Lazy low carbing doesn't work and my recipe for easy almond cocoa chia seed pudding for breakfast or a LCHF snack

I've been in a bit of a LCHF slump lately. Since I found out my husband had cancer right after Christmas until now, I've been a lazy low carber and gained back about 20 lbs. of the 100 lbs. I had lost since Oct. 2016. So, time to get with it, quit being lazy and get diligent. I'm logging again in MyFitnessPal, prepping on Sundays, and sticking to my 20 net carbs per day that I know to be successful.

One thing I've learned ... anyone who says "Oh, a little of this won't matter" is full of crap. It does matter. You have to be diligent to stay in ketosis and if you're not in ketosis you're not losing. "A little of this and a little of that" = NO KETOSIS.

So, today I prep. Tomorrow I lose ... that's how it works. I love the LCHF way of eating and I'm not going to let stress, laziness, the path of least resistance or anything else come between me and my goal. I'm worth it, my health matters and I already know I can do it ... so let's get with it!

Here are the ingredients for almond cocoa chia seed pudding.

And by the way, my husband's cancer is gone since he had surgery in January and his prognosis is good and he doesn't have to take chemo!

I'm going to share recipes I've been working on today to get me through the week successfully. I have found that preparation is the key to my success.

(Recipe adapted from Eating Bird Food)

ALMOND COCOA CHIA SEED PUDDING
6 tbsp. chia seeds
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp liquid stevia

6 tbsp chia seeds

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or mason jar, stir (or shake) and put in the frig to set up overnight or for at least 2 hours. After it sits for about 30 minutes, go back and stir again to get rid of clumps.

This is a quick and easy breakfast or snack with only about 2 net carbs per serving and the recipe makes about two servings, although I make it stretch further than that by eating smaller servings.

I used a whisk to mix it all up.

Low Carb Beef Tips with Mushroom Gravy hit the spot and still only 6 net carbs!

I was craving a creamy beef tips with mushroom gravy recently, so I made it low carb high fat and it was delicious. I used sirloin tip steak, which I marinated overnight in soy sauce and seasonings. I cut it into small pieces and fried in olive oil, removed from pan, sauteed a little onion, minced garlic and a box of baby portobella mushrooms. Removed all that from the pan, used the drippings and mixed with a cup of beef broth and a quarter cup of heavy whipping cream and a little xanthan gum for thickening. Stirred 'til slightly thickened, then added everything back in the pan, covered and cooked for about another 15 minutes until it was tender and delicious. Served over a small helping of Hanover mashed cauliflower. Total 6 net carbs for the meal.

The finished product, served over Hanover mashed cauliflower.

These mushrooms made it so good.

The ingredients.

Sizzling beef tips.

I used xanthan gum for thickening. Zero carbs!

New way of living ... the LCHF - Keto life

Well, from the looks of my blog you can see I haven't worked very hard on my weight loss goals in the last few years. I have actually deleted my past posts because they don't remotely mirror my current way of life. Stress, work, you name it ... lots of excuses. But thankfully I'm on the right path now ... on Oct. 3 I started the Low Carb High Fat way of eating and I'm never turning back.

I lost a lot of weight on Atkins before ... 80+ pounds. But alas, I gained it all back and more. I didn't stick with the way of eating. I didn't really have the support that I have now ... I found an awesome group on Facebook that is super motivating. And, I'm in it for the long haul. Here is the link to the group for anyone that wants to join a group of awesome people who are there to support and uplift you: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lowcarbchallenge/

This way of eating is awesome. There is a way to make any food fit your way of eating. Pinterest is a treasure trove of ideas for LCHF and Keto. I've been saving recipes on my Pinterest account here. I'll be sharing my journey and tracking my progress here, where I started, stopped, started, stopped.

This is my new life ... the one where I will accomplish my goal and finally see it through. I hope you'll join me.

PRIOR TO OCT. 3, 2016

JAN. 21, 2017... 37# DOWN

Most current - down 90#.