Need Help Getting Started On A Low Carb Diet?
I was recently diagnosed with having insulin resistance, so i’m having to go on a low carb diet (noooo, my pasta D:), and since I’m also the meal planner in the family, and my younger sister is at risk too, I really need some tips for planning meals that are low carb that I can actually convince an eight year old and a picky dad to eat.
also, since I’m changing my diet, will this also help me lose weight easier/not gain it as easily?(i gain weight from the smallest portions of just about ANYTHING)
If you try Atkins, you will lose weight. Infact, its probably the carbs that you have been eating that causes you to gain weigt easily.
I wouldn’t reccomend a low fat version of low carb personally. I believe a lot of the hype regarding fat and cholesterol is nonsense particulary once carbohydrates are removed from your diet.
As for menu ideas, if you love pasta a good sub for that is to lightly panfry some zucchini strips in butter. When I started atkins my son was around your daughters age and he was very picky at the time and ate a lot of junk. I found getting him involved with reading labels etc really helped him clean up his diet over the time at his own pace.
Regarding dinners I found some good substitutes that my son liked. For mashed potato I would mash steamed cauliflower (make sure to drain it well first) with butter, cream, cheese, salt and pepper, he never knew the difference. For breading (eg schnitzel) I would use either just dry powdered parmesean cheese with some herbs, pepper and salt or I would use a mix off the parmesean cheese and almond meal, he actually preffered this to bread crumbs. BBQs were always a winner and very low carb friendly, roasts. I used to make alot of meals in a slow cooker, casseroles, curries etc. Theres quiches, tacos without the beans and shells (you could wrap in lettuce leaves). I found saucy type dishes were always liked. Plus you can also let them have a carb item on the side like potato/bread/rice etc to keep them happy.
go to the food network site and look up the show” low carb and lovin it”
Low carb diets have their evils….but they also work wonders…. I like South Beach
A message board that is really useful is http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/foru…
Hopefully this will help you. There you can find people going through what you are and get the support you need.
Good luck!!
I use the south beach diet. It is a diet for life. There are cook books out there made by south beach that has tons of low carb recipies. The food is great, its easy and you will never be hungry. You should have no problem with the family on this diet. After the first few weeks you can add carbs back in… the good thing is there are low carb pastas that taist just like regular pasta (i would have to check the brand we use for you, i can not think of what it is off hand but its really good). You will also loose weight on this diet. I was on it once before but fell off when I went on my honeymoon… I am back on it now and I have lost 12 lbs. in the first almost two weeks. Its not bad… I enjoy it alot. If you would like some meal ideas or more info on the diet feel free to email me and I would be happy to help. I wont be able to get back to you until monday… but I would love to help if I can. Good luck and have a great weekend.
my favorite book on learning about how to eat, what carbs are really bad, etc is David Kirsch’s The Ultimate New York Body Plan. it not only educates you on food but it also has low carb, high protein recipes that are soooo good. i got my book from amazon.com for about $8.00 w/ shipping.
Remember that you don’t have to completely eliminate carbs. Our bodies need them for energy. Just focus on the good carbs such as breads and pastas made from whole grains. Refined white breads, rice and pasta have lots of sugars. Up the veggies!!! You can flavor veggies with simple delicious accents such as fresh herbs, citrus fruits and other rich in oxidant roots such as garlic, ginger and onion. They make a ton of great recipe ideas for sweets too..sugar free fat free pudding and jello…Yummmie puddin pie. There are so many options go to the Kraft Food website they have specific recipes for diets and they are simple..and delicious.
try taking away all the white products, sugar, flour, etc, and replacing with whole grain products, and if you want something sweet make it yourself and substitute the bad things for good things if you like pasta eat whole grain pasta its not that bad
Try Atkins