Category Archives: keto snacks
Day 88: A big fat ZERO
Today’s weight loss: ZERO
Total weight loss: 21.5 pounds Next weigh-in: Saturday, April 14th
AARRRGGGHHHH.
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 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 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 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 71: Taking stock of the past 10 weeks
Weight loss: 17.5 pounds; next weigh day: Sat., Mar 24th
I realized last night that I’m really getting the hang of this low-carb diet. It was around 10 pm, and I was done eating for the day. It occurred to me that I hadn’t entered any of my meals into the myfitnesspal.com website. I usually do it as the day progresses, so I can evaluate how many grams of carbs I have left.
I entered all the meals for the day at once, and, lo and behold, I was just about spot on for a carb count. I guess I can estimate what I’m eating pretty well at this point. More than two months into the plan, I think I’ve got it!
It also occurred to me that it’s been a very long time since I…
- Ate between meals
- Had cake, cookies, pies, or donuts
- Ate bread, bagels, buns
- Ate ice cream
- Ate pasta
- Had pizza with crust or french fries
It’s been 71 days, in fact.
I’ve found a nice pancake substitute, low carb tortillas, and pasta, rice, and potato substitutes (usually consisting of cauliflower). I’ve eaten a couple of squares of 70% chocolate. I’ve also had maybe 4 slices of low-carb bread.
This is definitely an big life change for me. And it has not been difficult at all, in terms of cravings. It has been more difficult to saunter into any restaurant or deli and easily order a meal. It takes some calculations and substitutions, but it isn’t too onerous.
And, as usual, I have to give a big shout out to Rick, who is keeping the house stocked with low-carb food items, cooking lots of burgers and chicken, and meeting me for lunches that help take the monotony out of having a salad at work every day.
Back to the food diary:
Yesterday began with eggs/sausage.
I skipped lunch AGAIN. The work deadlines keep me so busy (and I’m so OCD) that I forget to eat. I grabbed a handful of almonds at noon.
When I got home from work at 6:30, I ate the tops off of two leftover pieces of Albert’s pizza. I threw some eggs on the stove to boil, and headed to my office to work on web company issues. Then I needed to work on Dad’s affairs, again. I didn’t finish until 9 pm. I grabbed a vodka and Diet Coke and met Rick out on the deck.
While I was in my office, Rick barbecued some chicken. I cut up a couple of ounces and put it in 2 Mama Lupe’s tortillas with some cheese, salsa, and onion. They were great!
Oh, and I quickly peeled the hardboiled eggs and made up a dozen deviled eggs so I’d have snacks on hand. I ate about 4 of those as a pseudo 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 67: Seeing progress–a good weigh day
Today’s weight loss: 2.5 pounds; total weight loss: 17.5
I was relieved and happy to see the numbers starting to go down for a change. It still seems like slow progress, but as Rick says, it’s going in the right direction.
TGIF. I worked four 10-hr days Monday thru Thursday, so my weekend began yesterday. Rick and I started our day at the Toast diner. I tried a 3-cheese mushroom omelet with a side order of crispy bacon, and it was very tasty. I forgot how much I used to enjoy mushrooms with my eggs.
Around noon, we worked on cleaning out the garage and I skipped lunch. After going to the funeral home to see a coworker whose mother passed away, I was tired and hungry and didn’t feel like doing much, including tiling the floor as I had originally planned. We stopped to get some groceries then headed home.
I heated up 2 Beddar Cheddars with a side of almonds and had a quick nap.
I didn’t have much for dinner: some microwaved cheese chips with guacamole.
A few hours later, I had quite a few carbs left so I made 2 pieces of low carb toast with almond butter.
Day 66: Chili dogs at the diner
Weight loss: 15 pounds; next weigh-in: Sat, Mar 17th
Now that our textbook is off to the printer, the pressure is off a bit. However, now it’s time to get our software finished. I was running late in the morning, plus we were out of breakfast sausage, so I grabbed a yogurt.
Around 11, I was getting hungry, but Rick was out delivering a client’s newsletter, and I wanted to wait for him to finish and meet me for lunch. We didn’t get to the diner until around 2 pm. I ordered 2 chili dogs. I never bother asking restaurants to remove the bun, since that always seems to get complicated (don’t know why). The buns did make nice little beds to hold my dogs and chili. I treated myself to a Diet Coke as well. I knew it would be a long day and I wasn’t getting off work until 7 pm.
Once I finally arrived home, I heated up some Indian butter chicken and the rest of the cauliflower from the fridge. Even after dinner and mousse, I still had carbs left again. I have to plan better.
One discovery I forgot to blog about was in the “healthy” isle at Kroger. In the refrigerated section where they keep the soy milk, I found hummus that had only ONE net gram of carbs per 2 tablespoons. …and it was on sale! I microwaved little piles of cheese to make some handy little crackers. The whole snack was only the amount of carbs in the hummus, because the cheese was zero.