Shaping Up Fabulous

Getting in shape. Feeling fabulous! A Weight Loss Blog

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The New Way of Eating

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When I started this new way of eating, I had the classic symptoms of metabolic syndrome. I am or was (not sure which, now) pre-diabetic. I felt tired and lethargic most days. I struggled heavily with depression and anxiety. Controlling heartburn had become a weekly and almost daily struggle. I didn’t feel good. My body was protesting. I went from a fairly successful dieting attempt to sliding back into bad habits with reckless abandon.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure how Keto would fit into my life. I knew that I needed to make some changes. At the end of my research, I felt very strongly that leading a Keto life is what I needed to do.

Keto by nature is fairly simple. The most complex part of this new way of eating is tracking daily macros (ie how many carb grams are consumed). I’m no stranger to tracking calories, so it was fairly easy for me to fire up the My Fitness Pal app on my phone and start logging food daily. I have also found a Low-Carb High-Fat support group on Facebook. The before & after pics are a blessing because it confirms to me that this works!

Though this diet is largely modeled after Atkins Phase I, it also has a Paleo twist. The goal isn’t to see how much bacon, cheese, steak, and eggs you can consume but rather it strikes for a fairly balanced meal, where you consume less processed foods, few carbs and little to no sugar. This is a diet that is composed mainly of eating meat, vegetables, dairy and healthy fats. Pinterest, Facebook … and well, the internet is full of good recipes, hacks and educational information on this way of eating.

What I love most about Keto is the amount of control I have over my appetite and cravings so far! After my first week into this, I didn’t feel the powerful cravings I would normally get. I can actually fast for 16+ hours and not be ready to murder someone because of my hunger. My appetite overall is less. Throughout this process, I am learning the difference between real hunger and hunger that is actually something else – thirst, boredom, sadness, anger, etc.

Before starting this new lifestyle, I knew that I had to come to the table with some hard truths. Truth 1) This is for life. Going back to the way it was is simply not an option. Even after I get to goal. Truth 2) Nothing is perfect, even this. While failure is not an option (See Truth 1), perfection is not in the execution, it’s in sticking to it. Truth 3) It will probably take me 2-3 years to get to goal. There are no quick fixes here. I am going to practice patience. Truth 4) When triggers and inner-demons come out, I need to stop and understand them. Take the time to feel the feelings, to understand the whys and finally to come to a place of peace and acceptance.

On the journey so far, I am down 20.2 lbs and 3 inches around the waist. I have so much energy now, that I am simply buzzing with it! The trickle-down effect this has had on my family has been great! I never realized how much my children and even my husband, mirror me. It seems I am the dominant energy in the house.

Above all, I am thankful for the aha-moments, the moments of absolute clarity and of the blessings in my life. I don’t want to take one moment for granted. January 24, 2017, was the beginning of a new path for me. Not just for this new way of eating, but this new way of being.

On Plan Thursday #1

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It’s everyone’s favorite time of the day!  It’s on plan Thursday!  {Crowd Cheers}

I think it helped to get all of that off of my chest yesterday.  I was able to refrain from over-eating and I stayed under my points – 8 points to be exact!  When I was done with my thought-spew, the hunger was gone.  I also had a massive headache from the emote-drain, so I went to bed early.

So, today is my cousin’s 16th birthday!  Yaaay!  16 is so fun. 🙂

My family and I are going to help him celebrate by way of Japanese Steakhouse.  I LOVE me some Sushi!  So, i’ll definitely have lots of healthy options there.  I’ll also try to dial it back with the soy sauce.

Interestingly enough, I looked at my WW chart — just for kicks and it looks like I do most of my eating in the evening.  It makes sense, I suppose.  I come home from work and make dinner, snack on a few things and then sometimes snack at night.  I’ve been really trying to cut out the nighttime snack though.  At least for now.  Until I can come to the notion that an apple or some carrot sticks are great nighttime snack options.  Right now, i’m missing my pals Ben and Jerry.  Still, nothing tastes as good as being thin does, right?  I’ll let you know when I get there.  For now, my motto is “Nothing tastes better than being on plan!”.  There is truth to this.  I do feel better when I stick within my point-boundaries.  I know that I am moving forward with my health and weight loss and that is EXACTLY where I need to be, my friends.

My menu for the day:

Breakfast:

1 Jimmy Dean Delights, cheese and egg white and canadian bacon on honey-wheat english muffin – 5

Total Points: 5

Snacks:

1 Granny Smith apple – 0

1 Chobani Peach on the Bottom low-fat yogurt – 3

Total points:  3

Lunch:

1 Jimmy Dean Delights, cheese and egg white and canadian bacon on honey-wheat english muffin – 5

Atkins Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar – 6

Total Points: 11

Dinner:

Japanese Steak House (it’s my cousin’s birthday)

Points to be recorded Later

On Plan Wednesday #1

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My menu for the day:

Breakfast:

Jimmy Dean D-Lite Turkey, cheese and egg white croissant sandwich – 8

Total Points: 8

Snacks:

4 Cubes of Artisan Cheddar – 3

1 Granny Smith apple – 0

1 Chobani Peach on the Bottom low-fat yogurt – 3

11 Doritos – 4

Total points:  10

Lunch:

1 WW Santa Fe Style Rice & Beans – 8

Total Points: 8

Dinner:

Atkins Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar – 6

Total Points: 6

Grand Total:  31 Points

On Plan Tuesday #1

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My Tuesday is shaping up well so far!  I give myself time in the morning to plan my meals up to dinner.  Tonight’s dinner will be chicken and vegetable stir fry.

I’m trying to do something different in my approach to weight loss this time.  I’m trying to make smaller meals but eat more frequently.  That way, i’m never hungry.  I don’t know why… but being hungry seems deprivational at best.  At least to me.  I’m also trying to incorporate more fruits and veggies.  Fruits and veggies have become the equivalent of a nasty swear word in my house.  It’s not that I hate them.  Truth be told, there was a time when I would go to restaurants and order salad just because I loved salad.  It’s kind of like I took a stance against healthy food for awhile.  I said “Hello world!  I’m a big girl and I love me some pizza.  Deal with it.”  If doctor Phil were to ask me how this is working out for me… I would say… “Well Doc…not so much.”  Obviously.

There’s a new rule in our house:  Less cheese.  Less bread.  More fruits and veggies.  Obviously, i’m not going gangbusters with this.  It is the black and white — “all or nothing” ‘tude that got me into this in the first place.  I call this gradual change.

You know, I came into this kind of kicking and whimpering this time.  This is after all, my 4th time doing Weight Watchers.  My inclination initially was to fight this.  I’m at a point where I realize to fight this… would be like cutting off my nose to spite my face.  I NEED to get healthy.  I feel like i’m one cheeseburger away from a heart attack and it’s not a good feeling.

My menu for the day:

Breakfast:

Jimmy Dean D-Lite Turkey, cheese and egg white croissant sandwich – 8

Total Points: 8

Snacks:

8 Cubes of Artisan Cheddar – 6

7 mini pretzels and 6 mini rice cakes caramel – 3

1 Granny Smith apple – 0

Total points:  9

Lunch:

1 Chobani Fruit on the Bottom Banana – 4

1 Atkins Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar – 6

Total Points: 10

Dinner:

Chicken & Veggie stir fry

 

On Plan Monday #1

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I’m going to start a new post each day (if possible) where I talk about my menu for the day.  I’m hoping this will help keep me on plan and accountable.  So here’s my On Plan Monday post for today! 🙂

Breakfast:

2 Hardboiled Eggs – 4

1 Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt – 3

Total Points:  7

 

Lunch:

WW Frozen Meal – Ravioli Florentine – 7

Total Points:  7

 

Mid-morning & Mid-day snacks:

1 Snyder’s 100 calorie pretzel pack – 3

8 Artisan Fresh Cheddar Cheese Cubes – 6

Total Points:  9

 

Dinner Plan:

Chicken Fajitas w/ peppers, onions and blackbeans on a low-carb high fiber tortilla

1 Chicken breast – 6

Peppers and Onions – 0 (Power foods!)

2 Mission Carb Balance Low Carb tortillas – 5

1/4 cup Sargento Reduced Fat 4-Cheese Mexican – 2

Total Points:  13

 

Shaping up Breakfast

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My friends, it’s time for me to get to shaping up breakfast.

Before I get to the rest of my post, I just have to mention — I’m down 10.4 pounds!  Woohoo!  *Happy Dance*

As you know, my daily calorie count at the moment is set at 1900 calories.  Now, I have to admit that sometimes I go over that amount by 200 calories — pushing me to 2100 calories a day.  Right now, i’m not doing anything in the way of exercise, just mainly watching what I eat.  I realize now that in order for me to succeed long term, I really need to work on my relationship with food first and fitness second.  My mission is to take the food i’m currently eating and cut the calories / make it healthier.

For the past 3 weeks, my daily breakfast routine has centered around McDonalds.  I would get 2 egg white delight mcmuffins (roughly 500 calories) and a large regular (unsweetened) ice tea.  Last week, I experimented with getting the sandwiches with no cheese.  Not only did I knock my breakfast down from 500 calories to 400 calories, I can honestly say that I didn’t sacrifice any of the taste.  The sandwiches were just as delicious!

Here’s where I am at now: 

I don’t want to spend money daily on McDonalds.

In fact, I would love to make McDonalds a once-in-awhile treat, rather than a daily thing.  It gets expensive.  Not only that, but I really want to get away from fast food.  Far far away.

So, I decided to make my own Egg White Delight McMuffin at home!

The Results

homemadeeggwhitedelightmcmuffin

 

I used a Double Fiber Thomas English Muffin (120 calories and 5g of fiber), 3 tablespoons of generic egg beaters, and 1-1/2 slices of Oscar Mayer Honey Ham (only 30 calories!).  So, I took my McD’s Egg White Delight – no cheese sandwich and turned it into a 175 calorie sandwich that has 2 grams of fat, 15 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber!  Oh and I decided to have an 8oz glass of Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness instead of a second sandwich.

My breakfast total:  315 calories, 2 grams of fat, 8 grams of fiber and 17 grams of protein!

Did I mention that it was seriously yummy?

I think next time, i’m going to experiment with adding some green peppers and maybe some tomatoes too! 🙂