"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Thursday of Week 3 Induction Continues: Feeling better is the best reward!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
A good day - I stuck with our All-or-Nothing challenge and had a good workout.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- How much I feel wracked by loss of energy when I raise my arms (a good way to get the heart going) - makes me want to stop right there!
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt (for your numbers): Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Continuing to develop a schedule and alternatives for exercise. Next week, I think I will let eDiets give me menu choices and work with their menus to develop a shopping list - takes some of the guesswork and pressure off for a week - just follow the recommendations to keep me at 25 carbs (yep - gonna come out of Induction "officially" next week and let eDiets figure out where 25 carbs are (versus the 20 or 30 that could easily happen on my own.)
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Schedule my entire day's mix of work, work-out, food, food prep, etc...not that it is immutable, but at least to give myself boundaries so I am TRUE TO MYSELF and PRIORITIZE what needs to get done so I FEEL GOOD about what I am doing and stay motivated to continue.
**************************************
Vitals:
BP - not today
Weight: 186.0
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 40 min yoga
Cardio 60 min zumba
Strength
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: Eggbeater omelet with cinnamon and splenda, 1 sausage pattie, 2 mugs of coffee with 2 S/L and milk
Lunch: ground beef mixture with some mushrooms/onion mixture.
Dinner: Flank steak and salad
Snack: 1 oz of smoked cheese, 2 mugs of coffee with 1 S/L (for both) and milk
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Down a pound. Figgers. Good, tho - very good that it's moving ...and in that direction.
BP: Will take again at end of month.
Ketones: Will see later in the week - maybe Friday?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A meal planner and recipes for 24/7 Low-Carb Dieting
A great companion to this blog may have been found! Lisa Motyok over at 24/7 Low Carb Diner has created a menu planning system that helps those doing low carb dieting to keep their budgets down and make their food interesting. Now she's trying to share some of her secrets on a new blog. Check it out.
Her latest recipe uses DaVinci's sugar-free syrups (which I have yet to try) and sour cream with cream cheese to whip up a quick dessert with nut topping called "Better than Instant Toffee Cheesecake Pudding." Other low carb recipes on the sidebar include "Cowboy Comfort Breakfast" and "Maple's Meatballs" - two of her favorites. Well, I can't find links to them, but hopefully she'll have them posted soon.
It looks like she's also published an e-book that pulls all these together for those who hate to hunt and peck to find things.
I'm always looking for free resources for my readers to help them on their way to a healthier body and attitude! I think it's the only way we'll ever really be free of the burden: to figure out eventually how to do it for ourselves without relying on others (other than just our support network).
Her latest recipe uses DaVinci's sugar-free syrups (which I have yet to try) and sour cream with cream cheese to whip up a quick dessert with nut topping called "Better than Instant Toffee Cheesecake Pudding." Other low carb recipes on the sidebar include "Cowboy Comfort Breakfast" and "Maple's Meatballs" - two of her favorites. Well, I can't find links to them, but hopefully she'll have them posted soon.
It looks like she's also published an e-book that pulls all these together for those who hate to hunt and peck to find things.
I'm always looking for free resources for my readers to help them on their way to a healthier body and attitude! I think it's the only way we'll ever really be free of the burden: to figure out eventually how to do it for ourselves without relying on others (other than just our support network).
Wed Day 3 Week 3 Induction Continues, 28 Jan 09
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Wednsday of Week 3 Induction Continues: Keep Planning Your Work, Working your plan, Having a back-up Plan (it's ALL or NOTHING today, baby!)
*******************************************
Random Thoughts: Felt a little arthritis in my left foot (toe) this morning - hadn't felt that in maybe a year or so - but everything else was feeling okay. Feel a little bloated like my weight may be up to 188. Altho it's TTOTM, not a lot of spotting going on. Given "that time of life" (would that be TTOL?), maybe I'm doing another crazy thing here. I rescheduled my doctor's appt from this week to next; let's hope that next week is "good to go" and not a time to reschedule again. Last year, I had "abnormal cells" which the follow-up revealed were not a problem, but a "watch" thing. My doctor in Ohio wanted to look again in six months and it's time to look again. Now with a new doctor in North Carolina. Which concerns me, too.
On eDiets, my Boot Camp Support Group is having an ALL-or-Nothing (AON) challenge three days in a row: all food, all water, and 60 min of exercise over Tues, Wed, and Thurs this week. I had already done the 60 min of exercise by the time I read it on Tues, so made sure I stayed OP (code for "on program") with my food.
Doing good on the water, but sometimes it seems to be "chug-a-lug" just before going to bed, which means I get to wake up in the middle of the night. Need to fix that: change my habit. Just want coffee for a while before I start drinking water. The coffee wakes up my systems and helps me adjust to being alert (which takes about 3-4 hours usually).
Sometimes I think I should drink coffee at midnight, go to sleep, then wake up at 5:30 alert! Or just learn to suffer the pains of a morning shower using hot and cold to wake the dead! (I prefer going to bed clean, you know? - and remember that little thing about not wanting to stand up in the morning? give me a bath if I have'ta!)
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Discouragement with weight loss reversal, needing to be stronger (then) when faced with tastier choices
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt (for your numbers): Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Plan the menus, work the plan. Altering cardio and strength daily- I'm getting back to that; finally feeling a schedule starting to build that will be doable, plus building up some back-up alternatives for if the schedule won't work.
NEW ASSIGNMENT: .
Continuing to develop a schedule and alternatives for exercise. Next week, I think I will let eDiets give me menu choices and work with their menus to develop a shopping list - takes some of the guesswork and pressure off for a week - just follow the recommendations to keep me at 25 carbs (yep - gonna come out of Induction "officially" next week and let eDiets figure out where 25 carbs are (versus the 20 or 30 that could easily happen on my own.)
**************************************
Vitals:
BP - not today
Weight: 187.0
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 30 min yoga
Cardio
Strength 30 min "shimmy" bellydance workout on FitTV
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: Fried egg over easy on a Low Carb Bread slice (9 carbs) with coffee and S/L and milk (2 mugs) - total 11 carbs.
Lunch: Mushroom Mousakas - ground beef mixture with some mushrooms/onion mixture, topped with cream sauce made with half-n-half, almond flour, parmesan, nutmeg, etc.
Dinner: 2 cups of green leaf lettuce
Snack:
Dessert: 1/2 cup low-carb ice cream from Breyer's (4 net carbs)
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Actually down 1/2 apound, but when I looked at it, I thought I was up another pound. So, not as bad as I thought. Just feel bloated; you know, that really probably is TTOTM as I got real cranky last night.
BP: Will take again at end of month.
Ketones: Will see later in the week - maybe Friday?
Inspiration for Wednsday of Week 3 Induction Continues: Keep Planning Your Work, Working your plan, Having a back-up Plan (it's ALL or NOTHING today, baby!)
*******************************************
Random Thoughts: Felt a little arthritis in my left foot (toe) this morning - hadn't felt that in maybe a year or so - but everything else was feeling okay. Feel a little bloated like my weight may be up to 188. Altho it's TTOTM, not a lot of spotting going on. Given "that time of life" (would that be TTOL?), maybe I'm doing another crazy thing here. I rescheduled my doctor's appt from this week to next; let's hope that next week is "good to go" and not a time to reschedule again. Last year, I had "abnormal cells" which the follow-up revealed were not a problem, but a "watch" thing. My doctor in Ohio wanted to look again in six months and it's time to look again. Now with a new doctor in North Carolina. Which concerns me, too.
On eDiets, my Boot Camp Support Group is having an ALL-or-Nothing (AON) challenge three days in a row: all food, all water, and 60 min of exercise over Tues, Wed, and Thurs this week. I had already done the 60 min of exercise by the time I read it on Tues, so made sure I stayed OP (code for "on program") with my food.
Doing good on the water, but sometimes it seems to be "chug-a-lug" just before going to bed, which means I get to wake up in the middle of the night. Need to fix that: change my habit. Just want coffee for a while before I start drinking water. The coffee wakes up my systems and helps me adjust to being alert (which takes about 3-4 hours usually).
Sometimes I think I should drink coffee at midnight, go to sleep, then wake up at 5:30 alert! Or just learn to suffer the pains of a morning shower using hot and cold to wake the dead! (I prefer going to bed clean, you know? - and remember that little thing about not wanting to stand up in the morning? give me a bath if I have'ta!)
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Discouragement with weight loss reversal, needing to be stronger (then) when faced with tastier choices
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt (for your numbers): Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Plan the menus, work the plan. Altering cardio and strength daily- I'm getting back to that; finally feeling a schedule starting to build that will be doable, plus building up some back-up alternatives for if the schedule won't work.
NEW ASSIGNMENT: .
Continuing to develop a schedule and alternatives for exercise. Next week, I think I will let eDiets give me menu choices and work with their menus to develop a shopping list - takes some of the guesswork and pressure off for a week - just follow the recommendations to keep me at 25 carbs (yep - gonna come out of Induction "officially" next week and let eDiets figure out where 25 carbs are (versus the 20 or 30 that could easily happen on my own.)
**************************************
Vitals:
BP - not today
Weight: 187.0
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 30 min yoga
Cardio
Strength 30 min "shimmy" bellydance workout on FitTV
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: Fried egg over easy on a Low Carb Bread slice (9 carbs) with coffee and S/L and milk (2 mugs) - total 11 carbs.
Lunch: Mushroom Mousakas - ground beef mixture with some mushrooms/onion mixture, topped with cream sauce made with half-n-half, almond flour, parmesan, nutmeg, etc.
Dinner: 2 cups of green leaf lettuce
Snack:
Dessert: 1/2 cup low-carb ice cream from Breyer's (4 net carbs)
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Actually down 1/2 apound, but when I looked at it, I thought I was up another pound. So, not as bad as I thought. Just feel bloated; you know, that really probably is TTOTM as I got real cranky last night.
BP: Will take again at end of month.
Ketones: Will see later in the week - maybe Friday?
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tues Day 2 Week 3 Induction, 27 Jan 09
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Tuesday of Week 3 Induction Continues: Plan Your Work, Work your plan
*******************************************
Random Thoughts: I woke up in a lot less pain - my hands weren't clenching and stiff and my shoulder and arm weren't bothering me. The scale is up. Drats on that! But I'm not going to worry about it. It does that sometimes I know and if I had done something wrong yesterday, I'd do something about it, but pretty much yesterday was very good, so I'll just keep on keepin' on.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Running out of time when I have so many things to do; but I've already set up things for this evening: FitTV has a Shimmy episode on at 8 pm; dinner will be flank steak and salad (guess who went grocery shopping!); and my fiance may be home early today. If I have to adjust, I can. I can do my yoga DVD up in the bedroom, using my laptop, or my own bellydance DVD (maybe I can look for it?) and some time during the day I think Gilad is having another show or two. SO, I have plans and alternate plans for my time issues. I have to get the car to the dealer for them to fix something causing the check-engine light to come on so I can get it inspected. If I'm stuck there, hazards become boredom, hunger, and need for more water. I'll take a book and my water bottle with me. They should have coffee and water available (free or pay) and I can walk to a nearby store and shop if necessary (they're close to a shopping center or 4, plus a mall). Just need to minimize what I carry on my shoulder (!) Plans and back-up plans.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Plan the menus, work the plan. Altering cardio and strength daily- I'm getting back to that; finally feeling a schedule starting to build that will be doable, plus building up some back-up alternatives for if the schedule won't work. FitTV has helped a lot to supplement the DVDs, the treadmill upstairs (old and needs replacing, it frightens me some), walking the dog, running the stairs (hah!) and general weights-less floor exercises. Variety and less boredom, and still closer than the gym (wading thru traffic to get there as it's on the busiest street in this city of traffic).
NEW ASSIGNMENT: .
Continuing to develop a schedule and alternatives for exercise.
**************************************
Vitals:
BP - not today
Weight: 187.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 10 min
Cardio
Strength 50 min - 25 of Shimmy from FitTV, then 25 of Gilad's Body In Motion or Total Body Sculpting, also on FitTV - both had stretching in them, so moved those minutes to STRETCHING (above)
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: eggbeater omelet with onion powder, cinnamon, and splenda; 2 mugs of coffee with S/L & milk. Coffee's not agreeing with me lately - just not as soothing or tasteful as it's been. Added a bit of splenda to the second cup (had with breakfast).
Lunch: Kind of a mushroom mousakas: ground beef mixture with some mushrooms/onion mixture, made some of the mousakas cream sauce, poured over a layered mushroom, beef, mushroom (to be more of the mushrooms which are a good veggie, in with lettuce, than the beef), then cooked for about 1/2 hour til brown. If you remember, the mousakas cream sauce is a quick white sauce made with almond flour ilo regular flour. You brown it, then add hot milk to it, then seasonings, which I had to look up. Had parmesan cheese, which tasted really good.
Dinner: Chicken wings and BLT salad - 4 slices of bacon, crumpled, 2 cups of green leaf lettuce, 1/2 small tomato, chopped, plus both greek island dressing (2 carbs per T) and bleu cheese dressing (2 carbs per T) to give it a different flavor
Snack: about 6 oz of coke zero
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Weight is up quite a bit, but I am spotting a bit, too. Could be retaining water; could be delayed reaction to all the biscottis on Sunday, but having worked out well yesteday, am not going to worry about it. Food was good as well, so it is "one of those things" that fluctuates and it is doing so now for sure.
BP: Will take again at end of month.
Ketones: Will see later in the week - maybe Friday?
Inspiration for Tuesday of Week 3 Induction Continues: Plan Your Work, Work your plan
*******************************************
Random Thoughts: I woke up in a lot less pain - my hands weren't clenching and stiff and my shoulder and arm weren't bothering me. The scale is up. Drats on that! But I'm not going to worry about it. It does that sometimes I know and if I had done something wrong yesterday, I'd do something about it, but pretty much yesterday was very good, so I'll just keep on keepin' on.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Running out of time when I have so many things to do; but I've already set up things for this evening: FitTV has a Shimmy episode on at 8 pm; dinner will be flank steak and salad (guess who went grocery shopping!); and my fiance may be home early today. If I have to adjust, I can. I can do my yoga DVD up in the bedroom, using my laptop, or my own bellydance DVD (maybe I can look for it?) and some time during the day I think Gilad is having another show or two. SO, I have plans and alternate plans for my time issues. I have to get the car to the dealer for them to fix something causing the check-engine light to come on so I can get it inspected. If I'm stuck there, hazards become boredom, hunger, and need for more water. I'll take a book and my water bottle with me. They should have coffee and water available (free or pay) and I can walk to a nearby store and shop if necessary (they're close to a shopping center or 4, plus a mall). Just need to minimize what I carry on my shoulder (!) Plans and back-up plans.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Plan the menus, work the plan. Altering cardio and strength daily- I'm getting back to that; finally feeling a schedule starting to build that will be doable, plus building up some back-up alternatives for if the schedule won't work. FitTV has helped a lot to supplement the DVDs, the treadmill upstairs (old and needs replacing, it frightens me some), walking the dog, running the stairs (hah!) and general weights-less floor exercises. Variety and less boredom, and still closer than the gym (wading thru traffic to get there as it's on the busiest street in this city of traffic).
NEW ASSIGNMENT: .
Continuing to develop a schedule and alternatives for exercise.
**************************************
Vitals:
BP - not today
Weight: 187.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 10 min
Cardio
Strength 50 min - 25 of Shimmy from FitTV, then 25 of Gilad's Body In Motion or Total Body Sculpting, also on FitTV - both had stretching in them, so moved those minutes to STRETCHING (above)
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: eggbeater omelet with onion powder, cinnamon, and splenda; 2 mugs of coffee with S/L & milk. Coffee's not agreeing with me lately - just not as soothing or tasteful as it's been. Added a bit of splenda to the second cup (had with breakfast).
Lunch: Kind of a mushroom mousakas: ground beef mixture with some mushrooms/onion mixture, made some of the mousakas cream sauce, poured over a layered mushroom, beef, mushroom (to be more of the mushrooms which are a good veggie, in with lettuce, than the beef), then cooked for about 1/2 hour til brown. If you remember, the mousakas cream sauce is a quick white sauce made with almond flour ilo regular flour. You brown it, then add hot milk to it, then seasonings, which I had to look up. Had parmesan cheese, which tasted really good.
Dinner: Chicken wings and BLT salad - 4 slices of bacon, crumpled, 2 cups of green leaf lettuce, 1/2 small tomato, chopped, plus both greek island dressing (2 carbs per T) and bleu cheese dressing (2 carbs per T) to give it a different flavor
Snack: about 6 oz of coke zero
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Weight is up quite a bit, but I am spotting a bit, too. Could be retaining water; could be delayed reaction to all the biscottis on Sunday, but having worked out well yesteday, am not going to worry about it. Food was good as well, so it is "one of those things" that fluctuates and it is doing so now for sure.
BP: Will take again at end of month.
Ketones: Will see later in the week - maybe Friday?
Could the diet soda be affecting my weight loss, too? I've heard it does that for some people. I have been having more than I normally do.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday Day 1 Week 3 - Induction continues, 26 Jan 09
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Monday of Week 3 Induction Continues: "What goes up, must come down" ("with a little help from my friends" (me!))
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Not sure what's going on.
Concerned about all the pain in my left arm (hand, elbow, upper arm and shoulder) as well as generally along my left side: arthritis that began in left foot (toe), left knee being "spastic" at times (can kneel on it wrong on the bed even, which you would think was soft enough), left hip usually tightest...now my left arm and shoulder.
My left hand particularly is worse than my right hand when I wake up in the morning, or anytime after falling asleep really, waking with two hands that feel frozen into claws like I'm dead and in rigor mortis. When my fiance drapes his arm around me and rests it on my left arm, it hurts.
These things and the way it makes me feel weak, are driving me nuts. Still, I did the Total Body Sculpt show yesterday with Gilad on FitTV and it was fine. It's the zumba that is the hardest for me to do!! And being an instructor that's doubly hard on me.
I need to get my endurance rate up. Maybe working with a timer in the gym on a bike or elliptical and see how easily I can do 30 min, and that would give me a better measuring stick to see if the carpet is more of the culprit than I think it is.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Not feeling well; getting winded so easily with anything cardio (including laundry, which is usually not a cardio activity.)
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!!
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Working on creating an exercise schedule.
*************************************
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 186.0
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 30 min yoga, concentration on shoulders
Cardio 60 min zumba
Strength
Water: 96 oz + 8 oz = 104 oz.
Food:
Breakfast: 1 mug of coffee; not hungry, time flew, it's lunchtime too early
Lunch: ground beef from the eggplant dish (Mousakas) using onion powder instead of onions
Dinner: sauteed shiitake mushrooms (3 packages) with 1 onion; mixed that with some of the beef leftover from lunch
Snack: 1 cup of celery sticks while reading and watching tv (yeah, yeah, I multi-task, lol - it's a symptom of Adult ADHD I think - tv shows go too slow and commercials are the worst thing for your sanity and your health; I often mute during them; sometimes I do crossword puzzles, but I received a bunch of books yesterday that I wanted to read and then I like dancing, so I was watching the "finals" apparently for SuperStars of Dance, which appears to be an International Dance competition)
Dessert: 4 oz of Coke Zero, one scoop (1/4 cup) of Carb-Smart ice cream by Breyer's (chocolate) - it has 4 net carbs per 1/2 cup, so that was 2 net carbs (and I just double-checked the label to be sure!)
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Up the most it's been yet since i started. Sure, I carbed yesterday, but usually it takes another day or two to show up. Is "TTOTM" coming this week? Another reason to cancel my doctor's visit (which I better do soon as I only have 24 hours to do so FREEly). I actually usually lose just before TTOTM, too. Then gain it back at the end. People vary, that was my body's way normally....even drinking all my water (most important at those times, yes?)
BP: Lately, I'm winded from walking up stairs, from lifting laundry into the washing machine. I can barely make it thru one zumba song, harder in the beginning. So I took it today to see what was going on - even tho I wonder if taking it too often is part of why my left arm hurts so much.
Ketones: skipped today, but so many carbs yesterday would definitely throw me out.
Inspiration for Monday of Week 3 Induction Continues: "What goes up, must come down" ("with a little help from my friends" (me!))
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Not sure what's going on.
Concerned about all the pain in my left arm (hand, elbow, upper arm and shoulder) as well as generally along my left side: arthritis that began in left foot (toe), left knee being "spastic" at times (can kneel on it wrong on the bed even, which you would think was soft enough), left hip usually tightest...now my left arm and shoulder.
My left hand particularly is worse than my right hand when I wake up in the morning, or anytime after falling asleep really, waking with two hands that feel frozen into claws like I'm dead and in rigor mortis. When my fiance drapes his arm around me and rests it on my left arm, it hurts.
These things and the way it makes me feel weak, are driving me nuts. Still, I did the Total Body Sculpt show yesterday with Gilad on FitTV and it was fine. It's the zumba that is the hardest for me to do!! And being an instructor that's doubly hard on me.
Sure, I'm following Beto's video's so they are high-intensity (he's instructing the instructors for one thing), but then I got qualified to teach under Beto and he had us in high-intensity cardio for 9 hours the first day. Also, trying to do zumba on carpet is not a good idea: not a good place to do dance moves - too much friction - and not good to go barefoot. Moving to the wood floor near the kitchen is okay for some moves, but not enough space to do others.
(Btw, Discovery Health (FitTV) is sponsoring a
National Body Challenge where you can get some of Gilad's DVDs and get a free
30-day pass to Bally (be careful there as the Bally gym itself may require you
to sign up with a credit card for 12 months to get 13 months (one free!) - seems
there are always gimmicks like that out there, but still, perhaps you can quit
after the first month with no charge or get the year's membership reversed on
your credit card. If one is near you - this could be good for you!)
I need to get my endurance rate up. Maybe working with a timer in the gym on a bike or elliptical and see how easily I can do 30 min, and that would give me a better measuring stick to see if the carpet is more of the culprit than I think it is.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Not feeling well; getting winded so easily with anything cardio (including laundry, which is usually not a cardio activity.)
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!!
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Working on creating an exercise schedule.
*************************************
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 186.0
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 30 min yoga, concentration on shoulders
Cardio 60 min zumba
Strength
Water: 96 oz + 8 oz = 104 oz.
Food:
Breakfast: 1 mug of coffee; not hungry, time flew, it's lunchtime too early
Lunch: ground beef from the eggplant dish (Mousakas) using onion powder instead of onions
Dinner: sauteed shiitake mushrooms (3 packages) with 1 onion; mixed that with some of the beef leftover from lunch
Snack: 1 cup of celery sticks while reading and watching tv (yeah, yeah, I multi-task, lol - it's a symptom of Adult ADHD I think - tv shows go too slow and commercials are the worst thing for your sanity and your health; I often mute during them; sometimes I do crossword puzzles, but I received a bunch of books yesterday that I wanted to read and then I like dancing, so I was watching the "finals" apparently for SuperStars of Dance, which appears to be an International Dance competition)
Dessert: 4 oz of Coke Zero, one scoop (1/4 cup) of Carb-Smart ice cream by Breyer's (chocolate) - it has 4 net carbs per 1/2 cup, so that was 2 net carbs (and I just double-checked the label to be sure!)
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Up the most it's been yet since i started. Sure, I carbed yesterday, but usually it takes another day or two to show up. Is "TTOTM" coming this week? Another reason to cancel my doctor's visit (which I better do soon as I only have 24 hours to do so FREEly). I actually usually lose just before TTOTM, too. Then gain it back at the end. People vary, that was my body's way normally....even drinking all my water (most important at those times, yes?)
BP: Lately, I'm winded from walking up stairs, from lifting laundry into the washing machine. I can barely make it thru one zumba song, harder in the beginning. So I took it today to see what was going on - even tho I wonder if taking it too often is part of why my left arm hurts so much.
Ketones: skipped today, but so many carbs yesterday would definitely throw me out.
Sunday Day 7 Week 2 Induction, 25 Jan 09
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Sunday of Week 2 Induction: Is exercise the key to freeing my shoulder of pain?
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Today I really don't feel well. My fiance gives me a good massage where my shoulder/back pain feels tighter than ever. We then both apply a massager to it, then he gives me a heat-sticky-pad for it which works really well and I take 4 advil and 2 excedrin (hoping whichever kicks in first will hurry up) and lie down.
We're debating whether exercise will help the tendinitis the most, while the advil will keep the pain from the "early degenerative stages of arthritis" at bay. So, I get inspired to do a sculpting/toning show on FitTV with Gilead. It's not so bad on my body and the moves are good. I write it down on a weekly schedule to do it at least every Sunday, and maybe to find other times it comes on and do it then, too. A bellydance exercise class called Shimmy I had tried before and I did not do this Sunday (tho it's good) as I wanted to try the sculpt class and didn't want to be too tired. I see it is on Tuesday evenings and write that down on my note card as well. I'm on my way to building a weekly workable exercise schedule. I'm liking this FitTV!
The class worked well, I get back on the couch. But I've already started into comfort foods: grilled cheese on LC bread (but 9 carbs a slice) with cream of tomato soup. The canned soup has a lot of carbs per serving, so I will need to make my own in the future, but I'm wanting something comforting and I go for the soup. Later, I follow these up with Low-Carb (Sugar-Free) jello pudding - chocolate! another 24 carbs for the whole box I ingest. But I'm feeling better :)
Low Carb Bread, btw, appears to be a locally produced commodity. In Ohio, I could find it for 6 carbs a slice; in NC, the only one I find has 9 carbs a slice. Regular bread tends to run about 20-24 carbs a slice. Some, like pumpernickel, are lower, tho I don't know why. Pumpernickel is great for fat-free yogurt by the way, tho I have not yet discovered what that is for low carb...probably a great big dessert! Add some lox and cream cheese instead and maybe that works?!?? I'll find out another day.
I try to do my (small) cleaning bit around the house. Yesterday I vacuumed downstairs and halfway up the stairs. I want to finish.
The vacuum is already on the landing, but just moving it up the stairs to finish, then to do the baseboards on the stairs and the downstairs hallway, does something to the pain in my shoulder. I put the vacuum up upstairs and lie down with the massager on my pain again. Two more advil would not be a bad idea. The massager helps and I go back downstairs and lie down for the rest of the day.
My computer needs cleaning up. I delete files I have no idea why I have so many (java) and find out later that apparently I needed one of those -if not all - in order to access my blog. I don't feel well enough to sit up at the one computer that I didn't screw up, so I keep tinkering with my laptop.
Cookies are turned off, it complains. I turn them back on.
Against my better judgment.
Still not enough.
I may just need to do a system restore, then go back and try to delete things again. This has been a frustrating day - between the pain and the computer - and I succumb to more carbs. I have a biscotti leftover from the gingerbread biscottis available only during the holidays. Already I feel better.
I have another biscotti later. Then go for a chocolate one (smaller) before I stop for the night. It should probably matter to me more because they are each about 24 carbs apiece, that I've just eaten about 75 carbs of sugar and flour...and not much else.
I'll be like Scarlett tho and worry about that another day. It's not going to undo my efforts entirely; it's just a little TLC that will set me back. As the saying goes, "Another Day, Another Dollar" and I'll be able to knock the effects off. Plus I know that in the past, when I hit a plateau, a good carb fest somehow knocked me right off the plateau and back into weight loss.
It seems also as if I am more impacted by the exercise than the food, tho I know i have to keep the carbs down. And I notice that I am just getting bored with food again (happens on Atkins).
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Pain in my shoulder, frustration, boredom with food, diminishing possibilities in the fridge, no romaine, no eggs
Inspiration for Sunday of Week 2 Induction: Is exercise the key to freeing my shoulder of pain?
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Today I really don't feel well. My fiance gives me a good massage where my shoulder/back pain feels tighter than ever. We then both apply a massager to it, then he gives me a heat-sticky-pad for it which works really well and I take 4 advil and 2 excedrin (hoping whichever kicks in first will hurry up) and lie down.
We're debating whether exercise will help the tendinitis the most, while the advil will keep the pain from the "early degenerative stages of arthritis" at bay. So, I get inspired to do a sculpting/toning show on FitTV with Gilead. It's not so bad on my body and the moves are good. I write it down on a weekly schedule to do it at least every Sunday, and maybe to find other times it comes on and do it then, too. A bellydance exercise class called Shimmy I had tried before and I did not do this Sunday (tho it's good) as I wanted to try the sculpt class and didn't want to be too tired. I see it is on Tuesday evenings and write that down on my note card as well. I'm on my way to building a weekly workable exercise schedule. I'm liking this FitTV!
The class worked well, I get back on the couch. But I've already started into comfort foods: grilled cheese on LC bread (but 9 carbs a slice) with cream of tomato soup. The canned soup has a lot of carbs per serving, so I will need to make my own in the future, but I'm wanting something comforting and I go for the soup. Later, I follow these up with Low-Carb (Sugar-Free) jello pudding - chocolate! another 24 carbs for the whole box I ingest. But I'm feeling better :)
Low Carb Bread, btw, appears to be a locally produced commodity. In Ohio, I could find it for 6 carbs a slice; in NC, the only one I find has 9 carbs a slice. Regular bread tends to run about 20-24 carbs a slice. Some, like pumpernickel, are lower, tho I don't know why. Pumpernickel is great for fat-free yogurt by the way, tho I have not yet discovered what that is for low carb...probably a great big dessert! Add some lox and cream cheese instead and maybe that works?!?? I'll find out another day.
I try to do my (small) cleaning bit around the house. Yesterday I vacuumed downstairs and halfway up the stairs. I want to finish.
The vacuum is already on the landing, but just moving it up the stairs to finish, then to do the baseboards on the stairs and the downstairs hallway, does something to the pain in my shoulder. I put the vacuum up upstairs and lie down with the massager on my pain again. Two more advil would not be a bad idea. The massager helps and I go back downstairs and lie down for the rest of the day.
My computer needs cleaning up. I delete files I have no idea why I have so many (java) and find out later that apparently I needed one of those -if not all - in order to access my blog. I don't feel well enough to sit up at the one computer that I didn't screw up, so I keep tinkering with my laptop.
Cookies are turned off, it complains. I turn them back on.
Against my better judgment.
Still not enough.
I may just need to do a system restore, then go back and try to delete things again. This has been a frustrating day - between the pain and the computer - and I succumb to more carbs. I have a biscotti leftover from the gingerbread biscottis available only during the holidays. Already I feel better.
I have another biscotti later. Then go for a chocolate one (smaller) before I stop for the night. It should probably matter to me more because they are each about 24 carbs apiece, that I've just eaten about 75 carbs of sugar and flour...and not much else.
I'll be like Scarlett tho and worry about that another day. It's not going to undo my efforts entirely; it's just a little TLC that will set me back. As the saying goes, "Another Day, Another Dollar" and I'll be able to knock the effects off. Plus I know that in the past, when I hit a plateau, a good carb fest somehow knocked me right off the plateau and back into weight loss.
It seems also as if I am more impacted by the exercise than the food, tho I know i have to keep the carbs down. And I notice that I am just getting bored with food again (happens on Atkins).
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Pain in my shoulder, frustration, boredom with food, diminishing possibilities in the fridge, no romaine, no eggs
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily - at least 3x a week, maybe instead.
NEW ASSIGNMENT: . Make sure I get in my strength exercises as well - focus on making sure I get these in.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 184.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 10 min throught the day
Cardio
Strength 30 min
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: eggbeater omelet with onion powder, cinnamon and splenda, 2 maple sausage links, 2 mugs of coffee with S/L and milk, total carbs: 6 carbs for the meal
Lunch: grilled cheese sandwich on Low-Carb bread (9 carbs each) and cream of tomato soup (prob 24 carbs for the soup): 42 carbs for the meal (way over daily limit)
Dinner: cheese toast made in the microwave, 2 slices, second one with italian seasoning - another 18 carbs
Snack: 1 package of Sugar-Free Jello chocolate cook-n-serve pudding (20 carbs) and about 9 cashews (10 carbs? more) - at least 30 carbs
Dessert: 3 biscottis, each about 24 carbs - about 75 carbs total
What's the total carb count? 181??? My last maintainable carb limit (while exercising with a high metabolism) was 100 carbs...I will note that this time, the carb fest did not knock me out (put me to sleep).....
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: up 1 pound - not so good
BP: not taking regularly anymore - will begin to look at it monthly
Ketones: a few more days before I check
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday Day 6 Week 2 Induction, Jan 24, 2009
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Saturday of Week 2 Induction: Stick to your guns!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Weight gain of 1/2 pound when I don't think I did anything "wrong" - could be eating late, or could be exercising (more strength building of muscles, which weighs more than fat). It's probably the exercising, but since I shouldn't eat late anyway, I'll stop doing that just in case.
Not wanting to go to the grocery store. Talked about going last night to avoid crowds on the weekend (figured they'd not be grocery shopping on Friday night). We went to Home Depot and I was right that few would be there on a Friday night either, but we skipped going to the grocery store (the trip to Home Debit got to be longer than originally intended (to pick up a lightbulb and then some air filters).) I have food in the house; it's just boring me.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Needing to go grocery shopping; no plan for today; food is boring me; no romaine lettuce. Feeling good about 183.5 even if up 1/2 pound from yesterday. I worked out good yesterday, ate well - even if I did get hungry and ate late last night - and feel like I could easily just "slip" a little today with no ill effects...so risk to me is that I might slip a little with the food, then with the exercise, and that combo is what will undo me.
Inspiration for Saturday of Week 2 Induction: Stick to your guns!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Weight gain of 1/2 pound when I don't think I did anything "wrong" - could be eating late, or could be exercising (more strength building of muscles, which weighs more than fat). It's probably the exercising, but since I shouldn't eat late anyway, I'll stop doing that just in case.
Not wanting to go to the grocery store. Talked about going last night to avoid crowds on the weekend (figured they'd not be grocery shopping on Friday night). We went to Home Depot and I was right that few would be there on a Friday night either, but we skipped going to the grocery store (the trip to Home Debit got to be longer than originally intended (to pick up a lightbulb and then some air filters).) I have food in the house; it's just boring me.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Needing to go grocery shopping; no plan for today; food is boring me; no romaine lettuce. Feeling good about 183.5 even if up 1/2 pound from yesterday. I worked out good yesterday, ate well - even if I did get hungry and ate late last night - and feel like I could easily just "slip" a little today with no ill effects...so risk to me is that I might slip a little with the food, then with the exercise, and that combo is what will undo me.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily
NEW ASSIGNMENT: . Make sure I get in my strength exercises as well.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 183.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise: Nothing this saturday, coupla minutes stretching, coupla minutes strength
Stretching 2 min
Cardio
Strength 2 min
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 6 slices of bacon, 2 mugs of coffee with S/L and milk, and 3 oz of cream cheese with cinnamon and splenda
Lunch: boiled chicken in a dish called Lemon Chicken, including some onion and 8 black (kalamata) olives
Dinner: more chicken, about 4-6 more olives
Snack:
Dessert: SF jello pudding (peach) - about 3-4 cups of it I think
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: up 1/2 pound, and worked out well. Could be eating late last night, or perhaps the workouts are increasing my muscle tone???? (could be - I'll not worry about that, but make sure I don't eat late again, just in case that's what it is in stead)....
BP: not taking regularly anymore - will begin to look at it monthly
Ketones: a few more days before I check
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday Day 5 Week 2 Induction, Jan 23, 2009
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Friday of Week 2 Induction: Back on the wagon!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Birthday's over, but the moussakas remains (yum - it's breakfast again because I LOST WEIGHT yesterday to today!!! so I guess it is not too many of the group 2 veggies that I can't overeat. After today, sadly, it will be all gone.
Hmmmm - need to come up with another winner dish to eat all week for next week. I also should see how much it cost in ingredients (can't really factor in oven use or my time, as a restaurant would have to) so I can price it. I had gotten the beef on sale for $1.98 (a real deal around here where they want to charge over $3 for fatty ground beef)
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Re-affirming myself to action - making sure I work out today even while I know I have to work on other things...balancing my work/exercise schedule so I make time for myself, even if only 15 min at a time!
Inspiration for Friday of Week 2 Induction: Back on the wagon!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Birthday's over, but the moussakas remains (yum - it's breakfast again because I LOST WEIGHT yesterday to today!!! so I guess it is not too many of the group 2 veggies that I can't overeat. After today, sadly, it will be all gone.
Hmmmm - need to come up with another winner dish to eat all week for next week. I also should see how much it cost in ingredients (can't really factor in oven use or my time, as a restaurant would have to) so I can price it. I had gotten the beef on sale for $1.98 (a real deal around here where they want to charge over $3 for fatty ground beef)
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Re-affirming myself to action - making sure I work out today even while I know I have to work on other things...balancing my work/exercise schedule so I make time for myself, even if only 15 min at a time!
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!! Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily
NEW ASSIGNMENT: . Make sure I get in my strength exercises as well. Need a new exercise I haven't done in 60 days - a challenge from one of my eDiets Support Groups - what can I do? Any suggestions?????? (HELP! I have til Sunday to do this!!!)
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 183.0
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 15 min
Cardio 45 min
Strength 15 min
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 1 portions (of 8 in a casserole) of Moussakas (greek eggplant casserole), 3 mugs of coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: another portion of Moussakas
Dinner: leftover chicken a' la king (no veggies since I already ate those in the moussakas
Snack: 1 cups of romaine, 1 cup of celery, some Coke Zero, 4 slices of Lebanon bologne
Dessert: my "breakfast crepe omelet" of eggbeaters with splenda, cinnamon and onion powder - plus I had two pre-cooked sausage links - all before going to bed
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: going down again - YAY!!! - this is great news - going down more after not exercising and then having the yummy crablegs PLUS having the moussakas for breakfast and lunch....maybe it's worth eating the yucky lettuce and the almost-intolerable celery sticks???
BP: not taking regularly anymore - will begin to look at it monthly
Ketones: a few more days before I check
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thurs Day 4 Week 2 Induction
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Thursday of Week 2 Induction: It's my party, and I'll diet if I want to, diet if I want to...you would diet too if you had the guts to(too)!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
It's my birthday - do I have to follow the rules? Well, duh. If I'm in induction, and my weight loss and health supercede an "annual" event (i.e., a once-a-year happening that will occur again), then my priority is to induction and not to indulgement.
However, a friend on one of my ediets support groups (the "Strictly Atkins" group) gave me a great idea: all-you-can-eat crab legs! I love crab (if you haven't figured that out yet, it's because I haven't made the crab/seafood omelet with hollandaise sauce yet this week - maybe this weekend, huh?)
Inspiration for Thursday of Week 2 Induction: It's my party, and I'll diet if I want to, diet if I want to...you would diet too if you had the guts to(too)!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
It's my birthday - do I have to follow the rules? Well, duh. If I'm in induction, and my weight loss and health supercede an "annual" event (i.e., a once-a-year happening that will occur again), then my priority is to induction and not to indulgement.
However, a friend on one of my ediets support groups (the "Strictly Atkins" group) gave me a great idea: all-you-can-eat crab legs! I love crab (if you haven't figured that out yet, it's because I haven't made the crab/seafood omelet with hollandaise sauce yet this week - maybe this weekend, huh?)
So, the search was on and we went to Joe's Crab Shack, even tho the nearest locations had closed and we had to drive an hour. They have dungeness crab on the menu - this is the sweetest most succulent crabmeat ever - comes from the Pacific northwest (think Seattle!) area. No one else had that on the menu, so we made a "road trip" out of it and I had the triple crab bucket and skipped the potatoes and corn-on-the-cob that came with it. I also had some lobster bisque soup for an appetizer. There may be some carbs in it (to thicken it) but there were definitely carbs in everything else and since I stuck with NO carbs for the main entree (crabs and garlic butter messy-yummy-um-um-good!)
For dessert, I promised myself some low-carb ice cream (Breyer's makes this) ..Breyer's has rocky road (which is so good for Low-Carb that it's dangerous for me to have in the house) and chocolate in addition to the good stand-by of Butter Pecan (the pecans and buttery flavor offset the lack of sugar). I stuck to the portion size (because I was in Induction still) and noted that while net carbs were 4 per 1/2 cup of ice cream, there were some sugar alcohols. This is important to note because sugar alcohols affect different people in different ways. I'm not sure how I react to them, but generally speaking, you don't want to add those in during Induction (which is very likely if you use bars and shakes, so I don't in Induction.)
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Birthday - wanting to be good to myself and have something fun for me today.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!!
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 184.0
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise: skipped today since we drove so far and back for dinner (out of time)
Stretching
Cardio
Strength
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 1 portions (of 8 in a casserole) of Moussakas (greek eggplant casserole), 3 mugs of coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: another portion of Moussakas
Dinner: crab legs with garlic butter, lobster bisque, diet coke
Snack: 2 cups of romaine leaves at home (they were out of romaine at the restaurant and iceberg is a wasted effort, plus they were going to add in carrots, which are a no-no during induction)
Dessert: 1/2 cup of low-carb Breyer's ice cream (4 net carbs) - there may be other brands that are good in your area, be sure to try them all over time to find your personal favorites
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: going down again - YAY!!!
BP: not taking regularly anymore - will begin to look at it monthly
Ketones: a few more days before I check
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Recipe for Low Carb Moussaka (or Mousakas)
I love unusual recipes - part of having moved around globally growing up I'm sure, and Moussaka (or Mousakas) wa the first dish that made me fall in love with eggplant. I've discovered others since, but it's always been my favorite.
It didn't take much to make this dish low-carb, but I also need to watch the vegetables in here because they fall under the 2nd category of vegetables for Atkins: those where we are limited to one cup while we're in Induction (while having 2 cups of the other, more leafy green, vegetables.) The veggies in here are Eggplant, Onion, and Tomatoes (in the form of tomatoe paste).
There's also a little bit of cheese, and we're to keep under 4 oz of cheese per day while in Induction as well. Not a problem in this recipe (only 1/2 cup of parmesan in the whole recipe, but something to keep track of for the day.
The only tweaks I had to do was replace the flour and the sugar. Since sugar was not needed as a "cooking" ingredient, it was a "no effect" replacement with splenda. I went one-for-one as it was only a pinch, too.
For flour, I'd used Atkins Bake Mix in the past and it was a perfect substitute. I can't find it nowadays, so I had bought some Almond flour from an online health food store (netrition.com) and had that on the shelf. Local health food stores most likely carry it as well. It turned out to be an interesting choice.
The flour was used in the cream sauce, which has to thicken with egg yolks. It's initially browned in butter (like the beginning of most sauces - white sauce, alfredos, and even a good roux), but it was really nuts, so I thought of how I "brown" nuts and how quickly they start to turn. Word to self: not to overdo this. Generally we want to cook the wheat flour, but in this case, not to overcook or burn the nut flour. It also starts out darker. So, just a few minutes on the heat.
The cream seemed to be getting a bit lumpy when it was supposed to be thickening. This is not looking good. I use a whisk to stir it, hoping to defeat that. I am dubious about the outcome, but let it cook longer on the stovetop in order to thicken as much as it can before I add it to the layering process. Luckily, it's poured over the top of the eggplant and meat layers and it works out perfectly well. The texture is just a bit nuttier, as is the flavor, but the dish is still fabulous!
More greek and middle eastern recipes good for atkins can be found on the Atkins official website. I may try some of them myself next as I love meditteranean cuisine. If you do, let me know how you like them.
Here's the original recipe - taken from Middle Eastern Cooking by Rose Dosti, no longer in publication, but worth a search for any copy anywhere you can find it - and my notes on altering it for low-carb.
Eggplant Casserole ~ Mousakas (Greece)
Meat Sauce, see below
Cream Sauce, see below
2 large eggplants, unpeeled
Salt
Oil for frying
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (3/4 oz.)
Meat Sauce:
2 T butter or marg (butter for Low-Carb)
1 onion, chopped
1-1/2 lbs ground lean beef (I use higher fat, then blot the oil out with paper towels)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of sugar (Splenda for Low-Carb)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (no stems)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Cream Sauce:
2-1/2 cups milk (whole milk for Low-Carb)
6 T butter or marg (butter for Low-Carb)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (Almond flour for Low Carb, or Atkins Baking Mix)
6 egg yolks
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (3/4 oz.)
Salt and freshly ground WHITE pepper to taste
This is a layered dish that is easy to make once the layers are prepared. Begin by preparing the Meat Sauce and then the Cream Sauce. Set aside. Then prepare the eggplant layers.
Meat Sauce:
Saute onion in butter until translucent, then add ground beef and brown. Add in remainint ingredients, stirring thoroughly and let cook to marry the flavors. Ms. Dosti adds all the ingredients but the tomato paste to the beef while it is browning, then cooks 3 min after adding the tomato paste. I have found that just about anything goes, as long as you brown the beef and stir well after adding the tomato paste.
Cream Sauce:
Heat milk until it begins to bubble around the edges. I've found using the microwave in spurts (cook, stir, check, in short bursts) works well, but Ms. Dosti recommends using a 1 quart saucepan. This is not used again, so I like a cup measure in the microwave to reduce stove top use and the number of dirty pots and pans. Do not burn the milk in any case, nor create a skin over it. If that happens, just remove the skin and go on.
Next, brown the flour in the butter, basically stirring costantly over a low heat. After browning, gradually add the hot milk and stir constantly until thickened. Note that using almond flour, it does not thicken much at this point.
Beat the egg yolks in a separate small bowl and add a small amount of the hot milk mixture to the eggs, stirring so that you raise the temperature and can safely add the yolks to the saucepan without cooking the eggs.
Stir in nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, salt and white pepper. (Black pepper is not a good substitute here; cayenne (red) pepper may be an alternative, but it will change the flavors).
Continue cooking and stirring sauce until it thickens. As said above, this almond flour mixture did not thicken as it does with flour or Atkins Baking Mix, so cook over low, stirring occasionally, as you complete the eggplants.
Eggplants:
Leaving unpeeled, cut eggplants into 1/2-inch medallion slices. Sprinkly lightly with salt Let stand 15 minutes to leach out bitter flavor. Pat dry with paper towels. Repeat on other side.
Cooking the eggplants. These can be either fried or broiled. Eggplants are notorious for soaking up oil, so I did some by frying and broiled the others. Those fried will absorb more oil and be tastier, but I had so many slices to do that I had to fry 3 batches and broil 2 batches. For broiling, brush with oil and broil 3" from Hi-broiler until golden brown (about 3-4 min) then turn and brown the other side. When frying, put about 1/2" of oil in a frying pan and fry 3-4 at a time for 3 min per side. Drain the eggplant on paper towels while finishing the rest.
To layer the casserole:
Start with 1/3 of the eggplant slices, then 1/2 of the meat sauce, repeating til all is gone, and you end with the last 1/3 of the eggplants on top. Pour the cream sauce over, spreading it into the corners and letting it fill in the dish, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown on top. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
I'll post nutritional information as I get it, but the Almond flour I used (Bob's Red Mill) has 6 carbs in 1/4 cup, 3 of which are dietary fiber, so net 3 carbs in 1/4 cup. This recipe called for 1/2 cup, so the total for 8 servings is 6 net carbs. The tomato paste (Del Monte's Organic, but it was on sale, regular is the same) is 6 carbs per 2 T, and 1 carb is dietary fiber, so 5 net carbs for the entire recipe (which was only 2 T). Eggplant, onions, and parmesan cheese are the only other ingredients with significant measurable carbs, while there is some in parsley as well.
In addition, we need to eat less than 1 cup of the eggplant and onions per day while on Induction. If you're in OWL (on-going weight loss), you simply need to measure your total carbs. Adding a salad during the day should help you get the other 2 cups of leafy (think romaine) vegetables you need. [Note that spinach is in the 2nd list and is not part of the 2 cups, but part of the 1 cup allowance. ]
Eggplant: 2.5 carbs in 1/2 cup of raw eggplant. How many cups in 2 large eggplants? 4 cups? 6 cups
Onion: 6.9 carbs in 1/2 cup of raw onion. How many in 1 large sweet onion? 1? 1-1/2?
Parsley: 1.9 carbs in 1/2 cup of fresh, 1/2 carb in 1 tsp of dried (I used fresh)?
Parmesan cheese: .2 carbs per 1 oz; approx 8 oz in 1/2 cup?
Black/white peppers: 1.3-1.4 carbs in 1 tsp - approx 1/2 tsp used in each "to taste"?
Casserole:
From the eggplant: 20-30 carbs per casserole
From the onion: 14-21 carbs per casserole
From the parsley: 1.9 carbs per casserole
From the parmesan cheese: 1.6 carbs per casserole
From the almond flour: 6 net carbs per casserole
From the tomato paste: 5 net carbs per casserole
From the peppers (black and white): 1.3-1.4 carbs per casserole
Total per 8 servings in casserole: 50-67 per casserole, or 6.3-8.4 carbs per portion
(or 12.6-16.8 if you eat two portions - in which case, have to very carefully count the other carbs during the day.) Be sure to measure how many cups your eggplant and onions are, as these are less exact.
It didn't take much to make this dish low-carb, but I also need to watch the vegetables in here because they fall under the 2nd category of vegetables for Atkins: those where we are limited to one cup while we're in Induction (while having 2 cups of the other, more leafy green, vegetables.) The veggies in here are Eggplant, Onion, and Tomatoes (in the form of tomatoe paste).
There's also a little bit of cheese, and we're to keep under 4 oz of cheese per day while in Induction as well. Not a problem in this recipe (only 1/2 cup of parmesan in the whole recipe, but something to keep track of for the day.
The only tweaks I had to do was replace the flour and the sugar. Since sugar was not needed as a "cooking" ingredient, it was a "no effect" replacement with splenda. I went one-for-one as it was only a pinch, too.
For flour, I'd used Atkins Bake Mix in the past and it was a perfect substitute. I can't find it nowadays, so I had bought some Almond flour from an online health food store (netrition.com) and had that on the shelf. Local health food stores most likely carry it as well. It turned out to be an interesting choice.
The flour was used in the cream sauce, which has to thicken with egg yolks. It's initially browned in butter (like the beginning of most sauces - white sauce, alfredos, and even a good roux), but it was really nuts, so I thought of how I "brown" nuts and how quickly they start to turn. Word to self: not to overdo this. Generally we want to cook the wheat flour, but in this case, not to overcook or burn the nut flour. It also starts out darker. So, just a few minutes on the heat.
The cream seemed to be getting a bit lumpy when it was supposed to be thickening. This is not looking good. I use a whisk to stir it, hoping to defeat that. I am dubious about the outcome, but let it cook longer on the stovetop in order to thicken as much as it can before I add it to the layering process. Luckily, it's poured over the top of the eggplant and meat layers and it works out perfectly well. The texture is just a bit nuttier, as is the flavor, but the dish is still fabulous!
More greek and middle eastern recipes good for atkins can be found on the Atkins official website. I may try some of them myself next as I love meditteranean cuisine. If you do, let me know how you like them.
Here's the original recipe - taken from Middle Eastern Cooking by Rose Dosti, no longer in publication, but worth a search for any copy anywhere you can find it - and my notes on altering it for low-carb.
Eggplant Casserole ~ Mousakas (Greece)
Meat Sauce, see below
Cream Sauce, see below
2 large eggplants, unpeeled
Salt
Oil for frying
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (3/4 oz.)
Meat Sauce:
2 T butter or marg (butter for Low-Carb)
1 onion, chopped
1-1/2 lbs ground lean beef (I use higher fat, then blot the oil out with paper towels)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of sugar (Splenda for Low-Carb)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (no stems)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Cream Sauce:
2-1/2 cups milk (whole milk for Low-Carb)
6 T butter or marg (butter for Low-Carb)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (Almond flour for Low Carb, or Atkins Baking Mix)
6 egg yolks
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (3/4 oz.)
Salt and freshly ground WHITE pepper to taste
This is a layered dish that is easy to make once the layers are prepared. Begin by preparing the Meat Sauce and then the Cream Sauce. Set aside. Then prepare the eggplant layers.
Meat Sauce:
Saute onion in butter until translucent, then add ground beef and brown. Add in remainint ingredients, stirring thoroughly and let cook to marry the flavors. Ms. Dosti adds all the ingredients but the tomato paste to the beef while it is browning, then cooks 3 min after adding the tomato paste. I have found that just about anything goes, as long as you brown the beef and stir well after adding the tomato paste.
Cream Sauce:
Heat milk until it begins to bubble around the edges. I've found using the microwave in spurts (cook, stir, check, in short bursts) works well, but Ms. Dosti recommends using a 1 quart saucepan. This is not used again, so I like a cup measure in the microwave to reduce stove top use and the number of dirty pots and pans. Do not burn the milk in any case, nor create a skin over it. If that happens, just remove the skin and go on.
Next, brown the flour in the butter, basically stirring costantly over a low heat. After browning, gradually add the hot milk and stir constantly until thickened. Note that using almond flour, it does not thicken much at this point.
Beat the egg yolks in a separate small bowl and add a small amount of the hot milk mixture to the eggs, stirring so that you raise the temperature and can safely add the yolks to the saucepan without cooking the eggs.
Stir in nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, salt and white pepper. (Black pepper is not a good substitute here; cayenne (red) pepper may be an alternative, but it will change the flavors).
Continue cooking and stirring sauce until it thickens. As said above, this almond flour mixture did not thicken as it does with flour or Atkins Baking Mix, so cook over low, stirring occasionally, as you complete the eggplants.
Eggplants:
Leaving unpeeled, cut eggplants into 1/2-inch medallion slices. Sprinkly lightly with salt Let stand 15 minutes to leach out bitter flavor. Pat dry with paper towels. Repeat on other side.
Cooking the eggplants. These can be either fried or broiled. Eggplants are notorious for soaking up oil, so I did some by frying and broiled the others. Those fried will absorb more oil and be tastier, but I had so many slices to do that I had to fry 3 batches and broil 2 batches. For broiling, brush with oil and broil 3" from Hi-broiler until golden brown (about 3-4 min) then turn and brown the other side. When frying, put about 1/2" of oil in a frying pan and fry 3-4 at a time for 3 min per side. Drain the eggplant on paper towels while finishing the rest.
To layer the casserole:
Start with 1/3 of the eggplant slices, then 1/2 of the meat sauce, repeating til all is gone, and you end with the last 1/3 of the eggplants on top. Pour the cream sauce over, spreading it into the corners and letting it fill in the dish, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until golden brown on top. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before cutting and serving.
I'll post nutritional information as I get it, but the Almond flour I used (Bob's Red Mill) has 6 carbs in 1/4 cup, 3 of which are dietary fiber, so net 3 carbs in 1/4 cup. This recipe called for 1/2 cup, so the total for 8 servings is 6 net carbs. The tomato paste (Del Monte's Organic, but it was on sale, regular is the same) is 6 carbs per 2 T, and 1 carb is dietary fiber, so 5 net carbs for the entire recipe (which was only 2 T). Eggplant, onions, and parmesan cheese are the only other ingredients with significant measurable carbs, while there is some in parsley as well.
In addition, we need to eat less than 1 cup of the eggplant and onions per day while on Induction. If you're in OWL (on-going weight loss), you simply need to measure your total carbs. Adding a salad during the day should help you get the other 2 cups of leafy (think romaine) vegetables you need. [Note that spinach is in the 2nd list and is not part of the 2 cups, but part of the 1 cup allowance. ]
Eggplant: 2.5 carbs in 1/2 cup of raw eggplant. How many cups in 2 large eggplants? 4 cups? 6 cups
Onion: 6.9 carbs in 1/2 cup of raw onion. How many in 1 large sweet onion? 1? 1-1/2?
Parsley: 1.9 carbs in 1/2 cup of fresh, 1/2 carb in 1 tsp of dried (I used fresh)?
Parmesan cheese: .2 carbs per 1 oz; approx 8 oz in 1/2 cup?
Black/white peppers: 1.3-1.4 carbs in 1 tsp - approx 1/2 tsp used in each "to taste"?
Casserole:
From the eggplant: 20-30 carbs per casserole
From the onion: 14-21 carbs per casserole
From the parsley: 1.9 carbs per casserole
From the parmesan cheese: 1.6 carbs per casserole
From the almond flour: 6 net carbs per casserole
From the tomato paste: 5 net carbs per casserole
From the peppers (black and white): 1.3-1.4 carbs per casserole
Total per 8 servings in casserole: 50-67 per casserole, or 6.3-8.4 carbs per portion
(or 12.6-16.8 if you eat two portions - in which case, have to very carefully count the other carbs during the day.) Be sure to measure how many cups your eggplant and onions are, as these are less exact.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Wed Day 3 Week 2 Induction, 21 Jan 09
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Wednesday of Week 2 Induction: 20 carbs, 20 carbs *******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Working on finding a source to check the nutritional value of my low carb recipe for Mousakas - not having any luck. I had to add up the individual ingredients by hand. eDiets used to have a nutrition tracker that did this; wonder why they got rid of that attribute. Frustrating.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Snow: closing roads, traffic that may/may not know how to drive in snow (traffic hazards), closed facilities...lack of snow plows and presence of hills around here...need to check on where the salt is laid down before I try to head out of here. Have dental cleaning at noon, nearby; need to get to the pharmacy. Not too far. The gym is on the busiest road in town, tho.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!!
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily.
Vitals:
BP - not taking for a while
Weight: 184.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 10 min
Cardio 30 min
Strength 15 min
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 1-1/2 portions (of 8 in a casserole) of Moussaka (greek eggplant casserole), 3 mugs of coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: 6 chicken wings and 1 cup of celery
Dinner: chicken a' la king (low carb recipe) - ate only sauce and chicken as I had all the veggies earlier.
Snack: 1 cup romaine
Dessert: 1/2 -1 cup SF jello
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Glad that the weight dropped - WOO WEE - now if I can just keep it up!
BP: not taking daily anymore.
Ketones: a few more days before I'll check this again
Inspiration for Wednesday of Week 2 Induction: 20 carbs, 20 carbs *******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Working on finding a source to check the nutritional value of my low carb recipe for Mousakas - not having any luck. I had to add up the individual ingredients by hand. eDiets used to have a nutrition tracker that did this; wonder why they got rid of that attribute. Frustrating.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Snow: closing roads, traffic that may/may not know how to drive in snow (traffic hazards), closed facilities...lack of snow plows and presence of hills around here...need to check on where the salt is laid down before I try to head out of here. Have dental cleaning at noon, nearby; need to get to the pharmacy. Not too far. The gym is on the busiest road in town, tho.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!!
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily.
Vitals:
BP - not taking for a while
Weight: 184.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 10 min
Cardio 30 min
Strength 15 min
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 1-1/2 portions (of 8 in a casserole) of Moussaka (greek eggplant casserole), 3 mugs of coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: 6 chicken wings and 1 cup of celery
Dinner: chicken a' la king (low carb recipe) - ate only sauce and chicken as I had all the veggies earlier.
Snack: 1 cup romaine
Dessert: 1/2 -1 cup SF jello
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Glad that the weight dropped - WOO WEE - now if I can just keep it up!
BP: not taking daily anymore.
Ketones: a few more days before I'll check this again
Tues Day 2 Week 2 Induction - Jan 20, 2009
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Tuesday of Week 2 Induction: What's it gonna be? Yes? or No???
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
It snowed last night. After warm temps in the 40s, the ground not frozen, it snowed several inches and is sticking.
...
Dentist's receptionist just called from her home - closed for the day. Smart move.
...
Fiance called; he's heading home, early. It's 1:30. Time to get my zumba in gear if I'm gonna get any done today.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Snow: closing roads, traffic that may/may not know how to drive in snow (traffic hazards), closed facilities...lack of snow plows and presence of hills around here...need to check on where the salt is laid down before I try to head out of here. Have dental cleaning at noon, nearby; need to get to the pharmacy. Not too far. The gym is on the busiest road in town, tho.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!!
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 185.5 (after coffee and lebanon bologne) - surprisingly no change from yesterday
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 5 min
Cardio 50 min
Strength 10 min
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 2 mugs of coffee, 2 slices of thinly sliced Lebanon Bologne.
Lunch: 6 slices of bacon, another mug of coffee with S/L and milk.
Dinner: 2-1/2 servings (of 8 portions in a 13x9 casserole dish) of Moussaka, a greek eggplant dish, altered to be low carb. Surprisingly my ground beef goulash stuff I make is almost the same recipe, although when making the meat by itself, I add a few other optional ingredients and change the amount of herbs and spices, and tomatoes/paste. I will find a place to check the entire recipe to determine the nutrional value of one portion. I used ground almond flour (from a health food store, or some health food sections in grocery stores) instead of regular flour, milk as the recipe called for (tho perhaps cream would have added fewer carbs). I'll post the recipe - and the alterations and their effects - on another post (and add a link to it from here).
Snack:
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: glad to see it hasn't risen more already...
BP:
Ketones: skipping since I was already getting "out" of ketosis and yesterday was sure to blow it - will check again in a few days
Inspiration for Tuesday of Week 2 Induction: What's it gonna be? Yes? or No???
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
It snowed last night. After warm temps in the 40s, the ground not frozen, it snowed several inches and is sticking.
I look out the window and Bailey is lying in the snow, licking something, maybe the snow off his paws. I need to take him some fresh water and food. He loves this weather, and tho the wind may blow a bit today, he's well-insulated. My last old english would put his nose in the snow and run like a plow whenever he got out in the snow. This baby went for a "walk-about" down the street one Saturday blizzard back in Ohio. I had to search to find the street so I could walk in just a foot of snow. He bounced back thru the yards, happy as a lark, then abruptly sat down, exhausted. It's tough running through 3 feet of snow! I won't try it today, even in 4 inches. At my age, I could slip easily.
I need to find my boots....
Dentist's receptionist just called from her home - closed for the day. Smart move.
...
Fiance called; he's heading home, early. It's 1:30. Time to get my zumba in gear if I'm gonna get any done today.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Snow: closing roads, traffic that may/may not know how to drive in snow (traffic hazards), closed facilities...lack of snow plows and presence of hills around here...need to check on where the salt is laid down before I try to head out of here. Have dental cleaning at noon, nearby; need to get to the pharmacy. Not too far. The gym is on the busiest road in town, tho.
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it. The follow-up checkup is already scheduled for March.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction continues: Food, Water, Exercise!!
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Plan the menus, work the plan. 30 minutes of zumba daily.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 185.5 (after coffee and lebanon bologne) - surprisingly no change from yesterday
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 5 min
Cardio 50 min
Strength 10 min
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 2 mugs of coffee, 2 slices of thinly sliced Lebanon Bologne.
Lunch: 6 slices of bacon, another mug of coffee with S/L and milk.
Dinner: 2-1/2 servings (of 8 portions in a 13x9 casserole dish) of Moussaka, a greek eggplant dish, altered to be low carb. Surprisingly my ground beef goulash stuff I make is almost the same recipe, although when making the meat by itself, I add a few other optional ingredients and change the amount of herbs and spices, and tomatoes/paste. I will find a place to check the entire recipe to determine the nutrional value of one portion. I used ground almond flour (from a health food store, or some health food sections in grocery stores) instead of regular flour, milk as the recipe called for (tho perhaps cream would have added fewer carbs). I'll post the recipe - and the alterations and their effects - on another post (and add a link to it from here).
Snack:
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: glad to see it hasn't risen more already...
BP:
Ketones: skipping since I was already getting "out" of ketosis and yesterday was sure to blow it - will check again in a few days
Monday, January 19, 2009
Mon Day 1 Week 2 Induction
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Day 1 of Week 2 Induction: Help me Make it Thru the Day!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
We're driving up to Red Robin's (Gourmet Burgers - capitalized, you know?) and I have a free BD burger coupon in my purse.
I'm okay for most of the rest of the store - I've got a list and a helper (he may pick up carbs for himself, but he also wants to get out of the store quickly. That helps.)
Doesn't quite seem like I just ate. Carbs must be working on me.
At home I go to put milk away and remove the old and a gallon of old milk falls on the floor and the cap flies off. Milk begins pouring onto the area rug on top of the wood floor, then soaking in quickly. Not good.
We clean the rug, then I clean the floor with wood cleaner, then we pull out the fridge so I can get underneath it. I wipe, then sweep, then clean again.
Do you ever have days like this?
Particularly early in a diet?
I think early days are the hardest - so many things to remember to do, so many changes going on (plus the side effects as we "detox," too).
It's okay to give up for a day - but don't give in completely and don't give up. Give yourelf a break. Then come back tomorrow or the next. It's never over until we give up.
I think I'll have a nap today and go to the gym tomorrow.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Other people's schedules (holiday), dental visit in the morning for about 90 min (and wa-a-a-y too early (8 am!)), forgetfulness
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction Week - all systems go! (Food, Water, Exercise)
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Look ahead each day to the next day's menu; make sure it's ready to go; plan my meals (& work my plan!) - get back in the groove.
Vitals:
BP - At 4:10 pm, before my nap: 103/68 pulse 43
Weight: 185.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise: None, a little stretching
Stretching 5 min
Cardio
Strength
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of coffee w/ S/L and milk, then bacon and leftover cream cheese "cake"
Lunch: Red Robin's Bleu Ribbon Burger (1/2) (bleu cheese on a burger, with steak sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion straws), onion straws, and 2 diet cokes (no coke zero, no pepsi one at this store - let's start a campaign to get them into restaurants!!)
Dinner: 1 avocado, 7 cashews
Snack: 4 oz of coke zero (was feeling sick after cleaning up behind the fridge - see BP below- skipped the soda initially (to help calm the nausea) so I would drink my water, then napped and had a little coke afterwards)
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Up 1/2 pound again - down 2 pounds for the week, but latest trend is going up, so gotta get back "on the wagon" so to speak.
BP: Taken when I was feeling weak and nauseaus after cleaning up the spilt milk and putting away most of the groceries (before I took the nap). Wondering whazzup with this; fiance says not to let these numbers (any of the BP numbers) get me upset. I don't; just wondering. I wonder if taking my BP makes my arm hurt more as I wake up with more arthritis in my left hand, and my left arm is in pain more, but I think it's probably just offsetting the tendinitis in the shoulder (the arm pain) and the arthritis is just what it is. Still it bugs me that it's gotten worse this year as well. Step-in-step with the tendinitis it seems.
Ketones: Pretty sure if I wasn't in ketosis anymore, after today's little binge I am out now! Another goal!
Inspiration for Day 1 of Week 2 Induction: Help me Make it Thru the Day!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
We're driving up to Red Robin's (Gourmet Burgers - capitalized, you know?) and I have a free BD burger coupon in my purse.
Initially I'm thinking I'll order it without the bun and have a side salad. Red Robin even offers a burger like that wrapped in lettuce. But their onion straws are killers, so I change my mind and do the following instead: Bleu (cheese) Ribbon burger - the bun will be about 25 carbs for the top and bottom, and onion straws ilo fries (note: "ilo" is my 'breviation for "in lieu of") - carbs TBD.
I make sure the server won't bring any free dessert or sing to me and order a diet cola (as a treat instead of water) instead of a sugary lemonade or an alcoholic drink like a Mai Tai (loaded with sugar as well as having alcohol), so I compromise on the diet soda.
I stop eating when I feel satisfied and that is only about 1/2 - 2/3 of the burger. I ate most of the side onion straws and guess they are about 25 carbs also. So wa-a-ay over my induction limits. If I'm truly not in ketosis, I'll fall out now for sure and have to restart.
I need to up my metabolimsm thru exercise to offset this, much less other effects not exercising is having. Could gain 2 lbs from this. Making sure I drink my water. Also not to add other sugary foods "just because" I already exceeded food carb limits for today.
...
MLK Day and just back from grocery shopping after lunch. I pick up Lebanon Bologne in the deli after checking the carb counter, but the desserts next door look scrumptious. I force myself to stop salivating and walk past.
I'm okay for most of the rest of the store - I've got a list and a helper (he may pick up carbs for himself, but he also wants to get out of the store quickly. That helps.)
Doesn't quite seem like I just ate. Carbs must be working on me.
At home I go to put milk away and remove the old and a gallon of old milk falls on the floor and the cap flies off. Milk begins pouring onto the area rug on top of the wood floor, then soaking in quickly. Not good.
We clean the rug, then I clean the floor with wood cleaner, then we pull out the fridge so I can get underneath it. I wipe, then sweep, then clean again.
Do you ever have days like this?
Particularly early in a diet?
I think early days are the hardest - so many things to remember to do, so many changes going on (plus the side effects as we "detox," too).
It's okay to give up for a day - but don't give in completely and don't give up. Give yourelf a break. Then come back tomorrow or the next. It's never over until we give up.
I think I'll have a nap today and go to the gym tomorrow.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Other people's schedules (holiday), dental visit in the morning for about 90 min (and wa-a-a-y too early (8 am!)), forgetfulness
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction Week - all systems go! (Food, Water, Exercise)
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Look ahead each day to the next day's menu; make sure it's ready to go; plan my meals (& work my plan!) - get back in the groove.
Vitals:
BP - At 4:10 pm, before my nap: 103/68 pulse 43
Weight: 185.5
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise: None, a little stretching
Stretching 5 min
Cardio
Strength
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of coffee w/ S/L and milk, then bacon and leftover cream cheese "cake"
Lunch: Red Robin's Bleu Ribbon Burger (1/2) (bleu cheese on a burger, with steak sauce, lettuce, tomato, and onion straws), onion straws, and 2 diet cokes (no coke zero, no pepsi one at this store - let's start a campaign to get them into restaurants!!)
Dinner: 1 avocado, 7 cashews
Snack: 4 oz of coke zero (was feeling sick after cleaning up behind the fridge - see BP below- skipped the soda initially (to help calm the nausea) so I would drink my water, then napped and had a little coke afterwards)
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: Up 1/2 pound again - down 2 pounds for the week, but latest trend is going up, so gotta get back "on the wagon" so to speak.
BP: Taken when I was feeling weak and nauseaus after cleaning up the spilt milk and putting away most of the groceries (before I took the nap). Wondering whazzup with this; fiance says not to let these numbers (any of the BP numbers) get me upset. I don't; just wondering. I wonder if taking my BP makes my arm hurt more as I wake up with more arthritis in my left hand, and my left arm is in pain more, but I think it's probably just offsetting the tendinitis in the shoulder (the arm pain) and the arthritis is just what it is. Still it bugs me that it's gotten worse this year as well. Step-in-step with the tendinitis it seems.
Ketones: Pretty sure if I wasn't in ketosis anymore, after today's little binge I am out now! Another goal!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Sun Day 7 Week 1 Induction
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Weekend of Week 1 Induction: To Thine Own Self BE TRUE!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Today was a day when I should keep my thoughts to myself. You know what kind of day that is. I holed up in my bed with a book and avoided making any other mistakes (like leaving the room except to eat). It's hard to remember what I ate, in retrospect, but I know I didn't pig out and order pizza. I had to recreate the menu (below) by comparing the day before's and the day after...I tend to make more than one serving so I have more. Not being able to follow my menu because I was missing an ingredient, then having ennui and malaise (boredom, not caring, those kinds of attitudes, you know?) meant I didn't even want to go to the grocery store to fix the problem, just grabbing whatever I thought was OP. By the end of the day, I had not had my lettuce at all, so I was NOT "OP" or "On Program" - I'm not giving up yet. Would you?
Just one of those days we forget about later, or wish we could. Tho the book was good.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Stress, Irritation at others (can work for and against me at various times - how about you?), Not having ingredients ready to make planned meals (not having an eggplant to make moussaka), not caring (big problem for me at times - anger works better, but when I "don't care" I tend to make bigger mistakes in my life)
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to the book as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction Week - all systems go! (Food, Water, Exercise)
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Look ahead each day to the next day's menu; make sure it's ready to go.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 185.0 (up 1/2 pound - first real change in wrong direction)
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise: skipped again...not good...
Stretching
Cardio
Strength
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: leftover beef goulash- ground beef browned with cinnamon, splenda, cayenne pepper, salt, tomatoes and tomatoe paste, parsley - also 2 mugs coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: 6 chicken wings, celery, and ranch dressing
Dinner: 6 strips of bacon and 2 oz of cheddar cheese
Snack:
Dessert: made a cheesecake - kinda - by adding egg beaters and vanilla to my cream cheese with splenda and cinnamon, then cooking a la NY style cheesecake: 15 min at 500 degrees, then down to 200 degrees (only 35 minutes since I only used 8 oz of cream cheese) and let cool in the oven. I sprinkled splenda and cinnamon over the top before I cooked it, and ate it as soon as I could. As a dessert, on Atkins, it was a good change. I stopped at eating all of it - left about 1/2-1/3 for breakfast (after chilling) to see if it was more like a cheesecake later. As a cheesecake, it would fail the test. But, that just means no one else will want any, so there is more for me! Then again, a lot more work when all I did was add eggs to the cream cheese mix I make quickly already. An alternative would be to add cream cheese to the omelet mix I have. What is it with me and cinnamon? Not sure, but seems I can use a lot less salt. And I like it.
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: 185.0 - up 1/2 pound...wrong direction.
BP: Way up after stress-event; normal otherwise, so no issues.
Ketones: Seem to be between a Trace and Small, but not sure. These strips are tinted differently it seems; all I know for sure is it has dropped from "Small"
Inspiration for Weekend of Week 1 Induction: To Thine Own Self BE TRUE!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
Today was a day when I should keep my thoughts to myself. You know what kind of day that is. I holed up in my bed with a book and avoided making any other mistakes (like leaving the room except to eat). It's hard to remember what I ate, in retrospect, but I know I didn't pig out and order pizza. I had to recreate the menu (below) by comparing the day before's and the day after...I tend to make more than one serving so I have more. Not being able to follow my menu because I was missing an ingredient, then having ennui and malaise (boredom, not caring, those kinds of attitudes, you know?) meant I didn't even want to go to the grocery store to fix the problem, just grabbing whatever I thought was OP. By the end of the day, I had not had my lettuce at all, so I was NOT "OP" or "On Program" - I'm not giving up yet. Would you?
Just one of those days we forget about later, or wish we could. Tho the book was good.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Stress, Irritation at others (can work for and against me at various times - how about you?), Not having ingredients ready to make planned meals (not having an eggplant to make moussaka), not caring (big problem for me at times - anger works better, but when I "don't care" I tend to make bigger mistakes in my life)
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to the book as I "work the system."
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction Week - all systems go! (Food, Water, Exercise)
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Look ahead each day to the next day's menu; make sure it's ready to go.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 185.0 (up 1/2 pound - first real change in wrong direction)
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise: skipped again...not good...
Stretching
Cardio
Strength
Water: 96 oz
Food:
Breakfast: leftover beef goulash- ground beef browned with cinnamon, splenda, cayenne pepper, salt, tomatoes and tomatoe paste, parsley - also 2 mugs coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: 6 chicken wings, celery, and ranch dressing
Dinner: 6 strips of bacon and 2 oz of cheddar cheese
Snack:
Dessert: made a cheesecake - kinda - by adding egg beaters and vanilla to my cream cheese with splenda and cinnamon, then cooking a la NY style cheesecake: 15 min at 500 degrees, then down to 200 degrees (only 35 minutes since I only used 8 oz of cream cheese) and let cool in the oven. I sprinkled splenda and cinnamon over the top before I cooked it, and ate it as soon as I could. As a dessert, on Atkins, it was a good change. I stopped at eating all of it - left about 1/2-1/3 for breakfast (after chilling) to see if it was more like a cheesecake later. As a cheesecake, it would fail the test. But, that just means no one else will want any, so there is more for me! Then again, a lot more work when all I did was add eggs to the cream cheese mix I make quickly already. An alternative would be to add cream cheese to the omelet mix I have. What is it with me and cinnamon? Not sure, but seems I can use a lot less salt. And I like it.
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: 185.0 - up 1/2 pound...wrong direction.
BP: Way up after stress-event; normal otherwise, so no issues.
Ketones: Seem to be between a Trace and Small, but not sure. These strips are tinted differently it seems; all I know for sure is it has dropped from "Small"
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Sat Day 6 Week 1 Induction - Jan 17, 2009
"To Thine Own Self be True, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man."
Inspiration for Weekend of Week 1 Induction: To Thine Own Self BE TRUE!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
It's one of the coldest days in NC...at least this morning. Maybe traffic won't be so bad. I don't really feel like going to the grocery store afterwards myself. Will do that later.
Fiance has a headache today; not sure if he feels up to going to a concealed weapons class tonight. Yes? No? Answers affect dinner plans. We stay home in the end; napping too late to really feel like going. Dinner plans turn into "grab" and I look for something OP. I grab chicken wings, then force some lettuce down later.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Not being alone (other's schedules and wants come into play), the RE Investor's seminar scheduled Sat morn, not Thurs morn (same hazards, more traffic to deal with perhaps)
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to book as I "work the system," seems I need to figure out portions with tomatoes - part of the beef dish I love to make.
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction Week - all systems go! (Food, Water, Exercise)
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Look ahead each day to the next day's menu; make sure it's ready to go.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 184.5 - N/C from yesterday, again.
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 2 mins
Cardio zero
Strength zero
Water: 96 oz - managed to get that in, even if everything else was off a bit. Easier in a hot, dry, seminar room (drank 32 oz then).
Food:
Breakfast: egg beaters with cinnamon, onion powder and splenda, as an omelet; 3 precooked maple sausage links, microwaved for 30 sec., 2 mugs coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: chicken wings with ranch dressing - a lot of them...noticed they have 2 carbs per 5? need to count how many a bit closer; probably had 18? was feeling hungry or irritable
Dinner: made my "beef goulash" with cinnamon, parsley, salt, cayenne, diced tomatoes/paste and browned beef, plus a sprinkling of splenda. Sometimes add chunky mushrooms to it, not tonight. Had 2 leaves of romaine later to finish off the lettuce veggies for the day.
Snack:
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: No change in weight; may not mean anything other than not exercising. May be a reaction to having the avocado yesterday (the book warns that avocadoes and olives may affects some people's weight loss), or could be the jello. The box says there's no carbs. Not sure that could really be true.
BP: Not taking it regularly anymore, but still checking. It's always up after I'm stressed over something, otherwise it's pretty good (118/76 and a pulse of around 60) so I'm not going to stress over it.
Ketones: Didn't check today.
Inspiration for Weekend of Week 1 Induction: To Thine Own Self BE TRUE!
*******************************************
Random Thoughts:
It's one of the coldest days in NC...at least this morning. Maybe traffic won't be so bad. I don't really feel like going to the grocery store afterwards myself. Will do that later.
Fiance has a headache today; not sure if he feels up to going to a concealed weapons class tonight. Yes? No? Answers affect dinner plans. We stay home in the end; napping too late to really feel like going. Dinner plans turn into "grab" and I look for something OP. I grab chicken wings, then force some lettuce down later.
PERSONAL HAZARD (S)- Not being alone (other's schedules and wants come into play), the RE Investor's seminar scheduled Sat morn, not Thurs morn (same hazards, more traffic to deal with perhaps)
******************************************
Assignment:
Progress so far:
Doctor Appt: Did it.
READ THE BOOK: Did what I needed, still referring to book as I "work the system," seems I need to figure out portions with tomatoes - part of the beef dish I love to make.
ONGOING ASSIGNMENT: Induction Week - all systems go! (Food, Water, Exercise)
NEW ASSIGNMENT: Look ahead each day to the next day's menu; make sure it's ready to go.
Vitals:
BP -
Weight: 184.5 - N/C from yesterday, again.
Cholesterol: Numbers from 30 May 08 (Doctor's office):
Total: 250
Trig: 56
HDL: 93
LDL: 146
Vitals that day: Wt: 171 BP: 126/82 Pulse: 72
Exercise:
Stretching 2 mins
Cardio zero
Strength zero
Water: 96 oz - managed to get that in, even if everything else was off a bit. Easier in a hot, dry, seminar room (drank 32 oz then).
Food:
Breakfast: egg beaters with cinnamon, onion powder and splenda, as an omelet; 3 precooked maple sausage links, microwaved for 30 sec., 2 mugs coffee w/ S/L and milk
Lunch: chicken wings with ranch dressing - a lot of them...noticed they have 2 carbs per 5? need to count how many a bit closer; probably had 18? was feeling hungry or irritable
Dinner: made my "beef goulash" with cinnamon, parsley, salt, cayenne, diced tomatoes/paste and browned beef, plus a sprinkling of splenda. Sometimes add chunky mushrooms to it, not tonight. Had 2 leaves of romaine later to finish off the lettuce veggies for the day.
Snack:
Dessert:
________________________________
NOTES:
Wt: No change in weight; may not mean anything other than not exercising. May be a reaction to having the avocado yesterday (the book warns that avocadoes and olives may affects some people's weight loss), or could be the jello. The box says there's no carbs. Not sure that could really be true.
BP: Not taking it regularly anymore, but still checking. It's always up after I'm stressed over something, otherwise it's pretty good (118/76 and a pulse of around 60) so I'm not going to stress over it.
Ketones: Didn't check today.
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