Progress! ? RE: Starting Over

It’s finally turning Spring, so the timing is great for a reset or a fresh start in whatever area of your life you need it most. ?✨ For me, that feels like starting back at square one, in pretty much every area of my life: my health & fitness, rebuilding my social circles, getting back on track with my work, reorganizing my home spaces – you name it.

I talked about this struggle recently where I said: I feel SO stuck, but I really want to start over. I felt pretty lost at that point, but things are finally looking up and moving forward nicely now. ?

I went out last Friday night, and had a GREAT time!

It was so nice to feel up for getting out for a couple of hours. ? They had a fun cover band playing at my favorite little local spot, and I enjoyed a house burger (un-bunned) with spring greens, plus a large water and a low carb beer. (Michelob Ultra, 2.6 carbs)

There’s nothing like a band, a burger and a beer to perk me up a little!

I’m still really struggling, but I’m doing pretty great (at it – lol). That was a week ago Friday, and the rare GOOD day I get once or twice a week, but it did tank me pretty hard so I’ve been resting a lot since then. It was worth it though, and SO nice to get out and do something fun!

To catch you up, I’ve been very unwell for more than two years (28 months now), most of which I’ve been homebound with extreme neurological issues, limited mobility, etc. It’s been a serious sidetrack to my entire life. ??

The Unexpected Carbs On My Pork Chops…

A few weeks ago I met up with a friend for lunch and had a FABULOUS meal at O’Charley’s. I ordered the Bone-In Pork Chops which is “two 5 oz pork chops seasoned to perfection” and they were absolutely delicious!

Normally I look up restaurant meals & nutrition facts before I go out, so I know what I’m getting and can order more easily when I get there. This time I didn’t, so lesson learned, but I wasn’t too worried about it since I’ve only been eating one meal a day lately.

The “seasoned to perfection” part is that the pork chops are very lightly dusted with a seasoned flour. So that would be important to know if you’re gluten free! Simply ask for salt only, no flour if you order them. See O’Charley’s Nutrition Facts here.

Bone-In Pork Chops (No Side) :
1070 calories, 66 grams of fat, 12 carbs, 1 fiber, 0 sugar, 100 grams of protein

You get two sides so I got a second side of broccoli to go, and ate most of my pork chops and half the broccoli on my plate, so I had half a pork chop and broccoli to enjoy for lunch the next day. ? This is how the meal logged in MyFitnessPal, ordered as-is and for the amount I ate (9 net carbs):

I covered that in my low carb classes (logging restaurant meals) if you need help with things like tracking meals & macros, how to break weight loss stalls & plateaus, mindset & motivation, etc. ✅

Meals On Repeat This Weekend…

It’s FREEZING here in Tennessee this weekend ? so I stayed in and had some fun video chats and caught up with other friends on the phone, which was nice. Good talks and lots of laughs ? and otherwise plenty of rest.

I didn’t feel like getting out for groceries so I used up what I had here. I had some onion left, so I sauteed all that up on Saturday, enough for two meals, and just put the other half away.

I scrambled 3 eggs in butter, added the onions with some chopped ham plus pimento cheese – and a little salt & pepper. Perfect meal! ?

Truth: it took me almost 2 hours to make these eggs Saturday morning. ?‍♀️?

I sautéed the onions, then had to take a break and elevate my legs. I chopped the ham, then felt buzzy all over with weird head pressure, so I took another break. I got out a plate and the butter & pimento cheese … and overheated just getting up ? so I had to go outside to cool off for a bit. ?

It’s been a seriously rough week recovering from that short night out! lol – but I finally got my eggs made and enjoyed a good solid meal. ?

This is why I usually just eat a protein bar with my collagen coffee most days. ?‍♀️ I’ve been having some better days lately, off & on, and able to do more – yay! ? But this week I tanked pretty hard again so all my symptoms flared up HARD and I’ve been sleeping A LOT – like a ridiculous amount (ie crashing every few hours). ?

I’m feeling better this evening though finally, so it’s nice to sit down and catch up for a minute! ??

I mentioned I’m getting a slow start to the year. Ha, a slow start indeed – it’s March! ? If you missed that note (and the comments) see -> Check In: How Are Your 2023 Goals Going?

I’m actually doing pretty well, all things considered. I’m focused on my goals, making fun plans – and even thinking about (maybe) dating again. ? It’s been a couple of years! I’ve been doing a lot of organizing and minimizing in my home spaces too, which feels GREAT.

I just have to do things in what I call “micro tasks” and in very short time blocks.

I love this image ^ because it illustrates LIFE so well. Change, progress, growth, goals… it can all seem SO overwhelming when you’re first starting out (or starting over). Right?!

Dealing with an insanely debilitating chronic illness limits me in so many ways: time, energy, focus, motivation, mobility – you name it. Everything has become 100x harder. ?

That may slow me down, but I refuse to let it stop me!

As a positive, it has forced me to really focus on my highest priorities, and do the things that matter most in my limited time. It’s also been a good lesson in patience and grace, because sometimes I have to break down even the simplest of tasks (like making eggs) into smaller steps I can manage.

Looking back up at that image again, that makes me think of all the “small steps” I’ve taken over the last couple of years, and how much of a difference every single step has made – even when they were hard, even when I had to repeat some steps, even when there were long spaces of time between short steps…

Never Give Up On Your Goals!

Every single day is an opportunity to wake up and just BE the happiest, healthiest version of yourself. And to do something, even if it’s just a small thing, toward the direction you want to move in your life. ?❣️

In our last chat, Alice said: I am going to ”practice” eating low carb one meal at a time. My reply:

YES!! That’s the way to do it. ? You already know HOW it works, and how WELL it works, and that will be a simple way to ease your way back into mindful healthy eating.:) Every single time you “practice” you’re retraining your brain to make choices that make you happier! xo

Springing Forward ?

I look forward to catching up with you, and sharing more about my goals & progress, and of course my food diaries & meal ideas. I’d love to hear your goals as we step into this new season too!

My daughter was staying with me for awhile you may remember. She moved out and into a place of her own in the city 5 or 6 weeks ago, so that’s a big change. She’s doing great, which makes me a happy mom. ? I’m keeping busy organizing and spring cleaning (in baby steps) to keep me feeling positive through the transition. Nice clean spaces feel SO good!

I’m also rebuilding my social circle, which I thought might make a good topic – if you’re interested? It can be hard making new friends as an adult, and especially challenging when you’re unwell or disabled, but I’m up for that challenge because I’m SET on surrounding myself with wonderful people that add smiles to my life! ?

Another goal…

I had some mysterious weight gain during the worst of my illness last winter (January 2022). Mysterious because I was hardly eating, but I also lost the ability to sweat (like, AT ALL) ? and my overall metabolic health is just wrecked now – since a mild case of covid in late 2020.

I’ve been diagnosed with Long Covid Dysautonomia but basically all my systems are malfunctioning: lymphatic system, circulation, digestive system, nervous system – all of it.

I’m actually doing pretty okay (I think) but still really struggling (a lot) – but I’m handling it incredibly well (I think). ?? I’m doing much worse than the first year, but WAY better than last year, and very slowly but steadily improving health-wise.

I’m still not eating very much, just enough really, but I’m trying some new things that seem to be making a good difference in my recovery.

Acupuncture has been a BIG help over the last year, and more recently I’m getting great results from Medical QiGong (too). I have no idea what that is exactly or how it works, but it DOES.

I’m sitting in the sunshine every chance I get, still – you know how much I love the sun! ? I have to sit IN the river or take a short cold shower every 15 minutes if I’m at home since I can’t sweat, but “cold therapy” has been a great tool as well.

My mobility has improved since starting the QiGong treatments, so I’m now able to do some “easy bed yoga” and work on rebuilding my strength and flexibility. That’s pretty funny considering how adventurous I used to be ? going from running the back country and climbing waterfalls… to very basic stretching and simple movements in short 5 minute blocks.

But hey… you have to start (or start back) somewhere, right?! ?

I say: baby steps, whatever it takes, do what you can, when you can, and just stay focused on your goal – with LOTS of patience and grace. I find it really helps to wake up every single day and be the happiest healthiest version of myself that I can be. ? Even today, even when it’s hard, even when it looks nothing at all like the person I was before.

One of the things I wrote in my journal this past week that really helped me get through a hard week, is this:

Nothing really matters, and everything counts, so do whatever makes you happy! ❤️

I’m feeling hopeful, encouraged, and really happy that I’m improving enough to get out now and then, enjoy some fun social time again, and even sit up long enough to write you this note.:)

I hope this finds you excited and inspired about spring – and all the fresh new possibilities this season has to offer!

Best,
Lynn Terry
aka @LowCarbTraveler

p.s. We have a discount code at Netrition now, if you’re stocking up on low carb pantry staples or your favorite keto snacks. The code is LOWCARBTRAVELER. They have singles of a lot of things, including single Perfect Keto bars, so that’s a great place to create your own variety box! ✅

ChocZero has new keto truffles now too, just released, and those look delicious! Our discount code is TRAVELINGLOWCARB at ChocZero if you need keto friendly (sugar free) sweets & treats. ?

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