My healthy eating journey took me through Medifast losing 60lbs in 2013-2014, then Paleo/Primal, then Low Carb and Ketogenic living before I found Zero Carb, carnivore, no plant eating.
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Refuse to Regain
Surprising loss and first step to healthy lifestyle
Friday, January 30, 2015
Ketogenic diet thoughts
Whole 30 Day 30 Is it the END?
Yesterday was the last day of The Whole 30, can't believe 30 days passed already. It was a piece of cake! It is not hard at all to eat a clean diet. What is hard is to keep quantities. Here's what i ate yesterday. No 100% chocolate and no nuts. I was totally fine. No hunger just a couple of times, the old times for snacks i wanted something to eat. like in the afternoon around 4:30/5 pm and in the evening around 9pm.
Something strange is going on with me. It doesn't happen after breakfast, mainly after lunch. I finish my meal and even though I am pretty full and satiated I want something to eat. so in the past I have eaten chocolate but do i really need it? I would like to eat that 1-2 squares of chocolate a couple times a week but I am not sure i want to eat them daily on a habitual basis, which I have been doing. Yesterday I had a little under 1200 calories but I was not hungry at all. I hit all my macros and just didn't want to eat anything else, well i did WANT but my body was perfectly fine and happy.
With dinner I don't usually want to eat after i finish my meal but sometimes when i sit down around 9 pm and my husband munches i feel like i want something too. I usually deal with this by making a cup of tea. Sometimes i do eat like 1oz of nuts.
But i don't want to snack like this any more.
I was at a social event yesterday at noon and they served a very nice catered lunch with hummus, salads, falafel, bread of course, puffs, muffins, brownies, cut veggies, cut fruit, dates......etc. There was absolutely no protein (unless you count the falafel and hummus as protein although nutritionally it is not a complete protein as they are partial amino acid chain). I was a bit distracted but I was still full from my breakfast. I had the thought of having just cucumbers but then reminded myself that even cucumbers have carbs and that I was not really hungry and it was not time for my lunch. So i just kept drinking tea. I went home and had my lunch when i was hungry. I did take 2 muffins and brownies for my kids..... wouldn't want them to throw everything ;-)
Today is the first day I am not on The Whole 30 anymore but i still haven't changed much. My weight is still the same didn't suddenly drop ;-) I am suspecting my body is adjusting to the new macros switching from high fat to higher protein and lower carbs. I will give it 2 weeks. Now that I started to figure out the food template for my recommended macros I really want to be consistent for 2 weeks. I really want to get a handle on my nuts and dark chocolate habit. I have significantly lowered my fat intake. Need to see that indeed my body will start dropping weight once my fat intake in grams is lower than my protein intake. Also trying to figure out what protein sources to eat so i get enough protein (120g) and try not to have any carbs in it so i can get my carbs from veggies only.
Here's my breakfast today visually and nutritionally. I will not eat Turkey Bacon very often. It is too expensive and the same goes for the smoked salmon (which also has carbs!). Both bacon and salmon were too salty for me. I think i will make my own turkey/chicken breakfast sausages and freeze them. although I really like AppleGate Farms chicken apple sausages they do cost more than what I will make myself and I think I do not need to apple sweetening and can save these carbs by making them nyself. I will have a box or 2 in the freezer for emergency. Otherwise it just seems that my previous breakfast which included 2 or 3 eggs and vegetables had too many carbs and not enough protein.
Accomplishments:
- I have gotten into the habit of logging my food on MFP which is really good.
- I stopped snacking between meals, mainly between lunch and dinner.
- I have more control over what i eat. I actually choose what and when to eat, more often than not. Once in a while i still give in and munch on nuts (like on Wednesday) but the frequency is decreasing. I am not tempted by available/free food at social gatherings. I am more conscious of the unclean ingredients even in the salads (like tuna salad is probably made with cheap mayo loaded with soy oil, salad dressing loaded with unthinkable ingredients).
- I finally started to understand what to eat to get to the macros I aim for.
- My skin cleared up, almost completely. Before I started the Whole 30 I had a bad breakout on my chin (my oily area). Had another breakout while that one was disappearing but it was smaller and i immediately treated it with sulfur cream. It is now almost gone and I hope not to have any new ones any time soon. I suspect that it was a result of too much fat.
What I would like to change next
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Whole 30 Day 29
It is not included here below on MFP log.....
Today I am up a pound!!!!! Even though I ate pretty well for few days.
I don't think these nuts were to blame here. I think it is connected to my hormones as I haven't gotten my period this month and this morning I think it is finally coming ...... i am probably retaining something. I plan on exercising today and just keep doing what I am doing.
I finally managed to hit my macros as recommended by the FB Keto Dieters group I am on. 120g protein (40g x 3) 71g fat and 20g net carbs.
Yesterday i finally managed to eat 18g net carbs, 120g protein and 69g fat.
I know i have more than that because of the nuts and coconut flakes binge in the car....but at least now I know what i need to eat to hit those macros.
I am probably better off staying away from nuts.... seems like they are trigger food for me. As Barbara Berkeley recommends in her book Refuse To Regain, it is better to have a total abstention from trigger foods and then introduce them back very carefully..... I will probably need to plan carefully the nuts in my daily nutrition. Calculate the macros and check that they fit in my daily plan or else NOT EAT THEM!
On a different note, I heard a very interesting interview on NPR yesterday
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/28/381622350/why-teens-are-impulsive-addiction-prone-and-should-protect-their-brains
Never realized that addiction is a form of learning. I wonder how do we "un-learn"? My daughter is still 11 but already showing teenager signs....she does a really good eye roll ;-)
And a final note. Today is my last day of Whole 30!!!!!
It has been completely uneventful and simple journey. I do not miss anything, especially not dairy or sugar.
I will now go back to buyer my regular lower cost ghee (the one I got for the Whole 30) is Organic while the regular one I buy at Trader Joe's is not organic.
Will i change anything tomorrow? I don't think so.
I think that cheese and dairy do not fill me as protein sources.
I am really enjoying not having any cravings. I am enjoying knowing I am making good food choices.
I sat in a board meeting last night and on the table where pretzels, 2 types of cookies and water. Of course i didn't touch them (I came with my own BIG cup of herbal cinnamon tea and sipped it for like 2 hours) and I wasn't even tempted. People munched on everything. I remember the days when I couldn't resist those pretzels and think "how much harm could it be eating just a few" but after having one i wanted another one and another and it became harder to stop nibbling them, sometimes i would just give up and just eat and eat.
There is never a good source of protein anywhere. It is much more expensive than the cheap wheat/grain/sugar snack.....
Oh well. I believe I will just keep eating this way as I am enjoying it. If i do want heavy whipping cream in my coffee once in a while (once/twice a week) or whole milk at Starbucks I will have it (I will not buy it to have at home as it will become a regular thing that i don't want) but the rest? Not even sure how to incorporate cheese/greek yogurt in my nutrition now. Protein is too low and carbs too high..... Somehow the dairy never fills me especially melted cheese, I just want more.... ;-)
I am sure i will figure it out with time. But for now I am focused on dropping my extra weight and finding my way to do it.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Whole 30 Days 27 and 28
Today I was able to figure out a way to do it although the PrtSc worked just a couple days ago it isn't working now even after restart.....go figure.
I am trying to get my macros right and am not having much success so far. I need 1200 cal, 120g protein, 71g fat and 20g net carbs.
I don't know what protein source to eat that will keep me at 40g per meal but at ~23g fat and very low carb. All my regular sources seem higher on fat and/or carb. I also realize that I need to limit my vegetables, especially tomatoes.
I am at 31-35 g net carbs.
I also want my food to still taste good though.....
I am happy i was able to log my food on MFP. I will have to keep monitoring and figure things out.
Tomorrow will be the last day of my Whole 30!!!! I like eating this way. The only change i might have is to eat frozen grilled chicken, somehow it always has sugar or some additive that is not Whole 30 approved.
I still haven't decided if i will go back to dairy. I actually feel pretty good and am not sure i want to change anything.
I was looking into Fage Greek yogurt this morning to figure out macros, the 2% one has 20g of protein but also 8g carbs and 0 fiber so I am not sure i will eat it since I will still have to consume additional 15-20g protein more fiber but no more carbs. Not sure what it is i can eat to provide fiber without carbs. Also 8g carbs seems a little high for since it will require me to have less carbs in my other 2 meals.
The good news are that i have no problem not snacking. That was an easy habit to instil. After the initial sabotage last week, this week is no problem. I am over snacking! I eat my nuts and 100% chocolate as part of my meal.
I don't need any cream in my afternoon decaf coffee so I will probably not go back to my old habit of having afternoon decaff coffee with 1tbs of heavy whipping cream (or coconut milk).
Another good thing that I figured out since logging my food religiously is that I don't get enough protein in but get too much fat.
I am feeling great, am not hungry or tired. Will measure ketones tomorrow again. Wondering if anything will change?
Monday, January 26, 2015
Whole 30 Day 26
Here's my eating from yesterday. Doesn't seem like carbs are my problem since I am at 27g net carbs and under 50g total carbs. Looks like i am pretty much ok with protein and fat too. I suspect I am eating too many calories in total? So I need to reduce my fat (like Paleo mayonaise) and focus more on lean protein.
I have been following a great Keto Dieters group on FB and they focus on The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Science-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708 as well as Lyle McDonalds The Ketogenic Diet.
Very scientific and proof oriented approach.
According to this group my macros for weight loss should be 40g protein for each one of 3 meals, total of 71g fat, up to 20g net carbs and 1199 calories (which is where MFP puts me 1200 cal).
I realized that my 2 or even 3 eggs breakfast in tbs ghee with veggies and half avocado doesn't provide enough protein but does include way too much fat. so i am going to change that with using much much less fat for my eggs and adding meat or fish and probably removing the avocado. The eggs have enough fat....
I got carried away with all the LCHF movement and lack of specific info. The Diet doctor and Atkins say don't pay attention to how much you eat as long as it is protein, fat, veggies but it doesn't seem so. I spend some time reading Lyle McDonald's "The Ketogenic Diet" and realized that it does matter how much one eats.
I also am getting better at not snacking and keeping just 3 meals a day.
I need to drink more water.
Be very careful with nuts, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut flakes.
Log everything at least for few weeks just so i know where I am. Especially if i want to get anywhere with my weight loss.
I still don't understand how I am not in ketosis. I suspected it but now i know.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Whole 30 Day 25 still working on forming new habits.....
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Whole 30 Day 24 nothing new
difference between two and three eggs. I am full equally and rather to have less eggs. So had a 2 egg omelette in tbs ghee with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes + half avocado plus some raspberries. I was pretty good and had sloppy joe with Israeli salad and lettuce for lunch. But then I grabbed nuts and chocolate. The 100% chocolate is fine but I didn't really need the nuts. Sabotage..... I want to get it in my head, no more nuts. I should stop buying them and storing on my shelf.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Whole 30 Day 23 slight slip but generally getting better
I think it is ok for me. I will give it a try in a week and see how i feel. I think that once a week will not be problematic for me.
As I mentioned yesterday, i slipped with pistachios after my breakfast. I was listening to a book on tape and just let myself have a handful of pistachios that somehow grew into two handfuls and then few more.
I know that it was wrong. They looked at me from the shelf. I should have just closed the door. I shouldn't have looked on that shelf to begin with. I should have just left the kitchen. Looking back it seems like self sabotage. I would have been better off going out for a walk.
Which is another thing i really want to focus on. Daily walks. I am completely sedentary. I really need to move. It is not good for my health in any way. I am not aiming currently at running again or even getting back to T-Tapp or Callanetics or even dance workout. My excuse for quitting every workout I start is getting bored. It becomes monotone. I went on a walk with a friend on Tuesday but didn't really do much the rest of the week.
I have to MOVE!!!!!! My body wants it. The whole "I am bored" is self sabotage and I have to just stop doing it.
After I slipped with pistachios I had my beef sloppy joe for lunch with 2 squares of dark chocolate. I learned from Karen (GardenGirlKP blog) to incorporate 'treats' like berries and chocolate in my meal, I will do so with nuts too. I believe it will help eliminate my snacking mentality. If the food is part of the meal i do not need to snack between meals.
I had my afternoon decaf coffee without coconut milk and was fine.
By dinner time, around 7 I was ready to eat but not famishing. I had a hardboiled egg, with persian cucumber and yellow bell pepper, 4 Applegate Apple chicken sausages. I was still a little hungry (well, i am not sure if it was hunger or wanting some more food) so I had 1oz of beef jerky (I like Sophia's Survival Food) and called it a night with a cup of herbal tea.
I am really inspired by Gwen from The Sunny Coconut. She is so committed. Thanks Gwen for commenting on my blog. Please feel free to be direct with me. No need to apologize. I want to hear the truth.
Yes I realize that new habits take time to establish. I am committed and am in the mindset of changing. I think that i always had this pattern of realizing a damaging habit, wanting to change it, making the change few times or just once and then slipping. I have learned that it is normal. A couple years ago I read this book The Power of Habit http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/ and the author does say that people always slip. It is a game of few steps forward few steps back. You want more steps forward than back and with time the backward steps become less and less.
I have never been good at setting goals and sticking to them. I actually do much worse when I set goals. But what works for me is just having a mindset. I also like to be different. So if i see others doing the same thing I want to stop doing it motivates me to stop doing it..... ;-) I like to be different.
So here it is. Everybody snacks. I don't want to do it. ;-)
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Whole 30 Day 22 - changing snacking mentality
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Whole 30 Day 21 thoughts about weight loss
Monday, January 19, 2015
Whole 30 Day 20 + Refuse to Regain thoughts
Same logic worked for me with regards to grains. I am enjoying coconut milk in my coffee so why bother with heavy whipping cream?
I think I can have the cream at Starbucks sometimes.
I went back to Barbara Berkeley and the book Refuse to Regain. Chapter 7 was very interesting for me and I read it several times. I like the term S foods (S = sugar, starch). She is basically saying that even whole wheat/grain foods are not real foods as they have been grinded and not in their natural form and it is much better to eat the food in it's natural form (like veggies or meat). Also, they eventually translate into sugar in blood.
What really resonated with me is her saying "Experimentation often leads to maintenance disaster because, whatever its source, we can't seem to say no to food that is starchy or sweet. "
This is what basically happened to me gradually during these past 2 years and 15-17lbs.
She says that S foods are newcomers to the human diet and thus are not essential. I tend to agree.
This morning I cooked 2 eggs in 1 tbs ghee with shredded zucchini and mushrooms and 2 Applegate chicken sage sausages. I forgot and didn't need the avocado. Since I was thinking about food and am not busy I just had a handful of almonds while watching the figure skating nationals (kids from our rink are competing now). This is something I need to address and change.
I need a new strategy for dealing with just wanting to eat. I am not hungry, not at all. Yet I allowed myself to eat nuts.
For lunch I plan to have the bison sloppy joe I made yesterday with lettuce, cucumber and bell pepper. It is almost noon, I am not hungry and since I just had some nuts I shouldn't be hungry for a while. I don't want to eat just because it is lunch time. Of course I will need to feed my kids since they are off school.
I still haven't figured out what to have for dinner. I would like ideally to IF lunch and just have my planned lunch for dinner.
I need to lower my food intake if i want to lose weight. It is strange but I lose weight without effort and tend to eat less when I am busy, moving and active.
I've got to change my focus from food to just getting out of the house and busy.
Gosh, it is hard to be a stay-at-home mom!!!! There are other challenges when both parents are working but staying home does not come without it's own challenges.
Whole 30 Day 19
Had tuna salad for lunch as I didn't have anything ready. It is a fast and easy option. 1 can of tuna in water, 1 hard boiled egg if i have one, heart of palm, pickle, home made mayo (finally finished my first batch).
Again, I am still set on Pavlovian schedule and had my chocolate and some nuts in the afternoon. I am going to focus on changing this mentality. Gwen from The Sunny Coconut pointed out yesterday that it might be just my knee jerk mindset for snacking in the afternoon and it completely resonated with me.
I am afraid that I got used to eating 6 times a day when I was on MF. Since I was eating much less fat and protein. Now that I eat more fat and protein I don't need to eat anything between breakfast and lunch, I can't, I am so full after my eggs cooked in ghee and if I eat 1/2 avocado too I am completely full for hours. Lunch is different for some reason. In my mind I have to have something between lunch and dinner and many times after dinner.
MF mentality. I think that with lunch, I might not have enough fat and/or protein and perhaps I eat too fast. I will start to eat more slowly and see how that works for me. Since the chocolate that I eat now is 100% chocolate, I see it as fat, perhaps I can replace it with some additional fat in my lunch or just include it as part of my lunch. I am also a creature of habit in the evening. My husband snacks a lot after dinner and it totally triggers me sometimes. I need to create new habits and be conscious. I will work on it and update.
As to dinner yesterday I made sloppy joe from ground Bison. I use a recipe by Maria
http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/sloppy-joes-and-manwich-facts/
I do not use Swerve (although I was very excited to find it yesterday at Sprouts Market!!! so I don't need to order it on Amazon) or Stevia instead I used about a tbs of organic unsweetened apple sauce. I also added Cacao Nibs.
I ate it in lettuce leaves. Really good.
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Whole 30 Day 18
Friday, January 16, 2015
Day 17 Thoughts about foodification
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Day 16
Whole 30 Day 15
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Whole 30 Day 14
I did work in my PJs until about 1pm..... I really want to change that.
Need to plan my day:
Get up earlier, 6;30 am in the morning.
Dress. Walk/jog.
Get kids ready and delivered to schools.
Have breakfast. shower change makeup.
Work/look for work/grocery shop/cook/volunteer/blog/read
Lunch
Prepare afternoon snacks for kids
=> have to figure this block of time as it is ~4-5 hours. Seems like a long time but it passes really fast and this is where I fail
Chauffeur kids
Dinner + prepare some of the lunch for school
Spend time with DH/read/watch TV
Go to sleep by 10pm
As to food, yesterday was as usual. 2 egg omelette with avocado and Israeli salad.
I had breakfast around 10 and wasn't hungry until around 3 pm.
Had 2 hard boiled eggs on the go, sauerkraut, persian cucamber, cherry tomatoes and 1 oz Sophia's Survival Food Beef Jerkey and decaf coffee with a little coconut milk.
In the evening i had chicken with last zuccini leftover and called it a night.
I am still around same weight although I am feeling lighter.
I cannot figure out how to use the blood glucose meter and don't really want to poke my finger.....
Will hopefully bring myself to do it one of these days.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Day 13
Day 12 back to normal surprise lunch date
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Day 11 having a much better day
Day 11 - good start
I did walk 10K steps yesterday.
I did log my food. Almost all of it. on MFP.
I did eat a lot. More than I planned.
Gwen, from The Sunny Coconut suggested that I stress too much about my weight and food. Which might be true. I just want to understand my body better. My mood is better this morning and I am not as 'down' as in the past 2 days.
Breakfast - 2 eggs, sunny side up, in ghee with 1/3 avocado. That's it. Just fat for breakfast.
Not sure what I will have for lunch. I defrosted chicken breasts. Will figure out what to do with them in the afternoon.
Will post again in afternoon or tomorrow.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Day 10 another challenging day
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Day 9 blah ... food not an easy mindset and moving still a challenge
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Day 8, wanting to eat, chia
Today I had chia pudding for breakfast. It is easy to make, just need to soak ahead if time but it was not very filling. It was enough nutrition and I was busy so didn't eat before lunch but it is not my favorite breakfast.
Had 2 chicken drumsticks in my Russian soup for lunch was still hungry so ate sea snax with 1/2 avocado. One square of 100% chocolate. Around 4 I was still hungry so had 4 links of Applegate chicken apple sausage. I still wanted to eat but didn't have time. I am sipping chair with a tbs of unsweetened almond milk.
I still haven't walked. Will try to go for a short walk in the evening after dinner. I am making ground bison with kelp noodles for dinner and babaganush (eggplant with tahini, recipe from Wellfed).
I feel my pants getting roomier. I think my body adjusted to keto state.
My face also cleared. I am suspecting Quest bars or perhaps the whey protein specifically in causing my acne/breakouts few weeks ago.
It will be interesting to see how my body will respond to heavy whipping cream, Greek yogurt, cream cheese and mozzarella after Whole 30. I wonder if and how dairy affects me. I suspect that Quest bar is probably OK for me once or twice a week but not daily.
I am experiencing more energy. I am not as tired in the evening but am still finding hard to wake up in the morning. I wish I was a bear and could hibernate.... :-)
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Day 7
One more day passed. I am not a great chef and am not super creative, so had same foods today as in the past 6 days. Eggs. Zucchini. Mushrooms. Greens. Israeli salad. Tuna. Home made mayo.
It seems to me that avocados are really good for me. I also believe that ghee is really good for my body.
I didn't walk today and am not happy about it. I did walk yesterday and must make sure to walk tomorrow. Right after I drop my daughter at school. Period.
For tomorrows breakfast I made Chia pudding with coconut milk and almond milk. Put it in the fridge for the night. Found recipe on www.ketodietapp.com. i didn't use sweetener.
Got my order of Kelp noodles from www.nutrition.com today. My kids love them and I also like them.
In the past few days I have been dropping about 0.4 lbs which is good.
I really want to get below 140lbs already.... Got to get moving.....