Our Keto Journey - Day 87

Day 87 – 

Today was not a good day. It started out okay. I had my coffee. I had to work for a couple hours.

When I got home I made myself a nice healthy chicken salad. It had some cheese and pecans and it was yummy.

That’s when my day started to take a turn downhill. My husband and I got ready to attend a football game. We put on our college colors and headed out the door. It was hot out. There was so much fun college atmosphere in the air. We were both really tired of our diet. 

My first bad choice was to have a regular beer, not a low carb one. I checked online and they have 6.5 carbs, so not terrible but that isn’t where our evening ended.

When we got to the game we walked up to the snack bar and all I could see and smell was the yummy popcorn. It has been so long since I’ve had popcorn. Peter had two regular hot dugs, and yes that was with the bun and all. I thought I was being smart and would get the bratwurst. Well it wasn’t very good, boiled not grilled and despite removing a bunch of the bun I did eat probably 1/3 of the bun. A quick check indicates that a hot dog bun is about 21 carbs so I would guess I ate 8-10 carbs. 

Sitting in the stands watching the game Peter asked if I wanted anything else and I blurted out – “Yes I want popcorn”. I knew I shouldn’t but I really wanted some. Despite doing so well on the diet I just wanted the sweet, salty crunchy feel of popcorn.  Peter came back to our seats with a big bucket of popcorn. We both had a bunch and I enjoyed it, all the while feeling guilty for allowing myself the indulgence. There are 21 grams of carbs in ONE ounce of popcorn, so needless to say we were way over our limit for today. 

I think being so close to the end of my 100-day commitment has me feeling a sense of frustration for these 100 days to be over already. Even with this poor choice today, I have been consistent on this diet. I know that once night of a few too many carbs from a beer and some popcorn is not the end of the world, but the concern is that allowing myself one indulgence could lead to another…and another and all my hard work could vanish. I will not do that. I will get back to my good eating choices and keep working hard to get the weight off. 

Our Keto Journey - Day 86

Day 86 – 

I started my day with my usual cup of coffee. I know that many people on Keto do intermittent fasting and that according to most Keto websites you should only have black coffee or water during the hours you are fasting, but although I am limiting my eating to only 8 hours in the day, I am just not willing to give up my creamer.  

After finishing some paperwork in the morning I grabbed a couple cheese sticks and a cut up cucumber for my lunch and headed out to work. My diet has been fairly boring and basic, but it does seem to be working. The scale is continuing to slowly inch down.

After working in the afternoon and struggling through a lengthy commute in traffic I met some friends for a fun evening out. I chose a delicious chicken and pecan salad and had a glass of Prosecco. According to Yummywineblog.com Champagne and other sparkling wines like brut or prosecco have around 98 calories and 1.5g of carbs for a 5oz serving, which makes them the best wines to drink if you're watching calories or carbs!

Only two more weeks of my 100 day commitment and even though I am getting bored and tired of dieting and of writing these daily blog posts, I am excited to be nearing the end of this commitment. 

Your Keto Journey - Day 85

Day 85 – 

It was another extremely crazy busy day. After grabbing some coffee I quickly packed a lunch and headed out to work. 

I packed some pecans, a couple cheese sticks and a quick salad with some spinach and pumpkin seeds. It wasn’t exciting but it was edible and it was enough to get me through the day.

When I got home I grabbed the leftover salmon and re-heated it and it was just right. 

Peter called and I met him at the Verizon store to upgrade my phone. That took awhile and I headed straight from there to a meeting I had, which of course lasted longer than I expected. 

When I got home I was exhausted and Peter made a comment about how he wised he could have a big glass of milk, but he can’t. Then he said he can’t ever have milk again and I had a meltdown. It was all just too much for me today. I know it was because I was tired, but I came a bit unglued, letting him know that when he says things like that it will cause me to fail on this diet. If I believe that I cant EVER have chips, or milk, or whatever I know that will be too hard for me and it will cause me to fail. 

I made this commitment to 100 days and so far I have been able to keep it, but I am really at the point where I am frustrated at not losing more and getting really tired of the deprivation I feel. This is the greatest challenge with any diet. According to sharecare.com “Diets fail for the very same psychological reasons that cause us to overeat. They are dependent on an unhealthy relationship with eating. In one case we over eat to excess not to meet the physical needs of hunger but to meet the emotional demands of life.”

Obsessing over food is the problem. Either obsessing over it and eating too much or obsessing over it and restricting are both still a problem because it is an unhealthy relationship with food. Research shows that even after losing weight, people often will struggle to keep that weight off. 

There is a great deal of information on why and how diets don’t work. This article in Self magazine was very good. https://www.self.com/story/why-diets-fail

I don’t want everyone to think I am sabotaging my diet or giving up, quite the contrary. I know that when I focus on unhealthy attitudes like restriction of foods, especially when I make fatalistic statements like I can ‘Never have that again” that I am making choices that will absolutely lead to failure. 

I made a commitment to do a “diet” for 100 days and I have just over two weeks left in that commitment, but I still have a lot of weight to lose and more importantly I still need to work on improving my health and fitness level. Once my 100 days are finished I will still need to “incorporate lots of physical activity, be extremely mindful of my diet and hunger cues, and manage stress without relying on food”, as the author of the Self article indicated.  I still do believe that diets do not work, but a commitment to health and choosing healthy practices can work.  Reframing my language and self-talk is the key to success.  

Our Keto Journey - Day 84

Day 84 – 

I enjoyed my coffee this morning. I am almost out of my sugar free pumpkin spice creamer so I will have to get some more soon. It really makes my morning coffee feel like a special treat. 

 I was happy to have the day off today so later in the morning I decide to make more of the Keto biscuits Peter had been asking for. 

 The biscuits are easy to make, just a few ingredients. For the recipe visit my previous blog post
 http://meandmychubbyadventures.blogspot.com/2018/09/our-keto-journey-day-65.html

 I had two of the biscuits when they were warm and they tasted so good. I saved the rest for later. I just threw them in a baggie and tossed them in the fridge. 

 I was really focused and busy and got lots of work done and I just grabbed a cheese stick for a quick lunchtime snack.

After Peter got home I made some salmon while he grilled a steak and we had green beans. 

After dinner I ran out to a meeting for a couple hours and when I got home I watched a little TV until I was ready for bed. I did indulge myself again with a couple of the remaining squares of chocolate.  

I felt bad that I didn’t manage time to get to the YMCA, but I felt good about my diet choices. 

Our Keto Journey - Day 83

Day 83 – 

Although my schedule is pretty hectic, I do try to schedule at least one day a week where I can stay home and catch up on dishes, laundry, chores, etc. Today was my day to stay home, or at least I was hoping it would be.

 I took my time enjoying my coffee and mid-morning I decided to make myself a healthy breakfast. I cut up some ham and made myself some scrambled eggs with ham and cheese. I mixed a tablespoon of cottage cheese in with my eggs and it came out fluffy and great. I only used 2 eggs but it looked like much more. 

I worked on chores; laundry, dishes, etc. and I got the chance to focus on some office work and phone calls. I wound up with a last minute appointment however, so I had to run upstairs and jump in the shower to make it on time. 

After work I met with one of my fabulous friends to plan our upcoming trip to Thailand. I am so excited. I can absolutely guarantee that I will not be worrying about staying Keto while in Thailand. Part of the adventure of traveling is eating all the unique foods from that area. I am not overly concerned about gaining a bunch of weight because travel also involves a lot of walking and activity. 

I did order a fantastic salad and although it had some small cut up pieces of pear, everything else in the salad was Keto friendly, as well as delicious. 

When I got home I relaxed with Peter and treated myself to a small amount of dark chocolate (about 6 squares), he helped himself to a bowl of the low carb ice cream. I really do believe these small indulgences are what keep us doing so well on our diet. I am much less likely to need to ‘cheat’ when I allow myself to have a treat once in awhile, and these treats are appropriately low in carbs. 

Not only that, but chocolate, especially dark chocolate has a whole bunch of health benefits.

7 Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate:

·      Very Nutritious

·      Powerful Source of Antioxidants 

·      May Improve Blood Flow and Lower Blood Pressure 

·      Raises HDL and Protects LDL From Oxidation 

·      May Reduce Heart Disease Risk 

·      May Protect Your Skin From the Sun 

·      Could Improve Brain Function

For more info check out this blog post https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-dark-chocolate

I do need to be more consistent with exercise, but life always seems to throw a curve ball. I had planned to exercise in the afternoon but then wound up with a last minute work thing. I know that is an excuse and I could wake up early and exercise or find another time to go. I like when I can build exercise into my normal activity, but it really is up to me to MAKE myself commit to go to the YMCA at least every other day, especially if I want to be in good shape for my upcoming trip.

Our Keto Journey - Day 82

Day 82 – 

I grabbed my coffee this morning and headed out for a busy day. 

After attending a meeting this morning I had a few minutes to grab some lunch before working all afternoon. I decided to stop at a cool place called Salad and Go. I ordered a big Cobb salad but asked for no tomatoes to stay Keto.  The salad was fantastic. With bacon, avocado, egg, and lots of fresh greens it was a perfect Keto lunch. 

After getting home Peter and I cooked dinner together. He really wanted to make the Keto Chicken Enchiladas with the cheese shells.  They are so yummy. I actually had a second helping. 

Even though I had gotten a lot of sleep yesterday I was really tired after dinner. I’m not sure if it is allergies or something else, but I have been so busy lately and I think my body just needs some recuperation time. I really believe it’s important to listen to your body. 

As I get closer to the end of my 100 days I am thinking about how we will both continue to focus on a low carb diet to continue our weight loss journey. 

Our Keto Journey - Day 81

Day 81 – 

Weekends can be great for diets but they can also be full of struggles. After a relaxing morning with my coffee, Peter and I went out to the grocery store and then came home to watch football on TV. 

I found these fun drinks at the store and decided these would be a good alternative to beer or wine while watching the game.

They taste great and they are only 2 carbs for the whole can. 

Peter decided to make bratwurst and we also made some Sauerkraut, which is very low in carbs. Other than the bun this is exactly what we would be having on any normal football Sunday, so staying Keto isn’t that difficult. 

The biggest problem for me is that I really wanted to eat some chips. I really miss chips, especially while watching a game. I decided to make myself some cheese ‘chips’ and while they did taste good they were not quite the chip feeling that I was longing for. For me, the hardest part of Keto is not having crunchy foods like chips, pretzels and crackers that I love.  I do use nuts for crunch but it is something I really miss.  

To make these cheese chips just take a small amount of cheese into piles on some parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 5-6 minutes. My chips came out a bit large but you can make them any size that you want.  

After the game we watched a movie together and I was so tired from getting up several times during the night with my dog that wasn’t feeling well so I actually fell asleep and I slept through dinner. I guess that is one way to do an intermittent fast. 

Needless to say I did not make it to the YMCA, but I really needed the sleep and sleep is incredibly important for weight loss.

Our Keto Journey - Day 80

Day 80 – 

While I didn’t make it around the world, for the past 80 days I have stuck with the Keto diet and with just a couple rare exceptions I have stayed very true to this diet. I had hoped that my weight loss to this point might be much bigger, but I am pleased overall at my results. With only twenty days left of my 100-day commitment I have every confidence that I will finish strong.  

Today, along with my coffee, I started my day with a big breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs. Peter tends to put way too much food on my plate, so I only ate about half of the eggs that he gave me. We all have to learn that it is OKAY to not finish all the food on your plate. If you are full STOP EATING. 

After breakfast I jumped in the car to attend an all day Democratic state meeting, which was over 2 hours away.  I was still full from the big breakfast so I did not have the lunch when I got there. I also did not get the lunch because there was very little of it I could actually eat since it consisted of a big sandwich and a bag of chips. I also had to decline when friends offered cookies and other snacks they had packed for the meeting. I don't want to be rude, but my health is more important than worrying if someone will be upset that I don't want their kindly offered snacks. 

Fortunately the meeting didn’t last too long and I was on my way back home by 4:00. I was a bit hungry at that point so I went ahead and stopped at fast food, ordering a cheeseburger of which I ate only the patty, and threw away the buns.  It was enough to get me through the drive home.

For dinner I ate the second half of a big burger Peter had made for himself with mozzarella cheese inside. I also made myself some steamed broccoli to go with it.  

I rarely do this, but since it was a weekend I treated myself to a small bowl of the low carb ice cream that I bought for Peter. Its okay to have dessert once in awhile, especially if it is a good choice like this low carb ice cream.

I did not get a chance to go workout today, but I will make time for a visit to the YMCA tomorrow. 

Our Keto Journey - Day 79

Day 79 – 

Blogging each day for 79 straight days has been quite a commitment, but I feel like my commitment to blogging has helped to keep me accountable. Even though it’s late I did manage to find a few minutes to get my blog posted today. It’s getting harder to find original ways to share what I did and ate each day. 

This morning I grabbed some coffee and headed out to work. We didn’t have much in the way of lunch food so I just had to make do. I grabbed a couple cheese sticks, some pecans and a small container of Crisps, but it was enough to get me through the day. When I got home I made a late lunch of steamed broccoli and a piece of lemon butter fish. 

In the evening I stopped at a quick Democratic house party and then went to pick Peter up at the airport. I knew Peter had not had the chance to eat any dinner so I asked him if he wanted to stop and get some of that delicious cauliflower crust pizza. He said yes immediately.

I did not really need any pizza, but I enjoyed my date night with Peter who was finally home after two weeks. We both ate and enjoyed each bite as we listened to some really awful Karaoke.

Peter said he did not do a good job of sticking with Keto while he was away so he was very happy to be home and he has committed to getting back to making good diet choices now that he is back home. 

I really am lucky to be able to do this together with Peter. Being able to encourage and support each other has been incredible. 

Our Keto Journey Day 78

Day 78 – 

I grabbed my coffee and headed out this morning, but luckily I only had to work for a few hours. I had one of the Nut Bars for a morning snack, and when I made it home I heated up the last of the leftover chicken for my lunch.

I decided to try another new recipe for dinner. I spiralized two zucchinis and set them out to dry for a while. 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

•   4 Zucchinis

•   1/2 stick of butter

•   2 cloves of garlic

•   1 cup parmesan cheese

•   salt

Instructions

1 Turn zucchini into noodles using a julienne peeler, spiralizer or veggetti.

2  Put zucchini noodles into a colander and salt liberally let sit for 20 minutes (very important!)

3 After 20 minutes, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel

4 Melt butter and the garlic in a skillet or sauté pan

5 Sauté noodles over med-high heat for 4-5 minutes

Remove from heat and mix in Parmesan cheese

*for the recipe check this website:

https://www.almostsupermom.com/one-skillet-garlic-parmesan-zoodles/

This is how the Zoodles looked on the website

This is how my dish came out – not quite the pretty dish they showed. My cheese melted too much and I had a lot of moisture in my pan, but they tasted great. 

I actually ate too much because it was so yummy and I was hungry, so after dinner I really didn’t feel like going to workout. I laid on the sofa and snuggled with my dog while watching TV for a while but after an hour I decided that whether I feel like it or not, I need to go workout so I headed to the YMCA.

 I started on the treadmill and walked for a little over 30 minutes.

Then I did the stationary bicycle for another 10 minutes. 

I have tried to make sure my workouts are at least 35-45 minutes long. 

I decided to go check my weight since it had been a while since I checked and …..

I have now lost a total of 21 pounds! I was hoping that it would be more, but it is still a great number.