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! 

Week1 is complete on LCHF.

I lost 2.6 pounds!

It's has certainly been a learning experience. During the first 3-4 days I had a headache, mainly due to the sugar withdrawals. It took some getting used to drinking my coffee black with no sweeteners, never mind coming up with ideas for what to eat with what I already had in the fridge. Somewhere around day 4 Gregg noticed a monumental shift in my moods, and the next day so did my coworkers. For the first time in a long time I am happy. I feel better than I have in about a year. I truly believe that the change in diet had everything to do with it.

Grain Brain by Dr Perlmutter

I started reading this book and it explains a lot of how the changes in my moods and certain other issues I have physically could be attributed to the foods I was eating on a daily basis. It is an incredible insightful read and I am not done with it. I only wish I could convince some of those close to me to read it as well. I am astounded at the problems that gluten/wheat/grains can cause to a human. Read it my friends.

Fat Bomb! Noms!

So I am part of a Lchf group on Facebook. It's actually where I learned about this diet/way of eating. I am scrolling through the posts and I'm seeing "fat bomb" and "Bulletproof coffee" and I'm thinking to myself what the hell is that?! So yeah I googled bulletproof coffee and found that it is a coffee that has things added to it to boost your fat intake among other things. The Fat bomb is a high fat treat that also is used to boost your fat intake. I'm wondering why do you need to boost your fat. Well I didn't realize that my low fat brain isn't used to thinking fat is ok, never mind necessary, now that it is the primary source of energy my body is using now that I don't feed it carbs/sugar. I wasn't eating enough fat. Suddenly I get to eat Heavy Whipping Cream, Full fat Cream cheese, butter, Coconut oil in my daily diet. Do you know how yummy that can be without sugar?  I'm loving it! Cream Cheese Fluff was a delicious treat I enjoyed my first week on this lifestyle. 

Cream Cheese Fluff

2 pks of cream cheese

1 cup sour cream 

1tbs vanilla

Splenda 6 yellow packs (optional)

Cream together

In a seperate bowl:

1 1/2 to 2 cups Heavy whipping cream

whipped firm

Fold together and enjoy!

So damn easy to make and so yummy. I found that after tracking my food for a few days I wasn't getting in very much fat and from what I have learned I am needing in the neighborhood of 120-149g Fat daily. So I set my goals to be:

Fat 120-149g daily 70%

Protein 60-94g daily 20%

Carbs 1-40g daily 10%

The chart below will give you an idea what I did this week. keep in mind I don't necessarily count calories anymore. Today is a work in progress. Thursday you can see I was struggling to eat fat and find ways to get it in. I incorporated the Cream cheese fluff and bought Coconut oil to help and I've been doing better since. 

I am happier, I don't have blurry vision anymore, I'm eating yummy foods and I feel more satisfied with a meal then I ever have before when eating carbs/sugar. So off into the next week I go! :)

NUTRIENTS:	GOAL	12/2	12/3	12/4	12/5	12/6	12/7	TODAY
Calories:	1,330 - 1,680	1,231	1,610	1,805	979	1,566	1,742	544
Fat:	120 - 149	85	136	161	74	134	122	45
Carbohydrates:	1 - 40	61	16	32	22	36	34	4
Protein:	60 - 94	64	83	63	58	62	64	31
Add More Nutrients

Low Carb High Fat and DRINKING!! YAY!

 ( I stole this info I admit it. I put it here for myself to reference mostly)

For years, I’ve read countless dieting books that prohibited me from drinking alcohol.  Actually, it’s probably the first thing that many “diet gurus” say to cut out of your diet and for (somewhat) good reason. Alcohol gets a bad reputation because it’s basically empty calories.

In an ideal world, sure. I’ll give up alcohol to lose weight. But let’s get serious. I’m 23 years old and I very much enjoy a tasty alcoholic beverage (or 5) and a wild night out on the town with my friends.

The beauty of a ketogenic, low carb diet is that you can still enjoy yourself from time-to-time with alcohol and still lose weight! However, there are some guidelines as to what alcohols you can enjoy and those you should avoid.

Liquor

On average, one shot is the equivalent to about 1.5oz and for these spirits have a nutritional value of 0 carbs and roughly 64 calories.  Of course, this will vary depending on how much is actually in your beverage (order a double? Double the nutritional stats).

Approved spirits on a keto, low carb diet include:

• Vodka (Three Olives, Absolut, Grey Goose, etc.)
• Rum (Captain Morgan, etc)
• Gin (Tanqueray, Beefeater, etc)
• Tequila
• Whiskey (Jack Daniel’s, etc.)
• Scotch
• Brandy
• Cognac (Hennessy, etc.)

Please not that these are for the original, unflavored versions. For flavored spirits (including flavored vodkas and some dark/coconut rums), always check up on nutritional information before consuming as they often contain carbohydrates.

My spirit of choice is generally a nice gin (with soda water& lime) or cognac (with diet cola). I’ve been known to drink a fair share of Hennessy.

Chasers & Mixers

For mixing or chasing, you have many no sugar, no calorie options

• Diet sodas (Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Diet Ginger Ale)
• Soda water
• Diet tonic water
• Seltzer water
• Sugar-free energy drinks (Red Bull, Monster, etc.)
• Sparkling water (Perrier)
• Crystal Light

I tend to use sugar-free Red Bull or Coke Zero. I find that Crystal Light gives me headaches, but some people can drink it just fine!

Beer

I’m going to be up front. It’s really hard to drink really great beers on a keto, low carb diet.  No more craft beers or IPAs. You’re doomed to mostly light beers which generally just leave me longing for something more. Basically, you want to avoid anything red, amber or dark.

Some low carb beer picks include (per 12 oz/bottle):

• Bud Select 55: 55 calories, 1.9 carbs
• MGD 64: 64 calories, 2.4 carbs
• Rolling Rock Green Light: 92 calories, 2.4 carbs
• Michelob Ultra: 95 calories, 2.6 carbs
• Bud Select: 99 calories, 3.1 carbs
• Miller Lite: 96 calories, 3.2 carbs
• Natural Light: 95 calories, 3.2 carbs
• Michelob Ultra Amber: 114 calories, 3.7 carbs
• Coors Light: 102 calories, 5 carbs
• Amstel Light: 95 calories, 5 carbs
• Bud Light: 110 calories, 6.6 carbs

While beer doesn’t tend to mess with my digestive system (must be that fermentation!), I generally avoid beer unless I really want it.  It is, after all, made from wheat and I try my best to avoid gluten altogether.

Wine

I was extremely excited to find out that wine can fit into a low carb, keto diet! I had always figured that since it was made from grapes it would be crawling in sugar, but luckily this isn’t the case!  These numbers are based on 5 oz servings.

Red wines to enjoy:

• Merlot: 120 calories, 3.7 carbs
• Pinot Noir: 121 calories, 3.4 carbs
• Cabernet: 120 calories, 3.8 carbs

White wines to enjoy:

• Chardonnay: 118 calories, 3.7 carbs
• Pinot Gris/Grigio: 122 calories, 3.2 carbs
• Riesling: 118 calories, 5.5 carbs
• Champagne/Sparking whites: 96 calories, 1.5 carbs

Tips, tricks and what to avoid

• No matter how much I love it, avoid Jagermeister. For one shot, it’s roughly 10 carbs.
• Be wary of food choices while under the influence. You can still get the fatty cheeseburger, but avoid the bun and French fries.
• Avoid fruit juice, shots with fruity tastes (peach schnapps, blue curacao, etc.) as they’re just generally concentrated sources of sugar and carbohydrates.
• Be aware that when consuming alcohol, it is burned first before fat in the body. For some people, this causes a stall. In others, it jumpstarts weight loss. Test it for yourself and see how your body handles it!
•  #1 Rule – After a few weeks of a low carb diet, you will notice your alcohol tolerance is dramatically lower. I get super buzzed off of two glasses of wine now and if there is any more, I’m acting up!

How? Damnit, How?!

Ok so I had a pity party last night. 

What about today?

Deep down I know most of my self-pity is rooted in my weight. How do I go about losing it? I have asked myself that question numerous times. How? Damnit, How?!

So two weeks ago I had that wake up call with my blood work. I started entering my food into Sparkpeople and then Thanksgiving happened and the rush to get there. I laxed on my food intake and my faithfulness in entering the food. Never mind taking my diabetes meds too. Skipped a couple of days there too. Probably shouldn't have skipped on the days I skipped as it was the worst eating/drinking days that I skipped. Mind you I still ate less than in previous years and less drink as well but it still was not good. So I find myself here in the same place I was 2 weeks ago. Fat Unhappy and Miserable to live with. Poor Gregg I  have no Idea how long he can continue to put up with me, I am impossible to live with most of the time.  So here we are..........

Have you heard about LCHF?
http://www.dietdoctor.com/lchf#comments

I've been considering this type of lifestyle for some time. Years actually. Did Southbeach for a time back in 2004. Did really well on it but I ended up just reverting back to old eating habits shortly thereafter and gained the 40lbs back that I had lost by the end of the same year. Gregg and I have been discussing it for a few months now and we both have decided to make the commitment on January 1st. I am thinking I will start cutting out the sugar and carbs sooner than that. Like today actually. Why wait, right? 

I mean I am miserable now why wait to change and stay miserable another month. It just seems silly to me. Will it be hard? yes. Will I commit? THAT'S  the hard Question.

I am the Queen of Commitment Issues!

I mean seriously look at this blog. I have yet to succeed. Everyone that has ever asked me to marry them I said NO to. Mostly because they were drug addicts and miserable fucks, but still. I think I would have said no to just about anyone. <-----Wow did I really just admit that? I am too afraid of failure. That in itself is the REAL reason I sabotage all my relationships, whether it be with others or myself. I will fail anyway so may as well not do it in the first place. Then lonliness/depression sets in and I try again anyway, deep down I'm a fighter, waaay deep down.  The same is true when it comes to my health/diet. I get so far and I cant seem to accept the happiness that it's only going to last so long and I revert back. I KNOW all this as you can see. I learned it all years ago in Teen Challenge when I quit using drugs. The habits are hard to quit, harder than the drugs. Here I am 13 almost 14 years later struggling with that same bullshit only difference is it's not drugs I'm dealing with. I am a scared little girl that has put on her lion suit and given the world the impression that "I'm tough, I'm strong, I don't need you" attitude that not many see the real me.  Oh there are a few out there who get to see me and God only knows why they continue to love me. I need to learn to love me again. I fight against love, I have no Idea why, I just do. Time to quit. Time to learn to Love Judy again. I can't accept the love of another if I don't Love myself. If I don't think I'm beautiful, all your compliments and kindness will never be believed or accepted. I will view you as a liar because I don't believe that what you see is true. Is that fair to you? Hell NO! Especially not to Gregg. No man has fought against me so hard as Gregg has. He deserves to see Judy as she should be. So do I. 

So Nobody has to like who I am, but Me. 

I am the most Important. For without me liking myself nobody can like me. My attitude is shitty I look at the worst in myself and therefore in others as well. What can I do about it? 

"Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead" P!NK

So here I go off into another week.

Dear God, I Pray I make a commitment to this lifestyle change I've chosen, I Pray I show more kindness to Gregg, I Pray I get off my ass and do some kind of exercise, I pray I show love to myself. Amen. 

Did you notice? I said prayers instead of reciting goals. Less chance of failure and more chance for Hope.  

"And these three remain: Faith Hope and Love, the Greatest of these is Love"

This has been my chosen verse to live by since I left TC. For when I have no faith i see no hope that there ever is any love in this world, in others, or in me. I have faith therefore I hope to succeed and fall in Love with me again. 

Hang in there with me my friends and family I'll get there.......

I can't find my Happy................. :(

Dealing with life in general can suck sometimes.
I can't seem to focus on my diet. I am not happy with myself. I hate the way I look. I feel down quite often these days. Wondering if I made the right choices. Wondering how do I move on. I Can't go back and have do overs. I can only move forward, but how? I have no motivation. I can't see the light at the end of this tunnel I'm in. I am literally on the verge of tears all the time. Just putting on a happy face because nobody can really help me but myself so no point in dragging them into my misery. Can't say squat on facebook cuz if you do your all Drama. Well FUCK! Sometimes i just wanna give up and give in. Can't though so here I am stuck in a pitiful rut with no light at the end of the tunnel yet.

May as well go read and go to sleep......