Expert help needed with my food diary - Am I doing it correctly?

#1

Hi all,
I started keto on 1/7/19 and bythe 1/18 I was down 7.4 lbs. I started at 131.2 lbs and went down to 123.8. And on 2/1/19 I weighed 123.2 lbs. My goal weight is 115 and I am a 40 year old female, 5’3.5" tall.

Since last week I gained 2 lbs. I read that while on keto, people might gain weight and the weight loss diagram is not a straight line going down, but I can’t help thinking I did something wrong. I have started eating Keto brownies and poundcakes bought from Amazon and Etsy, also made the cheddar and heavy cream carbquick mix and ate three with my dinner. I made sure that I do not go over my carb limit and I also count calories. If I go overboard, it is usually with Sunflower seeds, instead of 1 cup, I might do like 3 which I am trying to stop. But I was wondering how do you tell if something you buy online and consume is really keto friendly? Maybe it’s mt doing something wrong because today I weigh 125.4 lbs and very upset. Here are some of the stuff I eat:

Format: (calories,carbs)

Date: 2/1
Weight: 123.2

Breakfast: McDonald’s 2 eggs (140,1)+2 slices cheese (100,1)+ Sbux coffe with h&h and 2 pats of butter (135)
Snack:1 string cheese (80,1)
Lunch: Homemade butter chicken (455,6)+ ½ pack cauliflower rice (40,4)
Dinner: Delia’s NY steak (440,2)+Butter (50,0)+1.5 cups sunflower seeds (360,12)

Total number of calories: 1800
Total number of carbs: 27g

Date: 2/2
Weight: 124.2

Breakfast:1 slice 647 bread (40,6)+Almond butter (95,2)+Bulletproof coffee with MCT (135)
Lunch: Philly cheesesteak no bread (420,8)+ 2 cups lettuce (,2)+ mayo (50,0)
Snack: 2 bites 1/2 Etsy pound cake (100,2)+½ Etsy brownie(168,1.5)
Dinner: Clyde’s chicken breast (329,1)

Total calories: 1337
Total carbs: 22.5g

Date: 2/3
Weight: ?

Breakfast: 1 slice 647 bread (40,6)+Almond butter (95,2)+3 walnuts (60,1.5)+Bulletproof coffee with MCT (135)
Lunch: 4 Tyson’s buffalo wings (200,9)
Snack: 2 bites 1/2 Etsy pound cake (100,2)+½ Etsy brownie(168,1.5)
Lunch: ----
Dinner: Chili’s cajun chicken (145,1)+1.5 cups sunflower seeds (360,12)
Total calories: 1303
Total number of carbs: 35g

Date: 2/4
Weight: 125.2 lbs
Breakfast: McDonald’s 2 eggs (140,1)+2 slices cheese (100,1)+ Sbux bulletproof coffee (135)
Lunch: Homemade butter chicken (227,3)+ ½ pack cauliflower rice (40,4)
Snack: String cheese (80,0)+Coffee and cream (135)
Dinner: BK ½ double quarter pounder with cheese (335,4)+4 Blackberries (20,4)+3 strawberries (21,3)+3 Carbquick biscuits (411,4.2)
Total calories: 1644
Total number of carbs: 24.2g
Exercise: 53 min elliptical

Date: 2/5
Weight: 125.4
Breakfast: Two eggs mushroom omelet (230,2)+Sbux bulletproof coffee (135)
Snack: ½ keto peanut butter ball (27,1.5)
Lunch: Homemade butter chicken (227,3)+ grilled vegetables (150,7)+Carbquick biscuit (137,1.4)
Snack: Coffee (35)
Dinner: -----
Total calories: 941
Total number of carbs: 14.9g
Exercise: 45 min elliptical

Date: 2/6
Weight: 124.6
Breakfast: 1 slice 647 bread (40,6)+Almond butter (95,2)+ Sbux bulletproof coffee (135)
Lunch: Homemade butter chicken (455,6)+ ½ pack cauliflower rice (40,4)
Snack: Coffee (35)
Dinner: 2 slices keto fathead mushroom and sausage pizza (421,9.2)+2 strawberries (14,2)+4 blackberries (11,2.5)
Total calories: 1246
Total number of carbs: 31.7g
Exercise: 45 min elliptical

Date: 2/7
WeightL: 125.0
Breakfast: Two eggs mushroom omelet (230,2)+Sbux bulletproof coffee (135)+Carbquick biscuit (137,1.4)
Snack: Babybel cheese (60,0)
Lunch: 2 slices keto fathead mushroom and sausage pizza (421,9.2)
Dinner: Homemade butter chicken (455,6)+ ½ pack cauliflower rice (40,4)+2 strawberries (14,2)+4 blackberries (11,2.5)+2 blueberries ()

This morning’s weight = 125.4 lbs

Thank you!

(Scott) #2

No expert here but you need to lose the snack. You need to allow your insulin to drop back down. Also just because it has the word keto on the box doesn’t mean it doesn’t have carbs. Lastly I would get your limited carbs from real food like veggies if you can.

#3

Thanks much, I didn’t know that regarding the snacks.

  1. So let’s say I wan to eat a string cheese or almonds, I should add it to my main meals?
  2. I am aware that all these boxed stuff have carbs in them and I was making sure to count them in my daily allowance.
  3. Are the low carb baked goods and fat head pizza not good choices for everyday meals?

Thanks

(Scott) #4

You can, I have been in a stall so I decided to not eat (snack) my bag of macadamia that is six feet away as I type. I did decide to have a few after lunch as a desert.

You can count them but I am alway suspicious of any food in a box because it is typically more processed. I rarely buy or eat boxed food. Full disclosure: I have a wonderful wife that can make amazing meals from natural real food.

I am not a fan of foods that attempt to mimic or replicate carb foods. That said I have grown pretty fond of riced cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes. I think she adds some cream cheese and heavy cream in there.

(Robert C) #5

Best when starting out to stay with whole foods - meat, greens and healthy fats. Keep the ingredient labels down to a single thing “grassfed butter” or “avocado oil” or no label because it is just meat or just broccoli / spinach / arugula.

Then use reputable online sources to determine carbs and keep under 20.

Pre-made things like McDonalds, Chili’s, Tyson…anything - they are all made to get you to buy more so filled with things that mess up satiety signals. Simply not good for keto. It is better to batch pre-make good things for yourself during the weekend than grab the “not so real food” but convenient alternatives.

Exercise - 45 min elliptical?
That is a good choice if it truly brings stress relief and clarity to your life but, not good if you are thinking “I am burning more calories” because keto is about hormones. Exercise for that long (depending on intensity) may burn 200 calories but drive you to (because your body perceives a big stress) to consume many more.
You may want to keep exercise lower than in your “I’m burning body fat” days - more about retaining mobility and strength - which might be a much shorter session.

#6

That would be the first thing to cut out, personally… and also try cutting out the nuts. If you need the cauliflower (I recently started cutting that out), make sure it is a true serving size. It’s SO easy to double that.

By the way, you’re already at a pretty good weight (but you know your body!) :slight_smile:

#7

oh gosh I just noticed something else… I would cut WAYY back on the cardio. If you feel like you have to exercise, try light walking and/or strength training. Do some research on it. :slight_smile:

#8

Thank you for your helpful reply. Looks like (and I am glad I started this thread!) that I was doing so many things not so perfectly right So if I skip the snacks, the low carb boxed goodies, no carbquick, then what should I eat? Is my homemade butter chicken good?
chicken in spices, then cooked in heavy cream and 1 tbsp of tomato paste. What else can I eat? I don’t like plain chicken, beef :frowning:

#9

Thank you RobC for your helpful reply.

  1. What recipes do you suggest that are not boring and taste good?
  2. If I weigh and eat exactly as I am supposed to with regards to the McDonald, Tyson’s wings, etc. and be mindful of the amount of carb, will that be OK to eat them on the keto diet?
  3. I was not aware of the fact that so much cardio will not help losing fast. Why is that? That’s good to know. I kept going for more. Now maybe I should stop…
#10

Thank you KetoMomof2teens (what a cool screen name btw!)

I buy these bags of frozen cauliflower, has two servings in them so I eat 1/2 of it with each meal. Point taken regarding the sunflower seeds :slight_smile:

Thanks for your kind words :blush:

#11

WOW, this was so new to me, I will do a research, here I am thinking this is necessary to lose weight :frowning:

#12

what do I eat then? Do you guys keep a food diary you could possibly share with me? Thank you

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #13

Hi there. I noticed you didn’t count carbs in the half and half in the first coffee you listed. I don’t know how much you used but it does have carbs in it. Later you write Sbux bulletproof coffee and I’m wondering if it’s the same thing? Anyway, look into it.

I agree that anything NOT a whole food might throw you off out of the gates. I didn’t even do nuts in the beginning. Now I do, and I eat dairy if I want and get nuts with the veggies sometimes but I still won’t take my chances with the keto breads/crusts or convenience foods.

Best wishes!

(PSackmann) #14

There’s a whole recipe section on this site and some excellent cooks. Check them out until you find one that makes you go “yum”, then make it. I agree with getting away from the prepared foods, you get health benefits from eating whole foods as well as from keeping your macros in line.

(Robert C) #15
  1. I am not a good cook at all - butter fried steak with blue cheese melted on top, baked bacon, scrambled eggs, sautéed greens, steamed broccoli smothered in butter and cheese etc. I don’t really do recipes - just cook things. To me, even basic dishes don’t get boring because there is some healthy fat generously applied.
  2. I am not some keto prescription person and not trying to say what is OK or not OK (sorry if I sounded that way). I am instead trying to get you to understand the consequences of eating those foods. They add chemicals to make you want more. An important part of keto is (in my opinion) to allow something similar to “palate fatigue” happen. Let food be boring and let your body tell you when it is actually really hungry. There are times (usually around the traditional lunch or dinner times) when I crave something like bacon with some diced avocado. But, is it hunger or just a craving? The way I tell is whether I am willing to go do the cooking and dishwashing required. If it was just a craving, it passes pretty quickly - if true hunger then I am down for 15 or 20 minutes of prep and cleanup. Pre-made microwaveable hyper-palatable foods make it all to easy - cravings turn into meals too easily.
  3. Excess cardio can be perceived by the body as a stress and so the body will fight to hold on to fat. The body is a fantastic organism always looking out for its survival and is thinking “If you are going to put me through this so often, I better reserve some extra energy for the future”. The other way the body is good is that it becomes very efficient at any you do repeatedly. The calorie counts you see on those machines are inaccurate and become more inaccurate over time. Once experienced, your calorie burn goes way down - essentially adding up to a big waste of time.
(Sheri Knauer) #16

Keep in mind that ingredients matter. If something is advertised at low carb or keto friendly, you should read the list of ingredients. The 647 bread has a lot of non keto ingredients which can cause weight gain as well as other issues:
Ingredients: Water, Modified Wheat Starch, Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Wheat Gluten, Sugar, Bamboo Fiber, Yeast, contains 2% or less of each of the following: Soybean Oil, Salt, Calcium Sulfate, Monoglycerides, Calcium Propionate (a Preservative), Wheat Flour, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Wheat Starch, Guar Gum, Enzymes, Ascorbic Acid (Dough Conditioner), Sucralose, Ammonium Sulfate, Calcium Peroxide, Ascorbic Acid (a Preservative), Citric Acid (a Preservative).
As you can see there is wheat and wheat gluten in the ingredients list as well as sugar and soybean oil, all of which can derail your efforts. So ingredients are very important.
We all started keto at some point and the first few months most people, myself included, make plenty of mistakes. The key is to learn from those mistakes, course correct, and keto on!

(Scott) #17

To overly simplify things, eat real food.

This at first may not seem easy to a non cook like me but if you get inventive you can really enjoy it. I always do breakfast at home because it is quick and easy. I could go out but it would cost a fortune.

Lunch I have a salad with some left over protein from last nights dinner. I have grown quite fond of blue cheese dressing too. Or a avocado cut in half, mix the meat with tuna (packed in oil) mayo and place back in the shell. A new favorite is packing some bacon strips and placing them in a romaine leaf with mayo and tomato. A breadless BLT.

Dinner: Any protein (fatter the better) and cook extra for lunch. A low carb veggie roasted with olive oil.

Most if not all of these things are without food labels “real food”. As stated above you can dive into the recipe section for some real schooling if you want to get deep into it.

#18

Thank you all. I really appreciate all your helpful replies. On Saturday morning (the day after I started this thread) I surprisingly went down to 122.8 lbs! So I was really shocked and happy at the same time. Not to mess it up, I did the followings:

  1. Stayed away from my Etsy bought keto homemade brownies and Poundcake
  2. No Carbquick biscuits
  3. No Half and half, made my bulletproof coffee with heavy whipping cream and butter.
  4. Had Homemade keto bagels instead of 647 bread
  5. Had Fathead pizza for lunch

BUT at the movie theaters, two days in the row, I had like three cups of popcorn with butter, each cup I think has like 6g of carbs. Well, this morning I weigh 123.4 so not bad…

Questions for you all:

  1. Will it be OK to have both cream and butter in the bulletproof coffee?
  2. Do you guys eat movie theater popcorn?
  3. Is homemade keto bagel OK to eat everyday? https://kirbiecravings.com/low-carb-keto-bagels/
  4. Will you eat Fathead pizza or is it considered a treat?

Thank you

(In Rochester NY USA, lovin life) #19

Chronometer works good to track your food and nutrition, just download the free version.

Since you eat out so often don’t forget Wendy’s chili, unless you don’t like beef

Once I was fairly fat adapted around 8 - 10 weeks the weight started evaporating scary fast, it wasn’t until I upped the carbs to about 80-100 that I put 3 pounds back on, you’re probably still adapting. Bouncing the calories up and down might not be great. I’m no pro so just my 2 cents, I wouldn’t eat any imitation pizza or junk, sounds like that might be tough for you.

(Bob M) #20

1- I used to have bulletproof coffee but stopped a long time ago (too much fat).
2- I eat popcorn sometimes at home, where I have control over the fats I put on them; I don’t trust what’s in the theater popcorn. Oh, my continuous glucose monitor showed ZERO blood sugar rise for popcorn.
3- I try to avoid fake foods.
4- I have a Fathead pizza every once in a while, but it’s a lot of cheese for me. I mean, it’s a base of cheese that you then add more cheese on top of. It’s too much cheese. It did taste good the few times we had it, though.

If you can have these things without problems (you’re close to goal weight it seems to me), then it’s not a big deal.