More on Low Carb Dieting…or a New Way of Life

Don’t miss the first Real Food Wednesday blog carnival, this week with low-carb dieting food ideas!

I’m beginning my low carb attempts this time with different thinking. I explained how I normally go about things a little in my first low-carb post and told you more in my recent low-carb post, but this time I’m not psyching myself all up for a “diet”. Instead of thinking that I just want to do this long enough to drop 10#, then go back to my normal way of eating, this time I’d like to keep it going, but in a more realistic live-with-it way.

I plan to really watch my carbs for a week or two and lose what I can, (if you have more to lose, this stage might be longer for you). After that, here are my personal goals:

• Continue running/walking and weight training on the Bowflex, and stay consistant. (2-4 times/week, depending on life.)
• Drastically reduce the sugar and grains I eat…forever. They’re just not good for our overall health, and they’re the ONLY reason I get a pudgy gut in the first place. Read more about this and about the insulin response we’re trying to avoid in this earlier low-carb post.
• If I do eat grains: I’ll try to stick to these guidelines as much as possible: eat only whole grains, and preferably only those that are properly prepared. (If you’re not at this stage yet, just shoot for whole grains, and add the rest when you can.)
• I have a couple really good dessert recipes that could satisfy my sweet tooth when necessary. They’ve got healthy fats and are low-carb: homemade ice cream and Crème Brule.
• I won’t limit any fruits, vegetables, or milk, even though many have some carbs, because they are full of nutrients!
• I’ll need to continue looking for more low carb ideas to keep from losing interest in my options, AND so I always have ideas of what I could offer the kids that they’ll eat! I’d like to wean them from as many sweets and grains, too, so they can develop good habits early.

I’m confident that if I follow this plan, the weight won’t creep back on. If it does, I’ll know I have to watch things even more. It’s a learning process for all of us, we need to be patient with ourselves.

More ramblings about this or that – warning: I’m all over the place from here on out…

1. When snacking on dips, what to do instead of crackers or nacho chips when you have a good low-carb appetizer dip? I use a Crispy Pecan or a celery stick. (Although nuts can be fattening, so not too many of these. They’re good for you, though!) Both give the crunch that we sometimes just have to have! Other crispy veggies would work, too, like carrots or bell pepper slices. (Sometimes what this still needs, though, is the saltiness of the chip or cracker, so if that’s the case, I’ll add extra sea salt to the dip.)

2. Next I have a question to put out there: I just heard that you can get some of the starch out of potatoes (thus lowering the carb content?) by soaking them in water. Does anyone know if this is true? And if so, how long should they soak?

3. I’m a weird snacker, especially if I don’t have much time to eat. Today I fried half an onion in butter – both organic (everyone I’ve told about this thinks I’m a freak, but I love it with a little sea salt, fried until brown and crisp!), and then I wanted some protein so I had a spoonful of organic peanut butter, and next I ate some parmesan cheese. None of it really goes together but it filled me up! Don’t let yourself get too hungry, even if you have to eat an odd variety of snacks like I did.

More links you’ll want to check out:

• See my original low-carb post for a LOT of ideas to answer the question: “what the heck can I eat?!”
• Or, look over the complete list of posts on losing weight, including successful weight loss stories, more information on why cutting your grains is so good for you, my “food conversion” story, why healthy fats do NOT cause weight gain, and much more.
• See the comments at my low-carb post from last week for info on which foods have carbs that you may not have realized.
• Modern Forager wrote a great post recently, called “Is Being Healthy a Vain Pursuit?” Angela, a commenter there, shared this quote: “”When you begin to understand that paying attention to your fuel and movement isn’t just so that you can wear a smaller size, but it is critical for doing more of the work that God had called us to do, you realize it isn’t just vanity, but it is a whole new life that God wanted to reveal to us.” (Written by Leanne Ely – Body Clutter)
• Also see Ruth’s comments at the same post for great thoughts on how being fit improves every aspect of your life.
• Just found this site with some YUMMY looking low-carb recipes and also great links to MORE recipes from there. ***Be careful though, many of these dessert recipes are full of artificial sweeteners – read how those have been known to cause you to gain weight!
• Read Sally Fallon’s advice for losing weight, with a bit on menopause.

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