Low Carb-ers Challenge to Choose Change!

Morning, Great job on that water. I never heard of that coconut oil in your coffee. Can you tell me more.
Thanks,
Keep Losing
Beachcomer

Nutiva Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil:

*Certified organic and non-GMO
*Made from fresh coconuts, not dried copra
*Cold-processed
*Unrefined
*Chemical-free
*Unfermented *
*Unbleached
*Undeodorized
*Unhydrogenated
*Pure white like fresh coconut
*Tastes like fresh coconut
*Has a fresh coconut fragrance

Coconut In Modern Medicine

Modern medical science is now confirming the use of coconut in treating many of the above conditions. Published studies in medical journals show that coconut, in one form or another, may provide a wide range of health benefits. Some of these are summarized below:


Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.

Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.

Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.

Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.

Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.

Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.

Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.

Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.

Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.

Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.

Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.

Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.

Helps protect against osteoporosis.

Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.

Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.

Improves digestion and bowel function.

Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.

Reduces inflammation.

Supports tissue healing and repair.

Supports and aids immune system function.

Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.

Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.

Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.

Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.

Functions as a protective antioxidant.

Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.

Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do.

Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.

Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement).

Reduces epileptic seizures.

Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.

Dissolves kidney stones.

Helps prevent liver disease.

Is lower in calories than all other fats.

Supports thyroid function.

Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.

Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.

Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.

Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.

Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.

Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.

Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.

Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.

Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.

Provides protection form damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation form the sun.

Helps control dandruff.

Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.

Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.

Is completely non-toxic to humans.

We are different in many ways, but we all have one thing in common….THE POWER TO CHOOSE! If we are determined to succeed…we will succeed. We are here to motivate each other to THINK and to CHOOSE before ACTING. We are here to discover ourselves, recognize our power, and succeed in meeting our goals of becoming the person we want to be.

These are decadently dense, rich, and moist. And most importantly, they are low-carb.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup coconut oil
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup Splenda
4 large eggs
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp pure chocolate extract (optional)
1-1/2 cups almond flour
6 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 13 x 9-inch (32.5 x 22.5-cm) baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and coconut oil until smooth. Beat in the chocolate and sweetener. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the bowl well after each addition. Add the coffee and vanilla and chocolate extracts. Beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Add to the chocolate mixture and beat well. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is firm. Cool on a wire rack before cutting. Store brownies covered, in the refrigerator.

Yield: 48 brownies

Per brownie. Effective carbohydrates: 1.8 g; Carbohydrates: 2.4 g; Fiber: 0.6 g; Protein: 2.1 g; Fat: 9.7 g; Calories: 99

Ingredients:
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 sticks of softened, unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 cup Splenda
4 large eggs
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1-1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-1/2 tsp pure chocolate extract (optional)
1-1/2 cups almond flour
6 Tbsp Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1-1/2 tsp baking powder

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 13 x 9-inch (32.5 x 22.5-cm) baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the chocolate and sweetener. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping the bowl well after each addition. Add the coffee and vanilla and chocolate extracts. Beat until combined.

In a medium bowl, mix the almond flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Add to the chocolate mixture and beat well. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is firm. Cool on a wire rack before cutting. Store brownies covered, in the refrigerator.

RES --- thanks for the info. I actually saw that posted in another thread and checked them all out yesterday. If I can’t find anything else, I suppose I’ll be using the Hip Hop one. However…on Itunes they have some really cool Couch to 5K apps you can download for $3.00…these work with your own Ipod playlist and have the timers telling you when to walk/run, etc. BUT…these apps only work with Ipod TOUCH…and I just have an Ipod Nano. May have to go buy a TOUCH when I go buy my running shoes…LOL!!! Are you starting Monday?? And…have I completely LOST my mind?? :bigsmile:

Lioness --- I actually have some Coconut Oil, but haven’t used it much. I normally use PAM for eggs and such. I will start trying it in place of olive oil when I sauté veggies and such. I see in the info you posted that it helps with chronic fatigue syndrome, which I have along with fibromyalgia. Also…when you use as moisturizer…do you just scoop some out, rub on face and skin…or wet face first or what. I’m VERY interested in doing this because I have very dry skin. Again…thanks for the great info!!! We’re lucky to have you here! :flowerforyou:

RES --- thanks for the info. I actually saw that posted in another thread and checked them all out yesterday. If I can’t find anything else, I suppose I’ll be using the Hip Hop one. However…on Itunes they have some really cool Couch to 5K apps you can download for $3.00…these work with your own Ipod playlist and have the timers telling you when to walk/run, etc. BUT…these apps only work with Ipod TOUCH…and I just have an Ipod Nano. May have to go buy a TOUCH when I go buy my running shoes…LOL!!! Are you starting Monday?? And…have I completely LOST my mind?? :bigsmile:

Asdfjkl --- thanks! I’m glad my words rang true to you. This way of thinking is the ONLY thing that got me on track after years of ‘wanting’ to lose weight, but making every excuse in the book for not putting forth any effort. Glad we're all on track!!

Question: I have to eat every 3 hours or less or I get so hungry and also run out of energy.
Usually I have 6oz of meat , some veggie & 1 tblspoon of oil. If I'm don't have to cook I drink my protein mix with olive oil or nut butter.
I feel uncomfortable when I eat fat because I don't know for sure if it will increase my cholesterol (sp?)
and trilicyle level.

One good thing about low carb diet, I have a light period and I hardly bloat. In fact I don't feel much different. When I eat hi carb, I feel bad bad about my body and uncomfortable.

Dietary Triglyceride Reduction: High Triglycerides-Sugar Connection

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If you strictly follow a sugar-free diet, a significant drop in your blood triglyceride level should occur in four (4) to six (6) weeks.

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Sugar is harmful to human health! Unfortunately, many people are actually addicted to sugar, and this includes grains, which are rapidly broken down into sugar in your body.

In order to free yourself of the physical addiction, complete avoidance of all sugar and grains is necessary. Complete abstinence resolves the biochemical addiction, however, it will be very important to eat every two hours during this transition to avoid symptoms of hypoglycemia. This is usually necessary for several days to several weeks.

Sugar is also a source of excess calories which are being turned into fat - usually, triglycerides, so the fat levels in your blood go up.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup

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If you are a "popaholic," or if you are in the habit of drinking soft drinks, you jeopardize your health.

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Although it is possible to stay close to a diet free of simple carbohydrates, high-fructose corn syrup, and refined sugars - most of us slip a little here and there.

We go out for an ice cream on a summer evening. We order something in a restaurant that we're pretty sure is high in sugar. Or someone offers us a soft drink and we accept.

By and large, a dietary slip now and then won't hurt most of us. The problem comes when a transgression from a healthy diet turns into daily transgressions.

These days it's hard to avoid fructose because it's used as a sweetener in a wide variety of processed foods, especially in sodas and other types of soft drinks.

However, a new study in a recent issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (2004:Vol. 89, No. 6) reveals how even moderate consumption of soft drinks causes “a rapid and prolonged elevation of plasma (blood) triglycerides,” also having a profound impact on hormonal balance, hunger, calorie intake, obesity and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

A soda every now and then that turns into a 7-Eleven's 32-ounce Big Gulp every day or a soda every few hours, is a trend no one can afford to follow.

And even if you're not in the habit of drinking soft drinks, check the labels of other foods you eat daily to make sure you're not getting a hidden intake of fructose.

Sugar-Cancer Association

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Nutritionally oriented doctors have known about the refined sugar-cancer association for decades. More than 70 years ago, Dr. Warburg won the Nobel Prize in medicine when he discovered that cancer cells require glucose (sugar) for growth; they consume as much as 4 to 5 times more glucose than normal, healthy cells. In fact, cancer cells are unable to multiply rapidly without sugar.

The cells that are dividing (multiplying) the fastest have the highest requirement for energy (to sustain such accelerated growth). Therefore, cutting out the source (sugar) is similar to cutting off the blood supply - though not quite as drastic, it's certainly a step worth taking.

It is simply astonishing that this simple knowledge - sugar feeds cancer - hasn't become the basis for Rule One in any cancer fight: Stop eating sugar immediately.

Obviously giving up sugar is not the cure for cancer. But this tactic should be recommended STRONGLY to anyone with cancer or, actually, ANY other illness or disorder.

What about the alternate sweeteners?
You wonder if one of the alternate sweeteners, such as stevia or xylitol, might also feed the cancer cells in the same way sugar does.

Stevia won't, because it is zero-calorie.

Xylitol could be more of a quandary. It does contain calories (about 40 percent less than sugar), and it is labeled a 'sugar-alcohol.' Apparently that status causes a slower release into the body and less absorption. For that reason, it would be less of a problem as it is not as strong as refined carbohydrates. How much less would be controversial, since the sugar-cancer cell growth issue itself is a tough one.

However, keep in mind that the body also breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, so a diet that is heavy with high carbohydrate foods can also fuel cancer cell growth as well as other health problems that are known to be linked to excess blood glucose, including:

obesity
diabetes
heart disease
an overgrowth of pathogenic intestinal flora
gout
panic attacks
hyperactivity, and
depression.

LEANLIONESS: I also have very very dry skin, and would like to try this coconut oil wash you've been doing. I also have very dry hair - have you ever used it on your hair?

I have very dry porous curly hair - which of course is worse because I color to hide the grey - but I personally only use shampoo about once a week - the rest of the time I wet it down and just use a non-silicone conditioner and gel.... I wonder if the coconut oil would help tame my frizzies???

Just wanted to thank everyone for the sweet tooth tips! I decided on crystal light being my "dessert" after dinner when I'd otherwise want something bad. It's been working pretty well so far and I get a little help on my water intake.

I did have a general question though. I've been trying to keep my calorie bracket between 1200 and 1800 and I can't even get up to 900! I know my gym trainer would have a fit if he saw that, so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for how to consume more calories while still keeping the carbs down. I'm hoping there's a solution besides even more chicken and eggs :ohwell:

Everyone keep up the great work and I can't wait to hear about everyone's results on Monday! I know I'm already up 2 lbs, but I'm not going to let it beat me down.