Living the Keto-ish Lifestyle

Hey you guys! What’s going on? I’m back with another health update. So, recently I’ve been doing some research on the Keto Diet and I decided I would give it a try. Prior to the creation of this post I have been loosely following the Keto regimen for about 2-3 weeks now. I love it so far!

Since being diagnosed with several food allergies it has been very difficult to find foods that are both healthy for me and that I enjoy eating. Before I found out about the Keto Diet I felt like I was no longer eating for the enjoyment of food, I was just eating to survive. I fell into a depression over this and packed on even more weight, putting me at my heaviest of 400LBS.

It feels so strange to admit my weight out loud. I decided about a week ago, that I was no longer going to be a prisoner of my poor eating habits, among other things and take back my life. At first, when I was told about the Keto Diet I thought it was a silly fad diet. After several google searches and countless YouTube videos later, I realized that the Keto Diet was in fact, a real lifestyle change more so than just a diet.

If you aren’t familiar with the Keto Diet it dates back to the 1920’s when doctors began to use it as a means to control epileptic seizures in patients. It has become popular again in recent years for its fast weight loss results and it has been claimed to improve mood, focus, etc. Like I said, I have loosely been trying the Keto Diet but I am now ready to fully commit. Today, I took the biggest first step I’ve ever taken in regard to my health; I made a grocery list. The simplicity in this step is that never before had I EVER done this, every store trip entailed me just grabbing the cheapest, quickest food options. I have never successfully planned meals and stuck to them. The second step, I made a food menu for ONE WEEK. Easy, simple recipes that I could eat during the week. I didn’t pick anything extravagant or fancy. I wanted to keep it simple, easy, and fun.

I have already decided that payday Friday’s are my grocery store days and it is on that day that I go to the grocery and pick up everything I need for the upcoming week and make my weekly menu. I sat down this morning and I made both my menu and my grocery list and I cannot wait to go to the store!

I have attached a copy of both my grocery list and my week one menu. Each week or so, I’ll try to post an updated list or a menu along with progress pictures (maybe). Part of this process for me is to take small steps. My first step, on the journey, is to become comfortable with these new eating habits.

Week One Menu:

Week One Grocery List:

My second step, is to begin to incorporate some kind of workout regimen or physical activity period. Like I said, the Keto Diet is more of a lifestyle change rather than a diet. I got a membership at a local gym in my town and I have purchased some workout videos so I have something to do at home and maintain being active.

Tomorrow is the FIRST of many (hopefully) grocery days and I’m so excited and can’t wait to show you guys what I got! So stay tuned!

Life Update #1

Hey y’all! It’s your friendly neighborhood friend: ME! I’m back, yes again. I know, I can’t stick to a set schedule and it sucks. But I’m gonna try really hard this time to put more focus on my blog and working on myself. I have a LOT of different things planned not only for the blog but how I’m gonna spend my summer. One more thing to note: IT’S SUMMER!! So say hello to sun, sand, and rain. Yep, it’s has rained so much in Kentucky!

So, while we’re chatting let me fill you in on some things that have been going on starting from January:

In January, I quit my dream job of being a preschool teacher due to health concerns and bad business practices. Also during this time I was recovering from a terrible cold and made the snap judgment to return my fast food job from high school (I know I know 🙄) that was a fail! January wasn’t too kind to me and I found myself asking why me? I thought things couldn’t possible get worse.

In February, my long time boyfriend came to visit my old Kentucky home and it honestly warmed my heart. It felt amazing to spend time with someone when I was going through so much work wise. During this month I also struggled with the decision to return to college for my bachelors. It’s a decision I STILL struggle with and I honestly don’t know what I wanna do even as I write this.

In March, things started to look up! I started my own nanny business and I currently have one family as a client! I’m so excited to work hard and grow my business. It’s been tough, especially when dealing with my local state department and following up on various paperwork and whatnot.

In April, I was flustered and drained. I hadn’t quiet figured out this school situation and I had to quickly look for a second job to maintain my lifestyle and business. April was the month I was really doubting myself and I wanted to give up.

In May, I got another visit for my honey and we made it official: WE’RE MOVING IN TOGETHER! I can’t wait to start this journey with him and I was elated when he told me his plans! May was a whirlwind of events, I started my second job working retail and it’s honestly an eye-opener.

Well, that’s all for now, let’s hope the rest of the summers months are as good to me as well.

Wanna share your life update(s)? Go-ahead in the comments!

Living with Food Allergies

Hello and welcome back! Today I’m gonna talk about my food allergies and how I found out about them. I hope that this post helps anyone out there that may have the same or similar allergies that I have.

To start, about a year and a half ago I went to the doctor for a yearly checkup. I had always been curious about allergy tests were done. I heard various things about how testing was done from: they draw your blood, they prick you in the back with various substances and see how your body reacts, etc. I decided to ask my doctor if she would give me an allergen test. I was excited, I was scared, I was on pins and needles to say the least. I had no idea what to expect. The day finally comes for my allergy test. I had prepared myself for the worst. Multiple pricks in the back or whatever crazy tactic they were going to use. I was informed that, all they needed was to draw some blood and that I’d soon be on my way. I was shocked! This whole time, I had stressed and freaked out and all it came down to was ONE needle prick and a couple of vials of blood.

A couple of weeks go by and I get the phone call that changed my life! I remember being sad and upset because, I had never gone through something like this before. I suddenly had to make B I G changes and I didn’t know where to start or who to turn to. I felt like a fish out of water after I got off the phone with the nurse. So many past ailments made sense now. It’s a miracle I’m still alive at this point.

I’m gonna list my allergies in order from most severe to *I think* the least severe: Sesame seeds, corn, clams, codfish, shrimp, egg white, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, walnuts, scallops.

After doing some research on my own and meeting with a nutritionist we had come up with a meal plan of sorts that I initially tried to stick to but, I was having a hard time letting go of certain things. Corn and bread, for example, were two of the hardest things to let go of. Bread is an essential part of life and now I have to cut it out?! Lord help! I continued to research substitutions that were available to me in my area and began to experiment, seeing what I liked and what I didn’t.

Fast forward to today, I’m currently on my second keto journey and while I still struggle with managing my food allergies; I’m doing WAY better than I was two years ago. It’s an uphill battle and everyday is different but it gets easier as time goes on.

In addition to having to change my way of eating, I had to change my view on food and how it’s made. One thing I really try to practice is reading the ingredients labels. As someone who has multiple food allergies, it’s super important to read and research all ingredients listed so that way I can easily identify anything that could trigger an allergic reaction.

Is it tough? Yes. Do I get annoyed and want to just give up? Of. Course. But, this is something that will affect me for the rest of my life. On top of coming to the realization that I have food allergies and that they probably won’t ever go away, I have to learn how to take care of myself the best way I know how.

In addition to reading labels and finding substitutions, researching on the internet, reaching out to various people in the medical field I have begun to surround myself with those who are going through the same thing I’m going through. That way, I don’t feel alone in this journey or like I have no one to turn to. I strongly recommend finding your village. That has made this SO much easier, to have that secondary source or that extra support system.

As time goes on and I find more tips and ways to handle my food allergies I hope to inspire and uplift those who are where I was this time two years ago.

Let me know in the comments what food allergies, if any, you suffer from and how you manage it.

Living the Keto life – Week Three

Hey everybody! Here we are at the end of week three! I must admit I’m SO proud of myself. I’ve been on my Keto journey for about 40 days now and I’ve lost a whopping 15 pounds! Crazy right?! Everyone is constantly asking me, “what are you doing?” The response is simple; the Keto diet. So to backtrack a bit if you’re just now joining my journey, I started my Keto lifestyle change on February 3, 2019. Since that day, I had loosely followed the Keto diet as I had done research and began to learn more about it. Two weeks ago, I decided to commit to this lifestyle change 100 percent. Since then I have no regrets!

As always, here’s my weekly menu and shopping list:

Here’s a picture of my grocery haul for week three:

As the weeks go by, it’s becoming easier for me to plan my meals. When I first started, I was slightly over whelmed as I had given myself too many food options. With practice you get better, let me tell you that. This weeks meals were to be quick and easy, they also were to be a guide as to how I could balance hot/cold lunches and dinners. Typically during the week, I make lunch my heaviest meal of the day. This way, I’m able to burn it off easily and have more energy to get through my day. One thing I have struggled with between this week and last week is snacking. I’ve noticed several times after lunch, I was still a little bit hungry. So, I make the mistake of just grabbing whatever is around me and chowing down. Please don’t do this. While, it didn’t throw me off balance too bad, it did leaving me feeling guilty and I didn’t like that.

Towards the end of this week I had my first Keto restaurant experience! I went out after work with some friends to my local Tumbleweed bar and grill. I was nervous to say the least; I have a rule whenever I dine out that I will not order anything that can be easily and quickly made at home in my own kitchen. Looking over the menu sharing laughs and funny stories I settled on a classic steak, loaded baked potato with extra butter and sour cream, and grilled vegetables. It was delicious! I’ll include a picture down below:

In addition to my meal, I had one alcoholic drink.

Here’s a snapshot of what I ate this week to give you guys an idea of my eating patterns. My breakfast meals usually always consist of eggs, cheese, and some kind of meat and/or fruit. My lunches consist of meat, veggies, and/or a fruit as well. My dinners however are lighter and may contain more vegetables, meat than fruit.

Well you guys, that’s it for my week three update! I’m constantly adding new recipes and whatnot to my stockpile and would love to hear what you guys like or have tried.

Have a recipe you want me to try? Leave a comment down below!

Living the Keto life – Week Two

Here we are guys! Week two! I’m not gonna lie, this week has been rough. At the beginning of this week I slacked on my eating and indulged myself in bread and other non-Keto friendly, allergy foods. The results? I got sick! Well, not deathly ill but, enough to make me think long and hard about taking a chance and eating a Reese’s cup or a sandwich with bread. If you’re just now finding my blog, I recently discovered I was allergic to both wheat AND peanuts. I have a post coming about living with various food allergies so stay tuned for that!

This week was all about simplicity for me. I wanted to make a meal(s) that were both filling and comforting. I wanted to change my thinking from”we’re on a diet” to “we’re eating healthy”. This week I had two mini shopping days. We’ll refer to these as day one and two. Day one, I picked up my essentials I needed for my long-awaited Keto chili! Day two, I picked up some other Keto friendly products I wanted to try. I’ll insert photos as well as list what I bought each day.

Shopping list and menu:

So for day one I bought everything needed for my chili. I got my recipe from https://pin.it/df34y5h5jtiaub. Check them out! This recipe was the bomb! The only thing I tweaked in this recipe was I added ground fat-free turkey meat instead of sausage. Aside from my chili materials I stocked up on some more cheese sticks and deli meat, I grabbed some coconut flour and cream cheese to experiment with (I’ll post that later today).

So for day two, I was able to go to Walmart which I think will be my Keto-meca ! I saw a TON of Keto friendly products I wanted to try I just didn’t have enough hands. 😩

During this trip I picked up some organic ground flaxseed, to add more fiber back into my diet. Monk fruit in the raw, to try that out in various recipes. I must admit I was sad to see there were no bigger bags of stevia, which is what I’ve been using lately. Dole berries and kale smoothie mix to up my veggie intake and help replace some nutrition I could be losing. Lastly, I grabbed some sunflower butter and celery. As I mentioned above, I have a peanut allergy and I struggled with finding a substitute for peanut butter or any nut based butter product since I am also allergic to a multitude of nuts.

I’ve noticed this week specifically, I’ve struggled with bread and sweets. I’m not sure what to do in the way of fulfilling those wants without binging or abandoning my diet. I’ll keep you posted on what I find out.

As always, I’ll include pictures of what I ate this week. Keep in mind, I typically have the same thing for all meals everyday with the exception of how many eggs I consume, what I run out of, etc. Just an FYI, if you ever wonder why I only post a certain amount of photos each week.

Keto Fathead Crackers with Coconut Flour

Hey guys! Since deciding to try the Keto lifestyle and finding out I’m allergic to wheat, I’ve had to make a lot of changes to my diet. Some of these changes were easier to accept than others. One change I had to make was finding a cracker option that did not contain wheat. This task, was easier said than done.

I did my research and scoured Pinterest for the best recipe to make your own Keto friendly / gluten free crackers.

Here’s the link to the recipe:

https://www.wholesomeyum.com/keto-fathead-crackers-recipe/

This recipe calls for three basic ingredients: some coconut flour, two eggs, and some shredded mozzarella cheese. Sounds easy right?

Well, I had some trouble while creating these crackers and I’m sure it’s due to being a beginner and instead of using a food processor I used my knock off ninja bullet blender. I made these crackers to go with my Keto chili and WITH the chili, they were amazing! By themselves? Not so much. Lol

This is what my crackers looked like both before I put them in the oven and after.

Before:

After:

Overall, it wasn’t a bad recipe I just need more practice to get better at baking breads and things while on my Keto journey.

Lastly, I’ll include a picture of my crackers with my chili. Like I said, when I ate the chili combined with the crackers it tasted great! It was the perfect combination of salty from the cheese, the sweetness of the coconut flour, and the robustness of the chili.

Have any Keto recipes you want me to try? Leave a comment down below!

Living the Keto life: Week One

Hey you guys! I’m back with an update as I end my first week of living Keto-ish. Remember in my last post where I said I was loosely trying the Keto lifestyle? Well, I’m all in! I’m one day shy of completing my FIRST 28 day challenge and I’ve already lost 11.4 pounds! I can’t believe it! During this time, I learned a lot about myself and the life I want to lead. I’m not gonna lie, when I started this challenge I had my doubts. It’s gonna be too hard, I’m gonna be starving myself, I don’t have enough money to buy groceries, blah blah blah. I sat down one night while at work and I decided I was gonna budget my money correctly, meal prep appropriately, and I wasn’t gonna deny myself of any food cravings I may have.

With that being said; here’s my first update of how this week went. Did I stumble? Yes, did I have wanna give up and go back to what I knew? Hell yes. But I didn’t and won’t give up. I made a goal to lose weight and become healthier and I’m gonna stick to it so help me.

Before I started to become more organized with this journey I just researched and picked healthy food options on the fly. I tracked them in MyFitnessPal which is a lifesaver! While at home one night, I thought to myself, why just eat on the fly? Why not pick meals that you like and that’ll be healthy for you? Just like that, an idea was born. Each week I design a weekly menu for myself including the grocery list. I follow this menu and make changes as I see fit and the best part? I’m not depriving myself of foods that I love!

Week one’s menu was a mess I admit, I gave myself too many options. I started off too big, I wasn’t thinking “healthy” I was thinking “don’t be hungry”. So back to the drawing board I went to see what I could do to make this menu planning less scary. What I came up with worked wonders this week and I’m glad I made revisions until I was comfortable with it.

This menu was MUCH easier to stick with, I didn’t feel intimidated by all the food options. I knew how my day would go eating wise and I was okay with that. Now that I had a menu I was comfortable with, it’s time to look at this grocery list I came up with.

Granted, even though I fixed my menu I STILL put way too much on my grocery list. I sat down, one more time, and circled what was IMPORTANT. Then that’s what I bought off this list. When I got home from the store I was elated, for about $50 I bought groceries for my first week (and a tad bit into the second week)! Check out my grocery haul picture down below!

Now that I had the food portion down, I needed to figure out what I was going to be drinking during this journey.

Y’all get the hint? WATER. WATER. WATER. and more WATER.

If you don’t like water, try fruit infused water. It’s Keto friendly, tastes great, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. As a tip, while doing the Keto Diet you can drink diet drinks but let’s be real, diet drinks have twice the amount sugar and nonsense that regular drinks have so you’d be better off just having an occasional regular soda every once in a while.

To wrap this up, I’ll include some pictures of what I ate this week. I hope you enjoyed this post and I can’t wait to come back next week!

Wanna join me on this journey? Leave a comment down below and I’ll try to include recipe links and nutritional facts!

-Lavender ❤️

Daily Skincare Routine

Hey lovelies! I’m back today with my daily skincare routine! Since we are in the winter months I like to try new facial products and incorporate new things into my daily skincare routine from time to time.

This month, I have been LOVING the E.L.F. Daily Hydration Moisturizer. I received this moisturizer as a birthday gift and I’ve been blown away by it ever since! I have sensitive skin so I have to be very careful about the products I apply to my skin and watch my diet. The moisturizer has a light scent, which is nice since some moisturizers have a rather strong chemical scent or are overly filled with a floral scent. This is also very light on the skin, it doesn’t weigh my skin down and I’m able to wear it under my makeup without that heavy feeling. I’ve tried MANY, many different products and none have ever done my skin as well as this moisturizer and for that, I will use this until I find something better (I hope not). I picked this up at my local Walmart and it retailed for about $8.00.

My second skincare product that I have been using here lately is the Global Beauty Care facial cleansing power brush. I picked this up at my local dollar general and I’ll be honest, I had my doubts. But when I tell you guys this facial brush does an amazing job at exfoliating my skin and keeping my pores clean. Wow! This power brush retailed for $5.00 and I wish I would have bought more than one.

My final product to pull this golden trio together is the dollar general brand Invigorating Morning facial cleanser. I must admit, when it comes to my skincare I don’t like to half-step anything. If I’m gonna try a product I want it to be the best, most effective product in the market. I’ve had some not so *pleasant* experiences with using the off-brand version of a certain product but I have faith in this face wash and it has not disappointed me yet! This product retails for about $3-4.00.

Now that I’ve told you about the products I use, I’m gonna tell you a little bit about my morning facial routine. Whenever I wake up, I like to first wash my face gently with a wash rag that has been wet with warm water.

Then I like to re-wet my face and then apply some cleanser to my brush and I go in small circles around my entire face, being careful not to get it into my eyes.

Then I rinse my face and pat it dry with a clean facial towel. I wait about a minute or two then I apply 2-3 pumps of moisturizer to my face making sure to get my neck.

After this step, I go ahead and either do my daily makeup (updated post on that) or I just fill my brows in and get dressed.

That’s all I have for now, if you know of any other moisturizers you’d like to recommend or have me try leave a comment down below! Love you guys!

Week Three Update

It’s time for my week three update! This week, and for the rest of the challenge I will be tackling each task one day at a time. My anxiety has gotten the best of me and I’ve become overwhelmed with this whole thing. So I had to take a couple of days off and reevaluate myself and figure out what went wrong.

To be successful this week I went out and purchased some packs of water. I realize this isn’t good for the planet but, I wasn’t drinking very much water considering I don’t like the taste of tap water and was spending way too much money on individual bottles of water on a daily basis. So far, I’ve drank about three to four bottles of water in a span of two days.

I also went out and bought a pair of shoes that are specifically for working out or being active in general. There’s nothing fancy or special about these shoes I got them from my local Walmart they cost me about $5.00. Some time in the near future, I’ll be a more expensive pair but for right now these are all I need.

One thing I’ve left out of this challenge is self-care. I’ve been so focused on hitting my goals that I haven’t ever stepped back and reflected on how I felt and if I was okay emotionally. I’ve also added some self-care days to the rest of my challenge and I’ll include them in their own post outside of the challenge posts.

Well you guys, that’s all I have today stay turned for next weeks post which will be posted on SUNDAYS until we reach the end of our challenge !

Week Two & Three Update

Hey you guys!

Alright, I’m gonna level with you; I’ve dropped the ball quite a bit during this challenge. The only goal I’ve really been sticking to is drinking more water, while that’s still something to be proud of, I can’t help but beat myself up a tad for not sticking to goal #2 (being active at least 3 times a week). I can say that my current work schedule has made things incredibly difficult so I’m not being too hard on myself.

With a new week comes a new chance and I’m ready to crush this challenge with everything in me. I went out and bought a pair of gym shoes (score!) I figure if I’m gonna commit and go do anything that’s being active I need some good shoes. Also from these two weeks combined my eating habits have improved a little. I’m still struggling with not eating large meals after 8:00 PM but I have become accustomed to not snacking throughout the day.

This update is short, only because this wasn’t a very eventful week. I’ll see you guys next time for week 3 update!

Week One Update

Here we are y’all! Week One is in the books! I can already tell this is gonna be the HARDEST thing I’ve ever done! Each weekly update will be different, some might be longer than others and some might just be a quick post on my blog Facebook page (look is up girl!).

Over this past week, I’ve felt sick and I’ve lost motivation (I know y’all). I changed my goals from three to just two which were to drink more water and be active three times a week.

I did really well the first day or two being active, using my Nike workout app. I’ve given up soda which isn’t that bad; I actually don’t miss it. Day two and three I started to get sick be it from the fact that I was doing new things like cardio or my body’s weird way of adjusting.

By day four, I was still sore from y workout but I still pushed to do SOME form of workout or be active. Day five (today) has been good so far, I’ve been consuming tons of water! But I have to be careful with how much I consume so that I don’t become bloated.

Well, that’s all I have for this weeks update! Stay tuned as we kick off Week Two!