# Anyone doing some low carb thingy?



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I refuse to call it a diet.  
My doctors appointment brought me to reality a bit. Not really as big of a deal overall, but I have been eating a bit crazy the last few months. I bake bread and scones and you get the idea. Pasta, rice, potatoes. And chocolate, its been my enemy. And snacks. I don't eat out much at all, nor do I eat fast food. No fried foods either. So its not like I don't know what I am doing, or doing wrong that is.  

So since my pants aren't fitting in the waist anymore, they fit everywhere else, my doctor send me home with some info on low carb. Not ever having thought much of diets, I was a tiny bit clueless. I mean some stuff is common sense. I always looked at eating less calories and watching the cholesterol and fat. I take statins for genetic high cholesterol. 

So the thing she send me home with says to start by reducing daily carbs to 20 grams. Now let me get off the floor again after rolling on it laughing. I guess that is like this adkins diet thingy, they start at 20grams. Since I am not into counting stuff and driving myself crazy, I am just going with my own common sense. I am going to drop carbs to below 100. Anything below that is gravy. I think just estimating I am probably closer to 40-50 or so. Maybe even a tad lower, not sure. 

And I been doing it since Monday. Found its not really that hard. Once I stopped trying to count everything that is. I mean I now know kind of what carbs and protein foods I eat have now so I go from there. I basically just cut out bread completely, I like bread, I am bavarian after all, but its a big chunk of carbs right there. Instead of adding what I call large portions of side dishes, I add more veggies. I really just throw stuff together, I don't follow any plan or recipes. 

I get plenty full as I get to eat meats and eggs and cheese, salmon, tune and as many greens and veggies as I like. And I love nuts, so I snack on those. And beef jerky. I'll start adding the beans and lentils back in by end of the week. Since they have lots of fiber, those carbs aren't as bad. But, instead again of larger servings, smaller servings and more veggies. Its really just a shifting of portion sizes from one to the other. 

Anyone else doing the low carb thingy? I already am feeling a difference. Not by weight I don't think. I don't weigh myself. But by feeling better. Could be the not eating bread, I don't know. My gerd is almost completely gone. 

And I get to eat bacon. I mean as long as I get bacon I am good.  . 

Here is what I threw together for lunch yesterday. I don't like to fuss in the kitchen and so I dug in my freezer to see whats there. I had some edamame so I defrosted those a bit, sauted some onions with some bell pepper in olive oil. I always keep pre-chopped bell peppers in the freezer in a ziploc bag. Same with onions, green onions, celery, etc.
Put in the edamame, spices and some pre cooked chicken breads chunks. Some walnuts, I will get some pepitas on the weekend too. 
At then end I put in some baby kale which I buy as salad. Stir it up and it was a filling meal.  

We'll see how it goes. I am liking the all around better feeling already and its only been 4 days. But then I have been a very bad girl so any change will help.


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## Brian Olsen (Jan 13, 2013)

I joined Weight Watchers a little over a year ago - not quite the same thing (much more counting!) but cutting carbs back is a part of it. I think I had a similar attitude to you, though - making real changes without driving myself crazy about it or nitpicking over every last thing that goes in my mouth. I think that's the healthiest way to go about it, and makes it easier to stick to. My plan worked for me - sounds like yours is working for you, so congrats!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I'm attacking it from the other direction: increasing my calorie burning while trying to be incrementally better about what I eat (particularly watching the salt, saturated fats, and cholesterol for my blood pressure and cholesterol levels). Walking 2 miles a day (sometimes more) at least 5 days a week along with not terribly radical dietary changes has so far gotten rid of about 30 pounds since mid August. (I'd love to be down another 50 by this time next year, but we'll see.)


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I have to start with the food as I do zero workout. I hate working out with a passion. Always have. I was also always the last one picked in school for PE, go figure. . I have a gazelle machine thingy, I have to do it again. It literally though bores me to tears. I can barely get to 20 minutes and then I have to move elsewhere. But I haven't used that thing in months. Most of the year its so hot here to walk. Plus I live on big streets so dangerzone.

I really have to push myself though to do some exercise. I envy though that always have been into sports and all that stuff. 
I was always under weight though, but I still probably should have exercised some. If I had done that from early on, maybe it wouldn't be such a drag now. As I get older my metabolism isn't keeping up with that no exercise life.

The fat thing is a bit weird to me. On that plan that my doc gave me, its very low carbs and lots of protein. 80-90 grams of protein a day. But with all the stuff on the plan the cholesterol levels of food and fat are then on the higher side. I will try to put in some lower fat options for the protein, like turkey jerky and such, but still. Eggs always list high cholesterol and I have high cholesterol. But my doc knows that so what do I know. I will use some more of the egg substitute in between so its not all full eggs.



Brian Olsen said:


> I joined Weight Watchers a little over a year ago - not quite the same thing (much more counting!) but cutting carbs back is a part of it. I think I had a similar attitude to you, though - making real changes without driving myself crazy about it or nitpicking over every last thing that goes in my mouth. I think that's the healthiest way to go about it, and makes it easier to stick to. My plan worked for me - sounds like yours is working for you, so congrats!


Yeah, I don't want to fuss so much with it. Now I don't have a lot of weight to lose, so I am sure it would be different if that was the case and then it would be more important I guess to really count everything. But I am talking about a smaller number and really mostly about my health in general. I really need to get my husband on it though. But I don't know how I am going to get him off his breads and beer and potatoes and all that. The meat part he would love. 

I did send him to work with a nice chicken salad he didn't even notice what I did. . Maybe I can turn some cauliflower into fake rice or potatoes or something. Mix a few kernels of the real thing in.


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## Sandpiper (Oct 28, 2008)

Atunah, that sounds very sensible to me.  When I'm watching my food intake, I'm also not into specific numbers.  Just follow general idea of what you're wanting to do.  When it comes to portions, I've found a kitchen scale to be very beneficial.  I weigh portions of good number of things.  Or if I want to split something into equal portions, I use the scale.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I have a scale and you are right, it has been a great help. To start with I weight stuff as I cut it or scooped it to get an idea what is what. So I don't just shovel the rice and potatoes onto the plate eyeballing it. My eyeballs were way off.  

Once I kind of know what it is suppose to look like, I am good to go. 

I did try to look at some cookbooks, but there are so many and then I got so overwhelmed. I'll just adjust and rework things I already like. I just have to be creative with the side dishes. 

Tonight or tomorrow I am going to make some flax seed focaccia bread and some flax seed crackers. Found some easy recipes on about.come. That will let me still bake something, just not my bavarian farmers bread and my french bread and my english toasting bread.


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## Brian Olsen (Jan 13, 2013)

The food scale has been a great help. My idea of a "serving" was way, way off for most foods!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I use Eggbeaters a lot: 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, and 1g carbs per egg-equivalent serving. Not quite as good as the real thing, and less versatile, but I make an Eggbeater, reduced-sodium ham (just one deli slice), and cheese (either reduced fat or vegan substitute) on whole-wheat toast for maybe 3 or 4 breakfasts each week. Maybe putting that on some low-carb bread substitute would work well for you? And watch those low-fat/no-fat cheeses, as they often essentially replace the fat with carbs.

I did the Atkins thing several years ago, and lost about 30 pounds, but then gained it all back plus more as life got in the way and I got sick of not enjoying carbs. Thus my non-professional recommendation is to look at it as a way to jump-start the weight loss process, but then migrate to more of a life style change of eating generally reasonably and increasing that exercise. And yes, I've never enjoyed exercising for exercise's sake, though I enjoyed playing some sports (poorly). But a nice 30-40 minute walk is not bad, though I'm not crazy about using the treadmill when weather gets in the way.  I guess it's sort of like quitting smoking: if you decide you _really_ want to do it, you will. (After my doctor documented the risks and the percentages, I decided I really wanted to do it.  )


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I am doing it, and it does work! I have lost 64 pounds on it. That's not a typo by the way. But it shows how much I was overweight that I still need to lose at least 20 more pounds. I'd be careful with the nuts, they tend to be fairly high in carbohydrates. I eat a few walnuts to satisfy my nutty cravings. Walnuts are lower in carbohydrates than most nuts. Unfortunately cashews are pretty high, and they are my favorite. If you like or miss sweets, there are a lot of different choices of Atkins products such as food bars and candy. In particular they have an M&M substitute and a Reese's Butter Cup substitute that are good. They are available in Walgreens and most Walmarts, or more cheaply at Amazon.com. I suspect the candy they sell for diabetics in drug stores would work fine, but I have not tried it myself. 

The diet is working for me. I don't pretend that it will work for everyone, but I am convinced that I would not have lost this much weight on a conventional diet. I've never been able to stick to those for more than a couple of days.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Nice tips here. I agree about the egg substitute. I love my soft boiled egg from breakfast, but I also have no problems making a scrambled breakfast with the substitute. Some bacon or sausage in there, some onion and peppers and some cheese. I don't do low fat cheeses or no fat cheese. What the heck is a no fat cheese. . 
I love cheese and with everything its about moderation. a 1 ounce serving of some mighty fine aged white cheddar, or some german cheeses I always have in the house. Parmesan also adds a lot of flavor while not having to use a lot. I also like mozzarella. When I get the snack munchies now, I take a slice of natural ham and roll it up with some cheese and get some olives and artichoke hearts with that. Instead of plowing through a bag of chips, even if they were natural or low fat chips, I eat too many of them and they still had a lot of carbs.

Hmm, I should try the smoking analogy then. I quit smoking almost 14 years ago. I smoked a lot, 2 packs a day for a while. I quit cold turkey and haven't touched one since. That was hard, but you are right, I had to do it and it took willpower. I'll pull out my turbo jam and hip hop ab dvds and dust the gazelle and start doing it. I think if I start on a level that doesn't intimidate me, I can handle it. I just have to.

I wish I had space in my apartment. I have a total gym I bought many years ago. It was really the only thing I ever didn't hate as much doing. But I just don't have the space to keep it sitting. Its quite heavy to have to fold up and unfold each time. Too heavy for me. It needs to be out all the time.

I am making some pork tenderloin in my cast iron tonight, bought the plain one to spice up myself. Then I'll make some zuccini spaghetti. I have one of those spiral cutter thingies, works great. And I'll cut up some cauliflower to make them look like rice and serve it with a nice kale salad.

It was pretty amazing when I went shopping on Monday and all my money went to basically water, veggies, salad and meats. So the money saved on the junk food stuff I can now put to once in a while some nicer meats. I already have a nice stock of dried legumes in the house, so I am good there.



Brian Olsen said:


> The food scale has been a great help. My idea of a "serving" was way, way off for most foods!


 Me too. I knew I was probably a bit "generous" with the servings, but holy moly, once I laid out what half a cup looks like I went like . Which is weird, because I am in general really good with guessing weight and volume. Just not with starch


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I am doing it, and it does work! I have lost 64 pounds on it. That's not a typo by the way. But it shows how much I was overweight that I still need to lose at least 20 more pounds. I'd be careful with the nuts, they tend to be fairly high in carbohydrates. I eat a few walnuts to satisfy my nutty cravings. Walnuts are lower in carbohydrates than most nuts. Unfortunately cashews are pretty high, and they are my favorite. If you like or miss sweets, there are a lot of different choices of Atkins products such as food bars and candy. In particular they have an M&M substitute and a Reese's Butter Cup substitute that are good. They are available in Walgreens and most Walmarts, or more cheaply at Amazon.com. I suspect the candy they sell for diabetics in drug stores would work fine, but I have not tried it myself.
> 
> The diet is working for me. I don't pretend that it will work for everyone, but I am convinced that I would not have lost this much weight on a conventional diet. I've never been able to stick to those for more than a couple of days.


Oh my goodness, you are doing fantastic. Nuts I eat mostly walnuts. I have bad teeth and crowns and can't chew stuff that is too hard. Like I love almonds, but I can't eat them whole. It hurts. So its walnuts. They are soft. I don't eat to many. I weigh the serving out and nibble on it in between meals. I also love hazelnuts, but haven't had them in a long time. I just have to stick with the softer thingies. Brazil nuts, I miss those too. I'll have to check on the atkins stuff. But I cannot eat artificial sugar stuff. Makes me ill. Many products have that in them.

Glad this is working for you so well. How do you deal with the no pasta thing. I am going to try more of the veggie strings, or maybe try some of those shirataki noodles.


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## lvoynich (Jun 5, 2010)

I've cut way back on my carbs since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes for the third time. :-/ Baby #3 is 4 months old now and I'm still watching my carbs. Once you get used to it, it's not too bad. 

With working out the past two months (I had to wait until my csection healed completely) and eating healthy, I've managed to lose all my baby weight and drop about 6.5" from my waist.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

lvoynich said:


> I've cut way back on my carbs since I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes for the third time. :-/ Baby #3 is 4 months old now and I'm still watching my carbs. Once you get used to it, it's not too bad.
> 
> With working out the past two months (I had to wait until my csection healed completely) and eating healthy, I've managed to lose all my baby weight and drop about 6.5" from my waist.


Congratulations . On the baby and the 6.5 inches gone. That is amazing, especially since you just had a baby. I am inspired. I'll be doing some workout tomorrow morning. 

Well, dinner was a success. Apparently, hubby did not miss the carbs at all. He is willing to try at least. Which is something. He is of a certain age and I want him to stick around for a long long time, so we both have to change our ways.


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## lvoynich (Jun 5, 2010)

Atunah said:


> Congratulations . On the baby and the 6.5 inches gone. That is amazing, especially since you just had a baby. I am inspired. I'll be doing some workout tomorrow morning.


Thank you! I keep telling myself, "You can be as lazy as you want. After. You. Workout." It's worked so far. 

It's nice that your hubby is willing to try new things. My hubby is a bit set in his ways (to put it mildly).


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

lvoynich said:


> Thank you! I keep telling myself, "You can be as lazy as you want. After. You. Workout." It's worked so far.
> 
> It's nice that your hubby is willing to try new things. My hubby is a bit set in his ways (to put it mildly).


Oh, mine is too, set in his ways that is. But I am the one that cooks and if I don't bake bread, or buy it at the store, there is none. So I have to be a bit inventive with the food. I think in the end, as long as he has food to eat, he is good. .


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## kdawna (Feb 16, 2009)

I have tried it many times. I have a sugar/ carb addiction problem and a problem with too much fiber being a real problem that cause me blockages due to multiple surgeries for adhesions.  
There are good active low carbor forums. The one you can enter your foods and see easy how much protein/fat/ carb ratio you have eaten. 
There are loads and loads of good recipes on the Internet for this type of diet.


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## Harriet Schultz (Jan 3, 2012)

Cutting carbs is the only way I can lose weight...since Sept. I've dropped 12 lbs and 2 inches off my hips. I recommend becoming friends with a tape measure and forget the scale...low carbs help the fat to melt off, but the weight loss is slower (for me at least). 

Get a good low carb cookbook for ideas ... one of my favorites is to dip thinly sliced chicken breasts in egg then parmesan cheese and either bake or fry. So much better than breading!

Good luck and occasionally have some chocolate or another small treat or else you'll fall off the wagon! Too much deprivation leads to cheating which leads to regaining.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I like that idea with the chicken. Have to try that. I don't have a working scale anyway. I only go by how my clothes fit. This is the first time really I am having to seriously think about doing changes. That is about what I need gone, 2 inches. I collect everything there in the middle.  . I was hoping id get some tush, but not to be.  

I do still treat myself, or I will once I get through a week or 2. Right now its important for me to stop the crazy munch cravings. Once I get that mentally under control I can have a piece of chocolate. Right now if I eat a piece, I can't stop and eat half a bar or Milka choco. Or Lindt.  . So I am getting my head out of the munch and crunch gutter so to speak first. 

I can play with cocoa powder a bit. I like making hot chocolate from scratch and that is a good way to keep things on the low side. Thankfully I don't like my stuff too sweet. Besides chocolates, I don't really crave sweet. I don't even like sugar in most of my things. Tea, coffee etc. I don't drink any sodas at all. Just water, tea and coffee. So that isn't going to be hard for me. 

Its just getting my brain to stop going into snack frenzies. No more chips and such in the house. My weakness were Doritos. Holy moly I would fall on a bag like a starving feral cat.  . Or I'd open a bag of gold fish, parmesan flavored. I don't stop until its empty. 

So yeah, I needed some help.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Atunah said:


> ... Right now its important for me to stop the crazy munch cravings....


One of the benefits of a low-carb diet -- as long as you really stick to it -- is that it reduces the upswings in your blood sugar levels you get from eating carbs/sugars. When those blood sugar levels start dropping back down, they trigger those cravings, but with a good low-carb regimen those cravings should be reduced.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Atunah said:


> Besides chocolates, I don't really crave sweet.




These, or a similar variety may help with the chocolate. They are available at Amazon, and they or similar varieties will be at Walgreens or Walmart (Walmart usually has them in "sports nutrition"). They will be most expensive at Walgreens and cheapest at Amazon, as you'd expect. But beware of prices and shipping charges if you buy at Amazon from third-party sellers.

They have a "chocolate candies" that is an M&Ms clone if those appeal. Not the greatest chocolate in the world, but if you haven't had chocolate in a couple of weeks, I'll bet you hear angels singing when you bite into one!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Atunah said:


> Glad this is working for you so well. How do you deal with the no pasta thing. I am going to try more of the veggie strings, or maybe try some of those shirataki noodles.


I've heard so many complaints about shiritake noodles that I haven't tried them! I don't have a solution to offer for pasta. A couple of times I've had beef stroganoff, just the beef and sauce without rice or noodles, just because I miss it!

You can make an ersatz pizza. Take a low-carb tortilla (I get mine at the Health food store) for the base, and slather the chunkiest salsa you can find onto it. Cover with shredded cheese, then use whatever low carb ingredients you want on top. I favor pepperonis, mushrooms, a few black olives, and Parmesan cheese. Heat and eat.

I've also done similar, but used a base of the leanest hamburger I could find in a skillet, them put the salsas, shredded cheese, and other ingredients on top before baking in an oven. I did this one when I first did the Atkins about fifteen years ago. Haven't done it this second time. But honestly I think I liked it better than the tortilla solution I'm using now.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

NogDog said:


> One of the benefits of a low-carb diet -- as long as you really stick to it -- is that it reduces the upswings in your blood sugar levels you get from eating carbs/sugars. When those blood sugar levels start dropping back down, they trigger those cravings, but with a good low-carb regimen those cravings should be reduced.


That is what I am hoping for. That is why I am trying to stick it out until the cravings are getting less. I have to say I thought it would be worst as far as my choco craving. I haven't had any choco since monday and I only had a small lentil type snack. Its puffed up lentil sticks. Other than that, I just eat regular meals and not skip, which is another thing I used to do.

Those Adkins bars look good, but unfortunately they have sucralose in them. I con't do well on artificial sweeteners. I hate the after taste of them and they make me nauseous. Not sure which ones I have tried in the past, I think I bought yogurt with it in it by accident and it might have been aspartame, not sure now. Yikes that was not good.

I suppose I could try one of them to see if I can tolerate them. I get that they can't use just sugar in that stuff. I am wondering how stevia would do. I never tried that but I think its from a plant.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

I have been doing low carb for almost 2 months... and it has gone pretty well. Lost 12 pounds. I hated it at first but then learned some creative alternatives and that helped! My main issues (I think) are wheat & sugar. I read the wheat belly diet (or most of it) and that was my starting point.

A few tips, you can use almond meal (flour) to sub and it is pretty good. Trader Joe's has a reasonably priced version and I use it to whip up a pancake once or twice a week. Just 1/4 cup of the meal, 1 egg, a little baking powder, dash salt and a little coconut sugar (a good natural low carb sweetner kind of like brown sugar) & sour cream, you can also add a touch of half & half if too thick. Just mix well and you get a nice little pancake!

I also have a few other recipes on my blog for low carb treats here: http://www.piewacketblog.com/journal/category/food-finds
and I have collected some more ideals on a pin board here: http://www.pinterest.com/piewacketblog/so-low-carb/

The last week has been on and off, I have had another medical issue and have been more lax. Trying to get back on track, so thanks for this thread! It is very motivating! Just a note about nuts, you can subtract the fiber! So peanuts & almonds are really not too bad...I think just 2 _Net_ carbs for 1/4 cup going by the package info on the ones I get at Trader Joes


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Oh and I invested in an inexpensive crock pot, which was the best ideal ever! I was sick of frying meat all the time and this is such a nice, easy way to cook your proteins! Lots of good recipes out there for low carb crock cooking, pretty sure I pinned a few.
I also posted some on the crock pot thread on here recently.


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## Harriet Schultz (Jan 3, 2012)

One more tip that works for me once the cravings end (at the 1-2 week mark):

To keep from buying something that looks good (but is a no-no) at the supermarket, I give the thing (chips, candy, cookies, whatever) a good look and say to myself: "You know what that tastes like, so you don't need to have it." I think the sense memory of the thing allows me to pass it up. Strange, I know, but it works.  

Good luck Atunah. Nice to chat about something other than books!


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Thanks for the recipes cuechick. I have to try the almond flour. Those pancakes sound great. It gives the senses something when they crave a doughy or baked kind of thingy.



Harriet Schultz said:


> One more tip that works for me once the cravings end (at the 1-2 week mark):
> 
> To keep from buying something that looks good (but is a no-no) at the supermarket, I give the thing (chips, candy, cookies, whatever) a good look and say to myself: "You know what that tastes like, so you don't need to have it." I think the sense memory of the thing allows me to pass it up. Strange, I know, but it works.
> 
> Good luck Atunah. Nice to chat about something other than books!


I still have a lot of choco in the house. I stocked up a while back when they got rid of a lot of brands at my local store and they had a sale on stuff. I still have a open bag of lindt Lindor truffels sitting at my computer. I am looking at them right now. . Have not touched them. I guess I like torturing myself. . I can't live in denial. I have to be able to look at the stuff but not have to eat it. Or at least not right now or all of it. So I am getting hungry right now, I used to just grab some lindors if they stared at me like that. Or snacked on some goldfish.

While I am going to go and finish my tuna from yesterday, have an egg with it, tomato, nuts and olives. I had a big breakfast so I am not super hungry yet. I'll have to figure out what to make for dinner. But that hasn't been easy before I tried this plan. The figuring out what to make. So that is still the same struggle.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Oh and there is an App for that! I downloaded an app called "Daily Carb" and it helps you keep track and is handy for looking up carbs when you are shopping...


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

Atunah said:


> I refuse to call it a diet.


I've been doing it as a choice. No diet. I just look at each meal as a series of choices. I find that I can "choose" to say no, and as long as I view it as my choice, not a rule for some [email protected]$$ diet, I can keep choosing no. Or maybe once in a while I choose yes, but it is MY choice, and it has helped me to drop nearly 40 lbs this year.

I pretty much say NO to all starchy things like breads, potatoes, rice, and sugars as much as I can. Giving up breads is the hardest "no" choice for me. I L-O-V-E bread. Candy is the easiest thing to say No to.

But each time I have to choose, It is a choice for just that one time, I can choose yes or no the next time. each choice is a one time deal.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I like that, my choice. 

You did really great BTackitt, congrats. Choices work. I guess like anything else in life. At least the things we have a choice in. Some stuff we don't.

I think maybe bread will be hardest, or maybe rice, love rice. But I kind of love all grains. I love Buckwheat, which I guess is out too.

So how about legumes. Love beans and lentils and all that. I assume because of their fiber I can add some of those. 
I figured since the largest portions should the the veggies, salads and leafs, then the next level would be the meats fish and egg and then the legumes. I think I saw a food pyramid somewhere that showed that. It made sense. Only the small tiny tip had grains.

eta: had to add that UPS just delivered my Turkey snack sticks. OMG those things are good. Perfect little pick me up in between.



I needed to find something I could chew. Most jerky's are way to hard for me. These are perfect. I can't even tell they are turkey. .


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The only knowledge I have about beans is that I can eat. A small bowl of chili without beans and be fine,but chili with beans busts my carbs for the day and then some. I'm sure numbers are different for different types of beans,though.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I'll have to look up the different values for different beans. I was thinking more in just adding a handful of beans like mixed in with some veggies for some texture. Not eating like a whole cup or anything like that. 

So tell me more about the bean less chili. What all is in there then. Before this choice, I made chili with lots of beans. So I just put in more ground meat? More onions and tomatoes and some peppers I guess.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

Another good snack, if you like them, are pork rinds. They are very low carb and help satisfy that salty, crispy craving.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I love pork rinds, my hubby even more. He'll like knowing he can snack those.  

I just made a batch of flax seed crackers. Unfortunately, I am not very good at rolling things out, especially sticky things. So they weren't even which then baked them uneven. They are really good in the spots where they are all the way cooked. Some of the spots are a bit soft and gooey. They make great crackers though, or substitute for the wasa flat breads. 

If I had had wax paper, I might have been able to roll them out more even, but I had to use my hands and oh are flax seeds sticky once they get with water.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Atunah said:


> I'll have to look up the different values for different beans. I was thinking more in just adding a handful of beans like mixed in with some veggies for some texture. Not eating like a whole cup or anything like that.
> 
> So tell me more about the bean less chili. What all is in there then. Before this choice, I made chili with lots of beans. So I just put in more ground meat? More onions and tomatoes and some peppers I guess.


I am clueless in the kitchen after a lifetime of bachelorhood, so I was referring to canned chili, specifically the ten ounce cans of Wolf Brand Chili! But it sounds like you are on the right track. I can't advise on specific bean types, though.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I was intrigued by these so ordered some. I ordered the rosemary and savory styles. They are expensive but look like they might be a good occasional snack. I'm committed since I've ordered them and They've shipped, but has anyone tried these? I plan on using them with avocado dip.

Apparently an equivalent is fairly easy to make, based on Internet chatter.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Yeah, I pretty much make everything from scratch, including beans. 

Those crackers look good. I just attempted to make some from scratch. I have plenty of flax seeds in the house. But, I wouldn't mind not having to make them all the time.  

I also have found a great little recipe in making "burger buns". I was surprised how they they came out and how easy they are. They would make good sandwhich breads also and by adding spices and stuff they can be adjusted. 
The original recipe goes like this

2 TB of melted butter
pinch of salt
4 TB of flaxseed meal
1/2 ts baking powder
1 lg egg

I made them with only 1TB of butter. You mix it all up and then put it in a microwave bowl that gives you the size of lets say a english muffin. I used a round tupperware container. Maybe like 3-4 inches diameter or such. Hit in in the micro at 1 minute and make sure the middle is not gooey anymore. Let sit another minute. Cool off and then cut in half. That is it. 
My hubby, the one who has to have bread with everything loved it.  

Variations are to use 2TB of flaxseed and 2TB of almond flour. That add I think a gram of carb. The original recipe is listed at 1.4 gr carb. I can't tell if that forum post counted net carbs, probably. 

I am thinking of adding cheese, or herbs. I will be making burgers this week and use those buns. I'll report back on how they taste with it. But just having something to slap my ham and cheese on is fantastic. And I get my flax fiber in that way.


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## GreenThumb (Mar 29, 2009)

Oooh, thanks for that recipe.  I'm going to try it.  My hubby and I are low carb, and I haven't had any kind of bun for months.  I also haven't had heartburn for months.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Yes, I already noticed the no heartburn too and I only been doing it for a week now.

Let me know what you think of those "buns". I need to hunt down the post and the forum where I found that to give credit. Someone said they made that batch and put one layer of the mix, then a layer of ham and a layer of cheese and top off with the rest of the mix. They put that in one of those silicone baking trays that has the 5x3 square mini bread loafs. And then they baked it a bit. So they turned them into filled buns. 
Micro is fast and easy though. Do they tasted like real buns? No course not. But they gave that feeling of having something to slap the meat into, or soak up the sauce from the stew, or the breakfast eggs. I like the taste of flax seeds so that is helpful. 

In my search I also found these buns that look really good and you bake them 6 at a time. 
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/flax_sandwich_buns.html
I would not put the splenda in though.

I made another batch of the flax crackers and I have no perfected it and they are now perfect. So I don't have to buy any. 
For those that want to know here is the recipe I used

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/snacks/r/flaxcrackers.htm



> Ingredients:
> 
> 1 cup flax seed meal
> 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
> ...


When I made them the second time, I left out the parmesan and I made the "dough" really soft. I also didn't mix for too long as to not to release the gooey stuff in the flax seed. They get harder to spread then. By making the dough thinner, I was able to spread with a nice silicone spatula on a silicone baking mat that is in a baking sheet. I spread it out as thin as I could and baked it at 350 instead of 400. About 30 minutes. But I did take out the edges firs. Now before I baked them, I took a plastic dough scraper and basically made score lines. That makes it easy to break them into pieces when they done baking.

These things help with the crunchy craving. And they are delish with a think slice of cheese on them. . Yesterdays batch I used a tea spoon of some indian spice mix with some salt in it and some hot chili pepper. I'll play around with the flavors. Next time I'll try the rosemary.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Still doing pretty good. We had brisket yesterday, texas wood smoked already cooked from HEB. It was so good. Served it with chopped broccoli and I put a nice cheese cream sauce over it. Just heavy cream and well cheese melted.  

Some nice tomato slices and we were in business. Hubby did cheat on Monday at work when he ate a sandwich they brought in during a meeting. I had packed him lunch, but oh well.   We aren't going to play the guilt trip or anything and my goal is just basically trying to get the carbs down way lower than what we have been doing. So I am looking at the overall thingy, not get to militant with stuff. 

I made a chocolate pudding today with chia seeds, it was quite good and served its purpose of filling that choco craving. I have european style cocoa powder in the house so its really chocolaty. 

I am still not doing super great on the workout front though. 

I got some nice texas style chili simmering in the crock pot right now. Apparently true texas chili doesn't have beans in anyway, so its perfect for low carb. And I am using the Gebhardt chili powder which I am told was the first chili powder made and sold right here in San Antonio. So they say.  . Since I am not using beans, I used 2 pounds of meat. It will be great and served with cheddar cheese. I am a bit at a loss what else I need to serve with it, other than a nice salad.

I guess it doesn't need anything else.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I was a fan of cereal and ate far too much, so I am thinking of trying Fiber One cereal and soy milk, with some fruit on top. The net carbs in the Fiber One are a bit high, if I remember right 11 grams per (small) serving, but it will be a pleasant change and the fiber won't do me any harm.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Cuechick said:


> A few tips, you can use almond meal (flour) to sub and it is pretty good. Trader Joe's has a reasonably priced version and I use it to whip up a pancake once or twice a week. Just 1/4 cup of the meal, 1 egg, a little baking powder, dash salt and a little coconut sugar (a good natural low carb sweetner kind of like brown sugar) & sour cream, you can also add a touch of half & half if too thick. Just mix well and you get a nice little pancake!


Just wanted to thank you for this. I finally have my almond flour, had to order it from Amazon as the Traders Joe is way out of my way here. I made them this morning and I used some cream cheese instead of sour cream since I had some open. Just a little. I have no substitute sugar I can stand. I got some pure stevia powder and holy moly that stuff has a bitter after taste. Yuck. And its the pure kind, no additives, its a very fine powder, not like the granulated from the stores. I guess I am still going to have to figure out what to do about the sugar. I just sprinkled some unsweetened coconut flakes over it and left any sweetener out. 
I just don't like the taste of any non sugar sweeteners. Luckily, I don't like my stuff sweet anyway. I might try some no sugar syrup for pancakes. Or I'll stick with Agave. It has 16 gr carb per TB. I don't think I would use a TB in a week. I just use so little that I don't think it would be an issue.

Of course that means I can't for now try any baked goods. Not until I find a sugar substitute I can bear and tolerate.

But anyway, the pancakes fluffed up and they tasted great.

eta: I am also fiddling with making some kind of hot choco that is low carb. So I used a bit of heavy cream, about 3TB I think in a mug, mixed in some european style cocoa powder. I always have some of that I buy from king arthur flour. I mix it well and then fill the rest with water. For some reason milk has more carb than heavy cream, so thinning out heavy cream keeps the carbs low. Its just a lot of fat. 1 TB I think has 18% of the daily value fat. I am going to try it with only 2TB next time, it was quite rich. I hit in in the microwave and then I put some store bought stevia in it which I hadn't actually tried yet. The pure stevia powder is bitter, or more like a licorice aftertaste. I hate licorice. But this stevia granulated stuff is erythritol and rubiana which is the stevia and some natural flavors. It didn't taste bitter at all, but I still didn't use a whole package, just half.

Did it taste like the hot choco I am used to from germany and austria? No. But it was quite good and very rich and hit the choco buds nicely. 

Next goal, making low carb corn tortillas.


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## marchorn (Dec 12, 2013)

Hi everyone,

I really think low carbs is the way forward. I'm a bit of a fitness freak; I go the gym and lift weights twice a week, cycle to work and get a couple of runs in a week. In the past couple of years, though, I've found that even while doing all that I was getting fat around the stomach. Well into my thirties, it was obvious that my metabolism had slowed down.
I particularly noticed this after I couldn't shift the excess weight caused by a diet of pasties and ice cream on holiday! After previous binges it hadn't been difficult to lose the weight.
So I assessed my diet. I ate loads and often would have 8 slices of bread a day. So I cut that in half, started to eat more salads, and cut right down on anything carby like pasta, rice and potatoes at dinner time. After all, all I was doing after dinner was going to sleep. There was no way I was going to burn all those carbs!
The fat really disappeared after these changes. I was still lifting weights, so I didn't lose muscle, just fat.

Nice to meet you all,

Marc


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

marchorn said:


> Hi everyone,
> 
> I really think low carbs is the way forward. I'm a bit of a fitness freak; I go the gym and lift weights twice a week, cycle to work and get a couple of runs in a week. In the past couple of years, though, I've found that even while doing all that I was getting fat around the stomach. Well into my thirties, it was obvious that my metabolism had slowed down.
> I particularly noticed this after I couldn't shift the excess weight caused by a diet of pasties and ice cream on holiday! After previous binges it hadn't been difficult to lose the weight.
> ...


Nice to meet you too Marc. Oy, a fitness freak. 
My guilt devil is screaming in my ear right now. I don't think I'll ever be a fitness freak. I'd just be happy if I could do something, anything on a regular basis and not abhor, hate, despise working out so much. I must have a gene mutation. 

Bread yeah. Sigh. I was saying to my husband the other day, what was I thinking. A born and bread Bavarian doing a low carb diet. And just when I had perfected bread baking to taste darn close to the stuff I used to get back home from the bakery. Of course I plowed through a loaf, well we plowed through a loaf. . We could eat half a loaf the day we baked it easy, the 2 of us. So yeah, something had to change.

Hubby reported that he is sticking to the no starch thingy now at work too where he often gets taken out by contracters. He just takes the meat and the veggies and salad and skips any other side thingies and the bread. He said he hasn't been as tired as he often got in the afternoon.

Oddly enough I thought it would be him to have a harder time with the no bread and stuff, but it turns out its me. He had a bit of a craving assault last night and I stuffed him with a smoked sausage. I had a craving assault today and I was folding clothes. . Anything to get my mind off it.

I might try a chicken pot pie tonight. I found an easy recipe using almond flour for the crust topping.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

We've found another source for "pasta". We've been using frozen French style green beans; the long stringy cut beans. Steam them up "al dente" and add your favorite sauce. The beans add almost no flavor, so you're good to go. I still miss "real" pasta, though, and will admit to having a real pasta dinner occasionally, but in general the beans work pretty well.

Claw - even if you aren't a cook you can make chili. That's like the easiest thing in the world to make!


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

Add some healthy fats like walnuts and olive oil and stop worrying about carbohydrates, IMO.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

HappyGuy said:


> We've found another source for "pasta". We've been using frozen French style green beans; the long stringy cut beans. Steam them up "al dente" and add your favorite sauce. The beans add almost no flavor, so you're good to go. I still miss "real" pasta, though, and will admit to having a real pasta dinner occasionally, but in general the beans work pretty well.
> 
> Claw - even if you aren't a cook you can make chili. That's like the easiest thing in the world to make!


I would have never thought to try that. Interesting. I am already used to the green color "pasta" with the red sauces since I make zuccini noodles with this thing


I'll have to try the green beans next time.


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## Bluebonnet (Dec 15, 2013)

Low carb was the only thing that helped me get rid of middle-age spread. I had been very thin all my life, but around my late 40s I started getting a big stomach and hips. It was hormone and metabolism changes, because I didn't change anything about the kinds or amounts of food I ate. I was frantic. I tried eating smaller portions and working out a lot, but no matter what I did, I kept getting bigger every year. As a last resort I decided to try low carb, about 4 years ago. 

It was very hard because I love bread, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, rice, crackers and cookies. But I stuck with it once I saw how much weight I was losing, and how fast!  I lost 25 pounds in 4 months and was back to my early 20s weight. I lost 4 inches off my waist and 6 inches off the abs and hips. Went down 5 pants sizes. I have stayed with the diet and haven't gained the weight back.

I am not excessively strict about the diet. I still eat bread, 2 pieces of toast every morning, and sandwiches sometimes. I eat crackers. But I run away from potatoes, rice, pasta, cookies and cake. I was never that fond of chocolate and other candy to begin with, so that hasn't been a problem. Mostly I eat meat, fruit, vegetables and dairy products. I eat pure sugar because I think high fructose corn syrup is bad for the body.


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## HappyGuy (Nov 3, 2008)

Let me know how you like them.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> These, or a similar variety may help with the chocolate. They are available at Amazon, and they or similar varieties will be at Walgreens or Walmart (Walmart usually has them in "sports nutrition"). They will be most expensive at Walgreens and cheapest at Amazon, as you'd expect. But beware of prices and shipping charges if you buy at Amazon from third-party sellers.
> 
> They have a "chocolate candies" that is an M&Ms clone if those appeal. Not the greatest chocolate in the world, but if you haven't had chocolate in a couple of weeks, I'll bet you hear angels singing when you bite into one!


I signed up on the Adkins website and they send me a carb counter and 3 nice samples of snacks like the one you listed. They send a snack Caramel chocolate peanut nougat bar, which we had today and it was very good. I cut it in half to share with hubby. It was surprisingly good and filling.

They also send a treat caramel nut chew bar and a meal chocolate peanut butter bar. 
Great way to try them out this way. I need to see if I can tolerate the maltitol they use as sweetener. I think I can handle the sucralose, I tested that one. Not sure yet on the sugar alcohol like maltitol. But I wouldn't eat that every day anyway, just once in a while.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

http://www.amazon.com/Atkins-Break-Blueberry-Almond-Square/dp/B004OCCKYE/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1387163870&sr=8-11&keywords=atkins+bar

http://www.amazon.com/Atkins-Advantage-Triple-Chocolate-Bars/dp/B00D3FAS8S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387163941&sr=8-2&keywords=atkins+triple+chocolate

http://www.amazon.com/Atkins-Endulge-Peanut-Butter-Cups/dp/B001WAL18W/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1387163969&sr=8-3-fkmr1&keywords=atkins+triple+chocolate+peanut+butter

These are varieties that I find particularly pleasing, but I can't vouch for what artificial sweetners are in them. The triple chocolate are VERY sweet, maybe too much for some folks.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Triple chocolate, how can that possibly be bad.  . I think they pretty much use the same sweeteners in each product. Maltitol and some sucralose. I don't seem to have any reaction to maltitol as of now so I think I am good. I know I had reactions to aspartame and some others before. I had used Splenda (sucralose) in the past so I know that one is ok. I wasn't sure about the maltitol. 

The peanut butter cups look good too. I think I am going to get a couple of boxes of different kind to have in the house, just in case. I rather jump on one of those than rush and find a Lindt bar to devour.  . I hope I wont have cravings too often, I had a couple of them so far. But overall we are doing better than I thought we would. 

I made chicken pot pie last night and it was delish. The topping was really good and really easy. Just 1/2 cup of almond flour, work in 4 TB of butter like a pie crust and then add 1 egg and a pinch of salt. I dropped those on top of the chicken pot pie ingredients in a small casserole and baked it. 

Doing this low carb thingy has made me thing more about how to make veggies and how to work them into the meals in more ways. I am going to try the faux mash with cauliflower this week. I love cauliflower anyway.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

I need to really watch my sugars and starches - I feel much better and my bloodwork is better when I do. I've wandered away from it recently but need to get back to it.

Try spaghetti squash in place of pasta. Not the same, but not bad at all, and more nutritious.

I have to be really careful with the sugar free candy and stick within the serving size, otherwise I get those nasty gastric side effects they warn you about. DH thought he was going to have to take me to the ER when I ate too many of the sugar-free Reese's cups. Mostly I just stay away from it.

This is one of my favorite low carb recipes. I made it tonight, in fact. I usually make it with Italian sausage. http://www.food.com/recipe/low-carb-pumpkin-sausage-soup-106467


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Meemo said:


> I have to be really careful with the sugar free candy and stick within the serving size, otherwise I get those nasty gastric side effects they warn you about. DH thought he was going to have to take me to the ER when I ate too many of the sugar-free Reese's cups. Mostly I just stay away from it.


Good point, if I eat too many things with the artificial sweeteners in them, I get gassy and bloated feeling. I try to limit myself to one or two a day. Still probably more than ideal. But I have a sweet tooth and not many ways to satisfy it!

Carefully watch who the vendor is when buying these Atkins bars from Amazon.com. When buying from third-party sellers, the prices may go up and sometimes very high shipping charges are added. Whenever possible I try to buy only bars that are eligible for prime and/or sold by Amazon.com.


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## *DrDLN* (dr.s.dhillon) (Jan 19, 2011)

No. And don't plan to do it either. There are much healthier ways starting with attitude towards food....lol


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

This was dinner tonight. Pulled pork with salad and sourcream and some sort of tortilla I slapped together. First batch turned into snack pieces. . Hard to do any shaping when you work with almond flour instead of corn masa. 
Its more crumbly so fork food, not finger food.

But I think we got it into something to hold the food.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

So, how did everyone survive the holidays? We struggled a tiny bit. But not too bad. We were invited to a couple of homes and we tried to eat mostly the stuff that didn't have a lot of carbs. I didn't want to be rude either though so I went with the flow, without overdoing it. 

For ourself, I made a delish low carb green bean casserole that came out better than the regular one I used to make before. 

We have nicely settled int the routines now. Hubby has stopped scooping sugar in his tea, uses the liquid sucralose which I also love, he also likes not being so tired at work which I think is because he is not eating a carb heavy breakfast/lunch. 

I have made Wurst Goulash with chayote squash instead of potatoes and it worked fantastic. They really have a similar texture and stay firm. Next we will be using Jicama to make hashbrowns and other potato substitute
For mashed faux potato I love using cauliflower. 

We have been eating a lot of kale and other greens like collards which I buy in the big bags. Thankfully its something we both already like anyway. I am eating cucumber by the bucket full, its on sale here at the moment so that is great. 

For dessert if I feel like it I make the microwave low carb muffins which are so so good. But I haven't had a lot of cravings to be honest. I have chocolate sitting in a spot it has been since before I started this low carb thing and I don't even look at it. I much rather make my home made hot choco with dutch coco powder, heavy cream and water and liquid sweetener. That hits the spot usually. 

I think the hardest was just to come up with meals. Its always been hard for me to come up with stuff so it just annoyed me for a while.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Had to dig this one up from the bowels of KB. 

I had been on a quest to find a substitute for Schnitzel. Meaning, not using regular flour and bread crumbs. I found success yesterday. I get the boneless pork chops thinly cut, they always have those at our store. Then I dipped them in coconut flour instead of what flour, then the egg and then I used almond flour as the bread crumbs. Then I fried them the usual Schnitzel way. Meaning, hot pan, oil in it and only do them like 2 minutes on each side. They don't take very long. I put a bit of butter into the oil for flavoring.

The coating stuck really well and they tasted really good.

I am also making these flax seed buns on a regular basis. They are like our bread now. I make sandwiches with them, or philly cheese steak, eat them with cream cheese, etc.

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/flax_sandwich_buns.html

I fiddle with the ingredients all the time. I use onion powder and garlic powder, no dehydrated onions. I have put in caraway seeds, I have topped them with cheddar cheese before baking. They are really good. I even used them to make hawaiian toasts with. Even if one is not on anything low carb, just for the flax seed fiber one gets with those that is a good thing.


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