Sneaky little things.....

Sugar. <----- See that word?

So Gregg and I were shopping for things at the Grocery store and one of the items we were looking at are Sweetners because we are no longer trying to eat Sugar or even high fructose corn syrup.

So looking for something in bulk we grab a package of Truvia.

Good size looks like it should last a awhile, Yay! Right? Not so much. See I didn't read the darn package. See those words "Baking Blend Truvia natural Sweetener with Sugar" The little bugger contains Sugar. Sigh! So all the things I made with it contained sugar. Mind you not copious amounts, and no it didn't stall my weight loss, but I am sure it is having an effect on my blood glucose levels. Sigh! lesson learned

 READ THE LABEL CAREFULLY JUDY!!

I have since gone back to the store and bought the smaller package of Truvia without the sugar blend. Jeez. I  have no Idea how I am going to get rid of the other package but I spent way too much money on it to just throw it away. Oh well!

I've managed to keep my food intake to normal portions, enjoy some wine on occasion and I am still losing weight. This weeks loss is -2 lbs. :) I have been pretty good about going to the gym 4 days a week and not skipping it. I do compromise with myself though, meaning when I don't want to go or don't feel like it I go anyway and do either a shorter workout or lower impact. This way I still get my body moving instead of just sitting on my arse.  Seems to be helping.  

I not only got on the scale today but it's the first of the month and it was time to check my measurements.

Waist ~ lost 3 inches

Hips ~ lost 1 inch

Arms ~ lost 1 inch

Making progress!! 

I'm reading Wheat Belly now and it's only solidifying the fact that I never want to eat wheat/breads/pastas ever again. I have people look at me and say that there is an argument for everything and your believing this one so seriously, why? It could be just one Doctors opinion vs the whole country and history of medical professionals in the latter part of this century. Well they're right it could be, but I can't deny the fact that I feel better. I no longer need to take pills for acid reflux. I no longer have horrible mood swings and hate life in general once a month. My blood sugars are coming down, my vision has not blurred in weeks and my clothes fit better. I just smile and think to myself, you'll see in a few months where I am and where you are and who's feeling/looking better and who is not. 

Life's been busy at work. I've been able to help out in the back office some this past week and I have loved it. I miss doing that kind of work. Being a Front office girl is not my first choice, but I do it. It brings in the paycheck every 2 weeks.  My Son is taking a big step in life soon and I couldn't be more proud of who he has become. Can't wait to see where he goes from here. 

Off into the next week I go......talk to you later!!

Living Low Carb and Trying to lose weight.

 Sounds easy, right? NOT!!

I've been at this Way Of Eating (woe) now for 6 weeks. I lost a little over 8 pounds and then nothing. Yup no losses for 4 weeks straight, after that first week. What the hell?! Sure I felt better than I have in years and my blood sugars are somewhat better, though there was room for improvement there too. What's a girl to do? I'm reading away on Facebook on an LCHF group and Reversing Diabetes group. I see things like "Red wine is ok in reasonable amounts" or "eat until you're full" and my favorite "don't worry about calories as long as your macros  (ie: 75% fat 20% protein 5% carbs) are within range and you're in ketosis you'll be fine". HA <-----

Ummm, Yeah, NO!

At least for me that is not the case. Believe it or not you can be in ketosis and not lose weight. Here are some reasons why I was not losing weight.  

One, some people don't tolerate dairy and it can cause you to stop losing weight. 

Two, more than  glass of wine every night can cause a stall. 

Three, too much food on the plate, sheer volume can be a culprit. Four, no exercise not even in your normal everyday routine like running around at work, like me I have a desk job, can hold you back. 

Five, the obvious other reason might be that you're still drinking regular beer, sneaking in some sugars here and there and not completely committing to the way of eating can be detrimental too. 

I'm Bound and Determined to do this and Succeed. 

I cut out heavy whipping cream except in food recipes. No longer put it in my coffee and no longer make cream cheese fluff. Sigh, I loved that stuff. Started eating dinners of protein fat and veggies eliminating cheese and cream. Mind you once or twice a week is probably ok, for me. Less food on the plate, yup I said it. I cut my portions down quite a bit and believe it or not I haven't gone hungry. Felt very satisfied with my meals. One glass of wine once or twice a week, and NO not a 10 ounce glass, maybe 5 or 6 oz if that much. I also got off my Ass and went to the Gym 4 days this past week. Hoping and praying that darn scale will tell me a lower  number than before. 

It did! I lost 3.4 lbs.

My blood sugar levels were hanging on for dear life at 175-190 fasting. I've been eating better, drinking less alcohol, taking Januvia, and yet it wouldn't go lower. This is of course all before I changed my portions and started exercising. Talked to Doc told him I should probably go back on Metformin and hope that since I'm eating better that I won't have the GI upset that it can cause. He's wanted me on it since November but I refused. So I was given Metformin 500mg to take twice a day along with the Januvia once in the morning. My Blood Sugars are now in the 130's fasting in the morning. I am also not having an issue with the side effects I mentioned. :) Yay!

I am making progress, feeling better everyday and enjoying discovering new Recipes. Here is one I made today found it on the web. I was wanting a substitute for bread and I found it. 

Low Carb Foccacia style flax meal bread.

Did I accomplish any of my goals from last time?

Well I haven't switched to the no poo method of shampooing my hair, but still thinking of it. I did change the amount of alcohol and dairy. As for the only weighing myself once a month? um yeah, I went back to once a week. I couldn't help myself. 
Goals for the near future. I think I'm just going to enjoy playing with new recipes and just COOK.

 I love cooking!

Until next time my friends!

Finally through the Holiday Season!

1st Month on LCHF done!

So how did I do you ask? In my opinion I did ok. Not spectacular but I remained in Ketosis. I slacked off on food tracking so I don't have actual numbers but I did check the keto stix several times to make sure I was staying in ketosis. Life got busy. First we had Christmas Cookie decorating day. We get together and do up 5 batches of cookies for the season to enjoy and share. Typically I will break one or three "accidentally" so that I have no choice but to eat it. This year I did not touch a single one with my tongue nor did I lick any of the frosting off my fingers or utensils. 

MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT!

 I must say! *pat myself on the back*

On night in there my friends threw a Cards Against Humanity Party. Seriously how we accomplished playing with 20 players I have no idea but it was fun! Love that game. I was pretty well behaved as far as food choices went, I think I ate more celery that night then ever in my life! I did however have Red Wine, it's a good Lchf choice just not in large quatities. I don't think I drank more that a couple of glasses and I did alternate with water often.  

The next challenge was Christmas dinner. Mexican food including homemade tortillas, enchiladas, tamales and cheesecake.  I planned for this one by making low carb tortillas from a website I found.(www.ruled.me) I also made a low carb cheesecake and took that so I had options. I did pretty well. Instead of the enchilada I had a bowl of the chili with cheese and an egg on top. It's a New Mexico thing, the egg that is. I did have a small tamale and I used my own tortillas. The only thing that I did indulge in more than is considered reasonable is the Red Wine. We never got around to the cheesecake so I ended up just using that as my fat bomb over the next week. Worked out pretty good. As for New Years Eve, I drank some more Red Wine and sipped a smidgen of whiskey and then switched to water for the remainder of the night. So all in all not too shabby. I'm staying focused.  

So what did all this diligent work on my part get me?

As of today I am down 8.2lbs and have lost 1 inch on my waistline. 

Not excellent but worth a high five for sure! 

I know that for 2 weeks in there my weight fluctuated/stalled and I have no idea what was responsible. You see I started consuming more dairy that could cause problems. I also started my monthly water retention issue so that could have played a role. Then of course there is the Wine factor, too much can cause a stall. On top of that I also acquired a UTI. So jeez! Can there be anything else for me to deal with?! So no telling what was the real cause, just going to have to move on to what is.

I also have discovered my Soy allergy is causing another issue. It's in my Shampoo of choice. So I am considering going to the "no poo" method using baking soda and apple cider vinegar. Haven't made the switch but will soon. I am also not real sure that my facial moisturizer is soy free either so I am thinking of switching to Coconut oil for my skins health as well, not just on my face but as a lotion type of treatment. I'll have to let you know how that works out. 

My plan for this coming month:

1)  I have decided that I am only going to Weigh in and record my weight once a month. This doesn't mean I won't step on the scale in between just that I'm only keeping track once a month on the 2nd. I started Dec. 2, 2013.

2)  I am going to lay off the alcohol in larger quantities until I am at my goal. I am not giving it up just limiting my special occasions where I indulge more that usual and stick to only Red Wine. 

3)  I am going to back off on the amount of dairy I am consuming and incorporate more Vegetables into my diet.

4)  Going to try out a fat fast as well.

5)  Will try using Coconut oil as a moisturizer. 

6)   Once I purchase the stuff, going to give the "no poo" method a shot for shampooing my hair.

That's a lot of goals! Wish me luck!