Food Journal Friday, August 31

Bought this protein at Walmart
because the price was right and I
thought I might try and make some
strawberry flavored desserts.  The
taste is very chemically.  I don't
think I'll buy this one again.
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Breakfast
2 scoops protein in water
1 slice low carb bread with 2 Tbsp cream cheese

Lunch
leftover garlic steak, sliced and sauteed with mushrooms and onions

Snack
1 slice low carb bread with 2 Tbsp cream cheese
1/4 C BBQ flavor sunflower seeds in shell

Dinner
2 hot dogs from 7-eleven with onions and mustard (no buns)
Sugar free cherry limeade Slurpee

Snack
several servings vodka with soda water and lime wedges
1 tequila shot with salt/lime

Water
12 ounce breakfast + 96 ounces at work = 108 ounces for the day

Exercise
none today

Supplements
fish oil
multivitamin
Glutamine
caffeine
green tea extract
fiber

Food Journal Thursday, August 30

tilapia with capers, lemon, and
mushrooms

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in water
2 slices low carb bread spread with 2 Tbsp each cream cheese

Lunch
(out at Buffalo Wild Wings with awesome boyfriend)
10 wings with Parmesan Garlic sauce and blue cheese dressing
handful of celery sticks

Snack
cheese slices with hummus

Dinner
1 tilapia filet, pan friend with mushrooms and capers
side salad: Romaine, onion, bacon bits, shredded Parmesan, tomato basil vinaigrette

It's called a dump salad because
I dump whatever I have in the fridge
into a bowl and eat it.  

Water
12 ounces breakfast + 80 ounces at work + 16 ounces with dinner = 108 ounces today

Exercise
none today- class

Supplements
fish oil
multivitamin
fiber
Glutamine
caffeine
green tea extract

Food Journal Wednesday, August 29

my new favorite thing

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in water
2 slices low carb bread with 2 Tbsp each cream cheese

Lunch
1 C lobster bisque from grocery store deli
prime rib sliced and sauteed with garlic and broccoli

Dinner
2 hot dogs (no bun) from 7-eleven with onions and mustard
sugar free cherry limeade Slurpee

Water
12 ounces with breakfast + 80 ounces at work + 32 ounces at gym = 124 ounces today

Exercise
"Shrink a Size in 14 Days" - Day 13

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
green tea extract
caffeine
Glutamine
multivitamin

Work Out Wednesday, August 29

Breast Stroke: This move is harder than it looks.
You might see it in a Pilates class.
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"Shrink a Size in 14 Days" - Day 13

Strength Training
Hip Drop: 2 sets of 10 on each side
Beach Ball Hug: 3 sets of 10 with 7.5 lb weights
(instead of extending one leg at a time, I am extending both legs each time I lift the weights: way harder)
Full Body Roll Up: 3 sets of 10 with 8 lb medicine ball
Breast Stroke: 3 sets of 10
Read the Paper: 3 sets of 10 on each side with 3 lb weights

Cardio
30 minute speed ladder
1.14 total miles
incline level 3.0
speeds ranging 1.8-5.0 mph

Assessment
Amazingly, I've lost another pound with this exercise plan even though I am not doing it every day like you are supposed to.

I think I mentioned that grad school is back in swing and currently sucking up a lot of my gym time.  It's interesting how not going to the gym every day has affected my overall strength and energy level.  I still feel strong when doing certain exercises, but am struggling with others.  During the hip drop, I barely got through 2 sets of 10 instead of my usual 3 or 4 sets of 10.  Am I losing core strength this quickly?  I felt good during the beach ball hug, which means that the strength I am building in my shoulders and biceps must have more staying power.  It's possible that the solution to this is to do some abdominal type exercises at home even on days that I can't get to the gym.  Stay tuned for an update on this.

In other news, this was clearly the wrong workout for me to choose.  Getting to the gym 6 days a week just isn't realistic for me right now.  After day 14, I'm going to look around and try to find something geared towards people who exercise 3-4 times a week in stead.

Quit eating low fat bread!

I wish I could take credit for this awesome infographic, but I can't.  It was originally produced by Massive Health and was forwarded to me by an awesome reader.  I loved it so much I decided to share pass it along.  Many thanks, and keep up the good work!

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Food Journal Tuesday, August 28

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Breakfast
2 scoops protein in water

Lunch
hummus with celery sticks

Snack
1/4 C sunflower seeds in shell

Dinner
mushroom soup:
start with one container Campbell's mushroom and Madeira bisque
add 1 can beef broth
add mushrooms
creates 2 servings of a soup that is much lower in carbs
Coke Zero

Water
drank a bunch at work- didn't keep track, not sure exactly how much

Exercise
"Shrink a Size in 14 Days" - Day 12

Supplements
fish oil
Glutamine
caffeine
green tea extract
multivitamin
fiber

Note: Normally I eat more than this!  I was feeling a little queasy because my body was still adjusting to new supplement regimen.  Morning thermogenics need to be taken with food!

Work Out Tuesday, August 28

"Shrink A Size in 14 Days" - Day 12

forward lunge
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Strength Training
Plie with Biceps Curl: 3 sets of 10 with 7.5 lb weights
Forward Lunge and Raise the Roof: 3 sets of 10 on each side with 3 lb weights
Squat with Straight Arm Press Back: 3 sets of 10 with 3 lb weights
Tip it Over: 3 sets of 10 on each side
Curtsy Lat Raise: 3 sets of 10 on each side with 7.5 lb weight

Cardio
power walk:
5 minute warm up, 20 minute power walk, 5 minute cool down
1.38 total miles
incline level 3.0
speeds 1.8-3.0 mph

Assessment
At this point I think we can declare this experiment invalid because I am way over the 14 day mark.  Also, I have become extremely bored with these exercises.  That being said, they are valuable exercises that anyone can do, and they have greatly increased my strength.  Also, I've been surprised at the level of cardiovascular exercise that I've been able to get from a power walk.

I'll definitely keep doing these in the future and adding heavier weights and steeper inclines on the treadmill, but I need to break them up with some other activities.

Creamy Cheesy Jalapeno Poppers

In case you haven't noticed there are several permutations of jalapeno poppers on this site.  Awesome boyfriend and I both love cheese, bacon, and jalapenos so it seems like a natural fit.  We decided that the filling on these was the best we've had so far, and the BBQ sauce added a nice sweet tangy touch.  

Ingredients

10 fresh jalapenos

1- 8 oz package cream cheese

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Cumin

10 strips of bacon

low carb BBQ sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  
2. Cut tops/stems off of jalapenos and discard.  Then cut jalapenos in half length-wise.  
3. Under running water, remove the seeds and pulpy inside from the jalapenos.  You should be left with only the bright green shell (see photos).  
4. Set jalapenos aside to dry on a paper towel.  
5. If cream cheese is coming out of fridge, heat for about 15 seconds in microwave to soften.  
6. Add cream cheese, cheddar cheese, paprika, and cumin to a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until all ingredients are incorporated.  
7. Add cream cheese filling generously to jalapeno halves.  
8. Cut strips of bacon in half, giving you 20 smaller strips.  
9. Wrap each stuffed jalapeno with one of the smaller strips of bacon.  
10. Lay wrapped poppers on a wire baking rack on top of a cookie sheet.  
11. After you have wrapped all 20 jalapenos halves, use a basting brush to top each popper with BBQ sauce.  
12. Bake for 20 minutes.  If bacon is not crispy at the end of 20 minutes, bake for another 5 minutes.  

Notes

• The more you scrape the jalapenos under the running water, the less spicy they will be.  If you don't want any spice at all make sure that you use a spoon or knife to remove all the light colored pulp from the inside of each jalapeno.  
• Go easy on the BBQ sauce.  It has carbs!
• Don't try to make this recipe in a dish or in a pan without the wire baking rack.  Your bacon will come out soggy.  

Food Journal Monday, August 27

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in water

Lunch
leftover pork chop:
chopped some mushrooms and onions into bite size pieces
sauteed veggies in 1 Tbsp olive oil for about 5 minutes
added pre cooked pork chop and cooked long enough to heat through
1 carb control strawberry yogurt

Dinner
(stopped at 7-eleven on the way to class)
sugar free strawberry banana Slurpee
2 hot dogs, no buns, topped with onions, cheese, and mustard

Snack
1/2 C BBQ flavor sunflower seeds

Water
80 ounces

Exercise
none today- class after work

Supplements
fish oil
fiber
multivitamin
green tea extract
caffeine
Glutamine

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Sugar free Strawberry Banana is everything I hoped it would be and more.  It's thick and somehow creamy while still being sugar free and low carb.  Per stats on the Slurpee website, sugar free strawberry banana has 3 net carbs per 8 ounce serving.  A huge one is around $2.00.  Even the smallest size has more than 8 ounces, so make sure that you count those carbs in accordance with serving size.  Add a hot dog (no bun), or two if you want and you've got a substantial snack or a small meal.  This combo is getting added to my fast food dinner hit list.

Grad school is hard.

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Fall is my favorite time of year for many reasons- football, Halloween, my birthday, my anniversary with awesome boyfriend, the state fair, and did I mention football?

In case that wasn't enough there are also leggings with long sweaters, boots, zip up hoodies, leather jackets, orange accessories, scarves, long sleeve T shirts, and cute sweatpants (holla).

Fall food includes some of my favorite eats- oysters, shrimp boils, Thanksgiving, a zillion things in the crock pot, pumpkin everything, and tailgate burgers.    

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With so many of my favorite things approaching in the foreseeable future it's hard to imagine stress even being a factor, but it is.  Welcome to business school.  This semester I'm taking accounting and finance.  I just started last week and I'm already feeling bogged down.  (Read chapters 1-3 and answer the homework questions for next week's class- what is that about?)  I'm going to try my hardest to keep posting on a regular schedule, but I'm not making promises.





What you may see, is more of this:  A reader forwarded this article from Cracked.com to me and I thought it was interesting and relevant: "The 5 Most Ridiculous Drinking Myths You Probably Believe."  What is going to be most pertinent for you all is Myth # 5- Beer gives you a gut.  The article goes on to explain that drinking beer does contribute to your overall calorie and carb intake for a day and excessive calories will cause you to gain weight, but that the alcohol consumed within moderation isn't necessarily the culprit.

Abdominal weight gain is genetic, so for you lucky folks out there (like me) that carry around the ever present tummy pooch, it's partly caused by bad genes.  Does this mean that it's impossible for you to have a flat stomach?  Absolutely not!  But it does mean that you might have to do a few more sit ups than someone who's mother and father are on the lankier side.

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I've been collecting and reading lots of articles related to fitness, nutrition, and weight loss in general that I'm going to try to share when I don't have time to write something more poignant.  If you have read something of interest please feel free to pass it along to lifelovelowcarb@gmail.com or leave it in the comments field below.  Happy chewing!

Food Journal Sunday, August 26

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Today awesome boyfriend and I are going to Kegs and Corks wine and beer festival in Jessup, Maryland.  Most beers have a lot of carbs which means that today is a cheat day.  We will still try to do the best we can in terms of staying away from sugar and flour, but I'm not looking for tremendous results today.  

Breakfast

scrambled eggs with cheese and 2 sausage patties from McDonald's

coffee with heavy cream

Snack

6 raw oysters with horseradish, cocktail sauce, hot sauce, and lemons

beer/wine

Late Lunch

1 huge bratwurst slathered in sauerkraut (so good)

beer/wine

Dinner

cheeseburger, no bun 

Water

80 ounces

Exercise

none today, we walked around the festival for some 3 hours, but no actual exercise

Supplements

skipped thermogenics today due to festival

fish oil

Glutamin

multivitamin

vitamin D

fiber

We arrived at the festival around 12 noon and it was already raining.  Fortunately, the tasting areas were tented so we didn't get too wet.  My sneakers have survived to tell the tale but they are definitely worse for the wear.  I was excited to see that there was a booth with oysters and steamed shrimp.  The vendor was called Pro Shuckers, but I'm having a hard time finding any additional information about them online.  The oysters were huge and incredibly fresh.  

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The event was held at a venue called Blob's Park, and it is an interesting place.  It's themed like a Bavarian Beer Garden, complete with an Oktoberfest schedule and authentic German food.  Awesome boyfriend and I both had brats with sauerkraut which we inhaled because they were amazing.  

I didn't drink too much beer, but the ones that I did have were sweet and stout which means lots of carbs and special occasions only!  I stopped by Starhill Brewery twice, once to have a glass of The Love, and a second time for a Boxcar, a pumpkin flavored porter.  These two brews are both original to Starhill Brewery and both unique tastes that you won't find anywhere else.  

It started pouring in the afternoon around 3:30 and we had tasted everything by that point anyway so we decided to leave.  As soon as we got home I curled up in my bed with the puppies and took a much needed nap.

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Sunday was a big day because there was also a Panthers Game to watch at 8:00.  Awesome boyfriend and I donned our gear and headed to our favorite watering hole, the Greene Turtle.  I was done with alcohol for the day but I was really thirsty and ended up drinking 5 glasses of water.  I ate a cheeseburger, skipped the bun.  

Food Journal Saturday August, 25

Breakfast
2 scoops protein in water

I wanted to spend some time with awesome boyfriend today so I took to the road!  Awesome boyfriend is a sales territory manager for upper VA, DC, and lower MD and on Saturdays he generally travels to some of the locations that are congested due to traffic during the work week.  We spent most of the day in Northern VA, and I studied my accounting textbook while he visited locations.

Snack
1 Cup BBQ flavor sunflower seeds in shell

Lunch
(out at Jerry's)
cheeseburger no bun
unsweet tea

Snack
stopped at 7-eleven
hot dog with onions, mustard, relish
sugar free Cherry Limeade Slurpee (say what!?)

Dinner
pork chops, pan fried and topped with mushrooms, onions, and cranberries
salad: spinach, cranberries, creamy Italian dressing, sunflower seeds
2 Miller lite beer

Water
12 ounces breakfast + 1 bottle in the car = 24 ounces.
Didn't have much water because we were in the car all day and I didn't want to make awesome boyfriend keep stopping.

Exercise
took doggies for a walk (30 minutes?) before cooking dinner

Supplements
skipped thermogenics today because we were in the car
multivitamin
fish oil
fiber
Glutamine

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The find of the day was definitely the sugar free Slurpee at 7-eleven.  I love frozen sugary things and I was so excited to find this I almost had a fit in the middle of the gas station.  Awesome boyfriend and I both agreed that these Slurpees were amazing and beat the pants off of most of the other sugar free liquid refreshment options out there.  According to the website, a sugar free cherry limeade Slurpee has only 3 net carbs per 8 ounce serving.  Even the smallest serving is more than 8 ounces so make sure you count, but that's pretty darn good when compared to other flavors that have 20 or so carbs per serving.  I also noticed a sugar free strawberry banana flavor on the website that I haven't tried yet but will be doing so ASAP (for research purposes, of course).

Food Journal Friday, August 24

Not fancy, but when I am in a super
hurry it will hold me over until the
next meal.  

Breakfast
2 scoops of protein in water
hot flax cereal

Lunch
sandwich: 2 slices of low carb bread spread with 1 Tbsp each of hummus, handful of shredded cheddar cheese, several turkey slices, red onion slices, lots of lettuce

Snack
several slices of Jack cheese
1 carb control strawberry yogurt
1 glass dry champagne after work
1 packet of tuna

Snack

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I went with a girlfriend to a Tastefully Simple open house, which was awesome.  I have to say that I was pretty skeptical about any of those snacks being suitable for a low carb diet and I mostly went to visit with my friend and buy one thing to be courteous.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole host of low carb yummies to dive into!  I don't want to write too much here because I'm going to do some extended recipes when the sauces and seasonings arrive, but I'll tell you that I purchased the beer cheese soup mix and the Everyday Grillin' seasoning among a few other things.

I sampled several cream cheese and sour cream based dips with baby carrots, celery, and cucumber slices.  I also had a few scoops of some spinach and chicken thing, a glass of unsweet tea, and two strawberries in a lemon yogurt dip that was way too sweet to be low sugar.  Not too bad considering all of the cracker and cookie options that were available for sampling.

Dinner
(met up with awesome boyfriend for some late night eats at The Greene Turtle)
cowboy burger, no bun
sub french onion soup (no crouton) for fries
2 Miller Lite

Water

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12 ounces with AM protein + 5 solo cups at work + 2 glasses at open house = 116 ounces

Exercise
none today, threw a ball in the backyard with the doggies but that doesn't really count

Supplements
green tea extract
multivitamin
caffeine
fish oil
fiber
Glutamine
(supplement info here)

Food Journal Thursday, August 23

Breakfast

so good
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2 scoops of protein in water

Lunch
hot flax cereal

Snack
1/2 C sunflower seeds in shell
crispy Chicken patty from Wendy's wrapped in lettuce, tomato, mayo**

Dinner
salad from Subway:
spinach, turkey, oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, banana peppers, green bell peppers, red onions
Coke Zero

Water
4 solo cups at work + protein in water at breakfast + water before bed = 86 ounces

Exercise
none today- class from 6-9 PM after work

Supplements
green tea extract
caffeine
fiber
Glutamine
multivitamin
fish oil

Who even needs the bread?  The fried
chicken, lettuce, and mayo totally
quenched my fast food craving
all on their own.
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** I was looking over some nutritional stats at a few fast food restaurants and I noticed that lots of places are including stats not only for sandwiches and salads, but also for the component pieces of these items, which is awesome!  If you click here and scroll to page 6, you'll see what I'm talking about.

I was very excited to see that a crispy chicken patty from Wendy's has 200 calories, 12 net carbs and 11 grams of protein, which makes it an okay choice, as far as meals on the run go.  It's not often that I get a craving for something breaded and fried, but when I do this will be my new go to.  Order the crispy chicken sandwich, make sure to get some extra lettuce, and toss the bread.  Steer clear of the home style and spicy chicken filets which pack a few extra carbs.

Truth.

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Food Journal Wednesday, August 22

I love these protein blenders.
They are around $10, so a little
more expensive than a regular
bottle, but worth it.
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Breakfast
2 scoops protein in 12 ounces of water

Lunch
salad: lettuce, steak strips, feta cheese, red onion, chopped pecans, bacon bits, balsamic dressing

Snack
hummus with celery sticks

Dinner
2 lettuce wraps: lettuce spread with hummus, turkey slices, cucumber slices, sprinkle of paprika, 1 Tbsp crumbled feta cheese

Snack
3 jalapeno poppers: jalapeno spread with cream cheese and cheddar cheese, wrapped in bacon and cooked in oven (recipe coming soon)

Water: 5 solo cups at work + water with protein at breakfast + dinner = 100ish ounces

Exercise: no gym today, awesome boyfriend had a bad day at work so we decided to stay home and cuddle.  Took the doggies on a walk around the neighborhood, around 30 minutes.

Supplements
fiber
fish oil
caffeine
green tea extract
multivitamin
Glutamine
(click here for supplement info)

Steak salad.  

Groceries Wednesday, August 22

Purchased from Giant Food on Centre Park Drive in Columbia, MD

• shredded cheddar: for use in jalapeno popper recipe
• bacon: for jalapeno poppers
• jalapenos: for jalapeno poppers
• cucumber: keep on hand for salads and sandwiches
• cumin: keep on hand
• sliced turkey: keep on hand
• lettuce: keep on hand for salads
• hummus: keep on hand for sandwiches
• Coke Zero: because I was thirsty!

George Stella's No Flour, No Sugar Pancakes

This is one of the few recipes I've posted that I cannot take credit for.  Normally I don't write about other people's recipes that I try, but this one was so good that I had to share.  I don't know why I get so amazed every time I make baked goods without flour, but I do.  It's still hard for me to believe that almonds and flax seeds can puff up into pancakes.  Awesome boyfriend was quite skeptical when I told him that we were having pancakes for dinner, but we both loved this meal so much that we will be having it again soon.

So good you won't believe they are low carb.  

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This recipe was pulled from the Dr. Oz website, but it originally appeared in
the George Stella book that you see referenced above.  We skipped the cinnamon sprinkle
in favor of sugar free pancake syrup. 

Almond flour is basically just ground up almonds.  You should be able to
find it in your local grocery store.  I know that I've seen this particular
brand in Food Lion and in Giant.  

Almond flour.

Batter ready to go into the skillet.  

Secret weapon.  You have to order this online from Walden Farms, which
is a pain but worth it.  It really tastes like regular pancake syrup.  A lot of
the Walden Farms products are hit or miss.  I'm not a fan of the ketchup or
the spaghetti sauce, but this one is very good.  Keep an eye out because
sometimes they run coupons for buy one get one free, or free shipping.  

A word to the wise- these pancakes cooked much faster than regular
pancakes.  They only needed to rest a minute or so on each side.  I felt like
they were sticking to I kept applying cooking spray, which seemed to help.

My pancakes definitely did not look like the stack featured on the Dr. Oz
website, but no matter.  They were still delicious and filling.  

Serve with eggs and sausage patties for a good old fashioned
lumberjack breakfast.
(This actually ended up being too much food.  Because they have almonds
and flax, these pancakes are much more filling than the regular kind.)

Food Journal Tuesday, August 21

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Breakfast
2 scoops of whey protein in 12 ounces of water

Lunch
leftover egg casserole
1/2 C hummus with 2 celery sticks

Snack
hot flax cereal

Snack
1/4 C sunflower seeds in shell

Dinner
wrap: 1 low carb tortilla, several slices Chipotle chicken from grocery store deli, spicy mayo, lettuce, tomato, onion

I love this stuff.  Make sure you measure because
hummus does have carbs.
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Water: around 100 ounces

Exercise: no gym today, but I did take my Border Collie on a walk around the neighborhood for about 45 minutes.

Supplements:
caffeine
green tea extract
multivitamin
Glutamine
fiber
fish oil

You have to read this.

I was so moved by this weight loss guide that I felt compelled to share it with you all.  It's a little long, but well worth the read.  It would be a great place to start if you want to change your eating habits but aren't sure how or are confused about where to begin.

Highlights include:

• why low fat diets will leave you feeling hungry
• why calorie counting alone may not be enough
• a breakdown of starchy vs. non starchy vegetables, and how our bodies process them differently
• why you need to be eating lots of fiber
• how to increase your lean muscle mass/why protein is so important
• what are healthy fats, and why do you need them?
• how to manage gluten
• how to control your cravings
• how supplements can help

Seriously, I cannot say enough good things about the genius that is on these pages.  It even has a printable chart at the back that you can use to start tracking what you put into your body and how it makes you feel.

My favorite part is this modified food pyramid, which is a toast to meat, veggies, and supplements.

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As a side note, I do work out at Lifetime Fitness and I love it.  If you're looking for a gym and you have one in your area I recommend you stop by and take a look.