Low Carb

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Okay for those of you out there who have done the low-carb thing or are doing it, I need ideas for easy food to make, bring to work, to buy (on the cheaper side), any ideas! I need to cut about 50 grams of carbs and a little more some days.

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  • NK1112
    NK1112 Posts: 781 Member
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    Cut the starchy carbs and load up of the water-filled ones ... very limited amounts of pasta, rice, bread, potatoes, all processed foods - read the labels to see how much carb they have per serving. Also watch how much fruit you eat ... stick to berries because they are lower in carbs that something like a cantaloupe, watermelon, pears, grapes, bananas, even apples ... eat them but limit how much and how big. For work, how about using romaine lettuce instead of bread for a 'sandwich' roll?

    I don't eat bread on a normal basis, but do buy Arnolds Sandwich Thins ... they are flat rolls split down the middle and sturdy enough to hold sandwich fillings without falling apart. The total carb is in line with one slice of bread and only 100 calories. But i'd only have one in a day, and then make it something with a lot of fiber in it.
  • JPW1990
    JPW1990 Posts: 2,424 Member
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    Lettuce wraps, berries n cream, tuna and chicken salad - be careful buying instead of making your own there, commercial more likely to use a sugared dressing, hard boiled eggs. If you're buying, focus on plain meat and veg, avoid sauces and breading. Shoot for vinegar and oil type dressings, and avoid thickened soups.
  • jamszy
    jamszy Posts: 123 Member
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    I'm currently doing this. Greek yogurt, 1% Cottage Cheese, protein shakes, natural peanut butter and 100% whole wheat bread sandwiches, turkey sausage hot dogs, just to name a few.
  • krknobbe10
    krknobbe10 Posts: 110 Member
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    I already do eat a lot of these foods. I think I'm just going to go to the store and find meat and vegetables and other low carb food items.
  • MelRC117
    MelRC117 Posts: 911 Member
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    I don't know what your total carb goals are but:
    Eggs
    Cheese
    Butter
    heavy whipping cream
    Meat (whatever might be on sale that week)
    Bacon
    Veggies (celery, salad, cucumbers, squash, avocado, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, spinach)
    Sour cream

    Lately I make a large batch of eggs to eat at work for breakfast every morning.
    Lunch can be a salad, bunless burgers, chicken, leftovers, or pizza toppings scraped off a frozen pizza. If I go out for lunch, no matter where I go its either a salad (with unbreaded chicken and full fat dressing, bunless burgers, or chicken wings.
  • krknobbe10
    krknobbe10 Posts: 110 Member
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    My goal is 100 grams of carbs a day.
  • kayeiam
    kayeiam Posts: 215 Member
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    I eat between 50 to 90 carbs over all a day. Have open food diary, take a look, I am diabetic and eat 5 to 6 times a day. LCHF and eat just a bit more than 1200, but will increase that soon as I will be working out at a gym more.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,013 Member
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    200 g's, and I consider that lower carb diet for me.
  • hayden_sr
    hayden_sr Posts: 19 Member
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    I've been on a low-carb (35g or less, typically) diet for a year. On Sundays, I cook veggies in bulk - broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, whatever - for the week and split them up into Tupperware containers so I can grab and go in the morning. I also hard boil a dozen eggs, cook a pound of bacon, and make whatever meat dish I want to eat for the week, whether that be meatloaf (with no ketchup), meatballs, burgers, chicken, salmon or some other fish, and split that into Tupperware containers. I also go through a lot of deli lunch meat and sliced cheese for snacks.

    By Sunday night, I've cooked enough that I can grab two or three things for lunch during the week and head out the door. I also make my post-workout recovery smoothie the night before so it's ready to go as well.

    Well you may not be doing the Atkins diet per se, their website has a really good list of foods to eat and foods to avoid in a PDF print out. Whatever diet you're on, I've found cooking in bulk ahead of time makes it easy to stick to. Luckily for me, I can eat the same things over and over again and not get sick of them! ☺️
  • jarrettfam
    jarrettfam Posts: 186 Member
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    I'm starting at 75grams per day? Any ideas to help me start out?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    jarrettfam wrote: »
    I'm starting at 75grams per day? Any ideas to help me start out?

    Bacon & egg for breakfast. meat or fish (4 ozs) and two veg for evening meal.
  • LaurenCheek
    LaurenCheek Posts: 34 Member
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    Mini "Quiches:" I bake eggs with veggies (you could add bacon, cheese, etc too!) in the oven in a muffin tin at 350 degrees until set for quick breakfasts. Use collard leaves as wraps and fill them with deli meats, cheeses and other low carb yummies for lunches. Almonds, greek yogurt with berries, Quest bars, Lindt 90% Dark Chocolate, natural nut butters with celery and cheese sticks are go-to snacks. Dinners are usually veggies cooked with/covered in fat (bacon fat, butter, coconut oil etc) and a serving of meat. I have been incorporating "green smoothies" into my snack menu too. (Several handfuls of spinach, a scoop of low-sugar casein protein powder, water, ice, vanilla, cocoa powder, mint extract and stevia. Tastes like a Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookie!!)

    My super secret for making this simpler: I prep these meals on Sunday nights and package them up into containers for portable and fast meals. This also eliminates my need to choose meals (I don't tend to pick the best option when I'm tired and ravenous, so this allows me to avoid that step.) I realize this may not be a suitable option for everyone, but it has certainly made my life easier.

    I save my "fancy meals:" Zoodles, low carb baked goods, etc for the weekend when I am more relaxed and have more free time. This also gives me something fun and tasty to look forward to on the weekend. (I still stay on the low carb plan, I just get more variety on the weekends.)
  • reddplanet
    reddplanet Posts: 9 Member
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    I've done well bringing things like pepperoni and sliced turkey and cheddar cheese to work, hardboiled eggs.

    Soups that are broth based, like chicken noodle without noodles

    bacon and eggs for just about any meal

    steak and veggies work well--sometimes Ill make sweet potato fries with a steak for a little carb.

    I love to make stirfries too, and fajitas. Both work with steak and chicken. Just peppers, onions and the meat. I buy low carb tortillas for the fajitas if I must have a wrap but I have been using lettuce a lot for those, as well as "lettuce wraps" for asian meals, stirfries work well in those, as do using ground turkey and using your hands to kind of break it down and add in veggies.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    Cook up a batch of chilli (minus the kidney beans).
    If you've got a microwave at work - 4 - 5 minutes and yum, hot bowl of chilli.
  • Juliareva87
    Juliareva87 Posts: 1 Member
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    Are we talking 50 net carbs per day or total? 50 total carbs is going to leave you very little room for fruit, since you want to be getting fiber in. 50 total carbs should even out to 25-35 net, which is pretty low. I shoot for 40-50 net per day, and that leave me room to have greek yogurt, hummus, and some fruit.

    Here are my typical staples:
    -Proteins - eggs, meats, shrimp, ya know
    -Dairy - Plain full fat greek yogurt, full fat cheese, full fat cottage cheese, half and half
    -Veggies - Broccoli, spinach, radishes, romaine lettuce, cauliflower
    -Fruits - kiwis, avocados, frozen blueberries and cherries, watermelon, apples
    -Other - pecans, almonds, almond or peanut butter, almond milk, coconut water

    Once in a while stuff:
    -Grapes, processed meats like bacon or sausage, premade frozen diet foods, sweet potato or waxy potato, squash, beans,low carb tortillas, marinara sauce

    Only on cheat days:
    -Grains, sugar, honey, ya know - the super carby stuff
  • mielepiel
    mielepiel Posts: 20 Member
    edited February 2015
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    You can also try to make an almondpancake. Great for on the go with some tunasalad.
    Just mix 1 egg, 25 grams of almondflour and like a tbsp or half a tbsp of cream and bake it :)