So, I had avocado not vodka chocolate pudding for breakfast this morning, it was delish I will definitely make that again... Super simple recipe: 1 ripe avocado, 1T cocoa powder, 1T maple syrup, 1/4c coconut water... Avocados are high enough in carbs though 14.8 according to Fitday... but well worth it... It felt like a real cheat but wasn't at all...i also had 2 eggs... this was at 9:30 am and it's 1:30pm and I'm just starting to get hungry... Will have a Greek salad and chicken, DD and I are going out to lunch and braving Walmart this afternoon...

If I exercise in the am before 10am I usually do it on an empty stomach... Heck last year I did a 10k race on an empty stomach and after drinking wine the night before I am a glutton for punishment!

Well off I go for a late lunch cyas later!!

I too shall decline on the challenge, but good luck to all participants!

Does anyone here like sardines? I can't say I've ever tried them, but I bought a tin on Friday. I'm wondering what to expect... besides a small fish

Hi Fressca! I eat sardines all the time, at least a couple of times a week. I am fussy about the ones I get, though. I like the tiny whole ones, the bones have good calcium in them. The bigger "skinned" ones freak me out a little bit, I have to mash them up in mayo or something because I can't stand to look at them, LOL.

Sardines are good "fatty" fish, rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, and aren't overfished like tuna or salmon. Plus since they're low on the food chain, they aren't contaminated like some of the bigger predators.

The brand I get is "King Oscar" and it says "Finest Brisling" on it also. I get the 2-layers in olive oil (so I know they're small) and also like the Mediterranean which have a few black olives in it and a little spice.

People are writing a lot about the goodness of sardines on their blogs, here is a recent post by someone I read occasionally. Make sure and read the comments as there are recipes and "sardine newbies" with advice: Link about sardines.

Hi Ilene! Avocados are great ... and have very low NET carbs. My CalorieKing says one has 14.9 carbs, but 11.8 grams of it are FIBER, so only 2.1 net carbs for a WHOLE California avocado.

If you like sardines in oil, you might also like sardines in other sauces. In the asian groceries I buy sardines and mackerel in curry sauces, tomato sauce, chili sauce.... There are dozens of varieties in our local asian groceries (compared to the three or four found in most grocery stores).

Smiling Fish is my favorite brand. It comes from thailand and it is in a tomato-paste sized can (the fish are placed vertically rather than horizontally). They're good cold or heated in the microwave.

You have to read the labels, because some sauces are higher in carbs than others.

I like sardines as well, I'm starting to get pickier about which ones I buy. I bought some Herring the other week and could barely get them down but my 9m old daughter could've eaten the whole can, she has a strong stomach!

BibBob: Hope you get to feeling better, that sore throat has been going around my area for a month or so! I always do Apple Cider Vinegar (1 tsp) and honey (1 tsp) mixed together for relief of an itchy throat and it feels so good!

Jill: That's awesome your husband is taking notice of those things too, it really makes a difference when you have someone in your corner that also wants to make healthy changes. I completely understand you going to the Kashi bars and Subway, its hard when we have always made those choices. But in the grand scheme of things, you could've made worse decisions. Sounds like you're doing great today.

Today I am closing out the day with 38g carbs (I don't separate out fiber, I always include it in the total amount)

B: egg whites(3g),sausage,espresso w/milk (13g)
S: coconut milk(4g),protein powder(3g)
S: avocado(15g)

I had planned to keep it lower but the avocado was so ripe and looked yummy! so I ate it!!! I had a busy day buying plants, planting, digging up old plants and moving them, separating plants....tonight I'll be finishing up our fire pit when my husband gets home from work. No more food though, just water!

Hi everyone ... yesterday I made my goal of 30 grams net carbs (I DO subtract fiber). It was close though --

33.6 grams of carbs - 5.4 grams of fiber = 27.48 net grams

I totally forgot I was going to an art opening, and ended up having a glass of red wine which I had to include in my carb count.

I did manage to avoid the other yummies there, however. You won't believe this, but the art opening has a "chocolate" theme, and they had every kind of chocolate thing you can imagine from candy to brownies to fudge to strawberries dipped in chocolate. They all looked fabulous, but I just walked right by them. Eating any kind of sweet is not worth it for me, I just pretend they do not exist for me.

Today so far I have had this fabulous roast leg of lamb and some broccoli rabe roasted and sauteed in olive oil and garlic. Only 2 grams of net carbs so far.

Yep. I'm in "little" debate about this. The debate is about cheating or not cheating. I used to smoke and as far as I am concerned eating a brownie is as dangerous as smoking a cigarette. Not that one of either is going to kill me. Just that one of either could send my right back to the addiction. I do think there are some primal ways to having something "a little" sweet, like the coconut milk and strawberries I had, but a brownie, a piece of pie, chocolate chip cookies? Oy... I better stay clear. If I cheat, it will be with pizza, or a burger on toasted sourdough bun, but not cheesecake. That stuff is heroin to me.

Oh, I am not uber competitive and trying to win this little challenge, but I am practically zero carb this weekend, and I sure didn't plan it. At the party I picked the toppings off a slice of pizza, had 3 bbqd beef patties, 6 leaves of lettuce, and three scoops of homemade salsa. Other than that I have a strip of bacon, five eggs and two more scoops of the salsa. I probably had my highest calorie but lowest carb day yesterday. I will eat more tonight and have nothing particular planned.

I am waking up feeling sick but it seems to go away in about an hour. Strange.

The more I read, the more I believe that there is *for me* an almost physical addiction component to eating sweets, particularly baked or sweetened goods. I think the following article is one of the best explanations I have seen: Link to article.

I find it just easier to avoid eating sweet foods altogether. Even the artificially sweetened low-carb bars ... I just can't stop at one. For example, one time I bought one of those little 6- or 8-pack cups of no-sugar puddings and I ate every one in one day. I accounted for them in my calorie counting, but that's not the point ... the point is that eating all of them in one day was an addictive behavior and that can't be good. I kept saying to myself, "I'll just have one more today" and before I knew it, they were all gone. I couldn't seem to stop myself. I believe the more you repeat such behaviors, the more they become embedded in your brain somehow.

I do not like to engage willpower when it comes to eating. After a year on plan, it has become habit to avoid sweets, but I would definitely have to call on willpower to stop at one piece of *whatever* and I think eating any sweet foods can be a slippery slope for me.

What do you think the chances are that Grok invented the deep fryer and gravy? ... oh never mind

... Susan ...

I didn't have the best weekend at all I don't even want to mention what I ate...

I want to go to dinner with Jill.

After the fries, we had ice cream and lots of it. TMI ... I've spent the whole morning so far running to the BR.
But there's a lesson involved here. I spent a lot of years with my innards feeling (gradually) just not right. It's been a gradual process for my innards to feel like ... well nothing. I don't think we're suppose to feel peristalsis and digestion I mean ... I'm a nurse so I know we have bowels sounds but, they're not supposed to drown out the TV.
The upshot is ... I'd really rather not.

And so ... we begin another week. Four more shifts and I'm off the weekend!