It really amazes me just how easy a low carb lifestyle is once you get the hang of it ...
I don't obsess about food and I don't buy into the low carb/gluten free replacement product craze. I occasionally have something like this - maybe pizza crust or wraps or something - but generally I just eliminated those kinds of products from my diet all together.
So what do I eat ... well, lots actually ...
Dairy - activia yogurt, cheese (any and all), sometimes milk and a whole boatload full of eggs ... I love them, scrambled, fried, omelets, fritattas, poached, hardboiled ... sooooo good
Nuts - cashews are my fave but relatively high in carbs so small quantities and not too often, almonds, walnuts etc
Seeds - sunflower and pumpkin are my fave
Veggies - any and all of the non starchy ones (very, and I mean very rarely do I eat potatoes, corn or peas) so I load up on peppers, lettuce, carrots, mushrooms, onions, brocolli ... you name it
Fruit - I'm not a massive fruit lover anyway, so over indulging in these sweet treats is not an issue ... when I eat fruit I do try to keep it to a cup or less and I have it with protein to cut the effect on my blood sugar - so an apple with nuts and/or cheese or berries with yogurt and my "granola" (a mix of chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, unsweetened coconut and ground flax)
Meat - mmmmmmeat! Chicken, steak, pork chops, roasts, ham, and yes ... even the evil processed meats like pepperoni, salami, balogna, bacon ... who could leave out bacon?!?! and sausages
What I don't eat ... bread, bagels, buns or baked goods ... pasta or rice ... potatoes ... cereal or oatmeal of any kind ... chips, pretzels etc and pretty much any sugar. I try to eat as wheat free as possible and very low carb, like less than 50 grams a day low.
The only thing I check on a label is carbohydrates (ok, that's a lie, I also check out sodium) ... and I never watch calories or fat.
I do not, however, stress about the small stuff. When I eat out now I try to eat low carb by ordering chicken on a salad (subway or Urban Eatery) or a philly sandwich (hold the bread) with ceasar on the side. But guess what .. sometimes I want a cheeseburger. And fries. So I eat them ... enjoy every single bite ... and let it go.
And it's working ... this morning I was 159.8 lbs (not an official weigh-in as I only record my weight on Monday mornings) ... that's my lowest since the summer after Keegan was born (2005). At my heaviest I was 192 (January 2010) so I've come a long way baby! 25 to go!
Oh, actually that reminds me ... although I know what my end goal is, I've found it much easier to set weekly goals for myself. It has taken the focus off the big number, and let me focus on losing a lb or two at a time ... I'll be there before you know it :)
Friday, April 27, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Bringing it all together ...
Ok, so for the last month or so I've turned my attention to working out moreso than watching what I eat ... and as a result my weight is still creeping down (albeit slooooooowly) but I'm not getting where I want to be.
Today is time to bring both facets of my new healthy life together. Back to eating properly for my body (which I now know without a doubt is basically wheat free and very low carb) and working out and being active. I've started doing Largo at home with a great friend and my motivation/trainer and I'm ready to step up my activity on my non-Largo days now too! Thank God it's finally Spring!
So today the plan is ...
Food:
at least 2 L of water (lots of ice, a lime wedge and a straw makes this work for me!)
B: 3 egg omelet with meat and cheese
L: apple slices dipped in yogurt and then dipped in my version of granola (slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, unsweetened coconut and ground flax) and a piece of cheddar
S: the kids want to have tacos so I'm going to have the toppings in a bowl ... lean ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, salsa, sourcream and probably some sauted onions and peppers just because it's yummy!
Activity:
cleaning my house with some music pumping!
a walk while the kids play in a park (gonna do laps) and then play with them too :)
at least a single set from one of the exercise circuits I have (they're on my pinterest if you wanna see them)
The gang is coming for games tonight and I'm going to be good ... water and no snacking (but I do have some seeds on hand just in case the urge is hard to resist!)
Today is time to bring both facets of my new healthy life together. Back to eating properly for my body (which I now know without a doubt is basically wheat free and very low carb) and working out and being active. I've started doing Largo at home with a great friend and my motivation/trainer and I'm ready to step up my activity on my non-Largo days now too! Thank God it's finally Spring!
So today the plan is ...
Food:
at least 2 L of water (lots of ice, a lime wedge and a straw makes this work for me!)
B: 3 egg omelet with meat and cheese
L: apple slices dipped in yogurt and then dipped in my version of granola (slivered almonds, chopped walnuts, unsweetened coconut and ground flax) and a piece of cheddar
S: the kids want to have tacos so I'm going to have the toppings in a bowl ... lean ground beef, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, salsa, sourcream and probably some sauted onions and peppers just because it's yummy!
Activity:
cleaning my house with some music pumping!
a walk while the kids play in a park (gonna do laps) and then play with them too :)
at least a single set from one of the exercise circuits I have (they're on my pinterest if you wanna see them)
The gang is coming for games tonight and I'm going to be good ... water and no snacking (but I do have some seeds on hand just in case the urge is hard to resist!)
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Ugh.
Today I ate wheat.
And I loved every bite of it .... for about an hour. Now, I hurt. A lot. I'd like to say lesson learned, and the truth is I have learned ... for now. So tomorrow I'm back on track, and I already know it will be hard, after all the carbs I ate today I'm bound to struggle tomorrow, knowing that is half the battle though.
The plan ...
strawberries, yogurt and nuts/coconut for breakfast
chicken on a salad for lunch
nuts for snack
... and a trip to the grocery store tomorrow night to get some wheat free/low carb snacks.
If I'm hungry for dinner I'll be making a giant stirfry and skipping the rice.
Ok, here goes ...
And I loved every bite of it .... for about an hour. Now, I hurt. A lot. I'd like to say lesson learned, and the truth is I have learned ... for now. So tomorrow I'm back on track, and I already know it will be hard, after all the carbs I ate today I'm bound to struggle tomorrow, knowing that is half the battle though.
The plan ...
strawberries, yogurt and nuts/coconut for breakfast
chicken on a salad for lunch
nuts for snack
... and a trip to the grocery store tomorrow night to get some wheat free/low carb snacks.
If I'm hungry for dinner I'll be making a giant stirfry and skipping the rice.
Ok, here goes ...
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Update time!
Well I have to say that I did know myself well enough to know that I would never keep this up everyday ... but I won't let it totally fall by the wayside either!
In total, I've lost 9.6 lbs and as of this morning I was 164.2 lbs. That's pretty awesome considering I've basically gone on autopilot and stopped thinking about the mechanics of my diet as much.
In general ... I feel amazing! If I was smart enough to go to bed at night instead of being Ms. Social, I don't think I'd ever feel tired! I've just got more "get up and go" ... I find myself motivated to take the stairs at work more often and playing more physically with my kids (we just got back from sledding!).
I eat a lot of eggs, tuna, meat in general (pork chops, steak, stirfry strips, bacon, chicken), nuts, yogurt, lower glycemic fruit, cheese, veggies (I eat a TON of veggies!) ... and I occasionally eat non-gluten carbs such as brown rice or gluten free pizza. For the most part, I avoid starchy carbs all together, because I've seen and felt the effect they have on my body. Any large amount of carbs (even if they're not wheat based) cause a blood sugar crash three hours later that would make a shark in chum filled waters look tame! When I do indulge, I try to have a good solid protein based snack on hand so break the cycle the first time the sugar plummet hits. Generally, on a daily basis my diet does NOT include rice, potatoes, pasta, bread in any form, sugar, cereal including oatmeal, muffins, cookies etc. I know it sounds bad, but really, I don't miss it much. The few gluten free indulgences I've had have done the trick, and for someone who used to CRAVE food, any carb in sight really ... the lack of hunger and cravings is really quite remarkable!
Sample daily menu ...
Breakfast:
1 c of berries (raspberries, strawberries and wildberries) with about 1/2 c Activia vanilla yogurt (I wanted the active bacteria and looked for the lowest carb count) with my version of "granola" ... 1 tbsp of unsweetened coconut, 1 tbsp of chopped walnuts, 1 tbsp of slivered almonds and a tsp of ground flax
Lunch:
1 c of tuna, mixed with two chopped hard boiled eggs, a stalk or two of choppped celery, pepper and a couple tbsps of full fat mayo ... with carrot sticks/cucumbers/peppers etc
Supper:
Stirfry whatever veggies I have on hand with some steak or chicken add some soya sauce and chicken stock and enjoy or veggies and canned tomatoes with chicken pieces baked in the oven or any meat with a huge salad (no croutons)
Anyway ... that's all for now!
Peace!
In total, I've lost 9.6 lbs and as of this morning I was 164.2 lbs. That's pretty awesome considering I've basically gone on autopilot and stopped thinking about the mechanics of my diet as much.
In general ... I feel amazing! If I was smart enough to go to bed at night instead of being Ms. Social, I don't think I'd ever feel tired! I've just got more "get up and go" ... I find myself motivated to take the stairs at work more often and playing more physically with my kids (we just got back from sledding!).
I eat a lot of eggs, tuna, meat in general (pork chops, steak, stirfry strips, bacon, chicken), nuts, yogurt, lower glycemic fruit, cheese, veggies (I eat a TON of veggies!) ... and I occasionally eat non-gluten carbs such as brown rice or gluten free pizza. For the most part, I avoid starchy carbs all together, because I've seen and felt the effect they have on my body. Any large amount of carbs (even if they're not wheat based) cause a blood sugar crash three hours later that would make a shark in chum filled waters look tame! When I do indulge, I try to have a good solid protein based snack on hand so break the cycle the first time the sugar plummet hits. Generally, on a daily basis my diet does NOT include rice, potatoes, pasta, bread in any form, sugar, cereal including oatmeal, muffins, cookies etc. I know it sounds bad, but really, I don't miss it much. The few gluten free indulgences I've had have done the trick, and for someone who used to CRAVE food, any carb in sight really ... the lack of hunger and cravings is really quite remarkable!
Sample daily menu ...
Breakfast:
1 c of berries (raspberries, strawberries and wildberries) with about 1/2 c Activia vanilla yogurt (I wanted the active bacteria and looked for the lowest carb count) with my version of "granola" ... 1 tbsp of unsweetened coconut, 1 tbsp of chopped walnuts, 1 tbsp of slivered almonds and a tsp of ground flax
Lunch:
1 c of tuna, mixed with two chopped hard boiled eggs, a stalk or two of choppped celery, pepper and a couple tbsps of full fat mayo ... with carrot sticks/cucumbers/peppers etc
Supper:
Stirfry whatever veggies I have on hand with some steak or chicken add some soya sauce and chicken stock and enjoy or veggies and canned tomatoes with chicken pieces baked in the oven or any meat with a huge salad (no croutons)
Anyway ... that's all for now!
Peace!
Monday, January 16, 2012
Week one done! Day 8 :)
Well week one was a success ... although I struggled a bit ...
So, for my official weigh in ... I'm down 5lbs. I probably could have been more, but I broke my own no carb rule and had gluten free pizza Saturday night. And I don't regret it! I know that this has to be a lifestyle I can maintain so the odd bit of carbs here and there won't kill me ... but I did notice the halted weight loss and increased cravings following ...
All in all, a successful week, and I can't wait to get my groceries this week so I have some more variety in what I'm eating :)
T
So, for my official weigh in ... I'm down 5lbs. I probably could have been more, but I broke my own no carb rule and had gluten free pizza Saturday night. And I don't regret it! I know that this has to be a lifestyle I can maintain so the odd bit of carbs here and there won't kill me ... but I did notice the halted weight loss and increased cravings following ...
All in all, a successful week, and I can't wait to get my groceries this week so I have some more variety in what I'm eating :)
T
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Day 4
Morning! I'm down another lb ... so that's 6.8 in total in about 72 hrs.
Last night I wasn't hungry for supper because I hadn't eaten my lunch until 3pm. I got a bit hungry last night so I ate a half lb of bacon wrapped scallops at 11 o'clock. I know that's NOT diet friendly on any plan ... but it was nice to eat and not have guilt. This morning I feel full but not bloated, and not even the least bit hungry.
We're late getting on the go today, so no real plan in place other than no breakfast, walnuts if I get hungry for a snack this morning and a trip home at lunch time. Finally going to make that sheppards pie so I'll scrape the top off of it for supper.
Peace!
Last night I wasn't hungry for supper because I hadn't eaten my lunch until 3pm. I got a bit hungry last night so I ate a half lb of bacon wrapped scallops at 11 o'clock. I know that's NOT diet friendly on any plan ... but it was nice to eat and not have guilt. This morning I feel full but not bloated, and not even the least bit hungry.
We're late getting on the go today, so no real plan in place other than no breakfast, walnuts if I get hungry for a snack this morning and a trip home at lunch time. Finally going to make that sheppards pie so I'll scrape the top off of it for supper.
Peace!
Day 3
Yesterday seemed really busy and I tried a couple of times go get here to post and it didn't happen!
I've decided to use Monday morning as my official weigh in time knowing that as I weigh myself throughout the week I'll have fluctuations ... not that I won't do it, lol, just that I'm not counting it as official until Monday rolls around.
So, that being said as of yesterday, I'm down 5.8 lbs. And yes, I know that's probaby mostly water ... it's still a great number to see. I feel way less bloated and have lots of energy, so all it good!
I've decided to use Monday morning as my official weigh in time knowing that as I weigh myself throughout the week I'll have fluctuations ... not that I won't do it, lol, just that I'm not counting it as official until Monday rolls around.
So, that being said as of yesterday, I'm down 5.8 lbs. And yes, I know that's probaby mostly water ... it's still a great number to see. I feel way less bloated and have lots of energy, so all it good!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
So far so good ...
I'm not hungry really at all today, but eating meals as I go. I'm nervous waiting for the carb crash but who knows, maybe it won't happen. I'm also hoping that if it does hit, it does so sooner rather than later so I can avoid the usual PMS cravings. If I get this right, I'm actually hoping to greatly reduce the symptoms so I guess we'll see!
Day two :)
Stuck to the plan yesterday ... well, the no-carb plan anyway. I ended up snacking last night but I made sure to go get sunflower seeds and cashews so I didn't have a carb binge. I'm expecting the carb crash that I've read about to hit between day 3 and 5 so I'm thinking I'm going to have to get rid of some of the major temptations still residing in my kitchen. Namely the doritos and pizza pockets.
Monday, January 09, 2012
Going with the flow :)
Ok, so the kids didn't want to wait for the sheppards pie to heat up, so I made them a quick mac and hamburger casserole and made myself a last minute lean hamburger and veggie scramble fry. I topped it off with a bit of cheese and resisted the multigrain rolls the kids were ignoring! YUM!
Today's menu
Well, since this was a slow forming, but quickly made, decision ... I really didn't have much time to put a menu together for today, let alone the week. I was tempted to use this as an excuse to delay starting, but THAT's, without a doubt, the story of my life. So ... it's almost 3pm, I've kept on track and have a loose plan for the evening. I'm also going to plan tomorrow after the kids go to bed.
Finally!
So ...
Here I am ... decidedly doing something different. Well, sorta.
I've been trying to lose weight for most of my adult life. With the exception of the time I spent pregnant (3 kids since 2003 means that does add up!) I have tried various and innumberable weight loss "plans". In the last 15 years or so I feel like I've tried most of the gimmicks with various levels of success ... in the beginning.
Here I am ... decidedly doing something different. Well, sorta.
I've been trying to lose weight for most of my adult life. With the exception of the time I spent pregnant (3 kids since 2003 means that does add up!) I have tried various and innumberable weight loss "plans". In the last 15 years or so I feel like I've tried most of the gimmicks with various levels of success ... in the beginning.
I choose the fight ...
"There are two choices really. You can either surrender to the pressures of life and the struggles of this particular battle.... or you continue the fight...and do so with even more vengence and determination to reach your goals then you did before.
I choose the fight.....I know what it will get me."
~ Kim - Getting2Goal.com
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