Category Archives: cream cheese
Day 99: Back to work, one bad choice
Total weight loss: 26.5 pounds. Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 21st
Tuesday it was back to work for me. I haven’t been working the keto plan as well as I used to be. I eat too little, I splurged on the wrap yesterday, I went totally off while sick last week, and I’m not planning good, nutritious meals and lunches. Time to get back on track. (I AM losing pounds and inches; however, so that part is A-OK!)
I was up several times in the night because the hospital kept calling to update me on my dad’s condition. Is that an excuse for what followed? Maybe.
I went back to work and started in on meetings and deadlines. I took time to heat my McRick breakfast of eggs, sausage, and cheese. There was a public workshop taking place in the conference room and lots and lots of bagels and large, inviting Dunkin Donut’s muffins for employees and students.
I think you know what happened.
I ate a huge, sugar-topped, chocolate chip muffin.
I was tired, my dad may be dying, I didn’t want to be back at work, blah de blah blah. I ate the friggin’ muffin and relished every bite.
Then the carbs took effect. I was really really tired. Sluggish. Muddle-headed. I felt just awful – physically and psychologically.
An hour or so later, I made 2 beddar cheddars. I felt a little better, but still logey. I looked up the bad news on these muffins here. For a cheat “meal,” it was a really bad choice — 81 net carbs. Sigh.
After work, Rick and I went up to the hospital to see my dad. He didn’t seem as bad as I expected. He may pull through this latest crisis, after all.
We headed home, and I skipped dinner. I wasn’t very hungry and I had lots of phone calls to make. I think in my head I decided to minimize the carb damage by skipping dinner, but I was hungry in a couple of hours. I made a “comfort food” concoction made up of a cup of spaghetti squash and a cheese mixture I threw together: sauteed onions in butter, heavy cream, cream cheese and grated cheese. It was bland, but did the trick.
Tomorrow: BACK ON TRACK!
Day 80: Anyone else like cream cheese?
Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds Next weigh-in: tomorrow!
I started work at 8 a.m. Another crazy day at work, another missed breakfast.
At noon, Rick took me to get coney dogs at the local diner. I asked for them without buns, and all was well.
Around 4, I ate the usual handful of almonds.
At 7:30 p.m., I left work tired and hungry. Thankfully, I had a serving of Indian butter chicken and cauliflower rice left over.
Around 9 p.m, I wanted a little snack. I still had about 8 carbs left. I ate 3 oz of cream cheese. Odd, I know, but delicious.
As a side note, I found this about the benefits of eating cream cheese. Okay, it was a site for pregnant women, but the bennies still hold true for the rest of us.
Benefits of cream cheeses:
Cream cheeses, unlike other unsafe cheeses are made from pasteurized milk which makes it safe to eat.- They are a good source of protein.
- Calcium and phosphorous content of cream cheeses can be trusted highly in preventing bone decalcification.
- The carbohydrate content of cream cheeses is in a minimum extent so would not add on weight to your body.
- They have considerable amount of vitamin A.
I was still well under carb count (and calorie count) for the day. I just hope I don’t UNDER do it and trigger starvation mode (if it even exists!).
Day 76: Not much intake; lots of activity
Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds Next weigh-in: Sat., March 31st
Yesterday was Sunday and it was a day of accomplishment.
We stayed home for breakfast, but I awoke with lots on my mind. I still had lots of paperwork to get in order for my dad, I had items to complete a the rental house, I had a messy house, 3 loads of laundry, and George and Beccy coming at 5.
I have been reading alot lately about taking control of one’s life and one thing that stuck out was that I should choose the 3 most important things that need to be done and do them FIRST. I decided that I wasn’t hungry and couldn’t really relax and enjoy my NYT Sunday puzzle over breakfast when all these chores looming over me.
I headed for my desk and knocked off some of the paperwork. I paid some bills. I did some of my own paperwork. I organized a list of what I could accomplish in the day, the week, the month.
Finished with that, I showered and went downstairs to throw in a load of laundry. While there, I found my grout sponge to take with me to the rental. While cooking eggs for breakfast, I put a pot of eggs on to boil and to devil later, and I cleaned the kitchen.
Finally, by one pm, I sat down to enjoy 3 scrambled cheesy eggs with sour cream. I had a leisurely breakfast and finished my puzzle.
I hopped in the truck and went over to finally finish tiling the kitchen and foyer. I had left all the little intricate doorway corners for last. Then I jumped back in the truck and headed home, where I cleaned the living room and bathroom and vacuumed the whole house. More laundry, then time to make chili cheese dip for our guests.
The dip is okay on a low carb diet: Hormel turkey chili with no beans, cream cheese, and onions. The problem is finding a conveyance to get the dip into one’s mouth. Pork rinds crumble, and it just doesn’t taste that great with cheese chips. I used 3 pita chips but made sure to pile lots of dip on each.
I ate a Beddar Cheddar and had some lime “cheesecake” for dessert. I had eaten so little that I only used up a few carbs. Rick and I made the deviled eggs and I ate them for a late night snack.
Day 75: Hostess donettes are not worth the carb intake
Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds Next weigh-in: Sat., March 31st
Yesterday’s weigh-in put me in a happy mood. It’s slow progress, but the months add up and soon 21 pounds will be 42 and so on.
After weighing in, I had to get ready for work, and I didn’t have time to prepare for breakfast. Brandon picked me up and we went into work at 10. I did something extremely out of character. I went into the kitchen at work to get some water and there was a bag of Hostess chocolate donettes on the table for anyone to eat.
And I ate one!
This is the first time I’ve succumbed to a temptation like that in 10 and 1/2 weeks! It was gone in two bites, and I recorded it in my daily food diary: 8 grams of carbs.
Well, that was certainly anticlimactic. Those 2 little bites of processed junk food were equal to a hearty meal in carb count and were definitely not worth eating. I guess I had to get that rebellion out of my system. A lesson learned.
On to lunch time. The boss bought pizza for all of us Saturday OT workers. I ate 2 pieces with chicken toppings and one with pepperoni and Italian sausage. Of course I threw away the crust.
Later that evening at home, I made spaghetti squash and creamy alfredo and shrimp topping. The squash was tough to cut so I put it in the microwave for a few seconds, and…BLAST… the door flew open when the squash exploded. I salvaged what I could and cooked the rest properly in a pyrex dish AFTER cutting into pieces.
Dessert was sugar-free lime/cream cheese “cheese cake.”
I stayed up til nearly 3 a.m., I am really a nocturnal creature and I enjoy doing that every couple of weeks. I got hungry around midnight and ate 3 pita chips (now THAT’s control) with about 4 tbsp of crab dip. That filled up the rest of my carb allotment for the day.
Day 73: The flu puts me way under my daily carb count
Weight loss to date: 17.5
I woke up feeling a little under the weather and wasn’t up to eating eggs. I ate a low carb yogurt instead.
By lunchtime I was quite hungry and went to Checkers for a baconzilla. I’m getting very adept at eating burgers in the bun by sliding the burger forward bite by and leaving the bun behind.
After work I dropped by to see my dad. I was really tired and just wanted to get home and nap. One home, I realized I had a fever and headed right to bed. I woke up for a little while at 9 pm and the only food that appealed to me was cream cheese! I ate about 3 ounces and went back to bed with a raging fever.
Fortunately, I woke up feeling fine. That was the fastest flu on record.
Day 68: Beautiful weather: time to get out the bicycle
Weight loss: 17.5 pounds; next weigh day: Sat., Mar 24th
It was a beautiful Saturday and we had lots of work ahead of us: more garage cleaning, plus finishing that floor tile. I also needed to to bills, arrange some of my dad’s paperwork, and, in general, get some of my affairs in order.
Rick arose earlier than I did (no surprise) and ate breakfast alone. I showered and got right to my desk. Around noon, I decided to have brunch at Del Taco. Rick was off riding his bike and met me there.
I ordered a steak taco Asada and a chicken taco and removed both tortillas. That did not assuage my hunger in the least. I looked around online to see what else was recommended low-carb fare at Del Taco. They didn’t have the taco salad on their menu, so I went with another choice: a beef burrito. It was made up of seasoned ground beef, cheese, onions, and sour cream.
I unrolled my giant tortilla and found that it was very similar to eating a taco salad with no shell. It was really really delicious, so I have now fortunately added another fast food menu option to my growing list. I plan to be on the keto diet for around a year until I reach my goal. It’s always nice to have some choices along the way.
I finally got to the tiling I’ve been attempting to finish. Unfortunately, I was one or two tiles short, and Rick couldn’t get them at the local Home Depot. We’ll have to go to the one in Canton tomorrow. We did get another truck load of Salvation army donations together and will deliver those tomorrow, as well.
It was a gorgeous day and we both enjoyed working outside. By the time we got home and unloaded the truck, it was close to 8 pm, and I had been hungry for hours. I took a quick spin on my bike, just to get my sea legs back. Then I set out to find a meal idea.
Rick said he felt like hotdogs. I felt like something more, and wanted to make him a treat because he had worked so hard. I looked around online for “keto appetizers,” keto snacks,” then started thinking…doesn’t macaroni and cheese sound great with hotdogs? My next search for “keto macaroni and cheese cauliflower” did the trick. I just KNEW cauliflower would be involved. I made this recipe for Mokafoni and Cheese.
I was a little short on the cream cheese, so I subbed with a little parmesan. It was a hit! I’m going to add it to my list of favorite keto recipes, since mac and cheese is an old comfort food of mine.
While the mock and cheese was baking, I took a glass of vodka and Diet Coke outside and sat with Rick under the gazebo. I didn’t want to miss a March summer night. We ate a late meal and skipped dessert.
Day 59: More of the same
Weight loss: 17 lbs; next weigh-in: tomorrow
Yesterday began with eggs at work. For lunch, I heated leftover taco meat and assembled 2 tacos in Mama Lupe tortillas. They made for a delicious and filling meal.
I left work at a reasonable hour and had an early dinner. I used the spaghetti squash I had prepared earlier in the week as a base for Cincinnati chili. It was just okay. I think something happens to the texture/flavor of squash after a few days in the fridge.
We were out of cocoa, so I made sugar-free lime jello with cream cheese mixed in for dessert.
Day 43: Meat loaf, part 2
Total weight loss: 14 pounds
Next weigh-in: Saturday, Feb 25, 2012
Yesterday began at work, as usual. I had my egg/sausage/cheese bowl, made by Rick.
Lunch was 2 hotdogs microwaved in the last of the chili.
Snack: chili/lime slmonds
At the end of the workday, I got some more bad news. Another friend passed away suddenly over the weekend. When I got home, I decided to have a drink, and a vodka and Diet Coke provided a no carb option.
Brandon and Lindsey dropped by to let me try some wings they picked up from Buffalo Wild Wings. I don’t usually eat traditional wings. I’m a bonelss wing fan. However, each wing is only .3 grams of carbs, so I had to give it a shot. They were parmesan garlic wings and they were pretty good dipped in blue cheese sauce. I could definitely get used to them at 3 wings per one carb!
Rick makes a really good meatloaf. Last month, he tried to adapt it to the keto plan, but I thought the ground pork rinds made it too bitter. This time, he substituted chopped cauliflower and the results were much better. The only thing missing now is the barbecue sauce, but the only really low carb option I found is about $21 for 6 bottles online, and I’m not sure I want to commit that much money to something I haven’t tried yet!
I made the faux cauliflower potatoes to go with the meat loaf. Doesn’t this look like a traditional meat and potatoes dinner?
Dessert was sugar-free lime jello mixed with cream cheese.
Day 37: Chinese buffet tactics
Total weight loss to date: 12 pounds
Next weigh-in Saturday, 2/18
Yesterday was a day of trials and successes. I battled my way through a few difficult meals, but came out successful.
I was very busy at work in the morning, and had no time for breakfast. Rick planned to pick me up around noon to get some lunch before driving to a funeral an hour and a half away. [Yes, another funeral! I have lost 4 friends and/or acquaintances in the past 6 months.]
We drove a bit and I decided I was in the mood for a burger with grilled onions. We stopped at a small diner and I took a quick look at the menu. While I was still mulling over the choices, the waitress advised us that the bbq pulled pork was very good. I ordered that with some deep fried zucchini.
Minutes after the waitress left to put in our order, I looked up the carb content of the pulled pork. What was I thinking? It was over 40 carbs on most entries! I forgot that barbecue sauce is not my friend.
Rick grabbed the waitress and asked if she could put that order to go, and switch to a burger for my meal. She was quite amenable, and I had a 1/2 pound cheeseburger with grilled onions, a slice of tomato, and mayo. I disassembled it and put the bun into the bag with the sandwich to go.
The next trial was the zucchini fries. Of course they were breaded before they were fried! I certainly wasn’t thinking – could be that my brain was addled from lack of food, because by this time it was about 2 pm. I cut each piece in half and pulled the coating off. Good, but not great.
The hamburger, however, was very good tasting and filling.
After the funeral, we were all invited to…..
the Chinese buffet.
I LOVE the Chinese buffet. And I was positive that I couldn’t ever go there again. However, I was determined to find SOME low carb choices, but I knew the the trick would be passing the carb-laden foods that I love: crab rangoons and General Tso’s chicken.
I started by getting some baked crab, then some sauted shrimp. As I was passing the eggrolls, I realized that I could probably scoop the insides out and eat just that portion. So I took 2 eggrolls and 1 spring roll. Hmm. If I can do that, why can’t I eat only the insides of a crab rangoon. After all, crab and cream cheese are legal. For the entire meal, I had 6 of them. Each yielded about a tbsp of crab/cheese after the exterior fried shell was eliminated. For a bit of variety, I put some type of steak and veggie combo and some cheesy broccoli on my plate.
The meal took some work, since I had to slice things open and carve out the innards, but it was pretty tasty, and I was somewhat full when finished. I really have a difficult time figuring out exactly how many grams of carbs were in each item, since most online nutrition details don’t include the carb count for only the insides of eggrolls and rangoons, but I have to think I did okay.
I skipped dessert, of course, and ate some sugar-free jello/cream cheese mousse at home.
I’m going to take some time this weekend to figure out the carb count of various items that I could encounter so I can be better prepared next time I need to make a quick decision. I am pretty encouraged that I could do this long term. I know it will be awhile until I reach my goal, and it’s nice to know that I can go to some of my usual haunts and still find food that fits the plan.
Day 36: Valentine’s Day steak dinner
Lost: NOT WEIGHING FOR A WEEK Total weight loss: 12 pounds
I decided to give it a rest. I’m tired of watching 1/2 pound come and go every day. Let’s see if I can see a significant loss in a week. Fingers crossed.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. The day began with my egg breakfast. Lunch was Cincinnati chili. Snack: almonds.
For dinner, Rick and I decided not to cave to the Hallmark holiday pressure. He said he didn’t buy me chocolates, because why bother? We really don’t like crowds, so eating out didn’t appeal. And with Netflix at home on our big screen tv, who needs the movies on a traditional big date night?
We opted to have grilled steaks and watch a movie at home. Being in a really festive mood, I had a big glass of vodka and Diet Coke (ZERO carb drink!), and we played 3 Boggle matches while waiting for the steaks to cook. In all modesty, I won’t say who won, but they were all close matches.
We each had 2 great big grilled portobello mushrooms with our steaks, and they were a really delicious accompaniment. I didn’t miss potatoes or any other high-carb side dish. Although for about 10 seconds, I fleetingly pictured enjoying some bread and oil with the meal. It must have been the vodka messing with my inhibitions!
We ended the meal with some freshly made lime “cheesecake.”
I’m still not used to see only 1 or 2 carbs after entering a huge meal into myfitnesspal.com. A big steak, 2 mushrooms and dessert hardly moved the numbers, but I was very full and very satisfied.