Category Archives: Almonds on keto

Day 97: Sunday at Pizza Hut

Total weight loss: 26.5 pounds. Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 21st

Sunday morning at home was productive. Rick and I finished up a brochure and some more client cards. I worked a bit on our new site, and gathered more expense receipts for our business taxes.

We set out around noon to get some brunch and supplies for day 1,450 of home improvement. Rick was in the mood for Italian (it was his lunch, my breakfast). We decided to try Pizza Hut.

I had read on some blog somewhere, that Pizza Hut made a personal pan pizza without crust for a keto dieter. I ordered the personal pan pizza and salad deal and requested no crust. No such luck. The pizza came with it’s usual very think deep dish crust. I slipped off the toppings and ate them along with a huge salad from the buffet.

The bad news about the buffet was that I added a few tbsps of sesame seeds to the salad before looking up the carb count. They were higher than I thought, but I could still stay under 20 grams of carbs for the day.

The pizza and salad were really good and filling. It’s a good option, but next time, I may try a thinner crust pizza which may get me a thicker topping.

Afterwards, we picked up some supplies, then worked through the afternoon on molding in the kitchen. It was evening when we got finished and we headed home. I wasn’t very hungry, so I ate some almonds and 2 pieces of 70% chocolate with natural peanut butter. I was way under count for the day. I have to get some better nutrition going this week.

Day 96: Inches coming off

Total weight loss: 26.5 pounds. Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 21st

I measured myself this morning. I’ve lost 2 inches in the bust and hips, 2 and 1/2 in the waist. I’ll take it!
Yesterday morning after weigh-in, I threw on my one size smaller jeans, and we hit the local diner. I ate a cheddar cheese and onion omelet with a side of crispy bacon and gave Rick all my extras.
We headed off to work on the rental. We are very close to completion, so we go to do at least a little every day. We finished putting up the new house numbers, then did more kitchen molding. Will it ever end?
Back home at 6 pm, we did some more chores around the house. I ate a handful of almonds for snack until dinner.
Dinner was late again. I heated up some Indian butter chicken and chopped up frozen cauliflower for the rice base. Rick made chocolate mousse all by himself! I think it tastes better when he makes it.
I drank a few glasses of water and got to bed by 1:30 a.m. Trying to get ready on my early rising work schedule which starts Tuesday morning. I’d also like to get some food ready for the week. I have some leftover chili for lunches, but I’d also like to make a batch of bacon trying the oven cooking method Brandon and Lindsey use.

Days 90, 91, & 92: Knocked out by the flu, giant weight drop

Today’s improptu weight-in: 6 pound loss!  Total weight loss: 27.5 pounds   Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 14th

I guess there are easier ways to lose weight than being sick for 3 days, but it was a nice perk after a few disappointing days in bed on my VACATION.

I came down with some type of respiratory infection accompanied with a raging fever on Sunday, was still sick in bed on Monday, and finally made it to the couch on Tuesday. Today was the first day I’ve actually felt like leaving the house or accomplishing anything.

My food diary is pretty hit and miss. I ate nothing on Sunday. Rick made me eggs Monday morning, and brought me 3 meximelts from Taco Bell that evening. We both agreed that the keto plan could rest for a couple of days. Yesterday, I ate a yogurt, some almonds, and a Big Mac. I even tried to eat pierogis, but they had no taste. No matter what I ate, I only did it for the nourishment, because I didn’t enjoy the flavor of anything.

This morning, I finally felt like getting up and out of the house. I wondered if going off keto for the past three days was countered by the fact that I ate very little, so I thought I’d check out the scale. A 6 pound loss! I know it’s water, but it’s encouraging. We’ll see what happens at Saturday’s weigh-in.

Day 89: Working through the disappointment

Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds   Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 14th

After yesterday’s weigh-in, I debated having a cheat day, or even just a cheat meal. We were at breakfast, and I ordered eggs with cheese and onions. My meal came with toast and hash browns. I don’t particularly care for hash browns, but this restaurant also offers potato pancakes as a substitution. I ordered them.

When the meal came, I stared down the pancakes. I really really like them, and I was still reeling from the zero loss disappointment. Should I just have a cheat day? Naw. I gave them to Rick. I think I need to NOT cheat when it’s an emotional decision. If I’m having a cheat day, it’s going to be because it was a planned maneuver to restart my metabolism.

We worked on the rental house all day. I finished grouting tile, painted a door, put on new door hardware, tried to unstop a drain, put an electric box cover on, and painted a fence.

In between chores, Rick ran up to Del Taco and got me the mucho grande burrito, or whatever it’s called. I skipped the tortilla.

Back home, we were both pretty tired, but our own house needs work, too. We started cleaning off the deck and getting the yard ship-shape. By then it was late, and I was too tired to cook. I had a handful of almonds and joined Rick outside by the bonfire for a drink. Afterwards, I heated up grilled chicken in a Flat Out tortillas with the usual garnishments. We had some chocolate mousse for dessert.

I made it through the disappointment. I’m going to beat this fat or die trying.

Day 88: A big fat ZERO

Today’s weight loss: ZERO

Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds   Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 14th
AARRRGGGHHHH.

That was disappointing. Was it the wings on Thursday? Am I not consuming enough water? Was it too many alcoholic beverages? I know I’m not eating enough veggies. Is it because I’m not exercising? Is it the almonds?

I’m tired of agonizing over what I could be doing wrong. My clothes are getting looser. That’s a plus. But, man oh man, I would sure love to see more progress when I get on the scale.

So, I’ll just keep keeping on. No alternative.

Yesterday was my numero uno vacation day. We started out eating at a new diner. I ordered the cheese omelet with onions and a side of bacon. It was great! The cheese/onion combination was very “pieorgi-like,” so I asked for a side of sour cream and it was even better. The bacon was also thin and crispy, just the way I like it. I finished my Friday NYT crossword, and declared it a wonderful beginning to my vacation week.

>We were off on lots of errands after that. When we got home, I wasn’t really hungry for lunch, so I had some almonds.

Rick napped, I relaxed and watched some “The Good Wife” episodes. It was nice just hanging out for a couple of hours.

Later in the evening, I joined Rick out on the deck. I wanted to have a vodka/diet drink, but hadn’t eaten much, so I made some ham, cream cheese, and onion pinwheels. You know, the kind mom made in the 60’s. You roll them up, then cut them and they look like little pinwheels…or eyeballs, if you ask me. Anyway, it was something I thought of the other night when trying to find a conveyance to get the cream cheese into my mouth without just eating it out of the package. Apparently, my family members think it’s an odd thing to do.

For dinner (at 9 pm!), I chopped up a bit of the chicken Rick had grilled. I put it in a large low carb flat bread and topped with cheese, onions, salsa, and sour cream. Those are my go-to toppings for just about everything.

Dessert was 2 pieced of 70% chocolate topped with organic peanut butter. I think I went over about 4 carbs.

Day 87: A big carb mistake

Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds   Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 7th
Yesterday was my last day at work for awhile. I have 11 days of long awaited vacation starting today.

I ate my egg and sausage dish for breakfast, but wasn’t really hungry at lunch, so I ate a handful of almonds.

I left work at 4:30 after a day trying to catch up and make sure I left everything either finished or accessible for my coworkers. Brandon told me that Buffalo Wild Wings Caribbean Jerk wings were only 2 points for every 3, so Rick and I set out for some after work drinks and wings to celebrate my last day of work before vacation.

Once there, we relaxed: he had a beer, and I had some vodka and Diet Coke. We both ordered the boneless wings. I was innocently enjoying them when it hit me: I was eating BONELESS BREADED WINGS, not the regular wings, which were low carb. I looked up 7 boneless wings of the Caribbean Jerk variety. Looks like 8 wings were 21 carbs and the sauce was 16 more, or did that count the sauce? Who knows? I was slightly depressed about the whole thing. I’m trying my best to do this low carb diet consistently, and I screwed up. That’s the problem with eating out. I’m never sure what I’m tallying up on my carb count. Unfortunately, I love going to restaurants, especially after a long day at work.

I immediately asked for a box and decided to give the rest of them to my niece, Marsha. We were meeting in a couple of hours for trivia, and she likes wings – and hot stuff. Rick isn’t so fond of the spicy wings.

Two hours laters, I was hungry and in a restaurant that catered to pastas and other Italian offerings. They had a shrimp scampi appetizer: 6 jumbo shrimp sauted in casino butter. I ordered the shrimp and it was very tasty and a light meal.

All in all, I just have to put the wing mistake behind me and hope the extra carbs don’t mess with my weight loss. We’ll find out tomorrow.

Day 86: Deli fare

Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds   Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 7th

I skipped breakfast since I was busy and not very hungry. My appetite is definitely waning this week.

For lunch, I ate 2 beddar cheddars.

After work, I had an impromptu hair appointment. I was pretty hungry and we had time to explore Plymouth, so we stopped a little deli. I ordered the chicken caesar chiabbata sandwich with parmesan cheese. Of course, I didn’t eat the bread. It was filling and had nice flavor. I like that I am far more adept at wading through the high carb menu items than I was at the beginning. I can usually find something that is adaptable to the keto plan.

In the evening, I worked on my dad’s paperwork again. This time for about 3 hours. When I was done, I wanted a drink. I had a vodka and Diet Coke out on the deck with Rick. I wasn’t hungry for dinner, so I ate some almonds instead.

After watching some TV, Rick wanted dessert, so I whipped up some mousse.

Day 85: Love those steak bites

Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds   Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 7th

Work wasn’t quite as crazy as usual. The book is at the printer, and now we just need to update little details for our upcoming class. I had time to heat my eggs for breakfast, but didn’t really prepare for lunch, so I just ate a yogurt I found in the fridge.

After work, we decided to go to a local bar that has outdoor seating. It was a beautiful day, and we sat outside watching the traffic go by. I ordered the teriayaki steak bites, gave Rick my pita bread, and enjoyed 2 vodka and Diet Cokes. It was a relaxing and fun date.

The steak bites were delicious, but I hadn’t eaten much all day, so I had a handful of almonds before bed and and topped so 70% chocolate squares with natural peanut butter. I was still well under 20 grams of carbs for the day.

Day 84: How many carbs in a stuffed mushroom?

Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds   Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 7th

What a way to start the week. I had a 3-hour long dentist appointment: one crown and one new filling. By the time I left, I had a numb mouth and a ravenous appetite.

On the way to work, I stopped at Checkers for a Baconzilla to go. I knew it would be a while before my mouth was functioning, but I wanted to be prepared for lunch. When I arrived at work, I ate a low carb yogurt to hold me over until the numbness was gone.

Around 2, I ate the burger with no bun, and I ate some almonds, as well.

After work, we had some Palmerworks business to attend to. We hadn’t gotten around to opening our company bank account, so we stopped at 5/3 Bank to do that. We stopped off at home afterwards and I ate another handful of almonds to tide me over until I had dinner at Albert’s trivia.

I usually order the grilled chicken salad, but my friend Jim pointed out that the crab-stuffed mushrooms appetizer looked like all low-carb ingredients: mushrooms, crabs, and cheese. I ordered them and they were really delicious. I donated the garlic bread to Jim. Keeping it honest, I also had one of his steak fries. I ate it in 4 very slow bites. LOL

When I returned home last night, I discovered a problem. As I attempted to enter my dinner into myfitnesspal.com, I found a HUGE variety of numbers for the amount of carbs: everything from 3 grams of net carbs for 3 mushrooms to 10 grams for ONE. I started wondering…did they contain bread crumbs or some other high-carb ingredient I hadn’t thought of? What about the carb count of crab vs. KRAB?

How do I truly know if there are any carb-laden ingredients in anything I order at a restaurant?

I suppose those are the chances one takes when eating out. Keeping track of carbs is so much easier when I cook a dish at home, but neither Rick nor I have had time to cook this very busy weekend/week. I start my “vacation” Friday, so I’ll have some time to get a few dishes together for next week. I’d like to try a low-carb crock pot chili recipe I found online.

I ended the day with low carb chocolate mousse.

Day 81: Weigh day – bleck

Lost to date: 21.5 pounds. Today’s weight loss: ZERO

Oh well, I was kind of prepared for this zero loss since this journey has been so erratic. I have decided to have a cheat day. Whether today or tomorrow remains to be seen.

I started out yesterday with another looming deadline at work, but I took a few minutes to heat/eat my eggs and sausage breakfast.

The progress at work was slow, and I didn’t get to lunch until 3:30. To assuage my hunger, I had a quick almond snack around 1.

When I finally went to lunch, Rick and I popped in for a quick bite at Wendy’s. I had the grilled chicken sandwich and ditched the bun. It was just okay. The chicken was plump, but it didn’t have a lot of flavor.

For dinner, I was perplexed. I worked lots of over time and was already nearing a 50-hour week by the time I left work. I was tired and hungry, and still needed to do a little paperwork for Palmerworks before the end of the day. I quickly took care of that, then made 2 cheese quesadillas with Mama Lupe tortillas. I only ate one and a half.

Dessert was chocolate mousse.