sorry..me again!

BryonyKate

Hi everyone! First off I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been answering my questions over the past few days. Being brand new to the low carb way of life, a lot of things are pretty alien to me. I am watching lots of documentaries and reading a ton of articles, but I ask a lot of questions on here because I feel its best to get ideas based on people's actual experience rather than just reading bits and bobs!

So today I discovered the website lowcarbmegastore.com I live in England and it seems that we have much fewer low carb options in general supermarkets than you guys in the states. From a glance, this website seems to be a complete miracle! The thing I think I will miss the most doing keto is things like cakes/bread but they have loads of products on here..but I have a sneaky suspicion its all a bit too good to be true.

For example there is this chocolate cake mix: http://www.lowcarbmegastore.com/baking/carbophobia-microwaveable-cake-mix-chocolate-sponge just 2g carb per serving.. looking at the ingredients list, is that actually ok for keto or no?

Another thing that caught my eye is this pancake mix http://www.lowcarbmegastore.com/hot-breakfasts/kitchen-pancake-and-waffle-mix-original at just 1g carb a serving but it does contain wheat bran. I got the impression that wheat was a big no-no on atkins or keto.
And there's a whole "zero carb" section with lots of things like sugar free candy and jelly babies and gummy sweets...if this is all actually ok then I could jump and sing for joy! But as I say I have a feeling it may not all be as amazing as it sounds...
Thank you in advance for any answers

princessrisariri

Hey there, also in the UK. I have managed to be in keto a couple of months only shopping in supermarket and holland and barret.

Yet (check my diary if you want) I don't have a very varied diet, and am not the best example as I hate and do not eat veg, I just take supplements I don't log instead.

Still I have lost weight, 2 trouser sizes and feel great and got generic ketostix from amazon that proved I am in he zone.

I read somewhere, and it made a lot of sense to try avoid franken-foods. That is 'fake/lowcarb' versions of normally carb food.

Just get used to eating more food that is normally low carb.

Meat, eggs, green veg, nuts,seeds, cheese should be the staples.
Almond milk is great to use in everything or just drink too.

In general things you can easily imagine how they are made and are not full of chemicals. (although I don't know how cheese is made other than it is a fermented diary product that somehow has far less sugar/lactose than milk)

Low -carb pasta was shown to be a fraud by this guy on this blog
http://www.dietdoctor.com/the-dreamfields-pasta-fraud

For making cakes and stuff try using coconut or almond flour (expensive it seems) eggs and almond milk, then liquid sweetener along with full fat butter. Some people have great success with this, all my stuff turns out pretty bad haha.

I don't know if you read it yet, but one thing you will NEED is to keep your electrolytes in check or you will get brain fog, heacahces and muscle cramps. I use this powder you dissolve in water and drink a few times a week. but there are others out there. http://www.emergenc.com/index.php/products/specialty/electro-mix. I got it cheap from ebay.

After a while the carb craving goes away most of the time as does the sweet tooth.

Some plans include having a carb cheat/bulk up/refeed/backfeed one night every 2weeks or so, I would save the carby treats till then. To start with just try stay in keto as long as you can.

Otherwise you will just get used to, and maybe even as it seems guilt-free gorge yourself on the fake-sweet no carb sweets. Then just be tempted one day to have the real thing, or sick of the cost of it and try go cold turkey but be so used to sweet things you are far more likely to cave in.

Binkie1955

I'm stateside so have not checked these food sites out but would suggest if you're going to go low carb you get ideas of how to eat chocolate cake and pancakes out of your head. That's not really the idea. It's like vegetarians who go out of their way to find tofu hot dogs. either get it or don't get it but don't fake it. low carb means giving up grains. your carbs come from leafy green vegetables. I have a few carb products that include grain, typically quinoa, on my interval training days but I ain't eating cake anymore.

tally ho pip pip and all that.

astartig

oh come on, vegetarian hot dogs are good. vegetarian substitutes are just fine as an occasional junk food if you are veg and a good way to fit in to bbq's where everyone is eating meat.

I don't think low carb cake or pancakes will work. they tend to be chemical cocktails with a lot of fake sugars and what not that might really have low carbs but your body will react to it as if it were really sugar.

basically your sub for flour is almond or hazelnut flour. there are low carb chocolate things you can make, but don't think they're going to taste like cake as you know it.. I buy something with dark chocolate mixed with coconut oil with a little maple sugar mixed into a ganache on a chocolate almond flour crust with almond butter. really nom.. it's also savory rather than sweet. it's like a savory peanutbutter cup but with almond.

I use whole grain tortilla's fairly regularly for fiber (one per day tops and net 9 carbs)