Still doing great on ZC

For some reason my food addict brain decided to experiment with cheese. I asked about some cheese I got on forum and someone said it had 1g of sugar and it's rather high. That sent me into curiousity on how cheeses are made and why some have lactose and some don't. My research was interesting and I finally have better understanding about cheese making process. It starts with milk. Some,of them go through more process (the hard cheeses go through most) and some a little less. For some hard cheeses there's also bacteria involved. It's a mixture of art and science. After understanding better how mozzarella, mascarpone and ricotta are made (least processed) I got, for some strange reason I can only explain by addiction, curious and just had to buy them. Stopped at TJ and spent $20 on something I didn't really need. Had to try sour cream mixed with mascarpone. Why I don't know. It wasn't a huge joy. Made waffles with ricotta cheese (1/4 cup ricotta, 2 eggs, 1/2 t baking powder and some cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves). Topped the waffles with sour cream. Really?! I just had to have variety. I had some sort of tiredness with meat. 

It was ok. I was full for shorter time. Normally when eating meat for breakfast I will not get hungry before 2/3 pm but with dairy I was ready for lunch around noon/1pm.

I also felt a little bloated for a couple of days and my stomach was grumbling like crazy. 

On a different front I have a UTI and am on antibiotic for 5 days. 

Feeling some relief today on 3rd day of antibiotics. Will have to test urine on Monday to verify that all is well. 

I am nearing 4 weeks on this way of eating. All I can say is WOW! It is mind blowing on so many fronts.  Simplicity, cost, health, hormones, appetite, cravings. 

It is just simple. Meat is so filling. I can eat a large quantity that initially scared me, but I will stay full, completely not hungry for a very long time. Like all day. I had a day when I just had one large meal. Like 4 hamburger patties, that's it, I was done for the day. Not interested in food at all. 

It's so simple. When I started I asked on the forum how to know when I'm full as my body wasn't really signaling me.. I was told to eat when interested in food and stop when not interested. It made my life so simple. I stopped doubting myself. I stopped thinking about hunger signals and instead when I just entertained though about food I just ate meat. It became very clear to me when I was full. I just didn't want to eat any more. I was FULL, without any doubt. In addition, I stayed full for a L O N G time!!! Very long time. I never experienced it before. 

Nowadays I eat mostly twice a day, that is if I don't mess up with cheese.....then I eat 3 times. 

I still want to eat steak. Yesterday I met a friend at BJ's Brewhouse. Ordered steak, well done. It was really good. 

I do not have cravings any more. I don't need snacks. The snacking habit was so hard to kick, even when on VLC. I always carried with me a Quest bar and some nuts and 100% chocolate, just in case I need to snack. I don't remember what snacking is nowadays. I do carry 4oz of beef jerky with me but it is not for snacking, it is for when my meal is not enough to fill me or if I am in the run and cannot stop at a burger place. Eating on the go is so simple and cheap now, I will stop at Burger King and order patties. 

I am shocked at how simplified shopping became and the grocery bill is down. If I hadn't experimented with cheese it would be even better. 

Best part so far is I haven't had acne breakout on my chin for about 2 weeks!!! No more under the skin volcanos, no painful bumps under my skin!!! I still use concealer to cover the remaining marks but hope that with time they will clear. I have some photos I've talken in the past 3 weeks of area but it doesn't really show the big improvement, something with the lighting. I'll put it here anyway. The one on the bottom is from today, middle is last week and the top left one is from few weeks ago. 

I am still not a huge meat lover. I have some resistance in my mind and am still not totally excited about the taste of pure meat. I do use spices, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, cinnamon. I am giving it time though. Even if I don't grow to love meat, I am really enjoying lack of cravings, hunger, snacking and constant thinking about food. I really don't miss working in the kitchen preparing veggies and trying to figure out net carbs or recipes. I also realize that chicken breast is not so tasty thus the need for recipes and various sauces to make it.....like teriyaki chicken or sweet and sour.