Atkins 1st Day

The Money, Money, Money

I survived my first day on Atkins. That doesn't sound like a big deal since I've been trying to go low-carb for a month already. That was a big success at the start then - BOOM - I gained back every pound I'd lost.

Apparently, the thing with carb control is that there are so many hidden ones in so many foods. There are even carbs in spices. Spices, people! Now, what is the first thing anyone does to their food when they change up their eating habits? For me it is to play with spices. I always think that I can make the food (that I'm not used to eating) look and taste more enticing.

Another thing that put me over on carbs was just my stubborness. I refused to completely give up all my sugar. And I was hanging on to my beloved Almond Joy coffee creamer like it was a golden ticket to the Wonka Factory. (RIP Mr. Wilder.) I kept thinking that I could forgo a couple of carbs here and there in my food so that I could use the ones in my creamer. The problem with that is, I am a glutton. If I like something, I will like it to death.

The third problem with me and low carb is that I just don't have the room to cook like I want. Plus, cooking for a special diet requires at least a little bit of pre-planning. I don't have that luxury. I cook when I can get in the kitchen and stretch my culinary wings.

Another problem (and this is one that a lot of folks might relate to) is that anytime you change eating habits, there is the expense of getting your pantry together.

When I looked at my budget, my time, kitchen availabity and, most of all, my personality, I decided that it would be easier to purchase frozen meals. Here's how that breaks down budgetwise:

• Here in the Anchorage Walmart stores, Atkins frozen meals are $4.28 each. (Nice that they are all the same price. Yay!)
• The diet is based on 3 meals & 2 snacks per day. I decided to start with 2 of the frozen meals (lunch and dinner) per day and shop for them once a week.
• 14 meals = $59.92 and for 4 weeks this month that will total $239.68
• I covered my breakfasts by buying bacon and eggs at Costco (and that should last me for at least 3 weeks if DJ doesn't eat all the bacon! LOL). I got 5 dozen eggs for under $7 and 4 lbs of bacon for under $13. I won't even worry about the $3 I spent on a bag of baby spinach. (I already have 2 bottles of unopened Bolthouse dressing from last month's shopping trip.)
• My main food then is going to end up costing me around $260-270/month. Even at the high end, that means I'm paying around $8-9 per meal. 

That sounds pricey for someone on a budget so tight it squeals "Mercy!" but in reality, I'm probably saving money. For one thing, other than incidentals (butter and cheese and olives or something snack-like), I'm able to plan my grocery bill almost to the penny. When I shop willy-nilly for food, I know that I was spending about $40 more. That's because I was over shopping. I'd buy meat if I saw it on sale, figuring I could freeze it. I wasn't meal-planning so I'd end up having to run back to the store for odds and ends. 

Trust me, it's hurting my wallet to stick to these meals. It was hurting my wallet to buy groceries in the first place. The thing is, I've looked at the Pros and they are making this worth it.

• I have about 80% of my food taken care of. No muss, fuss or trying to make up my mind what to eat.
• No more weighing and measuring foods and then worrying that my weighing and meausuring if off somehow. (That's where some of those extra carbs and calories crept in on me!)
• I don't binge because the meals are actually filling. My portion control is taken care of and that gives me something to stick to, even if I wanted to go back for "seconds".
• It's nice to only have to deal with fixing breakfast and snacks. 
• My health is going to be better as I start losing this weight. If I had been doing the frozen meals the whole past 4 weeks, I'd already be well on my way with this weight loss.
• This plan forces (or teaches) discipline. My discipline with food needed some changes.
• Even if I can only afford to do this for 4 weeks (which is what I'm shooting for to get my weight loss started in a big way), I will at least change my shopping and eating habits in general.

I'm looking at this as an investment in my health and well-being.

The Measurements

Now, here's where I go straight naked.

A big part of starting Atkins (at least according to the book I have checked out from the library) is to do an honest "Before" assessment. Here's mine:

Weight = 200.4
Measurements... ~sigh~ (I'm really putting myself out there by revealing these!)

• Chest 37 1/4
• Bust 43 1/4
• Hips 46 7/8
• Waist 431/2
• Thighs 27

~sigh~
My next weight and measurement check-in is same time next week, same bat channel...

The Food

The Atkins (and most low-carb diets) suggests 3 meals and 2 snacks per day. The past four weeks doing low-carb I was doing probably 1 big meal and several small snack type meals. And I drank gallons of coffee.

Here is that big Plus to doing the frozen meals. There is no excuse not to eat enough. I think part of my problem before was that I wasn't eating as much as I needed to. Low-carb food (because of the proteins) is very filling. Not eating enough will slam the door on weight loss though.

I am enjoying having lots of choices for complete meals when I go check the freezer. And I don't even have to do much cooking. Yay!

Like I told you, I picked up 14 frozen meals this first shopping trip. Here's my review of what I ate today and how I rated each item on a 5-star scale.

Breakast - I skipped this because I had to go to the store and shop for the food. (I got DJ fries from McD's and I swear I actually drooled at one point...)

Lunch - Atkins Sesame Chicken Stir Fry I give this 5 of 5 stars and have put it on my list to buy again.

This tasted great and had lots of intense flavor. The meat was not "mealy" like that in a lot of frozen meals.

Morning Snack - Coffee with SlimFast Vanilla Cream shake as the "creamer". I give this 3.5 of 5 stars. It will do for now, but I am not thrilled to death. After the delicious lunch I had, I was sated and not craving anything but the coffee. I would have gone back to my ex-husband for a day just to get a cup of coffee with my beloved Almond Joy creamer...

~ I love you ~

This is the SlimFast Vanilla Cream shake I used for my creamer. I heard it suggested somewhere to use an Atkins shake, but I couldn't find a vanilla one at Walmart today. I will check on that tomorrow at another store.

I also added about a quarter teaspoon of this:

 Just Like Sugar I give a 4.5 of 5 stars because it is probably the best sugar substitute I've ever tried. There really is no aftertaste. That's the Pro. The Con is that the stuff costs as much as powdered gold! I was stunned when  I saw the $9.49 price tag for a jar labelled as just under 6 ounces. Also, the product had settled down at least an inch from the top. I got it at the local health food store and even asked if I'd be able to get a refund if the stuff sucked. LOL! Can't blame a gal for trying. Thank goodness the taste is waaaay better than stevia and Truvia. I'll give this product 4.5 out of 5 because, well, no aftertaste. The one thing that might put some people off is that the powder takes a while to dissolve in cold beverages. I am guessing that it dissolved faster in my coffee, but I couldn't really tell. In a glass of cold water (sparkling mineral water at that), it kind of floated around for a while. I forgot to check and see when it finally dissolved.

Let me get a better photo of the ingredients:

SLIMFAST SHAKE - 3.5 of 5 stars. I don't like vanilla drinks anyway and this one doesn't change my mind. I would not buy this to drink on its own, but it worked really well as a substitute creamer. If I can't find the Atkins shake again next time, I will get more of this - but only for my coffee and the low carb count.

Dinner -  Atkins Stone Fired 3 Meat Pizza I give this 3 of 5 starts because it was just okay. It might have tasted (and cooked better) had I used the oven instead of the microwave. The instructions were to cook for 2 min 30 sec. The pizza burned on one edge. That worked out because I cut it off and tossed it, which means I only ate 2/3 of the meal. That saved carbs since I was in danger of going over by 1.

The pizza smelled really good - kind of grilled and smokey - and the taste was not bad but, for the amount of carbs, I'd rather have what I had for lunch. I'm not putting this on next week's grocery list. I might get this again at a much later date and I will cook it in the oven for sure!

Messed up and already have gone 1 carb over because I chose pizza for dinner after having a carb heavy meal at lunch. I solved this by not eating the small part of the pizza that burned. Our microwave is apparently too powerful for leaving this one in for 2 minutes 30 seconds. Now I know. So, I think I salvaged my 1 carb by not finishing the pizza. Hope so.

Evening Snack - 1 can of tuna in water with 1 boiled egg and 2 Tbls whole mayo. 5 of 5 stars because it's a quick and easy snack that gives me some of the fat I need. Plus it just tastes good (even without onions mixed in or crackers to spread it on).

What I Learned & Moving Onward

I learned that I need to look at carbs even in the Atkins frozen meals. For one thing, I want to leave myself some carb room for snacks. For another thing, I need to leave room for my fats. Some of the stuff I like that has my fats also has carbs. I had to forgo the Johnsonville Brat that I had left over from a previous shopping trip. That's why I had the tuna.

Using the Atkins and MyFitness Pal apps before meals will be useful. If I had done that, I wouldn't have had the pizza disaster. For today's (the clock just ticked over past midnight) meals, I am going to plug everything in just to test carbs and fats, before I actually make my final choices.

Living without my Almond Joy creamer is going to drive me mad. I think I better pick up some more heavy cream (carb-free, don'tcha know) and use it with this Just Like Sugar and some of the caramel coffee syrup I have somewhere. That crap is sugar-free but with my luck it'll have some freaking carbs somewhere...

Basically I learned that I am going to be able to do this. My biggest concern is not my willpower or determination. My budget is freaking me out a little bit. I'd like to get some breakfast meals, but I will have to play with Excel and my numbers some more before I decide.

I'm pleased with and proud of myself. I know that I can do this and I know that it's going to make a big difference with my health and self-esteem. Someone told me that losing weight (especially after carrying so many extra pounds for these last five or so years) is going to age my face. Excuse my language but "Thanks, bit**h." Maybe my face will age but I'd rather live longer and healthier with an "aged" face than to make a young and nice-looking corpse.

Resources if You Want 'Em

Thanks to all the people on the internet who put up such good resources. I've been lucky to find lots of them.

• Atkins.com (make sure to send for the free starter kit they offer. I'm still waiting for mine, but will do a review when it gets here.)
• MyFitness Pal is great for tracking progress and meals, I've noticed that the site doesn't pay much attention to "net" carbs the way the Atkins site does. so some foods track differently.
• I actually am embarrased to admit that I had to look up the proper way to take my body measurements.
• If I was embarrassed about the measurements, I was mortified to have to look up using a ruler for precision. #dontjudgeme (Somehow after I got sick, I lost grasp on many simple concepts that I learned and used all my life!)
• This is a printable low-carb grocery list from Low Carbe Diem.
• For those without a food scale, this is a serving sizes guide.
• Thrifty NW Mom made me love her for the downloadable Costco Item/Price list she put out. Prices might be outdated/regionally different but this list is still very, very useful. I used it when putting together a shopping list.

Here are some visuals aids:

Source

Source

Last, but favorite, a nice woman from my Instagram friends has put up a Facebook group that I joined & am loving. Sorry fellas, it's for us gals only. It's Keto for Badass Babes. Do check it out, ladies! And guys, the reason for the "No Boys" rule is only so we women can feel open and comfortable in our Keto journey. If one of you men starts a group, let me know so that I can give you a shout out here.

Good luck all, and
Peace
--Free

Colin Kaepernick, Color, and Other Distractions

Warning: Near the end of this post, things get "religious". You can skip that if you want, but I hope you don't. 

Some time ago, I was involved in a heated Facebook discussion. Tell you the truth, I can't even remember what the subject was. Race or sex or one of the other divisive issues that are trending recently.

There's a lot of heat and temper happening on every social media platform. Trump vs Clinton; black lives, white lives, all lives; straights vs gays; one religion or another; pro-choice, pro-life... On and on and on it goes. People are fussing and fretting and un-friending.

You know what the central theme in all of this is? Divisiveness.

What we all should be discussing is the one thing most of us are not discussing which is, who benefits from all this fussing?

My opinion? Whoever controls mainstream media, is happy to see that we are behaving like lemmings and following the latest "hot topic". Because, as long as we are snapping at each other over race and politics and sex, we aren't watching anything else going on around us.

Here are some things that I think we should be paying attention to (or wondering about):

• Scientists Explain Why Greenwich Prime Meridian Moved
• What this bit (from an article about the founder of Pokemon Go) means & why it doesn't bother people.

The technology and inner workings of the game also remain mysterious even to experts like Frank Lantz, the director of the New York University Game Center and one of the leading academics in the field. (my emphasis) [Source]

• Why no one I personally know seems to even know about CERN and it's LHC when even Stephen Hawking is said to be not generally pleased with it all. There's lots of information online about the LHC (but not on most Facebook timelines, hah!) and some of biased. Some is put out there by nervous, so-called 'conspiracy theorists' or 'nutcases', some is reported news about the project, and some of put out there by those who pooh-pooh the former. I just keep my eyes open, Trash-talk me if you want, but the CERN logo does creep the Christian in me out:

          Not to mention that odd "dance opera"


SYMMETRY - CERN dance-opera film (official trailer) from TRUTH.IO on Vimeo.
       

          (By the way, some more mainstream sources have reported on concerns about the LHC)

• Why the only people I know talking about the Mandela Effect only talk about the pop culture references. I'm more concerned with the references to the Scriptures. As far as I can tell, there are 4 groups of thought on the ME and Scripture: Some people think that the ME idea is being used to deceive believers by making them believe the Bible has been altered. Some people believe that there is definitely something to the idea that the ME has effected the Bible - or not. Some people are undecided. Most have not even paid any attention one way or the other because, well, you know, the Bible is not a big Facebook timeline feature. (I will explain what I think and why in a postscript.)
• Finally, I am wondering just why it is that we are being encouraged to focus on what divides us. 

News is news is news is news, I get that. Negative stuff happens that needs to be reported on. I get that. What I don't get is why there seem to be cycles of reporting that will focus so heavily on one negative or divisive issue until citizens are ready to attack each other. Think about stuff that dominated the news for a period of time, then dropped off the radar: Teacher-student sex, global warming; animal abuse; mothers killing their babies; parents leaving their kids in hot cars; celebrity sex tapes/photos, meltdowns, breakdowns, overall bad public behavior; Ebola; bullying and suicide because of bullying; workplace harassment; etcetera. Recently, we've had the zika virus and police-on-black crime. The last few days, all I've been hearing about is Chris Brown and the beauty queens - and that's just from opening my news app, not from reading People or US.

I have a big bone to pick with people that can't shut off their phones long enough to have a conversation with another person in their orbit. Some years back, my sister and I would shake our heads at two of our then tween-aged nieces because of their phone obsession. They could be sitting in the backseat of a small car together and you wouldn't hear a peep out of them because they texted everything. And it wasn't just a case of "the 'rents" being present; they just were hooked. These days, I see the same obsession among grown people. I think that some of them would need alcohol or a prescription to go four hours without a phone in their hands.

So, while we are busy posting photos and memes and jokes and useless crap - that means ZERO to our daily lives and actual relationships - other people (smart? devious? conniving?) are running the world. They are running the world and running us.

Here's my solution: how about the next time you get ticked off about something someone posted on a divisive issue, you change the subject to something we haven't talked to death?

People, people, my people -all my people - take your eyes off your phone, shut off your televisions, pause the gossip and smack talk for a minute and start your brains back up. 

Peace
--Free


P.S.:

I believe that some words have been changed in the KJV Bible. I have read my Bible cover to cover twice in my lifetime and I'm still unfamiliar with a lot of passages. I admit that my memory probably has failed me on some of the so-called Mandela Effected words. However, there are some things that I do not remember reading in my KJV (the one that I read cover to cover). Here are some of the ones that I will be asking others about:

1. I want to say (and did previously say) that I NEVER heard the phrase "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb: {Isaiah 11:6} or "the wolf and the lamb shall feed together" {Isaiah 65:25}, but my memory might be faulty on those. I do agree with others that it seems I only heard "lion" - not the wolf. Also, someone mentioned that it's common to hear of "lion and lamb" ministries and not anything to do with wolves. This is one that I really want to say that I know has changed, but I can't do so with a 100% certainty.
2. Luke 17:31 (I know that I know that I know I never saw the word "stuff" when I read this.)
3. Mark 13:10 (my Bible always read "preached" not "published")
4. Luke 19:23 is another I want to say I am sure of but I cannot. This is where "To the exchangers" now reads "into the bank". 
5. I'll just sit this one right here and let you know that I do believe I would have remembered reading this in 2Kings 18:27:

But Rabshakeh said unto them, Hath my master sent me to thy master, and to thee, to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men which sit on the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? (my emphasis)

Because of who I am and how I think, I'm pretty sure I would have noticed that one.

There are 2 reasons that I believe changes could have been made and both come from Scripture. The first is Revelation 22:19

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The other is Matthew 5:18 (think about meaning, not just the reading).

And since the Matthew 5:18 reference might make someone smirk (after all, the ME is about changing the Scripture, right?), I go on to Deuteronomy 11:18 and Proverbs 6:21 telling us to have God's Word written "on our hearts". Could it be we were told this because one day someone would try changing the words written on paper in our published Bibles?

Finally, I know that a lot of people will laugh and say that, boy some of those nutty Christians are at it with their conspiracy theories again. I don't mind getting laughed at for that because there always has been a conspiracy going on. From the minute Satan tempted Adam and Eve out of the garden, he's been trying to tempt all the rest of us out of reach of Heaven.

Do I think that man is able to change what has been printed in people's Bibles for all these years? No. Here is what I do think:

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Eph 6:12)

See, I can go back to the Word of God for the answers I need, even when I don't get the answers I want. That's why my hope will always be in Him. The words printed on the paper in the book that is my Bible can change. The word of God that is written on my heart won't. I don't need to memorize every single Scripture because I have believed for a long time in the one that's most important to me:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God.

Notice it doesn't say "whosoever is perfect" or (fill in the blank - sinless, or straight, or white, or rich, or pretty, or thin, or smart, etc.) whatever else.

Peace
--Free

Low-Carb Eating Helps (and a personal note)

Getting used to living a low-carb lifestyle is challenging. It's not that I don't like the food choices (now that I'm finding all of them), but that there's so much hidden information. I can't wait until the new nutrition labeling kicks in. From what I understand, the new labels will be larger and much clearer with data.

For now, I am using the various sources online to plan my meals and snacks and to keep myself informed and motivated. I wanted to share these with you so here they are:

• A carb guide intended for diabetics 1. Includes lots of useful info.
• A food exchange list 1 that has lots of nutrition info.
• Printable low-carb grocery shopping list 1 (source page)
• Keto grocery list 1
• Bunch of Pins with low-carb shopping list ideas
• Low Carbe Diem is a great info resource (recipes, tips, etc.)
• Ditch the Carbs site

I will be adding to/updating this post often, so check back.

On a personal note, I want to mention (again) that low-carb eating helps the body weigh less but doesn't lighten the pocketbook. Now that I am watching the carbs, I find that I have eliminated a lot of impulse grocery buying. Better food and less food seems to be a theme on this diet.

Not only is it easier to eat better on this 'diet', but I find I'm more fulfilled with less food. Prior to going low-carb, I was constantly hungry - either for a good meal or for something to snack on. In the past few days, I am having to remind myself to eat something. My snacks are smaller and I'm drinking more and more water.

As of today - almost 4 weeks into this lifestyle - I still haven't lost a significant amount of weight, but I feel better. I was almost discouraged that I've only gone down about 9 pounds total because I've heard the stories of other people dropping twice that amount in half the time. Now I am realizing that I'm not adhering as strictly to the regimen. Also, I'm older than most of the people I read about (and not nearly as physically active) so I'm cutting myself some slack. My clothes fit better and I am seeing some progress. The main positive is that I like this way of eating because of the way it makes me feel. The greater weight loss will come (especially when I drag my tail to the gym), but I'm happy with even a slow progress.

I hope some of this is helpful for you. I will be posting some reviews in the next couple of days, then I'll be back to sharing recipes and tips for low car.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** No-Carb BLT from Delish

I'm doing well with my low-carb regimen. I'm not losing a lot of pounds, scale-wise, but I am starting to see great changes in how my clothes fit. Also, I can see the weight loss in my face. Time will tell how much I like that last bit!

My only criticism of this eating regimen has been repetitive meals. That's mostly because it's not yet time for me to do my grocery shopping and my 'old' groceries were not chosen for this diet. Good news is that my shopping list has shrunk. A lot.

Today, my niece scored so many points by finding this recipe from Delish. It's a "No-carb BLT", and it tastes SO good.

I had to make a quick store run for more bacon (because I eat so much of it), and I grabbed a couple more ingredients to make this BLT. I was starving, by the way. Of course, I didn't write down the video recipe (just went off the images), so this is what my recipe ended up as:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a ripe avocado
• 1 1/2 Tbls full fat mayo
• 1/4 of a tomato (I used a hothouse one from Walmart)
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked to medium crispiness
• 3 leaves of  romaine lettuce

Instructions:

1. I sliced the tomato into medium sized "fingers" & mixed the avocado and mayo together with a fork.
2. I spread the mayo-cado mix onto the lettuce leaf, added some tomato, then topped it with bacon.

Best of all is that I didn't even need to use any seasonings because the bacon was seasoned enough.

I chowed on this so hard that I almost chewed one of my own fingers! It's a little bit messy because of the mayo-cado (especially if you dollop on too much like I did) but, oh man, is it a good dish.

Like I said, I was starving hungry, but I managed to get one good photo before I finished all of it off:

This is probably the best thing I've eaten since going low-carb. Man! 

To be honest, I will probably use the mayo-cado mix on other things - sausage or burger patties. 

Apparently, avocados don't keep well once ripened. In order to save money, I guess I will have to preserve some of them by tightly bagging them up with lemon juice. In the future, I will only by small quantities of unripe 'cados (or just go snag a couple of ripe ones as I need them). 

By the way, I think I mentioned in a previous post that one of my favorite low-carb snacks is cheese and olives. While I was at Costco today, I was able to taste these today. Costco (Anchorage, AK) price was $5.69 which isn't bad at all. Very, very yummy and I don't normally do near anything with jalapeno peppers. They aren't even that spicy (at least the heat doesn't last long), plus I eat mine with little pieces of mild cheddar cheese.

So, there you go. I hope that this is helpful for anyone trying to cut down on the carbs. Next post, I will share some recipes that I am collecting from some other online buddies.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Fat Bombs for Beginners

Fat bombs are SO good!!! The ones I learned to make tonight might be just what I need to get myself into ketosis. (I've been struggling with the coffee creamer habit a bit...)

First, let me say that this is not my recipe. There are a ton of recipes for fat bombs all over Pinterest and the keto sites, but this one was so easy that I was tossing my first batch into the freezer after about 15 minutes. I checked well before the suggested 30 minutes and they were 'set' enough for me to try one and bag the rest for later.

Some recipes I found sound great but got too complicated for me as a beginner. They wanted to talk about grass-fed this and special something or other that... The one I linked to up there was one I could work with right away. No need for trips to the store for special groceries. That ignorant acting lady said it best:

Two of the ingredients I used really worked my nerves, but my bombs still taste great. First, was a natural peanut butter I bought a few days ago. When I say this stuff is 'natural', I'm serious. The only way it could be any more natural is if they just bottled the peanuts with a mortar and pestle. All the oil was sitting on the top in the jar and the nut butter was stuck to the bottom like a solid concrete turd. I ended up pouring the entire thing out into a bowl so that I could try blending it without slopping oil all over the place. (By the way, a mortar and pestle would have come in handy at that point!)

Once I got the peanut butter into a semi-smooth state, the rest was easy. Of course, the only sweetener I have around (other than honey, which a temporary no-no) is some packets of Truvia, some raw sugar (another no-no for now), and some Skinny Girl stevia which I am kicking myself for buying just because it was on sale. All stevia is not created equal in taste, I can tell you that.

This is what my first fat bombs turned out looking like:

I'm gonna learn to add peanut butter to the middle
for a homemade "Reese's Cup" style

Not too thin or thick. Adding some almonds or cashews on top would be fun.

Yeah, I'm pretty pleased with this newbie effort. The bombs taste great (even a friend of ours agreed they were delish) and, now that I know what I'm doing, I will only make slight changes for the next batch. I'll definitely go heavier on the peanut butter (wish I could try almond or cashew butter), and I will add more cacao powder and cayenne. Also, topping the bombs with single almonds would be classy, don't you think?

I can't really taste that disgusting Stevia as much as I expected to. I only used around 15 drops anyway, but I think I can go lighter on it if I add more peanut butter. I don't mind a dark chocolate flavor, though.

By the way, I did cut down the recipe that was posted. Here is what I have for the full recipe & the halved version:

For those of you who are wondering about the reasoning behind using fat bombs for weight loss well, this is the quick and dirty that I found someone and stored in a file:

When in ketosis, the body burns stored fat for energy, which results in weight loss. Fat bombs provide a quick snack that enable people to keep up their energy.

Well, I start with the fat bombs tomorrow & I also will be giving up my beloved Almond Joy creamer for a minute (so pray for me!), but I'm excited for the results. Of course, I will be back to update you guys.

Peace

--Free

Confession:

When I tried my second fat bomb of the night, I added a dollop of peanut butter to the top. Talk about the yum yums!

**VIDEO REVIEW** Sandalwood Oil from New York Biology

My YouTube channel is pathetically unknown, but I need to start doing more video reviews. Two reasons:

1. A lot of brands prefer video reviews, so I will get the chance to try more products if I develop a YouTube presence.
2. I'm going to have to start promoting my Amazon author page in the coming months.  YouTube will reach more people than just the blog posts.

I'm not thrilled. I feel extremely self-conscious and silly talking to my webcam. Also, I've seen how mean video commenting can get. I guess I will just have to grow a tougher hide.

Anyway, check out my video review of New York Biology's Sandalwood Oil. 

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:DISCLOSURE:

In exchange for providing my fair and honest review, I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free or at a discount. Regardless, I only review products that I have personally used and can give an opinion of.

Confusion: Low-Carb/High-Fat vs Low-Carb/High-Protein (lots of links)

There is a bit of confusion for me as I'm nearing the end of Week 3 of the low-carb situation. Someone emailed me and gave me some clarification. So... I've had to regroup.

First, I started out doing a low-carb/high-protein diet. I lost weight and felt better, but wanted to kick-start the whole ketosis thing. I made a first attempt at an "egg fast", which was wonderful (as far as results) but I didn't realize it was a low-carb/high-fat regimen. I simply didn't think about it.

Second, like I said, I am seeing weight loss, though not as much as I would like. Today I realized that I may be switching up on the eating regimens so much that they are canceling out one another. Apparently, I'm sharing company with a lot of other confused folks.

Egg fast with lots of butter and bacon = low-carb/high-fat.

Normal eating with lots of meat, skipping/cutting back on starches - low-carb/high-protein.

I believe my body is as confused as my mind is so I've decided to take a look at meal ideas for the different types of plans. Maybe clearing things up for myself this way will help someone else!

The first thing I had to do was decide which plan I was going to adopt for a daily for-the-rest-of-my-life eating plan. It sure has to be something I can live with ("live with", get it?) and the prolonged high-protein plan is not for me.

"Prolonged high-protein diets are possibly unhealthy for your kidney or your liver." (source)

That piece of advice is a no-brainer and it's been pointed out to me by doctors who treated my family members.

On the other hand, protein is very important. Since it's protein I'm trying to learn to use properly for weight loss, I decided to keep reading that source article for more info. I only had to glance up one space and there was the answer:

"When adopting a low-carb diet, it’s recommended to aim for 60-70% calories from fat, 15-35% from protein and 5-15% from carbs. Making your protein 60-70% (essentially an Atkin’s diet) leaves very little room for fats, and thus is not recommended." (my emp)

Okay, so that is where I might have been going wrong in my first days. I was loading up on proteins, and trying to completely avoid carbs and fats. Then on my egg fasting days, I was going nuts with only fat and protein. No wonder the MyFitnessPal daily breakdown was always out of whack.

Using the above-mentioned guidelines, I taking some pressure off my kidney and liver. Also, I'll be giving myself more room to meal plan because I can work with that amount of carbs and fats.  Let's face it, when there are carbs even in some spices and seasonings, you're going to miss out on lots of flavor somewhere!

Going by these guidelines, I looked at what kinds of meals I could put together for myself. Keep in mind that I have to share a kitchen so I don't spend as much time there as I'd like. So, when it comes to feeding myself, I need simple, quick and (preferably) pre-planned menus. I want to get in, do my thing, then get out of the way.

Based on my weight and activity level, I've mapped out 1800 calories a day for myself. Using the guidelines I just mentioned, I've come up with this as my daily goal:

Meal Ideas that will work best for me look something like this, which is hard to see, I know. It's a really sucky photo, but maybe if you squint. If not, it's bascially a lot of eggs, bacon, and low carb taco bread.

Looka there. Just 1 carb over my limit, but that sodium.... Yikes. I'm trying to compensate for when I go that high on my sodium by drinking extra amounts of water. However, my blood pressure readings are still great. That might have to do with that fact that I'm no longer smoking. Yay, me!

Of course, I can't do the same thing every day. Well, I could, but I don't wanna. I am learning to switch things up with the groceries I still have left for the month - even though I have had to go back to Costco for eggs and bacon.

That freaking sodium! Damnit!

Okay, I only have to persist for a couple more weeks, then I can be smarter with my next grocery-shopping list. So far, it's looking something like this:

• Eggs (yep, because they are going to be a staple!)
• Cheese (sharp & medium cheddar, and goat's milk, but not too much b/c of the calories.)
• Veggies that I will buy in small quantities throughout the month for freshness/lack of waste. Also, I need to watch my budget. (Spinach, broccoli, lot of cucumbers for my water, asparagus, tomatoes, sweet peppers, avocados, and my beloved collard greens and kale.)
• Nuts (again, not many b/c of calories, but I love sunflower seeds for snacking!)
• Peanut butter (I've found a great recipe for a peanut butter shake that I can't wait to try.)
• Almond milk (instead of my delicious Silk Vanilla Soy. (See the chart below)
• I already have some of the best organic cacao powder around, courtesy of a review I recently did.
• I also have olive oil, red palm oil, and plenty of coconut oil.
• Coconut Milk

source

Apparently, milk choices depends of individual dietary needs. I'm way more concerned about carbs than I am fat, so I can even use heavy cream in some cases.

source

That peanut butter milkshake is going to be on point! LOL

Once I get through this month and get started on some well thought out meals, I will feel better about my eating regimen. I can't believe that as recently as 40 days ago, I was hitting the stores buying bags and bags of those flavored mashed potatoes (fully loaded, buttered, etc.), and instant soups by the case. No wonder I was swelling up like a black blueberry Wonka chick!

Oh - just for the latest on the weight, so far, I'm down a total of 7 pounds. In the last few weeks, I've lost and gained a couple, but I'm proud of my progress. Also, 7 pounds might not sound like a lot, but I can tell big time when I look at myself naked. Ay yi yi! My face is losing the chubbiness and my clothes are starting to feel more comfortable, probably because most of the loss is in my gut. First to come, first to go.

Here are links to some of the sources I'm using to develop menus and grow into my low carb lifestyle.

• Low carb veggies list
• Recipe Analyzer (an invaluable tool!)
• Food Search - for nutrition info (from same site)
• Low carb beginner's guide
• Keto beginner's guide
• MyFitnessPal (I live by this now & there is also a phone app that syncs w/my online data)

This isn't the complete list. Maybe I will put on together at some point. In the meantime, I want to thank Steve, who emailed to help me correct what I was doing wrong. There is also a former co-worker on Facebook who shared some tips. I will ask her permission to share them in another post.

For now, folks, the journey continues. Hope you keep up with me while I ride this out.

Peace

--Free

P.S.:

I have to emphasis how important it is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. When losing weight and working any way to get into shape, the skin will get nuts if it feels neglected. I'm happy to say that my skin is looking and feeling marvelous.