4/21/19
So in November, I stopped using coconut oil in my coffee and completely, and was eating chicken breasts in olive oil and enchilada sauce, dropping a lot of saturated fat, was eating ground flax seeds in almond milk, sometimes with berries. And I started using this yummy super low cal low carb creamer called Better Half califia creamer. I eventually went back to eating normally except I never added the coconut oil back in. Somehow, I ended up dropping over 5 pounds...I go up/down 1-2 pounds. I'm pretty close to my ending high school weight, and it's still hard for me to believe. I hate regular bras now though. So that's kind of new. I am only wearing bralettes. I don't know if I lost weight because of the month or so when I was freaking out, or if it has anything to do with the coconut oil I stopped putting it in my coffee, but I'm sticking with my by basics: wings, asparagus, wine, nuts, cream cheese, coffee, eggs, salami, celery, chocolate chips, etc. I do once in awhile have something else (ate a few fries today and some sweets yesterday), but mostly stick to the basics. I haven't gotten my cholesterol checked and am going to try to forget about it. Something's gonna get me one of these days, but I feel good, so I'm sticking with my version of low carb. I love it.
11/7/18
My total and LDL cholesterol went up too high, so I am now trying to do low carb AND low saturated fat to see if that makes a difference, and am going to eat more veggies, and maybe a little fruit. I do love raspberries.
3/4/18
I'm fascinated by the Zero Carb stuff I'm reading about. I'm not sure I'll ever give up carbs completely (especially alcohol as I enjoy wine with my hubby), but I now realize I'm probably better off eating mainly meat/chicken/fat, and eliminating veggies and nuts most the time. Eating is such a social pastime and also very cultural, and it's a bit tricky going to a party with absolutely no meat. So I might eat veggies or mainly have wine in those situations. Last night, I ate wings before heading to a Purim Party where we were supposed to bring a vegetarian dish. That helped. But basically, I like going most of the day without eating and then having a yummy meat dinner. Had steak and wine at my mom's tonight. No complaints!!!!
1/21/18
Here is what I wrote on a FB group today when someone was ready to give up, thought it was expensive, etc. Oh, BTW, my newest thing is to just put a little butter on my tongue during the day if I'm a little hungry! It's working like a charm! I eat simply. Don't buy almond flour or whatever. I'd rather just eat real food that's easy to eat/make. I do have a tsp of coc oil blended in each of 3 cups of coffee every morning, then actually am not hungry usually. If I am, I'll have some cream cheese or plain butter to suck on, or maybe have an egg or some beef stick. Don't laugh, the butter is yummy. I'm eating the cookie without all the other ingredients! Chicken thighs are cheap. I bake a few of them until they are super crispy, and eat mainly the skin, and can save chicken for later if I want. I usually make wings but they do cost more. Ground beef with butter is yummy too. If you want veggies, have some spinach or lettuce or celery. I also drink a glass of wine or vodka on the rocks, or gin with diet tonic & lime. Some people seem discouraged losing 1-2 pounds or more per week. That's a LOT. I'm happy if I lose a pound or two a month, and don't gain weight back. I don't spend time cooking and baking.
11/16/17
Someone on my keto group asked about my weight goals, and this was my rambling answer: I'm 59, 5'1". At end of high school I was like 112, and always had "baby fat", big hips and butt (which I guess is popular now), never satisfied. Then I gained 20 pounds first year of college, along with going from an A to D bra size. I'm a C now. So that's when the dieting on/off began. When I got married at 29, I lost weight on some program and was 106 for the wedding. Immediately went up to 110-115 for a year. Then I had 3 kids in my 30s, going on/off Atkins, but basically my weight has been between 120 and 130 for the past 30 years or so. About 5-6 years ago, I was 130 and thought I'd try low cal, high fiber, and immediately realized I could be happy just eating mainly toast with butter and said screw this: this is carb addiction! So I started doing my own version of low carb, not dieting (because after 40 it was just too hard) really, eating low carb but not super low. Lots of nuts, chicken wings, wine, veggies, etc. I lost 8-10 pounds over several months, but have slowly put it back on for a variety of reasons. So in Sept, I was almost 130. I went stricter keto for a few days to a week, and lost 2-3 pounds, going back and forth but around 126.5-127.5 pounds most mornings. Last week, after 2 months of no loss, it occurred to me I was probably eating way too many carbs via the nuts and veggies, so changed that aspect, kept the wine, and I was 123 this morning. It's been 123.5-124.5 for several days. Weight always fluctuates. But last night when I had my 6 chicken wings (without the drummettes since my hubby likes those) and wine, I realized I was totally satisfied. The night before same thing happened when I ate my shrimp in butter. So in the past, I'd also be eating lots of veggies and also some salad with lots of yummy stuff. Although the veggies and nuts are low carb, I could just keep eating them. Eating those stokes my appetite whereas mainly eating protein/fat and wine does not. Goal weight? Like I said, not sure. I of course would like to be like 110 but I think that's impossible. I'd like to go under 120 at least, but don't have a specific number in mind.
11/15/17
I'm getting active on a keto group on Facebook (one that isn't prescriptive--more like, do what works for you which is my motto), and I really enjoy it. It's so motivating and inspiring.
Also, my new snack (well, new again after a long hiatus) is sugar free jello in a sturdy cheap wine glass from Dollar Tree. I stir it up and add some heavy cream or put a little cream in my magic bullet to whip it! Yummy...having it right now! It says 10 cal, 1 gm protein, & zero carbs but it probably has .5 carbs or so. I think they rounded down on the protein and carbs. My sister did this last month. I told her not to use my wine glasses. But then I tried it and like using them now! Much more fun!
11/14/17
I decided to start blogging about my own experiences, which have changed over time.
My first experience with low carb was the Stillman diet when I was 19, and living in the dorms at UCSB. In the commons, all I ate was mainly protein: hamburger, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese, etc., and drank 8 glasses of water a day. I did it for 6 days, I think, and lost 7 pounds. I was advised to only do it a week. Throughout that year and all of college, I did all sorts of different diets over time, gaining and losing. I thought of a diet as a short-term thing, and mainly did a variety of fad diets. I did these off and on for years.
I'm not sure when I learned about or started doing the Atkins diet, but I read his books, and followed the low carb lifestyle most of my adult life. It was really hard to diet and lose even a pound once I turned 40 or so. Finally, around 2011 (in my 50s), I decided that was it--that I believed in low carb and was going to eat my own version of it forever--mainly protein/fat, nuts, olives, veggies, wine. At that time, I eventually lost 9-10 pounds slowly, and one day I actually saw a pretty low number (for me) on the scale--but it didn't stick. I gained a few pounds, and my body settled there. But I went to Paris, drank beer, opened the floodgates a little, and started having more tastes over the next several years even though I was still eating low carb. I eventually gained 6-7 pounds again. I was born in 1958, so you can do the math. It's harder to maintain weight the older you get! You simply have to eventually eat less. Bummer! In summer, I'd eat tacos or fries sometimes. It's a slippery slope once you do that. If I abstain, it's easier and I don't have any cravings.
In late summer 2017, I started reading and watching more videos about keto (I was vaguely familiar with it already), so tried eating more fat, less wine, and gave up carbs, including veggies. I was strict for a few days, and lost a couple pounds right away, but had visitors. I stayed at that weight for almost 2 months. I thought I'd give up wine and try to get in ketosis, and did that a few days. But then I had this revelation that I probably was eating more carbs than I should in the way of nuts, and even veggies. And I like my glass of wine (or whatever). The next paragraph shows what I started doing about a week ago (Nov 7 or so?), and I immediately was less hungry. I do not feel deprived (I never really do on low carb), and started dropping pounds. I sometimes have sugar free jello with heavy whipping cream. In less than a week, I dropped 3 pounds after the big 2 month stall. It's probably mainly due to not eating all the nuts I love, but here it is:
My current way of eating: I have a couple cups of coffee, each blended with about 1 tsp of coconut oil and a squirt of Torani sugar free calorie free choc syrup. (Putting in 1-2 T of coc oil is too many calories for me.) I love my coffee. If I'm out, I try to get heavy whipping cream, or as a last result 1/2 and 1/2. I'm usually not hungry in the mornings, and I wait to eat until I'm hungry. During the day, I sometimes have 1-2 eggs with beef stick or bacon or cream cheese. Or I'll eat the cream cheese or meat by itself, or I might have some fresh mozzarella balls or cottage cheese. I don't eat much during the day. At night, I mainly eat meat/chicken/fish/protein, maybe celery or cucumber or a little lettuce, and a glass of wine. I love chicken wings, and also like thighs: I mainly eat the skin by cooking 3 thighs only eating the meat off one of them but all the skin (so yummy)! I bake with salt/pepper until they are super crispy. And I have wine. So that is what is working for me right now--no or barely any veggies, and wine every night! I'm happy. Oh, I also discovered I love large shrimp cooked in butter with a lot of garlic. Yummy. So that's where I am right now. I was definitely eating too many nuts, which I love, and will eat on maintenance, along with more veggies.
I do some moderate exercise, but that's for overall basic health. I walk, dance, ride my new electric bike, etc. Nothing earth-shattering, and not every day. I've noticed my tummy feels flatter. I'm sure it will never be flat, but what I like about low carb is that I don't bloat.
Bottom Line: I do what's right for me and call Bullshit on the cholesterol scares and whatever the government decides is healthy. Give me a break. They touted the 4 food groups, the Pyramid, and margarine. I don't take supplements, powders or vitamins. Maybe I will. I don't believe you need veggies, but I do like them and they are healthy in small portions. My body feels better the way I eat, I have energy, and feel healthy.