MONDAY, MAY 8, 2023 – DAY 1:
My weight Sunday morning before starting was 200.7. This morning, after a half-day start yesterday, it’s 199.1. No exercise restarted yet, though I try to get in good steps most every day (daily goal is 8,000, but I have to really work to reach that most days).
Took all my Before Photos this morning.
I am cringing inside, but I’ve included my awful-looking before photos – size 16, at the bottom of this post.
Lunch – Fast low carb recipe
Turkey Black Bean Salad
Serves 4.
I’d remembered one of my all-time favorite recipes from my 20s. It’s very simple and easy. My ham steak was thawed, so for lunch I whipped it up.
Mix together:
- 1 can of drained black beans
- 2 bell peppers diced (any color)
- 2 cups cubed turkey or ham steak
(Feel free to vary these amounts to suit.) Mix and stir in a dressing of 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup veggie oil, 1 clove of minced garlic, dash of salt, dash of hot pepper flakes. Pour over salad and coat well.
That’s it! Simple, easy, quick, and so delicious for lunch. I had some of that along with my Chipotle leftovers (which I’d almost forgotten about).
Supper – Healthy low carb recipe
For supper I wanted to try out the garlic white bean faux mashed potatoes. My marinated chicken breasts were thawed enough, so I sauteed them in a pan with oil and butter, and sprinkled salt and pepper and seasonings on them (some of which I’d homemade from paleo plans in the past – BBQ dry seasoning was one). For a veggie side I sauteed fresh spinach in a little bit of oil.
Garlic White Bean Faux Mashed Potatoes
Serves 2. This is simple and you can tweak it to make it your own.
- Heat up a skillet with a combo of butter and oil.
- Saute minced garlic (1-3 cloves as you like) for a minute.
- Add a can of drained white cannelloni beans. User a masher or fork to mash the beans while they’re cooking.
- Add any extra liquid you need (water, broth, or cream) or more butter to get it to the consistency you like.
- Salt and pepper to your taste.
- If you’d like, add a little grated Parmesan on top.
Day One 4 hour body review
I was getting over the flu so mainly rested a bunch today between doing my work at my desk (I work from home as a freelance professional writer/editor). Regarding my eating I felt surprisingly well. The biggest takeaway – NO HEADACHES! In the past I’ve always experienced detox/sugar headaches whenever I’ve gone cold turkey from all sugar. I think on every single diet this has happened. I couldn’t believe I had no headaches and felt good. I attribute it to the beans. They are a healthy carb, after all, so I’m guessing they are keeping my headaches away. If anyone has heard of The Bean Protocol, a whole eating plan where you eat as many beans as possible as often as possible (from what I understand), you get it that beans are like a super food and do a TON to help regulate the body in many different ways.
My Sweet Ender
Dessert is one of my favorite parts of the day. I always prefer to end a satisfying healthy meal with a tiny bit of sweet as an ender. So tonight I made myself a decaf tiny Italian espresso with monk fruit sweetener and a bit of whole cream. It hit the spot!
Got my smart scale
Tonight I set up my new Renpho smart scale and stepped on it near the end of the day to set it up – I always weigh myself first thing in the morning before stepping into the shower. So my numbers fully clothed at the end of the day showed 202 lbs with 39% body fat! (I had guessed I was around 30% body fat, and for a woman the goal is 25%.) In the Renpho app I put my goal weight at 180, twenty pounds to start. My brother lost just 20 lbs and that made all the difference for him. This is not my normal weighing time so I’m not really counting this number.
Now for the embarrassing Before Photos. Continue at your own risk – you’ve been warned! Size 16, 200 lbs:
If I suck in my gut (which I’m not doing here), I look much better. I sometimes remember to do this when in public.
