The Unbelievably Good Low Carb Diet Thread

[QueenStromba]

The previous thread was getting a bit full so I thought I should start a new one while we could still link between them.

Encyclogirl I know what you mean. I used to be vegetarian and couldn't understand why veggies would eat Quorn mince/sausages etc because I thought it would trigger a longing for the real thing. But with this WOE I'm making a lot of the 'substitute' recipes (like oopsie rolls so I can have sandwiches) and the IPD cupcakes (which are lush!) They taste different to the real deal, but at least you don't feel like you are missing out and they are really convenient snacks. Also the MIMs give you much needed fibre

I really struggle with MiMs. I make savoury ones with cheese, garlic, chilli and cumin seeds which are wonderful but they always trigger awful cravings so I have to be really careful and only make them when I'm in need of their laxative effects. If I don't then they usually cause a little weight gain too.

I've got a stinking cold and have spent the day in bed consuming my bodyweight in nuts. I made the fatal mistake of putting the roasted, salted crackadamias in with the plain mixed nuts and now I can't stop eating them.

Minted lamb burgers, broccolli and courgette fritters for tea. Mmmm!

Damn! I wondered if it was the MIM (the first one I have made) that had caused the weight gain. I usually try not to eat after 7pm and had it at 9pm so thought that maybe that was the problem. I'll see what tomorrow's weigh-in brings. (I know you aren't supposed to weigh yourself every day but psychologically I need to.)

The laxative effect is good though! And your savoury one sounds delicious, Whippoorwhill.

Today I bought coconut flour and laxseed stuff in H&B - now I cant remember why I wanted it. Was it for MIMs? will scroll up to find out.

Up 1lb on weigh in today but it's my first TOTM on this diet so I'm not quite sure how my weight will be over the next few days (I did have 2 slices of DS's birthday cake earlier this week so the 1lb could be that rather than general period bloat). I'm back to 12st6. Will see what happens over the next few days.

Not looking forward to Easter to be honest - too much chocolate lurking for my liking and 4yo DS is adamant he wants to make Easter cakes this weekend. Of all the people to say no to, saying no to your own child's baking when they offer it so excitedly is the absolute hardest.

Jax - yes for mims - I went to h&b yesterday a d bought the same thing for the same reason!
Will have as breakfast when I fancy one

I have a few questions about fat, following on from comments about ensuring you get enough fat in your diet

If I have oily fish is there enough fat in that or do I need to add more fat to a meal? Similarly with meat? I often have grilled oily fish with steamed veg and/or steak/chops with steamed veg but I don't tend to put sauce or butter etc on. Is there enough fat in the meat/fish on its own, or do I need to add more to my plate? I always add some fat if I'm doing white fish but I tend to have a lot of mackerel, trout and salmon which I eat plain with veg or salad and I'm wondering if it is fatty enough. Also, would a steak or lamb chop with plain veg have enough fat or do I need to add more?

Also is a bit of olive oil as a salad dressing enough fat if there is no other fat on the meal? I did a salad the other day of spinach, watercress, celery, cucumber, tomato and prawns. The only real fat was the oil in the dressing (maybe a couple of teaspoons?). Would that be enough, or do I need some goats cheese or something in the salad as well?

Very strangely, I have lost all the weight I put on since last weekend and am back to 10.7. If I hadn't seen the scales myself I don't think I would have believed that I could go from 10.7 to 10.13 and then back down to 10.7 again in less than a week.

I have really upped the fat in my diet this week and perhaps that has done it. I have eaten a shedload of macadamia nuts, brie, cream and mayonnaise with things. Today I made chicken with leeks, gorgonzola and cream and it was delicious. I am eating a packet of macadamias a day (the £1 packs from sainsburys) and normally I would have avoided them like the plague (500 cals for a small bag and something insane like 40g fat) but on this diet I can eat them freely as the (very filling) bag has only a couple of carbs.

I am not drinking enough water - that is my huge weakness on this diet and I really have to force it down. I would much rather have a coffee or a diet coke!

lemniscate I am far from an expert on this diet but from my latest experiences I would say that adding fat to your fish or chops makes a positive difference.

I really want to get down to 10.3 in the next 2 weeks - then that will be a clear 2 stone loss. And I will be thrilled.

Easter might be a danger zone, I am going to my aunty's for the easter wekeend and she likes to feed me - however I have told her I am on a diet, and she says that she has a low GI cookbook so will cook from that all weekend, bless her. I just have to avoid all the bloody chocolate everywhere.

Easter is definitely going to be a nightmare - am not looking forward to it at all. Ds is away, but dp is a complete chocoholic anyway and I think I'll still be surrounded by it... Funnily enough I found some 72% G&B choc today while clearing out kitchen cupboards - had a tiny nibble of one corner and it tasted SO sweet! I chucked the rest away

I am currently looking at 3 kilner jars on my sitting room table - 1 is full of rhubarb and custard sweets, one is full of reisen toffees, the other is full of jelly babies.

I still have a house of sweets (as part of the work conference I had last week I set up a sweet stall - this is what started my downfall last weekend - and I still have tonnes of sweets left). I should throw them away really.

BE CAREFUL of Julian Graves - that is where I bought that lot. It's the bloody home of cheap sweets.

Lemniscate - I'm definitely not an expert either but I would add a bit more fat - your salad sounds nice but almost low-fat. I use avocado, olives, feta etc a lot in salad to up the fat content (and soooo delicious!)

Mmmm, rhubarb and custard, love 'em! Agree, Julian Graves is a House Of Temptation

Custy - target weight 9:3, current weight 9:7.2
RatherBeOnThePiste - target weight 9:13, current weight 10:4
BIWI - target - 126lbs (9 stone), current weight 147.75lbs (10 stone 7 3/4)
kotinka - Start 266lbs, Target 154lbs, Current 229lbs (37lbs loss)
Febes - weight lost so far 5 st 13lbs 13st 5lbs this week
countessbabycham - weight lost so far 3 lbs
QueenStromba - weight lost so far 49 lbs
fluffy123 - weight lost so far 56 lbs GOAL
mejon - weight loss so far - 24 lbs
smokinaces - weight loss so far 27.5 lbs
Rillyrillygoodlooking - weight loss so far 2kg
wantanewname - weight loss so far 9.5lbs
WentworthMillerMad - weight loss so far 21lbs
FreeButtonBee - target weight 9:10, weight loss so far 3.5lbs
supersalstrawberry - weight loss so far 2lb, goal 17lb
OneLieIn - weight loss so far 4lbs
openyerlugholes - target 9.6, current 10.8
Getorfmoiland - starting weight 12.3, target weight 9.13, current weight 10.7
CointreauVersial - starting weight 9.9, target 9.0 (-ish), currently 9.5
PostBellumBugsy - weight loss since 2nd Jan: 1st 6lb - 8lbs to go.
Lemniscate - start 13st0, target 10st10 (BMI under 25), current 12st5
Creamtea1 - Starting weight 12 st target weight 9 st 7, current weight 10 st 9, weight loss 19lb
Teaandthorazine - target 10st 7lb, currently 11st, weight lost so far 7lbs
JaxTellerIsMyFriend - weight loss so far nearly 2 stone. (depending on weird scales)
ilovemyteddy - weight loss so far 28lb 48.4lbs to go
Cluckingmad - Target 10st, currently 10st 6lbs, weight loss so far 3lbs
Encyclogirl - Target 9st 7, currently 10st 9 - weight loss so far 3.5lbs
vnmum - initial target 9st 7, currently 10st 1.5, loss so far 8lb
AngryFeet - 12.75lb lost, 55.5lb to go

Thanks - it occurred to me suddenly that in the first week or so I was putting cream and cheese in everything and then started exploring other things and am having spinachy salads a lot but with veg in rather than fatty things. Will start adding a bit mroe fat and see what happens.

Yes pineapple chunks. I am on OWL now and pineapple is pretty low carb :) I only have about 10 of the little ones you get in a tin.

GOML how about you donate the sweets to a local school or charity event? I know its the holidays, but someone will be grateful of your sweets - better given away than in your tum.

I just had the most delicious dinner (even if I do say so myself) Roast rib of beef, celeriac dauphinoise with brocolli and green beans. It was the most tasty bit of meat I have had for a while. Havent had red meat for ages and it was bloody scrummy. Oh and lashings of horseradish to metabolise the blah de blah.

Hmm pineapple chunks, I have got those as well (couldn't find the kola kubes though, thank god).

It is temptation from hell. I have also got the Julian Graves magazine - full of pics of cakes. I am currently watching Nigella cooking spuds on telly. Temptation is everywhere! I am going to be GOOD.

jax I am supposed to be giving the whole lot to MIL but I have yet to go over there - I need them out the house!

It was the most tasty bit of meat I have had for a while.

haha just read my post back. you filthy minx GOML. You could send the sweets to me. It is just something I have no interest in. They would last for ever in this house. Sadly chocolate on the other hand...

or the dark choc covered reisins. I saw those the other day and put my hand out to grab a bag then quickly recovered my sense.

The reisens are the things which are tempting me - I do like those.

I used to think that I didn't have a sweet tooth, but 3 months of not being allowed them has disabused me of that notion!

I went into a chocolate shop today and just gazed and gazed (left with nowt, though).

Re: chocolate - I was thinking this morning while eating my brazil nuts, how would they taste covered in very dark choc? And would this be an in-any-way-legal low carb treat?

Oh dear I am hungry this evening dont know if it is this awful cold and my body saying feed me carbs now or if I havent had enough protein today. Also just realised that the lemsip I have been taking has over 2g of carbs in each sachet . I have just calculated my daily carbs and it comes in just under 20g so should be ok, I hope!

I'm actually contemplating making florentine things, sadly minus the bright red glace cherries. Surely they're just dark choc and chopped nuts, right? So totally allowed?

Brazil nuts covered in very dark chocolate would be a fantastic low carb treat. In fact I may just steal that idea.

I'm convinced that I am eating less now that I'm not logging every mouthful on myfitnesspal - I really think that was counter productive. I won't know if that's helping for a while because I'm helping to look after my granny while she dies so won't be home for the foreseeable future. I'm quite proud of myself for sticking to this way of eating while out of my comfort zone though - my sister was also low carbing but has given up because it's all too stressful.

Yesterday I really fancied a chowder type soup and was actually able to knock one up that I was really happy with. I fried about 300g of chopped leeks (including the green bits) in butter then added 450g of frozen cauliflower and about half a pint of boiling water then cooked until the cauliflower was defrosted then blended. I also added a load of dill and black pepper along with some salt, if I'd had some gluten free vegetable stock cubes I'd have added one of them. I put the leek and cauliflower soup back in the pot and added a pack of fish pie mix (salmon, white fish and smoked fish pieces) and when the fish was almost cooked I chucked some cream in. The whole thing was about 20g of carbs and really filling like a proper chowder and made three big and filling servings.

I am sorry about your granny queen. How horrible for you all. Please make sure you look after yourself as well.

I have also given up entering everyting on MFP as well, a combination of eating thousands of calories in a day last weekend and also I noticed that some of the entries had wrong calculations on them. I still enter my weight in it when I weigh so I can download the graphs loser.

That chowder sounds gorgeous - I really loved the leeks I cooked today (I rarely cook them and I don't know why because they are so gorgeous). I think I will make that chowder tomorrow. The only thing will be having to stop myself eating a whole cauldron full.

Actually are the shops open tomorrow? Shit. I haven't got anything in, I couldn't be arsed earlier.

Sorry to hear about your granny Queen So sad to lose that generation.

I ended up eating some of last nights stir fry pork and veg for brekkie. It was surprisingly delish at that time of the morning! (Bad Catholic though, what with it being Good Friday and everything)

Ooooh and I got on the scales (I know, I know getting a bit obsessed) anyway I've lost 4.5lbs since Monday. How can that be even possible? Not complaining though!

Feeling strong about Easter I must say. I refuse to eff up my great work for one day. After all Monday is my offical weigh-in day and I'm not gonna derail it.

I'm thinking berries and greek yoghurt for a treat later. Is that allowable as a treat this early?