I need to vent! also... low carb breakfast/lunch ideas?

andisue50

Hey ladies,

Just got back from trying out a new PCP. While trying to tell her everything I've been going through with infertility, PCOS, and weight gain because of PCOS, she basically just told me I wasn't working hard enough. Bah!! I gained about 20+ lbs since going off BCP and trying to get pregnant. Lost about 7 since going on metformin but been stuck for a little while. Reading through some of y'alls posts and reminding me that I'm not alone in this struggle definitely made me feel better. So thanks for your honesty.

That being said, I've decided I probably need to work harder at cutting my carbs. I'm curious what some of you eat for breakfast/lunch? Supper doesn't seem to hard, but I have trouble figuring out what to eat during the day. Part of the problem is I don't care much for eggs. Also don't love meat but I can be more willing to eat it than eggs. Thanks in advance!

aSearch4Me

I feel your pain, as I'm currently searching for a new PCP too after my previous one moved...I think it's really hard finding medical providers that recognize how hard it is to lose weight with PCOS. I've gotten the "work harder" thing before too, and I know how frustrating it is. Keep searching, you'll find a good one.

The not liking eggs thing does make it harder. I'm out of the habit right now, but I really like making protein shakes for my breakfast in the morning. My usual formula is hemp protein powder, Amazing Grass green superfood powder, & raw cacao powder (regular cocoa powder works too), mixed with either unsweetened almond milk or unsweetened flax milk with added protein. Sounds gross, but is very tasty & gives me a lot of energy for the morning (like I-forget-to-drink-coffee kind of energy...). It is also high protein & high fiber. I use a Blender Bottle to mix mine up on the go, but with a little ice in a blender is tasty too. I've also used whey protein isolate, but find that my gut doesn't like that as well as the hemp. Until I get myself back in the morning shake habit, I've found some protein bars I like to eat, that our Costco tends to stock. They are called "Detour Simple" and have 170 calories, 15g of protein, 6 g fat, 17g carb, 5g fiber...so not horrible for a "granola bar." The one downside to these is that they are Stevia-sweetened, which I personally think has a funky aftertaste. But I try not to consume the chemical artificial sweeteners.

For lunches, I'm a big fan of making shredded or grilled chicken & tossing it on salads (less sodium than store-bought ready-made or canned chicken). It's not for everyone, but I also keep nitrate-free no sugar added beef jerky on hand for snacking. Nuts are also a good/easy protein alternative.

aSearch4Me

Also, if you find a way to embrace eggs , individual frittatas made in muffin cups (that can be heavy veggie & protein, with the egg just used as a binder) are really good for breakfast or lunch...whether you are eating them hot or cold.

Dragonwolf

I'd drop her like a ton of bricks and find someone better. I have no patience for that kind of thing these days.

Breakfast doesn't have to be traditional "breakfast foods." Just like any other meal, anything goes. For example, I often have eggs for breakfast, since they're quick, easy, and I like them. However, I wasn't that hungry this morning, so I tossed a little mayo and shredded cheese on a couple of slices of deli ham and that was my breakfast.

Here are a few ideas:

Green or otherwise low sugar smoothie. (I used to do this with unsweetened almond milk, a little cream, some unsweetened peanut butter, cocoa powder, and something to cut the bitter -- either a little sweetener or a protein powder, or whatever else I had around -- and added some spinach to make it green.)

Salad with whatever meat, sunflower seeds, avocado, a cream or oil based dressing, cheese, tomatoes, peppers, olives, whatever other vegetables you want to put on it.

Frittata type thing with some squash or sweet potato (depending on carb allotment), a little egg (to hold it together, if you can deal with it), crumbled meat, whatever non-starchy vegetables, cheese, etc.

Leftovers from previous meals.

Bulletproof/butter/primal coffee/tea. These are a few variations on popular coffee drinks. If you're a coffee drinker, you might want to check them out. The basic bulletproof coffee recipe is a cup of coffee and 1tbsp each of coconut oil and butter, blended up with either a stand or immersion blender until frothy (no, it's not an oil slick, the oils emulsify and it becomes custard or latte like). Butter coffee or tea is pretty much the same, except without the coconut oil. Primal coffee includes egg yolks and spices, making it custard or nog like (you don't taste the egg yolks, and the heat of the coffee will kill any microbes in the eggs, and the blending will emulsify all of the fats in the recipe). A lot of low carb people swear by one or more of these variations.

alfiedn

Whatever you eat for dinner, eat leftovers! I eat roasted veggies, nut butters, chia seed pudding (with no sweetener or banana to sweeten...do not use a lot of banana--it's pretty high sugar/carb), I recently made this awesome carrot soup, but I do like soup for breakfast. Yum!

KnitOrMiss

Dragonwolf wrote: »

I'd drop her like a ton of bricks and find someone better. I have no patience for that kind of thing these days.

Breakfast doesn't have to be traditional "breakfast foods." Just like any other meal, anything goes. For example, I often have eggs for breakfast, since they're quick, easy, and I like them. However, I wasn't that hungry this morning, so I tossed a little mayo and shredded cheese on a couple of slices of deli ham and that was my breakfast.

Here are a few ideas:

Green or otherwise low sugar smoothie. (I used to do this with unsweetened almond milk, a little cream, some unsweetened peanut butter, cocoa powder, and something to cut the bitter -- either a little sweetener or a protein powder, or whatever else I had around -- and added some spinach to make it green.)

Salad with whatever meat, sunflower seeds, avocado, a cream or oil based dressing, cheese, tomatoes, peppers, olives, whatever other vegetables you want to put on it.

Frittata type thing with some squash or sweet potato (depending on carb allotment), a little egg (to hold it together, if you can deal with it), crumbled meat, whatever non-starchy vegetables, cheese, etc.

Leftovers from previous meals.

Bulletproof/butter/primal coffee/tea. These are a few variations on popular coffee drinks. If you're a coffee drinker, you might want to check them out. The basic bulletproof coffee recipe is a cup of coffee and 1tbsp each of coconut oil and butter, blended up with either a stand or immersion blender until frothy (no, it's not an oil slick, the oils emulsify and it becomes custard or latte like). Butter coffee or tea is pretty much the same, except without the coconut oil. Primal coffee includes egg yolks and spices, making it custard or nog like (you don't taste the egg yolks, and the heat of the coffee will kill any microbes in the eggs, and the blending will emulsify all of the fats in the recipe). A lot of low carb people swear by one or more of these variations.

I do the combo hot beverage thing above. It is easy, stays with me, and gives me ton of energy. On the days I am hungrier, I might add some pepperoni and cheese, or any leftovers, etc.

aSearch4Me

I've had the bulletproof/butter coffee before & liked it...but had never heard of primal coffee before. I'm simultaneously intrigued, and a little grossed out... ...sounds like something I need to try making this holiday weekend! lol

bec_232

Yes get a new PCP and get a good endocrinologist. Any PCP that simply says you aren't working hard enough doesn't want to here your problems. Metformin is helpful for weight control and fertility though so that's a plus.

Breakfast ideas: Vega One Smoothie mixes with water and frozen fruit makes a great smoothie and 2 servings of green vegs., Protein Muffins, Quest Bars, or any of The protein chefs recipes are great (http://dhftns.com) all high protein low carb recipes that are very good

Best of luck.

andisue50

Thanks for the suggestions and encouragement, ladies!

aSearch4Me

I thought of another low carb lunch solution that I sometimes do that I wanted to share. I make rice-less Philly sushi rolls at home that are really tasty (assuming you like fish/smoked salmon...lol). It's really easy, just put a sheet of nori or soy paper on a sheet of plastic wrap or a Silpat. Top with the sliced salmon, thinly sliced avocado, & some cream cheese, and roll up. Slice it, put it in a container for lunch the next day, and you're set. To keep the avocado from oxidizing, brush some lemon juice on the slices before constructing the roll. I made my dinner in <8 minutes last night...lol. (although i was apparently craving cream cheese because I put way too much in that baby...)

andisue50

That sounds yummy. Do you just get filets of fish and cook them?

aSearch4Me

No, I buy the pre-smoked salmon fillets. They are normally by the Imitation Crab in the grocery. An example can be found below, but the selection/brand will vary by store. Packages tend to range between $4-8 depending on weight. I normally go for Wild Caught Alaskan smoked salmon, because of some of the higher levels of contaminants that can be found in farm-raised salmon, but that is just my own preference. I eat this frequently enough that I buy it in bulk at Costco (much cheaper per pound) **BTW, I'm sorry for the delay in response. I was at the Indy500 yesterday & wasn't poking around on MFP that much... **

andisue50

Oh, okay! I've seen that at the store. What a great idea~

kendalslimmer

I love the idea too! My local health food store should sell nori sheets - I shall have to investigate!

Another idea for a low carb breakfast: plain greek yoghurt with nuts or gluten-free muesli. It's quick and easy.

andisue50

Thank you, kendalslimmer. I've done greek yogurt for breakfast in the past, but also struggling with IBS, so trying to avoid dairy. I believe a lot of the women on here say to avoid dairy from a PCOS standpoint as well?

KnitOrMiss

If I'm on Metformin, dairy and I are not friends, but as far as general health and PCOS conditions, I don't really notice much correlation, myself, but from what I can tell, my PCOS is quite atypical.

aSearch4Me

@andisue50 from what "I've" read (which someone please feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken), a lot of the dairy concern is with actual milk, and that the insulin growth factors in dairy get destroyed during the cheese/yogurt making process. I know my carb-craving and GI symptoms are less when I avoid drinking milk...but I still drink it on occasion (it might be an addiction). Unsweetened greek yogurt still makes me carb-crave too, along w/ GI issues. I haven't been able to give up full-fat cheeses & butter. But if you look at the carb counts of most cheese, they aren't that high.

@kendalslimmer My standard grocery stores (i.e. Kroger or Meijer) have started carrying Nori sheets in the international food aisles or by where the soy sauce is stocked. You might want to look there, too.

KnitOrMiss

aSearch4Me wrote: »

@andisue50 from what "I've" read (which someone please feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken), a lot of the dairy concern is with actual milk, and that the insulin growth factors in dairy get destroyed during the cheese/yogurt making process. I know my carb-craving and GI symptoms are less when I avoid drinking milk...but I still drink it on occasion (it might be an addiction). Unsweetened greek yogurt still makes me carb-crave too, along w/ GI issues. I haven't been able to give up full-fat cheeses & butter. But if you look at the carb counts of most cheese, they aren't that high.

@kendalslimmer My standard grocery stores (i.e. Kroger or Meijer) have started carrying Nori sheets in the international food aisles or by where the soy sauce is stocked. You might want to look there, too.

I don't know about the referenced insulin growth factors in dairy referenced, but the dairy I have is hard cheeses, heavy whipping cream, sour cream, cream cheese, and butter. All are low carb diet friendly. I haven't had actual milk in a long time, and haven't drunk it regularly in years, but it is so sweet...the added sugars and natural sugars in lactose probably have to do with it. Yogurt still has a lot of that in it, but the rest really don't. As point of reference, I typically eat only 20-25 grams of carbs daily, and most of that is from dairy, though sometimes for high fiber veggies...

Dragonwolf

aSearch4Me wrote: »

@andisue50 from what "I've" read (which someone please feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken), a lot of the dairy concern is with actual milk, and that the insulin growth factors in dairy get destroyed during the cheese/yogurt making process. I know my carb-craving and GI symptoms are less when I avoid drinking milk...but I still drink it on occasion (it might be an addiction). Unsweetened greek yogurt still makes me carb-crave too, along w/ GI issues. I haven't been able to give up full-fat cheeses & butter. But if you look at the carb counts of most cheese, they aren't that high.

@kendalslimmer My standard grocery stores (i.e. Kroger or Meijer) have started carrying Nori sheets in the international food aisles or by where the soy sauce is stocked. You might want to look there, too.

There are a number of potential issues with dairy in general. Both of the major proteins, as well as the major sugar components are potentially problematic.

Lactose is the primary sugar in milk. Many people are intolerant to it. If you have digestive issues, especially with fluid milk or ice cream (but less so or not at all with cheese or yogurt), then you're likely lactose intolerant.

Whey, one of the proteins in milk, is abnormally insulinogenic. That is, milk causes a higher insulin spike than the amount of lactose in it says it "should." This extra spike comes from whey. This can be problematic to those of us with insulin resistance.

Casein, the other major protein in milk, is a common source of dairy intolerance/allergy that isn't from lactose. Typical cow's milk comes from Holstein cows and similar breeds. These breeds produce the variant of casein known as A1 beta casein. If you can tolerate goat or sheep milk, or even certain brands of milk, you're likely intolerant to A1 beta casein, because goat and sheep, as well as Jersey, Guernsey, and other "old world" cows are primarily or exclusively A2 beta casein producers (A1 is a mutation found only in cows). Casein is linked to a number of issues in humans, though I suspect it's probably the A2 variant that's the real suspect.

Some of these parts (I'm not sure which, specifically) can contribute to things like acne and other hormonal imbalances. It's a good idea to try to abstain entirely for a month, then re-introduce various types of dairy afterwards, to see how you respond. The safest item is butter, since it's almost entirely fat and contains very, very tiny amounts of the above-listed potentially problematic parts. From there, you can use what you suspect is the issue to guide your decisions about what to add next. Keep in mind that different kinds of products have different proportions of the items -- ricotta and cottage cheese are whey-based cheese, cream cheese is cream-based, hard cheeses are fat and casein-heavy, and yogurt is fat and protein heavy (Greek yogurt has a good portion of the whey filtered out and is therefore casein heavy), skim milk and butter milk (particularly the kind extracted while making butter) are lactose and protein heavy. So, while you may react to, say, ricotta, you may not react to cheddar cheese, or reacting to fluid milk doesn't mean you'll react to yogurt.