Hi, i decided to start myself on a low-carb ("Atkins") diet...
The problem I have is i live in a house full of carbs.... the
other person who lives here eats a diet rich in carbs. I am
really determined to make this diet work. I've never been able
to stay on a diet this long (3 days). But I've found it easy to
be full off a low carb diet.... Since I cook for the household it
won't be so hard to cook low carb meals...
My problem is mostly that i'm a snacker and a night-time eater...
and there are very few low-carb snacks in the house... I need some
support and suggestions on snacking.... etc. Can Anyone Help ???

during induction, you might snack on lettuce and ham roll ups, celery stuffed with seasoned cream cheese, hard boiled eggs or deviled eggs, bell pepper strips with a sour cream dip, an ounce or two of cheese, tuna salad or egg salad rolled in lettuce leaves... maybe chicken wings or drummettes.

Later, during the ongoing weight loss phase, you may be able to tolerate snacks of nuts, peanut butter, soy chips, soy nuts, strawberries w/sour cream. I haven't checked this out in quite a while, but Trader Joes used to carry a sizeable line of LC snacks. Their Soy Tortilla chips were pretty good... too good, LOL!

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Also, Mario, in a pinch you can keep a couple of slim jim's meat sticks on hand. Not too many (not so nutritious, and HIGH in sodium) but just so you have something to grab if you gotta!
Best of luck to you, this is really the place to be for support and ideas! Welcome!

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Heather
182-2/27/08

Welcome, Mario.

There are always pork rinds, too. Although, like the slim jims, they're high in sodium, still they make an ok snack when you want something to crunch on.

Hope you'll make yourself at home.

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Mario, welcome to our little low carb family.

Have you bought the Atkins book? Make sure you read it through. And everyone here prefers to call this a way of eating (woe) rather than a diet. A diet is something you quit when you reach a goal, and this is our lifetime way of eating. We've chosen it, not only to lose weight, but for our general health.

We keep cheese, pepperoni and summer sausage around for snacks, as well as pork rinds. Celery, bell peppers, radishes, and jicama also are great snacks. And check out the Low Carb Cooking forum for the One Minute Muffin. I have it for an evening snack when I need something a little sweet, and it is packed with fiber, which we all need.

You'll find a lot of cooking ideas in that particular forum, as well as the Cook section, which you can find the tab at the top of this page. You'll see Learn, Share, Cook and Shop. Just go to the Cook section, and follow the path to some of the best recipes you'll ever find.

Wishing you success.

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Nita

Welcome, Mario!

You've gotten some great advice already, as is par for the course around here. I especially would echo Nita's suggestion to get that book to help you know exactly what you're doing, and try to start adjusting your mindset from "diet" to changing how you eat, period. Otherwise, if you were to go back to your old eating habits, you'd put back on any weight you'd lost. Screw that!

You are right that low-carb is a great way to manage your weight without being hungry! Which is a major part of the reason why it can work as a permanent way to change how you eat. I never lasted more than a few days on any diet where I was hungry and unhappy with the options I had to eat, either. I hear ya, man! And even if I lost a little, I put it right back on when I started eating "normally." Low-carb was the only thing that worked for me, after maybe 30-ish years of trying all the other stuff. And the trick was largely finding a new "normal" for my eating habits.

It can be a challenge to stick with a low-carb way of eating when you're surrounded by carbs. But it can be done. That's how things were for me in the beginning. Some things you can do to help:

• A lot of what people eat is low-carb anyway. Since you're cooking, it's much easier: fix lower-carb meals, and perhaps add a side dish or two for the "carb eater" in the house. Especially at first, stay away from your favorites for the sides.
• When you get carby-food for others, change your selections to the ones you like least. Maybe the other resident likes junk food. Ok. So don't get your favorites in that category. Get stuff they like that you don't care for much. WAY easier to pass up that way. After a while, it won't make much of a difference since your tastes actually change and the stuff you used to live on can taste yucky. But at first, this helps a lot.
• Always, always, always have some easy, appealing snacks on hand that require little preparation. That way, you grab your snacks and not feel deprived without the carbs. This can't feel like a diet! Diets don't work. Changing your habits works. (Doing a search for "snack ideas" or something like that on these forums will give you lots of ideas.)
• As already suggested, check out the recipes! I also suggest investing in a low-carb cookbook or two. Even if you don't use the recipes, you'll get lots of ideas.
• If you do eat something off-plan, then just forget about it. Don't say, "Oh, I've blown the day/week/whatever." Don't beat yourself up or guilt-trip yourself or any of that junk. Doesn't help. Just keep on going.
• Come visit us often! This is a great place for support and the kinds of things you're dealing with, no doubt others have had to deal with also. So we can help you through the tough times.

Good luck to you! Peace out.

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

oh yeah-i forgot to mention this, but after being low-carb for a while, the carb-eaters in my house saw how great i was doing and ended up eating more low-carb themselves. everybody got more fit and we all feel better. after a while, people start to notice the positive results you get, and not just in overall weight.

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

Same thing happened here.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

When I did South Beach Diet the first time, I was the only one doing it, and everyone else was doing normal carb stuff. I found a strategy to help me was to plan out what to eat each day. On work days, this was easy: I packed my lunch and snacks and adopted the mantra that I wouldn't eat anything from outside the lunch box. I did something similar at home, putting aside my snacks and meals for the day. Once I ate the designated food, that was it; I was done.

I lost 70 lb. in 6 months during 2005, held it for while, then about half of it came back in 2006 and I'm giving it another go in 07.

Thank you all for your help...

I've found that not mentioning if something is low in carbs while shopping has made it easier to bring LC snacks and foods in to the home....

also, I've found some killer recipes both on this site and on my own.....

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[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wKp39bs/]

Stopping by to wish you a great low carb day. You are doing great! Keep sneaking in the lc foods. My DH was against it at first but little by little I've changed the milk, bread, condiments...it's looking pretty good in this house now. My favorite change of 40 calorie/6 carb slices of whole wheat wonder bread - yummy! He went from drinking regular soda to tea sweetened with splenda. Not water but tons better. Good for you for working on yours and those in your homes health.

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oh, and also i forgot to ask, and good places to eat while still eating LC?

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[url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wKp39bs/]

At most restaurants you can usually find dishes on the menu that are low carb friendly. Some have special low carb selections, like TGI Fridays, Cracker Barrel, and Ruby Tuesday's. Others will have things that are low carb but come with a starch. Those restaurants will usually substitute another veggie for the potato or rice. One rule of thumb when eating out is to avoid dishes with gravies and sauces. Grilled meats, salad, and a l/c friendly veggie make a nice meal and something you can usually find. I tend to stay away from restaurants where I will have limited choices like mexican or italian, unless I know their menu. My favorite restaurant in Kansas City is actually an Italian restaurant but they have an "Atkins Special" that is out of sight. (Marinated grilled chunks of chicken breast served in an Alfredo sauce w/prosucitto, spinach and artichoke hearts.) The bottom line is that you can eat out responsibly and on plan but you must look at the menu, ask questions, and don't be afraid to ask for substitutions.

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Henry

Hi Mario...Henry's right, it is really pretty easy to eat out while eating low carb. One of my favorite places to eat out is "Chili's." I get the ribeye steak and a double portion of steamed broccoli. It's plenty of food to satisfy and tastes really good. One of the things I like about that meal is that it is a regular menu item so I don't have to ask for substitutions. You get to choose 2 side dishes with your steak so I just choose 2 servings of broccoli.

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Vickie

I've never had a problem eating out as long as I avoid most Mexican or Chinese restaurants. And, even those often have Ceasar salads these days. Otherwise, most places, I just ask them to substitute extra veggies for the rice, potato, pasta, and they are always happy to do that.

Do you have Max's Cafe's in up in Santa Rosa? That's a Bay Area chain that is quite LC friendly. They have a Low Carb section to their menu. They serve mashed cauliflower instead of potato on request, and they make some sandwiches (Ruebens, Patty Melt) with a low carb bread. They even have a small selection of LC desserts, although I don't find those conducive to weight loss (they are made w/maltitol and splenda, and maltitol stalls weight lost for many).

__________________
~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.