Low Carbs
 

Ali and I are doing Atkins right now!

This thread is for anyone who wants to help with low carb recipes, etc.

It's also for support as Ali and I try to lose some weight that is not doing either of us any good.

For breakfast today:

4 Ounce-weights chorizo sausage, crumbled
4 Ounce-weights ground beef chuck
1/2 Cup diced onion
1/4 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 large eggs, beaten
2 medium red bell peppers


Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
2.Cook chorizo and beef, stirring to break up lumps, until browned. Drain excess fat.
3.Place meat mixture in mixing bowl and combine with the onion, cheese and eggs.
4.Cut peppers in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds and cut away ribs.
5.Fill each pepper with one-quarter of the meat mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25–30 minutes and serve hot.

Hey, great thread! lol

That recipe is a lot like the one Dazza cooked for me last night except he used bacon instead of chorizo and beef, and mushrooms instead of bell peppers.

I have to say, it was delicious.

This is what I had for lunch today.

Attachment 36570

It's a plate of rocket, with 4 slices of short cut bacon (that's the round end with less fat than the tail pieces) 2 eggs, 4 asparagus shoots, 1 large field mushroom and a small amount of hollandaise sauce over the top.

It was good.

For breaky I had two poached eggs.

For dinner I had san choy bou which is just spicy pork mince rolled up in lettuce leaves. Yummy!

Today i did my usual home stuff with the kids and so on, and i did a 40 minute session in the gym.

for my first week, I lost 3kg (around 6lb). I'm hoping to do the same again for this week, which incidentally started for me today. :)

In the spirit of honesty, I thought I'd share with you all, the picture of me that made me cry, and which led to me making this change in my life.

Attachment 36571

That's me on the left in the grey shirt.

I have called this file, 'fat trish'.

I am turning 40 this year. I'd really like to see 50.

First let me say that the rocket/bacon dish looks delicious and I'm going to give it a try.

Ali, I struggle with those feelings, too.

I was a chubby kid (teased a lot b/c I grew up in the Summer Of Olga Korbut and every girl in the neighborhood was flipping and twirling and spinning in the air while I remained very, very earthbound and un-athletic)

I grew tall and willowy and stayed that way till baby #1. I gained 90 lbs. but it came off fairly easily as I was in my mid-20's. Lost 90 lbs and then some. Right away, I got pregnant again. The weight came off more slowly - it was stubborn.

Then the divorce number two sent me into a decades long tumble down the rabbit hole. I got worse and worse in every way.

Working third shift, single motherhood, alll the excuses.

Then cancer, chemo, prednisone and menopause!!

ack!

I'm bigger than ever but I AM GOING TO CHANGE IT NOW.

I want to feel better b/c, honestly, I've tried to die via inertia and it's just not working.

We're getting better.

Not to be a wet blanket. But are you guys doing this under medical / nutritionist guidance?

Total diet change can be dangerous if not done carefully. As can too fast a weight loss. Atkins, like most extreme diets has its share of unfortunate victims. Not suggesting in any way that you don't do it, but just be careful with it. And Bri, possibly worth checking with your doc as well.

Dana - I did ask my doc (he's been with me thru everything including knowing I am an addict/alcoholic) and he said that he recommended Atkins esp. for people like me.

I have metabolic syndrome/insulin resistance (high blood pressure, hi triglycerides, apple body shape, low HDL, etc.) and that is why he said it would be good for me.

Excellent:)

Just wanted to sound a possible caution. I had a friend who became very ill through following a diet. But she did it with no medical advice and had underlying health problems.

Sounds like you have a handle on it.

thanks :)

here is a paragraph from an interesting article:

Should you make sure you eat something from all the food groups? That's what many nutritionists are recommending. But why? Who says? Some of those food groups are invented! Go into the wilderness and find me some bread or pasta. Humans invented those as foods, put them on the food pyramid, and then declared you have to eat that stuff to have a balanced diet. It's crazy. For millions of years of our evolution, those foods didn't exist. And now they are necessary?

Those foodstuffs may not be necessary or natural. But the things they provide, such as heavy starches are. The big question really is one of proportion and balance.

How about pine trees, are they on Atkins? Because, you know, many parts are edible. [/euell gibbons]

Pre-sliced pepperoni = atkins chips!:yum: Turkey pepperoni slices are better for you.

Hey Trish, I know you hate the photo of you, but I have to say it made me smile to see Mav wearing his hat! :)

Many of the recipes on my site are no-carb, by the way. The last one I posted was actually very similar to Bri's breakfast recipe, minus the cheese. And I swear to God, the next one I have in the pipeline is an Eggs Benedict recipe, already took the pictures for it and everything! Maybe now I'll post the teriyaki chicken and asparagus recipe first, so I have something new to offer for this thread.

When I was on one of my many ridiculous diets growing up, mum made a brilliant ersatz-lasagna, with a few broken up cabbage leaves instead of layers of pasta. Just the tiniest bit of a cheese sauce.


Was bloody lovely!

No recipe, but I'm told that pork rinds are a good no-carb snack.

Dana, I haven't seen a doctor about this issue specifically, but my doctor has told me to lose weight or I'll die, and at this stage, the recommendation was to do it without exerting myself too much because of my BP issues.

The heavy starchy foods are what are killing me. It probably doesn't help that I have two sons who work in bakeries either. lol Most of the root crops such as potato, carrots, yams etc are all high in carbs/starches. There are plenty to be found naturally.

The thing I'm finding is that although my diet is top heavy with protein based foods, I'm also eating a lot more green veges to fill up the gaps, and any nutritionist will tell you that's a good thing.

Pete, I've got a piece of pork here I'm going to roast later in the week. I'll keep the pork rind thing in mind. ;)

Clod, he wears it everywhere! lol He loves it sooooo much. He gets very shitty when the other kids take it off his head.

I'm going to check out your food blog later on and see if there's anything that looks tempting. :)

Yeah. I have a bit of a gut reaction (pardon the pun) to diets. Always a tad cautious.

A friend of mine was talking about a doco he'd watched on food nutrition and human physiology, and basically the point of the program was to say that if you can't chase it down and kill it, or pick it from a tree or vine, you shouldn't be putting it in your mouth. This is because the human body is not as evolved as we think it is, and it just can't process a major proportion of the crap we put into it.

Makes a lot of sense to me.

That's the good thing about Atkins. You really are on a whole food diet unless you buy into all the snack foods you can get once you've completed the induction.

quick homemade dressing:

olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. smash a chili pepper in if you want a kick. taste to suit. No sugar added. I use this when I'm on Atkins. Actually, I make this even when I'm not on Atkins. By the way, I'm on Atkins for two weeks in hope to drop another inch or so by Vietnamese New Year, which is in two weeks. :D

Basically the caveman diet.

When you go to the grocery store, just shop on the periphery aisles and not the middle aisles and you will be fine.

This morning for breaky I had a small bowl of leftover ground pork from the san choy bou with two eggs. For lunch a small can of tuna. I think I'm going to have to have something else though. I'm still pretty hungry.

Exercise so far today is nil, but I'll be taking Max to the park soon, so we'll walk instead of driving and that should be good. It's freaking hot here today though. I'm going to sweat like a bastid!

Lola, that's pretty much the dressing I make for garden salads all the time. It's a good one. :)

I decided to go on with the tuna and made a salad using more tuna (lol) a baby cos lettuce and a cucumber. I mixed that together with some whole egg mayo and some lemon pepper seasoning. Now I'm eating it. Very yummy.

Usually, if you are still hungry after eating its because you didn't eat enough fat with the meal. Adding the mayo was the ticket. If you wanted to pass on the mayo, olives would have done it too.

Good luck Brianna and Ali!

I've lost 40 pounds doing low-carb (not no-carb). Like Brianna, I have insulin issues and have to control my blood sugar through diet. I don't eat a lot of fat either, it just makes me gag to have too much of it in my diet. I eat protein + veggies, with the very occasional brown rice or whole grain tortilla or something thrown in. Works well!

you can always try out low-carb whisky ;)

on a more serious and honest tone, good luck.
personally i've had periods where i was in better shape, working out or (more often) because life demanded it, but actually dieting & sticking to it is one of the hardest thing for me to do, so i have a lot of respect for those who do it.

Ali, I think you look beautiful in that photo.
Yup, overweight. But not nasty.
Sorry it made you cry, but worth it if it changes your life and makes you happier.

I'm still not sold on Atkins, but I prefer to agree to disagree with you (and I value the fact I can genuinely do that and not have a slanging match).

NOT that I off carbs in any way but... have just bought some pressed seaweed for snacking on at break. I might even spread it with Philly if I find it's not enough to satisfy me. There. Atkins friendly :)

Pico - over here the periphery is fresh fruit and veg at one end and alcohol at the other!
Basically they catch you while you still have good intentions re fruit and then snag you again when you are frazzled with booze.
Meat comes about midway and eggs and dairy are usually close to the back wall.

Most of the large supermarkets are fruit and veg and deli at one side. Seafood and meat on the back wall at the end of fruit and veg, then a little further along is the dairy and eggs. The one isle I almost always go down is the one that has all the stuff i need for baking and the other one that's popular with us is the condiments and spices. Basically, I'll be skipping the baking isle now and letting the boys bring home baked foods from work. I have plenty of condiments too, so I'll probably replace those isles and just run the gauntlet to the checkout down the cleaning fluids and personal care isles. ;)

I think Atkins is great for short-term solution. However, I wouldn't pile on fatty food. I've always eaten fish, skinless chicken, lean beef and pork when I'm on Atkins. What I've starting eating not for a diet but as my diet for permanent health reasons is fish or skinless chicken with salad, and occasionally 1/2 cup of brown rice. I've reduced my portion (I use a small or medium plate) and have a fruit for dessert. Up until now, I've been aiming to lose fat to look nice for Viet New Year, so no junk food and snacks. However, a fitness instructor said to permit yourself have one cheat day, so you won't feel so deprived that you'll overindulge on bad food.

Why am I telling you about myself? What I'm trying to say is that stay on Atkins as long as the Doc prescribed but don't stay on it too long. You then should switch permanently to a low-carb diet. Clobfobble gave it a name but I forgot what it is. :blush: By the way, I eat oatmeal or Cheerios for breakfast. Trying to add fiber into my diet too.

Good luck Ali and Brianna! By the way, do you know that there's a forum for Atkins eater? That's where my sister read about the shirataki noodle. I just bought it. I will take pix and post tomorrow. :)

I've found where I can get those noodles in Australia Lola, so I'm going to order some. :) I think it'll make a big difference to the amount of fats I have because I'll be able to make Asian style soups for meals, which I really will enjoy. :)

Thanks for the tip!

Dinner tonight is chicken breast sliced about 1cm thick, marinated in lime, chilli, salt and pepper. I'm just going to put that on the grill plate to cook. I've made a cheesy mushroom sauce with cayene pepper and chicken stock to flavour, and we're having green veges (bok choy, broccoli, asparagus and zucchini) stir fry/steamed with garlic, seasoning and a little butter.

Is tofu allowed on atkins?

Because if it is, miso soup is brilliant for stomping down an appetite.

Yuummm.....I'm getting hungry. :D


Yes, it is! And I must make miso soup. Duh...I totally forgot about this. Thanks, Dana. :D

I did? The only names I deal with are gluten-free (which isn't necessarily low-carb at all, you can eat all the rice and other non-gluten grains you want,) and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which is a misleading name because it is completely 100% grain-free and starch-free--zero "carbs" as the typical person understands it to mean. The reality is that vegetables, nuts, fruits, and even some meats contain carbohydrates in the medical/nutritional sense, so that's why the diet--developed by a nutritionist, and not a communications savant--is called the "specific" carbohydrate diet. It's a dumb name. It's also similar to what people call the Paleo diet, that might be another name you're thinking of.

Where's Bri? She hasn't posted here in a couple of days. I hope she's still on the atkins wagon with me. hehe

I'm still trudging along.

I'm having a bit of a sugar jones right now but I'm not weakening! i am resolute!

Excellent! I've been having the same problem the last day or so. Maybe we're at that stage where our bodies have just started to realise what we're doing to them. lol

What does a sugar jones mean?

Sugar cravings.

The shirataki noodles help because it take all night to chew them. :rolleyes:

If you are jonesing for carbs, then your last meal was too high in carbs and not enough protein or fat.

I decided to fight my sweets craving with sweets...sort of.

I went and bought a box of 'Splenda' today, and I've mixed some into some cream cheese, full cream and 1 chopped strawberry.

It's just like strawberry cheesecake.

You could make a base by crushing up nuts finely then adding butter, but I decided the strawberry was probably pushing the envelope enough.

What Pico said, but I did find this also. (shrug)
Carb cravings

Oh, my - that sounds really good!!

I can never think of things like that. That is a great idea. I'm writing that down.

It was good. ;) It's going to be my new treat when I've been good, and my craving slayer. Yeah baby! lol

This is all my baking these days. You can make an amazing amount of "bread" products with almond flour (there are other nut flours too, but almond is my favorite.) Muffins are especially fantastic.

Well, you're not supposed to eat fruits while on Atkins. :p:

NOT TRUE!

Mum and I are (re)discovering the delights of seaweed together.
I found a cash & carry that ships Oriental and Far Eastern foods within the UK. We're trying a range of seaweed "crisps" which are lower in fat and carbs and calories than potato chips. And in exciting flavours too. Currently Tom Yum (yumyum).

I've only ever eaten it pressed and seasoned before (and she not at all).
It's going down well!

We're trying dried squid next.
Oh - the dried anchovies with sesame went down too well. They were bought on a whim but so moreish that even if they were low calorie (errr, probably not!) they were naughty. Mum says we should get some for her next Girl's Night In.

ETA just checked.
Calories not so bad. Fat. Eek!

Really? I thought we couldn't. Let me double check that because I would love me some fruits. :D

What I do when I'm craving sweets, or chocolates, while on Atkins is eat those Atkins bar. Yeah, they're a bit expensive. However, I only need a bite or two and I'm satisfied. So, I finish off a bar in several sittings. Helps abate the craving.

Sundae: I eat those seasoned seaweeds in lieu of potato chips too. They're yummy, huh. :D

Go here and you can see what you can eat based upon the phase you are in. A few fruits come in phase 2, but mostly in phase 4. Click on the "Phase x" in the sub head and then on the left click on the "What You Can Eat in this Phase" It lists everything for each phase.
Good luck gals!

OK, can I look like Courtney Thorne-Smith from that link on that page? She looks fabulous!

This is what my sister bought. She hasn't made it yet so I don't know how it tastes like or will it take all night to chew them. :p:

Oddly enough, I was browsing food items randomly online.
I know nothing about Vietnamese cuisine except that globally it is known for fish, and there is a little French influence due to colonialism.
So I checked out some recipes and snacks.

I was already aware of seaweed crisps (Japanese/ Taiwanese).
Talked to Mum - we got those.
I had never heard of sesame/ anchovy snacks.
Supposedly Vietnamese according to the internet.
Mum is like me and adores anchovies. Yep - get those too.

So I blame my interest in YOU for those!
Even though you never mentioned them.
See how you can influence people without even touching your keyboard?

I expect you to be making Yorkshire Puddings next week.

Or even eating them as a matter of fact. I don't eat anchovy. Seeing all those eyes on the fish scares me. :lol: Actually, I only know of those seasoned seaweed snacks recently. I know someone who introduced them to me when she came home from visiting her mom in Hawaii. It turns out the Korean supermarket that just opened a few years ago carries them. It was only in recent months that I actually tried the anchovy snacks. Hmm...Did you eat the crunchy dry ones? Shrug...anyways, it's was the Korean supermarkert's anniversary, and they were giving away lots of samples. I figured what the heck. I didn't care for it though. :p:

Now, what is Yorkshire Puddings and are they good? Hihihi.....I will try anything, but it'll have to be after the 23rd. Me no eat sweets til after New Year. :D

I just looked up Yorkshire pudding recipe. It is not a sweet dessert. :3_eyes: hehe....I will try to make it one day; however, I refuse to use lard or beef drippings. :rolleyes: Vegetable oil it is! :D

It's true that I'm still in the first phase and I shouldn't be having fruit, but when I'm having a day where my total consumption of carbs has been zero already, I figure one strawberry chopped up would be ok.

Yesterday was the worst day for me so far. I had a headache all day and I was grumpy and I was going crazy for something sweet. I felt like I was in danger of totally falling off the wagon (to coin a phrase), so I figured one strawberry was maybe like an alcoholic having a lemon lime and bitters. There's still a tiny bit of bad stuff in there, but on the whole, it was safe. I felt much better after.

Ali: Sorry I didn't mean to make you feel guilty about it. Eating one strawberry to keep you "on the wagon" is totally okay. Heck, I cheat all the time, according to my sister, but I've kept my diet in the past. You do what's needed to keep you on the path. One strawberry is better than gorging your face with a whole loaf of bread. ;) By the way, I tried the tofu shirtaki this afternoon. I will post a picture and tell you about the taste and texture later. :)

It's ok Lola. I wasn't feeling guilty. Just explaining my reasoning. ;)

Plus, I don't think anyone can do any diet perfectly...unless you're insane or totally eating disordered.

Yesterday I was craving chocolate, and I'd just had a nice salad, and was kidding about it and my cow orker gave me a hershey's kiss. It was the tiniest bit of chocolate and it did the trick.

But today I had a Reeses Fast Break after my oh so healthy salad. It's OK, I'll give myself a break on that.

You just jump back on. I think that's why diets fail, we expect ourselves to be so perfect and if we backslide we think "oh what the hell I screwed it all up" which is a defense mechanism, as well as an excuse to go back to the unhealthy diet. For me, anyway.

You all are so early into this. As Bri said, after a while you don't crave the crap you used to.

I'm not doing Atkins but I'm trying to do so much better with what I eat and I know if I stick with it I will feel good in a couple weeks and it will reinforce itself.

That's pretty much what I think IM. It's really easy to let your mind go slack and find all sorts of justifications for how it's ok to just give up. I think for me the important thing is to be conscious of these thoughts and control them instead of letting them control me.

Besides, I'm still losing weight, albeit slower now, but I'm still happy with the way things are going so it motivates me to keep going.

Plus, I just have to look at that picture and it re-cements my resolve. ;)