Low Carb Dinner/Lunch ideas

El_Dangeroso

Cleochatra's blog is a wonderful resource of low carb recipes:

http://www.cleochatra.blogspot.com/

(scroll down and the recipes are indexed in the menu bar on the right)

She is a culinary genius of the tastiest order and walks the walk.. she's lost 86lbs since starting this year..

Her flaxseed crackers are a saviour for those missing 'crunch' on a low carb diet.

peanuthead

EileenG wrote: »

The Long term low carb lifestyle by Carolyn Humphries www.amazon.co.uk/Carb-Long-Term-Lifestyle-Mediterannean/dp/0572029667/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1225833848&sr=8-1. This is a great book, tasty recipes, mostly scaled for one person, and using real ingredients, the sort of thing you have in the kitchen or can buy in your local supermarket. All those American recipes that call for "fat-free oil" and "carb-free sugar" really piss me off.

Just bought a copy now. Got a used one for like £2!

peanuthead

EileenG wrote: »

The Long term low carb lifestyle by Carolyn Humphries

Hey

Have a question about this book, kind of directed at EileenG as she really seems to know her stuff but anyone can answer really.

I just got the book in the post yesterday and was reading it. It says how phase 1 is practically no carbs at all, but only to stay on phase 1 for 2weeks as any longer can damage your health. Ie been off carbs the last 3 weeks now. Have lost about 2lbs which isnt alot, but I dont have much to lose either (Im 5ft 5 and 8stone 10lbs) Should I skip the first phase?

Thanks

EileenG

Phase 1 is usually about 20g, which sounds low, but it actually adds up to a low of green veggies. You know the side salads in McDonalds? It's ten of those a day, more if you subtract fibre. So you won't damage your health on phase 1, but it can be a bit restrictive if you are eating with friends.

However, you can definitely skip phase 1 and go straight to a more relaxed low carb diet. In general, if you avoid sugar, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and processed food, you are fine.

What are you eating? You'd normally lose more than 2lb in 3 weeks when you switch to low carb, even if most of it is water.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Have a bit of basmati rice with your meals. Has a lower GI than normal rice & I think it's far nicer anyway.

If you're eating turkey and loads of veg as well it's not goign to have any substantial effect on your weight loss, especially if you're exercising too.

peanuthead

EileenG wrote: »

Phase 1 is usually about 20g, which sounds low, but it actually adds up to a low of green veggies. You know the side salads in McDonalds? It's ten of those a day, more if you subtract fibre. So you won't damage your health on phase 1, but it can be a bit restrictive if you are eating with friends.

However, you can definitely skip phase 1 and go straight to a more relaxed low carb diet. In general, if you avoid sugar, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes and processed food, you are fine.

What are you eating? You'd normally lose more than 2lb in 3 weeks when you switch to low carb, even if most of it is water.

Well for the last two weeks my diet has more or less been like this:

Breakfast: More often than not I wouldnt have breakfast. I know thats bad, but I just never seem to make time for it. Whenever I do it would be a banana and a cup of black tea.

Lunch: Usually a tuna salad: tuna, beetroot, chickpeas, onion, peppers, sundried tomatoes. Sometimes chicken and veg(carrots and peas) And occasionally (once a week) spaghetti bolognaise (which I know would have carbs in it alright)

Dinner: Meat and vegetables. Meat could be anything ie: beef, lamb, chicken, steak, fish. And I usually fill the plate with vegetables.

During the day I would try to drink about 2 litres of water, but I dont always. I don't snack most of the time, but when I do it would be on a special K bar, or on one chocolate digestive. Some days I might eat a whole chocolate bar.

Admittedly, I suppose I don't have enough fruit in my diet. If I get hungry I would have a bowl of vegetables or something like that.

I would drink tea during the day, bus usually green tea or peppermint tea, and occasionally regular tea with milk.

I dont really drink but when I do I would have a glass or two of white wine, which I have swapped for red wine since reading the intro in the book.

EileenG

Your diet isn't as low carb as you think!

Eat breakfast. It really does help. Go for something like a mushroom omlette or scrambled eggs. It will keep you going and avoid the need for Special K bars or chocolate biscuits (the devil on low carb diets).

Tuna salad is fine, but you are filling it with a lot of high carb veggies like beetroot, carrots, peas and sundried tomatoes. Try going with a big green salad (buy a bag of washed salad leaves or baby spinach) add some avocado, spring onions, bell peppers, and dress it with a vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Meat and vegetables are fine, as long as the veg is mostly green or leafy or salad. Carrots, parsnips, onions, peas etc are normally too high carb for the early days. You add those back as you get further into the diet. I eat huge amounts of broccoli, cauliflower (mash it and you can use it instead of rice or pasta), green beans, runner beans, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, spinach, beetroot greens, celery, fennel, asparagus, aubergine, mushrooms, leeks, watercress, courgettes etc.

Try going for berries rather than regular fruit at first, but if you grow your own or pick it wild, you can eat as much of that as you like. Avoid fruit juices, smoothies and dried fruit.

You can snack on sugar-free jelly, very dark chocolate (over 70% at least, the darker the better), have whipped cream in your coffee, nibble on nuts and seeds.

peanuthead

EileenG wrote: »

Your diet isn't as low carb as you think!

Well, just after posting m last comment, I had a proper look through the book, and like you say, I just assumed that so long as I cut out bread, potatoes, rice, pasta then I was doing no-carb!!

I had no idea that some fruits/veg had carbs. Ill take this advice!!

Thanks!!

EileenG

For general health, then cutting out the bread and rice etc is fine. But for weight loss, especially at the start, it pays to be pretty strict for a couple of weeks then to add back in some of the better carbs, and see what your personal level of tolerance is.

Many athletes do a system where they'll have six pretty strict low carb days, then they'll have one day where they eat low fat, high carb, concentrating on the root veg, fruit and whole grains that they'd normally avoid.