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emilybeaver

Good Afternoon One and All!!! I have a coworker who is doing the low carb diet and is doing amazing on it. She gives me advice almost daily. Growing up and even to this day I am a CARB lover. Give me a baked potato, potato of any shape, bread, rice, noodles etc. and I will be your best friend. But I also feel AWFUL after I eat them. So I'm trying this out.
Does anyone want to look at my food diary and critique it? I'm going to my parents house tonight and they are having pizza. Do I just eat the pizza toppings and bring some veggies with me?
Also we are going to Five Guys (burger joint that is AMAZING for those who don't know about it) this weekend. What should I eat!

emilybeaver

I would also like to add I want to lose 8 lbs or more by the middle of May for our trip to Florida. And all together I probably have at least 45 lbs or more to lose

KnitOrMiss

Yes to the pizza toppings only. Veggies are optional. The pizza toppings alone will fill you up pretty good. Use extra parmesan.

Five Guys makes a bunless burger thing - add cheese, bacon, mayo to your heart's content. Someone posted a pic of it in another thread. Skip the fries.

Good luck. Lots of information in the last 50 posts, if you've time to read.

emilybeaver

It's thin crust pizza and square so I'm not sure how much "topping" I should eat! And don't worry about the parmesan cheese I love that stuff!

KnitOrMiss

I find that I eat fewer pieces if I just eat the toppings that it would to fill me up if I ate pieces WITH the crust. The crust creates hunger for me.

If it is homemade or from a delivery shop, just ask if they can make some "crustless." Or you could bring cheese, sauce, and meats/toppings yourself and just use the oven to heat it up. Worst I usually get doing that is some sugar from the sauce, but meat lover's or extra cheese does me up just fine.

Some restaurants will make crustless pizza variations for anything on the menu.

KarlaYP

Welcome! I'm a recovering carbaholic! I've been doing this for right at a year, and don't miss the old carbage, at all! It can happen for you too! Find the level of low carb that works for you and stick with it! There will be trials, but as long as you stick with it I have no doubt you can reach your goals! Pizza toppings are great! Maybe a salad to go with them if you don't think they would be enough. Five guys burgers without the bun are awesome! Leave the fries for others and enjoy the best part of the burger with a knife and fork! I will have a "burger" from x fast food joint a couple of times a month. Don't get it with the bun, and then remove it because the cheese sticks to the bread! Don't be afraid to ask for what you want! Again, welcome!

emilybeaver

Thanks everyone! I'm so glad to be here. I need some guidance! I have only had 12 carbs for the day and I'm surprisingly not hungry at all! My issue is going to be what do I eat for sweets (brownies, cakes, etc). I already drink tons of water as it is so that won't be an issue. What fruit if any can you have?

KnitOrMiss

You want to stay low on any sugars at first, because they can trigger cravings, but acceptable fruits in small quantities are berries and stone fruits (meaning fruits with a pit, like peaches)... Any time you have something sweet, work to pair it with a fat - it helps the processing changes. Also, be careful with artificial sweeteners. The can create all kinds of messes....

As for junky sweets, there are low carb/keto versions out there, but you want to work to process through and kick your sweet tooth if possible, and if not, reset your sweet settings. Sweeten only to tolerance not to taste. Helps rewire it.

I find that on a great food day, I can tolerate a little "leaded" cake - no icing, etc. I haven't found a low carb cake with the right texture, and I don't know that i would want to - I was a crazy about it too. Another option are "fat bombs." One called Cream Cheese Clouds is pretty simple.

But really, we're addicted to sugar as a culture/society... Feed your sweet cravings with salt and fat, and it will break that craving, etc., most of the time.

KarlaYP

I'm not sure how low carb you're striving for, but at the twenty gm level there isn't room for fruit. Higher levels of low carb will have some berries in their diet. Otherwise fruit is considered high carb and most of us here avoid it all together. There are some substitutes for some sweet things such as cake. I haven't tried to make any of them myself, but there are recipe websites listed in the Launch Pad with lots of ideas!

Something you need to know, and understand; when you are at 20-50 gm of carbs a day your body produces ketones, which are a byproduct of burning fat instead of sugar. These ketones are excreted in your urine, but as they go they take lots of sodium with them! You won't feel it at first, but after a bit of time without adding sodium back you will begin to feel terrible! Increasing the sodium, to replace what you're losing, to 3000-5000mg a day will prevent this terrible feeling to come!

KnitOrMiss

@Karlottap I fit in strawberry cream cheese/cheesecake fat bombs or the occasional strawberries and heavy cream in quite easily at 20 grams of carbs daily. Just in small quantity. But I did it. It's all about balance. Nutrition before indulgence - unless there's bacon involved, then that's the best of both worlds!

emilybeaver

I just had the toppings off the pizza and it was yummy. Who needs the crust! I like fruit but I can do without it I think. How do I log pizza toppings on mfp.....

Panda_Poptarts

emilybeaver wrote: »

My issue is going to be what do I eat for sweets (brownies, cakes, etc).

Welcome, from a fellow former carbaholic!

I love a small handful of raspberries with cool whip.

I also do a protein shake that is chocolate protein powder, heavy cream, and a few raspberries. It's super decadent, my "dessert in a glass". I have found that (most of the time. Lol) my sweet cravings are pretty low.

SamandaIndia

Welcome @emilybeaver . A piece of dark 80% chocolate is a possibility for a sweet moment. However, until you break the sweet habit, you may find going cold turkey is the kindest and easiest way to launch into this way of eating. There are lots of recipes out there.

For eating out, I ask for sauces on the side as they tend to have sugar. Once braver, I now specify cream sauces with no sugar. Most times I ask for a grilled meat or fish (not breaded). Sides I have include green leafy vegies, gaucomole (use a spoon not a chip), eggs and bacon. For dessert a cheese plater without crackers is a nice option (given, you can tollerate dairy). Hope that helps. By the way, check launch pad for dodging keto flu with Magnesium (one of the versions that end in "ate") and Sodium. Good luck and welcome.

daylitemag

I just recently posted about 5 Guys. Totally works to order it without a bun in a "bowl" which is just a take out container. Bacon double cheeseburger for the win! No fries BUT they usually have yummy salted peanuts in the shell. At least the do where I live. Grab some of those for a for a side dish. Mustard is a Zero carb, zero cal condiment.

Sunny_Bunny_

Karlottap wrote: »

I'm not sure how low carb you're striving for, but at the twenty gm level there isn't room for fruit. Higher levels of low carb will have some berries in their diet. Otherwise fruit is considered high carb and most of us here avoid it all together. There are some substitutes for some sweet things such as cake. I haven't tried to make any of them myself, but there are recipe websites listed in the Launch Pad with lots of ideas!

Something you need to know, and understand; when you are at 20-50 gm of carbs a day your body produces ketones, which are a byproduct of burning fat instead of sugar. These ketones are excreted in your urine, but as they go they take lots of sodium with them! You won't feel it at first, but after a bit of time without adding sodium back you will begin to feel terrible! Increasing the sodium, to replace what you're losing, to 3000-5000mg a day will prevent this terrible feeling to come!

This advice is very important.
Don't wait to start getting more sodium or will create a problem with low sodium. Look through the last 20 posts on here and you'll probably see 5 of them addressing symptoms of low electrolytes. Sodium goes first and then magnesium begins to suffer. You will not feel well. Your body uses magnesium for 400+ vital functions all day long. Deprive it and you won't be well. Keep the sodium up from day one or as soon as you are aware of the need. It's very important. And it's a good idea to supplement magnesium. The best firms are glycinate or citrate or any firm that ends in "ate". Start with around 400mg at night if you can. It helps to relax muscles too so it can be great for sleep. Many find they need to increase the dosage in time as the body has lots of work to do healing many things you don't even know about.

Drink broth or eat pickles or olives or both, AND salt all your foods to taste. You can't get enough sodium from only salting foods.

KarlaYP

Logging on mfp comes down to your best guess of what you ate! Congratulations on your successful evening!

emilybeaver

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I feel "lighter" this morning, but no change in the scale. This is against all I've ever known to eat "all the salt". But I guess with all the water I'm drinking I should be good right! Today for breakfast I brought an egg muffin made with eggs, spinach, and sausage made in a cupcake pan, and for lunch I brought two hard boiled eggs, spinach, leftover broccoli and cauliflower shredded cheese and ranch dressing. Good? or No?