Category Archives: eating out
Day 52: Burger and drinks at the bar
Weight loss: 14 pounds; next weigh-in: tomorrow
Getting antsy about weighing in tomorrow. I sure hope I see some weight loss.
Yesterday, I had egg breakfast and almond snack at work.
I had to leave early for an appointment. I rushed home to pick up some paperwork and decided I’d better eat since dinner would be much later.
I piled some taco meat on a plate, topped it with salsa, grated cheese, and sour cream. I ate the last of the Mexican rice as an accompaniment. I just skipped the shell completely, because it was quicker, and it’s really not necessary when one needs a Mexican food fix.
It was nearly 8 pm when I left my appointment, and I needed a drink. Rick and I went to Beaver Creek and I had 2 vodka and Diet Cokes. I debated getting a salad, but instead chose a 1/2 pound burger, no bun, with bacon, grilled onions, and pepper jack cheese. Of course they came with some delicious looking steak fries, which were donated to a good cause: Rick.
Okay, this picture isn’t authentic; I stole it from Yelp. I was tired and forgot to take a picture for the blog, but mine did look just like this — without the bun.
I asked for some mayo and that added a bit of flavor to the burger. I took my usual 1/2 bite of fry, and moved the rest to the other side of the table.
We had chocolate mousse for a late dessert when we got home.
Day 47: Keto-friendly Red Robin dinner
Weight loss to date: 14 lbs. Next weigh-in: Saturday, March 3rd
Big deadline looming at work, so I had to go in for a few hours. Rick and I took the time to go to the diner for breakfast, and I had 3 scrambled eggs with 6 pieces of bacon.
A few hours later, I ate a low-carb Kroger yogurt with some chili-lime almonds. It was a light meal, and I saved lots of carbs for dinner/movie night.
Rick and I sometimes do the Red Robin movie/dinner deal, so I looked up my keto-friendly possibilities. Red Robin is on top of things! They have an Iphone (and website) app that allows you to swap out meal ingredients and check the nutrition as you do so. It’s called the Red Robin Customizer. They also have lots of burger bun options, including a big lettuce bun. Smart marketing, Red Robin!
I installed the app and had some fun playing with options. I decided to get the guacamole bacon burger with a lettuce bun for 7 net carbs. I also saw that their wing appetizers were only 2 carbs, but decided not to get them when I got to the restaurant. The appetizer was 9.99, or I could choose a side salad in place of the fries that came with the burger – for free.
The burger and salad were both very good. The burger itself was really tasty. It was easy to eat on the lettuce bun–if a little too large for my tiny mouth. Near the end, the guacamole started sliding around and misplacing the bun. I had to use a knife and fork to eat the last 1/4 of the burger.
The most difficult part of the meal was watching Rick eat his bottomless steak fries. I like those ALOT. Trying to be helpful, he moved the ketchup bottle in front of the plate, but I knew they were there. At the end of the meal, I took 1/3 of one steak fry and chewed it slowly. It was very good, and that got the craving out of my system.
I know I could probably binge and eat something like that now and then, but after yesterday’s zero weight loss, I’m not very tempted. That tiny taste kept me satisfied.
We went to see Safe House. It was a little too action-packed for my taste. I hate the “shakey-cam.” Dessert was at home: sf lime jello.
Day 39: Progress!
Weight loss: 2 pounds Total weight loss: 14 pounds
Oh, this is much better. It’s been 4 days since my last weigh-in and I’ve lost 2 pounds. I will now continue to weigh in only once a week, on Saturdays. I knew logically that if I continue to eat on this plan, I will lose weight, but going up and down a 1/2 pound or a pound at a time was very frustrating after eating nearly perfectly to the ketogenic plan. Seeing bigger numbers once a week should be much more satisfying.
I only needed to go into work for 4 hours yesterday, so Rick and I had a leisurely breakfast at the diner. I chose the spinach/feta/tomato omelet with 4 pieces of bacon. It was a filling start to the day.
After work, we went to Costco. I walked through the cheese and dip section looking at the carb count on all the products. I purchased the tzaziki sauce (2g), a jalapeno yogurt dip (1g), a crab dip (1g), guacamole (1g), and of course, Dubliner cheese. I’ve been eating a couple of avocados a week, but they spoil quickly. I’ve had the Costco guac at my friend Walter’s house and it was pretty good, so I thought the guacamole would be more cost-effective than avocados, due to the individually wrapped portions.
I walked through the cracker/chips aisle hoping to find something low carb, to no avail. Nothing good in the frozen section, except the vegetables, of course. I thought I might find pre-made eggplant lasagna or something like it, but nope.
I looked at the nutritional info on so many items, that I automatically checked the back panel on the shampoo I was looking at! Oops.
After making it through Costco for just under $200, we were both hungry. (We NEVER get out of there without spending lots of money, but we do have plenty of toilet paper and paper towel!) I had been craving a 5 Guys burger earlier in the week, so we dropped in there. Rick was concerned that I would be tempted by the french fries, but I’ve never been a big fan of theirs.
I ordered a bacon cheeseburger (the 2 patty version) with mayo and double grilled onions (no charge). I wasn’t sure if their relish is sweet pickle or regular pickle and the sweet type has a few more carbs, so I passed on the relish. Rick automatically ordered two pops, so even though I’ve cut down drastically on my diet soda intake, I decided to live it up! They had a cool new pop dispenser and I found Coke Zero lime, which was really a treat.
Back at the table, I removed top and bottom bun (of course) and ate with a knife and fork. It was a flavorful experience, and I ate slowly while finishing a crossword puzzle. Low carb, good flavor, win, win.
After a visit with my dad, we went home for the evening, and I headed to my office to work on client websites. We’re also updating our own website. It’s been a few years since we revamped it, and we were never really satisfied with the lack of information on the original site (the shoemakers children, etc.). While working, I snacked on some cocoa-flavored almonds. They were just okay, but I could see how they might be a nice treat if I am ever craving a chocolate fix.
For dinner, I reheated the other half of the Indian butter chicken and cauliflower, topped it with sour cream, and enjoyed it just as much as I had the day before. Dessert was chocolate mousse.
This keto plan is really the most satisfying I have ever come across. I have craved carbs maybe one time in the last 5 1/2 weeks. I don’t crave junk food, and I can pass up donuts, sweets, and chips without batting an eye, because I know that there is some form of low carb treat I’ll be able to eat instead. Of course, I have to give a big shout out to Rick! He has gone out of his way to study which foods are low carb, keeps the larder stocked, and cooks up dinners that I can eat on the plan, even while he sometimes makes a second meal for himself. The ironic thing is that he likes BBWs. That’s true self-sacrifice on his part. LOL
Thanks, honey.
In three days, I will have been eating on this plan for 6 weeks and so far I’ve lost nearly 15 pounds. I think I have gone over on my carb count 1 or 2 times – barely – and I have enjoyed many many of the meals. I have more energy, and it’s pretty thrilling to feel my clothes get looser. I haven’t had this much success on any of the past 5 or 6 attempts to cut calories and exercise. Viva keto!
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 34: Lime cheese cake and weekday preparations
Lost: 0 Total weight loss: 12.5 pounds
Zero, zero, zero. Sigh. My plan to start weighing once a week after I hit 15 pounds may have to change. I’ll give it a couple more daily weigh-ins, but if I continue to see no progress on the scale, I may stop weighing for a week or so. Today, I think I’ll drink about 12 glasses of water. I’ve been reading ideas about how to get the pounds to start coming off when the progress is stalled.
I spent yesterday at home working on client sites and a revamp of our own business site. Before getting started, we did take an hour to have breakfast at the local diner. I had the feta omelet and bacon, and gave Rick all the extras that came with the meal.
For lunch, I cooked up some hamburger with taco seasoning and topped it with cheese, onion, and a couple of tablespoons of salsa.
I was in the mood for pizza, but didn’t have enough ambition to try creating a crust from cauliflower. Instead, I adapted a recipe I found that used a mini muffin pan. I put a piece of pepperoni in the bottom of each muffin slot, topped with mozzarella and a bit of onion and green pepper. Then I sprinkled them with pizza seasoning and put chopped jalapeno peppers on half.
I baked them at 350 for 15 minutes. The original recipe called for cream cheese, eggs, and other items. I think that would have been more like a quiche.
The result was just so-so. They were tasty, and they were cute little cups, but the jalapeno pizzas were too salty. I ate about 8 of them, but that was the extent of my dinner.
I learned my lesson about planning last week. It seemed like I was always looking for a quick meal or having a snack for dinner. While my tiny pizzas were cooking, I prepared spaghetti squash and cooked up some Cincinnati chili. Then, before bed, I layered all the ingredients for a 5-layer chili dish into plastic dishes, so I could grab one for lunch as I left the house this a.m.
Last night’s dessert was something I’ve been meaning to try; however, again, I adapted the recipe to an easier version. I had found a few recipes that used sugar-free lime jello and cream cheese to make a sort of mock cheese cake. Some called for cooking, some called for crust. I just mixed the jello and cream cheese together and chilled for a couple of hours. Before serving, I topped with whipped heavy cream.
It was heavenly. Rick said it hit every one of his taste buds. The flavor of the cream cheese blended well with the lime taste.
Day 32: Surviving a birthday party
Lost: 0 Total weight loss: 13 pounds
Well, I’m stuck at 13, but nothing much I can do about it. If I give up, I’ll probably gain the same pounds back in 2-3 days. If I continue, something’s gotta give. (Plus the clothes feel much better!)
Yesterday began with breakfast at the diner. My friend, Jo, and I had some morning “ladies'” appointments. I had a feta omelet and 4 pieces of bacon. The waitress packed up the hashbrowns and toast in a to-go container for Rick. He enjoyed them with this morning’s breakfast.
At noon, I met up with Rick and a new web client. No time for lunch, so I was pretty hungry when I got back. I grabbed 2 handfuls of almonds.
My nephew Devan’s 16th birthday party was at 6. I knew I’d be better off attending it with a full stomach, so a threw together a dinner consisting of 2 franks fried in coconut oil, topped with turkey chili, no beans, and grated cheese.
Birthday party success
There were a lot of yummy snacks at the party, but I drank water, and kept my focus on the only thing I could eat: buffalo chicken dip (chicken, Frank’s buffalo hot sauce, cream cheese, and ranch). I ate it with a spoon. LOL.
I didn’t look at the cake or ice cream (and didn’t really crave or miss it!). For a special treat, I had a caffeine-free Diet Pepsi.
All in all, it was a success. I enjoyed myself, and really didn’t feel like I was suffering from lack of snack/party food.
Day 31: You really can eat carryout on keto: meet the unwich
Lost: .5 pounds Total weight loss: 13 pounds
Wow, this scale is moving slowly, but at least it’s in the right direction.
Yesterday began with the traditional eggs ala Rick breakfast.
Lunch was a new adventure. Brandon was going to Jimmy John’s. I completely disagree with Mr. John’s political leanings, and make it a habit to avoid his franchise. However, I was pretty hungry and my scruples lost the battle: I ordered an Unwich. Brandon recommended the Lulu, which is basically a club sandwich in a lettuce wrap. I must say, it was quite delicious. This picture isn’t of a Lulu, but it gives you an idea of the convenient lettuce wrapper.
I left work early to meet a web client at Panera Bread. You may be thinking that it was an odd choice for someone avoiding carbs, but they have wifi, and it’s a pretty good place to meet when discussing websites. I ordered a Diet Coke.
After escaping “Bread Heaven,” Rick and I went home to enjoy some chicken kabobs. While waiting for them to grill, I had a handful of habanero-flavored almonds. It was a satisfying end to a busy, yet satisfying day.
Day 28: Fighting off the carb attack
Lost: 0 Total weight loss (in one month): 13.5 pounds
Another day, another zero. The scale isn’t moving at all, but I’ll keep up the fight.
And fight it was yesterday!
No time for breakfast, so I ate a handful of almonds and decided to try Arby’s for lunch. Various sites said they have a low-carb option – a beef and cheddar on a piece of lettuce = 2 carbs (or just beef = 0!). I thought it would be a simple thing to order, but when I asked for my beef and cheddar on a lettuce wrap, the cashier suggested that I must mean the one they sell in a tortilla-like wrap. No, I explained that I didn’t want bread at all.
She made it a special order, asked if I wanted chopped lettuce or a leaf. I chose leaf. She was very pleasant about it, but it was apparent this wasn’t a common menu option. I added a side salad and sat down.
A few minutes later, they brought me my order. Sigh. It was a pile of beef on a piece of lettuce. Apparently in all the confusion, she didn’t hear the “cheddar” part of the order. Instead of going and asking for some probably chemical-laded process cheese, I opted to add a couple carbs of Arby sauce. It was an okay lunch, but nothing to write home about.
After settling my dad in at the nursing home, and going back for a couple more hours of work, I was hungry again. It was still a couple of hours until trivia, so I had another handful of almonds and a cup of Greek yogurt with peanut butter.
For my next “carb battle,” I decided to order the fajitas at trivia. I asked the waitress to put the tortillas in a to-go container. A few minutes later, she dropped off a large basket of nacho chips and salsa. Little did I know, it comes with the meal. I ate one, then dumped the rest into the to-go container.
Dinner was served. A huge plate of which 2/3 was rice and refried beans, covered in melted cheese. Sigh. I can’t get away from the carbs! They attack from all fronts! I asked for another to-go container and dumped the entire mess into it for Rick to eat later.
The chicken that remained after the “battle” was pretty tasty, but not as good as the fajitas I had a couple of days ago. It was at least a filling dinner after another day of hit or miss eating. Tonight, Rick and I plan out a couple of weeks’ menus.
Day 25: Peanut butter pancakes
Lost: 0 Total weight loss: 13.5
No weight loss again – but no gain either. I anticipated bad news because I went over on my carbs yesterday. I guess I worried for nothing. I also finally took my measurements. I keep reading accounts of people who don’t see a loss on the scale, but see a big difference in their measurements. Time will tell.
Yesterday was Saturday, so I had some time to experiment with breakfast. I had found this recipe for pancakes at “thelowcarbrecipes.com” while browsing Pinterest. Thought I’d give them a try. By the way, there are lots and lots of great sites out there to find delicious low-carb recipes that make this diet more of a fun experiment than a hardship.
Mixing the cream cheese with the egg didn’t go perfectly…I ended up with some tiny clumps. The first pancake looked more like a crepe. However, the final 3 looked like the real thing, if a little on the thin side.
The pancakes had a nice texture, and just a tiny bit of peanut butter flavor. After tasting, I tried to think of a syrup substitute. I remembered that my friend, Walter, had turned me onto Polaner jelly, and that I had an unopened jar in the larder (I hadn’t opened it because I couldn’t think of anything to put it on, since I’m not eating toast anymore.)
Two tbsps of jelly on the pancakes, and I was in pancake heaven! I really enjoyed them. I’m not a fan of using 8 of my 20 carbs at the first meal of the day, but it will be a nice weekend treat. I washed them down with almond milk. I switched to the Silk brand when Rick pointed out that it was 0 net carbs, compared to my old brand (which had 1 gram per serving). I may as well conserve carbs when I can.
Lunch was on the run. I was putting down a tile floor at our soon-to-be sold (I hope!) rental income house. I ate my 28-almond ration and about 1/4 cup of leftover alfredo from dinner the night before. Brandon also had me taste a quiche-like recipe that Lindsey had made. Pretty good.
By 8:30 pm, I was done with the tiling for the day, and had just left the hospital, where I was visiting my dad. I was famished and on my way to trivia at Max and Erma’s. I ordered the fajitas, ignored the tortillas and salsa, and had a filling and delicious meal. I’m not sure of the carbs. I put 8 grams in My Fitness Pal, and went over my allowance for the first time in 25 days. Oh well, I don’t feel I cheated, and I needed the protein.
Day 23: Hey, chicken shawarma is keto-friendly!
Lost: 1.5 pounds Total weight loss: 13.5 pounds
Today’s weight loss was satisfying, and a nice start to the day. I hoped that it was a sign that today may be a little better than yesterday, when I was busy busy busy, from dawn until dusk.
I had a funeral to attend, so I dropped in work at 8 for the morning meeting, but left by 9:30. I didn’t have time to heat my breakfast at work, so I heated it and ate it in the car on the way to the funeral. It is a nice portable breakfast in a small plastic bowl with a twist top. Who needs McDonald’s breakfast?
There was a nice lunch after the service. It was also my first attempt to eat at a public gathering with a wide selection of forbidden foods. I grabbed a croissant sandwich and removed the croissant, which left me with 2 slices of ham and a slice of cheese. I topped it with a tbsp of mayo. I bypassed the hot pastas, the macaroni salad, the cold pasta salad, the bread…well, you get the idea. There was a bowl of salad greens, so I partook of that with vinegar and oil for a dressing.
I watched Rick enjoy 2 desserts while I sipped my water, but I must admit, it wasn’t difficult. I think the secret to staving off the cravings for carbs is to avoid them entirely.
The afternoon was spent trying to line up a nursing home for my dad, which was a bit stressful. Our truck was still in the transmission shop and we were waiting to hear how many more millions of dollars we’d have to fork over. I guess the $1200 we’d already wasn’t enough to get it fixed right! So, we borrowed Brandon’s car and ran all of our errands. By the time we were done, in the late afternoon, we received a call saying the truck will be ready the next day and cost ZERO dollars more. Yay!
Having not eaten a whole lot for lunch, and after stressing all afternoon, I was pretty hungry by dinner time. Somehow we began talking about a local restaurant that makes really good chicken shawarma. I instantly thought, oh, I can’t have that. Then it hit me: I can! If I avoid the rice and/or pita wrap, all that remains is chicken in a garlicky marinade/sauce made from yogurt, vinegar, garlic, tahini, and spices – with a small pickle that peeks out, as well.
Sooo…I gave Baba’s Kabob and Chicken a call and ordered carryout. It had been a pretty long day and I was exhausted. After dropping by to pick up 4 shawarma wraps and a kibbee (for Rick), I was looking forward to an enjoyable meal in the recliner watching Downton Abbey on the big screen TV.
I picked up my meal from the drive thru (and gave my sales pitch about the importance of them having a Palmerworks-designed website) and hied on home. I was a little disappointed to see how little of the carb-friendly portion remained after removing the extra large pita. It wrapped quite a few times around the shawarma. I denuded 2 and the result was a full plate, if not a very high pile of chicken. I spooned on a little garlic sauce, took my time eating and relished the flavors.
Mmmmmmm…I was quite full by the time I was finished, and I was not disappointed. Baba’s shawarma is the best in town. I admit, it was difficult not eating the pita portion; not because I’m a huge fan of pita bread, but because it was dripping with the delicious sauce from inside. I ripped off a 4×4 piece and added that to my plate. I was still under carb count by the end of the evening.
I forgot to take a picture, but this photo I found online looks about the same before I stripped it down.
Since dinner was around 5, I was hungry for a snack around 8. I took out my Greek God’s yogurt, swirled in 2 tbsps of Smucker’s natural peanut butter, and let myself believe I was eating some type of peanut butter mousse. It was good enough that I convinced myself pretty easily!