New Thread for Lo Carbers/non-carbers, etc

[WhereamI]

Old lo-carb thread was 'too big' and wouldn't let me post this. It's for a almond meal pancake - I find one is really filling (I have it with total yoghurt and blueberries) and leave the mix in the fridge to have another next day.

Ingredients:
?1 cup almond flour
?2 eggs
?1/4 cup water (for puffier pancakes, you can use sparkling water)
?2 T oil
?1/4 teaspoon salt
?1 T sweetener
Preparation:
Mix ingredients together and cook as you would other pancakes. I like to use a nonstick pan with a little oil. The only real difference is that they won't "bubble" on top the same way as regular pancakes. Flip them when the underside is brown.

Yield: Six 4-inch pancakes

Nutritional Information: Each pancake has 1 gram effective carbohydrate, plus 2 grams of fiber, 6 grams of protein, and 155 calories.

Frazzled could you post some food logs so we could look at what you're eating and see if there's something going on?

yesterday was as follows:

decaf coffee & dbl cream as no time for breakfast
some black olives to snack on at work
cheese salad for lunch
butter nut squash curry for tea
few olives and a piece of cheese in the evening while sorting the kids out

And probably another two decaf coffes at some point.

I am still struggling with the water intake as I always feel cold and drinking it makes me feel colder I need to think of something i can add to hot water as i loathe fruit teas etc

I am so tempted by the pork scratchings if it means losing 2 stone by june

Hi Everyone, just checking in to say hello.

frazzled - sometimes it is not anything you are or are not doing. As pathetic as that sounds I have seen many people diet over the years and sometimes people just stick . That does not mean you sound give up though, or even change diets. What generally happens is that some weeks after the plateau starts, you suddenly start to move again .

Overall, your day's food log looks fine. However, if you are looking for tweaks I would look at how much dairy you are eating - cheese is high fat and if you are using that as a snack then it may be adding up. Also, olives are high fat too ... maybe some raw veggies to crunch would be better at the moment?

Also, have you added lemon slices to hot water? Or fresh mint to make mint tea? It's lovely.

I am sure more massively more experience low-carbers will be along shortly to give more advice.

I too will be searching out the pork scratchings ... mmmmmmm

enjoy the pork scratchings Timba, i am a frustrated veggie hence the cheese and olives. DH is the opposite, full on meat eater who hates veggies.

Seeing his weight loss has made even pork scratchings seem like an 'option' when in reality I doubt I could even sniff them let alone eat them

I think butternut squash is quite high-carb, isn't it? It is normally a staple for me (mostly-veggie) but I have been keeping away from it on this diet. Try spinach/cauliflower/broccoli curry instead. Pork scratchings are out for me too. This morning for breakfast I enjoyed scrambled tofu with 'cheatin' chorizo' and Quorn bacon-style rashers. Not crunchy, but very yummy.
For crunch I still swear by the celery (seems to be very good at this time of year?) with blue cheese and/or walnuts.

just a few thoughts on the food log frazzled:

• You're not eating huge amounts by the look of it; sometimes not eating enough can make your body plateau, go into 'hang onto the weight' mode. Are you hungry? You shouldn't really be hungry on a LC diet.

• I know butternut squash is permitted on a lot of LC plans but squash is relatively high in carbs for a vegetable.

• Not much protein in there, and protein really helps to keep you satisfied. And there's no protein at all in the butternut squash curry. Are you eating meat at all?

I am not hungry at all so I know that side of low carbing is working. To be honest I am struggling with eating at all some meals as I don't feel hungry so maybe I need to eat more and add some variety?

BNsquash is 9.7g carbs per 100g and I used half a diddy squash. that curry lasted 3 meals in total as my appetite has shrunk protein wise its 1g per 100g.

Right, I am planning a night in front of my low carb veggie book. I WILL meal plan and keep a diary this week of my carb counts like I did the first time around.

Anyone fancy a week of hard core, strict carb limit, no cheating low carbing?

Hangover abating somewhat. Managed to eat some wholewheat toast with PB for a late breakfast and then had sushi for lunch which was a compromise on the greasy stodge that I really craved. Will have aubergine parmigiana for dinner, but go easy on the 'matoes, I think.

Sal sorry to hear you missed dinner yesterday, nothing worse than being at work and knackered without food.

I'm happy today, 2 days without sneaky peanut snacks and I am back down to 181.something. Funny how I had in my head all of these things I had to do to get back on plan 'properly' and start losing, it was so overwhelming I put it off for a good couple of weeks, then turns out I get instant results from the first and easiest thing! Still going to stick to my one-tweak-a-week plan - would be nice to lose quicker than 1/2 lb a week as I was before my stall - but really glad it's working already.

1lb on. Possibly more - I weighed myself dressed after breakfast so I took about 3 lbs off the weight on the scales. Fuck!

I am getting really down now. I am not losing, I have no stamina for running, I can't sleep. I am seriously thinking about taking HRT to combat the meno symptoms and see if that helps.

Orm you lost so much so quickly when you went back on this diet, if you average it out even with the 1lb gain today (which might just be a blip) you must have lost well over 2 lbs a week. Maybe your body is just having a bit of a rest after such a fast loss so quickly? How many weeks is it since you started back on - can't be many?

I think it's 4. Well 3 weeks and 6 days. I know you are right but I keep freaking out about how much I still have to go. I was talking to my mum on Wed and she told me she piled on the weight at the menopause - I don't want that to happen! Most of her health problems since then have been exacerbated by her weight.

You're not your mum, though. I bet she wasn't weighing herself every morning and eating low-carb. Sorry you're having such a rough day; especially the no sleeping, that makes everything feel worse. Nowt wrong with HRT if you think it's appropriate, transformed my mother's life after an early hysterectomy.

Well, the curry last night was absolutely lush, but I did have a small amount of naan and rice with it, so I shan't pretend it was low carb.

We had two friends over who we don't see often. They are GPs, so I thought I'd canvas an expert opinion on low-carbing - they gave it a massive thumbs up, and said we'd all live longer if we ate like that!

I felt a bit bloated and fuzzy this morning, and a couple of pounds up - partly the ruby murray, but also my period is now two weeks late (no, not pg, just getting irregular in my old age. Grrrr...). I went for a run after school drop-off, then lazed in the bath for half an hour, which made me feel a bit better.

Sal - I also have a night out on Saturday; not only am I expecting to drink loads but also the host is one of those domestic goddesses who puts out piles of yummy home-prepared food (not an Iceland canape in sight). Oh well, it'd be rude not to indulge.....

I shall stay on the straight and narrow today, though - eggs for lunch and a veg & prawn stir fry for tea.

Thanks system.

I went to see the GP and he told me I could if I wanted to. Gave me leaflets and told me to go away and think about it. I don't like the idea in some ways but the sleeplessness, the hot flushes and the night sweats are hideous! let alone the weight gain. I just wonder if I am pissing in the wind with any diet with things as they are.

Orm, sorry to hear it's getting you down. I think I'm just starting down the menopause road myself, but I guess that's a good reason to keep my weight down while I can.

My mum also swore by HRT; only stopped due to unrelated medical issues.

thanks cv.

Tis OK. I've given myself a good shake, had a walk round Sainsbos to buy my lunch and have stopped feeling sorry for myself! Nothing to feel sorry for myself about really.

talking of supermarkets and lc! What an eye-opener re hidden carbs. I usually make my own salad for lunch but I'd run out of bits. So I picked up some green stuff, feta with olives, and ham from the deli and then went to find some dressing. Bugger me! How do they squeeze so much starch in those bottles? Mine is oil and vinegar with perhaps some mustard and herbs. Zero g of carbohydrate. Most of the bought ones were at least 4g - some as high as 14g FFS! I found a Newmans Italian dressing with .4g. But really....do people really want their dressings so sweet?

Orm - My colleague had a cup-a-soup for lunch the other day, and I couldn't believe how carby it was. Disgusting stuff.

Orm, sorry you are down. Have you thought about homeopathic remedies or chinese herbs? I think a tonic called "dong quai/quay" is meant to be good at regulating menopause/period feelings/probs. May be worth a look???

Have to go to work this evening...hate evening shifts. Yuk. And, I had to have a fasting blood test this morning so am absolutely ravenous!!

Have spicy jerk chicken and veggies to look forward to though, once I get home. Mmmmmmmm

'lo all. Slightly up on the scales today but not too concerned. Have been well behaved today - yoghurt, skinny burrito, 2 prunes, aubergine parmigiana. Although there has been a fair bit of red wine this evening.

Can i reiterated how amazing spreadsheets are for keeping you on the striaght and narrow. Orm - i really rate them, do give it a try. It stops that despair when you have a few bad days.