Brewer5: A Fresh Start

[Brewer5]

Yes, the appetite will die down ... And that is a HUGE part of what makes this so attractive to people. You really won't need to track or count in any way.

[Kmlynne]

Working 24, 25, 26, and 27.  The hardest day will probably be the 25th since we (the people working that day) are having a pot luck (yes, another one).  The cafeteria will also be closed not he 24th and 25th, with shortened hours on the 26 and 27th.  Not that they have a lot down there, but I have gotten in the habit of eating breakfast at work cafe - one less meal to pack.  

 

Jess, put away that scale - it will just drive you crazy!  I hop on mine once a month, then put it out of sight.  Use the fit of your clothes as a guide - and how you are feeling.  

[Brewer5]

The gluten-free "gingerbread" houses were a huge part of what did me in last year, and led me here for my Keto Whole 30 in January.

 

Happy to say that I am not (and will not be) tempted by these little suckers this year.  I have quite learned my lesson, thankyouverymuch.

 

I will admit that there was a moment while I was mixing up the batter -- where it looked so creamy and delicious, I did just want to put my face in it.  LOL  

 

But -- and this is a big but -- my very next thought was remembering how I felt last year, how it led to cravings for more and more, and how I felt out of control with my choices.  I felt a lot of regret.  I felt like a bump on a log.  And my blood sugar was not good.

 

So, that's what's going on here today.  We are baking, and the kids are going to decorate these.  It will be fun to do -- but we will be sharing these at parties, and NOT sitting around and eating them every day at home.

 

How about three cheers for lessons learned?  

 

[Brewer5]

oops double post

[kirkor]

The few times I've tried making a gingerbread house, they've turned out looking like crap, similar to this:

[Brewer5]

LOL, yep.  That looks pretty crappy.  

[Kmlynne]

I have done gingerbread houses with the kids in the past - and honestly, they don't hold much of a draw for me.  The hard candies have never called my name, and the "gingerbread" (if that's what you call it) tastes a bit like cardboard.  Now, if you had given me a plate of gingerbread or molasses cookies (ginger snaps), I would have inhaled them.

 

This year - I could probably leave them.  I didn't even think about dessert on my "Christmas Day" meal at the restaurant.  In fact, I woke up the next morning and my first thought was that I missed it!  I had planned on dessert, and missed it!  hmmph.  

[Brewer5]

I say "gingerbread" houses because these are actually made with a gluten-free cake mix.  I did not want to mess with the whole mess that kirkor posted  so I bought that mold last year that does the two tiny houses.

 

Last year's cake mix was a spice mix -- you could add banana, applesauce, pumpkin... several flavor options.  I think we used unsweetened applesauce, and I made homemade cream cheese icing.

 

Does that explain why they were so tempting?    I don't even think I ate any of the candies -- but I most certainly got into the cake & icing.  It was amazing.  And of course highly addictive for me.

 

This year, they have chosen gluten-free chocolate cake mixes and I got everything Feingold compliant... so it is some sort of vanilla icing mix from a box.  All of the candies are on his list.  There is NO way I can be 100% through the Holidays with him -- but I figured anywhere I can make it better, I will.

 

Even if I were not so determined to stay on a good path now -- I think this year's combination is much less tempting overall for me than the spice cake / cream cheese frosting was.

 

I will have more pics!  

[Brewer5]

We've also been working on "Christmas hair" today.  

 

[Kmlynne]

 and I made homemade cream cheese icing.

 

Does that explain why they were so tempting?    I don't even think I ate any of the candies -- but I most certainly got into the cake & icing.  It was amazing.  And of course highly addictive for me.

 

Ummmmm... YES!

 

Love some homemade cream cheese frosting.....

[Brewer5]

I just realized:  I sat and cut up all of their candy into pieces for them... and it never even crossed my mind to eat any of it!

 

This is like Karen just forgetting to have her favorite dessert at the restaurant.  What a WIN.  

 

 

They don't look much like "houses" anymore -- but they sure had fun!  

[kirkor]

We've also been working on "Christmas hair" today.  

And then you did your hair candy cane-striped??

[Brewer5]

I had leftover green AND red... Seemed like such a waste to throw it away, but I did NOT have the time to mess with mine. Would have been cool though, and *definitely* crossed my mind!

[Kmlynne]

So, I know it is the holidays and all, but it is way too quiet around here!

 

Just to get some chatter going I am hijacking Brewer5's thread....

 

What is everyone having for Christmas dinner?  Who is hosting family?  Who is traveling?  Is anyone working?  How? do you celebrate Christmas

 

 

I'll start:  I am working - kids are with their dad.  I am planning to pack a roasted chicken thigh, and green beans.  i will also have a couple deviled eggs that i am bringing for the unit pot luck.  I celebrated Christmas at church last night during communion service  I hope to be cancelled for a couple hours tomorrow morning to go to a friends house for Christmas breakfast.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

[kirkor]

Spending it with family, doing ham tonight, chicken tomorrow. Planning on having some mimosas minus the orange juice

[Brewer5]

kirkor, your post made me literally LOL.  A mimosa minus the orange juice would just be champagne, right?      ...I have had a little tequila tonight, so I laughed even more wholeheartedly than I usually do.    hahahaha  <-- See, that is me laughing.

 

Karen ~ there is no "hijacking" ~ I love the conversation!  

 

​Tonight I had my sister and all of her family, and my parents here.  This was an extra 8 people + another puppy at our house.  All went well... they have all headed home, and now I am just waiting for the kids to be ready for bed so we can put out their presents for tomorrow.

 

I made bacon deviled eggs (they went FAST) ​...  

 

We tried littleg's wing recipe she pointed me to, but I just left out the cayenne due to my husband's complete aversion to spicy.  They were good (and thank you littleg!) but I need to add more salt next time.  It was an awesome way to cook them, though, that was easy and they did turn out crispy -- almost like they were breaded.

 

I had a nut tray that I had to steer clear of -- I bought it at Costco and it had roasted salted almonds, cashews, pistachios, and chocolate sea salt almonds.  I ate literally "a few" (and in my book, that means 3) cashews and I walked away because I know where that road leads, and it is not good.

 

I had a variety of green olives stuffed with a variety of things, and black olives.

 

My dad brought a ham of some sort that was good.

 

My sister made a beef stew with sweet potatoes and peas (bless her heart, she tries) -- but I avoided that, for obvious reasons.

 

The kids' houses were here, and my niece made gluten-free chocolate chip M&M cookies......  but I did not try a bite.  Not going there.

 

So -- I've got my first Christmas party done, and I had a great time without any of that junk.  We travel to my aunt's on Sunday, and I anticipate a similar scene.  

[JessRN]

Merry Christmas Everyone!
So I got my ketonix.... And being the scientist I am, I had to test its validity.

My first reading is the first pic.  My boyfriend Jason, who eats carbs all day long is the second reading.  I think these things might be a bunch of hooey   Either that, or mine is HELLA broken hahahaha.  

Any assistance would be appreciated.  
 

[Brewer5]

Here you go, Jess.  Merry Christmas!  

 

 

http://www.ketonix.co/products-setup-and-support/frequently-asked-questions/

[Brewer5]

Our Brussels sprouts tree -- decorated by my youngest.

[Brewer5]

Thanks, kirkor.

[kirkor]

Merry Christmas! (they remembered to sign my name on the card too, right??)

[JessRN]

Man, yesterday it was hard to eat right.  And yeah, I stumbled a little bit.  Breakfast was great, my mom made me scrambled eggs and bacon (she eats like I do).  At my in-laws, there was nothing for me to eat other than some ham and steamed veggies.  Everything else was SUPER off limits.  There was no butter on the table whatsoever, no other sources of fat.  I left starving.  At my grandmother's house, they cooked spaghetti!!!!  So all I could eat were grilled veggies and salad, then had one of my uncle's home made cream cheese brownies he tole me he made just for me.  Sigh.  Good news- they're my favorite and they just tasted like a pile of sugar hahaha.  I had NO trouble stopping at one.

 

Back on the wagon today.  Hope you all did better than me!

 

-Jessica

[Brewer5]

Jess, it sounds like you did alright to me!  

 

If you start taking deviled eggs with you to parties and such, then you will never be left without a fat & protein option.  (Except for the fact that they are usually so popular, they disappear quite quickly!)  This recipe I use is super simple.  We just leave out the cheese & double the bacon.  We use the ready-cooked bacon, too, so it's crispier.

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/69084/bacon-cheddar-deviled-eggs/

[Brewer5]

So, Karen and I have decided to shoot for 2016 miles in 2016!  This is the public announcement, in case anyone wants to join in the fun.  

 

This is going to be a big challenge for me.  This is A LOT more steps than I have been getting lately.  A lot.  But I've decided I'm up for it!

 

I am still working on getting my sleep back in order since the complete life disturbance of Rocket.  Now, he is sleeping really well -- and I'm not.  I stay up too late.  Period.  I know a few changes I need to make, but part of my plan is to wear myself out by being more active.  

 

I haven't been in a huge hurry to get back to my weights.  I get a twinge every now and then -- and I know when I do get back to it, that I have lost some strength.  BUT -- I have also lost weight & some size in my thighs that is a welcome change.  "I like big butts and I cannot lie"...  but I also really like getting back into some of my old jeans and not being limited to a couple of pair that I'd bought since I really started lifting heavy.  Don't get me wrong -- I WILL get back to it...  But my plan will be more to fit lifting into my keto lifestyle instead of trying to fit keto into my lifting lifestyle.  This is a huge shift in thinking for me.

 

Anyway, I was going to do a post about ways to get more steps in our days.  Now I've run out of time because, guess what?  My husband wants to go for a walk!  

[SimpleNotEasy]

Good work on your Christmas Eve without junk! 

 

Your deviled eggs recipe looks yummy! I am not a huge fan of deviled eggs, but I think I'd like that one.

 

So am I correct that 2016 miles in 2016 would mean averaging 5.52 miles per day? My Fitbit "goal" is set at 5.0 miles per day (10,000 steps), but I only get there about 3-5 days per week as I have not truly been using it as a goal - just observing whether or not I get there without purposing to do so, if you get the difference. Maybe I will join you and Karen. I need to think a bit more about what my goals are for 2016. I'm a yoga instructor and this fall, my goal has been to teach two classes and to attend 2 classes/week. So sometimes that knocked out walking a few miles with my pup. Not sure yet what to plan for 2016.