Any low carbers, paleos, etc. here? Need some ideas.

retirehappy

I thought we had an old paleo thread but I couldn't find it.

I am learning more about paleo and low carbing, those meals seem to help my DH's numbers.
If anyone has some good links or recipes they would like to share please do it here.

mxchana

I thought we had some Paleo folks on here but, they may be busy

From what I understand, Paleo involves eating meat, vegetables and fruits and avoiding wheat & other grains, processed foods, dairy ... I am not all that knowledgeable but this has been my impression.

I do belong to the Low Carb Forum - they have an informational thread which lists all the basics, references etc... that would be a good place to start.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10103966/start-here-the-lcd-launch-pad#latest

I've also recently read large parts of The Whole 30 by Dallas Hartwig & Melissa Hartwig ... it was very interesting, but daunting - I would like to try that sometime (30 days of basically, Paleo, but with more restrictions)... but right now I can't handle all that drastic change. I didn't finish reading it because it was going to be overdue at the library - but they include lots of recipes.

I also found this to be an interesting source of recipe ideas:

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/main-recipes?catrec=4#postpageshow

and 10 easy recipes for Paleo beginners:

http://paleoleap.com/10-easy-paleo-recipes-beginners/

Hope this is helpful. ~ Kathy

retirehappy

Thanks Kathy, I did join the low carb group, in the June basics challenge, and the launch pad thread is full of info. Almost too much, taking forever to wade through all that good stuff.

I have started out by just cutting back on carbs, keeping those between 100 to 150g (max). I love me some bread, grains, & pasta, so cutting back to this level is kinda huge for me. Another big thing is the protein level is less than what I am used to, no problem on upping fats. (Where is that avocado and give me some more olive oil please, and yes, I want my eggs cooked with butter NOW. )

Both those recipe sites look very interesting.

mxchana

Well last night's menu might qualify - I made chicken hot dogs with sauerkraut - I put potato into the sauerkraut, which I don't eat but hubby does... and I added apple. Probably should have put a little mustard in, too. But it was late and this was a rush job. I usually added some sauteed onions also, but don't have any in the house so...

I know the chicken hot dogs are "processed" so I think they are banned from a true Paleo menu... But I'm not Paleo, just trying to keep the carbs down.

Of course sauerkraut is best made in a slow cooker with some greasy meat. We don't eat pork but, here is a paleo recipe I found that sounds like it might fit the bill for those who do:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/paleo-diet-recipe-slow-cooker-pork-and-sauerkraut.html

@janmoulder2 - I think Jan was doing Paleo for a while, any ideas on this, Jan?

retirehappy

I'm not doing a paleo thing either Just cutting out some of the hundreds of carbs I consume daily.
This morning I found this in the MFP blog, it is full of swapping ideas:

http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/15-lower-carb-whole-food-swaps/?utm_source=mfp&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=Engagement

mxchana

Great links on that page.. Yes, those are familiar tricks

retirehappy

Decided to do Atkins induction phase. Not sure I can stay away from bread totally for 2 weeks. Will be an interesting experiment. All real food no Atkins products. I closed my diary because honestly I am exactly sure yet what I will be able to eat during this time. If I don't drop some weight it is back to the Zone 40/30/30. Sometimes you just have to shake it up to get your body's attention.

retirehappy

Decided to use this thread to journal my Atkins 20 experience. So far, no sign of ketones have shown up, but it is early in the game still.

This is day 4, feeling great, weight is moving downwards, really not boring at all, if you take what is allowed and make it more than just a lump of oil/butter, low GI veggies, and a hunk of meat or pile of eggs. I have had fun figuring out what to do with the base ingredients to make the meals visually appealing and something I would want to eat. So for so good.

I tested myself today, it was so pleasant here, we went to our fav Mexican place. I had DH keep the chips and salsa on his side of the table. So couldn't just grab it and put it in my mouth. I ate the meal without any. I ordered my meal, told them no tortillas, no beans and no rice. The cook really piled on the chicken so I know I got the required protein in for that meal. The dish is Pollo Mexicana, chicken with fresh jalapeno peppers, onion and tomatoes, sautued in olive oil. It was delicious and so tasty, I didn't eat all the veggies, too many. So not only did a pass the test with flying colors, I had a wonderful meal as well.

retirehappy

So Induction week is over. I am very pleased with the result, slightly over 5 lbs down. Since I had started just moving upwards since March, it is a relief to see some downward movement. I got the Kindle ver. of the New Atkins for a New You. They have modified it just a tiny bit. They focus on having a good balance between the protein and the fat, fat should be the higher percentage of the two. This is because our bodies can handily break down protein into glucose for fuel. If there is more than needed, it just gets stored as fat, same as over doing it on a carb. They no longer recommend using the ketosticks anymore. But I did finally go to the trace level before the two weeks was over. I was already taking the supplements they recommend to ward off keto flu symptoms. I had one day of feeling tired and having a slight headache, after that I feel great, with lots of energy. (After all I have all this energy stored on my body, so why shouldn't I

Luckily, I love all the vegetables on the plan. I like them so much, I over did them on a couple of days and still had a good result. And who would complain about filet mignon or salmon steak with homemade bearnaise sauce on top, certainly not this foodie. I did skip the snacks on the plan if I wasn't hungry and that was the majority of the day as each meal held my hunger till the next one. Sometimes I would add the olives,celery, or red peppers I skipped to the salad for the next meal. I did not feel deprived at all The only thing I have noticed is while I am satiated after every meal, the calories are not all that high (partly because of the snacking being kept down) I don't want to get in a place where I have to eat very low calories ever again. I don't mind 1500 at all but -1200 is not my idea of a good time now.

So I am off to phase 2, I up the carbs by 5 gram per day (these are net carbs, actual carb count will be higher) so I am at 25 net carbs per day.

Now the customizing comes into play. I add carbs from their carb ladder.
rung 1:leafy greens and low carb vegetables, small amounts of lemon and lime juice in water or teas
rung 2 dairy high in fat and low in carbs: cream, ours cream, and hard cheeses
rung 3 nuts and seeds (except for chestnuts)
rung 4 berries, cherries and melon (except for watermelon)
rung 5 whole milk yogurt and fresh cheeses like cottage and ricotta
rung 6 legumes like chickpeas, lentils
rung 7 Tomato and vegetable juices (larger amounts of lemon and lime can be added now
rung 8 Other fruits but not juices nor dried fruits
rung 9 Other higher carb vegetables like winter squash, carrots and peas, small amounts of potato, white, red, or sweet
rung 10 Whole grains

So this week my added carbs come from rung 2, dairy sources, if I start to gain on the dairy, I stop eating it and go to the next rung 3 which is nuts and seeds and take the extra carbs from those. If I start losing again, I try to add the dairy back in, after a week of success at the higher rung, often this will now work, but some are just too sensitive to lactose. So now continue doing the same thing till the ladder is climbed. Some may never deal with whole grains all that well, some will be able to add small amounts of them, and others after this process may find they handle them easily.

Now that I understand how all this really works and how long the process is, I get why many fail, this takes a lot of attention to details, well organized meal plans and shopping lists to accomplish it, and time. A working person might really struggle with all this, I would have before retirement. So maybe this is my time to get down and stay there. I have nothing to lose by doing this except a bunch of pounds.

retirehappy

I seem to be doing well with small amounts of cream, nuts and seeds, and raspberries. Haven't had any other berries to try, our bushes are producing the berries I am currently eating.

On July 23, I bounced up to 170. I hadn't been that high for well over a year. I decided I had to do something and started researching low carb diets. I decided to follow Atkins because of lot of research shows it really works for a lot of people who have yoyoed as much as I have. I ate my first full day on Atkins 20 plan on the 25th. I had bounced off that high and the on the 26th, I was actually higher than the 25th's weigh in. Since then, I have either lost or stayed EXACTLY the same. Did I mentioned I am never craving/hungry/eating mindlessly? Oh and the muffin top while wearing size 12s is gone. I am actually between a 12 and a 10. I'm just happy I can pull up the 10s currently, eventually, I'll be able to button those again. This is a good indicator I am losing fat where I want to lose it from so far. Over these 20 days, I am averaging a .37 lb. daily loss.

retirehappy

Well, with our road trip and my sister's hospital stay due to colon cancer, I am just happy I stayed the same. Normally even one of those would have made me fall of the wagon.

I was delighted to find so many options while traveling that fit within my eating plan. The B&B hostess cooked a special breakfast casserole for us and it was wonderful. The other guests except for one really enjoyed it too. The lady who didn't is one of those folks who can't touch peppers of any kind, and this had roasted NM green chilies. She was happy to eat the bacon sandwich the hostess volunteered to make for her upon learning her issue. She really went out of her way to make sure we all had good stuff to eat, really appreciated her extra efforts.

Spending so much time at the hospital gave me a few challenges as well, but it all worked out fine too. A steak salad from a near by restaurant got me through the day, it was huge.

I did add in some wine on our trip and had more after we got home. Just one glass at a dinner meal on a few nights, but that didn't seem to cause me any issues. I have also added more kinds of nuts, some low net carb flatbread and tortillas back into my diet without any undesirable effects.

I'm a pretty happy dieter currently.

Hope others are doing well on their journey as well.

snugglebunny65

I could really use some low carb easy to make breakfast ideas! They can't be spicy or have alot of sugars in them. Any Ideas out there you could share with me? I was losing weight on low carbs down 31 pounds but due to too much stress with health and other issues I started to eat wrong and went back up half of my weight loss. I am now trying to get back under 125 carb per day because that is what worked best for me. I got back all my cravings while eating wrong and it a fight I will have to win. Breakfast is my hardest because its at 4:30Am. So if you have ideas for me please share

missourinurse

Joined MFP in June. New to this thread. I will be 65 next month. Losing weight on the Low Carb Diet. The hubby jumped on board although not as strict as I am. I've lost 19lb since signing up here but a total of 30lbs since May.

retirehappy

snugglebunny65 wrote: »

I could really use some low carb easy to make breakfast ideas! They can't be spicy or have alot of sugars in them. Any Ideas out there you could share with me? I was losing weight on low carbs down 31 pounds but due to too much stress with health and other issues I started to eat wrong and went back up half of my weight loss. I am now trying to get back under 125 carb per day because that is what worked best for me. I got back all my cravings while eating wrong and it a fight I will have to win. Breakfast is my hardest because its at 4:30Am. So if you have ideas for me please share

Bacon and eggs are my go to breakfast. I also like egg white omelettes with a tiny bit of chopped assorted lc veggies, like onions, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes added in. Google low carb breakfast recipes and you should find thousands of them come up.

retirehappy

Welcome Missourinurse. It is always good to have other members of the family eating the same way. My hubby is diabetic, controlling his numbers via food and exercise, so life is much easier eating this way without having to cook separate meals all the time.

retirehappy

I seem to be stuck on rung 5, but since I don't eat a lot of dried beans, lentils, etc. That isn't so bad. I am surprised at the things I can eat with this WOE. I think I am going to just skip rung 6 and go for some more fruits and see how I go with that. I would love some watermelon before they are all gone and our apples are at the picking stage. Slow and steady, paying attention to what effects me and what doesn't is the way to go.

retirehappy

missourinurse wrote: »

Joined MFP in June. New to this thread. I will be 65 next month. Losing weight on the Low Carb Diet. The hubby jumped on board although not as strict as I am. I've lost 19lb since signing up here but a total of 30lbs since May.

How are you and DH doing on the low carbing WOE? I have reached my goal weight plus removed a few more lbs. I am loving it. Just wondering if it is working for others on this board.

mxchana

It works for me, absolutely - the only catch is, I do find it hard to "stay on the wagon." I feel best when I eat low carb, and I have been experimenting with mixing in some fasting days too. I was thinking of doing it anyway but, got a push from the Universe when I came down with some serious digestive issues. So now I am back "on the wagon" and plan to continue to experiment with fast days - and partial fast days - in my schedule.

I am also paying attention to fiber... and have started using chia again. Tomorrow my first meal is going to be cooked chia with blackberries. I was going to eat it as a snack tonight, but following that dinner of Indian-style cauliflower, I am just too full!

BTW, here's an interesting website I am looking at tonight, offering 4 breakfast ideas using chia:
https://www.ditchthecarbs.com/low-carb-chia-breakfasts/

Unfortunately all those include some kind of sweetener-replacement. I don't add sweetener of any kind, because real or fake, it triggers craving. So the blackberries will have to be sweet enough! ~ Kathy

retirehappy

I use recipes from that site. Since I don't like adding artificial sweeteners, I put the least amount or none. Sometimes you can sample before cooking to see if the flavor profile is a good one or not.

Somethings, I just skip the AS because I know it won't add anything to the dish. Adding something like an almond or vanilla extract with some cinnamon or cardamon will give things a sweetness I like.

Honestly most of my dishes are not dessert type things these days. My chocolate bombs and berries with whipped cream or a cheese plate are my go to desserts.

Glad to hear you are enjoying eating lower carbs, it is so good for you.