Low-Carb

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Letty_c
Letty_c Posts: 278 Member
in Recipes
Went to the doctor a while ago and found out I'm insulin resistant. All he said to me was lose weight and exercise ok.... well I was getting nowhere and was constantly hungry. Went to a nutritionist and she told me my problem was all the carbs I was eating. I love pasta rolls rice crackers cakes cookies everything on the list I eat quite a bit of. So my question to use is have any good low carb recipes or know of any good cookbooks Thanks!!!!

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  • amy7870
    amy7870 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hi Letty,

    I have tried to do the "low carb" thing as well due to a family history of diabetes and it can be dangerous - I ate so few carbs that I dropped 20 lbs in 2 mths, BUT I ended up getting gallstones and having to get my gallbladder out!!!

    I have found that it's better to try eating GOOD carb instead.

    I would switch all your bread/rolls to 100% whole grain or flax. I buy low carb bread (which is packed full of fibre) from thelowcarbgrocery.com. They also have "Mama Lupe" low carb wraps which are good.

    Try changing out your white rice, pasta and potatoes for things like beans, legumes, sweet potatoes, etc. If you have to eat rice, make sure it's brown rice, and remember portion size - somewhere close to about half a cup cooked. There is a really good brand of lower carb pasta called Dreamfields pasta - it is "patent pending" but has shown to not raise blood sugar as much as normal pasta - google it and you can see if you'd be interested.

    As for cooking & cakes - try to cut them out as much as possible, they're full of refined sugar that will affect your blood sugar. Try to get your sweet fix somewhere else - some things that I have found helpful are lots of fresh and dried fruit, trail mix with raisins or cranberries, very small portions of extra dark chocolate or natural peanut butter.

    For recipes I have found that following a Diabetes type diet is helpful for keeping blood sugar in check. The Kraft website has a Diabetes section that has some good recipes, and there are lots of low carb or diabetes cookbooks out there.

    Hope that helps and good luck!

    Amy :)
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    I'm Insulin Resistant too - I feel your pain!

    Here's a website that has lots of great low-carb recipes: http://www.lowcarb-recipes.net/

    Check out the dessert section for cakes and cookies. There are some breads in the Breakfast section. Pasta has a section all it's own. That might help you get started.

    I've never bought a low-carb cookbook, but I have found many good recipes with my trusty pal Google.

    Although baking / cooking things that are low-carb is a valid option, and I believe part of the overall solution, I often go ahead and enjoy a small portion of a carb-y food (leaning toward whole grain/high fiber) and balance it out with fats and protein to slow the absorbtion rate. An example of this was that I recently purchased a loaf of Artisan Rosemary Olive Oil Bread. Very tasty, but white bread, and high carb. I spred a tablespoon of melted Spinach Artichoke Parmesan Dip on it and chased it with a protein shake. I was INCREDIBLY satisfied both mentally and physically, for about 300 calories.

    For me, if I eat too many foods that don't taste quite right, or have an unsatisfying texture, I start to feel deprived which sets the stage for a binge. When you do indulge in a higher carb food, take the time to SAVOR it. Don't gobble it down. Eat it slowly. Enjoy it - and give your body chemistry time to register the satisfaction / satiation from it.

    And don't get discouraged. Insulin Resistance CAN be reversed, but your metabolism isn't working at it's peak right now (neither is mine) and so it's important to find the solutions that work for you. I can always tell when I've eaten well for the IR when my energy goes up a bit.
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
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    And I will ditto what Amy said. Good advise!
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    When I was in the same situation my cardiologist told me the South Beach diet was for me. Check it out. Its very doable.

    Ezekiel bread and triscuit crackers are pretty good carbs to have.
  • thelowcarbrecipes
    thelowcarbrecipes Posts: 89 Member
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    I have been documenting all of the recipes I make on my website http://thelowcarbrecipes.com
    These are all recipes I have eat while on a low carb diet and losing 1/4 of my body weight .
  • russellma
    russellma Posts: 284 Member
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    I had insulin resistance as well.

    The good news is that it's self-limiting, so once you lose enough weight, it won't be as much of an issue for your weight loss.

    For me, I have found that lower carb is more sustainable that low carb. It's very hard to go off of a low carb diet and not gain back the weight, so you might want to play with your settings a little bit to see what you can keep doing for the rest of your life rather than trying to completely cut out all breads, pastas, sweets, etc.

    I usually try to limit my carbs to 150 grams per day, which isn't too horrible. I still get to enjoy a snack with my family or occasional spaghetti, but I don't have a lot of cereals or breads.

    I don't use low carb recipes, but just try to watch the amounts of "normal" carb foods that I allow myself.

    Good luck!
  • vanessairene
    vanessairene Posts: 104 Member
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    Hi Letty,

    I am also insulin resistant! Argh! It's totally frustrating. I love http://www.lowcarb-recipes.net/ as well.

    I also always make sure I am eating a protein with everything I eat. That really helps. So, if you snack on a roll, make sure you have some turkey on the side or some cottage cheese or something. I also replace any and all rice with brown rice and cut the serving in half and double up on my veggies. I also LOVE the atkins bars for a great sweet fix with barely any carbs. They caramel nut roll tastes like a candy bar and is only 180 calories and 2 net carbs but feels like a treat.

    I have a lot of stir fry recipes that taste great without being on top of rice, message me if you'd like some.

    Good luck!
  • beutlerr
    beutlerr Posts: 4 Member
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    I appreciate the insights and recipes - I need to watch my blood sugar and so have gone super low card ~50g for 2 weeks then will build them back to a reasonable level - The fitnesspal RDA was something like 350 carbs per day which has got to be too much! Anyone have experience adding reasonable levels of carbs where they can sustain it as a life habit.

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