45 straight days. Wow! Well, besides my ONE off plan day. I’m seriously proud of myself, and I hope you are too! 🙂
For this low carb challenge I committed to exercising and toning as well, and it feels SO good to finally get consistent with that. I’m really FEELING the results already too!
I was 147.6 pounds yesterday, but felt bloated all day for some crazy reason. Today I woke up weighing 148.4 pounds…
This can really mess with your head sometimes. I was looking over my daily weight patterns since this challenge started on April 4th. I weighed 154.6 that day, so I’m 6.2 pounds lighter – and have been as much as 8 pounds lighter.
My weight is basically bouncing around just slightly in that little window. Or that’s what it feels like. The truth is that it’s going down slowly, but it IS going down.
The encouraging thing though, is that my body looks and feels very different.
I also remembered that my pretty green dress fits much looser now than it did the last time I wore it (only a couple months ago). I was surprised at that when I put it on last week. Then there’s the fact that my newest shorts are already too big.
Even more encouraging is comparing my body now vs one year ago.
So what started out as “blah, this is not working for me!” quickly turned around to thinking “hey, you’re doing great!” 🙂 It helps to put things in perspective.
I know I don’t want to go backwards, I know everything I am doing right now is GOOD for my health and that I AM making progress. So… onward and upward! Er, downward (slowly) on the scales -lol.
Plus, fact: my weight always creeps up a hair before it dips down again. 😉
Here is my Low Carb Food Diary for Day 45 of the “Get Lean For Summer!” 90 Day Low Carb Challenge. It’s not too late to join us if you haven’t already!
Day 45: Wednesday’s Low Carb Meals
For breakfast I made 3 large eggs, scrambled with colby jack cheese (.95 ounce, off the block). Very cheesy. 🙂 Eggs are .4 carbs each, so 3 eggs is 1.2 carbs, but most people count them as zero carb.
I had a busy morning and felt tired, so I just opted for a super quick & easy lunch of “rollups”. I used Oscar Mayer deli chicken slices (2 ounces) with one Laughing Cow Creamy Swiss Wedge (split in two)… then had a nap. 🙂
I finally got around to cooking later in the day. It was that… or go to town for take-out. I didn’t feel like doing either 😛 so I decided to suck it up & make my super easy Low Carb Sausage Biscuit Recipe real quick.
I just updated that recipe, by the way!
I had 3 biscuits, and had Sugar Free Preserves on 2 of them.
Those were soooo good. 🙂
I made a batch of 8 biscuits, so I have plenty for today too!
Here’s My MyFitnessPal Diary for Wednesday:
Tracking Macronutrients (Simple Explanation of Macros)
How To Get Net Carbs in MyFitnessPal
Net Carbs: 17
Total Carbs: 22
Protein: 95 Grams
70% Fat, 26% Protein
Exercise: Ab Carver Pro, 100 Reps
FitBit Steps: 2,307
Water: 24 ounces
I had to force the exercise. Like any new habit, I guess. Doing “a workout” is not nearly as much fun as doing something FUN like caving or hiking. 😛
I’m committed to my goal of getting in amazing shape though, and toning up this jiggly body! So forcing it, yes indeed. 🙂 But I do love the Ab Carver Pro. I can really feel it in my abs and obliques, but also in my triceps (batwings!) which is really cool.
I did 100 ab reps again, 40 to the front and 30 to each side.
I feel pleased with my commitment and progress during this challenge. I feel discouraged with my slow weight loss. I feel encouraged at the difference in my body.
Feelings are fickle!
You can’t eat by how you feel.
On the days I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle… I fight back that much harder! It often feels like some crazy internal struggle. It actually IS!
Remember those old cartoons with the angel on one shoulder, and the devil on the other? Yeah – except I feel like it’s the “fat me” on one shoulder, and the “skinny me” on the other. 😛 🙂
My advice (to myself as well): Don’t let discouragement win. Fight back. Prove it wrong. Eat for your health, not for your scales. Work even harder toward your goal. Prove to yourself that you CAN do this!
What about you, how is your week going?
I look forward to hearing from you!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
Just curious what your goal weight is. I think I read somewhere along the way that you are 5’5″ and so am I. At this point my goal is 150, today I was 189.8…gotta love that new decade of numbers! I also started back to weight lifting this week. I use the stronglift 5×5 program. If you google it he has a web page. I like it because it’s only 3 different lifts 3x/week which is very doable, very simple. Just a FYI.
I love your morning updates! I live in Ohio so I sit here and eat my eggs and sausage and read your email and get pumped for a new low carb day!
Hi Barb π
I am closer to 5′ 4 1/2″ I think. I’m not sure what my goal weight is, honestly. I thought it was around 145, but now that I’m close I still see a lot of weight on me. Or a lot of fat still on me, I should say – which is why I’m now toning in addition to losing the rest of the jiggly body fat. π
I’ll definitely check that out! I want to get more into lifting and weights for sure, as that’s the easiest way for a woman to sculpt her body. Thanks for the resource!!
Thank you for all your encouragement, Lysa Terkeurst from Proverbs 31 has said,
“Feelings are indicators and not dictators.” I love that quote, our feelings don’t have to control our attitude. I do have a question, why don’t you use hazelnut coffee and heavy cream to cut your carbs? I’m only two weeks into this WOE, I’ve lost 5 lbs so far. I’m still trying to figure this all out. I know when I use my Fitness Pal app, I get annoyed. I have my settings the same as yours and it show’s I’m too high on carbs and protein by lunch, when all I’ve have was an Atkins shake for breakfast, coffee with 1T HWC, and lunch a Chicken shwarma salad( which is just 6oz of chicken, 2 1/2 C. of romaine lettuce and about an 1-2T crumble feta cheese and my dressing on the side which is whipped olive oil and parmesan cheese, and I just dip my salad in my dressing too) I have cut out diet coke because I’m addicted to them and stop having more than one cup of coffee ( I use stevia in the raw). I was a little disappointed I only lost 2 lbs the first week, so that’s why I decide to drop the diet cokes and extra coffee.
I’m 46 and Hypo-Thyroid ( which is the cause of my weight gain), I do find that I’m tired in the afternoon too. I was hoping to have tons of energy so I could exercise, by I seem too tired. Thank you for the advice you have provided already on your blog and FB, but if you have any suggestings for me, I would greatly appreciate it. I started this WOE at 185 and want to lose 40 lbs. Have a blessed day.
Hi Yvette π You may be tired because of the keto flu – the process of going into ketosis the first week or so has a lot of icky symptoms.
I was using heavy whipping cream and an artificial sweetener before, and it added up to even more carbs – given the number of mugs of coffee I drink in a day. :p HWC has .4 carbs per TBSP, or 7 carbs per cup, so 2 TBSP is 1 carb. That plus the sweeteners count too. I’d love to ultimately go black!
Ignore most of what you see in MyFitnessPal. Just keep it simple: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum. That’s ALL you have to watch. π
Thank you so much, I appreciate your time and help!
Oh…..be careful with Stevia in the raw…..it has a higher carb amount than Sweetleaf Stevia whuch has 0 carbs. The liquid stevia has carbs also. I believe there is dextrose in the ingredients in Stevia in the raw. Dextrose is a simple form of sugar. You really have to read the labels on the sweeteners. Carbs can add up quickly if we are not careful. Truvia has dextrose in the ingredients too.
I meant sweetwater stevia drops or liquid stevia has 0 carbs
Sweet Leaf has flavored Liquid Stevia that is very popular: http://amzn.to/27HlpAN and lower cost than some of the others.
Oh man…my hubby will love those biscuits. I’m definitely making some of them this weekend. Speaking g of hubby, lol….he fell off the darn wagon again. I on the other hand stayed safely secured on it lol. He wanted a starbucks frappuccino and he wanted it bad so he got one…and I got a sf iced coffee with hwc. Got it home, took a sip and realized there was no way it was sf (I’ve had plenty of them and can tell the difference immediately). So he got that too. Lol. Oh well.
I had some pretty simple meals yesterday and I know I said I was going to go a week without my bpc….but it’s soooo good and I look forward to it every morning, and needless to say I haven’t gone without it. Ooops. Lol.
My meals yesterday were:
B: bpc, 2 boiled eggs
L: ham and cheese rollups with 1 dill pickle spear (split in half) in the middle. So yummmy. I also had a handful of pork rinds
D: leftovers…again. grilled chicken, cucumber salad (cucumber, 1 tbl ranch, feta)
S: 1oz colby jack cheese, 14 almonds
My net carbs were 10, fat was 79% and I drank about 30oz water.
lol – He is probably losing faster anyway, right? Men usually do. I just hate if he keeps having to go through keto flu! Or is not that bad for him??
I don’t think one BPC a day is a bad thing. Especially since it’s helping you with your macros, and you’re obviously losing weight consistently. π
p.s. I have my mushrooms ready to make, can’t wait to try your recipe! π Enjoy the sausage biscuits!!
Yeah he definitely loses faster than I do but this go round he’s been off plan so much that he’s slooooowwwllly losing. He’s a diesel mechanic and the guys in his shop give him hell for being on LC and they also buy each other lunch all the time so he just caves. And you’re right….he stays having the keto flu lol. I think he’s just doing this cause I am honestly. He used to be a boxer and was eating salads twice a day and working out all the time so he’s very disciplined when he wants to be. I don’t think right now he wants to be lol. Which is fine.
Oh yay!! You’ll love them. I will take some of the leftover sausage cream cheese mixture and put it in an omelet in the morning. Soooo good. I think I’m gonna definitely like the sausage biscuits. I can’t wait to try them.
Good tip for the leftover mixture, I’ll try that! π
That makes sense. I’ve had times when I’m not 100% committed so I know what that’s like, lol. It’s cool he’s being so supportive and “doing it with you” even if not totally committed though! π
Yeah I appreciate him even trying to do it with me, especially with him being such a huge bread lover. He’s done good. βΊ
I’m going to try this recipe. Although I made the sausage balls last week, and I think overcooked them, but really didn’t enjoy them too much….I wonder if these would be the same, but maybe the cheese change, and with jelly would help me. I just bought some low sugar jelly! I am contemplating getting that roller thing of yours….will look at the stronglift 5×5 program above, as my arms look horrible. π
You’ll love the Ab Carver. π I do! I really like the “bready texture” of the sausage biscuits, especially with sugar free preserves – or topped with over medium eggs. π
Just made the sausage biscuits. Used smoked sausage. Very yummy, My husband and i both enjoyed them. It’s a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Debra! π
I was thinking it would be great to add a little salsa to the “batter” and to also “stuff them” with a bit of cream cheese… YUM!
Lynn, why dont you try to shock your metabolism by increasing calories lets say to 2000 just by adding fats, like good amounts of butter or mayo for ex, or peanut butter with CO. I had done this with good results. I find you eat very little, now that you are exercising your needs must have increased too Your body is trying to retain because sees imminent danger.. just my opinion. Thanks for sharing, I enjoy a lot your journey, you are very inspirational.
Thank you, Laura π That wouldn’t hurt to try. I do consume a lot of carbs in my sugar free coffee creamer alone, so I could do a BPC instead once or twice a day to cut down on carbs and increase fat & calories. I do enjoy those sometimes, so it would be a fun experiment. Of course, the last time I tried BPC for a full week I saw zero results (nothing changed), but I’m always game for switching things up and trying new things!
Hi Lynn, the Atkins 20 puts an emphasis on 12-15 nc in veggies. What are your thoughts on that? It doesn’t seem that you get a lot of veggies in but you still see results. Just curious as I don’t do well with veggies.
Hi Sue,
Sometimes I eat A LOT of greens (vegetables), especially when I’m traveling or eating out, like this trip: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/9740/low-carb-restaurants-san-diego/ When I’m at home I tend to just eat easy foods and don’t cook very much. π
I usually eat berries daily at home (not yesterday though) which are also full of fiber and nutrients, a good source of antioxidants, etc.
I don’t stress over it too much. I go through phases is all. π
There is a website called trendweight which tracks your weight.it can link with fitbit. It really helps see what is really going on when your weight fluctuates a lot.I finally got my trend line to go south.Helps on those up days…so you don’t feel down..you can even share your data with friends so they can see how you are doing….been a huge help to me…
Very cool! MyFitnessPal has that feature too, which I already use to track my meals – and it also connects with Fitbit. I like looking at the graph sometimes. That definitely helps!
I went to my doctor appointment yesterday. I was happy that i lost 2lbs. This week. My doctor noticed that i had lost more weight since i had seen him 2 months ago. I was so happy but if i weigh myself tomorrow there probably would be fluctuations so that is why i cannot weigh myself every day. It drives me CRAZY….:)
For the past two days, i have been trying intermittent fasting which means i do not eat breakfast but i still have 2 mugs of coffee. That keeps me going. I didn’t eat till around 4pm today. I had a container of low carb yogurt and almonds
Then for dinner i had a chicken club (bunless) low carb meal from Hardees. I ate half then i ate the other half later
Yesterday i ordered the grilled chicken caesar salad from Applebees…..i could not eat it all at one time. I saved the rest for later and put pecans in it per your suggestion
Since i am still staying in the hotel i am eating out more. All i have here is a microwave and a mini fridge…..i miss my kitchen and stove at home and ny big refrigerator
It really is challenging to eat healthy away from home but after reading all your blog posts has given me some great ideas on how to eat low carb away from home!
I may be in a hotel for at least three weeks…..i miss my home….:(
Lyn….i have been also thinking about your weight fluctuations and slow weight loss
You probably do know that the less you weigh, then the less calories you require to maintain that weight and to lose weight
For instance for a 150 lb woman that is sedentary needs only 2000 calories a day to maintain that weight or 2300 if mildly active.
I think increasing your calories with healthy fats or veggies once every three days and then cut your calories significantly the next couple of days along with eating lean and green might trick your body into losing faster again
Our bodies try desperately to hold on to our fat if we cut our calories too low for more than a few days or weeks…..it goes into starvation mode
I think some days you eat too low calorie. I have been looking at your stats every day and you consistently stayed very low calorie many days. Maybe switch it up just a bit…..that is what i have been doing. Some days i eat a lot it seems. (all lowcarb) then other days i eat little
But heck if i were you i really wouldnot worry about the scale but ido understand if you are not comfortable at your weight. You look great and you’ve obviously lost inches. I can only dream of the day i get to 150 or under……i will get there even if it’s at turtle speed. π (here we go with the turtle symbolism again) Thank youfor all you do
You are our low carb Guru. π
And you keep it REAL. π
Yay! Congrats on the weight loss!! π
What did you think of the pecans in a caesar salad?? That’s a FAVORITE of mine. Who knew they would go so well together?! π
My weight dropped back down (1.4 pounds) this morning, so I’m back around my lowest weight again now. Some days I do feel like I need to eat more (but just don’t feel like it). I may make my fudge this weekend: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/6247/low-carb-peanut-butter-fudge/ Only because I’m craving it, but it would definitely bump my calories up. π
Well the dental surgery went well and he didn’t have to cut bone so the pain has been minimal – yay! But I still have to eat soft and blenderized foods. I honestly thought that would bring about weight loss but the opposite has happened… I’m up 2 lbs in 2 days π Yesterdays meals:
B: soft cheesy scrambled eggs.
L: Daisy cottage cheese and sugar free strawberry jam mushed up together (delicious but not very filling), Carbmaster yogurt mid-afternoon,
D: mashed up avocado and egg salad, sugar free jello and whipped cream for dessert.
That sounds like a lot of food but it was only a bit over 700 calories and 25 carbs. Normally I keep my carbs under 20 but the last 2 days eating soft foods it’s been hard to do that. And Wednesday (day of surgery) my calories were only 600. Am I gaining because I’m not eating enough calories? I’m going to be on this soft food until the middle of next week. Is there something I should be doing differently to keep the weight loss going? I’m not supposed to exercise for several more days.
You’re doing great, Betsy! Don’t weigh yourself this week, and don’t worry about the temporary gain showing on the scales. That happens to me when I’m stressed, sick, hurt, etc – it’s probably just your body going into “protective mode” or something. I experience the same thing, but it will work itself out. π