Need to pay closer attention...

I've been acting like someone in maintenance (only much worse) with their weightloss, while, in reality, I still have a good 20-30lbs that I want to lose.  It's tough to commit to getting online each evening and keeping record.  Proof is in the fact that I'd quit doing it a couple of times already.  Here I am, trying again.

Monday, 2/4/2013
B> 2 scrambled eggs, 2 strawberries, coffee w/h&h and stevia
L> wild rice soup, cottage cheese w/bite of pear, pickle, 2celery sticks w/pb 
Supper> steak, serving Alexia fries, several spears asparagus
Snacks> 4 bites leftover pork roast, coffee w/h&h and stevia, frozen garden raspberries w/sf vanilla ice cream

Wow.  That looks like a lot of food.  Probably because IT IS.  At work I usually have a little of this and that, I like variety.  I'll try to curb that.  I also see that there's too much snacking.

Tuesday, 2/5/2013
B> 2 fried eggs, leftover steak bits, 2 strawberries, coffee w/h&h and stevia
L> tuna salad (not the pasta kind) on little lettuce, 2 stalks celery w/pb & few raisins
S>  zoodles w/meat sauce, couple bites homemade unsweetened applesauce, diet Dr.Pepper
Snacks> 4 strawberries, sf vanilla latte, few homemade cocoa crusted almonds, Tbsp.dark chocolate chips

I finally bought myself a zoodle cutter.  I've read lots of blogs and read many reviews on spiral cutters, most seeming to really go for the larger cutters or mandolines.   I had bought myself an OXO Good Grips Mandoline Slicer for $40 at Target over a year ago.  I used it once.  Then it got boxed up and has been sitting on the bottom of my baker's rack ever since.  It just takes too much effort to set it up, use it, take apart and clean, then store it again...  (If you've ever lived in a trailer home you know that storage space has a premium price.)  So I thought that surely there must be a hand-held sized cutter of some sort, aside from a vegetable peeler.  What I discovered is below.  I just used it for the first time last night.  Perfect.  Yes, it was pretty expensive for a small piece of metal and plastic.  Fortunately I'd received a gift card from a relative and ended up paying only $5 of my own money for it.  I thought it may be a little tricky to clean the sharp little teeth, then realized a toothbrush would work perfectly well to do the job.

Do you make zoodles?  How do you enjoy them?  And, for the love of Pete, how do you keep them from being so wet (notice the greenish tinted ooze on my plate)?

Wednesday, 2/6/2013
B> 1 slice Ezekiel toast w/pb & j, 4 strawberries, coffee w/h&h and stevia
L> small chicken taco salad, few bites cottage cheese w/6-8 pineapple tidbits
S> bbq beef ribs, several Tbsp corn, salad, small sweet potato w/butter, couple bites applesauce
Snacks> whole medium apple w/pb, 2 strawberries

Baby steps... I'm so full of sh!t with excuses, aren't I?  I did skip snacking while at work and skipped my afternoon sweetened hot drink.  I'm having one hell of a time with fruit, though.  Grr.  I think I need to avoid the cottage cheese at work as I usually crave a bite or two of fruit to go along with it.

Thursday, 2/7/2013
B> scrambled eggs, 1 Ezekiel toast w/butter & jam, 3 strawberries, coffee w/h&h and stevia
L> small chicken taco salad, 2 celery sticks w/pb
S> Cheat - J wanted to go out to eat for a favorite club sandwich, followed by a big piece of pie
Snacks>  2 small chunks of banana w/pb & 4 raisins, homemade sf cappuccino, 8 homemade cocoa crusted almonds

I was going to make a pan of brownies to bring to work today.  Decided to maybe make them next week as a Valentine's Day treat instead.  The piece of banana was a planned cheat, well, planned since yesterday when I was cleaning these darling little bananas at work - so cute!  While it was a tiny banana I knew that it contained a ton of sugar so I cut off about a fourth to a third of it and gave the rest to a coworker.  Once put together with the pb and raisins it ended up being two big bites.  It was good.  But I like it better with celery.  And, sadly, the 3 berries at breakfast were the last of my strawberries.  But I have a lovely container of blackberries waiting to be used next.  Yum yum.  Oh, and the homemade sf cappuccino is just kind of "meh".  It needs to be worked on yet.  I think the sweeteners that I'd used (xylitol and stevia) were good, but the amount of cinnamon and instant coffee granules need to be worked out better as it's a bit strong.  Once this batch is gone I may make it again and, if it turns out good, I'll post the recipe.

Friday, 2/8/2013
B> scrambled eggs w/spam & mozzarella, 1 Ezekiel toast w/butter & jam, 7 blackberries, coffee w/h&h and stevia
L> skipped
S> about 1/4c bowties & veggies mix, chicken/pork Italian sausage, couple bites cottage cheese, 3 thin slices off small pear, 1/2 small clementine orange
Snacks> 1mini sf chocolate, few Tbsps dark chocolate chips & almonds mixed

Breakfast was late, so skipped lunch. Not too shabby...  While I don't keep track of my water intake I do recognize that I don't drink enough throughout the day and will work harder at that.

Saturday, 2/9/2013
B> scrambled eggs w/spam & cheese, 7 blackberries
L> bunless burger, small sf Starbucks mocha
S> 2 slices very thin crust pepperoni pizza w/edges cut off, salad
Snacks> sf hot chocolate, 6 blackberries, 2 tiny sips of Starbucks Vanilla Spice latte

We were out and about today, hence the Starbucks. J got the Vanilla Spice latte and I couldn't resist trying it... twice.  Pizza wasn't the best choice.  I realize a more disciplined person would've just had the salad while out.

Sunday, 2/10/2013
B> 2slices Ezekiel toast w/butter, jam & cheese, 6 blackberries, 2 coffee w/h&h and stevia 
L> 1/3 apple slices, salami, mozzarella 
S> 2 fish tacos, 3 tortilla chips w/salsa, 1/2 clementine orange
Snacks> 1sf mini mint patty, Tbsp dark chocolate chips & few almonds, sf chocolate mint bar


I picked up a package of hair bleach for face yesterday.  I had been scouring Ulta's site and read a bunch of comments reviewers had made on Sally Hansen Creme Hair Bleach.  The one reviewer that mentioned having PCOS had me convinced when she said that it bleached even the coarse dark hair on her chin.  So this morning I tried it out.  You'd think I'd learn by now that most products just aren't able to live up to their claims. The photo is "before", just to give you some idea of what I deal with every single morning...  I had taken an "after" photo as well.  But it looked the same as far as the stubbly hair growth, worse because of the bad lighting.  (How's that for sexy, huh?)

Now for some fair and helpful information.

I have been using Equate (Walmart's brand) face lotions, which have improved my skin greatly when it comes to ingrown hairs.  What I've been using for more than the past year is the Healthy Face Lotion with Alpha-Hydroxy Acid and SPF15, and less frequently, the Oil-Free Ultra-Gentle Facial Moisturizer.  (They have a little blurb on each bottle that compares them to Neutrogena products.)  It seems that the Alpha-Hydroxy Acid products slough off enough skin cells to prevent ingrown hairs.  I say "products" because when I do use a facial cleanser, it also contains A-HA.  In the winter months here it is very dry and the skin around my mouth and chin gets very flaky.  To prevent the flaky skin I have to use A-HA products more sparingly than I would in the summer months and this is also why at times I use the Oil-Free Ultra-Gentle Facial Moisturizer.

If you suffer from this PCOS problem (i.e. infected/ingrown whiskers), give it a whirl.  If you experience this problem and have an effective method already, I'd love to hear about that, too.  This is the one PCOS symptom that drives me bonkers the most as it is one of the most visible.  Oh, oh, and I wanted to mention my experience as far as shaving goes.  I have not noticed that it has caused the hair to be thicker/coarser/darker.  (I suspect that that info was put out there more as a way to keep people buying hair removal creams or waxes, but then I am the daughter of a conspiracy theory nut.  No offense, Dad.)  What I think I noticed was that when I used to pluck (yes, every other night/day and it was a long process) the hair was more "lush", so I try not to pluck them anymore.  Aw, if only I could win the lottery and have laser...

Blew it again.

Friday, Jan.27, 2012

Breakfast> 1 Ezekial toast w/pb, coffee (3/2)

Lunch> strawberry whey protein powder shake (5/1)

Snacks> coffee, chai latte, sugar-free caramel (0/1)
Supper> 1/4c rice, 1/4c carrots, pork roast, small salad, Zero water (3/2)
Total s/c = 11/6

Thursday, Jan.26, 2012

Cheat day.  No gory details.  Just guilt and disgust of my lack of willpower.

Wednesday, Jan.25, 2012
Breakfast> fried eggs w/mozzarella & hot sauce, 1 Ezekial toast w/butter & jam, coffee (0/1)
Lunch> less than 1oz. whole wheat pasta & meat sauce, cottage cheese, lettuce, one slice peach, pickles, water (5/2)
Snacks> sugar-free chocolate covered caramel bar, water (0/2)
Supper> taco salad, pork cutlet, water (5/2)
Total s/c = 10/7


Don't know the counts for certain for lunch and supper.  I just rounded them up from what I thought they should have been to be safe.  In which case, darn it.  I went over one carb serving.   I'll blame it on that wonderful caramel bar that I snacked on after work.  It had 21g carbs, so just barely threw me over.

Tuesday, Jan.24, 2012
Breakfast> two fried eggs w/mozzarella & hot sauce, coffee (0/0)

Lunch> couple Tbsp whipped cream, open face tuna sandwich, 4fries, cottage cheese, pickles, water (3/2)
Snacks> coffee, low-carb brownie w/frozen sf yogurt (5/2)
Supper> tacos, diet rootbeer (5/2)
Total s/c = 13/6

Monday, Jan.23, 2012

Breakfast> two fried eggs w/mozzarella & hot sauce, coffee (0/0)
Lunch> 1/2c chicken wild rice soup, chicken fillet, cottage cheese w/one slice of pear, water (3/2)
Snacks> three bites apple crisp, low-carb brownie, low-carb strawberry shake (15/3?)
Supper> Coq au Vin leftovers, water (3/1)
Total s/c = 21/6

Grr.  We had apple crisp at work today.  While I hadn't intended to eat any I did accidentally touch the top of one of the little scoops I dished up.  As I could no longer serve it to the kids I decided to eat it.  I know.  Bad, bad, bad me.  (I guesstimated the sugar and carb count based on the average of a couple of recipes I looked up online.  Then tacked on a little more for the shake...)  However, I now know why my sweet tooth is on a rampage... Aunt Flo's finally come for a visit.  It's been about 4 months since we last got together, ha ha.  Hadn't missed her.

Day 92 BFC

Yesterday's Marinated Mozzarella Pasta Salad

This was just Dreamfield's pasta, two roma tomatoes seeded & diced and marinated mozzarella balls.  I just used a drizzle of the marinade from the cheese as a little flavoring and a touch of salt.







Breakfast> 2 fried eggs w/chopped bacon & hot sauce, 1 Ezekial toast w/butter & jam, coffee (0/1)
Lunch> few pepperoni pizza rolls (2/1)
Snacks> few pistachios, hot chocolate (2/1)
Supper> diced turkey gravy, 1/4-1/3c stuffing, asparagus, cottage cheese, pickle (3/2)
Total s/c = 7/5

Ugh, I know.  Turkey w/gravy again.  I needed to clean out some leftovers from the fridge before allowing myself to do any new grocery shopping.  As unglamorous as that is, it is what it is.  Today I put together a nut crust in a pie plate and filled it with the limey cheesecake filling I made yesterday.  Can't tell you how it is yet as I then stuck it in the freezer for tomorrow.  I wanted to pick up some whipped topping before trying it.  So after dessert tomorrow night, I'll post if it's any good.

All right.  Now as far as those pizza rolls...  My son, D, had three friends overnight last night.  Keep in mind that they are all 14 years old and eat like you'd expect young teen boys to do.  (They also stay up until 4am playing video games as you can imagine, too.  Oh, yeah, and a spontaneous game of Nerf war.)  I had picked up a couple bottles of pop, some chips and a large bag of pepperoni pizza rolls for them.  So before bringing them back to their homes today, J (husband) popped the pizza rolls in the oven and we plated them up when they were done.  There were still another couple dozen left on the pan.  Without a moment's hesitation I tossed one in my mouth.  Then I tossed in a second.  Right as I swallow that one and am already raising the third to my lips I suddenly realize that I am back on diet today and probably should know how many carbs I just consumed.  I dug the package from the garbage and found that 6 rolls equaled a serving and has 2g sugar and 24g carbohydrates.  Not willing to give up a whole other carb serving, I ate 5 and called it lunch.  I'll officially blame it on lack of sleep.  Unofficially, I wonder if I more likely just kind of forgot myself after cheating yesterday?

Day 88, 89, 90 & 91

Thursday, Dec.8
Cheat day.  Though I didn't go all out crazy yet.  Just one cookie that I'd made last night for Christmas and about 1/4c coffee with regular creamer and two peanut butter M&M's.  At least, not all out crazy by my standards.  Ha ha.

Wednesday, Dec.7
Breakfast> blackberry whey protein shake (4/1)
Lunch> turkey roast, gravy, <2oz mashed potatoes, cottage cheese w/blackberries (5/2)
Snacks> coffee, licked the beaters from making a sugarfree lime cheesecake filling, cheese/meat/nuts/blackberries (3/1)
Supper> pork chop, Marinated Mozzarella Pasta Salad, 1/10th of a fresh pear (3/2)

Total s/c = 15/6

No recipe for the shake as I didn't do any measuring.  Just tossed some ice, almond milk, heavy whipping cream, Jay Robb vanilla whey protein powder and 5-6 blackberries into the blender.  Yummy, though a titch seedy near the bottom of the glass.

Tuesday, Dec.6
Breakfast> ham pieces, toast w/butter,jam, cheese, coffee (0/1)

Lunch> open-faced tuna sandwich, four fries (3/2)

Snacks> 1/4c blackberries, diet orange soda w/cream (4/1)

Supper> beef wieners, cottage cheese, 6 or 7 tator-tots, few bites coleslaw made with xylitol (2/2)
Total s/c = 9/6

If my lunches sound a bit repetitive, it's because they are.  I work in a school kitchen and it's hard to find something "okay" to eat for lunch in there, unfortunately.

Monday, Dec.5

Breakfast> 2 fried eggs w/<1/4c hashbrown leftovers, bacon (0/1) 
Lunch> open-faced tuna sandwich, four fries (3/2) 
Snacks> 1/4c blackberries, pumpkin seeds (4/1) 
Supper> Seaside Tacos (5/2)
Total s/c - 12/6
Felt much better today.


Sunday, Dec.4
Breakfast> 1 Ezekial toast w/pb, coffee (3/2)
Lunch> none, woke late 
Snacks> small slice cheese 
Supper> 3/4c hashbrowns, sausage, few bites unsw.applesauce, cottage cheese, 1 bite unsw.cranberry sauce (5/2)

Total s/c - 8/4

Felt yucky last night and off and on today.  Mostly I've had an awful headache and a little nausea off and on along with it.  The headache was enough to wake me at 5am this morning.  Grr.  Think it's a sugar hangover?

Saturday, Dec.3
Cheat day.  Mom and I went out of town where I proceeded to behave badly.  Don't know if it's coincidence or not.  But I felt horrible starting this afternoon...

Day 85, 86, 87 Belly Fat Cure

Friday, Dec.2
Breakfast> 1 Ezekial toasted w/pb&j, coffee (3/2) 
Lunch> low-carb pizza (4/2) 
Snacks> pistachios, SoBe, few almonds (2/1) 
Supper> alfredo (using Dreamfields), steak slices, small salad (2/1)
Total s/c for today = 11/6


Thurs., Dec.1
Breakfast> 1 Ezekial toasted w/pb, 5 pork sausage links, coffee (3/2)
Lunch> small taco salad, cottage cheese (1/1) 
Snacks> Lindt dark choc. square w/pb (4/1)
Supper> lasagna (using Dreamfields), SoBe (4/1)

Total s/c for today = 12/5

Wed., Nov.30
Breakfast> 1 fried egg w/bacon, coffee (0/0)
Lunch> small taco salad, cottage cheese (1/1)
Snacks> 2 mini sugarfree Hershey caramel bars, SoBe, few pecans (1/2)
Supper> Subway 6" tuna flatbread w/cheddar, lettuce-spinach mix, green pepper, cucumber (3/2)
Total s/c for today = 5/5

Think you can't enjoy Subway on this diet?!?  I didn't.  But I checked out their nutritional info just for fun and discovered that it can fit into this way of eating.  You just have to be very careful about what you're choosing.  The flatbread sandwich that I bought for myself tonight came out as 3g sugar and 40g carbohydrates.  However, I did have to tweak it to get it down a couple of carbs so it wouldn't go over the 2 carb servings and to cut back a tiny amount of the sugars. Originally I was going to get tomato and red onion on it also.  That would have cost a couple more sugars and one more carb serving.  As you notice I just squeezed in to the 2 servings slot.

LOOK UP YOUR SUB HERE 
You're welcome, Subway.


Once you click on that link, just choose a sandwich.  At the bottom of that sandwich's nutritional info you will see a button that says "Calculate Yours".  Click on that and you can change your bread type and your meat/cheese/veggies/condiments.  I noticed that the flatbread, Italian and the Monterey Cheddar breads have the lowest carbs.  Of course, there's also the Fresh Fit Kids sandwiches to consider, too.  But I wanted BIGGER!  Oh, and somewhere on there I saw that they'll have a 6" for just $2 for the month of December, but don't know any other details.  Keep your eyes peeled.  Good for you, tasty and affordable?  Awesome!

Day 84

Breakfast> fried eggs, Spam, coffee (0/0)
Lunch> slice wheat bread w/tuna salad, cheese, few bits of lettuce, cottage cheese, 4 fries (3/2)
Snack> peanut butter, chocolate peanut butter shake (6/2)
Supper> baked pork chop, 1/4c grated apple w/cinnamon, fried cabbage, SoBe (5/2)
Total s/c = 14/6

Simple Fried Cabbage
(served 5 of us as a side/main dish)
8 oz bacon
1/2 head cabbage 
s&p

Slice bacon into bite size pieces.  Fry, drain on paper towels, reserve the grease.  Slice cabbage into bite size pieces. (I had about a quarter head of both green and purple cabbage leftover from a previous meal to use up.)  Dump bacon pieces back into fry pan, add cabbage and cook on medium heat until desired tenderness.  (I stir-fried for about 10mns so it was still crisp-tender.)  Add a drizzle of bacon grease as needed/desired and salt and pepper to taste.   (I don't know how much equals a serving.  I just know that there were 5 of us and it's all gone.  I had a loose 1/2c - yes, I measured - and everyone had varying amounts, J had seconds and would've liked more.)

Mon., Nov. 28
Breakfast> eggs w/ham, cheese, dash hot sauce, coffee (0/0)
Lunch> chicken fillet, few bites salad, cottage cheese, 1 bite pear (2/1)
Snacks> cheese, meats, crackers (2/1)
Supper> hamburger hotdish, few dice tomato, <1/8c peas, lemonade (3/2)
Total s/c = 7/4

I feel sort of naughty.  I had crackers with my snack.  The awesome thing was that 5 crackers has 10g carbs.  So... I ate 10!  (These were little round crackers from one of those little Hormel party trays.)  Which was a great thing when you consider how little I had to eat at supper.  Mom made the hamburger hotdish with a mushroom soup and egg noodles.  I had maybe 10 noodles.  Maybe.  I tried to get mostly hamburger.  It needed salt or something, so I put 1-2Tbsp peas mixed in and a few bits of tomato.

Day 82 & 83

Sunday, Nov.27
Breakfast> eggs w/ham & cheese & dash hot sauce (0/0)
Lunch> bunless chicken fillet w/bacon, cheese, tomato, lettuce (7/2)
Supper> turkey soup, spinach salad w/blackberries & walnuts, cheese/meats/cheese nips (5/2)
Snacks> shelled peanuts, few mini Reese's pb cups (1/1)
Total s/c for today - 13/6

I looked up the McD's sandwich in several places.  It's hard to get an amount for this as they all say something different.  Plus, it is near impossible to find the sugar/carbs for the bun alone to see how many carbs to deduct.  So I did some averaging and borrowing to get the above amount.  I'm erring on the side of caution and gave it the higher amounts I got.

The dressing for the salad was made using 2Tbsp fresh lime juice, 2Tbsp light olive oil, 1Tbsp xylitol, 2 packets stevia, and 2tsp chia seeds. This was more than enough for two people as a little goes a long ways.  Tastes great with the blackberries.


Saturday, Nov.26
Breakfast> low-carb pita pb&j (3/2)
Lunch> few bits turkey, last piece cheesecake (1/1)
Supper> low-carb pita pizza w/pepperoni & cheese (2/1)
Snacks> 4 Burger King chicken tenders (0/1)
Total s/c for today - 6/5

Day 81 - Back on track and Cheesecake Recipe

Breakfast> slice cheesecake (1/1)
Lunch> few bites leftover turkey and another slice of cheesecake (1/1)
Supper> turkey in gravy, 1/4c jasmine rice, three bites cooked carrot, sugar-free cranberry sauce (4/2)
Snacks> raspberry tea
Total - 5/4

Low-Carb Cheesecake
(adapted from adaptions from Low-Carb Friends)

Crust:
1/2c whole raw almonds
1/2c walnut halves
1/3c almond flour
2 Tbsp butter

Pulse nuts in food processor until coarsley ground/crumbly.  Add almond flour and butter and pulse until just combined.  Pat into pan (I used a springform pan, probably 8-9".) evenly.  I had enough to cover the bottom and about a centimeter up the sides.  Set aside.

Filling:
3 - 8oz pkgs. cream cheese
3/4c Torani French Vanilla sugar-free syrup (or other favorite neutral flavor)
1/2c + 1/8c xylitol*
2 pkts. stevia
3 eggs
6tsps lemon juice
8oz sour cream

Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy (works better if closer to room temp).  Add sweeteners a bit at a time as you keep beating.  Beat eggs in one at a time.  Add lemon juice and sour cream and just mix until combined well.  Pour over nut crust in springform pan, place in oven heated to 325.  Bake for 1hr15mns.  Turn off oven, prop door open partway and let sit for about an hour.  Remove from oven and place on cooling rack, run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake and let cool to room temp before refrigerating.

*Because xylitol seems to not dissolve as well as sugar, I added it to the liquid sweetener and let it dissolve prior to making the recipe.  You will need to stir it several times and allow plenty of time for it to dissolve completely.  For simplicity's sake, I also added my stevia at that same time.  Additionally, I read that letting this cheesecake set up for  a couple of days improves it.  Mine sat for 3 days before we cut into it.  It was great.  Might it have been just as good if we'd cut into it sooner?  I don't know.  One final note: Store in refrigerator on a plate so it can catch any "weeping" your cheesecake may do.  Mine let loose a good few tablespoons worth of liquid.  Very good and tastes like I'm cheating!

Day 78, 79, 80

Thurs., Nov. 24

Cheat day, sort of.  Thanksgiving.  For the most part I ate low-carb.  I started my day with scrambled eggs, had a low-carb pita with peanut butter for lunch.  However, later in the afternoon, I had a few bites of a few things I know I shouldn't have.  Although I did limit myself to a couple bites of mashed potatoes and dressing even though a good gob more would've tasted great...

Wed., Nov. 23 

Cheat day.  It was the boss's birthday and I volunteered to make the cake.  And eat some.

Tues., Nov. 22

Breakfast> eggs & sausage, blackberries, coffee (s/c=3/1)
Lunch> few bites salad, baked chicken breast, cottage cheese, one bite pear slice (s/c= 2/0)
Supper> 2oz Dreamfields pasta w/meat sauce, couple asparagus spears (s/c= 5/2)
Snacks> Lindt dark choc. square w/pb, few raspberries, lick of mixing spoon... sad, sad, sad. (s/c=?6/2?)

Day 76, 77 & Tuna Sandwich Recipe!

Grr.  Evidently I am PMS'ing.  I've been hungry, hungry, hungry.  I want fruit like mad!  And chocolate!  I'm annoyed with myself because I ate that piece of Lindt chocolate with reckless abandon.  It's a bit early yet, but thought I'd post now to head off any later snacking.  (Note to self: Didn't work.  Son made popcorn and I couldn't stop myself...)

Tempting Tuna Sandwich

pg175 of The Belly Fat Cure by Jorge Cruise
2 (6oz) cans albacore tuna
4 Tbsp mayo
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Heinz Dill Relish
2 tsp onion powder
S&P to taste
8 slices Ezekial
4 slices cheese of your choice
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1c spinach


Thoroughly combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl.  Lay out 2 slices of bread per sandwich.  Build sandwiches by spreading the tuna mixture over the bottom slice of bread, then layering with cheese, sliced egg, spinach, and the top slice of bread.  Serve.  


*Made as directed, this has an s/c value of 1/2 according to the book.  I didn't use onion powder (had none) and I mistakenly gave everyone an entire egg to slice on to their sandwich.  But come on!  If you look at the picture in the book, there's no way that someone would get that many slices off of half an egg.

Breakfast> 1 fried egg, 4 pork sausage links, peppermint mocha coffee (s/c=2/0)
Snacks> shelled peanuts, popcorn, spearmint tea (s/c=1/2)
Lunch> 1c creamy wild rice soup, cottage cheese with bite size peach slice (s/c=5/1) 
Supper> Tempting Tuna Sandwich, cottage cheese, half slice pineapple ring (s/c=4/2)
Total s/c for today - 12/5

Sunday, Oct.20
Breakfast> scrambled eggs w/Spam & cheese, 1/4c blackberries, coffee, pumpkin bar (s/c=5/2)
Lunch> leftover artichoke chicken (s/c=1/1)
Snacks> hot chocolate, 1 Lindt dark choc. square w/pb (s/c=6/2)
Supper> Dreamfields pasta and meat sauce, asparagus, small salad (s/c=5/2)
Total s/c for today - 17/7

Day 74 & 75

Saturday, Oct. 19
Breakfast> scrambler pockets, 1/4c blackberries, coffee (s/c=4/2)
Lunch> 1 Ezekial toast w/peanut butter (s/c=3/2)
Supper> salad, Artichoke Chicken, bbq pork (s/c=5/2)
Total s/c for today - 12/6

 Last night I came across these Joseph's brand of pita pockets.  They're a bit expensive, but I've gotten bored with Ezekial bread all the time, which also is expensive.  As it turns out, they are very soft and light.  There's 6 whole pitas in a package, 0g sugar and 8g carbohydrates each, 4g if you use net carbs (I don't).

Friday, Oct. 18
Breakfast> leftover chopped steak w/onions, mushrooms & jack cheese (s/c=2/1)
Lunch> 2 chicken strips, few raspberries (s/c=4/2)
Snacks> lemonade, few almonds, peppermint tea (s/c=1/1)
Supper> beef stir-fry on 1/4c jasmine rice, diet rootbeer (s/c=5/2)
Total s/c for today - 12/6

Day 70 on BFC

Breakfast> egg bake, Ezekial toast w/butter & jam, blackberries, coffee (s/c=3/2)
Lunch> Ezekial with peanut butter (s/c=4/2)
Snacks> hot chocolate, few pumpkin seeds (s/c=2/1)
Supper> taco salad (s/c=2/2)
Total s/c for today - 11/7

I went over my carb count by 1 serving.  Maybe.  I mostly followed the taco salad recipe that was in the book, with the exception of replacing the tortilla with the wonton salad toppers.  A couple Tbsp. of those are low carb, I would guess lower than the tortilla that the recipe actually suggests.  But to be safe I counted it the same as Jorge's recipe.  Which puts me over.  Looking back I think I could have had the blackberries and went without the toast for breakfast.  Lunch was something squeezed in quick as I only had five minutes to quickly eat something before having to serve the next group of kids.  Shoot.

Day 68 & 69 Belly Fat Cure

Sunday, Nov.13
Breakfast> coffee
Lunch> chicken salad on Ezekial toast, few Pirate's Booty (s/c=6/2)
Snacks> rest of yesterday's diet orange soda, raspberry jello dessert (s/c=3/1)
Supper> 2 Simple Shrimp Tacos, few Mission tortilla triangles (s/c=5/2)

Total s/c for today - 14/5

Simple Shrimp Tacos are on page 197 of The Belly Fat Cure book.  They were okay.  Not bad, but not fantastic either.  I was going to post a photo.  But they just didn't look as good in real life as they do in Jorge's book.

I made my chicken salad with four grapes sliced into it, so the sugar's a little high.  All that's in it was canned chicken, mayo, smidge of pickle relish, sprinkle of pecans, grapes and a few dashes of black pepper.  It was so de-lish!

Saturday, Nov.12
Breakfast> whole wheat toast w/pb (s/c=6/2)
Lunch> leftover rice w/shred.pork (s/c=6/2)
Snacks> diet orange soda, hot chocolate (s/c=2/0)
Supper>couple beef franks, fried eggs
Total s/c for today - 14/4

Just like learning that what you drink in your typical diet can contribute a lot of calories to your daily load, I am learning that the same is true of sugar-free/zero-calorie drinks when it comes to total sugar or carb counts.  So, so long hot chocolate.  It was fun while it lasted.  But I think we need to slow down and see each other a little less often...  The bbq sauce in the shredded pork is too high in sugar, too.  If I actually want to taste it and have a more generous amount, I'm going to need to find an affordable alternative.

Day 63 Low-Carb (since not exactly Belly Fat Cure)

I know, I know.  The pic's a little late.  But there he is, folks.  Your grandson/cousin/nephew/friend... Surely this year will be his last for trick or treating... 

I realize that I'm not following the BFC to the letter.  I've been doing a couple no-no's, at least.  Most notably, using a few artificially sweetened items.  These have allowed me to continue to cut back on sugar and carbs by allowing me to still enjoy some of the sweet things I crave.  I also can afford a Splenda sweetened jar of jam more so than the Nature's Hollow jam I began this diet using.  (I mean, we're talking $3 compared to $14!) Also, if an artificially sweetened hot chocolate keeps me from snacking on cookies and a tall glass of milk, I figure it's a better option for me.

Ooh, that reminds me!  I discovered a bottle of creamer powder in the cupboard and was pleased to see that it has only 2g carbs (no sugar) in a teaspoon.  I added it to my hot chocolate and that made a huge difference - made it more like the creamier stuff I'm used to and took out that little bit of "off-ness" that I noticed.


Breakfast>1Ezekial toast w/peanut butter, spearmint tea (s/c=3/2)
Lunch> open faced tuna on wheat w/leaf of lettuce & few tomato dice, cottage cheese, pickles (s/c=2/1)
Supper> 2oz Dreamfields pasta, 1/4c sauce, 6 meatballs, small salad with shredded cabbage (s/c=5/2)
Snacks> few almonds, spearmint tea, pumpkin bar (s/c=1/1)

Day 60, 61 & 62 BFC

Breakfast> scrambled eggs, bacon, 1 slice Ezekial toast w/butter & jam, hot chocolate (s/c=2/1) 
Lunch> 1/2serv. Fage yogurt w/choc. flav. syrup & mini Reese's, chicken wing (s/c=3/1) 
Supper> Seaside Tacos (s/c=5/3)

The Seaside Tacos are featured on page 191 of The Belly Fat Cure book.  I made as directed with the exception of the cabbage, as green cabbage is what our store had available.  The fish also was not what brand/variety I intended to have so I went over my carbs for that meal just a little, but counted it as a whole additional serving as I should.

Oh.  I don't recommend the Fage yogurt doctored the way I did it.  I thought it was horrible and will stick with fruit or fruit preserves added to it instead.

Saturday, Nov.5
Breakfast> scrambled eggs w/ham dice & cheese, pumpkin bar, tea (s/c=1/0)
Lunch> deli chicken thigh
Supper> 2 pork carnitas, Mission tortilla chips w/salsa (s/c=2/2)
Snacks> pumpkin bar, hot chocolate  (s/c=3/1)

For the pork carnitas I used leftover shredded pork roast and put that on Mission brand white corn tortillas.  I garnished them with a sprinkle of lettuce and cheese and a dab of salsa.  Yummo!

Friday, Nov.4
Not much to post today... more of the same ol' same ol'...
Breakfast> 1 Ezekial toast with pb (s/c=3/2)
Snacks> almonds, 2 hot chocolates (s/c=5/2)
Lunch> chicken fillet (s/c=1/1)
Supper> deli chicken breast

Day 58 Belly Fat Cure

Breakfast> scrambled eggs, ham slice, 1 Ezekial toast w/butter & jam, spearmint tea (s/c=0/1)
Snack> sugarfree hot chocolate mixed w/coffee, 3 mini caramel filled Hershey bars, spearmint tea (s/c=2/1)
Lunch> leftover chicken alfredo... again.... (s/c=3/1)
Supper> grilled ham'n'cheese 1/2 sandwich, chicken noodle soup (s/c=0/2)

Total s/c for today - 5/5

For the chicken noodle soup I used orzo pasta (not low-carb) and had maybe 1-2 tablespoons in my soup bowl.  I counted it as a full carb serving to be on the safe side.

I love, love, love those little sugarfree Hershey caramel filled bars!  They're perfect for keeping candy cravings at bay.

However, not so perfect that it's killing my hankering for an apple crisp.  I'll be cheating tomorrow...  Plan to pop an apple crisp in the oven right away in the morning. 

Day 56 & 57 Belly Fat Cure

Breakfast> peanut butter chocolate whey protein shake (s/c=3/1)
Lunch> leftover chicken alfredo (s/c= 3/1)
Snacks> spearmint tea, 2 mini Hershey's caramel filled chocolates, few almonds (s/c=1/1)
Supper> pork roast, 1/2c carrots, spicy low-carb pasta (s/c=4/2)
Total s/c for today - 11/5


While everyone else had baked potatoes with their supper, I could not afford the 4 servings of carbs that it would've counted as.  I wasn't even willing to eat half of a potato as I'd miss out on the carrots then.  Luckily I still had a little pasta from the alfredo from last night's supper.  Thought I'd spice it up a titch though.  I have no measures as it was just tossed into the pan quick-like.  What I did was this: Melted a pat of butter in small skillet.  Tossed a small gob of minced garlic, shake of Italian seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes into pan.  As soon as that smelled great (took seconds, really) I tossed in some leftover pasta and heated through.  Yes, as simple as that.

Breakfast> mocha whey protein shake (s/c=0/1)
Lunch> half ham sandwich w/lettuce, cheese, mustard and cottage cheese, pickles (s/c=3/1)
Snacks> sugarfree hot chocolate, 2 deviled egg halves (s/c=2/0)
Supper> chicken alfredo on Dreamfield's pasta w/few tomato dice, 1 Ezekial garlic toast (s/c=3/2)
Total s/c for today - 8/4

Day 55 Belly Fat Cure

Breakfast> eggs & ham, coconut cake w/blueberries, spearmint tea (s/c=3/1)
Snacks> sugar free hot chocolate, popcorn (s/c=2/2)
Supper> lasagna (made with Dreamfield's pasta), 1/4c cooked carrots (s/c=6/2)

Total s/c for today - 11/5

Skipped lunch as breakfast was late.  I assigned 2 carb servings to the popcorn as I'm fairly certain I ate twice as much as I should have, ha ha...  I'm hoping that I figured the lasagna accurately enough, it's hard for me to figure out with recipes that combine so many ingredients and when I don't use the suggested amounts or cut into the suggested number of servings.

Day54 Belly Fat Cure

Breakfast> 2 eggs w/mozzarella & salsa, 1 Ezekial toast w/butter & jam, coffee (s/c=0/1)
Snacks> small handful almonds, SoBe, coconut pound cake w/blueberries, 1 Ezekial toast w/pb&j (s/c=7/3)
Lunch> skipped
Supper> 2oz low-carb penne, beef tips in gravy, 1/3c squash w/butter (s/c=2/2)
Total s/c for today - 9/6

Coconut Cake

(Adapted recipe from an adapted recipe from LowCarbFriends)

1/2c xylitol

1Tbsp sour cream, heaping

4oz. cream cheese

1 stick butter

2tsp vanilla

1c water

1/2c lemon juice

5 eggs

1 & 1/2c coconut flour

1tsp baking powder

2tsp chia seeds

Cream butter, sour cream, cream cheese and xylitol.  Add eggs one at a time, beating each in completely.  Stir in lemon juice, water and vanilla.  Combine coconut flour,chia seeds and baking powder in another bowl.  Add half of the coconut flour to the wet mixture and mix well before adding the remainder.  Pour into greased pan of choice and bake for 40mns at 350degrees, checking with a knife for doneness.  Refrigerate leftovers. 

*I used an 8" round springform pan and cut into 12 servings..  I agree with other comments that it tastes better once it's chilled.  This has been good as a coffee cake, especially with a Tbsp of unsweetened blueberries on top. 

Day 53 Belly Fat Cure

Friday, Oct.28
Breakfast> fried eggs w/mozzarella & salsa, 1 Ezekial toast w/butter, coffee (s/c=0/1)
Lunch> 1 Ezekial toast w/chicken salad, 6 Mission Tortilla Triangle chips w/salsa & sour cream (s/c= 0/2)
Snack> 1 mini York pattie, SoBe (s/c=0/1)
Supper> bunless burger w/chia seeds added, 13 potato chips (s/c=3/1)
Total s/c for today - 3/5

I added 3Tbsp chia seeds to about 3lbs lean ground beef, as well as a little A1 sauce, couple chipotle peppers and their adobo seasoned sauce.  While they were good and moist, next time I'd add a couple more chipotles.  We made 9 burgers with that amount of beef.