Testing ‘Fat Bombs’

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I made my first fat bomb this afternoon. The primary ingredients are coconut oil, butter, unsweetened peanut butter and chocolate. 1 small cup is a single serving and more than enough to fill you up.

I made my first fat bomb this afternoon. The primary ingredients are coconut oil, butter, unsweetened peanut butter and chocolate. 1 small cup is a single serving and more than enough to fill you up.

Since my way of eating is low carb/high fat, I shoot for a daily caloric intake of 70% fat, 25% protein and 5% carbs. That seems to be my sweet spot for weight loss. Some days that’s easier said than done. Enter ‘Fat Bombs.’

Fat bombs are small (and I do mean small) treats that are high concentrations of fat (talking 90%+) that give a boost of energy and help you feel satiated longer.

It really is impossible to eat a lot of fat bombs. Eating fat alone fills you up quickly and for a long, long time. Read More

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 1.8 Pounds!

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I've got the scale moving in the right direction for 2 weeks in a row now. My recent changes to my diet are working!

I’ve got the scale moving in the right direction for 2 weeks in a row now. My recent changes to my diet are working!

Clearly the changes I made this week — reducing the cream in my coffee and my fasting for lent — helped me work off the weight I imagined I gained over Valentine’s Weekend (lots of wine!) and then some. I’m down 1.8 lbs. this week for total weight loss of 131.2. Yay!!!!

So How’s That Fast Going?
I’m three days into my Intermittent Fast. So far so good. I haven’t dipped under 1200 calories/day and I’m averaging 12-18 net carbs/day.

The most important thing is I don’t feel like I’m starving. However, when it is time for me to eat, I am hungry.

Well duh, right? Read More

Intermittent Fasting For Lent

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My new breakfast during Lent! I'm doing an intermittent fast for the next 40 days. Photo courtesy of amenic181 and FreeDigitalPhoto.net.

My new breakfast during Lent! I’m doing an intermittent fast for the next 40 days. Photo courtesy of amenic181 and FreeDigitalPhoto.net.

In my past weight loss adventures, I’ve tried fasting to no avail. Besides being hungry all day and night I ended up gaining the weight right back over the next few days. What was the point of that?

Turns out it wasn’t the fast that was the problem. It was me. There are really two ways to head into a fast – healthy or going full-throttle jackass. Guess which way I went? Read More

Smokey Joe Burgers – Healthy, Simple & Delish

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Thanks to this burger recipe, Smoked Paprika is now my favorite seasoning. It is truly amazing.

Thanks to this burger recipe, Smoked Paprika is now my favorite seasoning. It is truly amazing.

Like most households, ground beef is a quick, easy, go to protein for dinner. The problem is that burgers can get pretty dull. Thanks to a few of my low carb cookbooks, I found a few recipes to kick my bun-less burgers up a notch.

This particular recipe comes from Rozanne Gold’s Low Carb 1-2-3 and has only 4 ingredients. It takes 3 hours for the ingredients to create a great flavor, but it is worth it.

Smokey Joe Burgers
Net Carbs: 1.5g
Weight Watchers PointsPlus: 6
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. ground sirloin
  • 1 medium onion, grated (enough for 2-1/2 tbsp of onion pulp)
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions

  • 3 hours before serving, place the sirloin, onion pulp, smoked paprika, and salt. Using your hands, mix the thoroughly (but don’t over mix).
  • Shape the sirloin into 6 large, thick patties. Individually wrap each patty in foil and refrigerate for 3 hours (no longer than 3) to bring out the flavor.
  • After 3 hours, pre-heat the broiler. Remove the burgers from the foil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet and broil, about 6″ from the heat for 3-4 minutes on each side until they reach desired doneness. Serve immediately.

Join Me In The Little Black Dress Challenge

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For February I'm taking on the Little Black Dress Challenge for a full body workout. To kick my butt even more, I'm doing each day's workout twice.

For February I’m taking on the Little Black Dress Challenge for a full body workout. To kick my butt even more, I’m doing each day’s workout twice.

It’s February and that means its time for a new 30-Day Challenge (or 28 days). This month I’m taking on the Little Black Dress Challenge. This particular challenge focuses on upper and lower body as well as the abs. Each day of the challenge brings several different exercises.

I started the challenge yesterday and I have to say it was easy peasy – 30 second plank, 10 push-ups, 10 mountain climbers. Today I’m doing 20 jumping jacks, 10 burpees and 10 high knees. Despite the burpees, today should be easy too. But not to fear, by next week I’m expecting the challenge to start kicking my butt.

Since February is a short month, I decided to do each day’s exercises twice – once in the morning and again in the afternoon. Insane? Possibly. Tough? Absolutely. But after what I feel is a sluggish start with my Spartan Sprint training and my Gold’s Gym Challenge (more on this later), I have a need to kick some my ass.

Are you up for the Little Black Dress Challenge?

So What Causes Obesity?

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While cleaning my office/workout area, I played lots of YouTube videos learning about the Paleo diet, why we get fat and issues with sugar (specifically fructose).  Exciting stuff, I know (yes, I’m serious). This  Dr. Robert Lustig interview is a must watch for anyone who thinks they can lose weight simply by exercising. Our bodies don’t work that way.

After reading Gary Taubes‘ Why We Get Fat, I’m familiar with insulin’s major role in storing fat. But it’s always good to remind myself why I resisted that small bag of potato chips at the gas station today.

Healthy Foods I’d Love To Eat, But Can’t (Yet)

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While I do miss fruit, I'll have the occasional berries after a particularly tough muscle workout.

While I do miss fruit, I’ll have the occasional berries after a particularly tough muscle workout.

I discovered an interesting list of the 20 Most Weight Loss Friendly Foods you can eat. The good news is that of the 20, you can find 14 of them in my kitchen now. The others are just too high in carbs for me at the moment. But once I’m within 20 pounds of my goal weight, they are going back on the menu.

I try to limit myself to 20g of carbs a day to maximize weight loss. So certain healthy foods I have to avoid at the moment. I plan to slowly reintroduce them back into my diet when I’m close to goal. The plan: slow my rate of weight loss by gradually increasing my carb count. By doing this, I’ll discover how many carbs I can eat to maintain my goal weight.

Simple, right? Ha! Anyway, I can’t wait to add these foods back into my diet. Read More

Are The Health Foods You’re Eating Really Healthy?

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Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Image courtesy of Sira Anamwong and FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

A great piece from our friends at Authority Nutrition about 15 junk foods disguising themselves as healthy foods. Unfortunately too many people believe these are really healthy for you. My rule of thumb when it comes to food — if it’s in a box, chances are it’s not healthy.

That’s why I only shop the perimeter of a grocery store — produce and dairy and meats, oh my!

Of the 15 foods listed, you would easily find half of them in my pantry before March 2012 (the start of my weight loss journey). No wonder I ballooned to 325 lbs. Wow!

How many of these items are in your kitchen?

 

Happy Father’s Day!

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I'm missing my father this Father's Day, but we're celebrating him by firing up the grill today.

I’m missing my father this Father’s Day, but we’re celebrating him by firing up the grill today.

In honor of my favorite grill master, my hubby and I plan to toss a couple of New York strips and asparagus on our grill this afternoon. A perfect, healthy low-carb dinner this Father’s Day.

I do miss my pop.  He was the best.

 

 

Weekly Weigh-In: Down 1.2 Lbs

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After getting my eating back on track, I lost 1.2 pounds this week. Only 18.8 more pounds to go to finally hit the 200 mark!

After getting my eating back on track, I lost 1.2 pounds this week. Only 18.8 more pounds to go to finally hit the 200 mark!

Finally the scale is going in the right direction. I dropped 1.2 pounds. For some that may not seem like a lot, but that equals 4 sticks of butter. I’ll take that!

I know it’s only been a week, but I feel like I’m finally back on track. I closely followed my 5-step plan of attack. No wine or cheat meals this week. I stayed true to my weekly menu plan and made sure to go to my Weight Watchers meeting this morning.

As a result, my  diet and sleep were in sync this week. I stuck to 20-25g of carbs per day and I got in roughly 8 hours of sleep each night. My clothes felt looser, I had more energy and didn’t feel bloated after meals.

I just need to keep up this momentum and the 1.2 pound loss certainly gives me the boost to do just that. Read More