I really want to low carb but the food is gross!!

[BloodyHellMary]

I tried low carbing last year and lost a stone in weight and looked all toned etc without even doing any exercise - it was amazing!

Problem is, I hate the food. It's disgusting. Someone please tell me I was doing it wrong as I'd love to give it another go and loose this fat bastard weight that has piled on.

My diet involved - eggs/bacon for breakfast. I can tolerate this once or twice a week but after that I just want to puke it all over the frying pan.

Salad for lunch with either chicken, tuna, prawns etc etc - ok but not exactly filling and I end up not feeling satisfied with it.

Tea - meat and veg - again fine for a couple of days but boring after a bit.

Was I doing it wrong? is that really what you have to eat like when low carbing?

Have you looked at the bootcamp recipe thread? Low carb does not have to be boring :) Once ketosis kicks in, I find a salad very satisfying for unch, I eat greek yog for breakfast as well as the ususal eggs, sausages, bacon, mushrooms. Meat & veg is perfect for dinner - how are you preparing it? I rarely eat the same meal twice in any given fortnight!

How about Paleo? The emphasis is on lots of vegetables, protein and FAT which helps you feel full. Omelettes and fruit veg for breakfast, add some avocado or nuts to your lunch and for dinner...pretty much anything goes...just leave out the starch you give to the rest of the family. So taco night becomes a taco salad, spag bol is bolognese sauce over steamed veg plus a salad, chili and salad, thai curry (no rice or noodles but you can add a little sweet potato), stir-fry with cashews...endless possibilities. Try a paleo recipe site like Nom-nom paleo or google "Paleo meal Plans" for ideas.

what is gross about eating unprocessed meat and veg with plenty of good fats?

breakfast is just another meal. it doesn't have to be eggs and bacon (probably best not to have bacon every day anyway as it's processed). here are some other ideas, which can be used for any other meal too (and definitely look at the bootcamp recipe thread on here):

• Full fat greek yoghurt, with or without a little double cream mixed in, or with a few drops of sugar free vanilla essence or a sprinkling of vanilla powder
• Eggs (poached/scrambled/fried/hard boiled/omelettes etc) - try and add fat such as butter or mayonnaise. Hard boiled eggs are especially good to have in the fridge if you think you're going to be pushed for time, but do try and add fat too. Soft-boiled eggs with asparagus for dipping is lovely.
• Leftovers from previous meals - breakfast is just another meal and it's ok to have bolognese if that's what you've got available!
• Sausages (check carb count on the packet) - these can be cooked in advance too and kept in the fridge to be eaten cold
• Spinach/spring greens/kale/other leafy green veg wilted in butter
• Kippers with butter (check the carb count on the packet of kippers)
• Crustless quiches / frittatas - these are good cooked in advance and kept in the fridge for quick meals. Use a muffin pan and a mixture of low carb veggies, cheeses and/or meats and beaten egg and cook in the oven.
• Cream cheese or hard cheese wrapped in ham
• Slices of hard cheese
• Avocado
• if you're able to keep a close eye on the nut quantities (it's easy to over do them) - a mixture of nuts with full fat greek yoghurt etc
• Cooked meats (check for added sugar, and be aware that these can be processed so don't go overboard)
• Mushrooms cooked in butter, with or without a little boursin stirred in at the end
• Coffee with double cream
• Tuna mayonnaise with lettuce
• Smoked salmon with eggs or cream cheese
• Cream cheese pancakes (google for recipes online)

chowstalker is great for recipe ideas too, they are paleo so quite a few are low-carb too.

I have some sympathy - recipes written by health freaks are rarely tasty but there are brilliant recipes on low carborundum Paleo blogs - recipes written by people who love food and love to cook. I think if you are someone who doesn't like cooking, there are very few short cuts and apart from getting used to eating plain food - there are very few cheats that sound initially appetising.
It has taken me a year to become ingrained in eating without grains, it's second nature now, I open the fridge and can pull together an interesting meal quite easily but I'm Paleo rather than low carb - so I eat all kinds of veg and try to limit dairy.

Today we were staying at Mil's house - I marinaded a chicken leg in chipotle paste from Discovery, served it with Waitrose coleslaw (at home, I'd make my own) roasted butternut squash and broccoli - very easy and very tasty.
I'm a big fan of curries...I serve them with cauliflower rice, roasted cauliflower or shredded cabbage - last year I'd rarely have a brassica on my plate now we eat them daily.
I make bacon spinach and avocado salad.
I fry chorizo and throw that in a salad. I chop onions, shred carrots, chop mushrooms, some tomatoes, chilli paste, fry and then plonk an egg on top for a weekend breakfast.
I make cream cheese pancakes when I need a sweet kick. Plain yoghurt with seeds and frozen berries for breakfast. Leftovers. I have a great recipe for English muffin made with almonds for a bit of a bread kick when the notion hits me.
I save all my ideas and everyone else's in Evernote - I love eating grain free, my food tastes fantastic now but the early days struggle is worth it.

BloodyHellMary have a look at these recipes and tell me low carb food is gross!