My Keto Dressings

I love salad, but it has to have a good dressing. What I miss the most is Chinese food. So I’ve been on the hunt for anything to remind me of it. I’ve found these two dressings along the way since eating this way.

•   Sesame Honey Mustard – This is my own concoction, I got the inspiration from my love of Chinese food.

1 tablespoon Mayonnaise

1.5 tablespoon of mustard

1 dash of sesame oil

1 good squirt of liquid stevia (you could use granulated, but the ratio might differ)

There is enough for probably 2 salads, depending on how much you use.

• Oriental Wannabe

My favorite salad ever, is the oriental salad at Applebees. This may or may not taste like that dressing, but it’s what I was shooting for. 

1 tbsp Mct oil or Olive oil

1 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 tbsp mayo (or more of you want it thicker)

Optional: a dash of Stevia if you want it to be sweet
Again, probably enough for two salads. I tend to make big batches so I’m obligated to have another salad soon.

Weight Loss Goals and Rewards

I thought I’d share my list of goals/rewards that I made for myself to give some ideas for anyone needing ideas. I think everyone should make goals with their weight loss, and every goal needs a reward. Not a food reward, because that defeats the purpose.

For anyone who doesn’t know, I’m on the ketogenic diet, which is a low-carb, high-fat diet. However, this list is for anyone on any diet.

On the ketogenic diet, it’s especially not a good idea to reward yourself with a cheat meal, because you will most likely have a HUGE setback. You’ll be kicked out of ketosis and it can get pretty difficult to get back to where you were.

I just experienced this recently. I had cake and ice cream for my son’s first birthday, and I gained 4 lbs, which took almost two weeks to get back down. What really made me regret it was it made me feel ill for a few days.

Here is my list of rewards plus any other ideas I can come up with:

299 lbs – Rent any movie I want – I suggest starting small with the rewards and gradually make them more luxurious as you lose more. It’s easier to lose weight the heavier you are, so the first few rewards you choose will most likely pass by quicker than the later choices.

Similar ideas: Buy a book, app, movie, or video game you want. Subscribe to something you’ve been wanting to subscribe to, like an ancestry.com membership, PS NOW, or PS Plus.

285 lbs – Style/Color Hair – At this point, I will have lost nearly 60 lbs, which is basically a new me. So, a style change like this is another confidence booster on top of the weight loss. (By the way, I’m currently three pounds away from this goal.)

Similar ideas: Get your nails done, get a pedicure/manicure, buy a new outfit, buy a cute accessory for your car. Treat yourself to something you don’t normally treat yourself to, such as an alcoholic drink(keto-fied) if you don’t do it often.

270 lbs  – Take a day trip – This type of reward is one that depends on your interests. If you are someone who takes little trips already for the heck of it, then you may have to go outside the box and think of somewhere you don’t normally go. What I have in mind if the weather permits, is to go to the zoo as a family.

Similar ideas: Go to a National Park, go to an amusement park, or don’t pick a destination and just go for a very long joy ride in any direction. Those can be fun too!

257 lbs  – Get dressed up and go out on a date – Because we both know not a lot of us, especially parents, get to go out on actual dates.

Ideas on where to go: Movies, picnic at park, out to eat(keeping it keto of course, if you think it would prevent you from enjoying yourself, then choose something other than food.)

250 lbs – Hair Removal – Now this is more personal than the rest. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, so I’ve had emotionally crippling experiences when it comes to opening up to a significant other. It’s so humiliating. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS is a not-so-fun thing where your female hormones are all out of whack and you have higher male hormones than normal, hence hair growth in places not normal for women. Sometimes even in places that most men don’t grow hair, like upper arms. There are other issues with PCOS, like irregular menstrual cycle and infertility. That’s for another time, though.

240 lbs – Small ankle tattoo to match my other – About five years ago I got a tattoo on my outer right ankle. What I did was have my dad sign his name (Picture below) and took it to the tattoo shop and they put it on my ankle. I’m not big on tattoos, so when and if I do get one, it’s going to be very meaningful. As soon as I showed my mother, I told her I want one for her too. So that is what I will do for this goal.

230 lbs – Get dressed up and go out on a date – I figured this would be a good reward that I could use more than once, because like I said before, not a lot of us find the time to. It will give us an excuse.

220 lbs – Take a tiny family vacation – I haven’t been on a vacation in a long time. I’ve never been on a vacation with my boyfriend and son. I love traveling. This is one of my favorite rewards to look forward to. It’s up to you how big or small you want to go. You could drive an hour or so away from home and just stay at a hotel or water park, or you could go out of state, to a state you’ve never been to. Or even go to a different country. I live less than two hours away from Canada and have never been. Canada is the place I’m considering for my trip.

210 lbs – Buy myself a new gadget – I’m not sure when I will reach this milestone, so I won’t know what kind of gadget I will want or need by then, so let’s just say gadget.

199 lbs – Get family pictures done – We still have no family pictures and my son’s first birthday has passed. I’ve taken and shared one picture of all three of us since I had Benjamin, and it took all I had to share it. I stopped taking and posting pictures of myself not long after I got pregnant, because of the weight gain. I’m just now starting to feel more confident to take pictures. I love the idea of family pictures but there’s no way right now I would do a full body shot. I’m hoping at 199 lbs I will feel confident enough.

My last goal is unknown for now. 199 seems so far away and unreachable, so I may reach that, or close to it, and be happy where I’m at. If I were to keep going, eventually I may want to have skin removal surgery. Obviously, that is a huge thing to do. Doctors won’t usually perform the surgery unless you are in the healthy weight range your body needs to be in. So this last goal/reward is a big if, for me.

There you have it. I hope you have found some great ideas for your own weight loss milestones. Comment down below if you have any ideas that aren’t listed.

 

 

Current weight: 288.6 lbs

Weight lost: 55.4 lbs

LBS to go until my pre-pregnancy weight: 3.6 lbs

Keto really works! 50+ lbs lost.

Well it’s been a while since I posted, but I’m still here! And I’m still keto. My son turned 1 a couple weeks ago and I had regular cake and ice cream, which was my first full on cheat on this diet. I’ve had days here and there before where I had just a few extra carbs in a day, but for his birthday I went overboard. I regret it because I felt slightly ill for a few days after that. My stomach just didn’t agree. I also wish I hadn’t done it because of the 2 weeks it took to get back down just a couple of lbs where I was before. Oh well! The point is, I got right back on track.

I’m so glad I found this diet. I found the truth. This is the real deal; low carb is the way. I feel passionate about this. I would love to see more and more people catch on and raise their children low carb.  It would just be the bee’s knees!

We could be the generation that turns everything around! Let’s DO THIS!!!

My son, Benjamin, is on mostly big boy food now, and he’s eating low carb. Here is a list of foods I like to keep around for him:

• Green Olives
• Avocado
• Ham
• Cheese
• Banana Peppers
• Eggs
• Tuna
• Pickles
• Mushrooms
• Greek Yogurt
• Strawberries
• Bananas[the only high sugar/carb food I give him]

I’m not going to raise Benjamin strict Keto. I’m going to give him healthy fruits that have a little sugar every now and then and there’s nothing wrong with that! And of course he eats things other than on this list, but this is the majority of what he eats aside from bites off mom and dad’s plates.

I better introduce you to him shouldn’t I? He’s a ham. He’s my ham. 😃

Snuggling with his Dadda(More on him in later posts)

On his 1st birthday! He had so much fun in the pink cart at Kroger.

Weigh-in this morning: 292.2 lbs

Weight lost from highest: 51.8 lbs

LBS to go until my pre-pregnancy weight: 7.2 lbs

 

 

 

Keto Bread in a Mug

I’ve been doing this diet since the end of January maybe early february, and I’ve only just now made bread. I’d been meaning to pick up some coconut or almond flour for a while but only just now bought some. And I didn’t follow any particular recipe, I combined a few ideas from different recipes to hopefully make bread.

I would love to make a loaf in the oven but something is burnt on the bottom and it’s making it smoke every time I turn it on. After a day of scraping for nothing I gave up and just haven’t used my oven in months! Lazy? Yeah.

Anyway, I made this recipe in a mug in the microwave and I thought it tasted great for being the first piece of bread I’ve ate in 3+ months.

Ingredients:

·1 tablespoon of coconut flour(or almond flour)

·1 egg

·1 tablespoon parmesan

·A dash of heavy whipping cream

Throw everything in the mug, mixing it really well, then microwave it for 90 seconds.

When it’s done just tip the mug upside down and it will slip out. Cut it in half and there’s your 2 slices of bread.

I reached my first goal!

I’ve been sticking to my diet, although I’ve had a few lazy days…It’s still working. I’ve lost more weight. I made a list with around 10 goals that I’ll reward myself for. I reached my first goal a few days ago by getting below 300 lbs and rewarded myself by renting a movie. My next goal is 280 (my pre-pregnancy weight). With that goal I will reward myself with a haircut and possibly color as well.

I’m starting to feel more confident. Not like before, but I’m so close to my pre-pregnancy weight, which excites me. What I can’t wait for is to reach 258 again(my lowest from the first weight loss).

Current weight: 297.2 lbs
Highest Weight: 344

End of March Weigh in – Ketogenic Diet

I’ve found that I have a pattern with how I lose weight. Up 5 down 10, up 5 down 10. I’m okay with that. I do know that on the days I pushed as long as I could until I ate, I lost the most weight. I need to try sticking to that every day. Until I have a day where I just really want to eat, which I’m not going to beat myself up over. Its probably what causes my pauses in weight loss, but I’m in this for the long haul. Low carb, no added sugar is how I’m going to raise my son. It is a lifestyle.

I’ve skipped a day here and there with my good tracking. I’m getting more comfortable with what I know I can have. I’ve been having a salad almost every day lately. I found a new dressing recipe that I like so I guess I’ll eat it every day until I get sick of it, because I know it fits my macros and it satisfies me…and my son. He loves taking my avacado and olives.

The dressing I’m using now is a homemade version of honey mustard. 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons mustard, and a little bit of Stevia to sweeten it.

Weigh in was 304.6 lbs

Update and Weigh in – Ketogenic Diet

I had a little issue since the last post. I kept going in and out of ketosis. I realized I wasn’t getting enough fat. It took me 3 or 4 days but I figured it out and started dropping again.

I’ve also been having an easier time with bulletproof intermittent fasting. I’ve found it pretty easy to go longer until I eat, which is also a big contributor to the drop in pounds.

During my time away from posting, I also got rid of a sweetener of mine because I noticed it was raising my blood sugar a little more than any other sweetener/food of mine. So Stevia In the Raw is not for me. I knew it had dextrose in it, which is likely to raise sugar levels, but I used it until I tested it because I prefer the taste of it. Oh well. I’ve given up so much surprisingly easy. I’m grateful for that.

I’m pretty motivated at the moment so I think I’ll be able to keep this up for a bit. Here’s my weigh in And today’s macros: 311.2lbs(5lbs loss since post on 3/1/17)

What I Eat in a Day 2 – Keto Lifestyle

I thought I’d do another day of eating today, because my food was great and it’s just reassurance that this “diet” is not boring.

5:30am:  443 Cals, 54g Fat, 0g Protein, 0g Carbs

My 2 cups of morning coffee:

Sweet Cream Butter

Heavy Whipping Cream

Mct Oil

11am:  395 Cals, 26g Fat, 35g Protein, 5g Carbs

I just threw it together but I’ll call it an omelet with a cheese crust

Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Mushrooms

Eggs

Deli Sliced Chicken Breast

Reduced Sugar Ketchup

3:30pm – 574 Cals, 36g Fat, 57g Protein, 5g Carbs

I ate dinner early today because I wanted to start my fast earlier. This was on a wimb and it was good.

I wrapped asparagus with colby jack cheese, deli sliced chicken breast[only because I had to use it up], and then bacon.

Now I’m sipping on La Croix and Stevia and that finishes off my day.

Daily Total: 1636 Cals, 139g Fat, 93g Protein, 14g Carbs[11 Net Carbs]

What I Eat in a Day – Keto Lifestyle

My weight loss seems really slow to me, I need to change something. I know I’m eating a little too much, because I eat sometimes even though I’m not really that hungry. And when I make food I always feel full before it’s gone but still finish it. So I’ve got things to work on. My will power is so much better than before Keto though.

I’m trying to incorporate “Intermittent Fasting” into each day, with the help of bulletproof coffee. Some consider it a type of fasting since it won’t spike your blood sugar/insulin like it would if you had carbs.
6am: 402 Cals, 48.4g Fat, 0g Protein, 0.8g Carb
I wake up and have 2 cups of bulletproof coffee. I know the big issue people have with the coffee, but it’s helping me stay satiated longer.

Between the 2 cups of coffee I add: 30mL of Heavy Whipping Cream, 2 tbsp Sweet Cream Butter, and 15mL MCT Oil. I also add a sweetener, which I know is also controversial, but I can’t drink it without it. I’ve accumulated 4 different sweeteners and only 2 seem to be pure stevia. But until I know for sure how each affects me, I’m going to use them.
I did buy a glucometer, I’m waiting for it to arrive.

12pm: 297 Cals, 17.2g Fat, 33.8g Protein, 2.5g Carb
I got hungry around 10:30 which is a little earlier than normal, but I pushed closer to 12 before I ate.
150g of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, and 2oz of sliced deli chicken breast.
What I do with it is just throw the cheese in a pan in an even layer and throw some meat on top and let it cook until the cheese starts to brown around the edges, then fold it in half and let it sit on a paper towel for a few minutes on both sides. It will harden and be similar to a taco. I made 2 smaller ones for lunch.
I used a little more cheese than I should have. It’s my biggest issue right now. Typically for my small ones I usually use 30g of cheese per shell. At least when I “cheat” it’s on Keto-friendly foods.

5pm: 498 Cals, 30.2g Fat, 44.1g Protein, 9.5g Carb
My dinner was a scramble of 3 Eggs, 50g Radish, 2oz Sliced Deli Chicken Breast, 48g Mushrooms, and 75g Asparagus[I have a LOT I need to go through] I seasoned it with Pink Himalayan Salt and Lemon Pepper and then I’m a ketchup lover so I added 1 tbsp of Reduced Sugar Heinz Ketchup. I made a bigger meal because my son gets mad at me if I don’t feed him my food.
Usually around dinner time I grab a lime flavored La Croix sparkling water and add some liquid stevia to it and that is my “pop.” It tastes similar to Sprite to me. I was a Mountain Dew person and didn’t like sprite, but since I’ve started Keto and dropped pop I prefer La Croix and Stevia now.

Total: 1197 Cals, 96g Fat, 78g Protein, 13g Carb[11 Net Carbs]

I was 317.2 lbs this morning.

A tiny loss.

Now to enjoy my Lime La Croix with Stevia, and fast until my next meal.

An Intro to Who I Am and My Journey So Far

Hello possible fellow Keto-er, my name is Abby. I am a Stay at Home Mom. One boy named Benjamin. He is part of why I am where I am, but he is also a big reason why I’m going to fix everything, finally. My hope for this blog is to eventually phase into vlogging on youtube, once I grow a pair and get over my fears. What I will blog about is what I eat, what I learn as I go, but most of all my progress on a regular basis.

I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life. I literally was overweight before I started kindergarten. And just gradually got bigger every year. I had lost weight previously[about 80lbs], then gained a little back[about 20lbs], and then I stuck around the same weight for a few years. AND THEN…I got pregnant. I found myself with someone who I found actually loved me, and I let myself go, using the pregnancy as an excuse to go out to Chinese once a week…or twice.

I gained it all back! My pregnancy went smoothly until the very end. I didn’t have issues with blood pressure or blood sugar, until about 38 weeks. At least that’s when they caught it. In the end I ended up with a C-Section and SO MUCH SWELLING[50+ lbs of water weight!!]. My son came out not being able to regulate his blood sugar. I had to go almost 2 days without being able to hold him. I almost thought I was going to be lucky and not deal with gestational diabetes like my sister had. I was wrong. And my son had to suffer for it right out of the womb.

Nine months later and I’ve finally found the drive and motivation to change what I’ve needed to change my whole life. What’s driving me the most, aside from my weight, is my son. I am going to make damn sure that he is taught the right way to eat so he doesn’t end up dealing with issues I am. No better way to show him than eat that way myself.

I am blogging because I need to stay accountable to something…and the possibility that anyone could follow my journey definitely helps. I’ve been very shy my whole life. I’m hoping once I lose a little bit more weight I will be more comfortable to talk to a camera. I hope you follow my journey and give me advice or ask questions.

Here is my journey with pictures:

This was at my highest the first time. 337 was the highest I saw on a scale.

I got my license around this time and my friends and I were out doing things 24/7 so I was pretty active and my motivation for the weight loss was mostly to get attention from men. It was the wrong motivation, but hey…it got the weight off.

This is me at my lowest. The lowest number I saw was 258. I was in my first relationship, that’s what made me lose so much in the end. He didn’t really want me and I didn’t want to lose him so I didn’t eat most of the time, I literally wouldn’t eat around him and when I did I was so self conscious about it. Chewing so slowly so I didn’t sound fat lol.

Then we broke up and I moved away, quit my job, and did nothing for a couple years. I was depressed and had no motivation to find or keep a job. I kept bouncing from guy to guy trying to get over the previous one, trying to feel better about myself. My weight went up to 280 lbs and stuck around that weight until I got pregnant at the end of 2015.

I was pretty happy and felt somewhat attractive. So it wasn’t enough to make me want to get back into weight loss mode. But it all changes now. For me, and my family.

I got back up to my highest weight[a little higher]. Lost 10 lbs trying out different things. I started keto and lost another 15 lbs. Currently I am 318.6 lbs as of this morning.

Thank you for taking the time to read this…I promise future posts won’t be as long.