Need ideas for no carb snacks

Sumiblue

I've been doing pretty well lately but for a few days I keep finding that I am hungry and under my daily calories after dinner but am at my goal for carbs. If I need to eat a few hundred more calories but can't have any more carbs what can I eat? I'm making extra bacon today to have a few strips ready for such occasions but what else can I eat? I made a paleo meatloaf for dinner two nights ago and would eat a piece of that but with all the veggies there are still carbs in it and it pushes me over the limit.

hookilau

I'm at < 20g of carbs per day, so this happens to me sometimes too.

I've found that not snacking between meals works for me.

I eat 4-500 cal per meal, or more if I can manage it but that usually doesn't happen. I make sure to have at least 30g of protein in each meal & that keeps me satisfied for about 4-5 hours at a time.

If a snack is needed, a piece of cold chicken, hunk of cream cheese or other cheese is what I reach for. Mainly because if a snack is needed, I'm usually out of carbs for the day.

Akimajuktuq

I hope that you have a carb setting that allows for lots of vegetables. I try to eat under 50 grams and if I avoid fruit that's a LOT of veggies that I can eat.

The best advice I can give is budget your carbs earlier in the day or go over if the carbs are just from low sugar/starch vegetables. No need to avoid veggies!

That said, I have many times where I just have animal foods (high fat, moderate protein). I also don't eat 'mini' meals. I like two big meals per day generally. If I didn't work I could do one per day and a snack.

Again, I don't really agree with avoiding most vegetables just to have a lower carb consumption. I'm a big fan of low carb but it's to limit my sugar intake not to avoid vegetables.

Sumiblue

Wow, 20g is so low! I'm nowhere near that, just trying to keep it under 100g. But I'm losing weight slowly so I'm okay with that. I will grill some chicken today. Chicken tenders are a good snack size. I'm picking up eggs at the farm today so maybe I will cook up a batch of hard-boiled eggs. I don't really snack between meals much anymore. One of the effects of paleo is I am not hungry during the day. But when I have had dinner at 6 and it's 9pm and I'm hungry and have 800 calories leftover I've been stumped about what to eat that doesn't have carbs. I love fresh fruit but, you know, carbs.

Sumiblue

@akimajuktuq, I do eat lots of veggies! We have a CSA share and we are getting lots of broccoli and kale. We eat salad with protein a lot. I agree that it seems wrong to withhold veggies for carb count. But the last few days it seems like by the time I get to dinner I've used up my generous carb allotment. I have been eating a piece or two of fresh fruit a day. It kills me to say I will probably have to cut that out :-( It's possible, too, that I am entering my foods incorrectly. Ie. the amounts aren't right and are inflating the carb count. Sometimes when I log food I find the amounts to be not quite right or I am too busy cooking for my family to weigh my food properly.

hookilau

:laugh: Less than 20g per day (net) is not particularly low if you are on a Keto diet like myself & happen to be a smaller person (5' tall, 45 yr old woman, 126#) I'm also T2D.

For the record, I don't avoid vegetables, but do avoid fruit. :drinker:

Naughty_ZOOT

I was looking at your diary for the last few days and noticed a couple of things that might help you. I have been at about 20 grams carb for almost 10 months (T2 diabetic) and I generally don't snack but I do normally consume 3 meals a day and I choose green veggies first, lots of squash; not heavier winter varieties atm and I too love Delicata even though it is technically a winter squash. I often just split it and microwave upside down on a plate, serve with butter and Now inulin fiber for slight sweetness, prebiotics and a bit more fiber. Cauliflower, broccoli, salads, artichoke, asparagus, pea pods are all regulars in our house. Hummus (check label or make your own) is also a good addition. I limit my fruit to only berries since they are lower carb and nutrient dense which make them a win-win. They are great with whole cream which also makes them satisfying and are a great snack. Whole real cheeses are also super for meals or snacks.

I have the net carb MFP app applied to my page and I noticed that you are not tracking fiber. You can either track that manually if you don't want to change your column settings or track it via MFP and apply the net carb counter unless you are deliberately counting total carbs. Fiber subtracted from your total carbs gives you some wiggle room if you want it. I still aim to stay under my total carb count but don't sweat it if i go over and my net carbs are very rarely over my total goal number. Fiber doesn't count.

Each week I cook extra meat and veggies and keep them on hand including making my own jerky in the oven (I have a dehydrate mode but it isn't necessary to make your own), I cook up a pile of greens (Swiss chard, kale, etc...), a pile of mushrooms (I mix as many varieties as I can find and do my electric skillet full of them with garlic and shallots in butter and bacon grease). The mushrooms (assuming you like them) are great fast and filling add-ins for eggs or as a side dish and are super nutritious. I also soak (to remove the enzymes) and dehydrate raw nuts and keep macadamia, almond, English walnut, pecan, Brazil and Hazel nuts all on hand in glass jars. 1/4 cup (a small handful) make a satisfying snack that is low carb-some varieties more than others. I keep a snack bag in my car and sometimes in my purse for emergencies and that keeps me full and on track. I was travelling last week and bought a bag of raw almonds for lunch at the airport and I ate a handful with a cup of coffee and was fine until dinnertime and had leftovers in the bag for another time. Inexpensive, healthy and portable. You can also make healthy nut based granola snack/cereal substitute, too.

Believe it or not, dark chocolate is filling and nutritious, too. I keep 72-90% on hand and the higher the cocoa the more fiber and nutrition. Work your way up on that if you aren't used to the higher percentages. Hubby likes 72% and I am into the Lindt 86% at the moment and training my taste buds to the 90%. After you are off sugar long enough you can really appreciate the complex flavors that would not be evident otherwise. Even one square of that makes a great satisfying nibble after dinner and that comes from a former carb addict. Farm fresh eggs are always a mainstay in our home and I keep boiled ones on hand for fast snacks or on the go meals. Bone broth is really filling, too and super good for you. Finally, psyllium fiber that I buy in bulk and keep in a glass jar is great for keeping you feeling fuller and can also be used in cooking.
Those are just a few quick suggestions since I have to go to an appointment.
Hope that helps!

Sumiblue

Thanks, I didn't know I had to track fiber separately. Guess I thought it automatically got plugged in with logging food. It's difficult to log all my macros with a little one tugging on my sleeve! I will check it out. We love Lindt chocolate but usually get the yummy flavored ones. I have just stopped eating it altogether. Maybe I will try one with higher cacao content and less sugar. Thanks!

Akimajuktuq

Dark chocolate (80%+, with no soy lecithin, organic, fair trade) is a nice treat. But not at the expense of vegetables.

I don't track net carbs specifically. Carbs are carbs. I do watch the SUGAR though because that's the one that really matters. If I do over on carbs but it was due to avocados, root vegetables, etc, it's no big deal. My setting is 50 grams of carbs and I rarely go over unless I've intentionally splurged on something out of the ordinary.

Even though I'm a big fan of ketogenic lifestyles and low carb it hurts my heart to see people trying to find "no carb" foods just to eat enough. If one must dump the chocolate, other sweet treats, limit fruits but keep all the veggies!

Btw, I usually eat a fruit or two per day and still stay within my goal. I'm pretty sure with a 100 gram goal you also can keep a few fruits in there.

I'm a single working mom, too. I measure and log most of the time but I don't sweat it when I don't either. Overall, your food choices look pretty good. Maybe one apple per day max, and careful with nuts (have as much lectin and phytic acids as grains). Low sugar fruits like berries mixed with coconut milk and cinnamon is a really nice "sweet" snack for me.

PS: another thing to try would be bigger meals with larger portions (animal foods- you seem to be eating barely any) which might cut down the carb-heavy snacking.

Sumiblue

Thanks a lot. I think I get enough veggies in during the day. I'm sitting down to lunch of paleo meatloaf made with red peppers and onions, roasted delicata squash and broccoli. It is a hearty lunch! I admit, when nighttime hunger hits me veggies aren't going to take the hunger away.thats just me. I've tried and I still have a rumbly stomach. It's not cravings for carby stuff but real hunger, an empty feeling. I hate going to bed like that. I think the dark chocolate would be nice to have occasionally because my husband and I have had 2 small squares of choc. after dinner as a treat for years now. He still has his and lately I have to sit there hungry watching him eat it!

Sumiblue

Going back to what I was saying about the food log numbers being off-I just logged my lunch and put in home cooked broccoli (boiled and salted) and it came up with 200 calories for 1 cup! What?? I just went back and selected raw since I don't think cooking the broccoli in water adds calories.

Akimajuktuq

Thanks a lot. I think I get enough veggies in during the day. I'm sitting down to lunch of paleo meatloaf made with red peppers and onions, roasted delicata squash and broccoli. It is a hearty lunch! I admit, when nighttime hunger hits me veggies aren't going to take the hunger away.thats just me. I've tried and I still have a rumbly stomach. It's not cravings for carby stuff but real hunger, an empty feeling. I hate going to bed like that. I think the dark chocolate would be nice to have occasionally because my husband and I have had 2 small squares of choc. after dinner as a treat for years now. He still has his and lately I have to sit there hungry watching him eat it!

I'm not saying that you arent' getting enough veggies, I am saying don't cut them to save carbs or to make room for things like chocolate. I AM saying that more animal foods might help - why are your portions at meals so small? No wonder you are starving at night! I don't sleep well if I'm hungry so I don't go to bed hungry. One doesn't need loads of animal foods but you seem to be avoiding them.

There are a lot of inaccuracies in the database. Take a bit of effort picking accurate ones and then be sure to reuse them. They will show in your "recent" and "frequent" tabs and save you time. You can always double check that the macros add up to the calories listed: carbs/protein are 4 calories, fat is 9. I eat ribeye steak a lot and there is an entry for an 8 oz ribeye for 150 calories - NOT. Look at them critically as you enter them. I'm not focused on calories so much anymore but that's quite a huge margin of error!

Sumiblue

I get what you are staying. I didn't eat meat for 4 years so what I'm eating now seems like a lot. I'm trying to have bigger portions so I don't find myself ravenous after dinner.

JinksE21

Have you heard of Whole30? If not, check it out. They have a 3-meal-a-day meal template that I live by even when I am not doing a Whole30 and I am never hungry! If I am then I grab a handful of nuts with a little protein and I am good.

Dragonwolf

While I agree with the others that unless you're intentionally doing keto, there's not much point in sweating over carbs from vegetables (and if you're doing keto, there still isn't much point, but then you'd want to limit the starchier foods like the squashes), here are some ideas for low/no carb snacks (because sometimes, what you need is a little protein and fat).

Jerky (ideally homemade, but store bought can be okay if you ensure good ingredients and no added sugar)
Eggs (cooked any way you'd like)
Fat bombs (butter, cream cheese, and/or coconut oil base, some flavorings; better to go for whole foods, but good in a pinch)
Spoonful of coconut oil (same as the fat bombs, good in a pinch, and sometimes, your body just needs the fuel)
Bulletproof coffee/tea or butter tea (again, same as above)
Leftover meat of any sort (sometimes just grabbing a pork chop is sufficient)
Avocado (some carbs, yeah, but a lot of fiber and fats)

welderftw

Glad to see some of us our human and are tempted at all times When an urge hits, usually force myself to stay focused, remember why I started the diet in the first place, then remember the success already obtained. Usually helps calm the urges, if not, a piece of chicken and eggs usually helps the cause.

RoseyDgirl

almond milk doesn't have many carbs - maybe a protein shake would satisfy you?

RoseyDgirl

I'm thinking about a recipe I saw recently for creamcheese pancakes (creamcheese with egg) - that could probably be very filling and not hurt your carb levels.

Akimajuktuq

The quality of food will matter more than just going over carbs a bit. Go over the carbs for the sake of getting your veggies; cut back on treats that increase sugar grams. I'm firmly planted in the keto camp but I will always support real food over "carbs are bad" mentality.

I personally wouldn't recommend protein shakes or Paleo/Primal substitutes. Almost all animal foods have zero carbs so start there but don't shy away from things like an avocado just because of carbs. Not that I mean that you should eat 10 per day! (could someone eat 10 avocados per day? hmmm....)

I have no idea how many carbs I am eating right now, but I am minimizing high carb foods, without skimping on veggies, and eating only a couple of servings of fruit per week and I am feeling AWESOME. Freedom from calorie/macro obsession is a win so far.