’s freakin’ sugar in practically everything in this store! Gobs of sugar… and carbs, and unhealthy fat, and road tar, etc.., well, maybe not road tar, but you get the idea. (Remembering the recent story about the Great Value ice cream that won’t melt, even in hot sun… OMG.) And people are loading it into their carts by the boxfulls!?!?? I’m so glad I finally took the plunge to try the “low carb thing” a few months ago. Not only am I losing weight, I can’t tell you how incredibly better I feel, that alone is worth it all! In spades! I really don’t miss anything much in my old diet. Looking at the habits of American shoppers it’s truly a wonder they/we are not all dead! I read labels now, and I’m in love with Kale and Cabbage and tons of other great REAL foods I was missing.
One more thing I’d like to learn is what I can buy that comes in a box or a can that’s worth eating. Thanks Lynn!
That’s not the first time I’ve been called CRAZY, Chris π lol – and I doubt it will be the last! I do keep a very fluid schedule, sometimes staying up until 2am and sometimes getting up at 2am. I actually enjoy the flexibility.
I am working on a zero carb food list as we speak, in preparation for my upcoming zero carb week – so stay tuned, because I’ll publish it here. π Zero carb foods are mostly meat & eggs.
You’ll find you have MUCH less appetite if you eat a ketogenic low carb diet (less than 20 net carbs, at least 70% fat). The minute you eat a higher carb food, that ferocious appetite kicks right back in, though! π
I buy a lot of frozen foods: flash frozen yellow squash, brussel sprouts, broccoli & cauliflower, etc. It’s cheap AND it lasts longer for me – as I only cook what I need when I need it, and nothing goes bad and goes to waste.
Canned foods, hmm – I don’t cook a lot but I do get: Campbell’s Chicken Broth, green beans sometimes (but I like the frozen ones better). Kraut – that’s great with certain meats. I can’t really think of anything else canned off the top of my head.
Other staples include: Daisy Brand cottage cheese & sour cream, cheese blocks (I like colby jack and mild cheddar), eggs, heavy whipping cream, Land O’ Lakes salted butter, coconut oil, olive oil, and the usual meats: chicken thighs, sausage & bacon, beef chuck roast, crab legs, ribeye steak, etc. Although I don’t cook much. π haha
Awesome! Thanks for the reply and info about canned/boxed foods. It’s about what I’d figured out on my own. I just thought I was missing something That last paragraph pretty much covers what I consume lately (minus the crab legs – I don’t eat anything that has ever lived in water). I usually shop a farmers market and often they’re out of squash or zuk so I just don’t get that… duh, I forgot you can buy it frozen in the store… LOL. omg, I totally miss the obvious sometimes. Thanks for reminding me!
I think my other downfall is I refuse to get on a scale, period, and I don’t want to track the macros. My weight was fine till a few years ago when I started living with someone who was VERY overweight. It amazed me how my own eating habits changed during that time. Luckily it was less than a year that they lived with me but I’m paying for it still. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise though, because if I hadn’t put on the weight, I’d never have tried LC, and I’d never have discovered how much better I feel now with this WOE. I swear I’ll never go back.
As far as counting macros, well, I’ll get there. For now I know that I’m only eating a fraction of the carbs I was eating. I’ve probably cut them by 80% or more and am seeing/feeling results from that. Thanks for the reminder that I need to make sure I’m doing the 20 net carbs/day thing. I’ll work on that. I had no idea it would curb your appetite that much, and that a minor “slip-up” with high carb would doom me. Good to know!!
My breakfast this morning is Eckrich Smoked Sausage, Kraft Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Celery.. well, and coffee, of course π
Sounds great, Chris! Just feeling better is a HUGE victory. It’s probably good that you don’t weigh, because that really puts you in a “dieting mindset” which can be a serious roller coaster.
But yes, even if you JUST track net carbs (on paper even, which is how I started) that alone will make a big difference – definitely curb the cravings. π
How does this work with lowering cholesterol? 324
Very well, J! You can read up on the science & health benefits here: http://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/library/articles/cardiovascular-health