Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle (with flax added in) with butter, whipped cream & Walden's syrup

I love to make a big ol' batch of these bad boys and freeze them up.  They are like having Eggos in the freezer, only way tastier and healthier!

Happy New Year, everybody!

Low carb menu at family Christmas

- Four eggs
- Some chicken salad, raw broccoli, celery & mushrooms with sour cream, a little cheese, sugar free jello parfait

(I accidentally dipped a piece of celery into the cool whip instead of the sour cream... oops!)

Normal Weight??? Tummy tuck? Oh, my!

Thursday's Menu
- Four eggs
- Sugar free jello parfait
- Cheese

Friday's Menu
- Four eggs
- Bacon~wrapped shrimp, cheesy spinach, steak, a fried egg, a few green beans and three bowls of egg drop soup

In good news....  Guess what!  I weighed in at 177 at my doctor!!!!  That was fully clothed, too!  That puts me AT GOAL and having lost 130 lbs, baby!  At 5'10.5,'' that puts me into the "Normal Weight" category!  

I'm into size 8 (relaxed fit) jeans or size 10 (regular fit) jeans and into a medium or large women's shirt. 

The not-so-good news.... I actually went to the doctor because my toes have been turning purple and getting very cold lately (weird, huh?) so I have to go in for a Doppler ultrasound for both legs for both my veins and arteries, which are actually two tests.

I talked to my doc about getting my extra skin removed from my tummy and he is totally on-board with writing a referral to have it done, so now I'm looking into the process and seeing if it's covered by my insurance and all that jazz.  He said that it's not just cosmetic, but a medical necessity.  He said that I should be rewarded for my hard work and having so much extra skin is not healthy, etc.

Low carb menu x 5

Saturday ~
- Four eggs
- Macaroon muffin with butter

Sunday ~
- Four eggs
- Tri-tip steak
- Vodka with diet mountain dew

Monday ~
- Four eggs
- Egg salad

Tuesday ~ Christmas Eve
- Four eggs
- Turkey, chicken salad, cheese & raw broccoli

Wednesday ~ Christmas Day
- Four eggs
- A couple raw shrimp, 15 pieces of bacon-wrapped shrimp, egg drop soup, green beans & cheesy spinach
- Sugar free jello parfait
- Macaroon muffin (middle of the night snack)

Back to eating lighter and more sensibly...Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche with lettuce, mustard & mayo

Low carb at the Chinese Buffet

- Four eggs
- Low carb stuff at Chinese buffet: bacon-wrapped shrimp, shrimp cocktail, a little ham, roasted chicken, cheesy spinach, green beans & a few mushrooms

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Macaroon muffin with butter
- A few bites of egg salad and a few bites of pork rind/flax waffle (while I was making 'em)

Hey, sometimes you just halfta try stuff as you are making it... For seasoning purposes, of course!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Macaroon muffin with lots of butter

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche with lettuce, mustard & mayo
- Cinnamon flax muffin with butter

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Macaroon muffin with lots of butter (yummmm)

These muffins are sooo good and the best part? They freeze really well, which is good because I'm the only one in my house who eats them. 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 2/3 of a piece of cheeseburger quiche
- 1/2 of a piece of cheeseburger quiche

Loving the cheeseburger quiche!

Low carb menu

- An egg
- Bacon cheddar hamburger patty with mustard, lettuce & tomato and a little ranch with buttered broccoli (a la Cracker Barrel)
- Cinnamon flax muffin
- Four eggs

Low carb menu & Christmastime

- Four eggs
- 2/3 of a piece of cheeseburger quiche
- Same thing for dinner (quiche)

Mom and Grandma are coming over today to see our decorations, maybe have a little drink, lunch, exchanging gifts and good conversation. Should be fun!

We're going to Cracker Barrel and I'm debating between a bacon cheeseburger or breakfast.  I think the cheeseburger wins out every time.

Low carb menu & Momma has a new pair of shoes.

- Four eggs
- Half a piece of cheeseburger quiche with mayo & mustard

I got a really cute and comfy pair of memory foam Fila tennis shoes.  They were originally $75, marked down to $59.99 (in store special) and they had an additional 20% off all running shoes, so they ended up being $47.99 plus tax.  I get a lift put on my left shoe, so I tend to make sure I love the shoe and they are worth putting a $45 lift on them.  I'm not exactly a Payless girl anymore like I once was.

To get on with it, if you've never tried memory foam in your shoes, you do not know what you're missing.  They are amazingly comfortable and supportive to boot. 

Anyway, they were so reasonably priced that I ended up going to another Dunham's right across town and got another pair just like my first pair.  One will be for gym use only and one will be for home. The gf talked me into a second pair, but it wasn't exactly tough to convince me.  I'm dropping them off at the shoe repair shoppe this afternoon.

Excited, party of one!

Low carb menu & Huge wake up call!

- Four eggs
- Two slices of low carb peanut butter cheesecake

Wow, I went a whole day without meat!  I am sure that has not happened in almost a decade. 

Went to my chiro yesterday.... She said that if I don't start doing my back muscle exercises, then I'm going to end up with a curvature in my spine and basically be crippled.  Yeah, huge wake up call. 

My left side of my back is way over-developed because of my shorter leg, which pulls my side out of alignment.

Enough with the excuses.  Back to the gym! 

Baby, it's cold outside!

- Four eggs
- 2/3 of a piece of low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Egg salad

The roads were icy yesterday, so I didn't make it to the chiro, but I have an appointment for this afternoon.  I'm also headed to my regular doctor to pick up some samples of my Viibryd. Score!  My meds are typically around $150-$200 per month and with no generic yet on the market, the samples are definitely helpful to the wallet.

It's so cold that the doggies just wanted to run right back in. I think it's in the single digits, but I don't even want to look at weather.com to find out!

Low carb menu

Saturday's Eats:
- Four eggs
- Cinnamon flax muffin with butter


Sunday's Eats
- Four eggs
- 2/3 of a piece of low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- A couple bites of burger while browning & seasoning it

Looks like a winter wonderland out there today!  Going to go and see the chiropractor today to get adjusted if I can get an appointment.

Eggs, please...

- Four eggs
- Egg salad

Busy, busy, busy on the work front... Blessed to be stressed I suppose!

Low carb menu and new jeans!

- Four eggs
- No bake peanut butter cheesecake

My Old Navy order came!  My size 10 Tall jeans fit sooo great.  They are comfy and cute and I got them for a bargain price of $19.00 each, which is cheap for jeans for me.  I have a 36'' inseam and it can be tough to find jeans that are long enough.

While I don't feel lighter on my feet than I did at over 300 lbs, logically, I know I must be.  I don't get on the scale, but I know I've lost about 15 lbs this year and I'm probably within 10-15 lbs of my goal weight of 174.

One of my biggest strategies in losing weight is to get rid of the baggy jeans as I fit into smaller, which can be tough, but it has worked for me.  When you're wearing stretch pants, it's hard to know if you've put on a few pounds.

I'm into a size 10!!  Seriously??  Like, really into them... All FIVE pairs of jeans fit and they aren't even shockingly too tight. *throws a party*

Low carb menu & late night rage

- Four eggs
- Macaroon muffin with butter
- A little bit of egg salad (while I was making it, to taste...)

I used to be able to make egg salad sooo good, but as of late, I feel like a total egg salad amateur.

Down to less than a dozen eggs, so a trip to Aldi is in order for the near future.

It's sooo cold today. Yesterday was an unseasonably 49 degrees and today? The wind is so bitter that my little dogs just may need to get their cute little coats on!

Best.news.ever! The gf's throat is slowly but surely getting better.  So, no plans for an emergency tonsillectomy in the (near) future, but we're still keeping it on the short "to do" list for the coming year.  Having her tonsils causes lots of throat clearing, extra sickness and such.

On an embarassing note, she told me that I smacked her last night in my sleep!  I literally have no recollection of this and I feel terrible about it.  I do remember having nightmares (about not making enough money, etc.), but I certainly do not remember the smack.  When I said "goodnight," I was being all lovey dovey, so it's not like we went to bed angry or anything.  Now, I'm starting to understand the people who have been let off on charges for killing others in their sleep.  It's a creepy state of mind and I honestly do not remember doing it. I would never smack that girl, but I guess I did!? When I woke up, our little pug was on the floor.  She said that he whined and jumped off the bed.  What a terrible pug mommy and gf I feel like! 

I did some googling and the sleep violence is likely caused by stress. :( 

The sleep smacking low carber,
Angieloo

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Sugar free jello parfait
- A few bites of drumstick treat

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Drumstick treat
- Macaroon muffin with butter

The gf is still sick.  She is now on a stronger antibiotic and if this doesn't kick it, she will have to have her tonsils removed.  Ouch!!!

Low carb menu

Sunday's Menu:
- Three eggs (or maybe less)
- Mockafoni & cheese
- Turkey
- Coconut macaroon muffin with butter

Saturday's Menu:
- Four eggs
- Coconut macaroon muffin
- Drumstick treat
 
We decorated the tree a couple nights ago, but I moved it last night because our landlord may be re-dry-walling our ceiling (where water has been coming in). I just hope that the leaking-in problem is fixed before he does that or will all be for naught.  In any event, our tree is gorgeous and our whole living room looks very festive.  The gf did the banister all up in white lights, tree-like garland, large bulbs and even little red bows to top it all off.  We exchanged ornaments on Thanksgiving, which turned out to be a cute little tradition.  She also gifted me a Lemax schoolhouse which looks remarkably like one of the ones that I subbed at, down to the flagpole!

Hope everybody is having a wonderful holiday season! 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs (24)
- Macaroon muffin (9)
- Cheese (27)

Low carb menu on Thanksgiving

Turkey Day Eats:

- Four eggs
- Loaded broccoli, a little ham, turkey, steak & butter
- One sunflower kernel (wanted to see if they were stale and they weren't) 

We saw the new Hunger Games movie.  It was really good.  It was a sold out movie, which was kind of exciting.  Never been to a sold out show before!

Sometimes, I feel like you should get a badge just for surviving the holidays in your same jeans size. 

Super yummy muffins: Just in time for Turkey Day!

- Four eggs (24 g protein)
- Sausage quiche with mayo (33 g protein)

I whipped up these macaroon muffins last night and wow... They will be a major treat!!!  I've always loved coconut and these are just sooo coconutty.

I subbed out the butter for some coconut oil and I didn't have coconut extract on hand, so I just used some DaVinci sugar free coconut flavored syrup in place of the 2 T of water and the same thing for half of the heavy cream.  I used a little less liquid splenda and these turned out sooo decadent.  Well, the truth is I haven't had one yet, but I did taste a crumb and you can just tell that they are going to be a hit.  Plus, they are 79% fat, which is fabulous.  I'm thinking about taking them to the Thanksgiving celebration that we are having at Dad's house.  Now, I baked mine in muffin top pans so that I can slice them in half and load them up with butter (or coconut oil), but I think that I might try and throw together a simple coconut flavored frosting and top them off with some toasted coconut.  Here's the frosting recipe that I'm going to use (with coconut syrup instead of vanilla or maybe half and half).  That will give me (and others) a decadent little dessert. 

I'm sure they would be almost as yummy using vanilla syrup (which I can get for a whole lot less, too).

I'm in charge of bringing a vegetable to Thanksgiving dinner at Dad's.  (Yeah, I'm getting off easy this year). I am thinking a cheesy cauliflower dish and maybe some buttered broccoli as well. 

Dad's Thanksgiving is not until Sunday, which is good because GF is still super sick.  She just got on antibiotics yesterday and I'm hoping that they will knock out her sickness.  Her doctor said if they don't work after a couple days, to call her.  Fingers crossed!

We had half planned on going to see a movie on Thursday, but we will see how she feels, of course.  As of right now, I'm just happy that she is all snuggled down and sleeping peacefully.  When she woke up a couple hours ago, she could hardly breathe because her tonsils are so swollen.  Her doctor says that if she ever decides to get them removed, her breathing would be more comfortable and she would be less prone to illness. 

Happy Thanksgiving, bloggies!

Love
Angie

Strep throat sickie bear & quick and easy broccoli cheese soup

- Four eggs
- Half a piece of chicken/mushroom/sausage casserole with mayo
- A few bites of broccoli cheese soup (tasting it as I seasoned it)
- Sugar free jello

This soup is very tasty!!!  Gf requested it because she has been sick.  She called it a real hit! :)  I used some home made chicken broth and it's very quick and inexpensive to make.  I also had all the ingredients on-hand, which was another plus. I would say the one thing I did (after the broccoli was soft) is mash it with a pastry blender.

She finally went to the doctor today and is getting her antibiotics right now.  So, she should only get better from here.  I'm glad we're just playing it low key for Thanksgiving because she is under orders to relax and take it easy. The doc did not even bother to do a strep culture because she was sure it is strep and didn't want to waste her money administering the test.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs (24 g protein)
- Half a piece of chicken mushroom sausage casserole w/ mayo (21 g protein)
- Two cinnamon flax muffins w/ butter (6 g protein)

Working on upping my fat intake and keeping my protein intake lower.  Wish me luck!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three cinnamon flax muffins with butter & Walden's sugar free syrup

The gf is very sick.  She had to get up this morning at 5am and I felt so bad for her.  She could literally hardly talk. She walked our dogs along with their dogs to save having to do two walks whilst she is sick. When our pug got home, he was so cold that he just curled up in a ball on my shoulder and put his cold little pug muzzle into my neck.  I covered him up with his favorite fuzzy blanket and he drifted right to sleep. You know I was loving every minute of it, too... :)

I'm going to start a calender where I keep track of the working out that I do.  My knee with arthritis feels MUCH better when I bike, etc. I did 27 minutes on the bike yesterday and I think that was about perfect. I once heard arthritic joints likened to a rubber band.  If you let it get old and don't use it, it gets stiff and does not want to move. I know that I feel loads better when I'm regularly biking (much better than doing walking, which is too high-impact for my knee).  But walking is a part of my life (luckily) and I'm much more well-equipped to do so when I'm keeping that knee going.  If I'm being honest, I have to get off my lazy butt and get back to the water aerobics class, also.  Those ladies are amazing.

There's a new movie venue that we want to check out this week.  It has regular ticket prices, but it looks like way more fun! Plus, they serve bacon cheeseburgers and drinks.  I think they even wait on you during the movie. SOLD!  I can already see Geneen Roth (who says you should not watch tv while you eat) not approving of this.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two pork chops with low carb ketchup

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cinnamon flax muffin
- Sausage patty
- Almost half a head of iceberg lettuce with mayo

Started a cross-stitch yesterday and forgot just how much I enjoy working on them.  Had way too much fun!  Will probably head to the store today to pick up some supplies. 

Got the gf sick, which always makes me feel bad. I don't like seeing her sick especially since it's essentially my fault!!

Still enjoying Good Calories, Bad Calories, but I can see how some people are put off by the sheer science-mindedness of it all.  However, it really puts the hows and whys into perspective as to why the American Heart Association etc advocates for a low cholesterol diet.  I was thinking it was a helluva lot more conspiracy theory than it seemingly is.

Low carb menu & gearing up for the holidays

- Four eggs
- Pork chop with buttered broccoli

Still wondering what we're going to do for Thanksgiving.  We can either go out to a restaurant, maybe just eat a ham with some low carb sides or something like that.

What are you all doing?

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork chop with low carb ketchup

Feeling better each day...

Low carb menu & Grandma was right

- Four eggs
- A little chicken salad
- Two cinnamon flax muffins with butter

I'm sick with a cold.  No fun. :(  Now that I think about it, though, that may give me license to veg out with a warm blanket and watch some nonsense tv... right??

I started Good Calories, Bad Calories last night and it promises to be good.  I'm still on the Prologue (slow reader), but it talks about how people have always known that starches were bad.  I remember my grandmother (who has always carried a little extra around her mid-section) saying, "bread is my downfall."

At the time, my low-fat mentality thought, "Bread does not make you fat!"  Turns out, grandma was right.  Moms are always right, aren't they?

Low carb menus

Saturday's Menu
- Four eggs
- Pork chop
- A few bites of chicken salad (when prepping it)
- Two flax muffins with butter

Sunday's Menu
- Four eggs
- Cheese
- KFC chicken breast w/ no skin
- Cinnamon flax muffin
- Low carb chocolate pb cheesecake
- A mushroom stolen from my brother's pizza (lol)

We went to my dad's house yesterday.  It was crazy right before we left. We lost power and we had water coming in.  Our landlord keeps trying to fix the issue himself,but I have a feeling that he should just leave it up to the professionals.  Catching water with a bucket is no fun.

First, we stopped by my mom's house and then we went over to my dad's.  Fun was had by all!  It's always nice to catch up with family.

ETA: I just realized that I wrote"fun was had by all" twice in as many entries.  What am I, 31 going on 90?? Haha.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Half a piece of burger Florentine w/ mayo
- Pork chop with low carb bbq sauce & ketchup

We went to a dog park today and they absolutely loved it!  Fun was had by all and we all came home worn out (lol).

Low carb menu & world's tallest dog!

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork chop with low carb ketchup
- Cinnamon flax muffin with butter

My car has been acting a little funny and the Service Engine Soon light is on.  I tried to drop it off, but they are closed for a few days due to deer hunting season, so I will probably just ask them to look at it on Monday.

The gf is taking me on a date to the library today.  It's at 2pm and I have no clue what we're going to see but we're both excited about it. Fun times!!

Edited to Add:  She took me to see Zeus, the world's tallest dog!  It was sooo much fun and we even both got Zeus kisses.  *swoon*

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb stuff at the Old Country Buffet, including ham, salad, a skinless chicken breast, steak and loaded broccoli

Low carbin

Tuesday's Eats:

Four eggs
Two piggies in blankets

Our new favorite one-carb muffins & adjusting to the COLD.

- Four eggs
- Two cheese~filled bacon~wrapped hot dogs with mayo & mustard
- Cinnamon flax muffin 

I'm telling you, these flax muffins are really good!  If you didn't know that they were low carb, you would swear that they were made with flour and all that.  I do add sugar free vanilla syrup (which I find at the Dollar Tree) instead of the two tablespoons of water and 1/2 cup of liquid sucralose (which is not in the recipe) to make them nice and sweet.  They are yummy with either golden flax or regular flax meal.  We get a really good deal on flax meal from an Amish bulk food place.  It's about $3.87 for 2 lbs!

Low carb eating can be a little pricey, especially in the beginning when you are stocking up on your basics, but once you get your low carb kitchen pretty well-stocked, it's really just sticking to the protein and veggies.  We basically eat what's on sale.  Well, I shouldn't say that. We get our favorites when they are on sale and basically stock up.  When we just had our standard freezer, stocking up really wasn't an option, but we found a stand-up freezer on Craigslist for pretty cheap (I think $65), we keep that baby full of our favorites. The freezer is sooo old, but it works great and it even has a lock (for safety, I think, not to keep people out!)

Thanks for the comments yesterday on my rant.  The old saying is true... Whatever you focus on, grows and since I was focused on it being "hard," well... you know how that goes. *bangs head against wall*

Yesterday, my OA knee was more ouchie than usual.  Luckily, my wonderful gf has no problem going to different stores and getting me what I need so that I can just stay home, putz around in the kitchen, do my web design and baby my knee as needed. She is the best part of my life and my world.

Back to your regular scheduled low carb menu!!

Low carb menu & the junk of life

- Four eggs
- Two bacon-wrapped cheese-filled hot dogs
- Cinnamon flax muffin

Sometimes, these menus should be filled with all the temptations that I avoided because it seems like such a feat... Eating low-carb never really gets easy. Easier? Yes. Easy? I wouldn't say so.   My then-favorite foods still call to me and I even dream about them.  I even get upset when I see other people eating them... but I have to realize that I *could* certainly eat them, but if I gave into my cravings, then I would be over 300 lbs and very unhealthy, in a ton of pain and not happy in my own skin. Not exactly a choice that I want to make.  So, there's always that.

We have a pizza party for my dad next weekend where everybody is bringing a pizza (crazy idea, I know..) Crap food is everywhere. UGH! Yeah, thanks for listening.

I have to remember, life is not about what you fuel your body with!  There's so much more to it than that. 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two cheese-filled bacon-wrapped hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two cinnamon flax muffins with butter and zero carb syrup & sausage patty
- Bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed hot dog with broccoli

Fibered up!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Half a piece of florentine
- Sugar free jello parfait

Life is better with mayo.

- Four eggs
- Half a piece of Florentine with mayo (of course!)

Low carb menu & fasting sucks

- Four eggs
- Hamburger Florentine with mayo

Got my blood work done today... They want to check on my cholesterol (which is high when you've recently lost weight) and also my kidney function due to some of the pain meds that I take.

I can't stand the fasting blood work because I always get right up, potty the dogs and instantly make my eggs and coffee and get my Viibryd in me.

The gf has been doing visits today for pet sitting and we have a behavior counseling session tonight.  Exciting!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger Florentine w/ mayo
- A piece of bacon

Eating like a king

- Four eggs

- Smoked cheddar cheese

- Low carb chocolate swirl peanut butter cheesecake
- Grilled steak with mushrooms & onions and buttered broccoli

Tio Joe's Famous Tri-Tip

I feel like I'm getting smaller.  I've been doing the bike every day, which helps with my knee (a lot) and I've been cutting back on the eating as well (some days).  My size 12 jeans definitely are roomier than they have been.  I might order size 10 when the Black Friday deals come around. You really can't beat the Old Navy deals and I literally wait all year to buy stuff on that day.  They usually have five dollar long sleeved tees and ten dollar jeans.  I order tall because I have 36'' legs and really long arms as well. They also have talls in shirts, which is nice because they are nice and long in the torso and the arms. 


Yummy eats today!  Mom's yard is pretty much done. It was so much fun for me and the gf to hang out with my older brothers, my mom and my niece and nephew.   My knee will probably be ouchie for a while, but at least I was able to get up and help this year and hey, I work from my at-home computer, setting my own schedule, so life is good! 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Half a piece of burger Florentine w/ mayo
- A little chicken salad (maybe five bites)
- Some deviled egg filling (just the yolk/mayo/mustard/relish part)

Low carb menu & raking time of year

- Four eggs
- Chicken salad
- Burger Florentine with mayo

We are going for a leaf raking party tomorrow at my Mom's house.  My brother is going to be grilling out some Tri-Tip, which is an amazing cut if steak if you've never heard of it.  He grills it whole and slices it against the grain.  All I know is it's GOOD and it's even tastier when my big brother grills it to perfection on the grill.  My mouth is watering already! :)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken salad
- Half a piece of low carb chocolate peanut butter cheesecake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork chop
- No bake pb cheesecake with Walden's chocolate syrup swirled in

Happy Halloween! 

We went to see the pirate movie and it was sooo good! 

Happy Birthday to Oct!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork chop
- Egg salad

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork chop

Getting some work done, but I wanted to pop and in log what I ate.

Tomorrow, the gf has a new client meeting (for pet sitting) and on Thursday, she has a behavior counseling session.  I generally go along with her (especially for new clients and behavior counseling), but it's her baby and I'm just there to support her.  I think we are taking the pug, too!   It's exciting to be getting new clients.

We also bought some candy, so hopefully we will have some Trick-or-Treaters. 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork chop
- Egg salad

Found a cute coat at Target yesterday!  I'm ordering it online because they only had purple in the store and I am wanting either Heather gray or black... Probably gray, though.  What I love most about it is the long arms (I'm tall) and the cute thumb holes in the stretchy liner underneath.  YAY!

Keeping warm and low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Egg salad
- Most of a piece of cheeseburger pie

Keeping warm and enjoying Harry Potter with the dogs! (This is a view from the gf's desk).  

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche with mayo & mustard

Eating at the table.

- Four eggs
- Egg salad

All is well in our household.  I am going to venture out and pick up some pork steaks today because they are on sale for buy two, get two packs free and the gf loves her bbq pork steak.

It makes sense, but now that I've lost about 115 lbs, it takes less food to satisfy me. I've found that I eat at the table, I actually hear that small voice inside my head that says, "I'm satisfied."  I got this tip from Geneen Roth and I've found her books have really helped me with my compulsive eating. You don't get to 300lbs by being hungry. Every now and then I will eat in front of the television, but I don't even enjoy my food when I do that and I certainly don't realize when I've had enough. 

I try not to even read when I'm eating.  It's just me, my food and sometimes the company of others and I'm finally learning to enjoy the process.

What I ate

Tuesday:
Four eggs
Pork chop
Half cup angel coconut flakes

Wednesday:
Four eggs
Pork chop
Cheeseburger quiche with lettuce

Low carb menu

- About three scrambled eggs
- Cheese
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Three deviled eggs (whole)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken with hard boiled egg in a salad with thousand island
- A couple bites of sausage (while I was making sausage quiche for the gf)

Low carb menu & looking ahead

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle with butter & sugar free syrup
- Egg salad
- Two cinnamon flax muffins

The house is quiet because the gf is at a day-long pet sitting visit.  The boys are gone and the girls are at home.  She has our boy and I have our girl.  I'm just doing some house frau-ing and a few things to catch up with work. 

We are on-point to be debt free THIS MONTH!  The Dave Ramsey envelope system has truly changed our relationship, life and our future. In my family, you really don't discuss such things.  Everybody is getting the Total Money Makeover book this year for Christmas.  We scored ten of them over the summer for pretty cheap and it's definitely knowledge that we want to spread to our loved ones.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork chop with low carb honey mustard
- Sugar free jello parfait

Low carb menu

Monday
 - Four eggs
- Egg salad
- Low carb waffle with Walden's syrup


Tuesday
- Four eggs
- Two cinnamon flax muffins with half a piece of ham
- Sausage quiche

Wednesday
- Four eggs
- Gelatin parfait (sugar free from dollar store - sooo good!)
- Two sausage patties

I've been slacking on my blog this week.... I did have a good weigh-in at the doctor, though.  I know I'm back in wonderland because even with my shoes on, hoodie on etc., I weighed in at 198.  One-derland is a great place to be. 

It was just a routine appointment in order to stay on the pain meds for my knee pain (just Tramadol, but it does work).  It went well.  I have to go back in next month for fasting blood work, just to make sure that my kidney function is okay and have my cholesterol checked.  They've been trying to put me on a statin for my high total cholesterol, but I've been extremely reluctant to do so [read: not doing it at all]. 

I have heard that when you lose weight, your cholesterol goes up.  My good cholesterol is very good... Just my total that is a little high.  I am going to do some research on it.  My chiropractor said that as long as your bad cholesterol only makes up a certain percentage of the total, then you are okay.  We shall see!

The gf is taking the dogs up to the park for a walk and I have some grocery shopping to do.  We are dangerously low on eggs!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Meat at Old Country Buffet with broccoli
- Egg salad

I haven't gone off plan this whole year.... It really takes the pressure off me for some reason.  I mean, I love my treats and all.... but I love how eating this way makes me feel..

Low carb menu and exciting news

- Four eggs
- A few bites of egg salad
- A few bites of pound cake (about a third of a piece)
- Low carb waffle with butter and Walden's syrup

I woke up feeling horrible (due to the nasty, terrible jello parfait that was obviously past its prime), so I didn't eat a whole lot. 

I've been doing the recumbent bike most days, at least half an hour and it seems to be helping with my knee.

Guess what!  My lil sister asked me to be her maid of honor!  (She is about 13 years my junior)... Excited!!! 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle
- Four eggs
- Sugar free jello parfait (which must have gotten bad because it made me sooo sick)

Just getting a little work done today and chilling with the pack.  We are watching The Miracle Worker and gf is loving it!  It reminds us so much of how to train dogs! *giggles*

Low carb menu

Wednesday I ate...

- Four eggs
- Two cinnamon flax muffins with a sausage patty
- Two parm-breaded chicken tenders

Thursday I had...

- Four eggs
- Four more eggs
- Salad with hard boiled eggs, ham & low carb thousand island
- Cinnamon flax muffin

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Salad (iceberg lettuce, ham, hard boiled eggs & low carb honey mustard)
- Two parm-breaded chicken breast tenders with low carb honey mustard
- Another chicken tender with mayo this time

This low carb honey mustard is seriously the bomb-diggity! Everytime that I make it, even my brothers want the recipe. They never want the recipe for anything! First of all, they can't believe it's home made.  Secondly, they *really* can't believe it's low carb.  It's just that good. 

I love making stuff home made because you know what's going into it and it ends up being a lot more cost-efficient than the bottled stuff. We now buy mayo by the gallon at Gordon's.  A gallon of the extra heavy duty restaurant-style may is only $8.99. We are a mayo-eating household!

Also, I was thinking that chicken breast meat is so low in fat that it's not exactly a wonderful part of the ketogenic diet unless you add fat...

I've noticed that a big trend in the low carb blogosphere is focusing on a higher-fat and moderate-protein diet.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken salad and a cinnamon flax muffin (at the theatre)
- Cheeseburger quiche with lettuce
- Sugar free jello parfait

Low carb menu, chicken-style

- Four eggs
- Chicken salad
- Parm-breaded chicken breast tender with broccoli
- Chicken salad

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Cheeseburger quiche with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two flax muffins w/ chicken salad
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Another muffin

Chicken this, chicken that

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger pie
- Chicken salad

I made my chicken salad using chicken breast chunks, hard boiled eggs, sugar free relish, mayo, liquid splenda and lots of salt and pepper.  It is so good!

I decided to make it because I bought a 40-lb box of chicken breasts and most of them were shockingly small (more bone than meat), so I just kind of was looking for a way to use them up where it would still be a yummy meal.  They were not uniform at all in size, which also presented problems in trying not to dry them out when baking them.  I just put them on to boil and used the meat for good use. I have one more bag to get through then back to the huge, fat chicken breasts that we love.... baked and dipped in honey mustard!
.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger pie
- Chicken leg quarter
- Cinnamon flax muffin

The behavior counseling session went off without a hitch last night.  The gf's clients were very pleased and empowered with their situation.  Smiles and tails wagging all around!

Low carb menu & crazy Daisy

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle
- Cheeseburger pie
- Buttered broccoli
- Cinnamon flax muffin

I was having tummy issues, so I switched back to Renew Ultimate Flora 30 billion (which is a probiotic).  It works much better for me than the TruLife stuff and is roughly the same price. I don't know why I switched anyway when it was working so much.

TMI alert: Now you know why I made the flax muffins and was eating broccoli last night... My gf saved me by going to the 24 hour Walgreens and getting me what I needed.  For one carb per muffin, the cinnamon muffins are not bad.  I added 1/2 cup of liquid splenda because the batter was not sweet enough for my taste.

Tonight, we have a behavior counseling session with a pack of dogs that we adore.  We are taking our crazy

"I'm crazy!"

Daisy dog because we know she is always inappropriately dominant and is sure to stir up the problem that they are having. Daisy will be a catalyst if you will.

The gf jokes that Daisy is crazy because she was my dog before we met.  She also says (in a loving way) that Daisy is the most challenging dog that she has ever dealt with, which is saying a lot because she has rehabbed several dogs that would literally kill (and have attempted to) and has brought them back to balance.  What I've learned in being with a dog trainer, is dogs are born balanced and we kind of screw them up without meaning to. Daisy is her little girl even though she is a crazy, nutsy handful. Should be interesting! 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle
- Chicken leg quarter with buttered broccoli

These waffles are really good!  However, there tends to be little hard chunks from the pork rind "flour," which can be tough to chew on unless you have super-strong teeth.  I'm going to try some new recipes so that GF can enjoy them.  She really loves the low carb pancakes whereas I stick with the pork rind waffles.  Latley, she's been asking for three sunny-side-up eggs on top of a low carb pancake. 

Happy October, everybody!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Smokey hot dog
- Chicken thigh with broccoli
- Low carb waffle with zero carb syrup

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Broccoli
- Three hot dogs with broccoli
- Chicken leg quarter

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Tuna salad
- More tuna
- Even more tuna
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two thighs
- Two thighs with broccoli

Waiting on bloodwork results

- Four eggs
- Two thighs
- Four eggs
- Pumpkin bake

My gf has been off her thyroid meds for a while now and we are getting her bloodwork today.  I'm just waiting for her to get up and get ready, which is unusual because I'm always the one that takes longer to get ready.

Ang is up and singing rhymes, so that is a good sign that we are almost ready to go.  Signing out for now!

Low carb menu & photostrip

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Two bacon-wrapped cheese-filled hot dogs

This photostrip was taken on my gf's birthday (9/21) after we watched The Butler, which was really good. 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two burger patties with mushrooms, lettuce, tomato slices & a little onion with mayo & broccoli*
- Sausage quiche

Ate lunch at the B.O.B. and stuck to plan....  We had a fun time at Art Prize!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two eggs with a hot dog with cheese & bacon
- Four eggs
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb options at buffet: salad with blue cheese, bacon & ranch, chicken, ham, steak, green beans

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- One bacon wrapped (cheese filled) hot dog and a plain dog
- Hamburger patty with lettuce
- Another bacon dog and a plain one & two hard boiled eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Salad with turkey, hard boiled eggs & low carb thousand island

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger patty with lettuce
- Three hot dogs with two pieces of bacon & cheese

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Hamburger patty with lettuce
- A couple bites of bacon

Off to dentist

- Four eggs
- Sausage quiche
- Pumpkin bake

Headed to the dentist today... Had a deep clean done six weeks ago and this is just a check-up from that.  My dental hygienist was very excited with the results of cleaning and she said she can't wait to see how my gums will heal up nicely around my teeth.  I just purchased dental insurance for myself last February, so I am putting it to good use.

I love low carb

- Four eggs
- Burger patty with lettuce
- Salad with ham, hard boiled egg & low carb dressing

The incredible edible...

- Four eggs
- Sausage quiche (added in a can of mushrooms as well)
- Four eggs

My fiance eats this quiche nearly every morning for breakfast.  I had a piece today and it's really good.  Takes a jiffy to make it and it is good for breakfasts.  We usually use the sausage from Aldi which is less than $2.50 per roll.  No wonder Linda gives it five stars!

Our Aldi now also carries heavy whipping cream year-round, which is awesome.  The pint-size containers are wonderfully handy.  I even made some regular whipped cream (for desserts) and froze the dollops on a piece of plastic wrap.While we love whipped cream, it's not exactly stable in the fridge, so this just makes life easier.  I love to eat low carb, but I don't love to spend all my time in the kitchen!

How to freeze heavy whipping cream.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 2.5 hot dogs
- Pot roast with green beans & mushrooms
- Two Grey Gooses with diet coke

Still lovin' my burger Florentine

- Four eggs
- Burger Florentine
- Burger Florentine

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger Florentine
- Salad with hard boiled eggs, ham & low carb 1000 Island

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Zucchini flax muffin with a sausage patty
- Burger Florentine
- Four eggs

The pro-biotic has been working wonders and my tummy feels so much better... I'm on a 30 billion one and never going back!  I ordered some more off drugstore.com that is 35 billion, highly rated and even cheaper, so that will be good.

Getting some fiber in

- Four eggs
- Wine/cheese bread with ham, a hard boiled egg & mayo
- Zucchini flax muffin with butter

I've been experiencing abdominal pain for a few days (localized) along with some GI issues (constipation) and I wasn't even hungry today at all, but I ate anyway in the hopes of getting things moving.  I upped my fiber intake and started on a 30 billion dose of probiotics, which does seem to be helping.

Now, I've never had this problem before, even when following a very low carb diet, but I have been under quite a bit of stress lately, so this could have thrown the flora in my tummy for a loop.

I did make a doctor's appointment for today, but I cancelled it because the pain is definitely getting better.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Salad with ham, hard boiled eggs & low carb thousand island
- Burger Florentine with mayo

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 1.5 pieces of Burger Florentine
- Four eggs

I have to say again... This burger Florentine is simply amazing and VERY easy to make.. cheap and low-carb as well!  Can't beat that...

Eggies, please!

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Two sausage patties
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Hamburger/hot dog quiche
- More quiche
- A couple bites of ham (had to try the new lunch meat!)

Menu & Sleepy Pug

Pug loves his sleep mask!

- Four eggs
- Tuna salad with lettuce
- Four eggs

Pic of me and my boo!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Hamburger/hot dog quiche
- More quiche

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 8 oz sirloin steak with mushrooms & broccoli
- Tuna salad with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Hamburger/hot dog quiche
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb poke cake with sugar free jello and whipped cream
- Hamburger/hot dog quiche
- Sugar free jello

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Breakfast casserole
- Tuna salad (tuna, hard boiled egg, mayo, relish, splenda)
- A few bites of burger

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 1.75 hot dogs and half a burger patty
- Four eggs
- Zucchini flax muffin with coconut oil

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Breakfast casserole
- Four eggs
- Sugar free jello

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Sugar free jello with whipped cream
- Half a burger with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Salad with hard boiled eggs, ham & low carb 1000 Island
- Early rise breakfast casserole (omitted the bacon, added ham)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce & mayo and mustard
- Burger with lettuce & (home made low carb) thousand island

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Hamburger patty with lettuce
- Two slices of tri-tip steak with mushrooms & onions
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Salad with ham, cheese, hard boiled eggs, parm & low carb thousand island
- 1.5 zucchini flax muffins
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken leg quarter and small thigh
- Chicken leg quarter and another small thigh
- 1.5 pieces of low carb no bake peanut butter cheesecake (don't judge!)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Two chicken thighs
- Half a piece of pb cheesecake
- One oz of cheddar cheese

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two chicken thighs
- Hamburger Florentine
- Two chicken thighs
- Another thigh

Low carb menu for Sun&Mon

Sunday's Menu~
- Four eggs
- Chicken leg quarter
- Low carb pb cheesecake
- Burger Florentine

Monday's Eats~
- Four eggs
- Chicken leg quarter
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Four hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Salad with hard boiled eggs, parm & low carb dressing
- Burger Florentine

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Burger Florentine
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger Florentine
- Low carb vanilla custard
- Burger Florentine
- Three eggs

This burger Florentine is sooooooo good!  It's super easy to make and it's really yummy comfort food and extremely low-carb to boot!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Salad with ham, egg & low carb thousand island

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three thighs
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Pizza topping casserole

Low carbin

- Four eggs
- Three chicken thighs
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Hard boiled egg
- Salad with hard boiled eggs, ham & low carb thousand island

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two thighs
- Peanut butter cheesecake
- Three hot dogs with a hard boiled egg
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Pizza topping casserole
- Two chicken thighs
- Three hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two chicken thighs
- Peanut butter cheesecake (cut into 12 pieces this time instead of just 8)
- Three hot dogs

New office furniture!

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Two chicken thighs
- Four eggs

Life is good!  Thank goodness it's Friday!

Last night, we got a new black convertible couch for my office.  It's super cute!  It was on sale for $120 and it's sooo comfy, too.  It's a little low to the ground for my liking, but it's so cutie bear.  I was checking it out in the store, but figured that we didn't really need it.  We are doing our debt snowball (Dave Ramsey style), so we have cut out a ton of extras from our life, but we mulled it over and decided to go for it.  We've been lucky enough to get most of our furniture from family members, used on Craigslist or even using the barter system for my girlfriend's pet sitting services... Also, we had this beige (big) comfy blanket that we never really found a use for, and it doubles perfectly as a cover for the couch.  That way, little sharp dog claws will not pierce through the faux-leather.

It's Daisy-approved and she has been on and off it several times already today in the few hours that she has been up.  I think she likes it that it's so low to the ground (especially on ouchie days due to her sore joints from getting older and being a bigger dog). Speaking of her soreness, her vet told us a good asprin to give her, p.r.n.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger patty with lettuce
- Pork chop
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake

Parm-breaded pork chop kind of day

- Four eggs
- Parm-breaded pork chop
- Four eggs
- Another pork chop

Low carbing

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Pork chop
- Three hot dogs
- Four eggs
- Unpotato salad (tasting it while I made it)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Parm-breaded pork chop
- Three hot dogs

Meat & Eggs day

- Four eggs
- Parm-breaded pork chop
- Another pork chop
- Four eggs

Low carb vanilla custard.

- Four eggs
- burger with lettuce
- chicken breast
- four eggs
- low carb home made vanilla custard 

Oh yes I did!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Chicken
- Salad with ham, egg & low carb thousand island

With some low carb thousand island

- Four eggs
- Two smallish beef sticks at the movies
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Burger patty with lettuce and low carb thousand island

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken breast with low carb honey mustard
- No bake peanut butter cheesecake
- Salad with egg, ham & low carb thousand island

Low carb menu

- four eggs
- burger with lettuce
- four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken breast with low carb honey mustard
- Pizza topping casserole
- Four eggs

Low carb menu & disinviting Arthur to dinner

- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Pizza topping casserole
- Two deviled eggs
- No bake peanut butter cheesecake  (with a little bit of Walden's chocolate syrup mixed in it)

I did my bike for almost thirty minutes.  I'm trying to build up my leg muscles, which will help with the knee pain (my surgeon says).  I do believe him and just the activity gets some blood going, which lessens the arthritis.  When my osteoarthritis is flaring up, it seems counter-intuitive to exercise, but it really does work.  I think they say that idle hands are the devil's playground.  I say that idle joints are a personal invitation to that naughty Arthur!

Egg day

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Three deviled eggs
- Four eggs

Working out for pain relief & the entry where I compare myself to a dog

- Four eggs
- Pizza topping casserole (forgot to add the green peppers this time, which makes for less carbs I suppose; plus, we really didn't miss them too much -- still very flavorful!)
- Four eggs
- Burger patty with lettuce

Yesterday, I went to water aerobics again after at least a couple weeks of missing class. I had way too much fun!  The instructor is a total hoot and keeps us laughing.  She even did a rendition of "Reflections of My Life" with another lady in the class.  They had great voices and it was a total blast.

Working my body in the pool makes me much limber and it really helps with my pain.  I also hit the machines which focus on building up my right-hand-side latissmus dorsi (which is the biggest muscle in the back).  My chiropractor said that once I get the muscles even (which will take hard work and lots of time on the machines), my back pain will diminish. My OA (osteoarthritis) in my left knee and my back pain are really where I experience the most pain, so it's awesome that I've found a way to tackle both of them.

On a mental-health note, I feel so much better after I go work out.  I'm basically of like a dog (or a kid) who hasn't been drained when I don't go.

I really enjoy my gym membership.  It's a gorgeous facility and it's so close that I could walk.

A word on the food... If you enjoy pizza, the pizza casserole is very flavorful and you will not be disappointed!  Besides the chopping and such, it's really quite easy to throw together.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheese
- Burger patty
- Four eggs
- A shot of vodka

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Four eggs
- Burger patty with lettuce
- A few tastes of the mashed cauliflower and cream of mushroom soup while I was making it (had to season it, right?)

Low carb menu from Fri and Sat

Friday's eats:
- four eggs
- tuna salad with lettuce
- burger
- tuna w/ lettuce

Saturday:
- four eggs
- four eggs
- two sausage patties
- burger

Low carb menu for the past two days

Wednesday's menu:
- one (two halves) deviled eggs
- four eggs
- four hot dogs
- half a piece of jello poke cake

Thursday's menu
- hamburger patty
- four eggs with some smoked Gouda
- three hot dogs
- tuna salad with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger
- Four eggs
- Two deviled eggs
- Half a piece of jello poke cake
- Burger

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Deviled eggs
- Chicken
- A little cheese
- Burger

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Pizza topping casserole
- Four eggs
- Half an oz. of smoked Gouda 
- Pizza topping casserole

Low carb menu

- Two Oscar Mayer smokey sausages
- Four eggs
- Pizza toppings casserole
- Four eggs

Really low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Tuna salad with lettuce
- Four eggs
- Chicken leg quarter

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Taco salad
- Four eggs
- No bake peanut butter cheesecake

31st Birthday Pics - A hundred pounds down

What a difference four years can make!  I've been at this for over four years now and I feel great.  Check out my birthday pics from four years ago here.  I had actually lost about 20 lbs at that point also!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 3/4 of a low carb brownie
- Salad with ham, egg, cheese & low carb thousand island
- Four eggs
- Tuna salad (tuna, egg, relish, mayo & splenda)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Two beef sticks
- Taco salad (taco meat, iceberg lettuce, salsa, sour cream & cheddar)
- Deviled eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Three hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb peanut butter pie
- Parmesan-breaded pork chop
- Four eggs
- Hamburger patty with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Parm-breaded pork chop with two strawberries
- Two sausage patties with a low carb waffle
- Cheese
- Burger with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Parm-breaded pork chop
- Four eggs with a slice of wine & cheese bread
- Sugar free jello

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Salad with ham, cheese & hard boiled egg with low carb 1000 island dressing
- Burger with lettuce
- Beef stroganoff soup

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Italian casserole
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Italian casserole
- Three chicken thighs
- Four eggs
- Gouda cheese stick

Low carb menu & best bread ever.

- Four eggs
- Two chicken thighs
- No bake peanut butter cheesecake
- One slice of wine and cheese bread
- Four eggs with a sausage patty

This wine and cheese bread is pretty much the business.  I found a GT Express at Goodwill and it's been Game On!  OMG sooo good!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- A burger patty
- Two smallish burgers, veggies & dip, two strawberries, a tomato slice & a little cheese
- BBQ pork rinds

Low carb menu

Thursday
- four eggs
- Italian casserole
- four eggs


Friday
- four eggs
- Italian casserole
- two chicken thighs
- four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Two chicken thighs
- Gouda cheese stick

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Pork
- BBQ pork rinds
- Four eggs
- Salad with ham, Gouda, hard boiled eggs & home made thousand island dressing

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce

Low carbin

- Four eggs
- Pumpkin bake
- Low carb options at Old Country Buffet (loaded broccoli, steak, chicken, ham & green beans)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Salad with iceberg lettuce, ham, egg, cheese & home made thousand island
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Cheese

Sunday & Monday menu

Sunday
- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs with sausage

Monday
- Four eggs
- Chicken, celery sticks, green beans and some cheese
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken with low carb honey mustard
- Chicken with buttered broccoli
- Sugar free jello

Sausage patty kind of day

- Four eggs and a sausage patty
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Two sausage patties with a low carb waffle

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Salad with ham, egg, cheese & low carb thousand island
- Burger with lettuce
- Sugar free jello

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Chicken

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Four eggs and one sausage patty

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Make me stuffed green pepper
- Jello
- Salad with ham, cheese, hard boiled egg and home made thousand island
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Broccoli
- Low carb waffle w/ a sausage patty
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs
- Hot pepper jack cheese stick

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Burger patty with lettuce, two Roma tomato slices & two hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Low carb waffle w/ another sausage patty
- Cheese (about 1.5 oz)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Low carb waffle w/ another sausage patty
- Cheese (about 1.5 oz)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Low carb waffle w/ another sausage patty
- Cheese (about 1.5 oz)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Low carb waffle w/ another sausage patty
- Cheese (about 1.5 oz)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Low carb waffle w/ another sausage patty
- Cheese (about 1.5 oz)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Low carb waffle w/ another sausage patty
- Cheese (about 1.5 oz)

Low carb menu

- Cheeseburger patty with two hot dogs
- Four eggs
- Half of a low carb waffle
- Chicken
- Mock rice pudding with low carb whipped cream

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger patty
- Chicken with low carb honey mustard

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Three strawberries, some hog roast, a few veggies and Ranch dip
- Four eggs and a sausage patty
- Low carb waffle 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with un~potato salad
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with two hot dogs
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Un~potato salad

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs
- Salad with ham, cheese, hard boiled egg & Ranch dressing
- Gouda cheese stick

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce and cheese
- Un-potato salad
- Chicken with low carb honey mustard

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Salad with ham, cheese, egg and thousand island
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs
- Four strawberries with whipped cream

The thousand island is good... I added a little more relish and a little more splenda than the recipe calls for, but it's pretty tasty.

Exercising helps arthritis! Who knew?

- Four eggs
- Poke cake
- Burger with two hot dogs
- Two hot dogs

I've been doing water aerobics at the athletic club that I joined and it's so much fun!  It really helps my knee with the arthritis in it.  It seems counter-intuitive to exercise when you have an arthritic (and painful) joint, but it makes me feel so much better.

I originally joined the club to get my back muscles evened out.  Specifically, the left side of my latismus dori is much more muscular than my right, which is causing pain, so I'm doing weights to build up the right hand side.  This is due to my leg-length discrepency.

Yesterday, I did 55 minutes of water exercise, ten minutes in the sauna and a lot of weight training for my back.

Today, I'm not going to the club, but I did 25 minutes on the recumbent bike, which helps keep the knee pain at bay.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two chicken leg quarters
- Four eggs
- Small hamburger patty

Low carb menu

- Four hot dogs
- Hamburger patty
- Two sausage patties
- Four eggs
- Sugar free jello
- Two strawberries with strawberry poke cake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Mockafoni & cheese
- Three eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two chicken leg quarters with low carb honey mustard
- Mockafoni & cheese
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two sausages
- Four eggs
- Salad with ham, egg, cheese & ranch
- Four strawberries with sugar free strawberry jello & whipped cream
- Cheese

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Salad with ham, egg, cheese & low carb honey mustard

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Pork butt with broccoli & cauliflower
- BBQ pork rinds
- Four eggs with a sausage patty

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken salad with lettuce & ranch
- Sunflower kernals (snack at the movies, about half a cup)
- Four eggs
- Four strawberries with strawberry jello and whipped cream

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Chicken salad with lettuce & ranch
- Chicken salad with lettuce & ranch

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Buttered cauliflower
- Chicken salad with lettuce
- Chicken salad (chicken, hard boiled egg, celery, sugar free relish, mayo & splenda)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Chicken salad with iceberg lettuce
- Jello with whipped cream & three strawberries

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken
- 1.5 oz bbq pork rinds
- Four eggs with sausage patty
- Sugar free jello with whipped cream

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties with buttered cauliflower

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheese & bbq pork rinds
- Four eggs
- Cauliflower with cheese
- Four eggs with a sausage patty

Went to the local athletic club today and had so much fun!  I did water aerobics and some of the machines to work out one of my muscles in my back that is lacking strength.  Had so much fun!!!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs and sausage patty
- Chicken breast
- Four eggs and sausage patty
- Two scotcharoos

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Mushroom burger with loaded broccoli
- Chicken breast with pumpkin bake
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Two scotcharoos

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Pumpkin bake
- Low carb at Old Country Buffet (steak, chicken, a strawberry, green beans & loaded broccoli)
- Atkins shake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Chicken & broccoli with cheese
- Pumpkin seeds

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken with low carb honey mustard
- Four scotcharoos
- Four eggs with a sausage patty

Low carb eats

- Four eggs
- Four hot dogs
- Chicken
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken with a piece of pumpkin bake
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- One oz of cheese

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Three hot dogs with cheese

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Spaghetti squash casserole
- Peanut butter cheesecake
- Two burgers with tomato

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs with broccoli
- Low carb queso with iceberg lettuce
- Four eggs
- A few bites of burger (while I was seasoning it)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce & tomato
- No bake peanut butter cheesecake

Low carb menu & movie

- Four eggs
- Burger patty with lettuce & tomato
- Cheese & sunflower kernals (at movies)
- Burger patty with lettuce & tomato

We went and saw Burn last night, a movie about the fires in Detroit.  It was a must-see movie. You can check out the trailer on the site.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce & tomato w/ broccoli
- Three hot dogs
- Cheese

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Spaghetti squash/ground beef/marinara casserole
- Four eggs
- Half of a cup of toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two hot dogs with cheese and bacon
- Four eggs
- Spaghetti squash/burger casserole

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties & a low carb pancake
- Two sausage patties and another low carb pancake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Hamburger/spaghetti squash casserole
- Four eggs
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Spaghetti squash~ground beef casserole
- Three hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three bacon/cheese hot dogs
- Two sausage patteis
- Two (more) bacon~wrapped cheese~stuffed hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Chicken salad with pork rinds
- More chicken salad

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs
- Chicken salad (chicken breast chunks, celery, mayo, sugar free relish & liquid splenda)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken
- Three hot dogs with cheese
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with broccoli
- Four eggs
- Three hot dogs with broccoli
- Four eggs

Yeah, another dozen-egg day.  I bought fifteen dozen eggs at the store today... (They were a buck apiece...) and everybody was asking me what I was going to do with the eggs.  One lady asked if I was trying to hatch them. 

Low carbin

- Four eggs
- Two burgers with broccoli
- Two pieces of drumstick treat

Low carb menu

- A little egg salad
- Low carb brunch at a fancy place: sausage links, bacon & an omelet with feta, sausage, peppers and broccoli
- Four eggs
- Burger with buttered broccoli

Low carb menu

- 1.5 low carb pancakes and a sausage patty
- Two bunless burgers with broccoli
- Four eggs
- Drumstick treat

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two burger patties with broccoli
- No bake low carb peanut butter cheesecake
- Egg salad with pork rinds

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger patty
- Burger with broccoli
- Egg salad with pork rinds

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Low carb options at Old Country Buffet (chicken, ham, steak, green beans, a little salad)
- Three hot dogs
- Low carb peanut butter cheesecake

We went to the buffet for our two year anniversary.  Two years!  The gf got me three large walnut frames for three John O'Brien prints that I've had for years, not yet on display (until now).  They make my office look so cutie!!!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken salad with broccoli
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with three slices of bacon
- Chicken salad on a one-minute flax bun
- Four eggs with two sausage patties
- Low carb no bake peanut butter cheesecake

Easter menu, low carb style

- four eggs & bacon
- two low carb pancakes with a sausage patty
- four eggs & broccoli & bacon & a low carb almond cheese round

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two tuna patties with broccoli
- Chicken salad
- No bake peanut butter cheesecake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two hot dogs with mockafoni & cheese
- Two tuna patties with half a piece of mockafoni
- Two scrambled eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with two slices of bacon
- Pork rinds
- Four eggs with two slices of bacon
- Two tuna patties
- A bite of pumpkin bake and a bite of chicken

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a slice of bacon
- Two tuna patties
- Two tuna patties
- Two tuna patties
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- BBQ pork rinds
- Teeny piece of cheese
- Four eggs with two slices of bacon

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Two hot dogs & mockafoni and cheese
- Four eggs
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Three hot dogs with a one-minute flax muffin

Low carb menu

- Parm-breaded pork chop
- Four eggs
- Pork chop w/ broccoli
- Two sausage patties

Low carb menu

- Two parm-breaded pork chops
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties
- Parm-breaded pork chop with buttered broccoli

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 1.5 parm-breaded pork chops
- Four eggs with a sausage patty

Low carb menu

- Parm-breaded pork chop
- Four eggs
- Buttered broccoli
- Chicken with a one-minute muffiin

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken
- Chunky chicken veggie soup
- Pumpkin bake
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken with a deviled egg
- Pumpkin bake
- Four eggs
- Pork chop (parm breaded - how else?)

St. Patty's day menu

- Four eggs
- Cheese & deviled eggs
- Four eggs with two slices of bacon
- Burger patty with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger patty with lettuce
- One oz cheese

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Strawberry Atkins shake
- Four eggs
- Pumpkin bake
- Chicken breast

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with two slices of bacon
- Four eggs with two slices of bacon (yes again)
- Burger on a minute bun with Parmesan cheese and lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- 1.5 oz bbq pork rinds
- Four eggs with three slices of bacon
- Burger with lettuce & buttered broccoli

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs with two slices of bacon
- Burger with a one-minute bun & lettuce

Loving coconut oil day

- Three eggs with a one-minute low carb bun (with coconut oil on it) - sooo good
- Three eggs with two slices of bacon
- Half of a low carb brownie with low carb chocolate frosting

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Parm-breaded chicken
- Hot dogs chopped up in mockafoni and cheese
- Four eggs
- More chicken

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Parm-breaded chicken with low carb honey mustard
- Burger on a low carb minute bun with lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Mockafoni and cheese with hot dogs added
- Burger on  minute microwave bun
- Four eggs

The minute bread is quite lovely!

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Another burger with lettuce
- Half a low carb brownie with low carb chocolate frosting

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Four eggs
- Parm-breaded chicken
- Low carb chocolate frosting

Low carb menu

Saturday's Menu
- Four eggs with two sausage patties
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Three hot dogs

Sunday's Menu
- Chicken with low carb honey mustard
- Low carb options at a brunch buffet (strawberries, bacon, ham/mushroom omelet, etc.)
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Smoked cheddar cheese
- Two pieces of bacon, sausage and a low carb waffle
- Four eggs with three pieces of bacon
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with two pieces of bacon
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty
- Four eggs and two hot dogs

Breakfast all day long

- Four eggs with two pieces of bacon
- Two sausage patties with one low-carb pancake
- Low carb waffle with a sausage patty

Low carb menu

- Four eggs and two pieces of bacon
- Two hot dogs with a cheese round
- Four eggs and a sausage patty

4x4x4

- Four eggs
- Four eggs with two pieces of bacon
- Four eggs with three pieces of bacon

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger w/ lettuce
- Burger w/ lettuce
- 1.5 pieces of pumpkin bake

Low carb menu & new muffins

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce & smoked cheese
- Four eggs
- Two almond cheese muffins (so good and only 1.5 carbs each!)*

*I added 1/2 t of baking powder to these, doubled the recipe & added an extra egg, which made them puff up a bit more.

Low carb menu

- Pumpkin bake
- Four eggs
- Tilapia with broccoli & cauliflower
- Four eggs with two hot dogs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Tilapia with broccoli & cauliflower
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- four eggs
- tilapia with broccoli
- burger with lettuce
- pumpkin bake 

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Half of a burger with lettuce
- Pumpkin bake
- Burger with lettuce
- Whipped cream w/ diet A&W

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Three hot dogs with broccoli
- Four eggs with a sausage patty (again)
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Broiled tilapia parmesan & broccoli
- Sausage patty
- Pumpkin bake with whipped cream

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Four eggs with sausage
- Burger with two hot dogs and lettuce

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Burger with lettuce
- Two sausage patties with two low carb pancakes
- Smoked cheddar cheese

Good news from Surgeon

Great news at the surgeon's office!  He said that my knee looks good and I just have to come back in a year and make sure my knee is still a-okay.  He said that he could not be more pleased and that he is very happy with the results.  He is proud of me for getting off the narcs, which was not an easy thing to do.  I respect him so much and he has really changed my life. 

Now, before he operated on me at all, when my knee was still deformed, he speculated that he would have to operate on the top of my knee (which he did) and the bottom also.  However, the surgery was so successful that he is satisfied with the results and does not think additional surgery is required at this point. 

"If I were to do surgery at this point," he explained, "I feel like I would be doing it for the x-ray and not the patient."

Awesome, right?

Here is a picture of me and my fiancee, who stood by me through the entire thing, even the months when I was non-weight-bearing and stuck in a wheelchair.  This is us on the fourth floor parking ramp of the hospital. Ang, I never could have made it through without you! 

Valentines Day Eats:
- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- Smoked cheddar cheese (Valentine gift was more than 2 lbs of this stuff... It's from Australia and it was aged for nine months!!)
- Four eggs with sausage

What I ate on February 13th:
- Four eggs
- Low carb goodies from Old Country Buffet
- Four eggs

Low carb menu

- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Four eggs with a sausage patty (again)
- Two hot dogs with iceberg lettuce
- A few spoon-fulls of heavy whipping cream (tasting it while I made the whipped cream)

Surgeon appointment today... Can't wait 'til it's over! 

Early Valentine!

Cute pizza for lovers

- Two low carb pancakes with a sausage patty
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Two pieces of pepperoni pizza on oopsies
- Chocolate frosting (low carb)

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken & broccoli
- Two sausage patties
- Burger with lettuce & broccoli

Sweets for the sweetie, surgeon appointment & happiness book

- Four eggs
- Burger with lettuce
- 1 oz cheddar cheese
- Chicken
- Four eggs
- Two sausage patties

Today is my brother's birthday. Happy Birthday, Tony!

Lazy Sunday around here.  One dog is in the recliner in my office, snoozing and my gf and other dog are still in bed.  Ang has been sick this week, so I've been doing my best to steer clear of her.  I miss my cuddles, darn it!

I'm thinking about what I can make for my sweetie that is sweet for Valentine's day.  I was thinking about heart-shaped cookies based on this recipe, subbing out low carb bake mix for the oat fiber and such.... Or maybe just chewy chocolate chip cookies. I think she actually wants to eat off-plan on V-day, so maybe just get her some other candy.  Who knows?

I go back to my knee surgeon this week (on Wednesday) for a 18 month post-op appointment and I'm sure he will say all is well.  I'm off the narcs and I feel that my knee is still doing great... (some pain, but none that cannot be managed by some pain meds, rest and biofreeze).  So I'm expecting a thumbs-up from him.

 I avoid the scale at all costs, but my size 12 jeans still fit fine (that is the lowest size I've gotten to), so even if I've put some weight back on, it's not that much considering I've lost so much.  I probably will do a weigh-in soon when I'm feeling skinny.  Can I just say for the record that I hate the scale? 

I really have been enjoying this book on Happiness.  I enjoy that it has a scientific approach to its methods. Spending time with my art supplies makes me happy.  

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken breast
- Four eggs with a sausage patty

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Chicken
- Pumpkin bake

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Chicken breast
- Cheeseburger quiche with broccoli

What are you having for Superbowl Sunday?

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Four eggs

Superbowl Sunday, eh?  We have some big, fat chicken breasts baking and I whipped up some low carb honey mustard.  The gf will probably talk me into making some low carb queso which we dip iceberg lettuce or pork rinds in.

Even though it's a game that I don't even know the rules to, it is (seemingly) a good excuse to mindlessly munch.

Low carb menu

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Salad with ham, egg, celery & low carb honey mustard
- Low carb pound cake with lemon flavored whipped cream
- Four eggs with sausage
- Cheese

Low carb days

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Three bacon-wrapped cheese hot dogs
- Cheeseburger quiche

Low carb menu of course

- Four eggs
- Cheeseburger quiche
- Salad with ham, egg, celery & low carb honey mustard
- Three bacon-wrapped cheese-stuffed hot dogs

Low carb

- Four eggs
- Chicken & broccoli
- Three cheese-filled bacon-stuffed hot dogs with buttered broccoli & cauliflower

Low carbing

- Four eggs
- Chicken & broccoli
- Three cheese filled bacon-wrapped hot dogs

Low carbing

- Four eggs
- Two bacon-wrapped cheese hot dogs (aka pigs in a blanket)
- Chicken breast with buttered broccoli
- Low carb pound cake with lemon flavored whipped cream
- Two pigs in a blanket

Low carb queso

- Scrambled eggs
- Sausage patty
- A few pork rinds with Mexican dip
- Cheese burger patty with lettuce
- Cheese

It's Saturday and I'm feeling fine!

- Four eggs
- Three tuna patties
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast (not that the skin would be unhealthy, they were just on sale this way) with low carb honey mustard
- Four eggs

My mood is finally feeling "up" after feeling somewhat down-in-the-dumps (possibly) from coming off the pain pills.

Low carb eating

- Four eggs
- Two tuna patties
- Hamburger patty with lettuce
- 1/2 a piece of pumpkin bake with whipped cream

If you like pumpkin pie, then you will LOVE pumpkin bake!

Fancy new-to-us couch

We got a new couch off Craigslist!  It is a nice, brownish-reddish Hancock & Moore leather sofa.  We got it for the bargain price of $75.  They had an absolutely huge farm and huge mansion of a house located on a lake.  They were moving, so basically getting rid of all their stuff. 

Day two off the Percocet and I'm feeling better by the minute.  I did feel a bit flu-ish yesterday and today, but I think it's only looking up from here.

Yesterday's menu was:
- Four eggs
- 2.5 tuna patties
- Pumpkin bake with whipped cream
- Four eggs
- 1.5 oz of Wisconsin aged cheddar cheese (so good from Aldi)

Low carbing and shopping

- Four eggs
- Two cheese burger patties with lettuce
- Chicken vegetable soup
- Two tuna patties with lettuce

Going shopping today for onions, burger and snow boots for the gf.  You know, just the basics!

Happy MLK Day to all!

Quiet afternoon & new neighbors

- Four eggs
- Cheese burger patty with lettuce
- Three tuna patties *

*I like to add in some diced green peppers to the tuna patties.  It gives them a little extra oomph.

The gf and our two dogs are all napping in our bed.  It's too adorable, so I'm trying to be quiet.

We are getting new neighbors next door... hope they are good ones because we share a wall with them! 

Med change & good books

- Four eggs
- 2/3 of a piece of Atkins cheesecake
- Cheeseburger patty with lettuce
- Four eggs with a sausage patty
- Pumpkin bake

Finally getting off the Percocet!  I've been on it since August of 2011, which is a long time.  I was on morphine in the hospital and I've been getting the percs from my surgeon.  He has been wanting me off it because it's not good to build a tolerance to it.  In his words, our bodies get really good at digesting it and getting rid of it and then it's nearly impossible for it to be effective at all post-surgery.  If you want to be scared straight, just think of post-op pain and absolutely nothing will help the pain you are in.  OUCH and scary as shit, right? 

I have four knee surgeries under my belt (due to my congenital deformity of my knees) and I'm certain that I will have many more.  Wednesday will be my last day on it and I've been cutting back half a pill every three days, which has been exceedingly effective for me.

I'm now taking Tramadol for my osteoathritis knee pain along with Naproxen, which is basically a Rx dosage of Aleve.  The Naproxen works on my inflammation symptoms and the Tramadol works on the pain that my brain feels.  Tramadol works like an opiate, but it isn't one.

I was avoiding taking the anti-inflammatory along with the Tramadol because of the psych drug I am on (Viibryd).  Basically, the Viibryd label says that Tramadol and any NSAID (anti-inflammation drug) can lead to intestinal bleeding when taken when you're on the Viibryd. My doctor has me taking an acid-reducer to avoid this.

Basically, I'm happy as a clam to finally be on a path to taking meds that help me and are sustainable to take long-term.  Getting off the opiates is a big, fat "no fun," but the positives outweigh the negatives.

The gf's dog business is taking off more and more.

I'm really so fortunate to have a sit-down job and the ability to work from home as well.  I did the recumbent bike for 30 mins a couple days ago (inspired by Trophy Wife Oct), but I overdid it a little bit because my knee hurt for a couple days.  My surgeon tells me that biking will help me build more muscles around the joint, which will lessen the work that the actual joint has to do.

I've been reading Cheryl Strayed's books and I think I'm on the last-of-three books that she has published.  A good book is awesome!  Also, helping the gf edit her books and she is an amazing, talented author as well.

All is well in the world!  I will try and keep my blog entries more than just what I ate (which is eggstremely boring).