Zero Carb Challenge - Thoughts, Experience & Results

I just completed my first zero carb challenge and I've had lot of questions about my experience with it.  So this post is going to be all about the last week; how I felt and my thoughts on eating zero carbs.

If you are interested in what I ate during the last week, check out My Zero Carb Meal Plan.

What is zero carb?

Basically, it is what it sounds like.  For the last week, I tried to eat as close to zero carbs as possible.  This, of course, meant no vegetables, no sugar, no nuts, etc.  It is pretty much a carnivorous diet where you eat only from the animal planet.

Of course, there are some things like cheese, eggs and heavy whipping cream that are labelled as zero carbs, but they do have trace carbs in them.  Because of this, it's pretty impossible to eat zero carb, unless you strictly just eat meat.  This is not something I did, I gladly accepted cheese and heavy cream into my diet, at moderation.  I would say that I was definitely under 3g of carbs each day, when you add the trace carbs up, probably even less.

Why did I do this?

I felt like I've been starting to plateau in my weight loss.  I felt like I just couldn't get out of the 150's and there was even a week where I had a weight gain.

I needed to reset my diet and I need to get some craving out of my system.  I was definitely eating too many Lily's Chocolate Bars and Halo Top, as well other 'sweet' treats.

I may have also been sneaking bites of my husband's carb-loaded treats.

I knew that I needed to start to be more strict and what a better way to restrict myself then take all carbs out of my diet?

Note, I also eliminate artificial sweeteners during this week.  No flavored syrups in my coffee and no diet sodas.

My Experiences

Overall, I felt pretty good over the last week.  I felt like I had more focus while working and the days seemed to be going by fast.  I wasn't having those mid-afternoon shut downs, like I usually did before.

I also noticed that I was being to eat more intuitively.  I was able to do intermittent fasting for around 16 hours, the fast being broken by a fatty coffee around noon.  I would then have my lunch around 3:30 and finally dinner around 7-8.  I wasn't even snacking this week (with the exception of one day where I had a piece of cheese).  Some days I would even forget about eating because I wasn't hungry.

I kept my calorie goal the same (1,200) and I felt like it was very easy to meet this goal throughout
the week.  Some days I would even be 100 or more calories less and I wouldn't even be hungry for more.  There were only two days that I went over my goal; one days was over by 46 calories and the other over by 79 calories. 

Before this last week, I would only last until around 9 or 10 before having my coffee and I would snack at least twice throughout the day.  My calories would often go past 1,300.  The snacking was definitely my problem before and this zero carb week helped me to see that.

The only problem days were probably day 2 and day 7, and those were very slight problems.

For day 2, I started to get some headaches.  This was probably a slight 'keto flu' symptom.  I'm not somebody who often gets headaches, so even though they were only small, probably insignificant headaches, it was something I definitely noticed was new and due to my change in diet.  The headaches continued a bit into day 3, but were completely gone by day 4.

For day 7, I did start to get some leg cramping.  This would have definitely been due to the lack of electrolytes in my diet.  Even though I was eliminating artificial sweeteners during this week, I did end up drinking a Powerade Zero to get my electrolytes up, as well as taking a trace mineral supplement.  By the afternoon, I was feeling much better.

Another thing that I noticed was that I was thirsty all the time.  I usually don't drink enough water, however, since I was avoiding artificial sweeteners this week, water was all I had to drink.  I drank way more water than usual, but I still always woke up with a dry mouth and a need for water.

I will also make a note on constipation.  Having no fiber in your diet would definitely not help with your bathroom habits.  I must admit, I was a bit constipated during the week.  I didn't end up going to the bathroom until day 7.  I also have to put in a note, that even on my regular keto diet, I only go every few days and that's why I say this week I was only slightly constipated.

Results:

My starting weight on the morning of Day 1 was 152.8lbs and 27.3% body fat.

My weight the morning after Day 7 was 150.0 (ugh, so close to the 140's!) and 26.6% body fat.

During the month of May, I had been losing about 1 pound a week, except for one week where actually gained a pound.  So to see almost a 3 pound weight loss this week was a great result for me.  The body fat percentage is measured by my scale, so I'm not sure how accurate it is, but it's always great to see that number go down as well!

I'm also going to point out that this weight loss has put me at a BMI of 25, which is 1 point away from being in a 'healthy' weight range! I know BMI is the best way to meaure healthy weight, but right now I'm going to take it.  When I started my journey last year, I was in the 'obese' range so I'm happy that I've been able to bring that down to almost healthy.
 

Will I do this again?

Honestly, yes I would.

I think it was a great reset for my body and it was a great learning experience.  It was good to learn to that I can survive off three meals daily and I don't need to snack between meals.  Also, intermittent fasting was so much easier, and I want to continue doing that going forward.

Eating zero carb proved to me that it really isn't that hard to cut carbs out and I want to continue to have at least 2 of my 3 meals to be zero carbs, so I can continue to limit them as much as I can.

I honestly am excited to eat some vegetables though.  It's a strange thing to crave, but I can't wait to eat a salad soon!

I also want to cut down on the sweeteners, as I think that has lead to most of my cravings and has caused most of my calorie increases.

Overall, this was a good experience, which helped me to see where and how I can improve in my weight loss and ketogenic journey.

Bacon & Cheese Meatballs

These are ZERO CARB.

What?!

Yes, that's correct. Zero Carb and delicious!  I'm sure if you eat all of them, it will add up to 1-2 carbs due to trace carbs in the cheese, egg and spices, but it's pretty darn zero, especially if eating just a couple.

Let me warn you though, this does not look pretty when coming out of the oven, with all the grease coming out, the pan just looks like a giant mess.  However, bear through it, pick the meatballs out and you will not be disappointed!

These are perfect on their own, or you could add them to some noodles (or zoodles!) and make a pasta dish.

You can add whatever cheese you want.  I, personally, used white cheddar and they turned out great! But mozzarella, swiss or any other kind of cheese would work just as good and probably be just as delicious!

I must admit, since this recipe only uses egg as a binder and no flours or anything, forming the balls can be a bit difficult, as they don't like to keep their shape very well.  I recommend sticking the meat mixture into the fridge for 10 minutes or so to help firm it up.  This is especially useful when making the little wells for the cheese and bacon.

By the way, I also decided that I would try to actual film and make a video of one of my recipes.  So, watch the video below and bear with the horrible editing.  Just try to remember, this was my first video and my first time editing.  I promise it will get better!  If you like the videos and think I should make more in the future, let me know!  Like and subscribing would be awesome! And if you don't like it, let me know that as well! Leave hate comments and thumbs down! I want to know if it's worth it or just a waste of my time...

RECIPE 

Ingredients:
400g ground beef
1 large egg
60g cheese, cut into chunks
3.5 tbsp bacon bits
1-2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp onion powder



Directions:
1. Mix together ground beef, egg and spices

2. Separate and roll into 11 balls and place on a lined baking pan

3. Form little wells, or holes, into each ball

4. In each well, place approximately 5g of cheese and top with approximately 1 tsp of bacon bits.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes
6. Let sit and cool for 5 minutes before taking meatballs off pan
7. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:
per one meatball 

Raspberry Fat Bombs

 Fat Bomb?! What's that?!

If you are new to keto, then fat bombs will quickly become your best friend.  If you've been keto for awhile. I'm sure you already know how great fat bombs can be!

To be honest, the first time I heard the term 'fat bomb', I wasn't too sure what to think.  The name
sounds like it's something that will give you a heart attack.  Luckily, that is not what it is.  It is, though, a bite sized treat that is mainly just a source of fat and usually has little to no carbs or protein in it.  They are a great way to get your fat intake up when it's falling a bit short for that day.  This is great for when your starting keto and are trying to get into ketosis; as this is when a higher fat intake is most important.

I made 18 bite sized fat bombs with this recipe, each fat bomb contains 86 calories, 9g of fat and only .2g of carbs!  That means you can definitely treat yourself to 2 or 3 of these; not to give you any ideas or anything..

Now I know, the title of this recipe is Raspberry Fat Bombs, but you can definitely change up the flavouring easily.  You can use any no sugar added Jello mix that you can find at your local grocery store and try different flavours.  This one is personally my favourite.


Ingredients:
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 package no sugar added raspberry Jello



Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl

2. Beat using an electric beater for 1 minute, until you have a smooth and fluffy mixture

3. Spoon onto some parchment paper into bite size sections.

4. Refrigerate for 1 hour until firm (you can freeze if you want them sooner!)

5. Enjoy!

Nutrition:

Coconut Almond Balls

If you like coconut and almonds, you should really like this recipe.

Not only is this a super quick and easy recipe, it is no bake! That's right, all you have to do is mix the ingredients together and refrigerate.  It's great if you are short on time or don't like baking all that much.  Kids could even make this themselves.

These coconut almond balls are low carb, vegan and gluten free!  How awesome is that?!

I like to keep a few of these in the fridge for when I need a quick pick-me-up or a sweet treat.  They are small, so you just just enough to curb your cravings while keeping calories and carbs low.  It means you can also have a second, if needed!  But be careful, if you don't pay attention, these can go quick!

This recipe contains almonds and coconut (duh!), both of which have so many great health benefits.

Almonds are filled with fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.  They are a great source of vitamin E, manganese and magnesium.  Also, because almonds are high in both fiber and protein, they tend to fill you up quicker and keep you full longer!  Sounds great to me!

Coconuts are also filled with healthy fats and fiber, meaning they too will help you stay satisfied for longer! They also have potassium and magnesium, and we all know how important those electrolytes are.  

I ended up making 19 bite sized balls out of this recipe, each ball totaling 1.6 net carbs and 134 calories.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut butter
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup almond butter
20 drops stevia
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp no sugar chocolate chips (I used Lily's)


Directions:
1. Mix all items together in a bowl

2. Roll into bite sized balls.  You may have to refrigerate mixture for about ten minutes prior to this to firm mixture up.  If it's a warm day, this mixture will liquefy pretty fast!

3. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.  These should also be stored in the fridge or freezer.  As mentioned, mixture will start to melt pretty quickly if warm.

4. Enjoy!

Low Carb Creamy Chicken Casserole

I'm going to start this post by apologizing for the pictures.  I know they are not the prettiest pictures and by no means do they give this dish justice, but I'm still figuring out this whole food photography thing and casseroles are hard to get good pictures of!  It just kinda all fall apart as soon as you take it out of the dish.

Lately, I have been stuck in the same routine for dinner.  It's always some kind of meat: chicken, pork, steak, with a side of either vegetables or salad.  I don't know about you, but after awhile of eating the same things every night, I tend to get a bit bored.  And when your on a diet, the last thing you want to do is get bored with your food; that's when cheating tends to happen.

Would you rather have the same meat and vegetables you had last night, or would you rather order some pizza or a burger?  Of course the last things could be altered to make it keto friendly, however those calories will still sneak up on you!

So that's where this recipe comes into play.  The other night, I had some extra time to prepare dinner so I thought I would try something new.  Casseroles are a great dish, because you can just add a bunch of ingredients together and bake it, and usually it comes out tasting pretty good.

Okay, the best part of this dish is the secret ingredient: Cauliflower!  And I can guarantee to you, no one will know there is cauliflower in this.  It's a great option to sneak those vegetables in for picky husbands and kids.

The cauliflower mash becomes this creamy sauce which is a great match with the chicken and cheese.  I must admit, my husband looked at it and wondered what kind of mush I was trying to feed him, but once he took a bite, he realized how good it actually was!

I made this casserole into 2 servings and had it on its own as a main dish.  However, you could definitely get away with separating this into 3-4 servings and having it as a side dish.  As a main, this casserole comes to 499 calories and 10 net carbs.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower, half a head, (approx 400g)
1 large chicken breast, (approx 200g uncooked)
1 tbsp butter
30ml (2 tbsp) heavy cream
60g (1/4 cup) cream cheese
60ml (1/4 cup) sour cream
1/4 cup shredded cheese
Garlic powder, to taste
Onion powder, to taste




Directions:
1. Cook chicken and shred into bite sized pieces.  I cooked my in the pressure cooker, on high for 10 minutes.

2. Cook cauliflower until tender.  It should fall apart when stabbed with a fork.  I cooked mine in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes (while I was shredding the chicken)

3. Place cauliflower, butter, cream, cream cheese, garlic powder and onion powder in blender and puree into a smooth mixture.

4. In a mixing bowl, add cauliflower puree, chicken and sour cream.  Mix well.

5. Pour mixture into a lined 8x8 casserole pan and cover with cheese.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
7. Let cool for 5 minutes and enjoy!

Nutrition:
Per half casserole:
Calories = 499
Protein = 38g
Fat = 35g
Carbohydrates = 15g
Fiber = 5g
Net Carbs = 10g