Modified Keto day 10 plus 3 packages in the mail!!!

I must honest, today started out real rough. I woke up with a migraine that did not go away until around 6 this evening. I managed to drag myself out of bed around 10 and decided to fix myself something to eat. Today’s breakfast consisted of bacon and eggs. And yes, I did have my normal coffee intake. But, once again, no Starbucks.

The cruise countdown cheered me up but didn’t make the headache go away. I wonder if the diet has anything to do with the headaches…

I did receive some packages in the mail today. One from Baublebar, one from Michaels, and UPS delivered 2 Shutterfly orange envelopes. Not only did I get the replacement photos that UPS conveniently misplaced last month, I also received the replacement photos that Shutterfly sent. But since I still had a headache, I did not open the packages.

In the late afternoon, I started getting a little hungry so I had the last of the left over chicken stuff I made yesterday and I also had one hotdog that was sliced and stuffed with cheese then wrapped in bacon. My beverage of choice after my morning coffee was unsweetened ice tea.

Once I started feeling better I started opening a couple of the boxes. Up first was Baublebar. Today’s package only contained one pair of earrings, the Fantasia Drop Earrings. I just love them and I cannot wait to wear them on our cruise. I also received the Lobe Wonder Ear Support patches I want to try and the Devonne Sunglasses in pink which was a gift with purchase. I truly love they way they package their products.

Then I opened the box from Michaels. I could not wait to see the different colors of vinyl I ordered. I’m even more excited to start playing with them on my Cricut Explore Air. I have plans for some tumblers and now that I have all of the different colors of Vinyl that I want, I’m going to really start on the tumblers this week. Maybe even tomorrow!!! These are the colors I ordered: light yellow, red, grape, azure, med blue, caribbean, and flamingo. I’m just so excited!!!

Now about the Shutterfly orange envelope thingy’s… It is obvious that the original one was damaged and so far, I have been afraid to open that envelope. But, I won’t know the extent of things until I do. It didn’t take much to open the original package and I was really afraid that the photos would be damaged but, to my surprise, there was nothing wrong with them!!! I guess now I can organize these photos as well as the photos from our Carnival Triumph cruise and a trip to Galveston. There are plenty of photos to do some large scrapbooks!!!

With the headache finally gone, I feel energized! I think I will use this time to do something productive. I just do not know which productive thing I want to do. I think I will start with the photos so they do not get messed up!

Just my modified Keto diet day 9

I feel like my days are basically the same. Another morning of coffee with the normal 2 teaspoons of sugar in the first cup and nothing in the refills. So boring. Nothing to eat for breakfast since, once again, I was not hungry. Still feel achy all over and definitely have a headache. But I will power thru this until I reach my goal.

Today, I actually cooked something for lunch. I had a small amount of cauliflower in the refrigerator so I put it in some water to boil and soften. I had seen some videos for some chicken recipes and since I had over 3/4 of my Costco rotisserie chicken, I decided to experiment. I diced up some onion, mushrooms, and spinach and cooked them in butter. When they the onions were translucent, mushrooms were brown, and the spinach had wilted, I added some cream cheese with onion dip I had left over for some unknown reason, plus some regular cream cheese and some sour cream. Once everything was melted and blended together, I added some of the shredded chicken and stirred it all together to blend. Of course, after I added the chicken, I realized I had forgotten the cheddar cheese so I quickly added just a little to top it off. Once everything was done, I put the cauliflower in a bowl and topped it with my cheesy chicken stuff. I must say, it was pretty good. The left over chicken stuff was put in a container and placed in the refrigerator. So much so that when my hubby got home from work, he asked what it was. I told him and asked him to go ahead and finish it. He must have like it because even the left over are gone!!!

Around 4pm I started getting a little hungry so I had an Atkins White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Bar. It was good, but I need to avoid nuts as much as possible. These will definitely not be something I have every day. And not because of the nuts, but because it was just so sweet.

That is it for today. If you have any ideas or suggestions for me as I make my way through this modified Keto diet, please let me know.

Another day on my modified Keto diet

I began my day by weighing myself. I must admit, I was afraid to do it since I knew I wasn’t 100% Keto. I will never be. But I was happy to see that I was down 3.8 pounds. This definitely encouraged me to continue on this path. As least as best as I can.

After my self-imposed weigh in, I had my typical morning coffee and nothing to eat. I wasn’t hungry at that time! Yes I did go to Starbucks, but the strangest thing happened. I usually will sip on my Venti Java Chip Frappuccino all day but today, it was just very sweet tasting. I’m not sure if it because of the reduction on my daily sugar intake or what but I just couldn’t do it today.

Breakfast/lunch consisted of chicken, purple cabbage cooked in butter, and tomato wedges with some Ranch for dipping. I even dip my chicken in Ranch… don’t judge!!!! I have always known that everything is better with butter but I’m really enjoying it more than I have in the past.

I started getting a little hungry so I had one Atkins Peanut Butter Cup. This also seemed very sweet and did not make my stomach very happy. But I survived!!!!

For dinner, I had 2 fried eggs cooked in butter seasoned with salt and pepper only and topped with some hot sauce.

I feel real encouraged with the weight loss, as low as it was. At least it is a start and I’m very happy with it. I may not need to buy any new clothes for our cruise after all. Well, maybe not that many, LOL!!!

Getting Carnival Vista ready #4

Although I have been on 10 cruises (1 on Cunard, 1 on NCL, and 8 on Carnival), I am always looking for information. Not just for the ports we will be visiting but also for packing ideas, especially with things people usually do not think about. My information comes from blogs like Cruise Radio and some from YouTube videos like EECC travels, CruiseTipsTV and CruiseGear. They seem to have very concise information that really applies!!! (And I also follow them on Instagram!!!)

I recently made a shopping stop at our local Dollar Tree. When you see the pictures of what I purchased, please keep in mind, I’m shopping for 9 people!!!! My list started out looking like this…

This shopping spree is for items that can be used in all three stateroom. These are the items I was able to check off our list: Zip lock bags in various sizes (1 of each size for each room… it might be overkill but at least we will have enough to share with other cruisers), 6 mesh laundry bags, 3 night lights, clothespins, jumbo clips, and some generic type command strips with the hook, and 9 lint rollers because you can never have too many of those!!!

I also had to make a trip to Target and while I was in the check-out line, I noticed some travel size Advil so I picked up a couple of those! Just another thing to check off our long Dollar Tree shopping list!!!

At the end of the shopping spree, if you want to call it that, our list now looks like this:

I plan on going back to Dollar Tree on Friday to knock off some more things from the list.

My modified Keto diet day and Costco shopping!!!

Today was a busy Sunday!!! Woke up and had my normal coffee plus a couple of refills. Woke up feeling good!!! And I wasn’t hungry so I didn’t eat anything!!!! I had a couple of errands to run so I was out of the house just after noon.

First errand was to pick up some of my mothers prescriptions from CVS. I’m so thankful they have a drive-thru!!! After that was done and spent a short amount of time at her house, I headed to Costco for errand #2. I was on a mission to get one of their rotisserie chickens. I absolutely love them and I know they are something that are allowed on the Keto diet. I also picked up some other things that HOPEFULLY will be Keto friendly. The item with the black lid is actually almond butter!

On the way home, I still was not hungry but I was thirsty so I was a bad girl and went to Starbucks. I tried to justify this by telling myself it was only because of the fatigue I was feeling and I needed to be able to function when I had to work this afternoon. I’m not sure I convinced myself, but it sure tasted good.

A couple of hours after I got home, I started getting a little hungry so I fixed me a plate of chicken, bell pepper slices, tomato’s and ranch dressing. It tasted good and definitely took care of hunger. To be honest, I’m craving something sweet right now, but I’m trying to distract myself with things I need to do to prepare for the cruise.

Tomorrow will be one week since I actually started this Keto diet, or modified diet, or whatever you want to call it. I will be weighing myself in the morning. I do not expect to see a change, but it will be interesting to see if there was a change!!!

Today’s modified Keto

Saturdays are typically very busy as this is the day I basically work a double shift. I’m not complaining. I love what I do and the fact that I am fortunate enough to be able to do it from the comforts of my home is a huge bonus!!! But I did forget to make an appointment for my Shih Tzu mix pup with the groomer. I promise, He does have eyes!!!

This morning was busy as usual. Around 10:30 I decided it might be a good idea to at least time something to nibble on until I could actually fix something to eat. So, I had an Atkins chocolate chip cookie dough bar. I do not know if it is allowed on the Keto plan, but it is what I had available and I was able to nibble on it until around 5pm. And yes, I did have my usual coffee, but no Starbucks today.

This evening, I didn’t make an actual meal, instead I just fixed a plate with last nights left over steak cute into bite size pieces, along with some veggies and cheese. And there was Ranch dressing for the veggie dipping!!! Unsweetened tea was consumed for hydration purposes.

Other than that, it was definitely a boring day. I may or may not have placed an online order with Michaels. I guess only time will tell on that one!!!

My Keto diet is more of a modified Keto.

Today has just been strange and I’m not sure why. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened. I poured myself my normal cup of coffee but didn’t really drink much. I had to go to the bank for my mother then a trip to Dollar Tree for some cruise goodies, a stop at Aldi looking for something but didn’t find, then I went to Starbucks for a Venti Vanilla Bean Frappuccino with a double shot. I know. It’s not allowed on the Keto diet but I have to make some modifications since I have allergies to artificial sweeteners and the so-call natural ones make me itch. And besides, it fills me up!!!!

Breakfast ended up being brunch and was a simple bacon and eggs with some salsa on top. I had a very hard time eating all of it. As the day went on, I never became hungry. But I have little energy which makes the work day so much fun… NOT.

When I made dinner, I wasn’t hungry but I still tried to eat a little. I regret it now because I’m starting to feel real bloated. With my GI issues, this is not uncommon, but it just feels different this time and I do not know why.

I do believe tomorrow will be a very low-key kind of day for me. I need to really evaluate my diet modifications and see how I can best proceed.

Starting Keto slowly and shopping at Michaels!

Starting the diet is going to have some issues. Not only with the no sugar aspect, but I already have some dietary issues due to GI issues, namely nuts. I never know when I will have a flare, like today, but I usually know what triggers the GI flares and try to avoid those things.

I did have a good breakfast late this morning that was absolutely delicious. Not only did I have bacon and eggs but I managed to add some onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. And I added a small amount of salsa on top.

Today’s downfall happened while I was out running errands. Apparently my car new I was very thirsty and took my to Starbucks. I know that was bad but the double shot venti java chip frappuccino was delicious!

This evening I made me a salad with all kinds of goodies in it and I maybe had half of it.

While I was out running errands, I made a stop at Michaels to look at their vinyl selections. I must have timed it right as their vinyl was on sale!!! I purchased a few colors of the removable vinyl and the transfer tape plus a couple of often things. I can’t wait to experiment with an idea for our tumblers I plan on decorating for our cruise on the Carnival Vista.

So, even though I didn’t do great with the Keto diet today, I still had a great day!!! And my yorkie rescue, Dixie, went for her weight check and she has lost one pound since her check up last month! Her weight gain was 100% my fault. Now I have to be better for her!!!

Is the KETO diet for me?

With a cruise coming up, I think now would be a good time to shed a few pounds. Everyone that has been on a cruise knows that a person usually gains wait eating all the yummy food provided. My intent is to shed some of this excess weight so when I get on the ship and start eating like a pig, my clothes will not be too tight!!!

I have been reading about the KETO diet and watching videos about it as well. From what I understand, it is a HIGH FAT, moderate protein, low carb diet. That sounds ok to me. I understand some things that I love, like bread and potatoes, and rice are a not allowed. I can do that… maybe. Giving up tortillas will be hard. So. Hard.

But the problem I will have is the no sugar. But I have a reason. I have allergies to artificial sweeteners. It is not fun to have something someone has made that has artificial sweetener in it. Unfortunately, it makes me sick and brings on a massive migraine. When this happens, I’m out for a couple to days trying to get rid of the headache. The so called natural sweeteners, like Stevia, make me itch. I know… I’m weird. But I have no other options when it comes to sugar.

My only choice is to limit my sugar which really will not be that hard. I use sugar in my first cup of coffee but not in the refills. I do not use sugar in my tea which is hard sometimes. I do feel that I can limit and monitor my sugar intake so maybe I can figure out a modified Keto diet that will work for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

A couple of online orders arrived!!!

You know it is going to be a good day when you receive 2 online orders in one day!!! I’m a happy camper. Although, there is still one package that Shutterfly shipped on July 20th (with an expected delivery date of July 26th) that UPS conveniently misplaced. I contacted Shutterfly today to let them know what was happening. In less than 2 hours, Shutterfly customer service had responded and informed me that they would be reprinting my photos and mailing them at no additional cost to me. Obviously very good customer service!!!! I wasn’t really expecting anything, I was just letting them know what was going on!!!! I am so glad I upload all of my photos to them and I will continue to do so.

The first box I received today was from Baublebar. This is the first time I have ordered from them but I have heard a lot of good things about them by watching Marnie Goldberg youtube channel. I finally bit the bullet and placed an order. One of the pairs of earrings I ordered will not be shipped until August 25th but the other 4 arrived today. They have a section on their website that has 3 pairs of earrings for $48. Normally, that is more than I would spend but I have been eyeing a couple of pairs that were on there for a long time. The 3 pairs I selected are the Celestial Drops, Gabriela Stud Tassel earrings in Cerulean, and Pauline Hoop. I also ordered the Moonlight Druzy Drop earrings in blush. I must say, I am very happy with my selections. They will work perfectly with some of the outfits I am planning on wearing on our cruise.

The other box I received today was from Scrapbook.com. I routinely order various scrapbooking supplies from them and when I received an email saying they were having a sale on their adhesive, I knew I had to place another order. They definitely has the best prices for Xyron refills so I definitely loaded up, sort of. I ordered 6 of the Xyron “X” refill permanent cartridge and 6 of the repositionable cartridges. I have 3 of the “X” sticker makers so now I will have one that is dedicated for permanent cartridges and one for repositionable cartridges. I ordered 2 repositionable cartridges for my new Xyron 5″ Creative Station and 2 for my old Xyron 510 machine. Unfortunately I only received 1 for the 510 machine. I contacted Scrapbook.com and they responded very quickly and are sending me the missing item!!!!

Scrapbook.com also has their own line of adhesive products so I decided I would try some of their double-sided tape. I ordered 2 that are 1/8″ and 2 that are 1/4″. I also ordered some of their 6″ x 6″ double sided adhesive sheets. I cannot wait to play with these!!!! It is going to be so much fun!!!

The only thing left for me to do is to find a place to put everything!!!!