Sugar Begone! low-carb eating for the incredible shrinking women!

[Ormirian]

Let's start afresh!

Sarra I am impressed with the salad and meat, tbh... I think I'd have to put the whole holidays in a box if I went to France... (crepes! Oooooh how I love crepes!)

Sal - you are on a roll. A little nosy around the Couch to 5k thread tells me you are past the big "20-minuter" already! Fantastic.

Sarra - glad you had a nice break - if you can't eat a bit of baguette in France what can you do?

I have had a lovely few days not worrying too much about what I eat (yesterday's Hot Cross Bun Bread-and-Butter Pudding was a particular high spot), but once I'm back to work I'll be back on the wagon - it's so much easier.

Bit of a fragmented week coming up, a funeral on Wednesday, then another 4-day weekend of course, mustn't take my eye off the ball....

Yummy BBQ for lunch today, then we're having Nigella's Thai Beef for tea. I'm making it for the DCs too, as last time I made it for DH's supper they were all clustered round his plate begging mouthfuls.

Ah, they're only small......[buwink]

Bunnies are meat, so they count as protein, even chocolate ones...

Ham salad
Pork with onions and salad
A few grapes
A tangarine.

I have been sniffing chocolate. If I don't get off this bloody plateau this week, I may have to punch the scales. (disclaimer: Am crap with exercise whilst the kids are off school. I know it's my fault.)

Yeeeees! Twix do actually speed up your metabolism. As do star bars

hello I am dipping my toe in the MN lowcarb water. Have done lowcarb before with good results but have been in selfsabotage mode for about 6 months. Not totally given over the low carb thing but still had way more than I should have had. I don't have HEAPS to lose as such as my BMI is hovering around 25/26 I think but for me that is too much as I have a small frame. I would like to get it down to a 22 maybe. Officially starting LC on Thursday as I booked an Eporex session to kick start me (works great with low carb) but have really started today, had a coffee and cream and an egg salad today, should really go and have some lunch before doing some yogalates before DS gets home. Think I will have some tuna mayo salad. I do feel better when LCing so dont; know what has taken me so long to sort myself out.
Anyway, marking my place. Haven't read whole thread as not got time but from what I have read everyone seems to be doing very well and I am looking forward to getting some fresh ideas for meals etc. Cos I do love my food.

Oh and does anyone know a cheap place (online maybe) to get ground almonds. Round here I can only get the 100g packs and the amount I tend to use for pancakes etc it adds up. Desperate to find a place that sells it in bulk a bit cheaper. cheers.

o shit. to get my BMI to a 22 is 1 1/2 stone. Didn't think it would be as much as that. Bollox. Well just as well I am starting today not Thursday then eh? Sooner the better. Off to do that yogalates cos sitting here isn't helping now is it? I WILL feel better once I have done it. I will I will. Won't I?

Hi Poodle, welcome welcome. Of course you will feel better ... you ewill you will you will

Just found a good website to buy coconut oil/flour etc :

www.healthysupplies.co.uk

They give discount for buying in bulk, i.e. 3 bags of coconut flour instead of 1, not HUGE amounts of stuff.

Poodle - they do ground almonds as well - check their website. The other option is oriental stores (Wing Yip etc) or Indian shops as they sell bigger bags at good prices. Don't even look at supermarket prices - they are soooooo expensive for tiny amounts.

Btw - down 1.5lbs today .... yipee.

Well done Timba and thanks for that, live in the sticks but will look in Asian supermarket next time I am in the Big Smoke and will look at that site. You are so right about supermarket prices, outrageous. Coconut flour, oh I trawled the net for recipes using that months ago and did nothing with it.

And i did do the yoga and I do feel better, a bit wobbly in the leg but in a good way. Couldn't keep some of the poses for as long as I used to though.

Thanks Poodle, have a look at the website - they process and deliver quite quickly. Tbh, coconut flour seems to figure a lot in American recipes.

Good on you for doing yoga - I like walking and weights more myself ... not too bendy or stable

Well done Timba and welcome aboard Poodle!

To save you reading the thread for recipe ideas our top faves are:

Potato substitute - celeriac, good for mash (shep pie) and chips. Oh and on holiday last week I had it as a "remoulade" (coleslaw type thing) grated and mixed with mayo and served with salad. Recommend.

Rice substitute - cauliflower food processed and cooked with butter/in microwave as is. It freezes too to save washing the processor just make big batch.

Chicken "pizza" - bash flat and put Tom sauce and toppings and bake.

Pasta substitute - courgette ribbons/strips for lasagna bakes.

Aubergine parmigiana - layered with parmesan/mozarella cheese and tomato and baked

Courgette fritters - grated courgette, egg, feta,
herbs and tiny bit of flour (soya/chestnut if being strict) fried. Doesn't work as pasta Bol substitute but am going to try cauliflower and Parmesan fritters instead

Nigella's (? I think) Thai crumbled beef

Chicken breast/thighs stuffed with roule/cream cheese wrapped in proscuttio (I also layer mine
with spinach/mushrooms/watercress before adding the cheese, and wrap in oiled foil and bake/poach

Sort of back on wagon post-holiday; but desperately need to do shop as not enough lc stuff in house which is why the sort of...

Breakfast yesterday quorn sausages, grilled tomato and piece of bread (as not enough sausages/tomato left)

Lunch herring walnut and apple salad (omit apple if being stricter than me) with gherkins and horseradish sauce

Supper take-away curry - had no rice, just lots if veg dishes but couldn't resist popadom (told myself as (I think??) made with chickpea flour not sooo bad...) And lots of wine, not so good. But I did go running yesterday, inspired by sal, and did a couple of circuits in the outdoor gym thing in the park

Today breakfast ham and eggs

Lunch puy lentil (not ideal but had in cupboard) roasted red pepper and goats cheese salad

Supper will be chicken with tomato salad (poached in saffron stock with rice for the dcs)

(sorry Poodle having lced before you probably know most of the substitutes already, but just in case you didn't, they are all too good to miss out on!)

thanks for that round up Sarra, I have tried the cauli mash and I stuff a chicken breast rather well but I have a few new ideas there too. That is what I am after, inspriation instead of the brain freeze. Just love when people post what they had today as it is nice to get ideas of day to day normal stuff as well. Herring walnut and apple salad sounds really nice.
Tonight I was lazy (but hey it is only day one really) and had a HUGE steak with grilled pointy peppers and I made what was effectively bruschetta topping but chopped bigger for a little tomato salad affair, plenty of oil and garlic although I didn't add in any herbs. I am very nicely full.

Heloooooo poodle!

Ham salad
quorn salad
small pot of melon and pineapple
2 coffees.

I am turning into a lettuce leaf.

Mmm your steak sounds delicious Poodle.

Cf - agreed - lettuce lettuce lettuce munch rabbit munch - thank god it's summer; is much easier to eat lc in summer I think. In winter I really crave pasta and potatoes.

Morning all

Agree Sarra, Poodle's steak sounds lovely. I love those fajita-style char-grilled peppers/onions combo on steak ... so much so that I am having that tonight ... thanks Poodle for the nudge .

It is soooooooo much easier to avoid the potatoes/pasta/rice cravings in the summer, although I am finding that after some weeks completely wheat/grain free that my cravings are non-existent . If you had known me before you would be totally shocked as well...I was a complete carb monster: pasta for lunch, potatoes for dinner. It is true - they are like a drug: you eat them and you just crave more. I read, a few days ago on Robb Wolf's website, that he had a client that had been a cocaine addict - she had successfully kicked cocaine but had replaced it with food, leading to weight gain and illness. She went paleo and has stated that kicking carbs (wheat/grain/legumes) was, in her experience, harder than kicking cocaine ... makes you think!!

I have also found the ideal summer breakfast: sliced apple with almond nut butter .... mmmmmmmmm .... soooooooo tasty. (And if you go to healthy supplies website you can order 3 jars and get discount ... much joy in my kitchen) Disclaimer: nut butter looks like, in my DH's words, "poo on a plate" .

Hello everyone.

I'm hoping you'll forgive my sudden showing up on this thread.

Decided at about 4am yesterday that I want to give low carbing another serious go.

Since giving up smoking last year i have packed on weight at a rate not seen since I was a baby

I've been kidding myself that my new very fleshy figure doesn't bother me and instead tried to love myself as I am now.

Well, the truth is that I'm not happy at all - aches and pains have appeared in places I never knew about, very few of my clothes still fit and I'm tired of having to hunt for massive clothes and being hot and uncomfortable whenever the sun is out.

I've got high hopes for actually changing my eating habits long term this time round since there's no longer a whining man child sabotaging my efforts

Have just finished a massive chicken breast accompanied by mushrooms cooked in cream and paprika, cleared the freezer and cupboards of high carb temptations and am doing a low carb online grocery shop.

So sorry for the essay, thought I'd get my main points down to serve as a reminder to myself as much as anything.

Congratulations to all of you who are already successfully travelling the low carb road :)

Hi Bibi, welcome welcome wlecome.

Have a look at the thread and some of the older ones and you will find tins of links to websites, blogs and recipes. Added to that we really are a jolly supportive lot on this thread .

Your supper sounds lovely, btw.

I know what you mean about suffering in the heat and the whinging man-child . My DH is highly resistant to anything remotely resembling low/no-carb. He understand why I do it (wheat and dairy intolerant and stomach problems) but just doesn't want to get on board with the programme . Being Italian and therefore genetically encoded to eat pasta and rice he refuses to give them up ... oh, and he's addicted to bread

One of the worst thing about being overweight is when the hot weather hits. Nothing fits, everything ribs and you seem to weigh even more than in the colder weather.

Still, just wanted to say welcome and you will soon be where you want to be.

Thanks very much timbachick - am sat here chuckling at your genetically carb encoded Italian :)

I know from past experience that low carb really agrees with me so quite excited now.

I really really would like to know what it feels like to be able to just throw on a pair of shorts or one of those really pretty beach dresses that are everywhere and not be consumed with worries about what my acres of extra flesh will look like :)

Hello and welcome Bibi!
My own DH said at the beginning of this week that he too wanted to follow my low fat, low carb diet. When I was putting the bins out this morning, I spotted a wrapper for a 200g bar of chocolate, completely polished off! :o

An apple
Truly lovely anchovy salad
A few olives stuffed with whole chillis
chinese style prawns and veg with chilli and cauli rice

Am finding the food ok but am going to tackle portion sizes next week when everyone's back at school. I am eating huge platefuls at the mo, and though it is all healthy stuff, I don't need it all.

Anchovy Salad? Mmmh, I like Anchovies must try that, ditto olives.

Lol at your husbands chocolate 'subterfuge'

I guess now you can use all those well worn phrases usually reserved for us females - you're only cheating yourself you know etc ad nauseam

Can I just check with you experienced low carbers - is it normal for appetite to increase with a vengeance at the start?

I've polished off two whole chicken breasts tonight plus those mushrooms in cream and some low carb cabbave and leek mixed greens and I've never felt so hungry in all my life!!

My appetite has been between lacklustre and virtually non existent for ages (not that that's stopped me stuffing myself :) ) but suddenly tonight I can't get rid of the strong gnawing feeling in my stomach which def. feels like hunger

The mind boggles, it really does!