Smellin' Like Roses - Diet Log #7 (past due)

Lunch Meats, Slices of Cheese, Broccoli and Cauliflower, Salads, Chicken Sausages, Chicken Thighs, Rotisserie Chicken, and eggs - have been the meals for this weekend.  Nothing exciting, actually I found myself being my own Naysayer this weekend.  I just could barely get myself to want to eat dinner because salad and meat is starting to disgust me.  I am not at the stage where I'm allowed cottage cheese yet.  All I wanted last night was cottage cheese and some diced tomatoes/scallions/peppers... just sounded so fresh/clean and healthy.  BUT, instead we had chicken sausages that were Zero carb and salad that my son and I chopped up and tossed together.  Totally beautiful dinner, but totally unappealing to me... Then came the "What am I going to do next week when I'm totally turned off by this staple diet of gross meat and fat?" - I am not a big meat eater, I could easily live off of veggies and fruit and pasta - yep, there it is - Pasta.  See how my mind is trying to trick me into my drug of choice, Pasta... Seriously, I don't drink, I don't do recreational drugs, I'm clean... except for CARBOHYDRATES.

But my excitement today - I got my birthday gift (belated purchase) of Eau de Cartier, Goutte de Rose, 6.75 fl oz bottle - it's huge!  AND I'm so HAPPY HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have Cartier Perfume, Baiser Vole, which is absolutely wonderful, but I don't want to use it all up - so now I have this to add to my collection.  I'm the best smelling person I know!!!  

Hades - Diet Log #6

Day #6:

Went out in the horrible heat and got cases of water, sparkling water, Powerade Zero, and some flavored diet sparking water called ICE. Friends came over and went through my Goodwill and walked off with a shopping bag of clothes - which was a good feeling for me that they got some nice "new" clothes to wear.  Now I'm starting a whole new bag for Goodwill - and they'll have to come over next week and go through it.

Meals consisted of - slices of cheese, lunch meat, some olives, and rotisserie chicken and steamed broccoli.  Not very exciting - too hot to really be interested in food.

I will admit I had a big battle of the wills.. I wanted something sweet - and there were cherries in the fridge!  I resisted all temptation!!!  Phewwwwwwww

Just so hot - the heat just melts me, gives me a headache, I ended up sleeping in the middle of the day with my fat cat wrapped in my arms - she and I are napping buddies.

Got to go finish my projects.  

Pinwheels, Painting Furniture, and Country Chicken - Diet Log #5

I made Smoked Salmon Pinwheels for breakfast and shared with friend.  The Cold Smoked Salmon is going to be a staple now - as long as I can find really nice fresh cuts at Fresh Market.  Add a little thinly sliced red onion and a thin slice of cucumber, and you are in HEAVEN! (if you like smoked salmon)

Lunch is Sliced Turkey Ham, Cheese, Hard Boiled Egg and a  Starbuck's Unsweetened Green Iced Tea.

Tonight's dinner:

Chicken "a la Provence - Sabrina Style"

2.5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Chopped Onion
Chopped 2 stalks of Celery
Chopped 1/2 Green Pepper
Diced up skinned/peeled garlic cloves
Olive Oil
Healthy amount of Herbs du Provence
Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven at 350 degrees; Going to brown up the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic; then add the chicken in to brown up some too - all in my casserole-dutch oven pot; put the lid on the pot and put it in the oven to cook for about 45-60 minutes, until the meat is so moist it can be cut a part with a fork.

Serving this with a salad of:

Spring Mix Greens
Chopped 2 tomatoes
Sprinkle of thinly sliced red onion
Chopped 1/2 bell pepper
Mustard Vinaigrette (White Balsamic Vinegar, Olive Oil, Ground Sea Salt/Black Pepper, and a tsp. Course Deli Mustard or Dijon - shaken/blended till creamy)

I can't wait to go home and get the house to smell like a Country French Kitchen ... My neighbors will be standing outside their doors sniffing ... 

This will be my first "weekend" in the Detox phase.  My goal is to keep very busy.  I have two projects that must be finished this weekend:

1.  I am refurbishing my armoire in my bedroom; I am painting the piece Henrietta (Lilac); Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I am going to do before and after photos.  

I made the mistake of not getting any for the little cheapo old side table I had - which now is sitting pretty in my bedroom.

The After Picture

2.  Finish organizing my closet.  Again, forgot to do a before picture, showing the absolute disaster and almost the look of the beginnings of a hoarder.  I've purchase some very pretty, matching storage boxes for my shelves, and I've been working to eliminate junk, old clothes, and put everything into it's rightful place, organization, organization... 

Diet Log #4 - Ketosis

Tonight I went out and purchased a bottle of Ketone Sticks to find out if I was in Ketosis.  I immediately tried them out - and I was in Moderate zone... Jumping for joy... Not getting on the scale for a week, so have to have something else to use to appease my OCD.  So, it will probably take the whole 3 weeks of detoxing from carbs to get to the max Ketosis.  But, for eating this way for 4 days and already meeting the middle mark - it's fantastic!!!  

Ketosis

Ketosis is a state at which the body has an extremely high fat-burning rate. Even the brain runs on fat, via ketone bodies. These are energy molecules in the blood (like blood sugar) which become fuel for our brains after being converted from fat by the liver.

To encourage ketone production, the amount of insulin in your bloodstream must be low. The lower your insulin, the higher your ketone production. And when you have a well-controlled, sufficiently large amount of ketones in your blood, it’s basically proof that your insulin is very low – and therefore, that you’re enjoying the maximum effect of your low-carbohydrate diet. That’s what’s called optimal ketosis.

One of my co-workers brought in her Atkin's book for me when she over heard someone mention that I was eating  Low Carb now.  I read a part in the book that a good breakfast to start the day is sliced smoked salmon with some cream cheese rolled inside... So, I have packed for tomorrow in my lunch bag - slices of Cold Smoked Salmon with Whipped Cream Cheese.  

Today:

I forgot breakfast - again... not good.

Lunch - Chicken salad 

Dinner - Deviled Eggs and Greek Salad with a Vinaigrette (homemade)

 Snack -- Turkey ham and Ultra thin slice of provolone

Roasted Brussell Sprouts - Diet Log #3

Healthy eating... and reading... and cooking... I'm not craving carbs today.  Not saying that when I get home tonight I won't start hallucinating (DTs) that M&Ms with Peanuts are invading my home, or that a cupcake isn't sitting behind the shower curtain waiting to jump out at me and scream Eat Me or that my bed has turned into a giant bowl of Linguini.

I love Brussels Sprouts - I really love Roasted Brussels Sprouts!

I buy a bag of fresh sprouts, wash and clean/trim/cut in halves, then put them in a zip lock bag with olive oil, garlic powder, ground black pepper, sea salt, and shake them all up so they are coated; throw them in a pan/baking sheet and cook them in the oven at 400 degrees - for 45 minutes - turning them over until they are all browned and crackled and cooked through.  

Sometimes, when I only have frozen baby brussels available, I do the same thing, but throw them in the microwave oven - and cook them for about 10-15 minutes on High and they brown up just the same.  Though cooking in the oven is healthier than the microwave and more flavorful with the longer cooking period.

Tonight's salad: (an antipasto type of salad)

Spring Mix Blend Bag of Salad
2 Tomatoes, chopped
Peeled, cored/seeded, diced cucumber
Sliced red onion
Chopped Bell Pepper
Cubes of Provolone
Chopped pieces of Turkey Pepperoni
and using up the rest of the Homemade Salad Dressing I made the other night....

My son ate all the hard boiled eggs AND the deviled eggs that were leftover, so I just bought him his very own Freshly Laid Yesterday Eggs from a friend's little farm.  She brought in a carton with the most beautiful brown and blue/green eggs!  Now he can eat to his heart's content, because strangely enough I have an issue with "eggs" - I want Jumbo Brown Eggs from a Store - though I know her eggs are better for you than the store bought!  

Lunch today:  Newk's Chicken Salad

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (1oz)
Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 58.5 Calories 78
% Daily Values*
Total Fat 6.5g		10%
	Saturated Fat -
Cholesterol 16.3mg		5%
Sodium 200mg		8%
Total Carbohydrate 0.5g		0%
	Dietary Fiber 0.14g	1%
	Sugars 0.2g
Protein 4.7g

Diet Log #2 - Psychological

I had the most boring salad at lunch time when I went to a cafe with friends.  Very disappointed ... while they ate giant deli sandwiches that made my mouth water - I had to just focus on the plate and tell myself - they will be jealous of my success in a few months, and not having that sandwich was the better choice.

June 24th I have an appointment with the Mayo Clinic because I have a strange lump on my upper arm (crossing my fingers it is just some kind of cyst or a Lipoma) - I am counting on the scale being friendly - I will be happy to see that the scale shows me lighter than two weeks ago when I went to see my physician... he is the one that said - You have got to stop eating sugar and starches - You have to lose weight or you will never be healthy again.  I spent the first week of May in the hospital very sick... it was a definite wake up call.  Since he said that I've already lost 8 lbs., but now I'm getting serious.

So...

Accidentally missed breakfast

Lunch - Boring salad

Dinner - 2 Organic Chicken sausages stuffed with sundried tomatoes and mozzarella with a couple of slices of Ultra thin Provolone.

Lots of Water - forgot to count
2 16 oz cups of Unsweetened Iced Green tea
1 Coffee - cut down from numerous cups to one - hopefully soon can cut it out completely
1 16 oz Powerade-Zero

Every hour at work, I got up and moved away and walked around the building a couple times.

I did not go straight home, but instead went from work to a friend's and have hung out with her this evening.  Rather than going home and sitting on the computer or in front of tv or even lying there reading a book.  Trying to become more active and away from home - rather than at home where I could get bored or in trouble...

Diet Log #1

Today's lunch - salad with pico de gallo as the salad dressing...

Dinner, I made a huge chopped salad for the kid and I....

Chopped up Baby Bib - Butter Lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pepperoncini peppers, kalamata olives, turkey salami, and feta cheese, tossed in my own salad dressing made of garlic, Tuscan Spice blend, White Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil... with deviled eggs.  Outrageously tasty and delicious and not to mention filling.

When the kid gets home from his class, he's going to go hog wild on that salad and eggs.

He and I decided to go low-no carb eating to kick start some hard to lose weight that has been packing on - due to health issues and life-style humdrums.

After I began cleaning out my closet, I was sad to see so many beautiful clothes I have that I CANNOT fit into - even two dresses and a top with tags still on them - so I packed up a storage box with the nicest ones, made a huge Goodwill bag, and then tossed the junk.

My goal - to fit back into the clothes I just put in a storage box at the top of my closet.

I wanted to go swimming tonight - but sadly a storm cell came through ruining any chances of getting out and swimming.  Not for laziness, but because of elements.  :(

Beverages through the day:

1 cup of coffee - no sugar, a little milk
32 oz. of unsweetened Starbucks' Iced Green Tea
16 oz. of Powerade Zero (per doc's orders re: Potassium issue)
16 oz. of Ice Water

Still got more time to get some more water in....I am not drinking enough.