Low Carb Livin’ Day #1

Well I’m officially on the wagon “hardcore” today!  Yay!  I started off this morning with a great class at the gym.  It’s an “all muscle” class, which I love.  We just do an hour+ of mega weight lifting.

However, out of all the classes I go to…..this one has the most intense, intimidating people by far!  First off, people congregate outside the door 15-20 minutes before the class even starts!  Then, when they finally open the doors and let us go in…..everyone floods in and frantically grabs benches, bars, mats, weights, etc. before they are all gone.  It is so chaotic!!  The class is always full (60+ people) with every bench, bar and square foot of floor used!

Sadly, a big chunk of the people who go are just not very nice.  For example, the first time I went to the class, I put my bench down and then went to go get my weights and things.  When I got back, some chick had moved my bench way off to the side claiming it was too close to hers!  What the??!  The teacher is super duper awesome and is constantly telling everyone to “be nice” and “make room.”  It’s insane.

Also (this may sound judgmental, but I’m trying to paint a picture) there are so many awesomely fit ladies who are dressed to the nines with hair and makeup all done up, who never crack a smile and stare in the mirror the entire time.  It’s sad.  In contrast, all of the other classes I go to have the nicest people.  People who smile, are friendly and encourage those around them.

There’s my little vent session.  You probably wonder why I keep going to this class huh?  Well, the answer is simple….it is KILLER!  Our teacher works every muscle in our bodies to the max!!!  It is definitely time well spent.  We did 110 pushups today.  Crazy.

Soooo, I just go to the class…do my thing….try to smile and be nice….and go home.  Check.

****************************

Anyway, moving on.  I ate a great low carb diet today.  It was a little tough at times, but I feel extremely determined to succeed.  Kev and I did a low carb diet thingy back in October/November and it was great.  My body felt so so so good.

I don’t think it’s a great way to eat long term, but it really helped me so much.  It almost seemed to “reset” my system and made losing weight much easier.  I slept better, had almost no cravings and my body just felt a lot more calm as a whole.  It was hard, but after 4-5 days it wasn’t too bad.

So, with all that being said…..here I go again!  I’m going to be extremely strict for 2 weeks and then decide if I want to do it for one more week.  At that point, I’m going to keep my diet really “tight” and just add in a few select carbs (for probably 2-3 more weeks).  I know it will be hard and I’m expecting some serious withdrawal symptoms, but I think it’s just what I need right now.

Oh, and I’m loosely following a plan I read in a book called “Metabolism Miracle.”  It’s the same plan Kev and I used before.  It’s basically low carb, but you can have one “legal carb” thing (less than 5 net carbs) every 5 hours.  So, I either have 1 slice of low carb (Sara Lee Delightful) bread or 1 low carb tortilla (Mission Carb Balance) every 5 hours.  The rest of the time I just eat things like nuts, peanut butter, eggs, lean meat, cottage cheese, veggies, etc.

So….here’s what I ate today.

After I got back from the gym, I made a yummy chocolate mint protein shake.  1 C. Unsweetened Almond Milk, 1 scoop Chocolate Protein Powder, 1 T. Cocoa, 1 T. Ground Flax Seed, a couple handfuls baby spinach, a couple drops peppermint extract and ice!

For lunch I had a slice of low-carb toast topped with a little peanut butter, some Cocoa Roast Almonds (love them!) and a string cheese.

For dinner a made a big ‘ol salad that I loved!  Romaine, Spinach, bell peppers, celery, olives, turkey, hard-boiled eggs (mostly whites), feta cheese, cottage cheese and a little light Ranch Dressing.

I had another slice of low-carb toast with peanut butter on the side.

I chopped all the stuff for the salad and now I have quite a bit of leftovers so I can make another one tomorrow!  Yum!

I snacked on a few more nuts throughout the day and I’ll probably have another small late night snack before I go to bed.

Well, that was my day!  Woo hoo.
Wish me luck!

Sorta Kinda Healthy, Happy, Crazy Mel!

Yes, I’m alive.

I’ve been in a funk….sorry!

Just when I think life is calming down….it DOES NOT!

We’ve had family in town and staying at our house all week for a funeral.  It’s been fun to see everyone, but I’ve been AWOL.

My diet has consisted of eating whatever the group’s been eating or whatever is quick and easy.

I’ve also been exercising whenever I can fit it in!! (a few short runs and some quick trips to the gym!)

*****************

I have been super duper busy, stressed and CrAzY!!!

I find that when I’m super duper busy, stressed, and crazy…..

I make brownies and then I feel better! 😉

Just kidding (sort of).

In all seriousness, I DID make brownies yesterday and it DID make me feel better. 😉

But, I DID NOT pig out and I shared the rest with the kids.

But…

I’m craving my healthy scheduled life.

I am needing a swift kick….

*********************

I read a book recently called the Metabolism Miracle.

It was a good book, but nothing too spectacular.  It’s pretty much your average “run of the mill” low carb diet.

However, there was one idea that struck a cord with me.

The author claims that some people need to have their metabolisms “reset.”  She said some people have “Metabolism B”, which makes it hard to lose weight.

I thought the whole broad-brush “Metabolism B” theory seemed like a bunch of bunk, but sadly I could relate to it as well.

In a nutshell (at least the way I interpreted it) she claims your body needs to go through a “rehab” stage and relearn how to process carbs.

She recommends going on a low-carb diet for 8 weeks (yikes!) so your pancreas and liver can rest and relearn how to process sugar and carbs effectively.

After the 8 weeks, you basically just live a sensible diet.  It’s a lot like the diet I’ve been currently trying to live….combining healthy carbs and proteins at every meal and things.

It’s a lot more lax after the initial 8 weeks.

Makes sense to me.

I am pretty much an “anti diet” kind of person; especially fad diets, cleanses and detoxes.  I think if you’re not careful, they can really mess up your metabolism and you can quickly regain any weight you lose and then some!

I would rather just live a healthy lifestyle and not have to “diet” at all.

However, I have had a lot of frustration with losing weight and I have often wondered if my body was whacked (hormonally or metabolism-y)

I’ve really kicked up my exercising and diet the past 7-8 months or so.

I’ve had treats and fried foods and things now and again, but my healthy eating has FAR outweighed my bad eating.

I’ve been calorie counting too!

I have hardly lost any weight at all.

In fact, I have randomly gained 5 or so pounds several times (overnight it seems!) for no reason at all.

It seems like I am just “stuck” at this weight.

I’m run-down and out of energy a lot too.

Yes, I am whacked.

I’m thinking that desperate times call for desperate measures.

So, I’m going to embark on an 8 week low-carb adventure, and I am SO scared!!!

I’ve never been on a low-carb diet.

However, I think it makes sense for me right now.

Yes, I would love to lose weight and look better, but my main motivation is to FEEL better and have more energy and motivation!

The author of the book claims the first 3 days are the hardest and it gets easier from there.

We’ll see…

Oh, and in case any of y’all want to embark on this journey with me…here’s the basic info…

Eat within one hour of waking up

Make sure you eat at least every 5 hours (including right before bed)

Drink lots of water

Eat low-carb food

Follow a simple 5×5 rule to determine if a food is acceptable.  Look at the Nutritional Facts and look at the Total Carbohydrates listed.  Subtract the grams of fiber from the Total Carbohydrates and if the final # is 5 or less, you’re golden (I hope that makes sense.)

You can eat 5 carbohydrates every 5 hours (hence the 5×5 rule).

Here’s a chart with all the “allowed” foods;

I know this chart is not great resolution, so you can click here for more info.

So, I think I need a few days to plan my menu and shop and things, so I’m going to start all this on Monday!!!

Kev’s going to do it with me too.

I’m glad about that.

So, this will be my latest endeavor.

**********************

I have  a bunch of recipes to post on here, but I’m not going to do it tonight.

I am going to go to bed.

G’ night.

I will keep you posted on my progress.

Wish me luck!