Ketosis - An Experiment (the power of a pound)

I am still loving this experiment, but the honeymoon period is definitely over. The tracking is extremely valuable to me and is showing me all sorts of interesting things. In the last two weeks, I’ve found myself eating more towards the top of my 1900 calorie/day guideline, while previously, the totals were much lower. I also have been bleeding over my 48 total carb gram limit (never more than 75, though). That being said, I do not feel like things are going badly. On the contrary, I am pleased with my progress and totally OK with being flexible about it. Since my last update, I’ve dropped another pound, bringing the total to 3.2 for this experiment (down 49 total). Each one of those suckers is hard won, I tell you. But progress is progress and it is such a thrill to see those darn numbers going down again.


I will be redoubling my efforts to keep the carbs under 48 each day. I think it’s a good discipline and recognize that I need the structure to keep myself in check. Having stable blood sugar (and no dependence on caffeine) is such a gift. It is so wonderful to wake up and not feel like crap until getting a cup of coffee in me. I sometimes miss that jolt of energy I’d get from coffee, but I’d trade that any day for this steady energy level.

The lack of crazy cravings is also a plus. I have continued to play around with different treat recipes and have had success with that. Some of my recent faves are my version of these coconut flour based cinnamon bun muffins, a vanilla version of this coconut milk based frozen custard recipe, and homemade chocolates made with Upgraded Chocolate Powder and Cocoa Butter, sweetened with Stevia. That last one is a bit of an issue, though. I’ve noticed that I get a mild headache after eating the chocolate. Such a bummer. I had noticed it with regular dark chocolate, too, and was in serious denial about it. I won’t say that I’m done eating chocolate – for the love of everything holy – you cannot take my chocolate. First the sugar, then the coffee. Where does it end, people? But I digress. If it’s truly giving me headaches, I’ll just have to keep it to a minimum.

I’ve mostly been eating an incarnation of my Sausage, Egg, and Spinach Bake for breakfast, but did go for a smoothie this morning that I made from unsweetened almond milk, a handful of frozen spinach, and two scoops of Primal Fuel. I’d been off the protein powders for quite some time, preferring to get my nutrients from “real food”. But, I was in a rush this morning and it hit the spot. It was delicious (you can’t taste the spinach) and got me to 20 grams of protein in under a minute. It’s certainly shy of my 30 gram goal, but better than a bagel :)

So all in all, I'm just chugging along. It's become routine to track my food and I'm so surprised that I don't mind it at all. I kind of enjoy it in a weird way and it gives me a sense of control in this ultimately uncontrollable process. Slow and steady wins the race! So that's me, winning, one hard-fought pound at a time.

The Ten Days Towards Health Challenge

Well, FT from Notes from the Frugal Trenches threw down the gauntlet today by starting this challenge. The plan is to document food eaten and exercise accomplished for each of the next ten days. I will try to incorporate some photos, but I’m making no promises! The purpose is to increase mindfulness and help us make the best choices possible.

My goal is to keep my calories between 1500-1650 each day and to have planned meaningful activity on 7/10 days. I don’t have any specific goals of eating fruits and vegetables or protein. I find that when I’m mindful of what I’m eating and trying to stay within my calorie range, I naturally gravitate towards those things. I’m a volume eater – I like to eat. A LOT. As in, I like to eat large amount of food. As a result, fiber is my friend. I like filling up on a big bowl of vegetables or a salad and my go-to snacks are usually fruit. Protein is also good for keeping me full, so I tend to get a decent amount of that, too.

I’m not really changing much about how I’ve been working on losing weight lately, with this challenge. It’s more a way or adding some more accountability. I’ve been having a tough time staying on track the last couple of days and this should help me with that. If anyone else is interested in joining this challenge, just chime in on it in the comments!

I will start my reporting tomorrow, April 25th!

First Quarter Update

As of today, I’ve been tracking my weight, calories, and activity through FitDay for 3 full months! I feel so proud of myself for sticking with it. Although the process is not quick, it has been methodical. My goal is to lose an average of 5 pounds per month and I’m just shy of that average right now with a grand total of (drum roll, please!) 14.3lbs! I am very happy with my progress so far and with the fact that I haven’t given up when it (often) feels like I’m getting nowhere fast. I weigh myself daily but in terms of checking how I’m doing, the monthly number is the most meaningful to me.

The backbone of this whole process is monitoring what I eat. I have come to terms with the fact that I need to track my food meticulously in order to stay on track. I used to fight that truth and resent it to the point where I’d just give up. I’d think, “it’s just too much work! It’s so unfair that I have to do this. It’s not worth it.” I’ve found a way to let that go and just make it a part of my life. Keeping track of the money I spend isn’t necessary fun, either, but it’s key if I don’t want to overdraw my account. Part of being a grownup is doing things that are necessary, whether or not they’re fun.

To get an idea of what this looks like for me, here’s my food entry for today. You can see that I’ve already plotted out what I’m having the rest of the day. That makes things so much easier for me so I do it whenever possible. I also try to work in a treat at the end of the day. Today it’s a piece of chocolate with peanut butter. Yum!


One of the biggest changes I’ve made that has contributed to my success so far is the consistent exercise. The fitness class focused mostly on strength training that I take three times a week is the anchor of my schedule. That combined with yoga and some cardio really has me feeling so much better and much stronger. I did 18 (girl) push ups without stopping last night! My goal is to work up to 20, then start working on doing them with my legs straight. Here is a snapshot of my activity for today:


Although I haven’t changed sizes yet, I definitely feel better within the clothes that I have. Before starting up in January, I must admit that they were starting to show some strain. Now most are loose and comfortable but not sloppy. I did put on a pair of jeans on Saturday that I haven’t been able to wear in quite some time. That felt terrific. Last time I wore them, I was more like 215lbs (as opposed to my 229.4 today) so I know that the strength training is having a bigger effect than just making me stronger. I am toning up and building muscle.

Whoever first said that slow and steady wins the race was not kidding. Being patient is the hardest part of this whole journey. I’m good for one day and then wonder why I’m not down a pound the next. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way so looking at the cumulative effect is the only way to stay sane.

So these are my tricks of the trade. What works for you? What kinds of mental and physical obstacles have you hurdled to wrap you mind around getting healthier. Please share your tips/experience in the comments!

10 Pounds!

To think, tracking and cutting my calories plus exercise = weight loss! It’s revolutionary, my friends. I am on a bit of high right now. I couldn’t believe it when I stepped on the scale this morning. I’ve officially lost 10.7 lbs since I started tracking with FitDay on January 7th. I’ve added in more cardio this week (30 minutes 3 x per week), which seems to be helping. The circuit training and yoga was helping me tone up but it wasn’t burning the calories as much as I wanted.

I’ve spent a lot of time resisting this process in the past. I think I just rebelled against having to do the necessary work. It seemed so unfair that I’d have to work so hard. I’ve finally let go of that and just buckled down. There is no simple “cutting back, moving more” for me. It doesn’t happen without concerted, focused attention. What works: tracking every single bite, exercising a minimum of 5 times/week, and embracing these changes as something positive instead of a punishment.

I think there is a tipping point of inertia – for the first couple of months, the workouts wore me out. I was motivated and consistent, but drained from “having” to do them. But at a certain point, things tipped and now I feel better due to all the activity. I’ve noticed this week in particular, that I’m less tired in the morning and I drink a bit less coffee throughout the day. I need to stay with this flow and keep up the consistency. I know far too well that it takes very little for me to completely derail and wind up on the wrong side of the inertia pull.

Thanks to everyone who is supporting me in this. Despite so many past failures, you’ve all pushed me to believe that I can do this, no matter what.