Category Archives: Almonds on keto
Day 40: Saturday night pizza
Weight loss to date: 14 pounds
Next weigh-in: Saturday, Feb 25
We decided to relax at home yesterday, and boy did I!
I started the morning playing around online. Unfortunately, I get caught up in what I’m working on (pictures for our new website) and I forget to eat breakfast. I finally decided to eat around 1 p.m. I did, however, have my allotted 28 almonds as a pre-breakfast snack.
When I finally set out for the kitchen, I warmed up a plate of Cincinnati chili. I guess that’s my go-to leftover. Since I was taking this relaxing thing seriously, I ate it while watching some of the TV shows I had recorded during the week. I discovered my appetite is not what it used to be, and I could only finish half the plate.
I went back to working on my site in the afternoon, and had no lunch to speak of. When I got hungry in the evening, I had another handful of almonds.
Rick and I played with some logo ideas for our business. We’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years, but we’ve never fully agreed on the logo. Time to get that ironed out, because there are lots of items we’d like to purchase: tshirts, hats, folders, bags. We worked until about 8, then it was time for Saturday night pizza.
I decided to try the cauliflower crust that I found on reddit. Brandon and Lindsey tried it before, and he gave me some advice on cooking it a little differently than the recipe online.
I processed a half a cauliflower, then micro’d a cup of it in a bowl. I added 1 egg, about 1 and 1/4 cups of mozarella cheese, a clove of garlic, some oregano, and some parsley. I glopped the whole mess onto a pizza pan lined with parchment paper and baked it at 410 for 10 minutes. (I have no idea how I arrived at that temp. 450 seemed to much, I guess)
I then removed the crust and turned it over. I baked it directly on the pan for another 10 minutes.
It looked pretty official. I should have taken a picture of just the crust, but I will next time. I topped the crust with mozzarella and Mexican blend grated cheeses, some Italian sausage that I cooked while waiting for the crust, some onions, and some sliced jalapenos.
At first I was a bit disappointed. When I cut the pizza, it was pretty gooey. However, I waited for Rick to finish cooking his English muffin pizzas, and by then the pizza was solid enough to pick up and eat like a real slice. I dipped each slice in sour cream (because I can!) and enjoyed it very much. Half the pizza was about 10 grams of carbs.
Dessert was chocolate mousse. What a life.
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 35: 12-hour workday; planning ahead pays off
Lost: +.5 Total weight loss: 12 pounds
ARRRRRRRRRRRGH! This is going backwards! I ate under 20 carbs, yet again, and the pounds are going up, instead of down. I did only have 5 glasses of water yesterday. And I ate dinner at 10 pm. Otherwise, I am eating according to plan, so this is quite a downer. [except pants, fresh out of the wash, fit much, much better!]
I’m sure glad I planned ahead Sunday, because yesterday I had no time to cook.
Breakfast – eggs/sausage/cheese in a bowl. We had two long meetings at work, so I didn’t get a chance to eat until 11 a.m.
We had a print deadline at work, so I stayed at my desk until 8:30 p.m. At around 4, I started getting hungry, and lo and behold, I had leftover Cincinnati chili. Actually, it wasn’t leftover, since I hadn’t eaten any since I made the batch in preparation for the week. It was a small bowl, but it filled me up so I could keep working.
I had some habanero almonds for a snack a couple of hours later. I miss the chili lime. I have to buy some next chance I get. A couple of us were comparing almond prices. Meijers has them in one pound bags for $6. Amazon sells 3 one-pound bags for about $20. Neither tops the 2 for $4 sale they had at Walgreen’s. I hope they have that again soon.
The book was finally ready, and I gladly left work at 8:30. By the time I got home, I was pretty hungry. I had another plate of chili over squash at 9:30. Rick and I ate the last of the lime jello “cheesecake” for dessert.
I need to find some lavash bread that Brandon let me try today. It’s a huge piece of pita-like bread that only has 8 grams of carbs for one. He made something like a quesadilla with one and it was big enough for a meal. I’ll have to get the name and brand from him and pick up some soon.
Day 33: No brownies for me, thanks
Lost: +.5 Total weight loss: 12.5
Sigh. Gained a half pound back. No reason I can think of. I guess I have to do something…drink more water? ride my bike? I’ll investigate the best way to jump start my system this afternoon.
I worked at home yesterday, first on my day job as a writer/editor, then for a couple of hours helping Rick create websites.
I made my favorite weekend treat: peanut butter pancakes and topped them with a tbsp of Polaner grape jelly.
Lunch was late and followed a handful of habanero almonds: 2 chicken shawarma, wraps minus their wraps.
Dinner was a quick couple of hotdogs with beanless turkey chili and cheese topping.
Jo came by to watch the 2nd and 3rd Stieg Larsson series Swedish movies, and she brought a pan of her famous yummy chocolate brownies. I abstained and whipped up some fake chocolate mousse.
I continue to look at breads, rolls, donuts, chips, and sweets and think how many carbs they would add to my day. Even one would essentially throw me out of ketosis. I have spent 33 days eating fewer than 20 carbs a day. At the most, I’ve gone up to 25 a couple of times accidentally. That makes it easy to say no to the carb-laden food.
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 30: Almond milk and cocoa don’t mix
Lost: .5 Total weight loss: 12.5 pounds
Well, I lost some of what I gained yesterday. Can’t wait for the scale to show more progress. Once I hit a 15 pound loss, I’m going to start weighing once a week. It would have to be more satisfying to see the progress in larger amounts vs. this yoyoing back and forth of a pound or 1/2 pound at a time.
Breakfast – Rick’s egg bowl
Lunch – Salad with blue cheese dressing
Snack – Haberno Almonds
Dinner – Once again, it was a busy day filled with my day job, plus items I needed to do for my web business. I was tired, cranky, hungry, and the larder was empty. Rick and I had planned to do a meal schedule and shop, but he was busy working on a client newsletter plus painting and installing doors at our rental house.
I fried two Hebrew National franks in coconut oil, then topped them with turkey chili no beans, onions, and grated cheese. It was a gooey mess of goodness, and satisfied my hunger.
Snack – Discovery! Almond milk and cocoa do not mix well. I had a not-so-lovely clump-filled glass of chocolate milk. The cocoa simply would not mix into the milk. However, it assuaged my need for a bedtime snack, and I hit the hay early.
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 27: The Superbowl snacks that never were
Lost: 0 Total weight loss: 13.5 pounds
The scale seems stuck; however, my clothes are looser, so I try not to let that bother me.
Yesterday, I planned to make some cool keto snacks for Superbowl Sunday, but the day got away from me. I ended up noshing all day after a thrown-together “leftovers” breakfast.
I was up by 9, but got busy doing things before breakfast. By noon, I was very hungry, but we only had one egg! I reheated the turkey Cincinnati chili from a couple nights ago, and spent more than 20 minutes trying to get a leftover piece of spaghetti squash to cook. While waiting, I peeled the eggs I made yesterday and created another dozen deviled eggs. I also slow cooked a pound of bacon that Brandon and Lindsey picked up for me at the Eastern Market Saturday.
The chili/spaghetti squash was to be the only meal of the day. Lunch was on the run, so to speak. I had work to do for clients, plus it was house cleaning day. In the midst of vacuuming, I was famished, so I had some almonds, 2 deviled eggs, and 2 pieces of the bacon.
Once the house was clean, my stepson George, wife Beccy, and granddaughter Danielle showed up for the big game. Rick made them little pizzas.
I did take some time to makes some FAILED mozzarella cheese sticks (string cheese, halved, battered in pork rinds and fried in olive oil). The original recipe called for a parmesan cheese crust, but I thought the pork rinds would make them more authentic. Turned out not to be true: they were gooey and clumped together when I pulled them out of the pan. To me, they tasted like melted cheese mixed with pork rinds, or, in other words, GAK. Rick and the others said they liked them. Not sure if they were just being polite.
I ate 2 more eggs, more almonds, and whipped us up some chocolate “mousse” from heavy cream and added strawberries. It was a hit! I had to make up a second batch.
Still well under my protein, and with some carbs to go, my last snack of the day was 2 pieces of bacon and a glass of almond milk. I need to set aside some time to plan this week’s meals, because grabbing food willy nilly isn’t fun. I’d also still like to try the snacks I planned to make, including some crispy cheese puffs and lime cheesecake.
I learned about a new vegetable while searching out Superbowl snacks: marrow. I plan to try frying up some low-carb marrow chips this week.
vegetable marrow
Cultivated in England, this green, oval summer squash can grow to the size of a watermelon. It’s closely related to the ZUCCHINI and can be cooked in any manner suitable for that vegetable. Because of its bland flavor, vegetable marrow (also called marrow squash ) is often stuffed with a meat mixture. It’s available in limited supplies in some specialty produce markets during the summer months. See also SQUASH.
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.