2. (Same)

Okay, the feast days are over - it's time to buckle down again and work towards some change.

Planned for today -

espresso + 1 tsp sugar
2 eggs with butter

Fage 2% yogurt

salmon fillet
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup cabbage
cooked with butter
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869 calories

1. +2.0lbs Eeeeewwww

Not surprised!  This was a fun weekend that unfortunately included way too much alcohol and cheese.  Matter of fact that was my dinner Saturday night: cocktails and a cheese plate.
Ah well.  I can lose this and then be on my way again.

Today's foods: TBD

I ate really well today.  Comparatively more than usual, but the quality was very good I think.
Need more greens.  Going to try getting up earlier in the morning to make an egg-meat-spinach scramble, and then maybe just having some nuts or something to snack on while at work.  That will be a good experiment for tomorrow.  As for today:

espresso w 2 tsp sugar
1 small lemon chicken breast
1 oz almonds
chicken thigh, cooked in the Crockpot with vindaloo curry sauce -- so good!
big portion of onion, cabbage, and broccoli sauteed with 1 tbsp butter
1 oz dark chocolate
8 oz red wine
__________________________________________________________
about 1213 calories

7. -0.5lb Dukan vs Paleo, and To Review

Another loss.   That means four pounds total for the week.  I realize this is a temporary rate of loss and that eventually it will slow down, but I'm enjoying it for right now.
I started out following a vaguely Dukan eating plan, but I'm thinking of revising it to Paleo.  The Paleo Diet is supposed to be our bodies most natural diet, that our ancestors evolved to eat over thousands of years, under the assumption that our bodies aren't really meant to handle modern foods like milk and bread in the quantities we eat them today.
The reason for my change is that all week Ive felt really great.  No weird blood sugar episodes.  More energy than usual.  Not even craving alcohol nearly as much - which could be directly linked with my sharp decrease in sugar and carb consumption this week.  I don't think I need bread.  And my body seems to really like higher fat foods.
Over time, the Dukan diet reintroduces bread products and fruit.  The early phases are very high protein and low fat.  The Paleo diet has no limit on fat as long as its the healthy kind, and is much lower in dairy, although usually not completely cutting it out.

To review, this has been what I've been eating this week:  Ive drank coffee, tea, a little diet soda, wine, and lots of water all week.  Ive eaten eggs, yogurt, lots of fish, chicken, veggies, nuts, olive oil, and a little cottage cheese.

I can see myself eating this way for a long time, with maybe the odd bit of something not on the list, but rarely.  It still surprises me how low the calories can be given the quality of food that I'm eating.

My take on Paleo: (what Im planning to base my food choices on)
Proteins: fish, chicken, eggs, sometimes steak
Vegetables: All
Fats: nuts, olive oil, avocado, limited butter
Dairy: yogurt, rarely cheese
Fruit: not often, berries mostly
Grains: None, if I can help it.
Legumes: rarely, very limited amount

Will update food and activities later.  Thanks for reading! :)

6. -0.5lbs I Love Fall

So glad it's Friday!  The weather is cool, and there are a lot of choices for things to do this weekend.  I need to be sure to get outside more to enjoy the crisp fresh air before it gets too cold.  Fall is my favorite season of the year.

I'm looking forward to extra-spicy homemade shrimp cocktail, a glass or two of cold dry rose, and some salty cashews and almonds for dinner.  I'll have to lighten up a little elsewhere today but it will be worth it. 

Planned for today:

espresso w. 1 tsp sugar
1 cup of 1% cottage cheese

Fage 2% yogurt

15 jumbo shrimp
1/4 cup homemade cocktail sauce
8 oz dry rose wine
1/2 ounce cashews
1/2 ounce almonds
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958 calories

I didn't work out last night, so I really should for a least a bit after work today, before dinner and anime watching. :)  I get to sleep in tomorrow, and then I think I'll get up, have my coffee, and take a nice long morning hike through town.

5. -0.0

Awww, I guess that losing streak had to end sometime.  Yesterday's calories ended up around 1100 because I had some wine with dinner and cashews.
Today we have a group coming over to game with my husband, and I get self-consious spending time in the kitchen when everyone is here.  I think I'll just make some vegetable soup and let it simmer until I'm ready to eat (its a sort of fend-for-yourself night) and if he wants to add a sandwich or something, he can make one.

Today:

espresso w. 1 tsp sugar

1 can of salmon
1.5 tbsp light olive oil mayo
Fage 2% yogurt

1 cup 1% cottage cheese
9 turkey meatballs
1.5 tbsp light olive oil mayo + sriracha
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911 calories

No eggs this morning, since I didn't lose.  I have to work out tonight but I'm trying to find the motivation.  Watching a movie on the elliptical would be a good idea...
Otherwise, I feel great lately.  Maybe this whole "grainless" way of eating could become a permanent thing.  I don't miss bread.  Cheese and crackers would be different without the crackers, but I would't eat as much cheese that way anyway.  Haven't eaten cereal regularly in forever - I prefer eggs in the morning - if I want breakfast.  I do like rice and couscous and pasta, but it certainly isn't a dealbreaker to do without them.
The way I've been eating lately, I get less than 50g of carbs a day, about 100 grams of protein, and range between 25-40% fat.

4. -1.0lb

Planned for today:

espresso w. 1 tsp sugar
2 eggs
vitamins

6oz cold chicken
dip: 1.5 tbsp light mayo + sriracha hot sauce
2% Fage yogurt

6oz baked salmon
mushrooms cooked with 1 tsp olive oil
cucumber and onion salad with yogurt dill dressing
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872 calories

Really??? I triple checked, but yeah.

3. -1.0lb Yea, Protein!

Good!  I worked out pretty hard yesterday

quad-shot iced latte
2 eggs

5 oz cold chicken
dipping sauce: 1 tbsp light mayo + 1 tsp sriracha sauce
2% Fage yogurt

Dinner TBD

8oz red wine
2 light cheese wedges
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877 calories

   Focusing on high-protein foods makes keeping calories low so easy... And when you think of it, it makes sense, since all the things that are so easy to overeat ARE carby and rather high in calories: cereal, crackers, juice, etc. I know that most recommendations for a low-carb diet say not to not count calories, just to keep the carbohydrate count within a certain range.  But I think many people go about it the wrong way. (But true, lose a lot of water weight quickly, which is what happens when the body metabolizes a large amount of protein.) Not only eating just too MUCH meat at meals, but snacking on cheese and eggs and lunchmeat, and things like that all day long.  Then what happens when the diet ends?  The appetite hasn't been changed at all.  In my feeling that would make it so much easier to put the weight back on, even if on a plan like the Dukan Diet where the carby things are introduced gradually and in a heathy way.  I would much rather learn to control my appetite and eat at mealtimes.
   I know I could eat more than this and probably be okay, but there isn't much I want right now and I'm not going to work out tonight.  Tomorrow should be another 1000-something calorie day.
   Went to Sam's Club (one of those warehouse stock-up stores) and got a supply of canned salmon, frozen salmon fillets, cooked chicken, shrimp, eggs, herbal tea, and vegetable juice.  I also found these packets of vitamins from GNC that look pretty amazing.  I've been neglecting taking a vitamin for a while now so I feel better now that I'll get back into that habit.