Umm, odd sorta question...

shastta
shastta Posts: 6 Member
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
so, I've been at this seriously again since early august. I've lost a bit at about 30 lbs. A lot left to go. I cut out almost all sugar and most simple carbs. I watch my calories (probably too much) and get around 1000 daily. I walk for cardio 60 to 70 mins nightly. Before everyone has a cow about calories, I've been tested and my metabolism is about as fast as a turtle on sleeping pills. But, I'm trying to make the effort to eat 1200k. That is if i can figure out how without increasing carbs.

Anyway, my real issue right now is once I cut coke zero (evil, truly) and sugar/simplie carbs that I now struggle to get to even 1000k which is my bottom acceptable number. That is unless I drink a lot of tea with cream. I'm not opposed to this per se but it gets old and I worry about my arteries . Yes, I have read Atkins and I am happy to be low carb. Always have been, I just refused to care until recently.

So, ideas would be great. I know obviously meat and cheese. All I can think is ugh! Plus too much and I feel like a beached whale and will likely regurgitate it. Since I'm not avian I don't think that's a good way to go. Did I mention I am a horrible cook. No directions aren't much help in that I lose focus or think I know better and try to jazz up recipe which usually means disaster.  So when I do cook it's basic.

Thanks for any suggestions. Shastta

Replies

  • lisakatelaunspach
    lisakatelaunspach Posts: 79
    Hay I'm no expert but adding meat cream and cheese just to reach your cals does not sound healthy. I think I just had a mini heart attack. Anyway I found that adding olive oil and avocardo pear and organic peanut butter I am able to reach my cals and I'm not addding heaps of food. They are also good fats which your bod needs. I'm also doing the low carb thing and I'm vegan so there are days when I battle to get to my target. These good fats help x
  • TDGee
    TDGee Posts: 2,209 Member
    Try adding some nut butter to your diet. Calorie dense and good!
  • darrcn5
    darrcn5 Posts: 495 Member
    How about almonds? Or you could sautee some of your veggies in olive oil?
  • Hericksen
    Hericksen Posts: 43 Member
    What about coconut oil? It's a healthy fat and has many benefits (it's also good to use on your skin too!).
    I put 1/2 to 1 tsp of it into my oatmeal in the mornings, you can add it to lots of things, oatmeal, baked goods, cook things in it, spread it on toast, etc.
    I mix it in the batter anytime we have pancakes or waffles.
    If you get some, get it extra virgin, not processed. I love it!
  • shastta
    shastta Posts: 6 Member
    I have low sodium peanut butter and almond butter is on my shopping list.

    I did mention I suck at cooking right? 

    I do eat pb but honestly it's mental. I mean I struggle with old thoughts of how bad pb is due to hight fat and it's not all that protein rich. Though it is better than cream.

    Like what would I use olive oil with? I know I'm picky but I don't care much for cooked veggies. I'm happy to eat them raw. The problem is they have few calories raw and plain which is often how I prefer them. I do have some dressing but honestly I don't much care for them.

    Advacodo. Yeah, the few times I've only ever had it as guacamole. Not a fan of it plain. It's tasteless.  but then it could be the advacodo was not ripe or something. I buy veg now from local market so it's fresh not green house as much as I can. I can see if they will help pick advacodo and try again.

    I don't see how a vegan could go low carb. I am happy with meat most of the time. Cheese well it's a love hate thing. Aged cheese is a problem a lot of the time so I try to avoid it but I like sharp cheddar other than mozzarella that's about it.

    Any protein shakes out there that are not soy based that people like? I used to use designer whey back in the day but it's been a decade since that time. I want to avoid sucralose and aspertame too. It's almost worse than sugar for me.

    Thanks, shastta
  • shastta
    shastta Posts: 6 Member
    Coconut oil on toast? Oh wait toast. Well I don't do toast. You almost had me there  but I would think my wasa will substitue okay. I do love my wasa. Hmm no oatmeal either or batter of any kind. Though I do have brown rice on occasion I have not had any other large carbs that day.
    So, is there a brand and is it like butter. Oh so that's what extra virgin means. Then what is extra extra virgin mean? I think I read that on olive oil once. So extra virgin is the kind you can eat uncooked right? Yeah so not a cook. 

    Thanks shastta
  • Hericksen
    Hericksen Posts: 43 Member
    The brand I buy is called Nutiva, I get it from Amazon when it goes on sale.
    It's really unique, there is nothing else like it. At 76 degrees and above, it's a liquid like any other oil. At lower temps it's a solid. Very solid if it's pretty cold, but if it's room temp it's about the consistency of butter or shortening.
    It doesn't matter what consistency it is when I mix it in my oatmeal because it melts anyway but if I want to bake with it, I make sure it's room temp and I sub it in recipes instead of butter or shortening. It has a very light coconutty flavor, very light. It shoudln't be a weird of gross flavor unless you absolutely hate coconut.
    There are other brands too, I just always buy nutiva because it goes on sale on Amazon and I also do "subscribe and save" to get it even cheaper. The best kind of coconut oil is virgin or extra virgin (I think it's called expeller pressed). Any other way is processed or refined which it loses some of the nutrients and benefits in the process.

    I use it on my skin as well. I put it on as a moisturizer. I know some who use it as a makeup remover.
    I use it on rashes or skin irritation. It's great stuff!
  • Hericksen
    Hericksen Posts: 43 Member
    I don't really know the difference between virgin and extra virgin. I learned about coconut oil from a bunch of other people who use it and I was told that virgin or extra virgin is the kind to get because refined or processed is stripped of a lot of the benefits.
    I know of some people who mix some into their shakes and stuff too, only it has to be melted when putting it in and blended fast and good before it solidifies and gets chunky (no one likes drinking greasy blobs in their drinks!).
  • shastta
    shastta Posts: 6 Member
     reminds me of my early soy shake disasters. Gah! They were horrid. I'm going to look into nutiva. I have used it oddly (not that brand) as a cleaner for print work as I would guess peeps use for makeup remover.

    Maybe a trip to GoodEarth is in order.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    How are you with eggs? They're very versatile.

    Avocado on its own can be a bit strange, but it's lovely chopped into chunks and added to a salad - goes well with tomatoes and chicken. Or smush it up with some oil and lemon juice to make a dressing.

    Yoghurt?

    OK just had a quick scan of your diary - I'd suggest moving away from the low-fat cottage cheese and yoghurts to the full versions.
  • Hericksen
    Hericksen Posts: 43 Member
     reminds me of my early soy shake disasters. Gah! They were horrid. I'm going to look into nutiva. I have used it oddly (not that brand) as a cleaner for print work as I would guess peeps use for makeup remover.

    Maybe a trip to GoodEarth is in order.

    Good Earth? Are you in Utah? I thought that was just a Utah store (or maybe there are other Good Earth stores in other places too).
    If you are in Utah, check Harmons grocery store for coconut oil. I have local friends who buy it there, I'm not sure what the brand is though. I'm in Northern Utah.
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
    :::cries::: I miss Good Earth. I really loved that store. But I moved far far far away from Utah. There's nothing out where I live like it...all the health food stores are robbery without the gun.
  • shastta
    shastta Posts: 6 Member

    Good Earth? Are you in Utah? I thought that was just a Utah store (or maybe there are other Good Earth stores in other places too).
    If you are in Utah, check Harmons grocery store for coconut oil. I have local friends who buy it there, I'm not sure what the brand is though. I'm in Northern Utah.

    I might be. I might not be.  My middle name is paranoid. Plus, I'm hoping to move south in the next few years. I hate cold weather and snow. I figure if I tell enough people I am from where I want to be I'll get there more quickly. Northern Utah is the suckiest place to live if you don't care for snow and cold. Screw the mountains. Give me sunshine, humidity and sand. Heck even if you throw in a few over large misqutos & sunburn and I'm happy.

    How are you with eggs? They're very versatile.

    Avocado on its own can be a bit strange, but it's lovely chopped into chunks and added to a salad - goes well with tomatoes and chicken. Or smush it up with some oil and lemon juice to make a dressing.

    Yoghurt?

    OK just had a quick scan of your diary - I'd suggest moving away from the low-fat cottage cheese and yoghurts to the full versions.

    Eggs are okay. It's more about how many can I stand. So I will eat them for a few days in a row then not for a while. I usually only eat them scrambled. Well I don't like runny things. . Hard boiled sometimes too. plus my cholesterol has always been good. Triglycerides not so much thanks to fast food. But my family has history of heart & cholesterol issues so I try not to do things that might mess with it. That said ever time I eat an egg or three I wonder if I'm closing off an artery.

    Cottage cheese is well I eat it but not really often. In fact I think the stuff I have now is ready for the bin. Yogurt comes and goes though I really like the Greek stuff and it's not too carb high for dipping veg if I am in the mood for it or as a soup enhancement. Regular yogurt... Well, I will eat it but I can't do fake sugars as they really screw with insulin level for me so now I avoid them. Most yogurt is to sour for me plain and berry ones have so much sugar I won't often bother plus I have been known to buy them then refuse to eat them (yeah mental) and end up throwing them out months later.

    Really less is more for me. I don't really like eating, cooking or anything about the process. I know so how did I get so fat. Well, working 50+ hours a week at a high stress job and a lot of fast food. Ugh. Most of it was stress eating. If I didn't make it all the better at the time. It's hard to believe I gained so much in 4 years. I never do anything small .

    That is now that I'm coke zero free, no diet drink with the occasional crystal like mix but a very weaker version, (plus mow they have stevia versions that aren't as bad on me), and very few carbs-- I just don't even want to eat. It's like without carbs in my life I don't even think about food unless my stomach complains and often now I just ignore it fir good or bad.

    Currently, I'm working with the hypothesis that as long as I keep working out that fat will burn muscle will build though maybe slowly due to lack of resources but still I try not to worry too much about calories. But MFP keep putting that warning up about 1200 k that I sometimes get worried. I have agreed to not go below 1000 but often if I'm honest I barely make that as I don't always eat what I put in or I don't eat it in the quantity like soup of yesterday I didn't finish but there's no way to figure how to decrease accurately the calories so I just leave it.

    Of course I'm not losing weight right now but inches are decreasing, clothes I couldnt wear a month ago I can. So it must be working, or so I tell myself. 

    I'm going now to find a protien drink for worktime. I start new job and luckily this one will have little ot involved and a whole lot less stress and as a bonus it is near a park with a great walking path with trees. Perfect for break and lunch workouts.

    Oh another thing I may not have mentioned. I'm one of those special people with a geographic (map) tongue so salt can burn, regular pepper can burn which leaves out most spices. I have to watch tea, coffee, tomatoes or anything acidic in nature as it will cause heartburn like you don't want to know. Yeah I often forget this so today after days of my chai tea, my stomach feels like some one scrapped out the lining with a rake. Ugh. Besides soy drinks being nasty IMHO I avoid added pseudo-estrogens due to health issues. No tofu for me  I'm happy with that. Lol.

    Okay so I really need to get outta here as I need to get to stores and sort things before monday.
    Really  I did say I was odd. Funny but odd all the same.  shastta
  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member

    Good Earth? Are you in Utah? I thought that was just a Utah store (or maybe there are other Good Earth stores in other places too).
    If you are in Utah, check Harmons grocery store for coconut oil. I have local friends who buy it there, I'm not sure what the brand is though. I'm in Northern Utah.

    I might be. I might not be.  My middle name is paranoid. Plus, I'm hoping to move south in the next few years. I hate cold weather and snow. I figure if I tell enough people I am from where I want to be I'll get there more quickly. Northern Utah is the suckiest place to live if you don't care for snow and cold. Screw the mountains. Give me sunshine, humidity and sand. Heck even if you throw in a few over large misqutos & sunburn and I'm happy.




    HAHAHAH...I moved south to get away from the Utah cold and snow. Uh....didnt work. I didnt move far south enough I guess. Work was shut down for like a week for the snow and ice and cold. Oh well lol
  • shastta
    shastta Posts: 6 Member
    So any good earthers out there nutiva coconut oil is on sale! Still pricey but I'm cheap! Anyhow just FYI.

    I got nuts o plenty now, a protien shake I can make when food is less than appealing and lots of things I likely didn't need aka battery run shake mixer, bpa free mug & containers, and hair spray & gel. Call me implusive but I like to be prepared for any circumstances. I almost bought a sprout tray. But I decided I'd wait and get used to new current food items. Too much choice and I revert to unhealthy quick things rather than debate over choices. Though at thus point I'd really have to go out or bake something as I don't have any unhealthy stuff left other than pliab sugar, flour and brown rice. Well okay I do have no sugar added hot cocoa but that is only bad if I allow it to be a stepping stone to over eat from silly sucralose additive still the choices would be low carb. The highest carb I have left that's instantish are frozen berries and peanut butter.

    Well I need to eat something as all I've had was half a protien bar and it's almost dinner. Ugh.

    As far as snow and cold I got a feeling this year will make me wish I had moved already. 
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