Day 92 Low Carb Living

DAY 92

- Cheesy tuna casserole
- A piece of no bake peanut butter cheesecake*
- Half of a piece of eggplant parmesan
- Roast beef and deluxe american cheese on an oopsie
- A piece of BLT pizza with mayo on cauliflower pizza crust

Exercise:
50 minutes on recumbent bike

*Can I just say, this peanut butter cheesecake is AMAZING! The best low carb dessert I've tried thus far, for sure. If you like peanut butter, you will love this cheesecake! By the way, I had natural chunky peanut butter, so this added a little crunch in the cheesecake. I would definitely recommend this dessert! It makes eight huge pieces.... Yummy!

Day 91 Low Carb: Still Having Fun!

DAY 91 and still having fun!

- Swiss cheeseburger on an oopsie roll with mayo and ketchup
- A piece of BLT pizza with swiss cheese and mayo on cauliflower pizza crust
- A piece of Taco pizza with salsa, taco meat, sour cream, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato on cauliflower pizza crust
- A slice of deluxe American cheese

Exercise:
- 40 mins on recumbent bicycle

DAY 90 Low Carb Menu

DAY 90 Low Carb Food Journal

- Chunky chicken vegetable soup
- One chicken breast tender with 1/2 piece eggplant parmesan
- Two snickerdoodles (finally, they are gone!)
- 1 oz smoked turkey
- A slice of BLT pizza with mayo on cauliflower pizza crust

Exercise:
- 33 minutes on bike
- Sit-ups on ab roller

Day 89: Am I out of my mind?

DAY 89 Low Carb Life

- French toast made from oopsie with Walden's Sugar Free syrup, 2 sausage patties and one cheesy scrambled egg
- Cheeseburger on an oopsie with lettuce, onion, mayo, mustard and ketchup
- Snickerdoodles - too many
- Roast beef and deluxe american cheese on an oopsie with mayo

I had six snickerdoodles yesterday! Eek! Well, the good news is they are almost gone and I'm sure that it only added up to 5 carbs total, if that. But still, the day before my weigh-in... that was the worst idea ever.

I think I like cheesecakes for a low carb option best for me because not only do you get that satisfaction from the sweet, but you also get almost a whole meal's worth of stuff to digest, so it's very satisfying.

Snickerdoodles, you will be reserved for holidays and family parties! They would be great to serve a crowd so you don't end up eating half the batch.

Day 88 Low Carb Food Menu

DAY 88 Low-Carb Food Log

- Chunky chicken vegetable soup
- Three snickerdoodles
- 1 oz smoked almonds
- Mockafoni and cheese with ketchup
- Cheeseburger on an oopsie with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup and mustard

Day 87: I'm in low carb cookie heaven

DAY 87

- Mockafoni and cheese with ketchup - small serving
- Two BLTs with mayo on oopsie rolls
- A bowl of easy chunky chicken soup*
- Turkey and deluxe american cheese with mayo on an oopsie
- Two low carb snickerdoodles**

Exercise: 27 minutes recumbent bike

*I actually made a huuuuge batch of this stuff... I used over two whole chickens. It's so healthy and good and I love having it in the freezer for quick and easy meals later.

**These snickerdoodles are probably the best low carb sweet treat I've ever eaten.... and you all know I have a sweet tooth! This was the first time I've made them and I was amazed by the taste! They were also very easy to whip up. I was in and out of the kitchen. I did add an extra egg to bulk it up a little because the batter did not look like much, and they were wonderful. I also added a tablespoon of extra almond flour to kind of soak up the extra egg. These are absolutely amazing. I think that I will take them to Christmas parties where I want cookies too... and I promise, nobody will even realize these are low-carb. The important thing is to refrigerate the batter before scooping your cookies out. With zero-carb sweetener, these have less than one carb per cookie. My batch made 19 small-medium cookies. Linda Sue was not kidding when she said these are addictive.

Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan

Low Carb Recipe: Low Carb Eggplant Parmesan

1 medium eggplant
parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 cup low carb spaghetti sauce (I used Hunts Sugar Free spaghetti sauce)
2 T butter
4 slices provolone cheese or 4 oz mozzarella, shredded
Serves four.

Wash eggplant. Cut the ends off and slice in half and those half in halves and again... You want eight even slices, which will be about 1/2 inch thick or a little more. Dip slices into egg then parmesan cheese and fry in butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Fry each side for about three minutes and drain on paper towels. You want them golden-brown like fried zucchini. Place 4 slices of fried eggplant in a greased 9x9 pan. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of sauce over each slice of eggplant. Top with 4 more slices of eggplant, stacking one slice on top of another. Top with remaining sauce and the cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

If you like things spicier, you could always add in a little bit of basil or oregano to your parmesan cheese before coating the eggplant slices.

Enjoy!

Day 86 Low Carb Daily

DAY 86 Low Carb Food Journal

- Mockafoni and cheese w/ LC ketchup
- Turkey and bacon with romaine lettuce and mayo on an oopsie
- Low carb strawberry vanilla protein shake made with 3 strawberries
- Chicken with low carb eggplant parmesan

Day 85 Low Carb Food Log

Day 85 - Low Carb Menu

- Fiesta chicken hot bake with romaine lettuce, salsa and sour cream
- 1 strawberry (huge) with whipped cream
- Double cheeseburger on an oopsie with lettuce, onion, mayo, mustard and ketchup with half a serving of mockafoni and cheese and more ketchup

I need to intentially get more vegetables in my diet. I know that I lose more when I eat them.... in big quantities. I am going to make a huge pot of a veggie soup and freeze it in quart size freezer bags... Makes for many easy future meals and when I make the soup myself, I control what goes into it... and what stays out of it.

Day 84 Low Carb Life

DAY 84

- Half of a cheeseburger on an oopsie with lettuce, tomato, onion, ketchup, mustard and mayo
- Turkey BLT with mayo and swiss on an oopsie
- Pound cake with peanut butter frosting
- French toast oopsie with Walden's SF Syrup, one scrambled egg and two sausage patties

Nancy... you mentioned that almond flour is expensive at the grocery store. Did you know you can grind up raw almonds? Not salted ones... I have read that you can grind them up right in a food processor... Also, you can find some good prices for almond flour at netrition. There used to be a site called nutguys.com but I think it shut down... That is where I got several bags for pretty cheap a few years ago. I also have some crushed pecans and walnuts that I don't know what to do with. Maybe some pecan chicken!

I love this Walden's sugar free syrup! It is thick and rich... yummy. Other sugar free brands I've tried, like the Walmart brand, is very runny and the taste is not as good. This tastes like Aunt Jemima!! I like to buy the six packets of it.. and I use each packet for two to three meals... I store it in a zip log bag in my refrigerator door and it works great. Each packet is a full 2 oz which is a lot of syrup. I also ordered a bottle of it because I love it so much. It says zero carb, but I do watch my portions of it because I know it must contain sugar alcohols.

Day 83 "No bun for me..."

DAY 83 Low Carb Eating

- Fiesta chicken hot bake with salsa and sour cream
- Pound cake
- 3 oz vodka with diet pepsi
- A cheeseburger and a half on oopsie rolls with romaine lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard and ketchup

Day 82... I love low carbing - do you?

DAY 82 Low Carb Daily

- Low carb peanut butter / french vanilla protein shake sweetened with Sweetleaf Stevia
- A piece of pound cake with peanut butter frosting
- Fiesta chicken hot bake with sour cream and salsa

I'm finally doing it! No more excuses...

Exercise: 1 mile brisk walk

Fiesta Chicken Hot Bake - Low Carb Recipe

Fiesta Chicken Hot Bake

- 3 to 4 cups cooked, cut up chicken
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 T heavy whipping cream
- 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 T Taco Seasoning
- 1 onion, medium
- 1 T butter

Preheat oven to 350. Saute onion for a few minutes in a small skillet with the butter. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and put chicken in pan. Mix the taco seasoning in with the chicken. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave for ne minute. Add heavy cream to the cream cheese and stir. Carefully pour the cream cheese mixture over the chicken, spreading evenly over the top. Spread cheddar cheese on top and finally, place onions on top and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Top with your favorite low carb toppings such as salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers!

This recipe was inspired by Linda Sue's Mexican Chicken recipe. I had a ton of grilled leg and thigh pieces, so I decided to pick them off the bones and make a fiesta casserole.

Day 81 and still having fun... with smoothies this time!

DAY 81 Low Carb Food Journal

- Low carb peanut butter smoothie* with vanilla whey protein powder
- Sloppy joe on an oopsie roll with sharp colby cheese
- A bowl of chicken "noodle" soup
- Ham and swiss on a grilled oopsie (panini-style) with tomato and mayo

*My first smoothie!! Finally put my immersion blender to good use. I used Harry's recipe, which was amazing. I made two mistakes, though. First of all, I used WAY too little protein powder, as I could not find the scoop in the huge 2 lb container of it! Secondly, I blended too much, but all in all, it was satisfying, amazing and at one point, I swore I was eating a peanut butter cup Blizzard from Dairy Queen. It is satisfying! I'm going to try another one with the proper amount of whey protein powder and I can't wait!

Day 80 Eating pound cake and loving life

DAY 80 Low Carb Food Journal

- Ham and swiss on a grilled oopsie with tomato
- Salad with cucumbers, cheese, tomatoes, onions and ranch
- Swiss cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion & LC ketchup on an oopsie
- A slice of pound cake with peanut butter frosting
- 1 slice deluxe american cheese

The best thing about this pound cake... besides the 10 grams of protein... If you use your favorite no-carb liquid sweetener instead of granulated Splenda, it's only three net carbs per slice. In the past, I've put strawberries and whipped cream on this... as it makes the most decadent strawberry shortcake... Warning, may cause second helpings!

Day 79 Low Carb Daily

DAY 79 Food Journal

- Two eggs scrambled in butter with cheddar cheese and a sausage patty
- Patty melt on an oopsie roll with tomato, swiss and mayo
- Two wet burritos with salsa and sour cream

Day 78 and Feelin' Great

Day 78

- Salad with bacon bits, cucumbers, tomatoes and buttermilk ranch dressing
- Cheeseburger with swiss cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, mustard, mayo and ketchup on an oopsie
- 1 slice pound cake with peanut butter frosting

For the peanut butter frosting, I just used 4 oz cream cheese and about 1/3 cup natural peanut butter and mixed them together. To sweeten, I just added a little zero carb liquid sweetener.

Going low-carb has definitely made me listen to my hunger... not my sugar highs and lows. Before low carb, I would just go from one sugar craving to the next. I don't think I ever really felt HUNGER (well, rarely)... it was always a sugar-low... and me wanting more.

What is more, the sugar craving seemed a LOT more intense than my hunger now. Stopping eating was more of a problem, too. I know that a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese would literally disappear invariably in one night! I think my body kept saying, "yeah, give us more nutrition..." but I just kept feeding it empty carbs, which do not satisfy the body nutrition-wise... which left me feeling tired, hungry, sick, irritable.

Gosh, even without the benefits of bigger pants, I just FEEL better eating right.

Day 77 Low Carb Road to Weight Loss Success

Day 77 Low Carb Food Logue

- Two low carb wet burritos with salsa and sour cream
- Tuna salad sandwich on an oopsie with tomato and swiss cheese
- Turkey and swiss cheese grilled panini (on an oopsie, of course) with tomato and mayo
- Crystal Light Popsicle

I have found that I tend to want to eat when I'm around company.... even when I'm not hungry. Do you ever do that? I know that I was always hanging out around the food table at gatherings... but I didn't put two and two together before now. Hmm.....

Day 76 Low Carb Journey

Day 76 Menu

- Stew beef with mushrooms and mockafoni and cheese
- Turkey panini with swiss cheese grilled on an oopsie roll with tomato
- SF Jello
- French toast oopsie, cheesy scrambled eggs and a sausage patty

Day 75 and Still Alive

DAY 75 Low Carb Food Logue

- Cheeseburger on an oopsie roll
- Low carb wet burrito with sour cream and lettuce
- SF Creamsicle (2 net carbs)
- 2 slices Deluxe American cheese

Two Cheese Wet Burritos

Two Cheese Low Carb Wet Burritos

8 oz cream cheese - cut into 1 oz slices
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
8 Low Carb Wraps
2 lbs ground beef, browned
1 jar salsa
8 oz tomato sauce
1/2 head shredded cabbage
2 T Linda's Taco Seasoning

Brown the ground beef with salt and pepper. Chop up cabbage in small, bite-size pieces. I cut mine kind of like coleslaw-style. Drain fat from beef and add in taco seasoning, cabbage, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup salsa. Cover and cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender. This usually takes at least 15-20 minutes to get the cabbage tender... but this is a crucial step! Let your ground-beef mix cool for a while so that it will be easier for you to handle.

Spread one ounce of cream cheese on each low carb wrap, fill them with the meat filling and roll up. Carefully place each one in a greased 9x13 baking dish. If you have any meat filling left, spread it evenly over the top of the roll-ups. Evenly distribute some salsa (to your taste) over the top of your creation. Finally, sprinkle 8 oz shredded cheddar on top and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Top with your favorite Mexican fixin's like lettuce, sour cream, salsa, tomatoes and hot peppers!

Day 74 Atkins Diet

Day 74 Low Carb Lifestyle

- Cheeseburger on an oopsie roll with tomato, onion, mayo, mustard and ketchup
- Mockafoni and cheese with ketchup
- Turkey BLT with swiss and mayo on an oopsie roll
- Beef with mushrooms and onions*

Beef stew meat was on sale today at the grocery store, so I sauteed with with mushrooms and onions... so easy and tasty!

Day 73 Low Carb Food Journal

DAY 73

-Cheeseburger on an oopsie with lettuce, onion, ketchup, mustard and mayo
-Low carb chicken nuggets
-Mockafoni and cheese*
-Turkey and swiss on an oopsie with mayo

*If you are craving traditional macaroni and cheese... this recipe will surely satisfy that craving! I also like to sprinkle in a few minced onions before bake it and I just love the taste... So homey!

Cauliflower - I love thee.

Day 72 Low Carb Life

DAY72 Daily Menu

-Two tacos on cauliflower taco shells with onion, seasoned ground beef, lettuce, salsa and sour cream
-Low carb chicken nuggets with buttered, steamed broccoli
-Turkey, bacon and cheddar on an oopsie, grilled panini-style with lettuce and mayo
-Cinnamon cheesecake with whipped cream

Thoughts on Weight Loss...

I'm not sure why this was such a revelation to me, but a few months ago, I had a thought....

If there was is not a PHYSICAL reason that a person is overweight, then what is it? It's an EMOTIONAL/MENTAL issue!

Now, I know I'm no genius, but it seems like somebody who has been fat over 80% of their life... and has put a lot of thought into it (or maybe denial?), would realize this.

All this time, I figured I was fat because I didn't like to exercise... I loved microwave popcorn and humburger helper in huge quantities... I was fat because I was too poor to afford healthier food... I would deal with it later. When even the 3x women's shirts were getting tight, I knew that I had to make a life change. These were all my excuses.

It seemed like I could not go a day without going on a diet, yet I could never stick to it for more than 1-2 days. It was almost as though some part of me did not believe that I was going to stick to a plan. It's kind of like a parent who grounds a kid for a week, yet never enforces it.

Anyway, another thing I realized was I wasn't fooling anybody about my eating habits. It was obvious to the world that I was a compulsive over-eater. I'm still dealing with years of abusing my body with food. Ultimately, that is what it is.

Something clicked about 10 days into my journey... I began to think of my body as a car and food as fuel. Now, I would certainly not dump windex into my car... So why on earth would I poison my own body... that I have to live in?

Well, I still do want to binge... to get that "sooo filled up" feeling, and I will admit to eating past the point of contentness at times... which does not make sense.

All in all, it's a mental thing... which I'm starting to get in check.... because I thought I was fat years before I really was even fat... which led to me being fat....

Day 71 Low Carbohydrate Food Logue

DAY 71

-Two tacos on cauliflower taco shells with lettuce, onion, seasoned ground beef, sour cream and hot salsa
-Cinnamon cheesecake
-French toast made from oopsie roll with Walden's Sugar Free syrup, sausage patty and scrambled eggs with deluxe cheese

I finally quit smoking cigarettes! Last time, I quit for over 40 days, but this time, I'm quitting for good. They smell gross, make me breathe loudly at night, and quite frankly, I want one right now. However, it's mind-over-matter and I've already made the decision to quit.

Last time I quit (briefly), I let that be an excuse to over-eat and pack on the pounds, but this time will not be like that again. I will not fill that void with food... Well, I might just a little, but you better bet your bottom dollar it will be low-carb! It just seems like I'm hungrier now than I was before, but I will not let that come in my way.

I donated my camels to my camel-smoking brother. I rounded up over 24 packs of cigarettes from around the house. Gross!

Day 70 Low Carb Daily

DAY 70 Low-Carb Food Journal

-Cheeseburger with tomato, onion, mustard, mayo and reduced-sugar ketchup on an oopsie bun
-Cinnamon cheesecake
-SF Jello with whipped cream
-Two tacos on cauliflower shells with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, hot salsa and taco cheese



For some reason, I've been SOOOO craving sweets lately. A fellow low-carber told me that if you eat something containing a lot of fat, it can sometimes help with a craving. Actually, I think I saw that on Jimmy Moore's low carb show on youtube!

Day 69 Tacos on Induction-Friendly Shells

DAY 69 Low Carb Food Journal

- Turkey with Kraft Deluxe cheese with bacon, mayo and tomato on an oopsie roll
- Two tacos on cauliflower taco shells with ground beef with taco seasoning, taco cheese, hot salsa, lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream

It was my first time making the shells, but wow, they sure are strong! Like, VERY pliable, strong, can hold a ton of stuff and best of all, these are induction-friendly on Atkins. A bag of cauliflower makes twelve different shells. My mom could not stop raving about how great the shells were. You would NEVER guess they contain a whole pound of cauliflower, that is for sure. There is not even a hint of that taste, in my opinion.


Click to enlarge photo for taco shell goodness.

Day 68 Low Carb Lifestyle

DAY 68

-No noodle lasagna
-Cheeseburger on oopsie roll
-Tuna with swiss cheese and tomato on an oopsie roll
-French Toast oopsie with sausage patty and 2 scrambled eggs
-Cinnamon cheesecake with whipped cream

Day 67: Now you can have your low-carb cake and eat it too!

DAY 67
* Exercise: 31 minutes on recumbant bike
- Tuna salad with tomato and swiss on an oopsie roll
- Easy Low-Carb Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup
- Bacon cheeseburger off the grill with lettuce, tomato, onion, reduced sugar ketchup, mustard and mayo on an oopsie roll
- Cinnamon cheesecake with whipped cream

The great thing about the cinnamon cheesecake is cinnamon may naturally lower blood glucose levels. Finally, you can have your cake and eat it, too! I added about 3 tablespoons of cinnamon into mine... and it's devine! I chose it partly because I have no sour cream on hand, but also because of its amazing blood sugar lowering properties!

I'm now down 36.2 pounds and feeling great. That is over half a pound a day! It's about 0.54 lbs a day which seems like a lot. That is two whole sticks of butter a day! Not that I am avoiding butter - that is probably what my body needs the most. Not margarine or "I can't believe.." but the real thing... 100% butter, baby!

I really love eating low-carb and I really am so glad that Dr. Atkins wrote his book back in 1972. If you are not losing as quickly, that is just because I have a lot more than you to lose, I'm sure.

~Angie

Day 66 Low Carb Living

DAY 66

- Cheeseburger on an oopsie roll with tomato, onion, mustard & R.S. ketchup
- No noodle lasagna
- Tuna salad (tuna with mayo, relish and liquid splenda) on an oopsie roll with tomato and swiss

Day 65 Low Carb Eating and Mom's Unsinkable Attitude

DAY 65 Low Carb Food Logue

- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- Chicken fajita salad with salsa and sour cream
- 3 scrambled eggs with cheddar and a sausage patty

My mom got her first brand new car! Under the Cash for Clunkers plan, she was able to get this beautiful BRAND NEW blue Jeep Compass for a great price. I'm so proud of her. Not only is she an above-the-knee amputee (due to a car crash 14 years ago), but she works full-time for the power company... and it's not a sit-down job. She is the type of person who has that "go get 'em" attitude and I just had to include pictures of her first brand-new car! While up to pee last night, her walker broke and she fell right on her shoulder. I asked her if she was going to get another walker, reminding her that her insurance company may even pay for it.

"No, walkers are for old ladies," was her reply. Go, Mom!

Day 64 Low Carb Food Journal

DAY 64

- 2 scrambled eggs with ham and cheese
- Small salad with cucumbers, green peppers, ranch, cheddar and bacon bits
- 1/2 grilled pork steak w/ ketchup
- Hamburger with mushrooms and swiss on oopsie roll
- No noodle lasagna
- Ice cream (the last bit of my breyer's vanilla... about 1/4 cup ice cream with whipped cream and crushed pecans)

Day 63 Low Carb Food Diary

DAY 63

-Turkey and swiss on an oopsie roll with mayo
-Ring bologna with hot pepper jack cheese
-Sugar Free red popsicle
-Salad with green pepper, onion, cucumber, tomato, ranch dressing and bacon bits (pictured)
-1/2 Grilled pork steak (pictured) - it was sooo big that I could only eat half

My niece wanted to take a picture of her meat, too.

2 Months In: Obligatory Progress Pics: 33+ lbs down

Okay, guys... here are my monthly progress pics! I'm wearing the same outfit as I was a month ago... Do I look any different? I still feel the same... but slowly, I'm learning to love myself more each day at a time. Taking care of myself involves feeding my body the right kind of fuel.

Oh, to Nancy... a word about making the oopsie rolls... If you have them, I would definitely recommend that you use muffin top pans to help them keep their shape. Another tip is beat the egg whites until they are SOOO stiff. Good luck and I'm warning you - your low carb life will never be the same after you try one of Cleochatra's oopsies!













Boo for bad lighting in the last one! I promise, next month... better lighting! Maybe even outdoor pics??

More monthly pics and daily menus to go! It's my goal that on October first, when I post you are like... oooh who is that girl?

Have a fabulous August, everybody! Remember, this month is going to pass by no matter if we work toward our goals or let life pass us by... If I can do this... anybody can!

~Angie, Atkineer for life

Day 62 Low Carb Food Logue

DAY 62

-Turkey with swiss, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo an an oopsie roll (pictured)
-Zucchini lasagna
-Small ice cream sundae (breyer's low carb 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream) with 2 squirts whipped cream and 1 tsp walnuts
-Raw almonds - 2 oz
-Sausage, egg and cheese on an oopsie roll (egg microwaved in small, round, microwaveable container)

You can see some old food menus over here.

If you are doing daily menus, please leave me a comment with your blog address and I will definitely link you. I'm nosy and I love to see what other people are eating... especially people on Atkins like me. I really love to keep on Jimmy Moore's low carb food menu.

You might on on Atkins if...

I've been thinking a lot about Atkins and I came up with is fun little list this morning:

You might be on Atkins if....

1. Cream cheese is now considered a staple.

2. You have a sweet tooth... so you debate about which kind of cheesecake to make.

3. You've decided the oopsie was the greatest invention... way better than sliced bread.

4. You've started scouting out sources for crushed nuts... or you grind them yourself.

5. Your new favorite store is the local meat market.

6. You laugh at and feel sorry for those hungrily munching on 100 calorie snack packs.

7. You've turned last night's leftovers into this morning's omelet.

8. You've discovered yet another use for cauliflower!

9. You stock up on shredded cheddar when it goes on sale.

10. You eat bacon wrapped, cheese-stuffed hot dogs... to stay on-plan, of course.

I know I've seen something similar out there, but this is my way to see if somebody is on Atkins! hehe!

~Angie