Join us for the Fall 2016 Low Carb Challenge!
Yesterday was a long and full day for me between work, exercise, errands, etc.
A typical Monday!
Here’s a photo tour of my day including my low carb meals and MyFitnessPal food diary so you can see how I logged my meals, and how my macros came out.
I started the day at 5am and worked for a couple of hours (I work from home), then took my great dane Slim out for a brisk morning walk before it got too hot.
We did almost 1.5 miles in 39 minutes, and that included a lot of “sniff stops” and exploring for Slim 🙂 plus a few quick runs together. It got hot pretty quick, and great danes don’t have a lot of energy – or fare the heat well – so we kept it short.
I got in a good sweat though!
I had breakfast before our walk, and worked that off pretty quick – lol. Here are my meals from start to finish yesterday, which went from 5am to 11pm…
Monday’s Low Carb Meals
I had my usual healthy low carb breakfast. It’s 1/2 cup 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)
I ate breakfast while working, got in our quick walk, came back and worked another hour or so, then cleaned out my basement.
I was down to the last of the “stuff” down there but wanted to finish it off while I had help – so that was a bit of lifting & sweating too.
I love exercise that serves a dual purpose. 🙂
Like cleaning out the basement, yardwork, or walking my Dane and spending quality time with him. It’s so much better than just going to the gym.:)
I was famished when we went to haul off that load. Unfortunately my local Hardee’s is being completely remodeled. And I mean completely. It’s GONE. 🙁
Hardee’s (aka Carl’s Jr in some areas) has the BEST low carb fast food! It’s the ONLY place in my little town that even has decent burgers, or good low carb lettuce wraps.
I decided to get a burger from Sonic Drive-In instead.
I just ordered it like this: “A sonic cheeseburger with no onions and no bun, can you put it in a box instead?” The response: “Sure, no problem!”
When you eat low carb, the actual burger matters.
Once you take away all the bread, most burgers have hardly any flavor. Except Hardee’s, they have amazing burgers! Sonic, not so much. I was REALLY hungry by then too, so I brought it home and put it in a low carb wrap with a little more mayo.
I used the La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Wraps I got in my August Keto Krate.
If you didn’t get that box, you can order the low carb tortillas on Netrition.
I also love Mama Lupe’s Low Carb Tortillas. You might want to compare the two.
Anyway, that made for a mouthful of a burger! 🙂
The La Tortilla Factory low carb tortillas are 3 net carbs each.
I had a 90 minute nap after my late lunch, because I had to work last night too. I do a live consulting session on Monday nights and I like to be “fresh” for it.
For dinner I heated up a big bowl of the Low Carb Peanut Butter Pecan Brownies I made the other day. This was two thick fudgy brownie squares, chopped up and warmed up – in a big bowl of ooey gooey yumminess!
The low carb brownie mix is currently sold out, but I’ll let you know when it’s available again!
Late last night I had an easy low carb snack of Blue Diamond salted almonds and Kraft mozzarella string cheese. I love those cheese sticks! lol
All of that made for a higher calorie, higher carb day…
Here’s My MyFitnessPal Diary for Monday:
Macronutrients: Simple Explanation Of Low Carb Macros
How To Get A Net Carbs Column in MyFitnessPal
Calories: 1906
Net Carbs: 27
Total Carbs: 61
Protein: 69 Grams
79% Fat, 15% Protein
Exercise: Brisk Walk/Run
Fitbit Steps: 6,262
Water: 72 ounces
Here are a few pictures from my walk with Slim yesterday. 🙂 The mums are out, the flags were flying, and it was a beautiful morning! I love walking in the historic downtown district in the early morning. The shopkeepers are just getting in, other people are out walking, and it’s a fun social time to be out for a walk.:)
I’m 139.8 pounds this morning. Being in the 130’s is still hard to wrap my mind around. I’m sure I’m close to a goal weight, but I still have a plump midsection and flabby upper thighs – among other things – to work on. 😛
I talked about my low carb journey & my goal weight here…
I asked Joe to take me Kayaking today so I could get in an upper body workout. I have plenty of home workout gear for that, but I also need some sunshine and some time outside of my home office after working straight through the weekend.
Again, dual purpose. 🙂 If I’m going to take a morning off, I might as well get a great workout in at the same time!
We’ll be on the river during lunch, working up a good appetite no doubt, so I’m going to pack up some low carb foods to take with me.
I’ll take mozzarella sticks, the low carb granola, pecans, almonds, maybe even my last brownie. 🙂 I was thinking of making a wrap to take too, like ham & cheese, but I’m out of both. Maybe I’ll grab some. That does sound good! Or maybe I’ll have that for dinner and butter the wrap and make a grilled hot ham & cheese. Mmm:)
Have you tried the La Tortilla Factory or Mama Lupe’s low carb wraps?
I’m looking forward to the workout, the water, the sunshine and the morning off! I’ll be sure to get some pictures for you, and let you know what ends up in my “low carb picnic on the river” too. 😉
How are things going for you?
It’s day 16 of the 90 Day Challenge. 🙂 How are you doing with your low carb meals & macro tracking? Any questions or struggles? I would love to hear your results so far.
Leave a comment and let’s talk!
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
I buy Mama Lupe’s from Netrition. They are 3 net carbs and 60 calories. I prefer the taste of them over any other low carb tortilla. I bake them in the oven and break them up to make low carb crackers too.
I’ve always bought Mama Lupe’s before too, and love those. I haven’t had them in awhile, and I wish I had some here now to do a true side by side taste comparison!
Do you just bake them at 350 for about 10 minutes, or how do you make yours?
Yes, that is what I do. I cut them in 1/2 and turn them over after about 6 or 7 minutes. I let them cool and then just break apart and put in a baggie. They are great with cheese or anything!!! You can also then grind them in a food processor to make low carb bread crumbs.
It’s going well and I’m doing SO GOOD sticking w/ my macros…but the scale was up again today and that is always a tough way to start the day when I know how hard I’m trying. I know I shouldn’t weigh daily if it affects me quite that much…but it’s what I want to and have to do to stay accountable to myself. I’ll be even more careful today and I know within the next few days I’ll see my scale being kind again π
My scale/weight fluctuates constantly, Amy. It was up for about two weeks before dropping back down again. But my long term trend is downward (loss) which is always great to look back on.
You’ll find the longer you stay consistent, the more obvious your own trends become. I see a loss – then it holds for 3 days – then fluctuates for a week or so – then a loss, repeat, lol. I tend to have a “hunger streak” the day before the loss too.
It can just be your normal pattern, it could be something as simple as taking Advil or Nyquil, it could be your hormone cycle (even men have those), etc etc etc.
We talked about that in more detail back in March: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/9912/mysterious-weight-gain/ Some of those points may be helpful.
And gosh, I was in the 150’s then! haha π See? That helped ME to see that! My weight loss seems SO slow. But I think we all feel that way…
Hi Lynn!
I have a question. I started Aug 1st and have lost 11 lbs ….YEAH!!
But I have been stalled for 3 days now. I still have a lot of weight to loose so its not that I am getting close to my goal.
I have also noticed the last couple of days that I have not gotten my fats in.
Last night I realized that again I did not have my fats in so here it is at 9:30 me chocking down a diet root beer with heavy whipping cream plus a 1/2 cup of keto cheesecake to get my fats in. Then went to bed at 10:00
My question is …. If I find myself short again, is it better to go to bed without meeting the correct macros or shove it in before going to bed?
Thank you for all your advise!
Hi Roberta π
I never eat for the numbers. Unless I’m actually hungry or want something – but not “just because.” So my answer would be no – I wouldn’t.
It’s actually normal to experience a brief hold the second or third week after the initial weight loss. That’s just your body adjusting to such a big loss in a short time. It’s totally normal! π
Thank you for this advice!! I just was not sure how important getting the numbers in a day as long as you stay within the macros!
Also, thank you for the encouragement about initial weight loss! Even though I have only lost a pound this week, just knowing that his is the norm keeps me motivated to keep going with the woe!!
We got this!!!!!!
Good, I’m really glad. π Try to stick to 20 net carbs max and 70% fat minimum, and keep it that simple. None of the other numbers really matter.
If you track as you go throughout the day, you can easily see if you need to add a healthy fat to your dinner or last meal.
I feel like maybe my body is just now going into ketosis. I’ve had an awful metal taste for the last 2 days and my belly is so nauseated and it feels like trapped gas or indegestion all the time. Makes me not want to eat. Normal??
That sounds like ketosis, yes. π Some people have different symptoms. I’ve never had the metallic taste or nausea, but I’ve heard a lot of other people say that. The keto flu passes pretty quick – as long as you stay on track. It only lasts a day or two at the most for me.
Happy Day. I toasted my low carb everything bagel for breakfast. It browns well unlike the bread. I put cream cheese on both halves and SF blackberry jam. The bagels are light and fluffy and only 2net carbs per bagel. It filled me up too. What a great treat to be able to enjoy a nice warm toasted bagel for breakfast. Yum…
i a down a little over a pound today. I do not want to have cheat meals for a while…..i hate the one step forward and two steps back effect it causes on me. It is so not worth it for me. I am happy with my lc woe with so many choices now, i never have to feel deprived. π
I love those bagels! π I always feel that way too. It’s a good reminder of why I stay on track – because I don’t like feeling that way. π The setbacks take me SO long to recover from for some reason. What I can gain in one day takes me a week or two to get back off!
Lyn. I am curious to find out if that lc tortilla knocked you out of ketosis or not. After all it is made with whole wheat flour and not nut meal flour. Starches can be converted to sugar i am suspicious of these as far as keto woe goes. I am sure these are fine for low carb woe but prob not for keto. Idk.
I would love the simplicity of eating a low carb store bought tortilla but the wheat spikes my blood sugar, no matter the carb count. And I’ve yet to make a good nut flour tortilla….maybe I’ll find a good recipe in the future.
I am curious about how the lc tortillas effect everyone also. I really like them and have bought them a few times but my knee pain comes right back after a few days of wheat. I probably just need to have one every once in a while. I would like to hear what others think of them.
These lc tortillas contain soy flour too and it does not say non GMO either
That is interesting Marti. Wheat may very well be a culprit for my pain too. I did not think that wheat flour was allowed on a ketogenic diet. Nut flour is not really flour but nut meal.
Some of these lc products can be deceiving i have found. Yes it is low carb–true but the type of carb is what is important.
Those types of products should be enjoyed in moderation for sure. I will know in a few days if it knocked me out of ketosis – but the Mama Lupe’s didn’t in the past when I used those.
It’s less about something being “allowed” and more about personal choice. Some people are also gluten free, there’s tons of crossover with low carb / ketogenic.
But for the people that aren’t, if a tortilla or low carb bagel keeps you from eating high carb foods… that’s fine in my book.
I’m not super strict about anything, other than staying within my macros: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum. And of course I try to spend my 20 net carbs as wisely as possible, with the best nutritional value I can.
I don’t always meet my numbers, and obviously I’m not super strict about that either lol. But more often than not I’m in the right range… and usually eat very simple real foods.
The occasional treat, like the low carb bagels and brownies and wraps, is NICE. π
I am not super strict either but the science of how ketosis works is that if you injest carbs that are simple sugars are starches including fruit sugars, your body will use that for energy and not use the fat cells. All i was questioning was if flour which is a starch and converted readily to sugar in our bloodstreams, would keep a person from staying in ketosis. Yes and any low carb product is way better than eating the high carb choices that made us overweight to start with……Like the low carb bagels…..i was craving an everything bagel but waited for my low carb bagels to get here so i wouldnt eat the high carb and high calorie regular bagels. Everything must be eaten in moderation even low carb products