Tag: low carb diet

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6 Fat Loss Hacks That Helped Me Lose 50lbs and Maintain Health

I could talk all day about the mistakes I’ve made throughout my fitness journey. 

To name a few:

  • Feeling I had to earn food or use it as a reward
  • Yo-yo dieting & falling for fads, pills, & what Karen down the road was doing
  • Wearing restriction as a badge of honor then falling victim to self-loathing, disordered eating & exercise habits
  • Eating all the wrong foods for me physically and mentally causing paralyzing G.I. distress
  • Equating my worth with abs & a number displayed on a dirty box which sits on my bathroom floor

Losing weight doesn’t have to feel like a punishment, in fact that’s the one thing you must avoid. 

Think about it, if you hate what you’re eating and how you’re training, do you think you’re going to stick to it? 

— Heck no. 

Losing weight is simple, but it’s not EASY. Ultimately it comes down to being in an energy deficit. (Taking in less energy than you are expending) 

We over complicate the process. We set ourselves up for failure by chronically dieting, picking the wrong kinds of workouts, picking the wrong kinds of foods we cannot digest & absorb properly, we over stress, under eat, under educate ourselves, under execute, & over train. 

Don’t even get me started on the negative self talk & shxtty mindset syndrome.

30 years ago (I’m almost 39 now😬) my fitness journey began. I was 8 years old. My heaviest weight was 160 lbs on a 5’1 frame. 

Right now is actually the lowest weight (avg 107-110lbs) & best health I’ve ever been. And I’m eating at my true maintenance (calories around 2000-2200 daily). Maintenance is we all should be hanging out the majority of our lives.

I’ve made the same mistake as you have. We are all different as far as what foods & training work best for you.

Here are some examples of hacks that have helped me keep the weight off and I hope it helps you find the right tools for your toolbelt too!

1.) DETERMINE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

Are you an abstainer or a moderator?

Abstainer: cannot have just 1 cookie without then eating or wanting to eat the whole pan. Does better with food rules and a more “all or none approach.” More prone to binge eating.

Moderator: can have 1 cookie and be satisfied. Needs more flexibility.

Are you a food addict? Get real with yourself. I understand this stuff isn’t pretty.

What is your relationship with carbohydrates? Are they like drugs which trigger self sabotaging habits? How do they make you feel? Do you need them for your health & fitness goals for optimal health, performance, & recovery? What is your daily threshold that makes you feel your best?

2.) CHOOSE THE FOODS & TRAINING YOU LOVE AND HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH

For me, it’s animal based nutrition. Protein & healthy fats are the center of my meals. I do not have a good relationship with carbohydrates and have many emotional and physical trigger foods. I only consume carbohydrates when I need them for optimal health, performance, and recovery. I find eating carbohydrates makes me crave more carbohydrates & I’m not satiated as sticking with meat only.

I prefer CrossFit like training. I love the community, I love the variety, I love it combines strength and aerobic conditioning. It’s effective af & keeps me happy. Therefore it’s easy for me to stick to my routine. 

3.) EAT & TRAIN INTENTIONALLY & MINDFULLY

The food you eat literally makes you. Choose accordingly. Slow down when you eat, enjoy every bite, chew thoroughly, eat till you’re 80% full. Same with your training. Pick a goal and stick with it. Keep your commitments to yourself. Work hard & rest when you need to and be intentional about both! Motivation is fleeting, your integrity & character are forever.

4.) SET YOUR NONNEGOTIABLES & FLEXIBILITY

Especially important when it comes to social functions & family. Set step goals. Mine are between 13-15k on average. Maybe you allow yourself 2 cocktails on the weekends, maybe it’s one untracked meal with family, maybe it’s 2 refeed days on the weekends, maybe it’s more carbohydrates one day a week, maybe it’s dessert a couple times a week, maybe you do better being strict for a couple weeks & taking a week off, maybe you prefer to take your own food when you go out. Anything goes, you are your own boss, but OWN IT.

5.) GRATITUDE AND CELEBRATE EVERY WIN

Y’all gratitude is everything. You can’t hate yourself healthy and love yourself healthy at the same time. Which one would you rather choose? Take progress pictures, the scale isn’t the only indicator of success. Maybe you’re eating for better energy and better biofeedback. Maybe you’re trying to get stronger. The number on the scale does not dictate your worth or achievement.

6.) MANAGE YOUR MINDSET & OWN YOUR DAY

You should have a success routine nailed down. I talked about 8 things you should do every day that will change your life, yesterday. Check out that post and blog. If you continuously tell yourself you are a failure & always fxck up, guess what? That’s what you’ll attract & become. Talk to yourself like your best friend. What would you say, what advice would you give her or him? Be the person you want to embody. 

You can make moves or excuses. You either DO or your DON’T. 

— It’s your choice. 

My door is always open, feel free to comment and message! I look forward to chatting with all of you! 

Oxox Coach K

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CrossFit, Crohns, & Carnivore: How to Optimize Life as an Athlete

Tips to optimize a low carb lifestyle as an athlete/avid exerciser with special digestive needs:

▫️For my carnivore low carb’ers:

1.) Just get adapted-eat meat, find the low carb sources you love, cut the junk, find what eat windows that work for your schedule, track to make sure you’re eating enough food.⁣

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2.) Focus on healing any gi issues & give it time. Be patient & consistent. You don’t feel good all the time, as with any diet it takes time to find your groove. Most hit a slump around 2 weeks. Reduce the intensity & volume of your workouts (especially my crossfitters & Orange Theory enthusiasts)

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3.) Thrive & THEN play around with fat loss or muscle gain goals. You’ll be more self aware & educated once your reach this point.⁣

Not until someone is adapted & healed do I recommend any kind of playing around with fat loss cuts.⁣

For some it may take 3-6 months or it can take years depending on what kind of healing (gut, hormonal, metabolic etc) you have to do.⁣


▫️For someone who is just learning how to best manage IBD – I wanted to share my learning tools as an athlete. Do not give up who you are because of IBD – you will need to adjust & pay attention to your body, but you can continue to do what you love as well! There will be good days & bad days. Some days you may need to modify workouts, movements, intensity & volume. 

SLEEP & HYDRATION

I drink water with electrolytes from @goultima Sleep has made the biggest impact on me physically & mentally. Shoot for at least  7 hours. I am in bed asleep by 8:30 at the latest most days, wake at 4am the majority of week days. Sleep is the most important thing to manage during any season. NON NEGOTIABLE.

NUTRITION

Everyone has different triggers & different needs. Do not apologize for having to eat a certain way or bring your own food in social situations. Food choices are extremely important. For me, I find lowfodmap, easy to digest, gluten free, low lectin, minimal dairy, animal based nutrition with the exception of white rice, plain rice cakes, & rice Chex cereal if I feel like I need some carbs (don’t crave or need them anymore now that I’m fully adapted to a more carnivore lifestyle). But I believe you should always leave room for flexibility & no diet dogma. Do what works for you. Carbs are most optimal post workout & in the evening prior to bed.

SOCIAL SITUATIONS

I understand this is a rough spot for many with autoimmune issues &/or special digestive needs. Use your uniqueness to educate others why you need to eat the way you do. Maybe it’s something they need to hear too. Be confident, bring your own food if you have to, eat before you go out, custom order your meals. I set a limit of 2 alcoholic beverages in social situations & also mix my own drinks the majority of the time. Just order a shot of whatever liquor you want & whatever mixer you want. That way you have control over how much alcohol is in that drink. There have been times I’ve also brought @zevia as a mixer. Voice your needs to the restaurant & they will accommodate. 

STRESS MANAGEMENT 

Stress plays a huge role in inflammation. Sleep, take more rest days when you need them, make sure you’re eating enough food for your activity, take walks, spend time alone.Learning how to manage stress is a skill. Be kind to yourself!❤️

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CL5IAGEHvYe/?igshid=4hwhqa2vc5zy

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Carnivore Questions Answered and Some Things You Won’t Want to Hear

People are gonna tell you you CAN’T do a lot of things. They’re gonna tell you THEIR way is better than YOUR way…

You’ve asked great carnivore questions over the weekend. I’ll summarize  for those I haven’t had the pleasure to chat with & tell you some things you may not want to hear…

▫️I don’t ‘treat myself.’ My view of food has changed since going animal based. I “treat” myself everyday, enjoy every bite & it all serves a purpose — nourishment & fuel. Food is not a reward/something to earn.

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▫️You must experiment with different meats/food/fats, eating/fasting windows, meal sizes/freq, tracking macros vs not, & macro ratios. Your experience will be different than mine.⁣ It takes TIME. It took me an entire year to fully adapt &, yes, I gained 15lbs initially.

⁣⁣

Common Q&A’s:⁣⁣

⇢ Majority of my meals are 85% ground beef, ground chicken, & salmon. Avg 2lbs of meat/d, 2-2 1/2 meals/d. Yes I drink coffee. Ground meat is easier to digest & track. I removed pork & dairy, I found I don’t digest’em well. I only consume them on occasion in small quantities.

⁣⁣⇢ I stick to beef bc it’s satisfying & delicious but not SO delicious I want to over eat. For those who struggle with food addiction, like me, find foods that are satisfying & get the job done without triggering over eating or bingeing. We typically do better with food rules, we are abstainers. (Food addicts tend to have issues controlling carbs, sugar, sugar free substitutes, keto treats, dairy, butter, cheese, bacon, pork rinds, hyper palatable & processed meats)

⇢ I track macros loosely. It keeps me accountable & I know where to adjust. Rice cakes/white rice on occasion post workout or in the evening if I need them, portioned carefully, rarely above 50g/day.

⇢ YES, you can CrossFit & carnivore, CAREFULLY. Comes down to allowing yourself to fully adapt to being fat-fueled, meal timing, eating ample calories, & RECOVERY (sleep, rest days, deloads) Macros 10% C – 30% P – 60% F for ME**

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⇢ Sleep is a MUST. 7 hrs min. Zzyquil helps. It is what it is, I’m transparent here.

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⇢ Still hit 13-15k steps/day⁣, even on rest days, drinkin a ton of water + electrolytes, reduce alcohol, fasting when I’m not hungry (~18hrs avg), eating when I am.⁣⁣ No extended fasts, no snacking.

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It’s taken me 38 yrs to understand where my body is at mentally & physically.

And I’ll have to keep figuring it out every day for the rest of my life.

Have patience. Take care of your body it’s the only forever home you have♥️🏠

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Easy Cheesy Low Carb Keto Lasagna Recipe

Low Carb Cheesy Lasagna!

Lasagna was always a favorite growing up. The drawback: trigger ingredients and all the carbs. 

What I love about this recipe is its super simple & you can exclude any ingredient that causes you any G.I. distress. 

Italian dishes are notorious for including high fodmap trigger ingredients like onion, garlic, marinara, and dairy. So pick and choose your battles and what ingredients you want to include in your creation!

This recipe from thecreativebite.com

**Cast iron skillets work best

INGREDIENTS

MEAT LAYER

  • 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb. 85% lean ground beef
  • ¼ c. diced celery (optional)
  • ¼ c. diced red onion (optional)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
  • ½ c. low-sugar marinara sauce
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper (optional)

CHEESE LAYER

  • 8 oz. ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
  • 1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • ½ c. Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning (optional)
  • ½ tsp. minced garlic (optional)
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder (optional) 
  • ½ tsp. black pepper (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. For the meat layer: Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the ground beef, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes.
  2. Stir in the marinara sauce, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, while you make the cheese layer.
  3. In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, half of the mozzarella, the Parmesan, eggs, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, garlic power, and pepper. Spread the cheese mixture over the top of the meat mixture.
  4. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
  5. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until the cheese is hot and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Broil lasagna until top is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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Low Carb Taco Casserole! For Your Taco Tuesday!

If you loved the cheeseburger casserole, you’re gonna love this taco casserole! 

Because tacos are good any day that ends in Y!

You can make so many different versions of this casserole, be creative and make it your own! 

Some add onions, peppers, & olives. Omit if you’re sensitive to high fodmap foods. You can also reduce the amount of dairy if you’re sensitive. 

Others also use this as a baked ‘dip’ if you want to use it with pork rinds or your favorite tortilla chips. 

Don’t forget to let me know how it turns out, I love hearing about y’all’s home cookin!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 packet gf taco seasoning 
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup salsa
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce (optional)
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup grated cheddar
  • 1/2 cup grated pepperjack cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, drain fat
  • Stir in the taco seasoning and water and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the cream cheese & salsa & mix
  • Crack the eggs in bowl & whisk together with the hot sauce and heavy cream.
  • Pour the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the egg mixture.
  • Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until eggs are set.

Boom 💥 

Low Carb Taco Tuesday. 

Done ✅ 

Now gimme a 🌮 👇🏻

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Lilbitoffit Airfryer And Crockpot Ribs! 2 Easy Recipes!

You had me at RIBS!

I prefer my beef ribs in the crockpot (or smoked), they come out fall off the bone tender vs in the airfryer.

I like my pork back ribs crispy on the outside. Prefer them in the airfryer. I cut them up into singles or doubles so the outside edges are all crispy!

When choosing your ribs, remember there are different kinds of ribs.

  • Beef short ribs have the meat on the top of the bone. They’re a cut of beef taken from the brisket, chuck, plate, or rib areas of beef cattle. They consist of a short portion of the rib bone, which is overlain by meat which varies in thickness.
  • Pork back ribs are taken from around loin, the muscle that runs along the back on either side of the spine. They’re curvier & shorter than spareribs (hence why they call them “baby” back ribs) with lean meat both between & on top of the bones. They’re leaner, smaller, & slightly more expensive than spareribs.
  • Pork spare ribs come from the belly area. They’re thicker, meatier, fattier ribs.
  • Beef flank ribs are typically used for faster cooking in Asian dishes when the ribs are cooked hot & fast. In the flanken style of short rib, this thin cut, which is about 1/2-inch thick, goes across the bones so that each slice contains a few pieces of bone.

Airfryer Instructions

  1. Optional: Season the ribs with bbq spice rub or your preference covering both sides
  2. Cut rack of ribs into sections 4-5 ribs to fit 
  3. Preheat air fryer to 380, place ribs in the air fryer, meat side down, cook for 20 minutes.
  4. Flip ribs over, cook for an additional 10 minutes on 380.
  5. Optional: Once the timer is up, cover with bbq sauce. Cook for 5 minutes on 400.
  • Quick Tips: I cut my pork ribs into 1-2 bone sections so the outsides come out crispy. You can also throw them in the air fryer for around 22 minutes at 380-400 (no preheat). Set it & forget it. Season with salt. Mine still come out good if you’re in a hurry. I prefer just salt as seasoning. 

My Basic Crockpot Instructions 

  1. Set crockpot on low. 
  2. Cut rib rack in half, place in crockpot with 1 cup water. 
  3. Cover, cook over night 8-10 hrs. They fall off the bone. Add whatever sauces or seasoning you like.

Enjoy y’all!!!

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Easy Guide to a Low Carb Cheeseburger Keto Casserole Recipe

Dudes it’s cold out. Felt like eating something that was a cross between chili and a bacon cheeseburger. I mean what could go wrong ?! 🤷‍♀️

Casserole Ingredients

** For sensitive tummies I would omit high fodmap ingredients or anything you’re sensitive to like dairy

  • 1/2-1 pound bacon
  • 1 pound ground beef (I like 85%)
  • 1/2 sweet onion **optional
  • 1 clove garlic **optional
  • 4 tablespoons cream cheese **optional
  • 2 tablespoons sugar free ketchup 
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt of choice
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream **optional
  • 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 8 ounces shredded or grated cheddar cheese
  • 1 teaspoon fresh dill **optional

AIRFRYER BACON

I wrote a whole post on the details of perfecting your airfryer bacon HERE

Ingredients

  • 1lb bacon
I love this Hormel Bacon, its all natural with no preservatives

Bacon Instructions

  • Heat air fryer to 350°F
  • Arrange the bacon slices, twisting slightly to fit.
  • Cook for 6 minutes, flip.
  • Cook for 4-6 more minutes, check for doneness.

Casserole Instructions

  1. Cook bacon first. Add ground beef to skillet and cook until browned. Drain fat.
  2. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet with the beef and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes if you’re adding them
  3. Add the cream cheese, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until combined.
  4. Spread the beef mixture into a greased 8×8 baking dish. Top with the cooked bacon.
  5. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk together with the heavy cream until combined. Stir in the pepper.
  6. Pour the egg mixture over the beef and bacon.
  7. Top with the cheddar cheese.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until set and golden on top. Sprinkle with dill before serving if using 

RECIPE NOTES

GAPS: Use sugar-free bacon

KETO: Consider omitting the ketchup or lessening the amount, depending on your carb tolerance. 

CARNIVORE/ZERO-CARB: Seasonings & sauces are personal preference.  Omit any ingredients that cause gut issues. Be creative and construct to your own recipe!

Happy eating loves!! 🥓 🍔 🧀