I was pleasantly surprised that the scale this morning showed a 3-lb. loss since yesterday! Yes, you read that right. 3 lbs. in one day. And that makes 4 lbs. since I decided to "get back on the bandwagon" 4 days ago, and I actually have only been doing the low-carb thing since 3 days ago! The amazing thing? I haven't been constantly hungry, my appetite is down, I haven't felt deprived, I've have had MORE energy, and yet I've lost 4 lbs. in 4 days! Wow. I think my body is responding quite well to my new low-carb lifestyle. And it hasn't been that hard this time, I think mainly because I am not being as strict about it this time.
For example, I was up late last night and started to get really hungry, so I had 1/2 of a small banana with a little peanut butter smeared on. Normally I wouldn't have a banana on a low-carb diet, at least not while in the losing stage, because they are very high in carbs, about 35-40 g for one banana, depending on the size. The peanut butter wasn't the natural kind, either, though it was Jiff, which is lower in sugar and carbs than most of the others. I allowed it because I am thinking of it in terms of developing a new lifesytle of eating that I can live with. I figured with the amount of exercise I had yesterday, 1/2 of a small banana and a little peanut butter probably wouldn't hurt me. I do admit to being a little worried that I might be losing weight too fast, as I've read that losing weight too fast isn't good for you. Tonight at dinner I think I will indulge a little more. I'm making meatballs and sauce in the crock pot, and though I don't plan to have any sauce (my husband and daughter will take care of that), I'm going to eat as many meatballs as I want. I checked the carb content, and for 6 meatballs it isn't that bad at all, so I'm going to indulge a little :) Now to just figure out what kind of vegetable to have along with it to replace the pasta. Hmmm, summer squash might be good, since it's stringy almost like spaghetti when you bake it and then shred it with a fork. Will have to make a trip to the store to get some.
Here is today's food so far:
(You can assume that each day I drink at least 8-10 eight-oz. glasses of water)
Breakfast -
Omelet made with two eggs, 2 slices thinly-sliced ham, and 1 slice fat-free cheese
1 cup Smart Balance milk (fat-free)
Coffee with stevia
Lunch -
2 ham & cheese roll-ups (5 total slices of ham, 2 slices fat-free cheese)
Protein shake made with Whey Protein, 1 cup almond milk, and 1 cup ice
1 glass homemade, calorie-free soda: 12 oz. club soda, equal parts lemon & lime juice, 1 scoop 100% pure, all-natural stevia.
Dinner - 12 meatballs, about 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce (Preggo), 1 can green beans with about 1 Tbsp Smart Balance spread.
Dessert - Protein shake made with 1 scoop protein powder + 1 cup frozen mixed berries + 1 cup almond milk.
Snack - Handful of mixed nuts with about 1 Tbsp Jiff peanut butter
The reason I decided to try low-carb again when all the motivation I could muster didn't seem to make a hill of beans' difference when I set out to jump back on the bandwagon to losing weight again. I started out gung-ho, intending to count calories and stay at 1600 cals or less, only to wind up so hungry that I easily went over 1800 cals the first day and actually gained weight. I thought, "There has to be a better way." I knew from past experience that eating the low-carb way helped curb your appetite. Then it was just a matter of deciding how low-carb to go. I didn't want to go to extremes, so I decided I would be moderate about it and allow any fruit, though I will focus more on the lower-glycemic ones (meaning lower in carb grams and slower-burning), ad I will allow all dairy, again focusing more on the lower GI ones and using moderation, and will be sure to get plenty of vegetables, plenty of water, and plenty of exercise. I will also allow bread once in awhile, again staying with the kind that is lower in carbs. No pasta, rice, or potatoes, though (other than sweet potatoes), though I might make an exception once in a great while for certain situations, at least in the losing weight stage.
I can't tell you how much I CRAVE being thin, energetic, and feeling great about myself. Every time I see a slender girl somewhere, no matter what the age, I wonder: How do they do it? I so want to look like that. I really hope my new way of eating is going to stick this time. It was about time I decided to do something about it, as my sugar cravings, namely ice cream and frozen yogurt, were getting way out of hand. And thankfully, yesterday I discovered a great substitute for the creamy frozen stuff! I call it, "Mary's Mock Chocolate Milkshake."
Ingredients:
1 scoop Jillian Micheal's Natural Whey Protein (Triple Chocolate Shake flavor)
1 cup ice
1 cup almond milk (the kind that is 60 calories for 1 cup)
Carbs: 15 g total
Fiber: 3 g (which makes it 12 g of net carbs)
Calories: 160
Fat: 2.5 g
I put the ice in the blender first, pour in the milk, and pulse/blend until at least "fairly" well blended. Then I add the protein powder and blend until thick and smooth. It makes a nice, tall, "milkshake" ~ so thick at first that you have to start off with a spoon. It makes not having my ice cream/frozen yogurt anymore a LOT more bearable.
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