Hi all,
This is my first post, very impressed with the quality of info available here. I am prepared to be flamed for what I'm doing, but hopefully I can get some honest answers to some basic questions.

I am a young male w/ about 30 pounds to lose (I can lose pretty easily). I've decided to do low-carb becuase the way of life fits with my preferences much better than other methods. However due to some spousal resistance (she's a nurse) to Atkins I've just decided to move to low carb in general targeting 20-40 carbs a day focusing on meats and veggies w/o following any specific plan (don't yell too loud ha!). But if low carb is really a way of life as opposed to a diet, it seems as if this will work, even if not as fast as strictly following induction. My questions follow...

1. If I switch from my old practice of hundreds of carbs a day to 30-40 will my body go into ketosis? After just a couple of days I feel different so my guess is yes.

Shopping Questions - as a young guy, I'm all about easy (meat on a george forman, pre tossed salad in bags, string cheese etc). vs hard (I hate recipies that involve time, effort, and unusual items). With that in mind...

2. I love soup, but most canned soup seems to have a lot of carbs. Any suggestions on brands or types that have low carbs? Anybody found a good "no bean" low carb chili?

3. I love sauces and seasonings. I spent FOREVER shopping yesterday trying hit or miss to find some good stuff. Any advice on specific brands/types of salad dressing, BBQ sauce (I know most has sugar), marinade, etc.

4. What would you get if you were going to a fast food mexican place (Taco Bell/Bueno)

5. I would love to hear everyone's favorite easy recipes, those that could be tossed together by an idiot (me), with just a couple of ingredients.

I really respect those of you that very specifically follow the induction phase, and I am sure that would be better for my weight loss. However I know that I can't follow that to a T, but can make low carb a WOL with some practical advice to start. Thanks for the help!!!

Welcome MGSFB

We don't flame people until their second post.

Your plan looks pretty good to me. My only concern is when you run into where to get those 20-40 carbs. Not all are created equal. Personally, I started at 30 carbs, never went as low as 20.

To answer your questions:
1. No way to tell. Some people go into ketosis at 40 carbs, some don't.

2. I think you'll have a hard time finding a good low carb canned soup unless it's just broth. You best bet is to make you own. It very simple and easy to make, for example, chicken and broccolli soup. Check out our recipe forum and the database. You'll find tons of great idea there. Including a great low carb chili.

3. The best marinade is just plian old wine and olive oil.
As far as seasonings, what spices/herbs do you like? Most have negligable carbs except for onions and garlic.
Salad dressings; just about any creamy dressing is ok. Especially ranch, blue cheese, creamy ceasar, etc. Just check the ingrediants for sugars and the nutritional info. Try to find one that has less than 2 carbs per tbsp.
You're better off skipping the BBQ sauce for now.

4. Taco salad -skip the beans and don't eat the shell. Eat the "guts" of the tacos.

5. See the recipe forum and database. The possibilities are endless.


For your nurse wife, have her check out the research section.

Good luck.



Always eat your veggies first!
LCE member since March 2002

Atkins does make a good low-carb barbecue sauce. It's not cheap, but it's nice to have once in a while.

WalMart has a good lowcarb section, but there are some things you'd be better off without. Most of the bars are no good. The canned shakes are okay. Read through some of the other posts and you'll get a good idea of what to buy.

I like simplicity, too. I grill the meat, have a side of veggies, and I'm fine. If your wife sees that you are eating reasonably, she shouldn't have anything to argue about. You might point out to her that your health is important to you, and you're aware of the risks of the "normal" way of eating.

Meat:

Answering your questions in the order you dealt them:

1. The state of ketosis. You will achieve ketosis only if you cut out all sugar from your diet, natural or otherwise, or if you are fasting. The best measure of ketosis is to test your urine with ketone strips.

2. Chicken broth and beef broth have no carbs. You can add veggies to those to have soups. You also can scour soup labels at the store to see which ones don't have sugar or high carbs.

3. Full fat Ranch dressing is your best bet for low carb. Stay away from those dressings made with tomato (like French and Russian). As for BBQ sauces, I abstain simply because they have sugar. I know you hate to cook and don't wanna look at recipes, but you can open a can of tomatoe PASTE, water it down with a tad of vinegar and sweeten it with Splenda and get the same result as bottled BBQ sauce.

4. A salad with grilled chicken on top or a taco without the shell.

5. I don't like to try new recipes because I don't like to make such a fuss in the kitchen. I stick with foods from their natural forms. Perhaps someone else can help you with this one.

Good luck.

April
352/212/180
Down 140 pounds
32 to go...

I know exactly where you are coming from. I started reducing my carbs on September 20th, and didn’t really follow the book, at least for the first few weeks. Eventually though, I did find my old copy of DANDR (I had been on it for a week in 1996, but was just too addicted to ice cream to keep it up for long). Since then though, I have been doing it as close to the book as I can. I still have many problems with vegetables though.

1. You probably will go into ketosis, but even if you don’t, it is not 100% necessary in order to feel different and loose weight. The changes come from the fact that insulin is not being over stimulated. While Atkins recommends 20 g a day for the first two weeks, there are other low carb diets such as Life without Bread that have introduction levels at about 90 grams a day. LWB does not achieve ketosis but it should work, just a little slower.

2. I would recommend avoiding soups. Most packaged foods in the supermarket have added carbs and flour. If you find something, great, you probably have your work cut out for you.

3. BBQ sauce is one of the things I really miss having on my burgers and meats. I heard that a lot of people don’t like the official Atkins BBQ sauce, although I have not tasted it myself. It is one of those things that I am still looking for a substitute for.


4. One strategy I have heard people use with Mexican food is to order tacos, empty the contents of the shell, and eat it as a salad with a fork.

5. I tend to stay away from these as well. The most cooking that I do is making omelets and grilled chicken or steak.


I was also a biology major, so recently I have been reading as much of the science behind this as I can. I would recommend that you ask your wife to look up New England Journal of Medicine: 2003 May 22;348(21):2082-90 A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet for obesity. The abstract can be found here

Also look up N Engl J Med. 2003 May 22;348(21):2074-81. A low-carbohydrate as compared with a low-fat diet in severe obesity. That abstract is here

These two studies show that, Atkins works, and is relatively safe, at least in the short term. Most of the medical community is beginning to realize that this is true. They however are not convinced that Atkins is safe over the long term, i.e. more than one or two years.

If you really want to learn as much as possible, I would recommend The Ketogenic Diet: Which can be found here.

it is the most thorough and well documented book on the science behind the diet that I have found.

Another option other than Atkins is the Zone. I only mention this because it tends to be less controversial than Atkins. It reduces mainly the bad carbs, but recommends a ratio of 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. I think that most health professionals are more comfortable with this than Atkins because it is a more moderate low carb diet.

Started on 9/20/03
235-->190; 150 goal

(Just shortened the links so I could read this without scrolling back and forth. Maggie)

[This message was edited by Maggie on 01-14-04 at 04:47 PM.]

[This message was edited by Maggie on 01-14-04 at 04:52 PM.]

I just remembered one last thing, If you are not taking a multivitamin, it is a good idea to start one ASAP. It is generally a bad idea to do this without a book. Non because of some rule, but because there are always health concerns and things that can go wrong in ANY diet, even a low fat one. The vitamin thing is one of many recomendations that you will only get if you read the book.

Started on 9/20/03
235-->190; 150 goal

Hiya Meat! Welcome to LCE.

I see you got some real good info already. Not that I am able to add much. I am very interested in soups lately with the cold weather here in NY. I have looked up on google some low carb cream soups. I am not sure of the carbs but if you want soup how about a cream of broccoli?, cream califlower? You can also take chicken broth and add meat balls, spinach and spices. Kinda like a Wedding soup I believe its called. I believe Atkins has soups in his book in the back. You can also check here in the recipe section to see what we have.

Good luck to you!

Blessings,

Carol

The EASIEST really good recipe that I've made lately is ShellyG's Creamy Chicken Mexicana. I think there's a thread about it in the cooking forum. Here's the link to the recipe DB:
http://www.lowcarbeating.com/recipe_showeach.php?id=976

To make it even easier, grill your chicken as usual on the G. Foreman, and mix and heat the Rotel and Cream cheese in a saucepan to pour over your chicken when it's done. I swear it tastes like you're cheating. Serve with a veggie like zucchini, or a salad.

Along the same lines, I like to make a homemade Alfredo sauce with heavy cream and Parmesan. Then I'll serve that over grilled chicken and broccoli or cauliflower or asparagus.

And I keep a LOT of Green Giant veggies around. Microwave and go. My favorite is the green beans and almonds.

Valentine's Challenge: 149/144/134
Started Atkins 12/6/02: 187/144/130

1. Will you go into ketosis at 30-40 carbs? Very likely, yes. You're a guy and you're young. If you've never done the diet before, it's even more likely.

Go buy a bottle of ketostix so you can find out if you're in ketosis. You might very well find out this way that you can eat even MORE carbs than you thought and stay in ketosis. If you can, DO. It gives you more wiggle room in case your carb limit starts to fall, as it usually does, somewhat.

2. Soup... I'm not sure what to recommend. I grew up with Lipton Chicken Noodle Soup in the red and white Andy Warhol cans, so I eat that. I just drink the broth off of it. I suppose I could buy the broth by itself, but I like this more.

When I go to restaurants, if they have soup, such as beef vegetable, I'll do the same thing and go on a little hunt and destroy mission for the tidbits I like. If you can't do this without feeling deprived or tempted by the potatoes, just skip it. I actually feel clever, doing it this way.

3. Sauces and seasonings. BIG, BIG PROBLEM!!! I don't know why people don't talk about this more. Everybody's either a master chef making their own sauces from scratch, something I'm too inept to do, or they just fumble around like me.

I've gradually discovered the condiments that I consider safe and tasty for me.

Mexican salsa is a big one. Don't use American brands like Pace -- they have too many carbs and they're sweet.

Atkins Steak Sauce. This is the only Atkins product I buy. It tastes strange to some people, but I prefer its taste to regular steak sauce. It has a strong ginger flavor. It's an acquired taste but I'm addicted.

Classico Spaghetti Sauces. Some of them are fairly low in carbs. Just remember to not dump a half a bottle on your chicken. Use it in moderation and it's great. I put it on hamburger steaks frequently.

Use dressings as sauces. I'm very fond of Drew's brand dressings. They have a Lemon Tahini marinade/dressing that is fairly low in carbs. It tastes great on fish. I prefer it to tartar sauce.

Mayonnaise. Kill yourself with it. It's loooow carb.

Gravy... I haven't figured out a really good way to make gravy. You can try doing it with drippings and wine or with cream, the way the chefs on Food TV do. Sometimes I just use canned gravy but don't use a lot of it. Unfortunately, that adds some extra carbs to your food.

A slice of American cheese on top of a hamburger steak is a nice little topping. A little bit of grilled onions, too, although you shouldn't eat too many onions. They're higher in carbs than they look, but a little bit can taste great.

About BBQ sauce... Forget it. I haven't found any low-carb BBQ sauce. It's best to just say goodbye to it. Even if they do make a low-carb BBQ sauce with Splenda, it can't possibly glaze on the grill without real sugar in it. It's a chemistry issue.

4. Fast food places. At Taco Bell, I would order a steak burrito or two. I would then unwrap them and eat the filling at home. If I'm in a car, I'd just open one end and SQUEEZE it out like a toothpaste. Sounds weird? Ah, you've never been hungry enough to try it. If anybody gives you weird looks, sneer at them.

Don't do this with Del Taco. I'm pretty sure they put a lot of carb fillers in their meat. It tastes pretty obvious when you eat it without the tortilla.

All the burger places sell burgers, and you can figure out what to do with them. Pastramis are great, too. Those little greasy-spoon type hamburger joints often sell huge pastrami sandwiches.

If you have Pollo Loco where you are, it's a great meal, although a little pricey. I used to go to Kenny Roger's before they closed up, here. They had good roasted chicken. In a pinch, you can also eat KFC chicken, if you have the patience to pick the breading off.

BTW, don't get the idea you can just eat the breading because you are allowing more carbs. Bread and breading and other flour products can sabotage your diet even in small portions. Learn about something called the glycemic index. Bread and potatoes are evil.

5. Easy recipes: The mock danish recipe on this site is great. Very easy.

I eat a lot of fried fish, hamburger steaks, polish sausage, pork chops, ham, eggs, of course, salads. I don't do anything that special with them. I'm too lazy. If I want variety, I'll go out to a Mexican restaurant and order carnitas.

**************
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."

I just grabbed some good ideas! Thanks!

Blessings,

Carol

Doc I:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Fast food places. At Taco Bell, I would order a steak burrito or two. I would then unwrap them and eat the filling at home. If I'm in a car, I'd just open one end and SQUEEZE it out like a toothpaste. Sounds weird? Ah, you've never been hungry enough to try it. If anybody gives you weird looks, sneer at them.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

LOLOLOLOL That just struck my funny bone!!!!
I think I have to work on that one, sneering at LC oglers,

Hey Meat!!! Welcome to LCE!!!!

Isn't this a great place????
You've gotten some great responses.

Try making soup yourself with 2 cans of Swanson Chicken Broth, some cut up broccoli and cauliflower (which you can buy already cut up at the store in the produce section for dipping) Throw in 2-4 handfuls of frozen green beans and a small can of HUNTS (no sugar added) tomato sauce, a bay leaf, and some minced garlic (the dried stuff works fine) VOILA...........soup!!!!! Oh and simmer it for about twenty minutes so the veggies will be done. (fish out the bay leaf before eating, don't eat THAT!!!) And if you want meat in it, you can buy the precooked chicken in the packages that are seasoned (check sugar content first) OR make extra chicken, steak or whatever and cut it up and throw that in too. YUMMMY!!!!

Barb - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!
www.iwsgroupinc.com - website design and development


Atkins-3/14/03
174/144/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

Paladin, thanks for those references. I hope you keep posting this stuff; it's very useful.

Terra, if you're looking for more research like the studies that paladin posted, check the research link in the top menu.

For example, you can find the studies paladin mentioned, along with several more here.



Always eat your veggies first!
LCE member since March 2002

thanks for the help everyone. Really appreciate it!!!!!

This is a trick I've been using for a long time and it is a great time saver...I'm a lazy cook!

I buy a cheap beef roast and throw it in the crock pot with veggies and a half a cup of water and salt and pepper and maybe a little basil or whatever herbs I'm in the mood for. Let it cook all day....that is supper. After supper I take a lot of the extra meat and grind it in the food processor and then add all the veggies and meat and a lot of water and boullion to a big soup pot and let it all simmer for a while. That is soup for the whole week! Delicious and super easy!