We just kicked off the 2018 New Year Low Carb Challenge and I’m SO excited about my goals this year! 🙂
At this point in my low carb journey it’s less about weight loss now, and more about improving my overall health.
That includes fat loss and muscle gain, and my full body composition. And also about healthy food choices, or healthier options.
My goal: to become the happiest, healthiest version of myself. I also want to feel strong and lean, and get in the BEST shape of my life this year. ♥
Everyone’s goals are different. When I first started, all I cared about was losing weight. The number on the scale was my driving force. And that’s okay! I think we all start there.
My hope is that my experience through my own weight loss journey will prove helpful and inspiring to you as you focus on YOUR goals this year.
I do still have a little body fat to lose…
I weighed in for the Low Carb Challenge yesterday at 140.8 pounds. This morning I woke up and found myself back in the 130’s – at 139.6 pounds. 🙂
I took a picture – and made it a little “artsy” for you.:)
I do have two scales. The scale I’m standing on is a standard digital scale (I like this one!). The one on the right is a full body composition scale – which gives me a much better overview of my progress than just my weight.
So that’s my weigh-in and MY goals…
I look forward to hearing about yours! 🙂
Here are the Low Carb Meals I’ve been eating lately. I’ll include my MyFitnessPal Diary for yesterday below too so you can see a live example of that.
Pecan halves are my go-to low carb snack because they are very low carb and very high fat, and a healthy real food you can easily grab & go – or eat at your desk.
One of my favorite low carb meals is this simple “cereal” combination:
1/2 cup pecan pieces, 1/4 cup Daisy brand 4% cottage cheese and 4 small diced strawberries. It comes to 5 net carbs and 85% healthy fat.
Cheesy eggs is another favorite because it’s simple, quick to make and very low carb. 🙂 I scramble 4 large eggs in a tbsp of real butter, and add 2 ounces of colby jack cheese cubed off the block.
That usually makes two meals for me.;)
If I’m out & about I’ll grab sausage & eggs from McDonald’s. I say, “3 sausage patties and 3 round fried eggs please.” Or you can get the Sausage Egg McMuffin when they’re on sale (I ask for no cheese) and just toss the bread.
Their cheese is 2 carbs per slice.
This weekend I decided to mix things up a little and make a “blueberry breakfast cake.” I used a low carb yellow cake mix by Good Dee’s Mixes and added frozen organic blueberries.
That turned out delicious. 🙂
I don’t cook a lot. I tend to make very simple meals, or just throw together whatever I have on hand. I did make Low Carb Spinach Biscuits this week though. 🙂
I used those to make a “turkey sandwich” for dinner the other night:
It’s such an easy recipe and so versatile! You can add anything you like.
And some I ate warm with cream cheese spread on top:
This low carb dinner is cauliflower rice sauteed with Spicy Chili Pili Nuts and grilled chicken, with roasted broccoli:
I love cooking with Pili Nuts. 🙂 They’re a big soft buttery nut wild harvested from the Philippines and they really bring cauliflower rice to life!;)
I usually make enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day when I do cook, which was the case with that meal and also this one:
I’ve been sick with a winter cold/flu so I’ve also been drinking this Roast Chicken Bone Broth quite a bit. I add a tbsp of salted butter to make it even richer and really bring out the flavor. 🙂
Chicken broth is ideal when you have the Keto Flu too, which is common around Day 3 after you start a low carb diet.
From the same company I’ve been making “Hot Coffee Shakes” with their Keto Shake Mix. It’s been entirely too COLD here in Tennessee to drink a cold shake, so I mixed it with hot coffee instead of water or almond milk. Delicious! 🙂
It works great as coffee creamer too, but blending it for a few seconds makes it nice and frothy. 🙂
I had two Keto Shakes yesterday actually, both with hot coffee. One vanilla and one chocolate. The Vanilla Keto Shake mix is 1 net carb for a serving, and the Chocolate is zero net carbs.
Here’s yesterday’s MyFitnessPal diary where you can see both Keto Shakes, and I finished my spinach biscuits with cream cheese on them for lunch:
I couldn’t sleep last night so I got up and had a quick snack of some low carb cereal (dry) with a ChocZero dipping cup. 😉
Here is how I get a net carbs column in MyFitnessPal. I use the free version of MFP with that free plugin. It’s easy to set up, but it only works online in Firefox or Chrome – not on the mobile app.
Your goal is to eat LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) and the Ideal Macros or numbers you want to shoot for are: 20 net carbs max, 70% fat minimum, 25% protein max.
I have some more shrimp in the freezer so I’m going to cook that up tonight along with some roasted cauliflower and spinach.
I’m thinking I’ll roast the spinach and cauliflower together with olive oil & garlic, and just sear the shrimp in a non-stick skillet real quick. 😉 Easy!
You’ll find LOTS more low carb meal ideas in my low carb food diaries here…
How are things going with you?
I hope this note finds you motivated, inspired and EXCITED to kick off this new year on the right track. Here’s to taking daily action toward being your happiest, healthiest self this year! 🙂 *cheers*
Here are the Low Carb Challenge Details and if you’re in our Facebook Group this is the link to the starting weigh-in thread. Otherwise just leave a comment below to weigh in & follow along here.
Questions / Comments? Let’s chat!:)
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
p.s. You probably noticed my coffee creamer in the MyFitnessPal log above. I’ve been using the Coffee-Mate Sugar Free Hazelnut Powdered Creamer (1 carb per TBSP) in my coffee for awhile. I’ve been testing the Vanilla Keto Shake as coffee creamer instead, because it has MUCH better ingredients and it’s even LOWER in carbs. 🙂
We’re discussing Low Carb Coffee options here on my Facebook Page. Join us!
Discount Code: LOWCARBTRAVELER
How do you set up your my fitness pal app the way you have yours set up? I followed a page you had explaining how to set it up but still no luck. Do i need to pay for the upgraded myfitnesspal?
Hi Cheryl,
This is the way I have mine set up: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/4448/myfitnesspal-hack/ I have the free version of MFP, and this plugin is free too. It only works online though, in Firefox or Chrome browsers, not on the mobile app or tablets.
Hello Lyn. I used to do Atkins so I am not sure if it is okay to eat bread or berries since Atkins had phases. I have never done keto. Also do we weigh once a week? I have 75#s to lose and can get discouraged quickly. I usually end up quitting before I get started. Can you give me more insight? I have started the 90 day challenge and am excited.
Hi Christine π
A ketogenic low carb diet is basically the same as Phase One of Atkins, or Atkins 20 is what they now call it. You simply do 20 net carbs max and 70% fat minimum (LCHF).
I don’t do programs or phases so I don’t have restrictions like no coffee or berries the first week or certain amount of time. I just stick to 20 net carbs max – so I do eat berries in moderation.
We will weigh in once a week on Monday mornings throughout this challenge.
What was your experience before when you did Atkins? Did you stick it out and see good results?
Hi Lynn I did stick with the Atkins on and off since the late 90’s. I think the longest I’ve been compliant was 6 months and did see some amazing results in the way my body slimmed down. But my cravings for bread pasta and sugar won me over which can lead to a vicious cycle. So am I correct when I say we can eat keto breads and those delicious looking spinach biscuits? Anything low carb 20 net grams?
Right, Christine. π And there are great low carb breads and pasta options too now – which makes it EASY to stay on track, and make low carb a healthy lifestyle that is very easy to maintain. π
Wow, I can’t believe I’m starting on my third year of LC and following Lynn. This WOE becomes such a habit and the health benefits make it so worth it. After losing 40lbs the first year I have been able to maintain 133lbs but need to work more on toning up. I guess you could say I’m in maintenance but everytime I try to add certain carbs back in my diet the cravings and inflammation comes roaring back. NOT worth it! Just want to encourage everyone out there….this works!!!
I agree with you Marti – it’s NOT worth it at all. π Kudos for taking control of your health, and staying in control of it! That’s awesome, and such a great success story. Very inspiring & encouraging indeed. π
Toning and core strength are my top goals for the year too, for health reasons of course but also to look and FEEL my best.
Here’s to another amazing year together! π *cheers*
Hey hey there. I have the same goals as you, to get rid of more fat and build more lean muscle. I signed up for the gym and went there this morning. I’ve got a bit of a cold so that was tough, but I made it and got myself started at least. I LOVE cauli rice…last night I cooked the kind that has mushrooms and asparagus in it in the microwave then transferred it to a baking dish, added butter, cream cheese and cheddar cheese, mixed it all together and baked for about 10 minutes or so. My boyfriend thinks I’m crazy but he doesn’t get it…I needed to add the fat in there! I feel very confident about a healthier year….get my habits under control and keep keto’ing on. I’m helping quite few of my friends and even just acquaintances learning about he low carb living. Happy New Year Lynn π we rock, keto on! I’d love to get down to my goal weight this year…and I think it’s really going to happen! Even if I don’t I’m going to be fit and tone and I won’t care about the scale!
That cauli rice dish sounds delicious, Amy. π Happy New Year to you!! I’m so glad to hear from you, and hear that things are going so well with your goals. Kudos for getting started at a new gym membership and doing that workout!!
I feel the same way. I don’t even know what my “goal weight” is anymore as I’ve reached what I thought it was. I just plan to let it work itself out as I tone up and burn fat & build muscle. It’ll be interesting to see what the number on the scale says when I get there. π
Did you measure the frozen blueberries before adding them to the yellow cake mix? If so, how much did you use?
Hi Caryn π I did, yes. I used 35 grams of blueberries, which ended up being a lot and really increased the carb count. π I think you could go with half that amount easily…
Ok, great! Thanks!
Just tried your simple cereal. It was delicious. I only added a few drops of liquid Stevia as cottage cheese for me is an acquired taste. Most Keto cereals require baking. This one is quite filling and easy to do. I am looking forward to trying some of your other recipes. I found you when I was trying to find out what to eat at restaurants. Great tips. Thanks,
I’m so glad, Pamela! I love simple. π Welcome to the club – we have a great community here with tons of creative low carb food ideas & fun conversations!