I am looking for some wonderful, easy Low Carbohydrate recipes for only one person. I have lost 21 pounds, but am stuck at the same weight for the past 2 weeks! I am getting tired of just salads, and either Salmon or Chicken. Thanks so very much.
HUGE ^ 5 on the weight loss!! That is awesome! When you "plateau", you need to increase your caloric intake for just a few days so your body will think it's NOT starving. Have a bunless lettuce wrapped cheese burger as a self treat. Increasing your work out routine or even changing it around a little should help too.
I totally salute you girl!
Okay, here is the deal. Your body has gotten used to the new program you put it on so now you have to mix it up some.
Try eating small amounts for about a week. Try eating like
2 or 3 oz of lean protein
and 1/2 cup of natural carbs. (like yam or brown rice)
Also eat cooked veggies with it.
You can do 1 onion, 1 zucchini and say 8 oz mushrooms. Slice mushroom first While that is cooking in microwave with a splash of water, clean and cut zucchini & mushrooms add to onion and cook somemore. It is a nice and large serving. Do this at least 4 to 5 times a day.
You can prepare a huge bowl of this for the whole day and instead of this have a salad at one of the meal times. Alternate the carb with a fruit for every other meal.
It is all low fat, low carb and plenty of veggies and your body thinks wow all this food and Bah boom it starts losing again.
Laura
What i did was eat small portions of what i wanted and load up on veggies cooked or raw.. like carrots, broccolli etc. Your body has to work a lot harder to work off the roughage the veggies provide..
Dear Jean Dogs:
My sister, Susan, who is thin as a rail and full of energy at 54, has drummed into my head the following rules for eating.
1. Eat Porridge or Eggs or sausage Protein early in the morning.
2. Eat a small light lunch and a smaller supper and eat nothing after six o'clock at night.
3. Exercise by: walking, dancing, swimming or Gym.
4. Eat deep Green salads mixed with chicken or fish for lunch. Avoid greasy fried foods and anything packaged in a box.
5. Never eat saturated fats. Always check the labels.
wonderful job!!! no hints though Sorry!??!
Hi Joan,
Way to go on the weight loss! Wahoo!!
I am preparing for bariatric surgery. Because of this, I am learning to eat low carb, and also low fat. I thought I had been doing that already, but I have learned a lot about what really works for stubborn bodies like mine. I found that I've had a lot of room for improvement in my diet!
I wish this information was more readily accessible by the average person. Maybe it is, but I sure wasn't finding it until I began going to the support group meetings and talking with others who are working hard to lose excess weight, and more importantly, keep it off, even if that means having surgery to be able to do it successfully.
I've learned that your body must have at least 60 grams of protein each day in order to thrive, however, the body is only able to absorb about 30 grams at a time. Taking in more than about 30 grams of protein in one sitting is a waste of time, effort and money because the body will eliminate what is not used.
Protein shakes are a really good way to help you get your daily 60 grams in. I've tried a couple of different types, and the brand I favor is available at Walmart, in the pharmacy area, near the vitamin supplements. The brand name is Body Fortress, and it is available in vanilla, chocolate, and fruit punch. The cost is about $13 for 30 servings. It has only 1.5 grams of carb per serving. It can be blended with either water or milk. Personally, I like the vanilla, and love the chocolate. Haven't tried the punch. I've been told that EAS brand is also very good (available at Sam's and at sports equipment stores such at Academy Sports).
I put 8 oz. of skim milk into a blender bottle, add 1 serving of the protein powder, which I weigh out in a little bowl on an inexpensive digital postal scale that will weigh both ounces and grams, and will calibrate to zero with the weight of the bowl so that it's easy to accurately weigh the food items. The scale is available at office supply stores. Cap the blender bottle and shake about 30 seconds and you will have a nice, slightly thickened yummy shake. I sometimes like to use about 1/8 tsp. of sugar free Tang powder when making a vanilla shake to make it taste something like one of those orange push-up pops from when we were kids.
Two of my daily meals are these protein shakes. My main meal of the day can be a variety of things. I sometimes have baked or grilled chicken, sometimes baked fish. I like to have poached eggs about once a week, made using 1 whole large egg, plus 2 egg whites. Very tasty with half a toasted English muffin on the side. (English muffins are fairly low in carbs.) Half a peanut butter sandwich made with a single slice of 7 gram carb bread (made by Nature's Own) and about a tablespoon of peanut butter and a little bit of sugar free Smucker's jam is real treat. Or, you can have a half sandwich made with roasted or smoked turkey breast, a bit of low fat mayo, a small tomato, and kosher dill pickle spears or sugar free pickles (Mt. Olive). You could make a low fat tuna salad using drained water packed tuna low fat mayo and some onion or scallions, celery, fresh parsley, fresh lemon juice and freshly ground pepper. To make chicken salad, use low fat mayo, some poultry seasoning or curry powder, and toss in some celery, onion and pepper if you wish.
When I have chicken, I season it with seasoning blends that have no sugars in them. I love garlic, so that's a favorite. I also like Cavender's salt free Greek seasoning blend. It's in a blue bottle, available at Walmart. KC Masterpiece now makes a sugar free barbeque sauce that is very tasty (can't find this at Walmart, have to go to another grocery store). I pour a small amount in a bowl, and turn the chicken breast to give it a thin coat, then put in the oven to bake. If I want to use the Foreman grill, then I just use the BBQ sauce to dip into. Chicken can also be prepared either in the oven or on the stovetop with a sugar free tomato and basil pasta sauce (by Ragu). Just pour some over your chicken and bake or simmer. You can also use a bit of balsamic vinegar or lemon/lime juice and some olive oil in a zipper bag to marinate your chicken for 30 minutes to 2 hours before cooking. Remove chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade before cooking.
Turkey breast can be roasted in your oven, or you can use 99% lean ground turkey (Shadybrook Meadows) to make turkey burgers. I mix in a bit of worcestershire, garlic powder, and an egg, then grill on my Foreman grill. You could mix in a bit of sugar free barbecue sauce instead of the garlic and worcestershire sauce.
When I bake fish, I just put it on a foil lined cookie sheet, spritz a bit of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray on each piece, then season it with low sodium Season All or Cavender's Greek seasoning and bake it at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes, more or less, depending on the thickness of the fillet. I don't like oily or fishy tasting fish, so I favor cod, sole, grouper, flounder and orange roughy. I have found that the brand purchased makes a big difference in the taste. Either get it fresh from the fish market or find a frozen brand that you enjoy. There are good brands out there, but you may have to search to find the ones you prefer.
Shrimp is also very tasty. I like to use about a teaspoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan to saute shrimp and some snow peas. You can add some minced garlic or garlic powder, and some low sodium soy sauce if you like. You could use broccoli florets, or yellow squash, mushrooms, onions, zucchini, asparagus, whatever you like. You could swap the shrimp for cubed chicken for a change of pace.
I make sure I eat lots of non-starchy veggies to help me get my fiber. Spinach, asparagus, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms, yellow squash, celery, assorted deep green lettuces, bean sprouts, cabbage. I make my own low carb, low fat buttermilk almost-ranch salad dressing (also tasty for dipping chicken into) and I make my own low carb, low fat coleslaw dressing. If you'd like the recipes for those, or for my homemade vegetable soup, email me at jsplds @ yahoo.com
Because fruit is fairly high in carbs, be selective in what kinds of fruit you eat. Bananas are very high in carbs. Strawberries have a lower carb count. Tomatoes and cucumbers are a good carb value.
Five Triscuits and some low-fat cheese that you enjoy is a good treat to have on occasion. Triscuits are a whole grain cracker. They are available in a reduced fat version, but those have some type of sugar in them, so I prefer the higher fat version. Even though they are higher fat, they are still a good food value for me.
I avoid sugar as much as possible. I will not eat anything that has sugar of any sort in the first 5 ingredients. Sugar includes honey, molasses, corn syrup, cane sugar, fructose, dextrose, sucrose, malted barley, and modified corn starch. I will never eat anything that has high fructose corn syrup in it, because I have learned that its formulation causes an increase in appetite. I learned that by reading "YOU: On A Diet" by Drs. Roizen and Oz.
As I'm sure you can guess, this eliminates quite a bit of the foods readily available and often consumed in the American diet. Basically, it means you need to read labels closely. There are some good quality foods out there, but it takes vigilance. I find that I do best when I eat fresh foods and minimally processed foods instead of canned or processed foods.
I've learned that it really helps to keep your carb count for each meal to no more than 13 grams. Some bariatric programs advise consuming no more than 9 grams of carb at a time.
In addition to changing my eating habits, I've found that it's necessary for me to devote at least 60 minutes exercise each day. I go to the gym pool and do a 75 minute exercise routine in the water that my physical therapy team has developed for me. I wish I could do water aerobics, but unfortunately, my doctor says "no." After my evening meal, I go back to the gym to walk on a treadmill for an hour. I am limited to being able to walk no more than 2 mph, and even that is often too challenging for me because of the degenerative spine disease that I have, and I have to slow down to only 1.5 mph. Even though my walk is very slow, I keep at it. Do I get to the gym every single day for my exercises? No, I don't. But I go more days than I don't.
In the past 6 months, I have lost 38 pounds just doing these things. I also take a good multi-vitamin/mineral supplement each day. I'm trying to lose as much weight as I can before I have my surgery. (I only have another 89 lbs. to go to get down to my goal weight!) When I hit a plateau, I exercise a few more minutes and/or I eat just a little bit more food. I do not weigh or measure my food except for the protein powder for my shakes, and that's just to make sure I'm getting the right amount of protein.
This is not only doable, it is enjoyable! If I can help you in any way, I'll be glad to. jsplds @ yahoo.com
Thanks to everyone for the advice you've given me. Veggies were limited growing up to peas, corn, green or wax beans. Found that I like spinach now and include it in my salads with Romaine lettuce and a bit of dressing that is below 3 carbs for 2 tbs. My menu for today was &frac; cup granola moistened with a bit of milk for breakfast, water or green tea throughout the day and dinner was 3 oz salmon steamed, large salad of Romaine lettuce and baby spinach with the low carb dressing. Will continue with either water or green tea til bedtime. Most fruits pose allergy problems for me. I have a full page of foods I can't eat due to allergic reaction to them [but am trying to add to what I can eat], as well as shellfish. No salt, no sugar [use Stevita instead] but many spices add flavor. I do get the 'munchies around 10PM and have 6 unsalted Macadamia nuts. Once a week I have 2 Edy's Dibs and no more! Exercise is rather limited with nerve damage in my leg and foot, 3 hernaited discs in lower back. Workouts in water are out, as I almost drown in a pool and have anxiety attacks in water above my ankles! When shopping, park far from store and also walk the aisles as much as I can before heading home. Do walk 2 of my 4 dogs, weather permitting. Have lost 23 pounds from March 22nd! Have printed out e-mails and will continue to try to lose 25 more pounds by Thanksgiving. Again, thanks for all your help and will keep you informed. JoanDogs
Something I forgot to say: I steam my fish or fry it in a few drops of olive oil. Haven't used my stove's oven in 2 years - use my counter top convection oven or George Foreman's Grill. Veggies are either steamed or boiled. Don't really like them raw, yet. For exercise: am cleaning out closets which were packed tightly when renovations were done to my home. Also, I'm a Packrat and keep so much that I should discard. When those are finished, will continue with the basement! Just have to be careful of my back, as I don't wish to go back on the strong pain meds!
I am returning to a low carb life after a 12 month eating orgy (turn 52, dump alcoholic boyfriend, quit smoking, fall in love, plan a wedding, get married and dive right into the holidays with new family and watch 10 lbs appear like magic! LOL) A favorite LC comfort food that really satisfies is my Almond-BlueBerry Breakfast Pudding.
Whisk together 1/4 C fine almond meal, 2 T water, 1 whole egg, 1-2 pkts Splenda to taste, 2-3 T frozen blueberries (I like the wild because of their small size and intense flavor), and 1/4 tsp. vanilla in a small ramekin or custard dish. I spray it lightly with Canola oil for ease of cleaning but it's up to you. Microwave for 1 minute, Fold outer mixture to center and microwave for another 45 - 60 sec. Let it set for 1 minute and Enjoy! Another single serve dish that is elegant enough for company is eggplant vegetable stacks. lightly brush a 1/2" thick slice of eggplant, one large portabella mushroom, a thick slice of tomato, thin slice of onion, and a slice of zucchini with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and garlic and grill or broil until slightly browned and crisp/tender. Then literally stack the slices one on top of the other. You can sprinkle a little parmesean or gorgonzola between one or two of the layers. Top with a slice of Provolone cheese. Secure the stack with a toothpick or skewer and Microwave or return to grill just long enough to melt the cheese a little. To make them look really cool for a party, instead of a skewer, use a sprig of fresh rosemary. They look awesome and smell heavenly!
Thanks for all the hints you've shared. Over the Holidays I gained 4 lbs, but have lost them as of today! Reached my goal of losing 40 lbs, but am now aiming to lose 5-10 more, just to have a cushion. Gone from a size 18-20 down to a 14! Yipee! Am donating most of my larger clothes except for a couple of jeans to work in the yard/house. Exercise has been at a minimum due to the snow and cold, but do make sure to go up & down 2 staircases daily several times. Shoveling and chopping ice did count as exercise. Still cleaning out the cellar and donating cans of food I no longer chose to eat. Again, many thanks to all.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I am looking for recipes that fit with both low-carb and lowfat lifestyles. My honey and I both lost 60+ lbs doing the low-carb thing but after a recent sickness, I must now do lowfat. Any ideas will be very appreciated.
Here are some healthy tips:
un-buttered air-popped popcorn.
drink plenty of water so you're not tempted to snack.
use a fine quality cooking oil instead of butter...you need less of it and it's healthier for you.
Mixed-meals like Stir-Fry and Shepherd's pie fill you up faster, and you don't have to worry about 'portions' because with every one serving of shepherd's pie you're getting veggies and meat together, no worrying about eating veggies separate.
Celery. Tricks your body into thinking it's being spoiled, only without all the fat.
Peanut butter in smaller amounts is healthy because of the proteins that build up your system to fight diseases.
Nutritional supplements, if you eat a good amount but still aren't getting what you need.
A treat once in a while is also healthy, to keep yourself from going on binges.
Eat breakfast in the morning to get your system revved up and ready to go. It not only puts energy in you, but also puts the digestive system to work earlier in the day to have time to digest food properly.
Avoid really cold beverages right before or during a meal, as this numbs your stomach so you eat more than is necessary.
I hope these tips helped!
Substitute reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese for regular Colby or mild cheddar, and you'll want to use less as sprinkles rather than whole pieces.
Dairy products' fat can be reduced by using nonfat "half & half", nonfat or Neuchatel cheese rather than cream cheese, 1% milk rather than full fat milk.
A little bit of animal fat is good for you, so don't avoid it altogether.
Hi, Continue with your low carb, but choose lean protein instead of fatty proteins. Some chicken can have lots of fat, so you need to watch what you are buying. You can get low fat cheese too. I switched to light soy milk which is also very low carb. I thought it would taste awful, but it doesn't. Use it to cook with, or make shakes with, or as a drink if you want, but it costs more that regular milk. Make your own salad dressing. Most commercial dressings have too much fat, sugar, or salt. I found a low carb mix that might help you. It is called Carbquik. It is a low carb version of Bisquick. I buy it on the internet in the 3 lb. box. It has 90 calories, 6 g of fat, 16 g carbs, but subtract 14 g fiber. It also has 6 g protein per serving, so this is pretty good. You can make lots of different things with it. Hope this helps. Loretta
i follow a lowfat diet too and have a recipe for dessert to share with you.
1 spice cake mix {duncan hines}
3 whole eggs or eggbeaters to equal3
1 can of sugar free apple pie filling
mix and bake as per directions on box
you can frost with fat free cool whip or sugar free applesauce
My husband has recently trimmed off 40lbs on this low-carb thing. Since it was the very first time he expressed interest in getting rid of his Buddah belly, I was really excited to support him by preparing low carb meals for the whole family, even though I did not initially believe in the diet. Well, passing trend or not, we are all thinner, eat way less sugars and have become much more active!
Here is a great chicken recipe, it tastes just like fried chicken or chicken tenders, you coat chicken with beaten egg and then cover with parmesean cheese, fry or bake, and it's delicious, you'll never know the difference. This next one sounds icky, but it's a great snack or you can use it as a bread replacement for a sandwich - spray a plate with cooking spray like pam, then place a slice of cheese (the individually wrapped pieces) and put it in the microwave until it begins to get crispy, depending on your microwave, 60-90 secs. When the edges begin to get golden it should be done. You may have to ease it off of the plate with a butter knife. It tastes just like a big cracker, or you can use two slices and make a sandwich - I love them! If you have any recipes I'd love to hear them!
Samantha in NC
When my husband decided to join the South Beach Diet craze, I immediately started searching online to find support and recipes. The first two url's are from yahoo groups, which you must join for free and then access the boards. The others are individual websites I found and tried. But like anything not stuck to, we fell off the band wagon. Good Luck and Keep Going!
health.groups.yahoo.com/
health.groups.yahoo.com/
mysite.verizon.net/
headed-west.com/
trulylowcarb.com/
Go to http://www.FoodNetwork.com and click on the show Low Carb and Lovin' It. They have all of the recipes from each week of shows.
NO CARB CHICKEN WINGS
3 lbs chicken wings
6 Tablespoons Hot Sauce
1 stick of butter
2 quarts oil
Lawry's Season salt
Salt wings. Deep fry in oil until golden. Drain on paper towel. Melt butter and combine with hot sauce. Coat evenly. Eat, Belch, Scratch and say "AWWWWWWW"
Good for you, I've gone from 198lb to 109lb since my 2nd child was born on low-carb diets, so good on you and yours for sticking to it. Take care of you and those you love.
I am doing a low carb diet, any ideas?
By joyce m mundie from Pittsburgh, PA
I am doing the same; I recommend:
-lots of salads with spinach rather than iceberg lettuce, and add nearly anything to that - grilled chicken, taco meat, seafood, steak.
-breakfast: omelets! I saute mushrooms on Sunday night and make an omelet each morning with the mushrooms and grated cheese.
-cottage cheese - for a switch add olives and garlic and put it in the food processor.
-snack on low-fat meat and cheese.
-instead of mashed potatoes try over-cooking frozen cauliflower, then processing it with some dry ranch mix and sour cream.
I have been doing Atkins for 6 months. This is an excellent site for recipes. Linda's Low Carb.
www.genaw.com/
If you do youtube, check out Bowulf, he does lots of low carb recipe videos, plus his tips are great. He has lost and maintained about 200 lbs doing Atkins for 5 years.
Also watch livinlowcarbman, Jimmy Moore, on youtube. Another low carb succcess story- he lost 180 pounds! Lots of funny videos and very informative. Have fun!
A couple of things we enjoyed. Using cabbage instead of rice in shrimp scampi, using spaghetti squash to replace regular spaghetti.
I was wondering what some of your favorite low-carb recipes are? Thanks.
Tammy from MO
First of all, Ketosis is not malnutrition. It is simply the burning of fat. In a normal, otherwise healthy individual (for ex., not diabetic), it is not a problem, and is a good sign that you're burning fat.
www.lowcarbcafe.com has some great recipes.
It is funny how as much as conventional nutritionists want to malign the low carb diets, studies keep proving it is the one type of diet with a fairly good long-term success rate. I don't think anyone would advocate a fat free-for-all; (except for the ketogenic diet for neurolical problems) but a diet rich in lean proteins, low-starch veggies, and a limited number of carbs from grains can be a healthy and successful way to lose weight.
You need to think of just trying to eat veggies and low-fat proteins, and not go overboard on the fats--that's still not good for you! Try reading about the South Beach Diet--it's low carb, but you still avoid the bad fats and you eat low-carb whole grains, veggies, and eggs, plus lean proteins. The diet was made up by a Cardiologist, so I think it's way more healthy than the standard diets.
I lost nearly 30 lbs doing it, and I've kept it mostly off for years--but more than that, I try to avoid the white flours/noodles/potatoes/processed foods that are so normal to American diets, and my triglycerides and cholesterol levels are normal and healthy.
Good job dieting, by the way!
If you're missing sandwiches. Try Joseph's lavash wrap, has 3 net carbs, lots of protein! You can get it at walmart but the real bargain is at BJ's in the bakery section.
My newest fav low carb is chicken wings; dip the wings in melted butter
roll in Parmesan cheese and spices that you enjoy (I use garlic, pepper and cajun). ou better line your pan with foil. It is pretty messy!
bake @ 350 for 45 min...and pig out! Even the kids love them (you can also do this with boneless chicken strips).
What is a good low carb low fat diet? I am looking for a low carbohydrate and low fat diet with about 1200 calories and possibly lower in cholesterol.
By sandramendez818 from USA
Have you heard of this low carb diet? It's easy to get it wrong with low carb diets - most have too few carbs for long periods of time tha just leave you tired and frustrated. I'd suggest always starting a diet like this with a friend or write a blog about it. Share your experiences with someone or the world and it'll make dieting easier.
www.dukandiet.com/
I love my chocolate ice cream, but I know too much of a good thing is not necessarily good, so I unintentionally discovered a great way to indulge myself without all the guilt about too much fat and cholesterol, and too many calories.
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