Need Ideas for Carb-less Meals

Hi S.,

Do you have the Atkins book? I did Atkins several years ago and would make some of the recipes in the book. They are pretty good. I know this falls in the "meat and cheese" category but there was a recipe for hamburger patties with the cheese in the middle and avocado on top. It was tasty! Also, my husband would grill up a couple meals worth of chicken and steak. We would keep it in the fridge for snacks. Good luck with losing those 10 pounds! My hubby was very successful with it... lost 20 pounds.

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I totally understand wanting to lose those last few pounds, but I would steer clear of the low carb diets if I were you. My mom is always trying to lose a few pounds here and there, and when she did the low carb thing her hair started falling out. Our bodies need carbs to function. The trick is to eat less and move more. Eat lots of veggies, and it won't hurt to have some good bread with a salad. I have never compromised what I want to eat, I just eat smarter now that I am getting older, and get as much exercise as I can. I imagine, since you are a single mom, you work. So, if you have a choice between stairs or an elevator at work, choose the stairs. Another idea, when you get off work, or on the weekends, put your kids in a double stroller and go for an energizing walk and make sure to go up at least one hill. Now that my kids are a little older, they can ride their bikes or scooters while my gal pal and I walk and try to keep up with them. When your little one gets a little older you can put them both in one of those cool trailers that attach to your bike. They will love the ride, and you will get a work-out. Diets just aren't for me for a number of reasons. Among many, I don't like the health risks of depriving my body of what it needs, and I don't want to give up foods that I enjoy. It makes more sense to limit my sweets(my body doesn't need those, so I don't mind cutting back on brownies), eat what I love(especially pastas) and just make sure I exercise. I have lost all the baby weight and then some. Find out what you are "supposed" to weigh for your height and make that your goal. I really think cutting out your carbs is going to make you feel run down. If you start exercising with your kids, you will definitely feel more energetic and healthy. I know you wanted low carb meal ideas, but another thing to think about is what will happen when you stop doing this diet once you fit back into your pre-preg clothes. Once you start eating normal again, you are going to shock your body and probably gain back those pounds. Of course this is just my opinion, but how much fun is it to not be able to eat what you really want to. Besides, getting your kids out with you for some fresh air is good for them too.

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Go find a book on low carb or Atkins at the library with recipes in them. Even online there are tons of recipes out there. I can say however, this diet is awesome but it is only temporary unless you eat like this forever. I don't know about you but I could never give up bread or pasta forever...try whole grain breads, whole grain pastas.
Trick is carbs are good in moderation and the right carbs.
Don't eat after 6pm is a huge way to go.
I lost 22 lbs in January and have kept it off. It is amazing as I am 44 and thought I would never get it off, but I didn't do anything big to do it.
Whatever you do don't do extreme unless you plan to live like that forever as you will lose the weight it just will sneak back on and frustrate you even more. Doing a lifestyle tweak and a reasonable meal plan forever is more the way to do it.
I do now, where no trans fat, low fat or low calorie anything snacky, I drink 1% milk, eat breads (whole grain only), I just gave up any snacks after 6pm, I gave up drinking wine or alchol completely unless a special occassion, make sure I walk a lot and don't deprive myself if I want something junky once in a while. This way, the house has healthy food, something we all can eat, it isn't a hard thing to do and I am not making extra or different foods for everyone in the house. I eat salad with every dinner to some degree or the other, but I still have the occassional baked potato or pasta or rice too. Good luck.

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I used Atkins to lose 40lbs a few years ago. You do not have to live on cheese and meat! Eat lots of fresh vegetables (except for high carb ones like corn, beans, and potatoes) and salads. You can steam them, eat raw, stir fry, whatever. Your meat selections can include chicken, pork, fish, and other seafood. I agree it can be monotonous, but vary the meat and veggies from day to day. There are a ton of low-carb recipes out there too, but I just went with the basic food groups. The Atkins and South Beach websites have food lists and recipes as well. Be sure to get enough protein, roughage (i.e. vegetables) and drink lots of water. Good luck!

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My husband did a low-carb thing for about 6 weeks until he 'hit the wall' and felt like his brain wasn't working properly! But it was a decent short-term way for him to drop 10-12 pounds. We don't eat red meat or chicken and I think it helped that meat wasn't an option.

His favorite things were baked Parmesan cheese crisps (crumbled onto salads or eaten with goat cheese and tomato on top) cucumber slices with cream cheese and smoked salmon on top, spaghetti-squash lasagna (I loved this one too), and spinach salad with tuna-walnut-feta. Low-carb apple-flax muffins were a nice sweet treat.

Personally, I would increase the carbs when you feel like you can't make a decision! Good luck!

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The Atkins diet is horrible for you and you really shouldn't be doing that at all. I had Gestational Diabetes and my doctor and a nutritionist put me on a very strict diet and I actually lost weight while I was pregnant. Since it worked so well for me I followed it after I was done breast feeding and I've now lost 55 lbs. It's similar to Atkins but WAY more healthy. It's basically all the fruit and veggies you can eat, lean meats and proteins and only whole grains. An example of an average day would be: Breakfast...scrambled egg whites (egg beaters) with veggies and fruit or fruit and cottage cheese Lunch...a big salad with whatever veggies you could toss on and some sort of lean protein (turkey/chicken) Dinner would be some sort of lean meat with veggies and brown rice (even though their whole grains go a little light on the carbs). Their are a lot of soups and stews you can make that don't have carbs in them (i.e. chili, chicken stew...just leave out the potatoes or substitute sweet potatoes) For snacks you can eat nuts and dried fruit, regular fruit or veggies, hard boiled eggs. Any diet that tells you you can't eat fruit or some veggies (carrots, sweet potatoes) but says you can eat all the cheese you want is complete B.S. Trust me, I've tried them all. The healthy way is the best and 55 lbs is phenomenal. And you'll be surprised how quickly it falls off. Good Luck! Oh Yeah...Sugar free popsicles. They saved me when my husband and kids were eating ice cream cones.

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Hi S.,

I love stuffed peppers! To make them carb free just leave out the rice and add a ton of veggies (onions, zucchinni, yellow squash, tomatoes, eggplant, spinach...whatever you like)

I just cook up about a half pound of ground beef or italian sausage. Then add the veggies and either spaghetti sauce or a can of tomato sauce and some italian spices. Let it simmer for 10 or 15 minutes then fill the peppers and bake for about 20 min. top with cheese and bake 5 min. more.

I'm not very familiar with the Atkins diet and I know some veggies are kinda off limits so I hope this helps. I've also been told by my Chiropractor that you should consume carbs in the morning and protien in the evening. Carbs give you energy for the day and protein helps you rebuild while you sleep. When doing this you can have carbs and veggies OR Protein and veggies NOT carbs and proein together. (that's tricky!) He also suggested not eating friut after 2:00pm, to much sugar. This plan is part of the Maximized Living Plan. The book this came from is called Body By God, by Ben Lerner.

HOpe this helps! I know you just asked for recipes but you know how everyone wants to give you weight loss advice too. ha! God bless your efforts and your family!

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I did Atkins and lost 70 pounds. I kept it off for 2 years. It lowered colesteral and blood pressure. The down side was it made me crabby and irritable.

Carbs doing something for the brain. If you include a salad every day it really helps!

Have you tried hard boiled eggs or egg salad? Bacon and lunch meat are great. Tofu smoothies will take on the favor of anything you add to it and you can get it without carbs. Protien shakes, beef jerky, Fish is a good one especially Salmon with butter and dill.

I hope your success contiues.
C. B
P.S. Soy milk fits into the diet as well so you still get your calcuim.

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My hubby and I did Atkins several years ago - we stuck with it for 3 or 4 months. We grilled almost every night. We put different spices and (bbq) rubs on different lean meats and fish and grilled them with veggies. Although we had the same meats over and over, they tasted very different.

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If you would like to eat a healthy diet and still loose weight I would recommend reading "Eat To Live" by Joel Fuhrman, MD. I just finished reading this book for a nutritional study course I have been doing. This book has a lot of information in it about diet and the body. It also has many recipes. The Adkins diet is not healthy and does more damage to the body that you have been led to think. Read this book and follow it's plan and you will loose weight in a much healthier way.

Hi S.,
I think the Atkins works. I'm on it myself and I have lost 35 pounds so far.
I have a great meal idea, but if you are only doing the 20 grams of carbs a day...you will have to watch what you eat because this has 12 grams and 5g fiber. I found it in Body and Soul mag.

Here it is....
Jerk Pork Tenderloin
1 bunch scallions
2 tbls white vinegar
1 tbl soy sauce
1 piece fresh ginger
1 clove garlic
2 jalapeno peppers (optional)
4 tbls olive oil
2 tbls fresh thyme
1 teas ground allspice
1/4 tea ground nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 pork tenderloin
2 lbs swiss chard, ribs and leaves separated cut into 2" lengths.

for Marinade: in blender combine spices, oil, scallions and puree until smooth. Pour into plastic bad add pork and marinade from 1 hour to 24 hours.

heat grill, season pork with salt and pepper and grill 8-10 mins. per side or until temp is 145.

in large saucepan heat olive oil and chard. cool until crisp about 10 mins. add leaves, salt, pepper and cook until tender.

Good luck with your weight loss and I hope you like the recipe!!!

Hi S.,
That's great you are trying to lose weight and only 6 months after delivery.
I know this really is not answering your question, and I know the previous posters mentioned this too, our bodies were not designed to eat the Atkins way.
Please see http://www.drmcdougall.com/. I went completely vegetarian and no fat in college and went from size 8 to size 4 without trying.
Good luck,
M.

Hi, I would check out SavingDinner.com. She has a subscription service for menus that are regular, heart healthy and low carb. She's nutritionist and the meals are balanced and tasty. There are sample menu's available to try.

S.,
Atkins is pretty dangerous. It was really popular about 10 years ago and then people got wise. Your body needs carbs, just the right kind. You need fiber to keep your bowls healthy and moving. Stay away from white sugars and white flour. The faster food moves through your body the better things are for you. Veggies are a free food ALWAYS, and whole grains are the best. I would stay far away from a no-carb diet. It can severely damage your liver and kidneys. Just eat foods in their most natural state and stay away from saturated fats (animal). Good nutrition advice is always best. You will end up gaining it all back as soon as your stop this "crash diet" I'm sorry if this seems harsh but I studied nutrition in college and had many friends do the Atkins diet with a lot of suffering in the end. I hope you find this helpful, I hope you find the latest nutrition info as your research safe weight loss practices!
N.

Atkins is actually a very unhealthy diet. try either the Mediterranean diet or the diabetes diet. info can be found on line

I've had better success with the south beach diet. The first phase is no, sugar, no grains, and lots of meat, salad, veggies, and eggs. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks after my first and 8 pounds the first week after my second. It is a very noticeable difference too. Because it focus on my belly fat. Best of luck. Maybe some South Beach recipes would be good (not sure what you can and can't have on the Atkins).

I would caution you about using the Atkins diet, although it does sound like you've used it before. Having said that I personally believe this diet doesn't work; I believe in a healthy diet low in fat and sugar, and 30 minutes (minimum) of exercize per day. It's worked for me, I've lost 50 lbs. If you stay away from hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup, you'll have much better success at loosing the weight and keeping it off. Just my two cents; I wish you luck!

I'm not a fan of Atkins, but my understanding is that it focuses on net carbs, the kind that affect your blood sugar. Fiber is ok. Veggies are low in net carbs, have lots of nutrients and fiber and provide variety. All of these are necessary on a protein diet. Carrots and corn have more net carbs, as well as squash and tomatoes (which are technically a fruit = higher net carbs).
Try a google search of 'glycemic index'. Lower glycemic index means lower net carbs. There should be something that can give you the glycemic index for veggies as well as other foods.

After you lose the last 10 pounds with that diet you will just gain it back again after returning to your regular way of eating. It isn't healthy either. Please check out a great website -- www.slimbodycoach.com. They have free help too. I was the Round 1 Champion of 2007, so I know it works! It's amazing how great you feel when you eat right, and it's something you can do for the rest of your life!

If you like to cook check out this blog:
http://pccuisine.wordpress.com/

she has some great healthy recipes -

C.
www.AHomeCareer.com

i lost more weight when i was eating very little meat and lots of vegetables. i ate nuts so i would get enough protein. this is the best time of year to go crazy with veggies because they're so much better fresh.

The no card low carb diets never worked for me since the more I went without carbs the more I craved carbs. I found the body for life plan by Bill Phillips to be an excellent weight loss and lifestyle change. It consists of 6 small meals throughout the day. You are never hungry and feel energized. There is a book a cookbook ( eating for life) and probably a website too. It is coupled with a great exercise program which can really change your body shape.
Good Luck.

S., Don't do this diet. It is not a good idea. A lot of people did this diet and it seemed to be good, but they got almost no fiber which we need about 30 mg a day. It also raise cholesterol levels because of sooooo much meat. I would suggest going on a vegetarian diet and see how that goes. Put a lot of vegies and a little fruit. Go easy on the milk, if any. Milk that is bought in a regular store that is not organic is actually more harmful. It is laced with estrogen which makes us fat. Drink one quart of purified water per every 50 pounds you are. Do not drink soda ever. It has high frutose corn syrup, or aspartame. Exersise by walking a very fast hour every day. You will feel better about your body by doing this than doing the very dangerous Atkins diet. Good luck!

Are you nursing? If you are reconsider this diet! Actually you may want to reconsider it anyway. You need a balanced, nutrient dense diet and reasonable exercise. Any diet that excludes healthy foods and requires suplimentation to stay healthy while you are on it isn't good for you!

Check out Dr. Bernstein's Diabetic Diet. It's a book you can check out from the library. He is a big proponent of the no-carb diet for the diabetic. The book is geared for diabetics, but he recommends it for everyone. It has helpful tips on how to eat and what to eat. It also has a bunch of delicious recipes in the back.

Hi S.,

Have you considered other options to loose weight besides the Atkins diet??? The only reason I ask is, our bodies NEED carbs and you won't be cutting carbs out of your diet forever. Its been proven that Atkins diet **temporarily** works, but its not a long term solution. The reason it works is you are cutting calories out of your diet and any deficiet of calories will equal weight loss.

Consider checking this website out. http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm It will help you determine your caloric needs based on your activity level. If you aim to eat a low fat, low calorie diet and step up your activity level you will drop weight more effectively, on a long-term level. Also it has been proven that 5 servings of whole grains per day help unlock the fat loss and those that consume 5 servings of whole grains per day loose the weight faster and keep it off longer! Try -
whole grains, lean protein (chicken, fish), low fat dairy (yogurt, milk, cheese), raw veggies, raw fruits. Also, protein shakes are very good to use before and/or after a good work out. I really like Syntrax Nectar, its only 90 calories, tastes like juice and has 25g of protein. Green tea is awesome too. I buy decaf green tea bags and sometimes even mix it with some splenda. You can drink it iced or hot.

I know it might sound overwhelming, but baby steps really makes a difference. Introduce one or two new ideas at a time.

I've subscribed to FITNESS MAGAZINE and I've gotten sooo much knowledge on health, fitness and nutrition ITS AMAZING! The subscription is $12 per year, $1 per issue. My local library also has these availiable and you can check them out for free and make copies of pages that you want to keep for yourself.

Send me a message if you'd like some more ideas. I wish you all the best in whatever you decide :)

T.