2022

October 01, 2022

Keto flu is a real thing. I woke up with a bad headache and aches and pains again.  The positive of the day is I did get some sleep last night! Today is the official end of the first week of the Eat Like A Bear diet and I am happy to report I am down 3.7 pounds! 

I checked everything and weighed in at 8:33 this morning and the stats are: weight: 230.7 urine analysis: 4.0 and blood analysis: 1.4. Ironically, I checked my blood on a whim before bed last night and it was reading 1.7.

It's finally starting to get cooler here at night, so hopefully that will help with my sleep. Today's lunch is from Salad and Go and is a jalapeno ranch version with double steak and avocado for proteins. It's almost time to break my fast, but I am not really hungry...I might fast for a longer period today...

I ended up eating between 11:25 and 12:25. Instead of my coffee and milk, I had a chai tea latte. It was a nice change. KD came back this afternoon...I sure hope this is not going to become the norm.

October 02,2022

We went all summer long without fleas in the house and yard, and have even gone two years without them, only to get them within the last month...why am I typing this? I am typing this because I woke up at 4:30 with one inside my shirt tickling me...the flea medicine is working on the dogs and cats, and they are not biting, but they do tickle!

Anyway, I have been reading all morning so I didn't record my stats until 10:00 this morning. I am loving the stats today! My weight is down to 229.5 (a 4.6 pound weight loss), my urine analysis is up at 8.0 and my blood analysis is at 2.1 (I had to take this three different times because I couldn't believe the number)! To be fair, the weight loss is still probably water weight, but maybe not...the shirt I was wearing to bed last night was looser, no longer hugging the body.

Today's lunch ended up being between 11:50 and 12:50, and I ate the majority of a Thai salad from Salad and Go, The proteins in it are grilled chicken and buffalo chicken, and the fats are avocado and mozzarella cheese. The dressing is a Thai peanut dressing. This is one of my favorite salads! I also drank about an eighth of a cup of 2% milk. I honestly couldn't push myself to eat the entire salad, although I did eat that size salad yesterday. I ate the majority of the lettuce, but left most of the protein and fats. I just wasn't that hungry today. I am going to be lazy for the rest of today and just read and play catch up on journaling, so unless something big happens, I will check in tomorrow.

I can say this, I am no longer waking hungry and I am not counting the minutes until it is time to eat...I feel perfectly fine...other than the flu like feeling, but that will hopefully go away soon!

October 03, 2022

My oldest dog, Trapper, got a new harness this weekend and would not let me go to sleep without trying it out on a walk last night...at 8:30 PM! It was at least cool outside and he wasn't pulling me as much as he usually does!

My stats were good again today, my weight is coming down and I am in ketosis! I would like to say I can feel the fat melting off my body, but alas, all I can see is that my pants are getting a little looser! In all of these years of dieting, I never really knew how you lost the fat on your body, but I do now! 

Your body must dispose of fat deposits through a series of complicated metabolic pathways. The byproducts of fat metabolism leave your body: As water, through your skin (when you sweat) and your kidneys (when you urinate). As carbon dioxide, through your lungs (when you breathe out).

I just thought when you exercised or did sit ups, the fat was turned into muscle...that's what I was always told growing up! It's kind of cool how you actually lose it!

Today I woke up with no hunger pains, and for the first time in awhile, no body aches and I even had some energy!

Today's lunch hour was between 10:53 and 11:53. I had Italian sausage with grilled peppers and onions, roasted asparagus, broccolini, steamed cabbage and part of the leftover fats and proteins from yesterday's salad. As the grand finale, I made a chai latte! I am feeling really good about my stats today, and am hoping to make that 10 pound loss by my Sunday weigh in!

It's going to be a long day at work again today, but at least the food portion is done and I can move on!

October 04, 2022

I woke up tired today. Trapper barked nonstop all night long. He finally got quiet around two this morning. I hate water weight fluctuations!! When I weighed in this morning, I was up two pounds. My urine analysis still showed at 8.0 and my blood analysis was at 2.5, so I'm not concerned. I did however want it to be a minus...not a plus!

Lunch today was between 11:05 and 12:05. I ate fried pork belly, taco meat mixed with shredded cheese and guacamole, beef fajita strips and for my vegetables, I had seared green beans and roasted cauliflower. I also had a café au lait as my drink...I kind of missed the chai tea! I am stuffed. I figured yesterday I went heavy in the veggies department, so today I would go heavy with protein.

I am very happy that we have tomorrow off! I will probably fast until 12:00 tomorrow and give my body a little extra push. One and done is such a relief...I no longer have to worry about my meals and what I am going to eat, or eat just because it is expected and not because I am hungry.  My goal remains the same...I am hoping to have dropped ten pounds by the end of this week.

October 05, 2022

Today has been something. There were highs and lows found throughout the day. Last night my feet were so swollen I had to take two water pills before bed, and after a late night walk with Trapper, the hunger hormone returned. I just made some chamomile tea and went to bed! I also had my first set of cravings since last week...I think I am more susceptible when I am tired. Trapper barked all night Monday so there wasn't much sleep. I powered through and just went back to reading my novel. This is the month of horror, vampire, ghosts, witches and werewolves and I love reading these kinds of books during October!

So today was my official mid-week weigh in day, although I know I am weighing daily, but that will taper off when I am sure I am going the right way with this diet. I am still in the figuring it out stage of this diet and I haven't lost enough to be able to afford an oops moment. Today's urine analysis showed me at Large 16, which is the maximum level you can reach. I of course went on the internet to find out exactly what this meant for my system, and this is what I found out:

What does it mean if my Keto Urine Testing Strips read High Large 16.0? Your body is now discarding an extra large amount of ketones into your urine. This might mean your body is yet to become efficient at burning them or that you are producing too many ketones and can increase your carbs slightly. 

Now, I am not wanting to add more carbs at this time, but I am not going to feel guilty over my milk anymore!

My blood stats were in a nice range as well. I tested at 2.6 today. So, What is the ideal ketosis level for weight loss? According to Healthline:

After starting the keto diet, it takes your body a few days to burn through its carbs, which are stored as glycogen in your liver and muscles. Once these carb stores are gone, you’ll switch to producing ketones from either dietary fat or stored body fat to burn as energy.

At that point, you may have detectable levels of ketones in your blood. Blood ketone levels while on the keto diet typically range from 0.5 – 3.0 millimoles per liter (mmol/L).

These levels are the optimal range for nutritional ketosis — the state in which your body can use stored fat for energy most effectively, helping boost weight and fat loss.

So, I am in ketosis...which is great. Although, I am not sure if I am burning the fat I am eating, or the fat I have stored in my body, or both!

Now the weight loss portion of the day wasn't great, and this is where the disappointment comes in! I was hoping to be seven or eight pounds down, but I'm not. I am still going down, but only by tenths. I weighed in at 227.2 this morning which is a total loss of 6.9...close to seven, but not close enough for me.

I know, I am being hard on myself...I have only been on this diet for a week and a half and I want to be successful at it, and I have a lot of fat to burn!

For lunch today, I had a double cheeseburger in lettuce wrap with onions, tomatoes, mustard, Salsa Verde and pickles. I also had a half cup of mixed vegetables (asparagus, carrots, green beans and corn) and a serving of pork rinds as an alternative to fries. For my daily milk intake, I had my café au lait...or coffee with milk.

My lunch hour was between 12:00 and 1:00 today. I wasn't really hungry, but today was not my fasting day...that will be on October 24 when I have officially been on the diet for a month. I could have eaten more than the eight pork rinds I allotted for my lunch today, which is why I stopped eating before I got that stuffed feeling. I have a little bit of a headache today, but I am probably just dehydrated. I only had two cups of coffee today and some water. I've been busy reading a werewolf book and The Shining by Stephen King! Off to drink some water!!

October 06, 2022

I really have to change my weigh in days!! Every time, I lose more weight the day after the weigh in...I mean, come on!! I am happy to report that as of 6:30 this morning, I am down 9.3 pounds! I might make that two week/ten pound weight loss after all!

I was hungry this morning, but I think that is due to, once again...exhaustion. Trapper is probably in the last year of his life and can no longer...or won't come up the stairs anymore. So every morning around 1:00 he begins a barking fest that lasts at least an hour...Ironically, he didn't do it yesterday morning...only on the days I have to get up early!

Back to the hunger issue...I have a moment of bragging to do...one of my adorable former students came in my office with a donut she bought for me...she is a sweetie! In the past, I would have eaten that donut, ended up with acid reflux, and felt guilty after...today, I wasn't even tempted! And that is another thing...since I began this diet, I have gone from having horrible daily acid reflux and living on acid reducer, to no acid reflux! I am very grateful for that!

Today's lunch was between 11:00-12:00...I have come to realize I actually prefer to eat later, but that 11:00-11:30 is when lunch is lower school is served, and if you wait until later, pickings are slim. I had herb roasted chicken, steamed carrots and a medium side salad. I had gone almost all week without eating a salad...I think I am developing an aversion to them! But, I finished most of it!

October 07, 2022

Not much going on today. I got some sleep last night, but I am still tired. I took half a day off of work...I needed some time to myself. I ended up running by the library and to the grocery store. It is going to be a three day weekend, so needed to get some odds and ends.

Today's stats were a mixed bag for me. In weight, I was up 1.8 pounds but my blood and urine analysis was also up, which is a good thing.

For lunch, I ate between 11:00 and 12:00 and had 2 cheeseburger patties wrapped in green leaf lettuce with onions and tomatoes, 1 pickle slice and some pork rinds. I also had my café au lait.

October 08, 2022

I was so tired, I slept in until eleven tis morning and I feel a little better! I wasn't hungry today, and almost made it a fasting day. I ended up eating between 1:20 and 2:20. I ate 2 thick cut bologna slices, 2 Colby jack slices and one tomato slice wrapped in iceberg lettuce, 2 baby dill pickles, pork rinds and salsa Verde and a café au lait. It wasn't a healthy meal, but it was filling.

Today was the end of two weeks on the Eat Like A Bear diet, and I am officially down 9.5 pounds! I was hoping for at least 10, but I will take it! Blood and urine analysis were about normal for me...8.0 and 2.6.

I spent the day resting and reading...and I loved it!

October 09, 2022

My weight is barely fluctuating at this point...still up and down. I did take my dog on a long walk today...my feet are burning (wrong shoes), but Trapper is happy! I ate healthier today. I had a large serving of mixed vegetables, a hamburger patty and baby shrimp marinated in lime juice and chili peppers...when I get a chance to cook, I do it well! I ate between 1:20 and 1:50 and drank some milk...I did not have any coffee today. 

October 10, 2022

My numbers weren't making sense today. My blood analysis and urine analysis were down from where they had been, although still in ketosis and my weight is back up 1.3 pounds. The only thing reason I can think of is I had corn, a lot of it, in my mixed veggies yesterday and corn is a starchy vegetable. I am staying in calorie range and am fasting at least 23 hours...sometimes longer. I have walked my dog every day during this break as well as grocery shopping.

Today's lunch was earlier, between 11:20 and 11:50. I had a salmon fillet on a bed of cilantro lime cauliflower rice, asparagus spears, and a zucchini and  squash spear. I did not have milk today. We will see what happens tomorrow.

October 11, 2022

I fear I am in a weight loss plateau. Numbers are down and up depending on the day. If I lose, it is tenths of a pound. I have been researching and I still am not sure what I am going to do. The weird thing is the blood and urine analysis numbers are going up at night, when in the past couple of weeks, they tended to be at their highest mid-morning.

Today I ate lunch between 11:00 and 12:00. I made a salad with a mixture of chicken and beef strips as protein, and used avocado ranch dressing. I got busy at work and ran out of time for my café au lait, and only drank a sip or two. I am hoping by going back to more salads for awhile, and saving weekends for the meats and vegetables, I will get back on track.

Trapper got his long walk tonight, so he is a happy puppy...and I got some exercise! Fingers crossed about tomorrow!

October 12, 2022

After returning to the tried and true really big salad yesterday, and taking Trapper for a nice long walk, it looks like I am back in business. My numbers were good today, and I am finally over the ten pound weight loss mark. If I want to stay on my weight loss streak, I will need to lose at least an additional three pounds by Saturday.

I ate lunch today between 10:55 and 11:55. I had a repeat of yesterday's really big salad and some milk.

October 13, 2022

Today was a great numbers day! I was down an additional 2.9 pounds today which put me at a 13.2 pound weight loss. I got my flu shot yesterday and I am feeling like a truck ran me over. 

I ate lunch today between 11:10 and 12:10 and made a chipotle bowl with ground beef, shredded cheese, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, black beans and sour cream and guacamole as the dressing. I also had some milk. On Saturday, I will begin the Eat Like A Bear Six Week Challenge...and I am going to give it my all!

October 14, 2022

I still feel like I have been run over by a truck! I went to bed early last night, but woke up at ten, had a hard time falling back to sleep, woke up at two, fell back asleep at five...so I am running on fumes today! I was so tempted to pull the covers back over my head!

Today's lunch was between 11:05 and 12:05. I had a similar chipotle bowl as yesterday, minus the corn, black beans and milk. 

October 15, 2022

Weight is creeping up...not sure why...while I am up a couple of pounds, my KUA/KBM numbers say I am in ketosis. I begin the Eat Like A Bear six week challenge today and my goal is to lose thirty pounds by November 26. I have to figure out what is going on with the weight issue so I can do this. I am really hoping this is water weight, but we will see.

I made a really good accidental chili today. I put in leftover ground beef, and added some more, into a pot, added riced veggie blends spicy Mexican style, water, habanero chili peppers, zucchini and squash slices and spicy taco seasoning. Once it was finished, I added more shredded cheese, sour cream and guacamole to my bowl! It was delicious!

I ate lunch between 12:15 and 1:15 and had my accidental chili and coffee with half and half. 

October 16, 2022

My lupus is flaring up and I am not feeling good. I was only down a tenth in weight loss today, other numbers still show ketosis. I made a salad today with ground beef, shredded cheese, zucchini and squash sliced up, guacamole and avocado ranch dressing. I ate between 11:45 and 12:45 and ate the lettuce and some of the protein/veggies, but I wasn't really hungry. I ended up leaving behind a lot in the bowl, but Jenny ate the protein mix for dinner...so it wasn't wasted.

I ended up sleeping pretty much the entire day...so not off to a great start with the six week challenge! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

October 25, 2022

I have been taking a break from journaling. Honestly, it was getting a little depressing there for a bit with the scale inching up, but I seem to have turned it back to going in the direction I need it to. I have hit the magical 15 pound weight loss as of today...next marker 20!

I have introduced a new item into my diet...keto friendly chocolate peanut butter cheesecake...there are ways to get that sweetness without losing momentum. You should never feel like you are depriving yourself. I will include the recipe on the Recipes Page! We are also having a Sweet and Salty day at work on Friday, so I needed to come up with something I could eat!

I have been introducing cauliflower pizza to my diet and it has been a nice change. The tattoo chef pizza bowl and cauliflower bowl is no Bueno though. It is just small cauliflower bites...not even riced...either covered in Velveeta cheese or tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese with faux pepperoni...the pizza bowl is slightly better than the mac and cheese bowl, but both are high in carbs, so you have to watch the portions...you can't eat the entire bowl and maintain your carb balance for the day.

I did get ingredients to make my own, and I am going to get some cauliflower crusts to make my own pizzas. Mission tortillas even have a carb balance flour tortilla that is low in carbs, so I can make a fajita...exciting opportunities are opening up!

October 31, 2022

Happy Halloween! I am down 16 pounds on scale, and enjoying my keto friendly treats on this Halloween day! I left my lunch at home today, so made do at work with pork loin and side salad. I feel like this month was a success...now on to November!