Low Carb Dieting Pays Off

 After two months of following a carb restricted diet, I have practically reached

goals!  My total weight loss now is 15 pounds and it is now evident in my appearance and 

the clothing I wear. I went for a mammogram and before I put on my smock,

I noticed, hey I am looking pretty good now!  So I snapped a pic and will show 

you a few uncomplimentary photos of how I looked in recent months.

 This is a cropped photo showing me at Nora Murphy's book signing party.  

That is a full figured Amy, 15 pounds heavier than the first photo.

This photo which I particularly dislike was taken when I visited

my mom and dad in September.  I remember being pretty shocked at

how "big" I looked.  Photos don't lie, and maybe they can help us get motivated

enough to do something about it.  Finally after Thanksgiving day, I decided to do "something about it". I had always had luck with cutting carbohydrates, and for me it didn't seem to be as effective as 

it was when I was in my 40s and early 50s.  I realized I was overlooking some carbs, in the form of 

white wine, and after swearing the wine off, I started seeing results!

(I posted this in Instagram, which you can follow at amymaisondecor)

 Day after day of following my dietary rules, I am hoping I can offer inspiration 

to those of you who may have felt like I did when the pounds started to creep up.

 This photo above was taken this past week, after waking up and hopping on the scale.
No makeup, still in pjs, and I was feeling proud of myself for sticking with it.

There is nothing better than seeing the numbers continue to drop.  
I started at 156 pounds and now weigh 141 pounds.
 I have a few left to go, and know that by staying on course it will happen.

 There are times when you just want to eat something with carbs, and when 

that happens, go ahead, but get right back on the diet the next day.

I miss bread the most!

I found a brand of Scali bread, Fantini, at my grocery store

that has 10 carbs a slice.  Scali is a thin sliced Italian bread with seeds on it, shaped

in a long oval.  I cut it in half and then my carb allotment is only 5 carbs.  

Note first that the serving size is 2 slices.  And there is 1g of fiber, so it
is 19 carbs for 2 slices. Less than 10g carbs for one slice. In the loaf, there are 
little slices at the ends, so have one of those, or cut the big center slices in half
to enjoy only 5 carbs for a piece of bread or toast. 

My point is to say, figure a way to have what you want at times you "need" it.

I have a poached egg on a small piece of scali bread for breakfast and I enjoy it so much.

 Earlier I posted about a great spaghetti sauce, called RAOS homemade sauce.

Since then I have discovered another awesome red sauce, with 5 "net" carbs and

it is absolutely delicious.  This sauce was found at Costco....as always I am busing 

reading labels to see if I can eat it and stay on track.

Love that it is organic too!  To calculate "net carbs" you simply look at the 

carbs per serving, which is 7g, then subtract the dietary fiber, which is 2g,

which means you are taking in 5g of carbs at a meal.  I use it with Costco's Italian meatballs

which are 5 grams for 4 meatballs, or I make a meatsauce, which is no additional carbs,

and then serve it over Spaghetti squash, or simply put it in a bowl and chow down.

YUM ZONE.

Hope this encourages any of you wanting to drop a few pounds.

In the meantime, I am working on the dollhouse, 

and watching baby Reeve two days a week.  

Here she is in the kitchen washing the tiny potatoes.

Her dad just opened another restaurant in Boston and I 

sent him this snap chat of Reeve being very efficient in the kitchen.

This dinner menu was a roasted chicken and broccoli.

  This is the easiest way to include potatoes for dinner, so he 

can still have his potatoes, and  

 I just avoid them and have extra broccoli.

Dieting low carb is now just a way of life for me and its not

that hard to do.  I wish you luck and remember to just count your carbs and 

look up recipes if you want to get creative.

It has me feeling a lot happier these days, that is for sure!

Read my LOW CARB DIET TIPS here.