First Time Mom and Losing It

The Egg Fast is mostly used when you are on a ketogenic or low carb, high fat diet and have a weight stall of more than two weeks. The Egg Fast formula is where you eat 1 tblsp of fat for each egg you eat. You are also allowed up to 6 ounces of cheese per day. That's it, eggs, fat and cheese for up to seven days. Some people do a 3-day, a 5-day or a 7-day like I did.


Although I technically never stalled since starting on August 31st I wanted to do the egg fast because my pounds lost per month had slowed down significantly. I was getting discouraged and even had a cheat weekend right before starting the fast. I gained 4.9 pounds over the cheat days so the 10 pounds lost was also my body getting rid of what I gained. I might have lost less than 10 pounds during the egg fast if I had not gained the weight.


There was no way I would be able to eat just straight up eggs and butter for seven days so I followed Egg Fast Meal Plan from the I Breathe I'm Hungry blog. I can't not believe how many delicious and creative recipes she thought up with just eggs, cheese and fat. I ate exactly what was on the menu plan and made sure to measure everything. There were times that I wasn't hungry but I still ate what I was supposed to eat. I didn't drink any diet soda, seltzer water or have any artificial sweeteners. I also made it a point to drink 112 ounces of water every day and took a magnesium citrate at night. Every morning I had coffee with 1 tblsp of MCT oil and 1 tblsp of Kerrygold butter.


I didn't exercise during the 7- Day fast because I wanted to see how much I could lose with just eating what was on the plan. I was so shocked and happy when I saw that I was 10 pounds down because that is result I hoped for. I definitely recommend the Egg Fast for a stall or a jumpstart to weight loss if you are already fat-adapted and have been doing a low carb high fat (keto) diet for at least a few months. I think if you are just starting on a low carb journey it might be a little hard to complete.

When I first began my keto journey I was eating lots of eggs, cheese and bacon for breakfast. I was getting tired of eating the same thing so I started researching recipes for something bready I could have as a breakfast sandwich. I found these yummy almond flour mug cakes that I was eating for a while. It was kind of dry so then I started using my oopsie rolls for the "bread" of my sandwich. I wanted something denser so I looked for a biscuit type recipe.


I am a huge fan of the Cooking Keto with Kristie YouTube channel so I had to try her Low Carb Biscuits. The first time I made them they were a hit with my husband and I. I love how easy they are to make and that I could make a batch of twelve at one time.

The recipe is so simple and if you have read my Keto Pantry post you should already be familiar with the ingredients. First you have to take 10 egg whites and froth them up in a big bowl with a hand mixer. I was using a whole container of egg whites to make it easier on myself. Then my local Aldi's never had the carton so I was just separating 10 egg and saving the yolks for a later time.


To make my batter extra smooth I take all of the dry ingredients and put them through a sifter. What ever stays in the sifter I put in my ninja and pulverize it until it is fine. I add that to the rest of the dry ingredients and then mix it into the eggs with the hand mixer. Next to go in is the melted butter and then I fold in the mozzarella cheese.

Evenly divide the batter into a silicone muffin pan and bake for 12 minutes. The biscuits come out golden, dense and crumbly like a biscuit. I love to slice them in half spread on some butter and use them to dip into my sunny side up eggs.

Breakfast: I don't have an appetite in the morning so I will usually just have some bulletproof coffee. When I go out it's iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. Lately I have been visiting my local Starbucks and having an unsweetened iced coffee with some sugar-free vanilla syrup and sugar-free caramel syrup. I have it with heavy whipping cream so it keeps me full until 2pm-4pm where I will usually have some lunch.  I like to go out for walks with my daughter early in the morning to beat the after school crowd. The Starbucks is super convenient for me to go to since it is on the way to the park.


Lunch: I have been having breakfast for lunch lately. I take the premium pork breakfast sausage roll from Aldi and split it into two ounce servings. I put each serving in a small plastic baggie and freeze them until I am ready to use them. At night I will take one of the packets from the freezer and put it in the fridge to eat the next day. For my breakfast-lunch I had a serving of sausage and pan fried it. I cooked an egg in the grease left over from the sausage. I also had a low carb biscuit on the side to dip into my egg that I added some reduced sugar ketchup to.


Dinner: One of my favorite things to eat out is from a Puerto Rican restaurant and it's Pernil (pork shoulder) and aguacate (avocado). My husband got me a large order so I ate half of it yesterday and the other half today. I decided to make some cauliflower tortillas to go with it and have it with the leftover avocado, salsa verde and sour cream. The tortillas were ok but at 4g of carb per tortilla it was a bit high for me for that size.


Snacks: I just had a couple of squares of coconut flavored Lily's chocolate bar. It tastes just like a Mounds chocolate bar. I ate a quarter of the bar and it was so satisfying.

*I received the products below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


Being a part of the low carb community Sukrin Products kept coming up in all of the talks. I had never heard of the brand before so I went to their site to see what they had. I was so pleased to see all of the low carb and natural sweeteners they had in stock.


I love that they have different sweeteners for different tastes. The Sukrin: 1 is erythritol mixed with a little bit of stevia. It measures one to one with regular sugar so it's easy to replace it in any recipe or even in your morning coffee. I loved using the Sukrin: 1 in my chocolate mug cake for a sweet treat at the end of the day. I also used some of the Sukrin Melis (like powdered sugar) to make my mug cake look pretty and for an extra dusting of sweetness.

Everytime I see one of those viral recipes on Facebook I start thinking about ways to keto-ize it. When I saw the Sesame Wings from Tastemade I knew the Fiber Syrup Gold would be the perfect substitute for the honey in the recipe.



Keto Sesame Wings

• 10 chicken wings cut into wingettes and drumettes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tblsp. baking powder
• 2 tblsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. chopped garlic (1 clove garlic)
• 1 tblsp. Braggs Liquid Aminos (you can substitute soy sauce or coconut aminos)
• 3 tblsp. Sukrin Fiber Gold
• 1 tblsp Sukrin Gold
• 1 tblsp. sesame seeds

Step 1: Sprinkle the salt, pepper and baking powder on top of the chicken wings. Mix well. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven on 400 for 20 minutes. Turn the wings and bake for another 20 minutes.

Step 2: While the wings are baking mix the remaining ingredients (except for the sesame seeds) in a saucepan. Cook until it starts to boil and then lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes. Make sure to constantly stir so the bottom doesn't burn.

Step 3: Place sauce in a large bowl and top with the cooked wings. Carefully toss to fully coat the wings. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and toss to coat again.


I am having so much fun with the Sukrin products and have lots of ideas coming up with them. I will post them to social media when they are up. Surkin also offers Sugar Free chocolate, low carb bake mixes and nut flours. Right now Sukrin is offering free shipping on $75+ orders – and low flat-rate shipping on orders less than $75!

Breakfast: After a week of being sick and not being able to taste properly I had a craving for the taste pf Bullet Proof Coffee. Since I didn't have much of an appetite while being sick I just drank BPC for breakfast but was so sad that I couldn't taste it. Today I got to fully taste my BPC! It's cold brewed Starbucks house blend coffee with 1 tblsp of Kerrygold butter, 1 tblsp of heavy cream and 1 tblsp of MCT oil. I added some liquid stevia drops and a splash of DaVinci Hazelnut syrup. Not a huge fan of the hazelnut flavor but I am trying to finish it up. After everything is added to the coffee I use my little frother to mix all the oils in and create the foam on top.


Lunch: I drank my BPC at 12:30pm so I still wasn't hungry when 4:30pm came around. I decided to warm up some of the fresh turkey bone broth I made. I added some Himalayan Pink Salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Since the broth has lots of fat and collagen it really does keep me full until dinner time.


Dinner: I made some fresh bone broth over the weekend with turkey wings. I bought some turkey legs to go in with it but they didn't fit in my pressure cooker. I looked up recipes on pinterest and came up with this pin. All you have to do is season the legs, wrap them with foil and cook on low in the pressure cooker. It was so easy to do and the meat came out extremely tender and delicious. I shredded the meat from the bones and served it with cauliflower mash. I also felt like eating salad so I made a small one with mixed greens, cucumbers, caesar salad, olives and Cello Wisps for the crunch.


Snack: I made a pecan brittle with Sukrin Gold, butter and pecans. I also had an ounce of my new favorite cheese, Kerrygold Skellig.

Breakfast: I had four slices of uncured bacon that I buy at Aldi's supermarket. When I first started keto I used to buy regular bacon and right after eating it I wouldn't feel so good. I think it was too salty and the nitrates were giving me headaches. Since I discovered the uncured variety I am able to eat as much bacon as I like. With the bacon I had two fried eggs that I fried in some of the bacon grease and a low carb biscuit. These biscuits are made of mostly egg whites and almond flour. They are really fluffy and moist and kind of remind me of cornbread.


Lunch: My big breakfast kept me full all day long so I skipped lunch. At about 5pm I was getting a little hungry so I decided to have a cup of bone broth. I made a huge batch of bone broth in my pressure cooker the weekend before from mostly turkey bones and some chicken bones. I added a few stalks of celery, some bay leaves and Braggs apple cider vinegar to bring out the minerals in the bones. I put some in mason jars for cooking and then froze the rest in silicone muffin cups for drinking. I pop three in a big mug and heat up until hot. I then sprinkle on some Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and fresh cracked black pepper.


Dinner: We went food shopping after my husband got out of work so I didn't eat dinner until about 9PM. The broth kept me full until then so I wasn't hungry at all. I took four ounces of beef, formed into patties and sprinkled on some Goya Adobo seasoning. I put my cooked burgers on oopsie rolls with cheddar cheese, sandwich pickles and a squirt of reduced sugar Heinz ketchup.


What is your favorite way to eat a burger? 

Breakfast: My favorite thing in the world to eat for breakfast is a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. I keto-fied it by substituting the bread for oopsie rolls. My husband and I made a huge batch of oopsie rolls for the week while we were snowed in. I cooked two slices of uncured bacon until golden and crispy. Then I fried the egg in the bacon grease and melted half an ounce of sharp cheddar cheese on top. I put it all in between two oopsie rolls and squirted a little bit of reduced sugar ketchup on top. I had some cold brewed Starbucks coffee with some heavy cream, stevia drops and DaVinci amaretto syrup.


Lunch: I ate my breakfast a little after 12pm so I didn't get hungry for lunch until 3:30pm. One of the easiest things to eat for lunch is canned tuna with a good helping of mayo. I took a whole can of tuna and mixed it with 1 1/2 tablespoons of mayo. I will usually add finely diced celery and onion but didn't this time because I wanted to save my carbs. I cut a leftover cheese taco shell into chip sized pieces to eat with the tuna.


Dinner: I had my dinner at 7:30pm with is a little later than I usually do. I made these delicious pizza puffs with pepperoni. They taste like little mini pizza flavored quiches. I had a simple salad of romaine and shaved parmesan cheese and some caesar dressing to go along with the puffs.


Snacks: I had planned to eat a chocolate brownie mug cake with some whipped cream on top. By the time 9:30pm came around I was still super full from dinner. I try to make it a point to not eat after 9pm so I decided to drink the rest of my 64 ounces of water and call it a night.

**Thank you Atkins for sponsoring this post so that I can share how I easily stay on track.


I have been watching my carb intake for a while now and it has been one of the weight loss programs that has worked for me. Cutting down on sugar and white carbs has really helped cut down on headaches, feeling of hunger and giving me extra energy. I do eat some carbs but the carbs that I eat have to be whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

Though I always try to make an effort to plain ahead with what I will be eating for the week there are always things that pop up. I try to prep my meals for the week and have them in the fridge or freezer but when you have a very socially active toddler, last minute events and play dates come up and I have to have something quick on hand. This way I don't pick up or eat things I am not supposed to.


On the days that I have to leave early and don't have time for breakfast I have the Atkins French Vanilla Shakes on hand. I love the taste of the French Vanilla because it is  really creamy and flavorful. It is super easy to take one out of the fridge while it is super cold and drink away while I get ready to go out.


Before I go out I always make sure to throw in a couple of Atkins Bars into my purse. A lot of times there aren't low carb friendly places to eat so I like to have insurance in my purse on a snack that I can eat. I went to a conference months ago that only served bagels, pastries and orange juice so I was happy that I had already had a shake and had my snack bars waiting for me in my purse for lunch time.


When I am having all day events or we are stuck in major NYC traffic I get home so late that the last thing I want to do is cook in a hot kitchen. I always have a few Atkins Frozen Meals in the freezer for days like these. I just take it out of the box, and pop it in the microwave and in minutes I have a meal that is low carb, tasty and filling.

Enter the #AtkinsAllDay Instagram photo contest. One winner will be selected by an Atkins panel of judges to receive a year's worth of Atkins products. Judging will be based on creativity and overall look & feel of photo.


What does your #AtkinsAllDay look like?

I love creamy sauces like alfredo or carbonara but I don't like how heavy it is with regular pasta. When I have a thick and creamy sauce I like to use my favorite pasta substitute the zoodle. Since all of the ingredients to make the carbonara sauce is low carb I decided to make it with my zoodles. Carbonara is a creamy sauce made from eggs and cheese with the addition of bacon or pancetta.


It is one of my favorite "pasta" dishes because it is super easy to do. Since you don't have to boil the zoodles it is also quick and a one pan meal. All you have to do is cook some pancetta and then add your zoodles. Mix some eggs and cheese and drizzle into the zoodles and pancetta. It's amazing how creamy the combination of eggs and cheese make this dish.


Low Carb Zoodle alla Carbonara (printable recipe)

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 zucchini 
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• Freshly ground black pepper

After what seemed like an eternity staring at a blank page I started to type this post. It is not easy for me to recap a year of my weight loss journey because I feel like I have failed. I am no where near where I wanted to be at this time.

I started out doing really good and found lots of things that worked for me. The Dr. Oz Rapid Weight Loss Plan really did give me a great start and boost in confidence. I learned to eat fresher and eat less bad carbs. I enjoyed salads, roasted lean meats and healthy snacks like roasted chickpeas and kale chips. I bought things like chia seeds and flax seed meal and found creative ways to eat them. Most importantly I stopped being afraid of eating fats and incorporated healthy fats like olive oil and avocado into my diet.


It took me a couple of months to start exercising but I started going consistently to the gym and liking it. I started with just the treadmill and then ventured onto the elliptical and arc trainer. I found that I loved the elliptical most of all and even got up to 15 minutes on the arc trainer. My back stopped hurting and I was able to walk long distances.


I was doing well and lost 60 pounds! I had to give away lots of clothes that were too big for me and buy smaller sizes. I started feeling more confident and getting compliments on my weight loss. Things were going good and then the summer came. I became less strict on what I ate and started going out and doing fun summer things like the beach, parks and sprinklers instead of exercising. I kept on and on until I started gaining instead of losing. I took longer brakes off of the scale and kept telling myself I would start on Monday.


Then I discovered the Atkins diet and loved all the foods I could eat on it. I loved eating the cheeses and bacon but also learned how to eat some healthy carbs like brown rice, veggies and some fruits. I lost a bit of weight again and started doing exercise at home again.


Then the holidays came and I starting eating and snacking on everything that I used to eat before I went on my journey. I stopped exercising and started going to tons of holiday events and play dates.


Now I sit here writing about my year on this journey and only 30 pounds down. I know 30 pounds is some lost but for me it is so far from where I wanted to be. I still have a lot to go but I am happy that I am at a loss and not a gain. Years and years of starting weight loss journeys I would always be at a gain once January came along.

I have my planner filled and my exercise and meals planned! I want to be ready for 2015 and have a better year. I want to learn that if I do mess up I have to get right back on track. I want to learn how to have fun in the summer while still staying on track. I want to enjoy the holidays but only enjoy one day of it and not weeks.

On January of 2016 I am going to link back to this post and show how much better I did. I want to be at my goal weight and say "YES I DID IT!"