Tag: keto

Good Intentions

Have you ever thought about Good Intentions? I think we all set out with good intentions, especially when it comes to our lifestyle! There are many quotes out there about good intentions.

The above being one of them. We are going to talk about good intentions or just being intentional. Intention is defined as “An intention is an idea that you plan (or intend) to carry out. If you mean something, it’s an intention. Your goal, purpose, or aim is your intention. … You may have the best intention of cooking an incredible meal, but if you leave the burner on and burn the house down, you will not be remembered as an excellent chef. “

We start with an intention – low carb keto lifestyle! To make something intentional you have to have an idea of what you want to accomplish – there’s that goal thing again!

Start right now by pulling out a piece of paper or starting a new document on your computer and WRITE down what you want to accomplish. This serves to help remind you each day, but it also helps hold you accountable. If I want to accomplish all of the things below, I need to know where to start or I’m drifting out there in lala land with no direction.

Take a few minutes each day to remind yourself of what you want to accomplish. Maybe you want to lose weight, or just better your health, or get rid of the joint pain, or help with your mental focus? Without some idea or goal of what you want to accomplish you’re just kind of floating out there with just an idea and no committment. Let’s write it down as a plan. This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about writing it down.

What do you want? Once you’ve written it down and know what goal you want to accomplish, now we can come up with a plan. My original plan when I started was to lose 25lbs. I had tried every DIET out there and I had great success for a while, but it was always temporary – Mindset for a DIET is temporary so make it a LIFESTYLE. I didn’t have any other intentions on my mind but to lose 25lbs.

I started out by taking a Ketone Supplement. This allowed my body to adapt to a Keto lifestyle and while it was adapting I did some research on the keto diet. I knew after a week I wanted to incorporate the keto diet into my regimen as well as the ketone supplement. I weighed and measured the day before I started anything. I then didn’t weigh til day 30. I did start to measure different areas along the 30 day journey. But for the most part I didn’t even need to do that because my clothes started fitting better and getting too big. The first inches I lost were on my face and then I lost inches on my back. (yeah my back!) I didn’t realize how much fat I had on my back. It’s not exactly some place that we see every day. My first week I did just the supplement and then the second week I started eliminating carbs. Very important not to do it all at once – leads to the keto flu and that is miserable.

The second week I eliminated bread the first day, pasta the second day and sweets the third day. If you have followed me for any period of time you know that I love sweets. That was the hardest. It took 3 days to get rid of the cravings for sweets. Bread and pasta and potatoes were much easier to eliminate. Give yourself some time. Maybe you have to take two days for each of the categories. That’s ok. This isn’t a DIET it is a LIFESTYLE.

For 90 days I stayed very strict keto and using my ketone supplement once a day. I lost a total of 27lbs and 3 pants sizes. I have now maintained for almost two years. It is the first time I have ever been able to maintain like this. My intentions were to lose 25lbs. I lost it and then I have been able to keep it off. As long as I continue to take my ketone supplement I can go low carb most days and still not gain any weight back. I still weigh myself just once a month. I can always tell if I’ve eaten too many carbs in one sitting or eaten too much in one day, because I feel horrible. Just that over-stuffed, miserable feeling is enough to get me back to my low carb keto lifestyle.

If you are wanting to get started and don’t know how, just send us a message and we can help. I have a 5 day meal plan and we are working on a 30 day meal plan to help someone get started and incorporate the ketone supplements.

Thanks for taking time to read our blog. Have a fabulous week.

low-carb-keto-lifestyle

Keto Cheeseburger Casserole with Bacon

Keto Cheeseburger Casserole with Bacon

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
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Bacon Cheeseburger without the Bun


Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1/2 yellow or orange pepper
  • 1 pound no sugar bacon cooked and chopped
  • 8 eggs (If you want a less eggy casserole, reduce eggs and add more beef. Mushrooms, onions and pickles are great add-ins)
  • 1 can tomato paste 6 ounces
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 12 ounces grated cheddar cheese divided

Directions

  1. Brown ground beef with garlic, onion and pepper.
  2. Drain excess grease, ten spread beef mixture on bottom of 9×13″ casserole pan.
  3. Stir bacon pieces into cooked beef.
  4. In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, tomato paste, heavy cream, salt, and pepper until well combined.
  5. Stir 8 ounces grated cheese into egg mixture.
  6. Pour egg mixture over beef and bacon.
  7. Top with remaining 4 ounces of grated cheese.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

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How to Stay Motivated Week 6

Visualize and Reward Yourself

So in recapping Take It One Day At a Time, Surround Yourself with Positivity, Ask for Advice, Know Your “WHY”, and Keep it Fun have been the topics over the last 5 weeks.

Today we are going to talk about two topics: Visualizing and Rewarding Yourself

Visualizing is a very important part of the process. Most of us see ourselves in the mirror and if you’re a woman you generally see yourself a lot bigger than you are or you can’t see the changes that your body is making because all you see is the woman in the mirror of the past. So you have to dig deep and as you change your body you have to change your mind and the picture that you had of yourself.

On my weight loss journey – I couldn’t always see the new me because my shape didn’t really change, I just got smaller and bought smaller clothes. Everyone else sees you at the new size, but you have to change your minds view of you. I lost 27 lbs in 3 months. Now I have maintained for 2 years at that same size and I love it.

My daughter, on the other hand, has lost over 95 lbs in a year and a half and she has had many milestones to deal with. Just being able to go to a regular store and not have to buy at a big girl store was mind boggling to her. She is dealing quite nicely with it, but she still has her moments – till you change the picture in your head of who you are – where she has issues really knowing that she has done it. She is in the best shape of her life and it all started because she wanted to be able to walk around Disney World with her 5 year old daughter.

Rewarding yourself then becomes something that isn’t FOOD related. When I’ve been on diets before in the past I used to reward myself with one of my favorite dishes or eating Mexican and having as many chips and salsa as I wanted.

My recommendation is to use NON-FOOD rewards. Go spend $ on a new outfit in the size that fits you now. Go to a concert. Go for an adventure to a new destination that you never thought you’d be able to do. Go hiking. Find something that is NON-FOOD related as a reward. Rewards are very important because it makes us feel like we’ve accomplished something and feeling accomplished helps our mind to know we are accomplishing something.

This is where that plan that you wrote at the beginning comes in. You need to set your goals – When I’ve lost the first 10 lbs I will ______. When I’ve lost the first 25 lbs I will _______. Those things aren’t written in stone, but they can help you have a clearer picture of where you are now and where you want to get to and if the reward is already written down then you can wrap your mind around it and fulfill it and reward yourself. Writing down rewards is also part of the visualizing process. Knowing where you want to get to.

None of this is easy, but all of it can be easier. And we are always here to help. Also don’t forget that exogenous ketones can always help as well and keep that journey moving forward faster and make it so that it isn’t impossible to accomplish. Have an awesome week.

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Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Popsicles

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Popsicles

  • Servings: 12 popsicles
  • Difficulty: easy
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Decadent Chocolate and Peanut Butter - ultimate warm-weather indulgence.


Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 4 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
  • 1/2 ounce cocoa butter chopped

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla extract, and heavy cream until well combined and smooth.
  2. Spoon into 12 to 15 popsicle molds (depending on size) and tap molds firmly on counter to release as many air bubbles as you can. Place popsicle sticks in the center of each (wooden sticks are preferable as they stay in the popsicles better).
  3. Freeze 4 hours until firm. Remove from molds by running under hot water or placing in a bowl of hot water for 30 seconds, then gently twisting the sticks until they release. Keep in freezer until ready to dip in chocolate.
  4. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper and place in freezer. Set a metal or ceramic bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Add chopped chocolate and cocoa butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
  5. Dip a popsicle into chocolate about half way, then let excess drip off back into bowl (you can hold upright and twist to get some interesting chocolate drips down the sides of the popsicle).
  6. When chocolate is firm, place finished popsicle on cookie sheet in freezer and repeat with remaining popsicles.

Recipe Courtesy of alldayidreamaboutfood.com

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How to Stay Motivated Week 5

Keep It Fun!

So in recapping Take It One Day At a Time, Surround Yourself with Positivity, Ask for Advice and Know Your “WHY” have been the topics so far.

This weeks topic is “Keep It Fun”. How do you keep a lifestyle like this FUN?

So keeping it fun may consist of playing at the beach with the kids or taking long walks in the mountains or just eating right. On our blog we have posted some really good recipes of FOOD which is what most of us want when we think of being on a “DIET” but remember, we are not on a diet we have moved to a lifestyle. When you change the mindset from “DIET” to “LIFESTYLE” you will be amazed at how food takes a back seat.

Maybe you think you will have to give up certain foods – like PIZZA. If pizza is one of your staples every week, then hit the highlighted pizza button above and go see how easy it is to make pizza and stay keto, low carb.

Are you a sweets eater like myself and think you have to have sweets or you’ll die then maybe you like brownies or maybe you love zesty lemon bars. Maybe you are looking for some dishes made with shrimp that are super easy to make or one of my all time favorites Keto Tex-Mex Casserole. Food doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be fun and you can pretty much make any dish keto or low carb friendly.

It isn’t about eating the same meal every day it is about having fun with food and eating a variety of meals and deserts. Portion control is still a big thing so just use a small plate and fill it – makes you think you’ve eaten a whole lot more than you probably have. I’ve just highlight above a few of the ones that are posted here on our blog. Feel free to browse and print them all off. Each week we post another recipe and I’ve got some great ones coming up.

All recipes are tried and verified by my taste buds that they are awesome, healthy and keto, low carb friendly. Enjoy your week and have fun with your new lifestyle.

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Keto Bang Bang Shrimp

Keto Bang Bang Shirmp

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Absolutely to die for Bang Bang Shrimp


Ingredients

    For the Shrimp
  • 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 2 tablespoons Caribeque Calypso Kick (optional)
  • A frying oil with 0 carbs
    • For the Sauce
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup chili garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha (more or less depending on your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon Swerve confectioners

Directions

  1. In a bowl, add mayonnaise, sriracha, chili garlic paste, and swerve. Mix to combine and set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the heavy cream and vinegar together then pour over the shrimp, tossing to coat well.
  3. Heat a skillet or deep fryer to medium-high heat and add your favorite 0 carb oil.
  4. Toss the coconut flour and Caribeque Calypso Kick to mix evenly, then toss the shrimp in the flour to coat well.
  5. Add the shrimp to the oil in batches if need be and fry for 3-4 minutes until nicely golden.
  6. Remove from oil and add the sauce to the shrimp.

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