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Everything Bagel Cheese Crisps

My new favorite snack!

I got these “Whisps” at Costco, 23 crisps is only 150 calories and 0 carbs!

Everything but the Bagel seasoning is from Trader Joe’s and I’ve honestly been eating this on EVERYTHING. 5 calories, 0 carbs.

I sprinkle the seasoning into a container of cream cheese and scoop away! SO satisfying, the crisps are hearty and dense unlike homemade Parmesan crisps, so they work well for scooping. Totally killed my bagel cravings. Also I was down a full pound today, only 9 to go!💪😘

235 cal - 1g net carb - 17g fat - 15g protein

Any tips on how to lower belly fat? I cannot lose it no matter what. I have a sedentary lifestyle so that doesn't help!

YES! Brace yourself, this is a long one haha...

It’s a common fitness myth that you can “target” fat loss. I die a little bit inside every time I see stuff online that says “lose arm fat with these 5 moves!” or “lose belly fat in 2 weeks!”... you can’t... otherwise you’d see morbidly obese dudes with six-packs because they do crunches all day in between their binges.

Our bodies carry fat in different ways for a number of reasons. Stubborn belly fat for women can be hormonal (birth control, or Cortisol - a stress hormone) but the majority of the time this is lifestyle based.

There’s 2 very different fats in our midsections: subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Subcutaneous fat is body fat; that’s the fat rolls that we can visibly see. Visceral fat is a hormonal fat underneath the muscle that lies around our heart and abdominal organs. It’s an extremely dangerous fat - when you see middle aged men with “beer bellies” and they’re keeling over from a heart attack at 40-50 years old... that’s visceral fat! or party girls with skinny arms and legs but puffy midsections... visceral fat.

Visceral Fat has been linked to early-onset Alzheimer’s, Type 2 Diabetes, various cancers, heart attack, stroke, and hormonal disruptions which causes you to hold on to even MORE body fat... It’s nasty stuff!

How do we lose visceral fat? You made a great observation about your own lifestyle!... A Harvard study a couple years ago found that about 70% of visceral fat loss is associated with exercise. Losing body fat is the opposite - diet is 70-80% of what works for body fat loss - but as long as you’re staying consistently active, visceral fat will come off quickly and stay off.

That other 30% of visceral fat loss is going to come from diet, primarily alcohol consumption (HUGE trigger for both visceral fat AND body fat - it immediately stunts your thyroid stimulating hormones hence slowing metabolism), tobacco has also been linked to higher visceral fat, as well as stress, and sleep quality.

SO... How to lose belly fat? It’s all about finding that balance of both diet (BF) and exercise (VF). I know that’s not what anyone wants to hear - we all know diet and exercise is the answer - but it’s the honest truth if you’re looking at fat loss as a science. There’s no miracle pill or crash diet that will do what this will.

We don’t get to choose where fat comes off, some people are apple shaped, some people are pear shaped, and when we have that last 10 pounds of stubborn fat to lose around the belly, it’s all about cleaning up our lifestyles from toxins like booze and tobacco, eating a minor caloric deficit, getting enough sleep, staying active, reducing stress.

<3

Alright, back on full-keto for a while here.

I’ve been in maintenance mode (<100g net carb daily) for a couple years but trying to really cut those last 10 pounds now so I’ll be keeping it under 25g net hence forth and starting a 5 day fat-fast today.

Here was yesterday’s lunch!

½ can Costco chicken 1.5 Tbsp olive oil mayo 2 romaine heart lettuce leaves

This Costco chicken is SO good, you can use it for soups, salads, wraps and sandwiches, quesadillas, buffalo chicken dip… I use it for everything, it is so tender and flavorful, and not to mention convenient!

190 cal - 11g fat - 1.5g carb - 22g protein

What are some good vitamins & supplements you take?

Oh man… a lot haha.

——————-

Multivitamin - I try to get most of my nutrients from food but no harm in a multi

Probiotic - a healthy gut is crucial to reducing sugar/carb cravings!

Vitamin D3 - great for winter blues and necessary to absorb calcium

Iodine - working on the health of my thyroid right now in order to raise my metabolism

Biotin - too high of biotin causes Cystic acne, I take a low dose & get Solgar Biotin 300mcg on Amazon ($7)

L-Carnitine - one of the few SAFE & natural fat burner supplements

Magnesium - great for muscle recovery, headaches, and anxiety

CBD oil - this is a derivative of cannabis, NOT the same as medicinal pot. It’s legal & has no THC (the stuff that gets you high) so it’s just the good pure stuff in cannabis that reduces inflammation and fights cancer, it’s been a life saver for me and I don’t have to take prescription anxiety meds anymore! (I use CW Hemp)

Hey girl!! College student here. What do you think are some budget friendly Keto foods to invest in?

Ooo, I started Keto while I was still in college! I always had: String cheese, pickles, Sara Lee Delightful 45 bread (or Village Hearth Light bread) & sandwich fixings, eggs, protein shakes, canned tuna, low carb tortillas, salad stuff, cauliflower / cauliflower rice, hummus and veggies...Honestly I'm pretty cheap so most of my non-fish recipes on here are budget-friendly haha

What all can you drink on Keto?

Anything low-carb / low-sugar!

Examples:

Diet soda, Stevia based soda, Water, Sparkling water, La Croix, Sugar-free flavored water, Powerade Zero, Sugar-free energy drinks, Coffee, Tea, Unsweetened non-dairy milk (almond, soy, etc)

Can’t drink:

Juice, Milk (high in natural sugars), Mochas / sweet coffee beverages, Regular soda/ energy drinks, Regular Powerade/sports drinks

KETO FLU KILLER!

I get a lot of people asking me how to combat the keto flu! My first suggestion is to ease into the diet - no need to go from 0 to 60 - you can do a 100g net day, then an 80g net day, then a 50g net day, etc.

Second suggestion is to up your electrolytes, mostly sodium! Additional sodium & lots of fluids your first few days will help with dizzy spells & lightheadedness. Powerade Zero is your best friend but if you want to try something else, I LOVE this vegan chicken broth alternative!

I would never in a million years be able to tell that this wasn't real chicken broth - no joke - I'm super picky & have tried tons of other ones and this is the only one I'll use.

Its pretty high in sodium so it's not an every day meal but it's delicious, great for your first week (and occasionally as a treat!) and the best part is... it's only 15 calories!!! HOT DAMN!

You can find it at Whole Foods! :)

carbophobic

Best low-carb sources of Vitamin C https://low-carb-support.com/low-carb-diet-vitamin-c/

Hey!!!! I'm new to your blog but I absolutely love it! I just started keto 10 days ago and it is literally killing me 😅 you said you lost all your weight in 3 months... what kind of diet did you eat before keto? I have so many mixed feelings about whether this diet will work or not for me because I was doing very low cal before but I also have a family history of insulin resistance and adult onset diabetes. 🤔

Hey!! If you're concerned with your family history, I'd maybe ask your doctor to just double check... for me personally Keto helped; I was actually prediabetic when I started Keto and by the end of it my blood sugar was back to normal and has stayed normal ever since!My diet before Keto was terrible, I was completely carb/sugar addicted and was receiving treatment for binge eating... everything I ate was processed! Every single day I had 2-4 big bowls of sugary cereal, pop tarts, Mac & cheese, bread... every day! So Keto was great for me to reintroduce vegetables and protein and start cooking for myself. For others, if you're used to eating at a calorie deficit & are starting Keto at a lower weight, it might not be the right answer. Not that it's "unhealthy" or anything, but because it might just not work... In my case, once I hit 135 the weight stopped coming off with Keto. I've tried and tried and it just doesn't work, so at this point I'm now just counting calories & macros to reach my goals. But if it seems to be working for you and your health is stable, I do highly recommend Keto :)

You look so great! I just started keto today and want to know the best advise you have to make it a success. I travel a lot for work, and was also wondering what some of your go-to snacks were. I look forward to your help! Just FYI, I want to lose about 20 lbs.

Woohoo! You can lose 20 pounds easy!

My best advice is to go into it prepared, make a Pinterest board with lots of recipes so you can always have meal ideas. My first time trying keto I failed because I got bored of bacon and eggs, and bunless burgers, but then I started experimenting with coconut and almond flour baking, cauliflower mash & rice, protein pancakes, etc. and realized there is SO much out there & low carb eating doesn’t have to be boring or repetitive!

Lots of recipes on Pinterest, and also on Reddit like Reddit.com/r/ketorecipes… my favorite snacks on the go were string cheese or babybel cheese, jicama, quest bars, premier protein shakes from Costco, pumpkin seeds, sliced veggies with guacamole, and sandwiches on low carb bread or wraps! I like Sara Lee Delightful 45 bread, each slice is 6g net carbs, and FlatOut or Josephs makes low carb tortillas/wraps

😋

Hi, I was wondering how long it took you to lose the 40 lbs, and what your exercise regimen was like? I'm currently 5'7 and 170 lbs looking to lose weight, can you tell me a little about Keto and why you picked it for your weight loss? Thank you!!

Hi! I lost 40 pounds in 3.5 months with keto. I really didn't exercise at all during this time, but I was 100% committed to the diet without taking breaks or cheat days! I had 1 cheat meal after 20 pounds lost, but no full cheat days; I didn't want to slip off the wagon... I may have gone for some walks or lifted weights occasionally (I'm talking like, once a week, if that...) but I didn't start working out until after I lost the 40, then I joined a boxing gym to try to tone-up! I chose keto because I was in college and didn't have time to work out every day, and because I knew how quickly the weight falls off with this diet! I needed something that I was going to see progress quickly but with less of a time commitment. It's a low carb - high fat diet, so it's not easy... it took me 3 attempts over a couple years before it really stuck with me, but once I fully committed it was SO worth it!

Hiiii! So I've been wondering about doing the keto diet for a while now and was just wondering how to start?? Like how fast does your body adjust to it and any tips or favorite recipes? Thanks so much!! P.s. Your progress is so inspiring!! :)

Hi there! Sorry for the late response! My body takes about 3-5 days to adjust when I start keto. Best tips: First few days, eat CONSTANTLY. Keep that blood sugar up, don't get light headed. Also electrolytes! Powerade Zero is the best for that, I drank those daily. And don't be afraid to up your sodium to make sure you don't get dizzy too; you're going to lose water weight really fast that first week but you don't want to get dehydrated - salt is your friend! Lastly, you can always wean yourself onto the diet. No need to go right down to 20g carbs in 1 day, you could do 100 to 50 to 40 to 30, etc. As far as tips and recipes... this time of year I grill EVERYTHING! Doesn't food always taste better on the grill? I think so! I grill asparagus, salmon, veggie burgers, shrimp, veggie kebabs, or if you eat meat, burgers, hot dogs, brats, steak... grilled food is fresh and so flavorful, I don't even miss the carbs when I'm grilling 😎Also, if you haven't already, make a Pinterest board for keto recipes! Pinterest is super keto-friendly, I have hundreds of recipes saved so if I ever have a day where I'm feeling bored with my usual meals or feel like giving up, I have a whole backlog of foods I know I will like!

Just wanted to say thank you so, so much for writing down all of your progress, recipes and advice. Your starting weight/ goal weight & height are almost identical to mine and I can't tell you how encouraging it is to see how far you've come and to learn from everything you've already accomplished. Thank you SO much. You look incredible and your story is very inspiring!! :)

So sorry for the late response but omg this made my day!! ❤️ hope your journey continues to be successful :)

Glorious

How many calories or did you not worry about calories. Also- how many times a week did you exercise and what type exercise did you do?

I was definitely aware of my caloric intake - no matter what "diet" you're doing, fat-loss comes down to calories in & calories out.When I first started Keto I was counting calories but as I continued I noticed that my appetite was waaayyy down! Cutting out carbs and sugar seriously reduced my cravings and desire to binge eat. So once I settled in I stopped counting calories and started eating intuitively; just eating when I felt hungry, and luckily that was always within a safe range. I also didn't really exercise at all! I lost the bulk of my weight (40 pounds in 3.5 months) without working out at all, but now I'm very active. Exercise is important to reduce visceral fat and build muscle (the higher your muscle mass, the more calories you burn at rest) but for a lot of beginner-ketoers, I usually recommend skipping exercise at first since the diet itself is so demanding. Sometimes keto + heavy exercise is just too much and people are more likely to give up! Do whatever you feel comfortable with :)

Sometimes there's just nothing better than a Caesar salad with a mountain of fresh grated Parmesan... 😍

I had a question about the keto diet because I was curious, on a website I looked up it said to avoid fruits because of their high carb content but is that a good idea? Like apples are good for you but if their carb content is high then is avoiding fruits good?

Yeah the fruit thing is tricky... if you can fit it into your day, feel free to add some fruit. I usually add a small handful of berries to my smoothies, and I always use lemon and lime in my beverages and cooking. But unfortunately since most fruits are so high in sugar, we just can't fit it in to our carb-counts. One small banana has like 25g net carbs which for most of us is our whole day! Apples are also high in sugar. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries can be safe sometimes; just track everything in MyFitnessPal to make sure you aren't going overboard! This is also why it's SO important to be eating enough vegetables, so you aren't missing out on the vitamins, fiber, and nutrients you might normally get from fruit! I love having a green smoothie in the morning to start my day off with lots of fiber and vitamins :)

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