Category Archives: progress report
Day 59: More of the same
Weight loss: 17 lbs; next weigh-in: tomorrow
Yesterday began with eggs at work. For lunch, I heated leftover taco meat and assembled 2 tacos in Mama Lupe tortillas. They made for a delicious and filling meal.
I left work at a reasonable hour and had an early dinner. I used the spaghetti squash I had prepared earlier in the week as a base for Cincinnati chili. It was just okay. I think something happens to the texture/flavor of squash after a few days in the fridge.
We were out of cocoa, so I made sugar-free lime jello with cream cheese mixed in for dessert.
Day 54: Delicious low carb tortillas and surviving a birthday party
Weight loss to date: 17 pounds; next weigh-in: Saturday, March 10th
Yesterday was Saturday. We decided to eat breakfast at home. I started playing around on the computer, and by the time I made myself breakfast, it was actually brunch. I decided I get enough eggs during the week, so I cooked some “Beddar Cheddar” sausages. They were meaty and moist, and I ate a handful of almonds as a side dish.
We spent the day cleaning for our granddaughter’s birthday party. I enjoy having parties, just because it means I’ll clean the house from top to bottom — then get to enjoy how great it looks for a couple of days.
I didn’t get a chance to have lunch, and I didn’t want to waste the pizza the kids were eating by tearing off the top, so I heated up some taco meat and tried the new Mama Lupe’s tortillas I received from Netrition.com. They were really good and only 3 net carbs each.
Next was cake and ice cream time. My step-daughter Cindy made some beautiful fondant cakes and it was hard to resist. When everyone was busy filling their pieholes with rich cake and creamy ice cream, I whipped up some low-carb chocolate mousse. Of course, the adults wanted some of that, as well, so I made a huge batch. I only ate one portion, and it took away the craving for all that carb-laden dessert around me. I had a portion left over, so I froze it to see if it turns out like ice creams. Fingers crossed.
After everyone left, I sat down to watch some TV and was a bit hungry. The only problem was that my carb count was at the max for the day. I poured a big glass of zero carb almond milk, and that hit the spot.
Day 53: Weigh-in day did not disappoint
Today’s weight loss: 3 pounds
Total weight loss in 7 weeks: 17 pounds (woot!)
I had been assuming that today’s weigh-in would not go well. Not because I went off, or went over carb count, but because the past few weigh-ins have been so disappointing. I know my clothes are looser, and I have lots of energy, but the more I thought about only losing 14 pounds in 6+ weeks, the more this keto plan didn’t seem like the quick weight loss dream I thought it would be.
I know 2 pounds a week is a safe and practical amount to lose. But when one accomplishes a 14-pound weight loss on day 39, and that hasn’t changed by day 46, it becomes frustrating.
Wait. What did I just read? It was only one week later that I weighed in and had a zero weight loss? And, now, a week later, I’ve lost 3? That isn’t bad at all!
I’m guessing most of the frustration developed in that week between day 39 and day 46, when I was weighing myself daily. Now that I’ve settled on a weekly weigh-in, it should show a little more progress than tiny increments of weight loss per day (or no weight loss per day). I’m still doing well; I think I’m just used to seeing those big numbers the contestants accomplish on The Biggest Loser. Even in terms of a 2 pounds a week goal, I should only have lost 14 by today, so I’m 3 pounds ahead. I think I’d better focus on continuing with the plan and not focus so much on the scale.
C’mon 20! [Okay, not focusing on the numbers is going to be difficult.]
Yesterday, I had some errands to run and things to accomplish before starting work at 10. We didn’t have time for Rick to cook, so I bought 2 McDonald’s sausage, egg, and cheese, breakfast sandwiches (on sale for $3 for two). Of course, I removed the delicious smelling biscuits. I’m glad I ordered two, because after the biscuit removal, and with no hash brown patties, one would not have satisfied me.
At 2pm, I discovered that I did not have a yogurt in the fridge. Oops. I ate 2 ounces of almonds and a beef stick. Yum.
After work, I was pretty hungry, but we needed to get groceries. Usually Rick goes without me, but I was interested in looking over the health food aisle to see if there was something I was missing out on. I bought some soy hummus (1 carb per serving) and some almond “peanut” butter – $9.99!!! This had better be good.
Rick has some kind of whole grain bread that he buys, and he said it was only 5 carbs per slice if I ever wanted a tuna fish sandwich or something. I’m not willing to sacrifice 10 of my 20 grams of carbs for a sandwich, but I did decide to toast one piece and top it with the almond butter to stop the hunger pangs while I started making dinner. The almond butter had about 1 1/2 inches of oil on top and I could not get it to mix in with the thick and dry substance below it. Maybe at 10 bucks a bottle, no one is buying it and it sits on the shelf awhile. Rick manage to dump the whole thing in a bowl and use his formidable muscles to stir it into a nice gloppy, spreadable butter. It was pretty good.
I thawed some chicken breasts for Indian butter chicken, and mistakenly started getting the spaghetti squash ready. Then I realized that I use chopped cauliflower as a rice substance. I finished cooking and forking out the squash anyway, so now I’m ready for another dish that uses that.
I had leftover cauliflower rice (“crice”) from the Mexican rice recipe, so I heated that, topped with microwaved butter chicken and enjoyed a delish meal. Dessert was the usual chocolate mousse. It never gets old. LOL
Oh yes, I almost forgot. My low carb food order from netrition.com came in. That was very quick. Almost tops Amazon. I now have some experimenting to do: low carb “Carbquik” for pancakes and other pastries, those odd shiritaki pasta, Mama Lupe low carb 7-inch tortillas, barbecue sauce, and Margarita mix (I couldn’t resist that last one). Let the experimentation begin!
Day 49: Disappointing foccacio grilled cheese
Weight loss: 14 pounds
Next weigh-in: Saturday, Feb., 25th
Back to work yesterday. I started the day with my usual egg dish.
Snack at noon was a handful of almonds.
Lunch was a low-carb yogurt.
I was pretty hungry after work, but it was trivia night, so I had no time to eat. I found a Slim Jim and had that to hold me over (2 carbs). There aren’t a lot of options at the bar, but I knew I could get a big salad. Since Jo wasn’t planning to eat the side salad that came with her calzone, I ate hers. It was small but filling….for a time.
After getting home, I decided to try an idea I had last week: using the new foccacia bread in a grilled cheese. I butter both sides, slapped on some Dubliner cheese and grilled it. The results were disappointing.
The sides of the bread didn’t grill well. They were sort of a semi-blackened cake. The flavor was bitter, and I didn’t enjoy it at all. However, I ate both just to get some nourishment. You win some; you lose some. [literally, I hope]
Rick was craving his dessert, so I made some low-carb mousse.
The past couple of days have been disappointing in comparison to the first few weeks of delicious menus. That topped with a zero weight loss have made me less than exuberant about the plan. I’m going to continue, because I know if I prevail, I’ll continue to lose. I also feel good and my clothing fits much better. I decided to have tacos for my next dinner, to regain some of the enjoyment I had when I began the keto plan.
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 45: A successful bread discovery
Weight loss to date: 14 pounds
Next weigh-in: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012
Yesterday began as usual, at work with a McRick breakfast. I had an almond snack about 11.
I didn’t eat lunch until around 2. I brought taco salad to heat up, but I really wasn’t looking forward to it. I was debating just going out to search for low-carb fast food, but I didn’t have the gumption or the time. I was hungry, yet nothing I could think of appealed to me.
Brandon offered me a low-carb Kroger yogurt. He had 3 in stock back in the kitchen. I tried the raspberry and it was really flavorful. That will be going on my (Rick’s) grocery list right away. It was only 4 carbs and it really hit the spot.
After work, we stopped by to visit my dad, but he was sleeping. We headed on home and I immediately tried a recipe I had found online and been meaning to try. I haven’t missed bread because I crave the flavors or taste of it; I’ve missed having something to use for a sandwich or to convey dips to my lips.
This recipe for foccacia-style flax bread was on about.com in their low carb recipe section. It appeared to be pretty simple, so I started assembling the ingredients when I got home: milled flax seed, eggs, oil, baking powder, and water. After mixing those together and letting them sit for about 5 minutes, I poured the batter(?) into a 10×14 pan lined with parchment paper. I sprayed the paper with a little Pam first. I baked it for about 20 mins at 350 and it couldn’t have been easier.
The bread had a nice texture, but was very cake-like. It also doesn’t taste like much. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not bad at all. It just doesn’t have much flavor. I don’t think Wonder bread has much flavor either, but it gets the sandwich ingredients to my mouth, and that’s about all I was hoping for.
Rick was about to make himself a couple of chicken sandwiches, so I stole a bit of the chicken and some onion. After assembling the sandwich, with the addition of some mayo, of course, I realized that bacon would add some zest.
I ran down to the freezer, got out a pound, and thawed it in the microwave. As it was cooking on the stove, I made a few tiny appetizers using the bread cut in small pieces and topped with crab spread. YUM.
After the bacon was cooked, I added that too my sandwich. It was a pretty good dinner, with some chili lime almonds on the side.
This bread is labeled: SUCCESS
I intend to make up another batch in a day or so. This time, I’m going to experiment with adding some garlic or cheese (thanks for the idea, Matt and Brandon).
Dessert was chocolate mousse.
Day 44: Taco salad
Weight loss: 14 pounds
Next weigh-in: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012
I was really busy at work, so I ate a late breakfast yesterday. I had the usual egg bowl made by Rick, which is a really convenient and delicious start to my dad.
I had a “midmorning snack” at around 1, then ate a boring lunch: two hotdogs on a plate, topped with mustard. That’ll teach me to plan ahead.
By dinnertime I was looking for something different. I decided to adapt my taco salad recipe to the keto plan.
I cooked ground beef, added onions and black soy beans. Those are the only type of keto-friendly bean I have found. They are okay tasting, will help me get more fiber into my diet, and make a nice filler for mexican meals. I added taco seasoning and simmered it all together.
I ripped up some lettuce, added grated cheese, and topped with the beef mixture. Then I sliced up an avocado and put it on top. I used 2 Taco Bell taco sauce packets, because those are low carb. The only thing missing was the crunchy bag of Doritos. I cut a Flatwrap into triangles and sauteed in olive oil until mildly crunchy and broke a few up and tossed them into the salad. Of course, I topped it all with a dollop or two of sour cream.
The result was meh. It tasted just okay. I think there were too many tasteless items and not enough spicy ingredients to make up for the missing Dortitos. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t nearly as good as traditional taco salad. Experiment #1 was a failure.
Day 41: Indian butter chicken cooked the right way
Weight loss to date: 14 pounds
Next weigh-in: Saturday, Feb 25th
I had another relaxing Sunday, yet accomplished a lot. Breakfast was at home. I ate the leftover pizza from last night while doing the NYT Sunday puzzle.
Lunch was piecemeal. I had a handful of almonds while I worked on websites. I did some laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and by then it was time to go tile the floor at the rental house. I grabbed the leftover 1/4 dish of Cincinnati chili and warmed it up when I got there. It wasn’t enough to call lunch, but it held me over until dinner.
Brandon made crackers from a recipe I found yesterday. They weren’t very good, but the jalapeno yogurt dip tasted very good on top. I guess we’ll all stick to bbq pork rinds to use for dipping.
For dinner, I decided to try to cook the Indian Butter chicken correctly this time. I microwaved it for 22 minutes on medium power, and it turned out well. I took a new picture of the way it is supposed to look, not dried up like my last venture.
I cooked a half a head of grated cauliflower in the microwave and served the butter chicken over the top. I certainly have eaten more cauliflower than I ever have in my life.
I had mousse for dessert.
It felt odd not to weigh myself this morning, but I am definitely going to hold out until next Saturday.
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!