reducing carbs for awhile... meal ideas

[esmicosaquehago]

I apologize in advance, this is a long post.

I have been overweight my whole life, obese since high school, and now in my early 20s it is ridiculous. I eat emotionally and am addicted to sugar. I have PCOS which can lead to insulin/blood sugar issues including diabetes, and is not only exacerbated by being overweight, but also makes it even more difficult to lose weight.

I have been eating more fat and less carbs lately in my general meals (though I still end up eating a bunch of sugary crap at night). I have more energy during the day, stay full longer, and generally feel better.

I really want to try to give up most carbs for awhile, ESPECIALLY sugar.

My main sources of carbohydrates are:

Spaghetti (though I have found that steamed chopped broccoli with pasta sauce makes a really tasty replacement - who knew? - and with some diced chicken breast is really satisfying)

Bread when I have it (though I don't really miss it when I don't... I just really liked corned beef, and grilled cheese - any ideas there?)

Sugar in my morning coffee

Potatoes, and sweet potatoes (though I'm not sure I want to give those up, especially sweet potatoes... what are the trade-offs here? I know they are starchy)

Feeling like I "need" something else to balance out a dinner - rice, couscous, etc even though I don't really like those things all that much

CANDY! COOKIES! ICE CREAM! AND ITS EVERYWHERE!

Fruit (although again, I am not sure what to do here - I need the vit c, and the lycopene from tomatoes, etc but I love fruit so I eat quite a bit of it)

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Alright now, here are the restrictions:

Avoid pork (though no need to restrict entirely)

I DO NOT like fish. Actually I like salmon. And I've been known to eat fish tacos (though tortillas would be out...) - But some creative seafood ideas would be welcome - nothing that looks like it did when it was alive please!

I am cooking for one, so can't get all crazy with portion sizes

Not crazy about chicken, but eat it pretty regularly anyway

Have not ever eaten organ meats and they scare the hell out of me


My pluses are:

I LOVE dairy - I get pasture butter, drink whole milk, use yogurt in a lot of food dishes (but dont love it that much plain)

I like eggs quite a bit

I love all veggies and like to experiment with new ones and new ways of cooking them. My favorites are onions, garlic, broccoli, zucchini, green peas, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

I like herbs (fresh and dried).

I am a pretty good cook.

I own Nourishing Traditions but a lot of the recipes in there are kind of intimidating

Cooking gadgets - blender, food processor, crockpot, electric mixer, george foreman grill, mortar and pestle, and a few other assorted ones

THANK YOU if you have made it this far, and if you have any tips/ideas/recipes you would like to contribute.

[Chouette]

You've definitely come to the right place!

You might want to check out the Paleo/Primal threads. There are lots of ideas and recipes for reducing carbs, especially grains.

[FairyRae]

Check out these paleo threads (lots of grainfree, lower carb meal ideas):
Another Paleo/GF Support Thread?
Raising Primal Kids
Grain free meals thread
Is there a current grain free support thread?
where do you get paleo / grain-free meal ideas?
grain-free baking
Paleo diety folks?
ideas for paleo bag lunch?

Pumpkin Seed Flour Anyone?

Stuff on SCD/GAPS--both diets are grainfree and mostly sugar free
GAPS/SCD mamas
Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) "slow and steady" support thread
Here is an scd recipe site to check out--it might be helpful! http://www.scdrecipe.com/recipes/

HTH!

ETA: Have you checked out Mark's Daily Apple? Lots of awesome info there, I really love: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/ and this is great info on carbs (esp for weight loss/ weight management): http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-p...ate-continuum/

[3boobykins]

DH and I are grain-free, and we eat pretty much what we always have, but just skip the grain side dishes. We eat grass-fed beef when we can afford it, lots of chicken, eggs, bacon (oh how I love you, bacon-we cook with the fat a lot, also, so yummy!) One of our favorite meals is what we call the Big Ass Salad: Greens, lots of chopped veggies, nuts, and some kind of meat, either leftover chicken, pork, or whatever we have around, or a can of salmon, with lots of homemade balsamic vinegrette. We eat a HUGE bowl and it's very satisfying.

We also make a lot of chicken and greens soups--our fave is an Asian-seasoned one: I simmer chicken thighs in chicken broth (usually boxed organic) for about 45 minutes, remove, throw in a bunch of chopped bok choy and other greens--we have a fall garden that has served us very well--some soy sauce, maybe some garlic powder or fresh chopped, and Five Spice powder to taste. Even though you're cooking for one, you can eat this for several days. We leave all the fat in!

We do eat sweet potatoes and winter squash sometimes. To keep our blood sugar from spiking, we eat about 150 g or less of carbs daily, almost all from veggies. You can go lower though, 'cuz 150 is plenty. My dh needed to lose weight and has lost 20 lbs. effortlessly eating grain-free. I didn't need to lose anything, but stopped having bloating and blood sugar swings when I quit eating grains.

Pureed cauliflower--SOOO good! Steam cauliflower, put in the blender with some cream and butter and salt, sour cream if you like, and puree until very smooth. WAY better than mashed potatoes, imo.

Treats--we bake with almond or coconut flour. I use a combo of stevia and a touch of honey for that well-rounded flavor. Sometimes I use erythritol, but it's expensive. There are lots of grain-free treat recipes online.

I never thought I could enjoy NOT eating grains, and sometimes I really miss bread, but I feel so much better eating this way that I can't see myself going back.

Best wishes to you--and once you give up the sugar, it really does become less appealing. But I will definitely be indulging in some Coconut Bliss "ice cream" on Thanksgiving!

[APBTlover]

This is super helpful! Eliminating grains would cause a mutiny at my house, but this will help so much just getting them under control.

[3boobykins]

Missed a step on the chicken soup recipe:

After the chicken cooks through, I cook the greens in the broth w/the seasonings, and meanwhile take all the chicken off the bone and add it to the soup. I was doing the dishes and realized I'd missed this step!

Oh, and I second the recommendation for Mark's Daily Apple--excellent, just ignore his products page, but great articles and recipes!

[Magelet]

I'd say it sounds to me like you are biting off more than you can chew. If you are trying to go low carb, but end up indulging big time in refined sugar, maybe you should start with the refined sugar, and then work your way up to healthier, more easily digestable carbs if you want to cut them out. (sweet potatoes in limited quantity? I think I've eaten 15 sweet potatos in the past week, but then, I don't try for low carb.)

I'm not trying to undermine your low carb thing, I'm just suggusting that cutting out refined sugar (which I think is the worse "baddie" than carbs) might be easier if you kept some carbs that are healthier, like potatoes and sweet potatos, at the least.

I would find a "dessert" that you like, that does not have refined sugar in it (mine is peanut butter, coconut oil, raisins, and if I want, a little honey), and throw out all refined sugar goods in the house. And just bear through the withdrawl cravings and pain. Cold turkey is the only way to go, imo, on a refined sugar addiction. (and you may find that a glass of milk or cream, or a bit of nuts or something totally fills your sweets tooth after dinner once you get used to it.) That first week is he** though. but totally worth it.



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low carb meals I like and find filling: chicken soup with tons of sauted onions, sauted greens (usually kale or chard), simmered veggies (like carrots and celery, can be sauted as well), blanched veggies (broccolli, green beans, others), and plenty of chicken fat, well salted.

A huge chopped salad including protein, with sufficient dressing. I do lettuce, veggies (always carrots, celery, and other stuff seasonally), cheese or chicken or salami, raisins, and a good homemade vinegrette, well tossed (emphasis on the tossing, I think that tossing properly so every bit of every peice of lettuce is key to a good salad).

Beef stew: chuck roast, cut into peices, stewed with onions, carrots, (usually potatos and/or sweet potatos), in beef broth, with some tomatos and spices for 12+ hours.

[FairyRae]

I think, like Maglet said, going one step at a time is helpful. I dropped gluten a long time ago, (which was an awful transition in how I felt physically, just fyi--I had withdrawl-like symptoms), so recently going grain free was not a huge deal. But I also had been learning how to make all of our favorite foods grain free for quite some time by then. (Check out http://elanaspantry.com for some yummy ideas.) These are very big transitions to make, and for me, learning new ways to make old foods that I loved was imperative as well.

I went grain and refined sugar free at the same time, but didn't think *at all* about carbs--eating all the potatoes, fruits, etc. that I wanted. And that totally worked for me. I've recently started looking at carbs for fun, just because I love trying things out and seeing what really feels best to my body. But in the beginning esp, I think Maglet is right a/b choosing one thing to work on/eliminate and go from there. It can be tough to stick to such major changes otherwise...

[TonyaW]

Shredded zucchini is good as a pasta replacement too. Tonight I am having spaghetti squash as my pasta with pasta sauce. Add a little cream in the mix and it is very yummy!

[esmicosaquehago]

Thanks everybody for the suggestions and recipes!

I do tend to get kind of an all-or-nothing thing going on, its probably why I'm not that successful in my dietary quests. I am so so addicted to sugar. It's sad.

I'm going to try the creamed cauliflower tomorrow at Thanksgiving (surprise side dish!), it looks really good to me.

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by esmicosaquehago

I do tend to get kind of an all-or-nothing thing going on, its probably why I'm not that successful in my dietary quests. I am so so addicted to sugar. It's sad.

You're not alone! I'm very much an all-or-nothing person, but have been able to make changes slowly enough that they have become habitual. I honestly think dropping specific food groups that I may be sensitive to (gluten esp.) has enormously changed my 'willpower' when it comes to food. Some foods do wacky things to some of us, and the physical cravings we have for them *are* very physical (not just mental), so getting them out of us (IMO) can make these kind of choices so much easier. I do feel like I *choose* whatever I put in my mouth now, where before, it was almost impulsive--almost something I felt I couldn't control. It's tough, there is a lot of emotional stuff connected to food but I think there is a very physical aspect as well...

From a mama who has been there, you can get through it, you can get 'un-addicted'--just takes some time, patience, and forgiveness. Letting go of guilt around what I had or had not eaten was a major step for me in making food choices I am happy with, and even proud of.

[Violet2]

I do LC and have lost tons of weight with it but since having DD it's been difficult.

The thing is, you have to really plan your meals or else you end up eating carbs. Carbs are easy and quick and plentiful. Low grain/low carb is not especially when you are out and about. So you must meal plan ime.

As for cauliflower, what we do is mash it, add onion, cream cheese, some shredded cheddar and put it in a casserole dish. Then top with more cheese and crumbled bacon and cook in the oven until the cheese melts.

I also make unstuffed cabbage rolls casserole in the slow cooker but without the rice. And pepper steak again without the rice. Steak and veggies. Taco salads without the tacos. Meatballs with parmesean cheese and egg work well and no bread crumbs!

For sandwiches I put cold cuts in between leaf lettuce--don't even miss the bread. Or buy low carb tortillas or bread for the occasional sandwich/quesadilla.

V

[elleystar]

Originally Posted by FairyRae

Check out these paleo threads (lots of grainfree, lower carb meal ideas):
Another Paleo/GF Support Thread?
Raising Primal Kids
Grain free meals thread
Is there a current grain free support thread?
where do you get paleo / grain-free meal ideas?
grain-free baking
Paleo diety folks?
ideas for paleo bag lunch?

Pumpkin Seed Flour Anyone?

Stuff on SCD/GAPS--both diets are grainfree and mostly sugar free
GAPS/SCD mamas
Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) "slow and steady" support thread
Here is an scd recipe site to check out--it might be helpful! http://www.scdrecipe.com/recipes/

HTH!

ETA: Have you checked out Mark's Daily Apple? Lots of awesome info there, I really love: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/primal-blueprint-101/ and this is great info on carbs (esp for weight loss/ weight management): http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-p...ate-continuum/

I just wanted to thank you for this post. I've always kind of dismissed the paleo/primal thing as something pretty cool that other people do, but that I couldn't possibly do. What a silly thing for me to think, considering I did the Atkins diet for several years back in my college days!

I've been struggling with losing the baby weight while nursing my 19 month old. I knew I didn't want to do Atkins again because honestly, I have raw milk and homemade yogurt in my life now and didn't want to give them up. I clicked on your MDA links and started reading and couldn't stop. I saw that it's grain free and low carb like I knew I needed, but not quite so restrictive. I can have just a bit of milk or yogurt here and there if I like. Not to mention his selling point of a glass of wine and small piece of dark chocolate every day! (Not that I need it EVERY day, but a few nights a week it would be nice!)

So I started Primal yesterday, just in time because I gained more weight over Thanksgiving despite having been refined flour/sugar free for 6 weeks prior. It's funny because it's all coming back to me now-the creative things I'd wind up cooking while on Atkins. I remember once making potato salad out of cauliflower and taking it to my parents'. Only after everyone had eaten it, including my three little brothers, did I mention that it was cauliflower, and they were all shocked and had to have more in order to 'study' it. LOL! They couldn't tell the difference. Good memories!

[Mama2Kayla]

What helped me when I was grain free is keeping muffins made out of almond or coconut flour around. They are easy to grab and helped when I was craving something sweet or carby.
I used sliced zucchini or spaghetti squash to replace pasta and drank a lot of kefir/fruit smoothies. They are easy to throw together, naturally sweet, and filling.
Soup and crustless quiche are easy to make and great for leftovers too.

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by elleystar

I clicked on your MDA links and started reading and couldn't stop. I saw that it's grain free and low carb like I knew I needed, but not quite so restrictive. I can have just a bit of milk or yogurt here and there if I like. Not to mention his selling point of a glass of wine and small piece of dark chocolate every day! (Not that I need it EVERY day, but a few nights a week it would be nice!)

YAY! I'm glad to see you joined the paleo thread too. I really like MDA as his 'primal blueprint' is pretty flexible. I think it's important to eat what feels best for *you*, and I think the info on his site really supports that! And on the wine and dark chocolate!

[BetsyPage]

I lost 35 lbs by reducing my grains and eating as TF as possible (I'm not a purist, basically I don't do all the good stuff I'd like to but I'm working on it.)

I'm about to go cold turkey on the grains again, and limit my sugar to a bit in my coffee, once again. I did this when I lost weight and honestly I found that the first few days were hard, and then after that it was EASY. Seeing the weight drop off and having more energy is very motivating! I personally found it easier to just *do it* because doing it slowly wasn't working for me, I wasn't focused enough.

I was taking a decent amount of coconut oil (2-3 TBS) and really using plenty of butter. I think that greatly helped with my appetite and reduced sugar/carb cravings. Starting my days with eggs with butter really helped get me off on the right foot! I'm going to do this again, got lazy about cooking eggs every morning. Once again, when I stopped, it seemed hard, but when I just did it every morning, not so bad.

[TonyaW]

I'd be interested to know what your meal plan was when you lost weight. I find it really hard to eliminate grain completely. I get hungry way fast and all that fat is hard. Did you eat potatoes? If I can have potatoes, then I know I could do it. If I can have my coffee with some honey, that would be ok.

[BetsyPage]

It was summer, so I did eat potatoes and corn in moderation,like 1/4-1/3 cup servings... with butter.

[bella_stranger]

this week i made a low carb jambalaya that rocked my world, very similar this recipe, using chorizo for the sausage, and i cooked in a wok: http://solitarydancer.wordpress.com/...arb-jambalaya/
yesterday i made a beef stew in the crockpot, and tonight its crockpot italian sausages and peppers. since you are only cooking for one, save the the leftovers for lunch the next day, or go basic and do a salad with deli meat or cheese or whatever protein/fat combo you love.