Starting the week off right!

I've been frustrated with my stall in weight loss, especially since I know I need to be down 5 more pounds by next Thursday for the weigh in. I was pleasantly surprised when I finally managed to get rid of that one pound that has been coming and going for the past week on top of 1.5 more! Total weight loss since beginning my Keto diet is 19 pounds in 38 days. Not too shabby. The real test will be at weigh in and finding out how much was fat vs. potential muscle loss.

I don't know if I started back on the downward slope because I went to the gym twice this weekend and walked the dog for a while yesterday, or if my body is just going through its cycles. Either way, I feel good. I'm back in ketosis after having a sugar binge last Thursday... oops.

I've been slacking in the creativity area when it comes to making meals. I've leaned heavily on my tuna and chicken salad and chicken and broccoli. I finally made my "gourmet" chicken salad this weekend. I baked my chicken tenderloins coated in a dry Italian dressing packet. I then threw them into the food processor with my EVOO and sugar free pickle relish. Boom, three days of snacks done.

Then it got crazy. Meat crazy. Observe... vegetarians, please avert your eyes.

 

I purchased ground beef and ground turkey and cooked the hell out of it this weekend. I then proceeded to get my carnivore on. I didn't even attempt to make it look pretty, I just wanted it in my belly. I threw some cheddar and ranch and then gorged on my meat bowl. The second photo depicts my need for mac and cheese... an endless gap of mine I'm hopelessly trying to fill. I'm totally down with the results of this attempt. 2 cups chopped zucchini, #howevermuchyouwantof lean ground turkey, 1/4 cup cheddar and a little bit of garlic salt. This will become a regular in the dinner rotation.

 

I'm meeting a new friend from church out for dinner tonight before our last newbie church meeting... the menu looks challenging, so it should be interesting to see what I end up consuming. But going back to church, it's been awesome to be able to get there every Sunday for the last 4 weeks. I'm going to miss it with my next three weekends of being out of town. Very happy to be apart of a modern church that posts it's sermons online to listen to when you can't attend! Yay Life Church!

 

Go make good decisions! Happy Monday!

 

 

Recovery

Last week sucked. Big time. Lots of work drama, lots of stress, no weight loss, lack of sleep, barfing dog... blah blah blah.

But I'm recovering, and trying to bounce back in both attitude, dedication, and of course, posting! It helps that I've been able to go to Church every Sunday and I've been attending some other group sessions to meet the pastors and other new members. Yay Life Church in Gahanna, Ohio!

Last weeks weight loss stalled, very disappointing after seeing the results that I did. I know most of that previous loss was water and adjustment to the low carb intake. but I was hoping to have seen at least a pound. On top of that, I gained a pound back. I have, as of this morning, re-lost that pound, so maybe more movement will happen this week.

This past weekend I went kayaking with my friend as we had yet to do anything "summer-esque" and summer is practically over. We had fun, I got a wicked ugly sunburn via sports bra/tank top... just in time for the upcoming wedding.

 

Alright, so these are my "tuna spoons"... I got sick of just eating my tuna straight from my Tupperware. Romaine leaf + tuna salad = fun snack time. Followed by my new favorite chicken recipe that I got from Ellen. Chicken dipped in my egg whites, rolled in dry ranch dressing, and topped with some parmesan cheese. And wrapping up the newest recipe additions, a revisit to mashed cauliflower. Having a food processor totally makes the difference. Throw in light butter, almond milk, garlic salt, and rosemary!

 

 

 

Now on to the craft hour ;) I've been itching to let my creative juices flow but hadn't had the time or the patience. I made room for the crafts and screw the patience, I never have patience when trying to achieve as close to perfection as I can get... my only character flaw.

 

I found these awesome pillow cases at TJ Maxx the other day and for $7 I couldn't pass them up. Especially because earlier that morning the sermon was on God's Love and what it means to us as Christians.

 

Then I started my throw pillow recovering project last night. I spent about three hours putting together this one aqua chevron cover... it took a while, but I had to match the pattern on all sides and I added a zipper closure. It turned out beautiful, now I just need to finish the second one. I'll be moving on to something flashier for two large accent pillows for my master bedroom.

Case of the Mondays?

This weekend was a quick one. I hate quick weekends. I don't feel rested, I didn't get to work out AT ALL, and I barely got my laundry done. Not working out was the worst part, I need to be able to get a little something in every day otherwise I'll suffer for the challenge weigh in. But overall, it wasn't the worst quick weekend, I got to spend a lot of time with friends that I don't seem often!

Friday night was a wonderful visit with a close friend, her husband and baby girl. They made me some delish chicken and mashed cauliflower! I haven't yet tried making mashed cauliflower again since I got my food processor... soo that is on the menu for this week, because it was awesome.

Saturday was bridesmaid dress shopping and a night out on the town with another friend. I promised myself I wouldn't drink. But I had a glass of Dark Horse Chardonnay and a Pinnacle Whipped Vodka with Diet Coke. All within my carb limit, but still not part of the plan for the weekend, as I knew it would slow my progress. As it did, no change on Sunday morning :::sad face::: We had a lot of fun, encountered the most awkward man in the world, juke boxed 90's music, chuckled, and people watched. We look like a pastel rainbow, and my hair is doing things in public that we discussed it shouldn't... it never listens!

I made it to church Sunday morning and then had a pool day with a college friend that came down to visit. We got burned, basked in each other's awesomeness, and ate pepperoni and sliced cheese as our poolside snacks (low carb pool side is definitely challenging).

So here are some meals I've enjoyed the past couple days. We've got some Southwestern Egg Beaters and Aldi Turkey Sausage for breakfast, nom nom nom.

 

This was my attempt at classiness without cracking open the wine ;) Paired with my staple of sautéed chicken, zucchini, red sauce and a crap ton of grated parmesan cheese. Bon appetite!

 

 

DID I FORGET TO MENTION I'M UNDER 200?!? #BOOM #GETERDONE

 

TGIF!

It's finally the end of the week. Happy Friday to all. Although, I feel my weekend might be busier than the past week... and sometimes that isn't so awesome.

Just checking in for a quick update that I yet again weighed in this morning and for the life of me can't remember if I lost one or two pounds. I really need to get more coffee... Let's just go with 1.5, yeah? That means I'm so close to my first goal, I can taste it. It tastes like chicken, eggs, turkey, steak, hamburger, some cheese and Quest Bars :)

I made a quick dinner before jetting out to sub for a volleyball game last night (which was my first this summer and made me regret not signing up, major bummer). Brought back the low carb wrap filled with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and some pepperoni. Not quite as filling as previous meals, but chug a bottle of water and you'll be set.

Happy Weekend everyone, make smart choices and get out to enjoy this awesome weather!

TBT the college years

I really dig the TBT idea and am saddened by the fact that all of my awesome younger years photos happen to reside at my parents house. I'll have to settle for the oldest photos I have. This means going to my time line, clicking on "born", and scrolling til 2003, when I apparently came into the only world that truly matters, Facebook.

The College Years

 

 

Sarah and I first met at college orientation. We were put into the same vocal studio under the tutelage of Dr. Fralick (affectionately dubbed Fray Fray). We bonded instantly when I found out she was moving to BW all the way from Texas. If you are unaware, I was born in Texas, so that automatically made us BFFS. Please note her sensual pose while I attempt to keep a cowboy hat perched on my abnormally large head. We were, and are, awesome.

 

 

As you've already deduced from my previous statement that Sarah and I met because of our shared major in Vocal Performance, you'll know that we were most certainly involved with the annual operas and musicals. In this particular photo we were part of a most energetic and awesome chorus for The Marriage of Figaro. I wish I had more pictures, because we had so many good memories. We wore butt bumpers, and giant skirts, and pranced around on stage singing our little hearts out. Most fun I had in college, hands down.

 

I tried making brownies last night. It was an epic fail and the only conclusion I can come to is that God was trying to keep me from being tempted. So, despite their not so beautiful appearance, I brought in a Tupperware of the goop I managed to create and still gave it out to my fellow coworkers. Aren't I nice??

 

I did however, make a delicious dinner of parmesan crusted chicken tenders with sauteed zucchini and onions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weigh In Wednesday

Since starting my Keto diet, I've been weighing myself everyday. I used to think that once a week was plenty and I know (I KNOW) that numbers aren't really want matter. BUT, they do motivate, so you're going to have to deal with it.

Yesterday morning I weighed in and was one lb. away from 10 lbs down since began Keto three weeks ago. I had hoped this morning that I could get to 10, thus rounding out my numbers. Well... I lost four! I'm sure that's due to other contributing factors I'll leave unsaid (if you really want to know send me a message lol) but I'm very, very excited about my progress. Three more pounds and I'm under the big 200 mark. I don't know if that is the first time I've actually stated my weight on this blog. But whatever, it's the truth.

I've been very lax in keeping up with writing the past week, so sorry! I was sick, my boss was out of town, and life was just busy. Getting back on track this week and ramping up on including more strenuous exercise.

I've been incorporating more carbs in the form of grains. I've felt challenged at this point by the monotony of eating chicken, eggs, cheese, eggs, chicken, broccoli, turkey, chicken, steak, cheese and eggs. My mom had these tortillas in the fridge and they're only 60 calories and 4 net carbs. She got them at Kroger, so get out there and give them a whirl.

 

I've had these with chicken salad (shown below), tuna salad, fajitas, and I think I'm gonna make a breakfast egg tortilla wrap tomorrow morning.

 

I've been guarding my Quest Protein Bars so that I don't devour them too quickly, so I have been on the hunt for ice cream that is low carb and doesn't taste awful. Apparently there is one called Carb Solutions (don't get the low carb option from Beyers as it using high fructose corn syrup!)... and is apparently not sold in my normal grocery stores (Kroger, Giant Eagle, or Meijer). Instead, after three different stores and searching efforts, I settled for this stuff called Arctic Zero. It is gluten free and has whey protein, with only 36 calories and 5 net carbs per 1/2 cup serving! It's not an ice cream-y consistency as much as it's a frozen treat. It'll do my friends, it'll do.

 

In addition to my menu choices, I recently came across a pin on Pinterest that I found interesting. It referenced WODs for beginners interested in crossfit. I AM interesting in crossfit minus the heavy lifting, the barfing, and the rumored pooping. I gave it a whirl last night instead of Insanity and found myself pleasantly challenged, winded, sweaty, and sore! I will whirl it again tonight with another workout to see how it goes. This is what I did last night... and my tired, sweaty self after.

 



Happy Wednesday!