Keto Day 5 – Progress Report

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Keto Day 5 – Progress Report

March 1st, I started on the Keto Diet, Vegan style. I’ve been doing good sticking to it for my first 5 days. It hasn’t been easy at times but I’ve managed. I’m still not in Ketosis (burning fat) but I have lost a total of 5.2 pounds.

I use the Eat Smart Digital scale to weigh myself and it also measures your body fat and muscle mass. I’m happy to report that my body fat dropped 1.0% and my muscle mass increased .5%. Although these aren’t big changes, it’s still progress, however small.

The recipes for the meals in Dr. Cabeca’s book, “Keto-Green 16,” have been surprisingly delicious! I thought with limiting my foods on keto and then limiting them even more because I’m vegan would be problem with flavor. But luckily this is not the case which makes it so much easier to continue.

I’m still doing my 30 minute weight and 30 minute cardio workouts everyday except Sunday, my day of rest. My energy for the first 3 days was a little low but on days 4 and 5 my energy increased and I feel like I have more energy than before which is another plus.

Stay tuned because I will see you again on Day 10. Wish me luck!

Thanks for your support!

Recommend books for Keto Diet:

  • “Fat for Fuel” by Dr. Joseph Mercola
  • “Keto-Green 16” by Dr Anna Cabeca

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“The best six doctors anywhere, and no one can deny it are sunshine, water, rest, air, exercise and diet.” ~Wayne Fields

Thoughtful Thursday

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Forgiveness

It seems there’s a lot of negativity in the world today, more than ever before. But what can you do when someone gets angry at you or says a lot of negative and hurtful things?

When you take in their negative energy you lose yours and feel terrible. You lose a precious piece of yourself like your self esteem. As human beings we have the ability to replay moments in our minds like a movie, good or bad. We can relive moments over and over again. Good moments fill us with joy while bad ones completely drain us of our power.

Sometimes it’s a loved one who says or does something hurtful not realizing how it may affect you, or it could be a friend or total stranger. But you need to take a deep breath and look at the bigger picture. Usually that person is acting out of a past experience or fear where they may have been hurt in some way. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with you. As hard as it may be don’t take in their negativity. Instead forgive them and send them loving energy, in the end it will make you stronger.

“Forgiveness doesn’t excuse their behavior. Forgiveness prevents their behavior from destroying your heart.” ~Buddha

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Keto Day 1 – Kick Off!

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Keto Day 1 – Kick Off!

If you didn’t have a chance to read my Thoughtful Thursday post from last week, I ‘m starting the Keto diet today. The goal is to stick with it, no cheating and get my body into fat burning mode, ketosis. I’ll be measuring my pH and Ketosis levels with test strips. I plan on giving you updates with my progress every 5 days for the first 15 days, the good, the bad and the ugly.

This morning I started my day as usual, with a 30 minute weight workout followed by 30 minutes of cardio. I’ve done this routine for years and you would think losing weight wouldn’t be a problem, but it all comes down to what you eat. You can get away with more in your younger years, but as you get older, your body is not so forgiving.

Fingers crossed, this keto diet will work. I’m following Dr Anna Cabeca’s menu included in her book “Keto-Green 16.” She has recipes and modification tips for vegans and so that’s what I will be following. If you want to join in, would love to have you along on this adventure!

Thanks for your support!

Recommend books for Keto Diet:

  • “Fat for Fuel” by Dr. Joseph Mercola
  • “Keto-Green 16” by Dr Anna Cabeca

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“Nothing has benefited me more physically, mentally and most important spiritually, then adapting a vegan diet. The best decision I have made as a human for me and the planet.” ~Tim Shieff, Professional Freerunner

Thoughtful Thursday

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What is Keto?

I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of publications in the grocery store and online about the Keto diet. To sum it up Keto is a low carb, high fat diet with good protein. By reducing the amount of carbohydrates you consume which turn to sugar and are used as fuel by the body, you put your body into a state of Ketosis. Ketosis is where your body utilizes stored fat as fuel and thus you drop weight, reduce inflammation, balance your hormones, get better sleep, reduce blood sugar levels, reduce brain fog and more. There are a lot of benefits to eating a Keto diet.

You may read some articles that claim it’s okay to eat as much fat as you want on Keto. However, this is Not True. The goal is to eat healthy fats like nuts, olives, avocados and some oil. But keep in mind that you cannot consume more calories than you’re burning in a day, otherwise the weight will not come off and any symptoms that you’re trying to resolve won’t get any better.

For most of my life I’ve eaten a low sugar, low fat diet. It has brought me to where I am today. I went vegan several years ago and overall feel pretty good and way better than when I ate meat and dairy. But like most us, I still have a little weight to loose, so I decided to try the Keto diet.

When I initially started the Keto Diet, I lost weight. But when I went off of Keto and then tried going back on the results weren’t the best. I’m having a harder time the second time around. Yes I’ve been cheating and that’s a big reason why it isn’t working so great. As of March 1st which is Monday, I’m going to start the Keto Diet fresh again. I will check in with you, my loyal readers, about every 5 days for the first 15 days and let you know how it’s all progressing. The good, the bad and the ugly. If you want to do it along with me that would be great!

I have a few books that I recommend if you’re interested in learning more about Keto and the effects a regular diet has on our bodies:

  • “Fat for Fuel” by Dr. Joseph Mercola
  • “Keto-Green 16” by Dr Anna Cabeca

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“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need”. ~ Ayurvedic Proverb

Thoughtful Thursday

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14 Ways to Show Your Love

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We all know that we should express our love every day to those we hold dear, but Valentine’s Day is that 1 day to really shine. Without spending a lot of money, here are 14 Ways to Show Your Love to that Special Someone in your life:

  1. Make a nice breakfast.
  2. Take over and do their chores for the day.
  3. Go for a nice walk together.
  4. Do a yoga or other exercise class together.
  5. Go out on a picnic.
  6. Watch a movie with candy and popcorn.
  7. Bake a special sweet dish like the vegan brownies from last Thoughtful Thursday!
  8. Make a handmade Valentine’s Day Card.
  9. Create a surprise “Love You” display on the kitchen table with candy, flowers.
  10. Order a “To Go” meal and have a candlelit dinner at home.
  11. Create a romantic music play list and dance the night away.
  12. Leave little love notes for them to find.
  13. Give them a Spa Day at home with candles, chocolates and bubble bath.
  14. Spend quality time together talking with no distractions and really listen.

“Where there is Love, there is Life.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

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Thoughtful Thursday

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Zucchini Brownie Recipe Review

Many moons ago when I tried eating vegan, it really wasn’t the tastiest, at least not the recipes I tried. I’ve been vegan now for the past several years and can say that the recipes have improved tremendously. Some recipes are so good you can’t even tell they’re vegan and not made with eggs, milk and the usual ingredients. A lot are even better all plant based.

You may have seen Zucchini Brownies for sale in health food stores and restaurants. The thought of making something as delicious as a brownie from a vegetable didn’t quite appeal to my taste buds at first. But being a chocolate lover I finally gave into my curiosity and tried one at a small restaurant. To my surprise it was so delicious and moist, I pretty much inhaled it, lol.

Since I love to bake, I figured someone on the internet must have a pretty good recipe. Lo and behold I came across ElaVegan.com hosted by Michaela. She is a very talented vegan food stylist, recipe creator, photographer and writer.

Michaela’s Zucchini Brownie Recipe was absolutely delicious as are her many other recipes which I highly recommend you try. The recipes are written with easy instructions, lots of photos and helpful tips. She also puts a tab at the top of each recipe for a quick print. Even if vegan isn’t your thing, it’s a delicious alternative to healthier meals. I highly recommend trying these delicious brownies!

“Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.” ~Josh Billings

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