Question about low-carb dieting

[Shanatink]

Im trying to lose my baby weight (62 lbs altogether to be exact! but I only have 35 more pounds to go ) so I started doing the low carb diet this past week. Im not a huge vegetable eater and Im not too crazy about beef and I hate fish so being on this diet has left me to eating nothing but salad, chicken, cheese, eggs, cauliflower, zuchinni, sugar free jello & sugar free red bull . So does anyone have suggestion for other items I can add to my list or maybe some easy recipes or some fast food items that I can work into my diet? Im not too big on cooking either which complicates things, lol. So I need help!

[TammyJM]

Honestly, Shana...I have never been a fan of the low-carb diet(s). I didn't like how it seemed to limit my life,when it came to eating. It was too easy for me to fall off the wagon because I then craved carbs even more, because my body was starved for them. I tell you what worked for me to lose the baby weight was Weight Watchers. It did not hinder my food choices at all! It is truly what you hear, "a life style change". I found it easy to stick with and I was still able to whatever I wanted (just moderation). I leave my one book in the car so when I want fast food, I can look through it to check points of the different restaurants.

I do wish you luck with losing the weight...I know it can be a pain.

Tammy

[MyFairLacy]

There is no way I could live without carbs....I am a carbaholic (I just at 4 chocolate chip cookies and I LOVE bread). I've never tried any kind of diet, but I know my mom said that she would like to try weight watchers. It seem like a lot of people have success with that. Good Luck

[tjdmom]

Originally Posted by Shanatink

Im trying to lose my baby weight (62 lbs altogether to be exact! but I only have 35 more pounds to go ) so I started doing the low carb diet this past week. Im not a huge vegetable eater and Im not too crazy about beef and I hate fish so being on this diet has left me to eating nothing but salad, chicken, cheese, eggs, cauliflower, zuchinni, sugar free jello & sugar free red bull . So does anyone have suggestion for other items I can add to my list or maybe some easy recipes or some fast food items that I can work into my diet? Im not too big on cooking either which complicates things, lol. So I need help!

If you are nursing, I don't think I would diet that way. You actually will burn off a fair amount just by nursing better than any diet. It hasn't really been that long. Of course, if you aren't nursing then I guess anything goes and I did have success with the low carb diet. What about eggs? I think when I was on it, I really got tired of chicken as that was pretty much all we had. Good luck!

[TammyJM]

Originally Posted by tjdmom

If you are nursing, I don't think I would diet that way. You actually will burn off a fair amount just by nursing better than any diet. It hasn't really been that long. Of course, if you aren't nursing then I guess anything goes and I did have success with the low carb diet. What about eggs? I think when I was on it, I really got tired of chicken as that was pretty much all we had. Good luck!

Oh yeah...that's true if you are nursing. I was actually allowed more points with Weight Watchers because I was nursing my baby.

Tammy

[chloeandj]

I have been living low carb for quite a while now, more than a year. My first suggestion is find the Mission brand carbsmart tortillas and have quesadillas, fajitas, burritos with guacamole...yum One of my main lunches.

[Yorkieluv]

That's so great that you've already lost 35 lbs!!! That was really quick!
In my opinion though, low-carb diets are not the way to go.
You are more likely to lose the weight in a healthy way by just eating less calories, but make sure that the foods you eat are nutritionally dense...

For example, instead of eating 4 cookies, eat some banana and fresh strawberries (no sugar). So, think of it this way, let's say you have four choices...They all contain the same amount of calories(energy)...Choose the one that is most nutritious...Limit your juice intake and stick with fresh fruits.
Salads are great, just limit the amount of dressing. Eat healthy little snacks throughout the day, and try to control eating when you're not really hungry.

Carbs are necessary...They are fuel for our bodies, particularly our brain.

You could try eating ground turkey or ground turkey breast if you get tired of chicken and eggs...

[Shanatink]

Originally Posted by tjdmom

If you are nursing, I don't think I would diet that way. You actually will burn off a fair amount just by nursing better than any diet. It hasn't really been that long. Of course, if you aren't nursing then I guess anything goes and I did have success with the low carb diet. What about eggs? I think when I was on it, I really got tired of chicken as that was pretty much all we had. Good luck!

Unfortunately nursing didnt work out for me so I didnt get to do that. Ive heard that it is a great way to lose the baby weight. But since I cant do that I decided to try this diet and as soon as the doctor says I can work out I plan to start. The doctor told me I couldnt work out for the first 6 weeks but I decided last week I'd start doing some ab workouts anyways and it made my stomach feel really weird so I decide I better listen to the doctor . As for the diet, Im so excited though because I found out I can have my wingstop cajun chicken wings as they are very very low in carbs!!! I actually think I could live on those for awhile And now that Ive decided sugar-free red bull doesnt taste all that bad this diet keeps looking better and better . I know Im eventually going to get sick of red bull and chicken though, so I need some sort of plan for other foods

[Shanatink]

Originally Posted by Yorkieluv

That's so great that you've already lost 35 lbs!!! That was really quick!
In my opinion though, low-carb diets are not the way to go.
You are more likely to lose the weight in a healthy way by just eating less calories, but make sure that the foods you eat are nutritionally dense...

For example, instead of eating 4 cookies, eat some banana and fresh strawberries (no sugar). So, think of it this way, let's say you have four choices...They all contain the same amount of calories(energy)...Choose the one that is most nutritious...Limit your juice intake and stick with fresh fruits.
Salads are great, just limit the amount of dressing. Eat healthy little snacks throughout the day, and try to control eating when you're not really hungry.

Carbs are necessary...They are fuel for our bodies, particularly our brain.

You could try eating ground turkey or ground turkey breast if you get tired of chicken and eggs...

I think I will try to give this a try for at least a month and if that doesnt work Im going to try counting calories and working out. The only reason I decided to give this diet a try is becasue my parents and my best friend lost a ton of weight doing this diet and I also have hypothyroid and have been told a high protein diet would be good for it so I figure this would kill 2 birds with one stone. My mom actually has the south beach book which Im reading a bit of it and once I finish the 2 week no carb induction period I can start introuducing good carbs slowly back into my diet I hope that this will maintain a healty-eating lifestyle. My dad had to do this diet because he had diabetes and he can not really have carbs and it worked wonders for him and even helped get his diabetes under control.
Ive honestly never tried ground turkey before so I will give this a try. Is it any good?

[Shanatink]

Originally Posted by chloeandj

I have been living low carb for quite a while now, more than a year. My first suggestion is find the Mission brand carbsmart tortillas and have quesadillas, fajitas, burritos with guacamole...yum One of my main lunches.

I LOVE mexican food and this sounds yummy!

[Yorkieluv]

Originally Posted by Shanatink

I think I will try to give this a try for at least a month and if that doesnt work Im going to try counting calories and working out. The only reason I decided to give this diet a try is becasue my parents and my best friend lost a ton of weight doing this diet and I also have hypothyroid and have been told a high protein diet would be good for it so I figure this would kill 2 birds with one stone. My mom actually has the south beach book which Im reading a bit of it and once I finish the 2 week no carb induction period I can start introuducing good carbs slowly back into my diet I hope that this will maintain a healty-eating lifestyle. My dad had to do this diet because he had diabetes and he can not really have carbs and it worked wonders for him and even helped get his diabetes under control.
Ive honestly never tried ground turkey before so I will give this a try. Is it any good?

You're right about the quick weight loss A lot of people I know have lost a good bit of weight on the low-carb diet, but then they seem to plateau.

That stinks that you have hypothyroid!! You plan sounds really good! It sounds like you will only be doing the no-carb thing for a short period of time. I haven't read the south beach diet book. What do they recommend??

I'm glad you will be introducing carbs back into the diet after a couple of weeks

Yes, ground turkey is actually really good!! I had some friends over for dinner once, and instead of ground beef for the meat sauce for the pasta, I used ground turkey. They were oohing and aahing about the meal, and then I told them I used ground turkey. They couldn't believe it. LOL
You can use ground turkey in place of ground beef for just about anything without compromising taste. In fact, I actually prefer it

[Yorkieluv]

Originally Posted by Shanatink

I LOVE mexican food and this sounds yummy!

That does sound really good!

[a2luckygirl]

diabetics watch carbs-look in those receipes on the web-you can find some good one- things have chaned alot- and there are a lot of quick low carb receipes-some you will not like- others you will!
Good luck

[parker]

If you go and get the South Beach Diet book, for a floppy copy it was $13.00 (I lost mine in my last move) I just got one today. You pretty much are on that diet and there are TONS of wonderful recipes in there. You can even google South Beach Diet and find a ton of great recipes for free if you don't want to buy the book. It a great "way of life" I have done it and many other friends and family have and have lost lots of weight! If you just want the recipes then they have a cook book too, but I suggest the book so you can learn about the diet and how to start incorporating good carbs back into your diet when you start reaching certain points! If you have any questions about it ask away!!

[chloeandj]

Originally Posted by Shanatink

I LOVE mexican food and this sounds yummy!

If you put a little oil in a pan and toast it up they are even better. I've made chips out of these tortillas too, they are good stand in. They are also really good for peopl doing weightwatchers as they are very high in fiber making them very low in points.

Do you have trader joe's where you are? They have a great guacamole that is like 1 carb per serving, it's really yummy and a salsa that tastes so much like chevy's salsa, I usually load those two things up on the tortilla with chicken, toast it and am very satisfied.

The other thing I do it make soup with a large can of chicken broth, chopped celery, peas, chicken and take a cucumber and use a vegetable peeler long ways to make long strips that sort of remind you of noodles after they are cooked, it provides a great taste too.

I boil a whole pack of chicken breasts every sunday to eat all week long. I make so many things out of them as I don't eat beef either. Taco salad is another option too..without the taco part of course Jennie-O makes turkey burgers prepackaged that are so yummy too!