Day 148 & Day 7 on Keto

Today, I think I had a bit of the Keto flu everyone keeps telling me about. It wasn’t severe but I did get irritable, achy, light headed and queasy. Nothing I can’t handle especially when I’m making such great progress and I’m not just talking about the weight loss although that is pretty great. No, I’ve felt an emotional and mental shift that’s difficult to put into words. I feel enthusiastic about life for the first time in many years. Simple things bring me joy and I’m interested in actually being a participant in life. I’m through being an observer. 

I made a big mistake today thinking I’d ordered some fitness DVDs and finding out it I would have to pay more for the videos and then it got worse because I couldn’t even access the videos online! I will get that charge canceled tomorrow but today, I started checking out the many fitness dance videos on Amazon Prime. I was amazed not only by the number but the variety that will allow me to start with beginner routines and build up to more strenuous workouts. That dark cloud really did end up having a silver lining. 

Got on the scale after my shower & weighed 199.2!!!!

🎉🎉🎉💥💥

The Diet

What does a typical day’s meal plan look like on the Keto diet? Well, there are no grain or flour products, no starchy fruits or vegetables,  no sugar in any form and you have to check labels carefully to avoid hidden sugars and starches. The adjustment is not easy especially when you visit the grocery store and all its temptations or a restaurant with its very limited options. But the rewards in how you almost immediately feel better, your energy increases, your weight decreases and your mood is elevated, are worth the initial growing pains. Tomorrow, I will have been on the diet for a week and even though I’m still learning how to live with an entirely different set of nutrition rules, I do not have the tiniest desire to quit. I’m making progress, I’m seeing changes and I’m anticipating more triumphs. 

This is what I eat on a typical day:

Breakfast 

2 slices of Benton’s bacon

2 eggs

Small tomato

Bombproof coffee (has a pat of butter added)

Lunch

Chicken breast (about 1/3 cup cooked & chopped)

Ranch dressing 1 Tb. 

Half an avocado

Large lettuce leaf (everything is wrapped in this like a burrito)

Dinner

Roasted pork chop that has been “breaded” with crushed pork rinds and roasted in the oven

Mashed, riced or roasted cauliflower

Small Romain salad with cucumber, tomato and acceptable dressing (ranch, Greek or vinaigrette)

Snacks

Fat bombs

Savory made with avocado, bacon and seasoning 

Sweet made with cream cheese, monk fruit and a combo of a couple of these berries, walnuts, coconut or cocoa with natural, sugar free flavoring. 

Day 147 & Day 6 on Keto

The weight is back down but I’m still less than half a pound away from seeing that magic number on the scale. I’ve never told anyone how much I actually weigh because I was ashamed of the number. I will tell you today because I think I’m very close to breaking through to the other side. I weigh over 200 pounds and I haven’t been below that number in at least eight years. I’ve tried and I’ve seriously worked at the exercise and diet but all 199 ever did was tease me. At my highest weight I was 116 and that was where I sat at the first of this year. Since this past April, I’ve lost nearly 16 pounds. Twelve of those pounds took six long months to disappear. The last 4 were gone in the past six days thanks to this Keto diet. So, in case you haven’t already done the math in your head, I weighed in at 200.4 this morning. I’m so anticipating seeing 199 that I’m almost giddy. I’m not quite as giddy as Sunday morning when I stepped on the scale expecting to be celebrating and saw a three pound gain (caused, I’m sure, by eating 3 large kosher dills and some pickle juice the day before.) But I know I will see that number and hopefully less before this week is over. Today, I’ll measure myself and a week from now, I can see how those numbers are doing. I’m already seeing a difference in how my clothes fit. I’m still sleeping well most nights. And I’m doing 12 minutes of focused exercise a day. I realize that doesn’t sound like a lot but I’m not making the mistake of breaking out of the starting gate at a full gallop. I’ve already tried that approach and I breakdown quickly. The old gray mare is no longer a runner but she is a trotter and trotters cross the finish line, too....and while pulling a buggy!

Day 146 & Day 5 on Keto

I was a little bit disappointed this morning when I stepped on the scale. I know, I know, I'm not supposed to weigh every day but after the success I've had the past few days, I anticipated the same this morning. In fact, I thought I would break through a long standing plateau. I didn't. I actually gained weight. I know this was most likely caused by the many pickles I ate yesterday. I think, when my friend told me that pickles and pickle  juice would help quench my hunger, she didn't mean for me to consume half the jar. It was a large jar, too! I went to the grocery store yesterday and restocked my cupboard. Only five days in, I found the grocery store and its many tempting offerings challenging. I did find a lot of new foods to try so I hopefully will not be hungry today. And tomorrow, I think I'll see a more encouraging number on that scale. Maybe it will show the number I'd hoped for.

Underneath all those sautéed peppers and onions is an all beef burger, cheddar cheese and two slices of bacon. It’s what’s for dinner or was; it was delicious.

A note on this Keto diet:

I’m loving this Keto diet! I was concerned at first about consuming all of that fat. I asked both my doctor and health coach about the possibility of raising cholesterol. I told them, this diet goes against everything we’ve been taught about nutrition and health. In fact, if you think about it, it turns the traditional food pyramid upside down. BUT, I was assured by both doctor and health coach that my cholesterol would not go up and might actually go down because ketosis is much more efficient at making energy by burning fat, including all of that stored fat. I’ve also been told by friends who are on this diet that my energy will increase and I’ll feel better. I’ve only been on it four days and I already feel better than I have in ages and I’ve lost four pounds! Some have said they don’t eat red meat; I don’t eat a lot of red meat either. I’m getting my protein mainly from chicken, fish and eggs and my fat from avocados, olive oil, cream cheese and butter. I know you’re saying, still too soon to tell but I’m really happy with the changes I’m seeing so far. Steve says I’m happier because I’m not putting that poison called sugar into my system. I think I agree. 

Day 145 & Day 4 of Keto

I’m down 4 pounds! Yippee!!!

I’m also starting to feel the energy. So far, no side effects. I have been occasionally nauseous but I think that has more to do with the antibiotics I’m taking. I feel better than I’ve felt in a very long time. Wish I’d started the Keto diet long ago. I’ve had a few naysayers and I can understand that; I said to my health coach, Velma, last week, “This goes against everything we’ve been taught about nutrition and healthy eating. Is there any danger of this raising my cholesterol?” She laughed and said, “No Honey, you don’t have to worry about that. Once you enter ketosis, your body will be burning all of that fat.” So, Velma is on board, my doc/np, Janice is on board and my friend Yvonne messaged me to say she’s been on Keto for two weeks and has never felt better. I’ll leave it to her to share the details of her journey if she wants but if I feel this good already, I bet I’m going to have the same response in ten more days. Even my mood is elevated and my energy.....yay!!!!

Photo: this morning’s breakfast, left over from last nights dinner egg foo yung topped with cheddar cheese and sautéed peppers with bacon and bombproof coffee(not pictured.)

Cheesy Riced Cauliflower Casserole

This cheesy riced cauliflower casserole might not be a pretty dish but it is delicious. My husband loves it and says he thinks he could eat it every day. It’s simple to make, riced cauliflower (I’ve used both fresh and frozen with no difference in taste. 2 bags of Birdseye steamed in microwave.) Oil a casserole with olive oil spray. Add cauliflower, one large sweet pepper chopped, half a package of Kraft Creamy Melt Mexican Blend, half an eight ounce package of cream cheese cut into chunks into casserole and mix. Put in 400 degree oven and bake until top starts to brown at edges. Stir after a few minutes to blend cheese. Makes 5 large 1 cup servings. 

Calories: 230

Fat: 18.6 grams 

Protein: 8.5 grams

Carbs: 9 grams

My Keto App

This is what my Keto app looks like. So happy I found it because I don’t think I could keep track of everything if I didn’t have it, at least not as easily.It not only allows me to track the grams of fat, protein and carbs and calories but also water intake, weight and activity. 

Day 144 & Day 3 of Keto

So, I felt sick most of yesterday. I was blaming it on the Keto flu(carb withdrawal symptoms) but my ever wise husband pointed out last night that it most likely was caused by the antibiotics I’m taking. He asked if I’d read the pamphlet that came with the pills and of course I hadn’t. He told me that the pharmacist told him they would make me nauseous, no if’s, ands or but’s. I’d imagine they are both right since I woke up at 3am feeling great and full of energy. I made a cheesy cauliflower and pepper casserole for Steve’s lunch and also as a side with our bacon and eggs breakfast. I washed some dishes and fixed our breakfast. I made myself bulletproof coffee (butter added) and sat down to eat breakfast but first, I took my antibiotics since it was 4am and I was 30 minutes late. Now an hour and a half later, I’m feeling queasy again. So, I have five more days on the antibiotics and still have the Keto flu to look forward to??? Oh, happy days. 😂

New Keto App

Day 143 and day 2 of the Keto diet:

Not sure how I feel this morning. I know I hate having to eat at 3:30AM but that is because of  the antibiotics I’m on not the diet. Day two of the diet means I’m still struggling to find my way. I started out trying to use My Fitness Pal to track my carbs/protein/fat grams. It is an amazing app but just not made for this diet. This morning, I found an app that is specifically for the Keto diet. It determines your needs by your gender, age, height and weight. You then can enter specific foods and it calculates your daily totals for you. I think it is going to make this much easier. Now, I’m off to prepare my avocado-egg bake for breakfast. 

Breakfast & Lunch, Keto Style

Keto Diet

Day 142

Yes, I do realize that I’ve been skipping weeks at a time. First it was because I hurt my back and then, a urinary tract infection. I’m sure that was more information than you wanted to know but I did go to the doctor yesterday and hopefully, I’m on the road to recovery. I talked with my doctor about starting a keto diet. For those who don’t know what that is, the simple answer is, it’s a low carb, moderate protein and high fat diet. I know, that goes against everything we’ve been taught about diet and nutrition especially where losing weight is concerned. But this diet is not only suppose to allow you to lose a lot of weight in a short time but it also helps to make you healthier. The idea is, instead of getting your energy from sugars which are turned into glucose by the pancreas, your energy comes from ketones produced by the liver. Yeah, it doesn’t seem logical to me either but it evidently works and it also heals a lot of what ails you. I have a friend who has lost 26 pounds in 36 days. As with trying to establish healthier habits over the last four months, my primary goal is improving my overall health not weight loss but they do go hand in hand. I’m trying my first Keto breakfast in a few minutes. I’ll let you know later how it goes.

Gee Creek Trail

After stopping at an outpost and picking up additional info and maps, we decided to try out Gee Creek Trail in Delano. When we arrived at the trail head, there was a young couple that told us they’d hiked it before and there wasn’t a falls. They said maybe the falls were on the Starr Mountain trail across the little parking area. So we hiked maybe half a mile up that trail before deciding to turn back and. Try Gee Creek. Starr Mountain was a nice wooded trail but we really wanted to see the creek. As we were starting down Gee Creek trail we met the young couple and they told us there was indeed a water fall at the end of the trail. It is a nice level and wide trail for the first half mile or so with smaller trails off of it which lead down to the water and some nice cascades. You come to a wooden bridge across the creek and then the trail begins to climb up past several small falls and cascades until you finally reach the big falls at the end of the trail which is a real treat. It looked like you could scale the rocks around the falls to get to the very top but we had Bodie with us today so that adventure will have to be postponed.

Lowry Falls

Our first hike was Lowry Falls which is outside of Etowah, TN just inside the national forest. It was rated as easy in my guidebook. First, the trail wasn’t maintained so there were lots of fallen trees to climb over. We saw several very pretty small falls and then we came to a very steep, very rocky section of trail (see photos). I’d worn my Beans which are great for wading through water but too smooth on the bottoms for climbing wet, slick rocks. We finally decided to turn back while I complained about the guidebook’s misrepresentation of the trails difficulty. After we got back to the truck, I read more of the description which said the first section was easy but the last section was very difficult with very little reward at its end. Guess I need to do a little more homework before our next adventure. We then went to Gee Creek which was much more enjoyable. I’ll tell about it and Starr Mountain in the next post.

Day 141...I’m Back!

Day 141...I’m back!

Yes, I’m still working on those habits but my drive and desire are back. Yesterday, Steve and I scouted out hiking trails to restart our hiking group. We walked, we climbed, I occasionally crawled, lol (on very steep slopes). We ended up exhausted and sore but we had a blast. Today, I plan to grocery shop for healthy food and some supplies that will help me get back to working with and riding my horses. Tomorrow, I hope to start hiking with Bodie Monday through Thursday at a local park. I’ve considered doing that for a long time but kept telling myself that I did not have the time. I finally realized that I wasn’t making any better use of all that time. In fact, I often felt so badly that I wasn’t sleeping and I was doing very little anyway.  Today, I’m a bit sore but feel great and full of energy and drive.  Finally, a day that truly has potential.

Sadly, this is so me but still makes me laugh. 

My goal for 2018, to accomplish my goals from 2017 that I should have done in 2016 because I promised them in 2015 & planned them in 2014.

Day 140

Over a third of the way through this time table I set for myself. Have I made the progress I expected to make by now? The answer is no. Does that mean I should lower my expectations? Again, the answer is no. Should I instead celebrate the progress I have made? The answer is definitely, yes. 

I do think my expectations, at the start, were not only unrealistic but misdirected. I haven’t lost sixty pounds of fat but I have let go of so much emotional baggage that I feel sixty pounds lighter. I’ve lightened my burden so that the journey forward will be easier. I’ve washed away all of that hurt and resentment that was clouding my vision and now my direction is clearer. I’ve let go of the guilt, grief and regret that was holding me back. So, I’ve only lost thirteen pounds in the last four months but I’ve gained wisdom, insight, direction. I’m starting to see possibilities instead of problems. 

Getting ready to walk the dog, feed the horses and start my day. I’ll take my pills, brush and floss, exercise and put that food diary off for another day....give me a break, five out of six ain’t bad. Lol

Seventeen Years of Living Patiently

My sweet friend, Pamie passed away two years ago. For the fourteen years prior, the first thing she'd ask me after hellos and hugs was, "Have you got a kitchen yet?" Pamie was an amazing cook and baker. Dinner at her house was an event. She could never understand how I went so long with a less than functional kitchen. It's been one reason or another why my kitchen is still incomplete after over a decade and a half but here's the thing, there is a silver lining. The changes I wanted to do sixteen-seventeen years ago were radical. Gradually, over the years, I've modified what I want. No longer did I want to tear down, tear out, rebuild entirely. Instead, I was using the existing footprint. Only the fridge would be moved and that was just to the opposite wall so I would have more countertop space. The kitchen was L shaped and I decided that a galley design would be more efficient and could still be doable in the square footage I had. We bought flooring that never was installed and that's good because now they have a waterproof flooring that is attractive and easy to install. I bought a dishwasher (that my husband destroyed by accidentally spilling coffee in it on the mornings I left it ajar to speed up drying time), we bought a nice fridge (that stayed in storage for six months and then after we installed it, lasted another six until right after the warranty expired and then it died), we bought a gas range (even though we were still waiting to get a gas line to the house) and a range hood, both are still sitting unopened in our garage, sixteen years later! And you know what, that's okay because I want a different style now on all of these appliances and I figured out a way to fit the range, fridge and the cabinets that did back a bar and will now be up against the wall between the two, like ordinary cabinets. I've decided on a different counter type, different tile on the backsplash and no longer want to paint our wood cabinets but plan to strip and refinish instead. The new layout will not only be more efficient and allow for much more cabinet top to work off of but by putting the range and fridge on the same wall, it will be much simpler to run the water to the ice maker and to the pot filler faucet thingie (have no idea what you call that.) So, the seventeen year wait, has taught me patience but it's also brought me to a kitchen layout and design that will not only work better for me but more reflect us and our lifestyle. I know, most of you will feel like Pamie, how did she endure this? But it also taught me to be creative with my cooking. Still, I'm not a saint, I did do my share of complaining but in the end, once it's all done, I think I will be happy that I was forced to wait for my reward.

And I will post plenty of photos once it is finished....which I'm hoping now is soon. lol

Day 138

I’m going to try to get back to the original purpose of this page. That doesn’t mean I’m not still going to soul search.  That has been one of the most healing aspects of this whole journey and has helped me to grow and to gain clarity and direction. But I’ve lost track,over the last few weeks...maybe the last month?....,of my original goal, to establish healthy habits. So, here is my report for Monday, October 1:

Weight: down 2.6 lbs

Habit 1, drink water on rising....only if coffee counts. 

Habit 2, exercise....not so far today and certainly not yesterday but I have been walking the dog a mile or two each day. 

Habit 3, take pills as scheduled....yay, I got one!

Habit 4, keep food diary...no but I am trying to be aware of what I eat and why I eat. 

Habit 5, add more fruits and vegetables to my diet....yes and will be even more once I prepare all the goodies I bought at the farmers market this weekend for easy, grab and go eating. 

Habit 6, brush teeth after every meal...well, I’ve only had one meal today but there’s a chance I might actually do this today. I have my six month check at the dentist tomorrow so let’s hope that usual once a day was enough. 

Habit 7, accomplish something with the house....have plans to do some cleaning, decluttering and prepping for painting and repairs today. The rest of the last week was hit and miss on this. 

I think that’s it. No, I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped to do seven days ago but I’m beginning to accept I’m human. I’m learning to be more lenient with myself, not expect so much and celebrate every little step of progress. That in itself, is a great habit to have.