Category Archives: eating out
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 79: Surviving the celebration lunch at work
Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds Next weigh-in: Sat., March 31st
Yesterday was our celebration day at work. Our first shipment of the new engineering textbook we’ve been working on for more than a year was due. As it happens, the shipment didn’t come in on time; however, lunch went on as planned.
I ate a yogurt for breakfast, since lunch was at noon and I wanted to be hungry enough to enjoy it.
We went to Hayden’s, which is one of my favorite area restaurants. I hadn’t been there since my birthday last November, which was before keto.
The menu offered a few keto-friendly sandwich and entree choices. The appetizers were not anything that I could eat. The boss ordered some fried mozarella balls. I tried one and it didn’t have a lot of breading, so I ate 2 more. I’ll have fun trying to figure out the carb count on those.
I opted for the blue cheese, bacon, balsamic burger. It came open-faced and I moved the bun to my bread plate, but ate the burger using the bottom bun as a sort of bed. The bacon was nice and crisp and the burger was well cooked. It was a great low-carb choice.
Dessert. Hmm. Since it was a celebration, the boss told us to select whatever we wanted. There DEFINITELY wasn’t a good choice on the menu. Cheesecake, ice cream, waffles, carbs, carbs, carbs. I was a little tempted to call it a cheat day and order the deep fried Oreos, but nah. If I’m going to have a cheat day, it’s going to be on my own terms with at least 2 of my favorite forbidden meals.
My coworker Jim and I are also on the Monday night trivia team. We often share what we order. He piles his jalapenos on my plate, and I give him extras of things I don’t like. He very graciously gave me a small bite of his cheesecake. It was okay. No big temptation and crisis averted. Here’s a lovely picture of what I DIDN’T eat.
I wonder if I would eat a deep-fried Oreo on a cheat day? Maybe, maybe not.
I worked until 6:30, and I became a little hungry by 5. I ate a handful of almonds.
Back home after work, I did a few chores, then thawed and cooked some chicken tenders in Indian butter chicken sauce. I put it over the usual cauliflower “rice” and topped the dish with sour cream. YUMMMMMY. I followed it with a bowl of keto-friendly chocolate mousse.
Day 78: Yummy chicken tacos
Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds Next weigh-in: Sat., March 31st
I finally started the day with breakfast. I made time to heat yesterday’s uneaten eggs and sausage.
Rick and I went out for lunch again. I’ve really enjoyed taking an hour and leaving work to hang out with Rick. All of these young friends of mine that have died recently have made an impact on many of my decisions. I used to work 10 hours and eat at my desk while working. Now I say the heck with that and I leave for an enjoyable lunch with my husband.
We went to the local diner and I ordered the jalapeno chicken club. I just told the waitress to keep the bun and I enjoyed a large grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, jalapeno cheese, and tomato.
Eating a full breakfast and healthy lunch left me with no need for a snack during the afternoon. I was pretty hungry by 6 p.m., but before going home, we stopped by to visit my dad. He’s not looking very good, and obviously wanted to sleep, so we didn’t stay long.
My new bicycle seat was delivered today, so Rick helped me mount it to my bike, and I took a quick ride. It felt much better than my old seat, and I look forward to getting some exercise when it warms up a little outside.
By the time we were done, it was nearly 8 p.m. I chopped up some leftover chicken and filled 3 Mama Lupe’s shells with the chicken, onions, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. The tacos were really really good and a quick, nutritious dinner. I skipped dessert and was well under on my carb count.
Day 77: An uneventful day at work
Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds Next weigh-in: Sat., March 31st
Monday morning and Rick cooked up my eggs for breakfast. Once at work, however, I didn’t have time to heat and eat.
I ate some almonds around 11 am, then asked Rick to pick me up for a leisurely lunch at the diner at noon. I ordered 2 coney dogs and ate sans buns. I gave Rick my french fries.
Even without the buns, it was a filling meal. By the time I left work at 6, I was a bit hungry. It was trivia night, and I ordered the huge chicken club salad with blue cheese dressing. For once, I ate the whole thing.
After trivia, I made Rick some chocolate keto mousse and had some myself as well. It was a lean day, but I wasn’t all that hungry.
Day 72: An evening outside at the bar
Weight loss: 17.5 pounds; next weigh day: Sat., Mar 24th
Yesterday started as usual with eggs/sausage for breakfast.
Rick and I were planning to go out to lunch. The weather has been unseasonably beautiful and I have enjoyed leaving my cubicle for at least a half hour in the sunshine. However, at the last minute, he decided to go over to the rental house and take down the fence. We had only put it up on one side of the yard and the paint job we started didn’t look very good. To be fair, since it’s a corner house, it wasn’t noticeable that there was only a half fenced-in yard, but Rick wanted it gone.
I was on my own, so I ate some almonds and a low-carb yogurt.
When quitting time came around, I was hungry and he was tired. We both wanted to have a drink somewhere with outdoor seating, so we went to a local bar not far from work: U.S.12.
I had 2 no-carb vodka and Diet Cokes. There was a new Mexican Restaurant installed in the bar, so we could choose from that or the usual bar menu. I was tempted, but the fajitas were pretty expensive, and everything else had chips, beans, or tortillas as part of the meal.
The regular menu had steak bites as an appetizer choice. They were cooked with mushrooms, and one of the choices for sauce was teriyaki. I checked out the carb count on myfitnesspal Iphone app….2 grams of carbs per tablespoon, so I ordered that.
YUM. The mushrooms, the tender steak, and the teriyaki were a great combination. I ate one corner of the pita bread that accompanied the meal, but it did nothing for me. It was a perfect evening: great food, alcohol, and my man.
Day 69: Another great day for bicycling
Weight loss: 17.5 pounds; next weigh day: Sat., Mar 24th
The weather was great again, but I had quite a few items to take care of before I could go out and play. I heated up the leftover mockaroni and cheese for breakfast and sat down at my desk to get my dad’s taxes and other paperwork in order. I also worked on our website business and various bills and other chores.
After I got some laundry done, Rick persuaded me join him on a bicycle ride up to the diner for lunch. I ordered the gyro with fries, gave Rick the fries and ignored the pita bread.
After dinner, I went a little wild and ate 3 french fries. They weren’t as good as I thought they would be.
The mockaroni and cheese from breakfast was calling me again. I ate the rest of the leftovers for dinner. We had some chocolate mousse for dessert.
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 60: Bad weigh-in; time for a cheat day!
Today’s weight loss: PLUS TWO – ACK; total weight loss: 15 pounds
Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that! I’ve been carefully counting my carbs and I’ve been under all week. My clothes are getting looser and I feel great. Why oh why did I GAIN?
I was actually UNDER carbs by about 6 yesterday, and probably didn’t drink enough water. I’ve been reading up on reasons for weight gain in keto, and I’ve found a lot about the importance of eating enough fat, avoiding being UNDER carb count, and drinking more water. I think it’s time for a re-set and a better effort.
I’ve been avoiding it, but it’s time: I’m going on a cheat day today to see if I can get my metabolism moving. I’m also going to be sure to eat enough and drink more water in the coming week. If I’m going to work the keto plan, I need to do it right. On other diets, not eating as much as the allotted amount may work, but that hinders progress on keto (or so I’ve been reading, anyway).
Yesterday started with my usual breakfast. For lunch, we met George and Beccy at the Twisted Rooster. I ordered the Diablo burger, which was topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno bacon, hay stack onions, and a chipotle aioli. I removed the onions because they were breaded, and most of my sauce was stuck to them, so I asked for a small dish with more. I HOPE this aioli didn’t have any weird ingredients of sweeteners, but there was no way to find out. And, of course, I removed the bun, as well, and gave Rick my fries.
The burger was good. the jalapeno bacon added quite a bit of flavor. After the bun and onions were removed, it didn’t look like much of a meal for $8, but it was quite filling – almost like eating a steak.
The bad part about a meal like this is the unknown quantity of ingredients that will mess up my carb counth. Was the spicy burger filled with any kind of high-carb ingredient? What about the jalapeno bacon? Sounds safe, because bacon is a-okay, but who knows if there is some kind of hidden carb in it? I think I’m going to lay off the unknown menu items for a bit and stick to eating at home for the next week, where I know exactly what I’m eating.
Later in the afternoon, I was working on websites and had a handful of almonds and a dish of sugar free jello. Rick felt a cold coming on and took a nap. Around 8 pm, we were both hungry, so I made a late dinner of quesadillas using Mama Lupe’s tortillas.
They turned out very well, and I was well under 20 grams of carbs for the daily count.
Day 58: Another successful dinner out
Weight loss: 17 pounds; next weigh-in: Saturday, Mar 10th
Typical morning at work. It was busy as all get out and every time I started back to the kitchen to heat my eggs, I was interrupted. The result was I still hadn’t eaten by noon.
Rick was coming by work to drop off the truck and ride his bike back home. I asked him to pick me up something for brunch, because the eggs had lost their luster.
I check out Wendy’s online and lo and behold, they have some customization options. After selecting the item you want from the food menu, look for nutritional information. On that page, is a button that says “personalize it.” I was able to remove the bun and honey mustard sauce from the grilled chicken sandwich and see that the results made the meal only 3 grams of carbs. I personalized a side salad to go with it, and submitted my order to Rick, the carryout delivery guy.
Rick picked up and delivered, and the results were very satisfying. Although I rarely eat there, I’ve always thought Wendy’s chicken breasts were very big and moist, and it was just as good without the bun. I was just happy to outsmart the fast-food carb monster once again.
I had dinner plans with my friend Shelly. We met at Red Robin, where I had the guacamole cheeseburger again. This time, I didn’t ask for a lettuce bun. The concept was great, but the guac tends to smoosh around between the lettuce leaves. I opted for the side salad instead of bottomless fries again. As usual, they were tempting me from Shelly’s plate across the table. I ate about an inch off of the end of one. That was enough.
As I contemplate what to add to a potential cheat day menu, steak fries become a great possibility. Those, and perhaps pasta, are the only things I can’t successfully replicate in a low-carb option.
Dessert was chocolate mousse.
Day 56: Back to work and trivia night salad
Weight loss: 17 pounds Next weigh-in: Saturday, March 10th
I started out my week in the dentist’s office for a teeth cleaning, so breakfast was delayed. Once home, I scrambled up some eggs with cheese and onion, before setting out for work.
Around noon, my hurried breakfast was all used up and I was pretty hungry. I ate 2 handfuls of almonds. Lunch was around 3 pm, when I microwaved some Beddar Cheddar sausages.
Monday is trivia night. After visiting with my dad, I headed on up to Albert’s On the Alley. They have a HUGE chicken club salad which has become my carb-friendly trivia night staple. Albert’s makes the best pizza in town, but I always feel bad when I order it and butcher it by removing the crust. Better to wait until I can eat the whole thing – either because I’m doing some kind of break day, or because I have lost all the weight and decide to have a treat.
So, I ordered the chicken club salad with blue cheese dressing. I could only eat half. Despite being overweight, I never had much of an appetite. My weight gain was due to eating the wrong foods, not too much food. I took the remainder home to eat for lunch today.
Back home after trivia, Rick and I settled in front of the TV to watch Real Time with Bill Mahr while we ate our chocolate mousse dessert. Rick likes this treat a lot, so it is definitely going to be our nightly treat.
Around midnight, I got really really hungry, so I ate 3 deviled eggs and a Carbquik biscuit. That did the trick and I was still under carb count for the day.