Right. It seems that most of us are going to be low carbing. However, please join us, even if you're following some other kind of plan!
From tomorrow, there are three clear weeks until the end of January, and the aim is to lose half a stone. Some of us may lose more, especially if we have a lot to lose, but half a stone is a good - and safe - amount of weight to lose in three weeks.
If you're low carbing, there are plenty of different plans around that you can follow. The three that I'm most familiar with are Atkins (of course), Charles Clark and India Knight/Neris Thomas. All of these books are definitely worth a read.
If you're thinking of starting off with two weeks of induction, Atkins-style, I thought the following might be useful, just in case you haven't got the book. This is a list of foods that are allowed during induction. (It's from the original Atkins, apparently, and I think things have changed somewhat, but this will give you a good guide for it; you might find it useful to print off and take with you when you're shopping:
"In addition to your proteins which are the focus of this diet you eat NO MORE THAN 20 GRAMS OF CARBOHYDRATE PER DAY. Your diet will consist of mainly pure proteins and pure fats and limited amounts of vegetables.
Eat liberally during Induction:
All fish
All fowl
All shellfish
All meat
All eggs
Mayo, vegetable and olive oils, butter, lard, dripping, poultry skin and meat fat
*Cheese (more recently limited to 100g per day)
Any full-fat, firm, cream, hard, soft or semisoft aged cheeses
*Fresh Double Cream (more recently limited to 3 tbsp a day)
*Nuts (more recently removed from allowable induction foods)
Almond, brazil, macademia, pistachio, pecan, walnuts.
*Count carbs from nuts, cream and cheese (if applicable) into your daily maximum of 20 carbs a day
Vegetables
You can have two/three cups(1.5lbs) per day of the following
sprouts
mushrooms
bok choy
peppers
celery
radishes
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
artichoke
celery
pumpkin
rhubarb (no more than 8ozs)
asparagus (no more than 8ozs)
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
spring onions (no more than 8ozs)
snow peas (no more than 8ozs)
bean sprouts
spaghetti squash
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or wax beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
brussels
kohlrabi
tomato (no more than 8ozs)
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion (no more than 8ozs)
zucchini
If a vegetable, such as spinach, tomato or onion cooks down significantly, it must be measured raw so as not to underestimate its carb count.
Salad Garnishes
crumbled crisp bacon
grated cheese
minced hard-boiled egg
sautéed mushrooms
sour cream
mayo
lemon/lime juice
Spices
All spices to taste, but make sure none contain added sugar.
Herbs
basil
garlic
rosemary
cayenne pepper
ginger
sage
cilantro
oregano
tarragon
dill
pepper
thyme
For salad dressings, use mayo or oil and vinegar (but not balsamic vinegar, which contains sugar) or lemon juice and herbs and spices. Prepared salad dressings without added sugar and no more than two carbs per tablespoon serving are also fine.
Artificial Sweeteners
sucralose (marketed as Splenda?)
saccharin
cyclamate and acesulfame-K
aspartame (in moderation)
certain sugar alcohols, such as maltitol, do not affect blood sugar and are acceptable.
Acceptable Beverages
Be sure to drink a minimum of 3 litres of water each day, including:
Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water
Additionally, you can have the following:
Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Coffee or tea
Diet soda
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories")
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carb per ounce); limit to two to three tablespoons
Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed.
Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in later phases.
Special Category Foods
To add variety, each day you can also eat 10 to 20 olives, an avocado, sour cream or double cream, as well as two to three tablespoons of lemon juice or lime juice. But be aware that these foods occasionally slow down weight loss in some people, and may need to be avoided in the first two weeks. If you seem to be losing slowly, moderate your intake of these foods.
Convenience Foods
Although it is important that you eat primarily unprocessed foods, some controlled carb food products can come in handy when you are unable to find appropriate food, can?t take time for a meal or need a quick snack. More and more companies are creating healthy food products that can be eaten during the Induction phase of Atkins. Just remember two things:
Not all convenience food products are the same, so check labels and carbohydrate content.While any of these foods can make doing Atkins easier, don?t overdo it. Remember, you must always follow The Rules of Induction.
ENSURE YOU EAT LESS THAN 20 GRAMS OF CARBS A DAY ON FOODS LIKE NUTS, SEEDS, AVOCADOS, SOFT CHEESES, CREAM AND SOUR CREAM, LEMON AND LIME JUICES AND LOW CARB DIET FOODS. CAREFULLY MEASURE YOUR PORTIONS!"
Hope this helps, and good luck to us all!