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| Top of Pine Mountain |
Hello!!
I've been on hiatus, living life. You can still see the Carbometer posts from before in my archive.
In September 2013, my doctor said the time had come to trim down so that I would not forever be chasing my weight and my health with things like diabetes and heart disease. She recommended a low carb diet and I embraced it and set about on the journey. It took a full year to lose 50 pounds. .96 lbs a week. It was pretty basic - I followed the Mayo Clinic Diabetic diet and reduced my carb intake to level in which I was able to lose weight consistently - for me that ranged around 30 carbs a day, sometimes, with plateau moments where the weight just would not move I had to dip a little lower, to 15 sometimes.
I paired this mainly with walking 10,000 - 12,000 steps a day. I had a little pedometer with a game on it that I would play as I walked. There was a trial near my house I started frequently and that really helped. Pine Mountain. Everyone needs a Pine Mountain.
Now, after regaining a more consistent daily living experience since a spinal cord injury in 2015, I find myself at a point where I'd like to take off 15 pounds that crept back on so I'm starting a more structured approach and going to re-start the carbometer and as this may help others I'm starting the blog back up.
Given my past results, I am guessing, this will take me anywhere from 27 weeks to 30 weeks as I counteract with other pesky things like a slowing metabolism, menopause and being over 50 now. As of today, I've been going at it for 5 weeks and I have likely just managed to lose water weight, but I can happily say, I am not considered overweight.
What am I doing differently? I am looking more at fiber than at carbs, but I am still keeping track. So many advances have happened with carb counting since 2013 I believe it's now easier than ever to keep the weight off. It is a lifestyle change, I will never cook nor eat like I used to prior to 2013.
I have been able to consistently walk Pine Mountain. This is key, as long as I can keep the inflammation down in my spine and not trigger flare ups, this workout paired with the CarboFIBERmeter will get me to my goal.
Here's my math:
25 grams of fiber a day.
Approximately 47 carbs a day - when netted (removing the fiber from the carb count) 22 carbs.
Fiber can be difficult to incorporate but it's so much easier now. I am utilzing ground flaxseed, sprinkling a bit in my scrambled eggs or into my tuna salad.
Chia pudding!
More spinach and kale please. At least one salad a day.
Avocado. I'm in California so they always seem in season - at least a quarter of one a day.
The occasional Adkins snack bar which has anywhere from 9 to 11 grams of fiber.
I have found a KETO bread which has 9 grams of fiber 10 carbs....I have have 2 slices and get 18 grams of fiber and only 2 countable carbs.
Metamucil - capsules, I only use these when I'm short on the fiber they are super expensive.
In this on the weigh to goal (pun intended) - I am foregoing tomatoes, fruit and in the ground vegetables - carrots, radishes, parsnips, onions, beets. When I hit my goal, all of these will come back but in particular - I will stick to red fruit - raspberries, watermelon, small red apples and occasionally go treat up the fruit chain. I recently replaced dairy with coconut milk. I enjoy the occasional bite of sugarfree dark chocolate when I have some carbs to spare.
Who are my FOES:
My metabolism. I have read articles that mention as woman go beyond 50 they have to cut down to 1200 calories a day to lose weight and they need to work more times a week than before 5 times at least and it have some aerobic aspect to it, so for me...who can do no jarring activities that means walking up that mountain EVERY day and learning Italian to distract myself the time it take me to do it. (90 - 120 minutes) depending on conditions. I do have an alternate route in the neighborhood for when it's muddy which unfortuantely, it's too often here.
Enough for this week - I'll see you next Saturday morning.
