How do you survive cooking your FAVORITE food for the family? (smoking, break)
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Its hard to go cold turkey regarding the rice really. I dont eat it every day probably once a week or maybe even less. I generally eat salads, turkey, chicken, try to limit beef because they say red meat is not that good, and fish. If I am REALLY wanting to eat rice, then I opt for brown rice instead which is at least better than white. Its one of those situations where people would tell you "if you REALLY want to eat that, eat this instead"
Even so, I only eat a few spoonfuls and limit my carbs to 50 - 60 grams per day.
3T of brown rice is about 15 g of carbs (net of fiber) so it probably won't hamper your weight loss efforts if you eat it once a week.
Thanks. It gets better and better every day. Almost 2 weeks in, and I am used to the routine. We went out to eat on a Saturday. I didnt know when it was so I checked my bank statement since we used our card and it was almost 2 weeks ago on the 8th. That has been my last time eating out since. I told my husband that I am not interested in eating out anymore until my weight stabilizes and I lose a significant amount of weight. A simple salad at the restaurant can easily be 600 calories. He's been supportive by ordering take out instead of dining in, that way I dont have to eat.
I've lost 6 lbs already in nearly 2 weeks (tomorrow will be 2 weeks).
That's really great weight loss.
If you are on a low carb diet you can order a steak with veggies when you eat out. You usually get a large piece of meat at a restaurant. You can bring half of it home and eat the rest the next day.
Stop worrying about fat. Just keep your carbs low and eat until you aren't hungry anymore (not until you can't eat any more).
It is not that difficult to eat out on a low carb diet. You can usually ask to have the starchy side dish replaced by a veggie.
You're doing great so I think that you just have to adjust to your new normal!
I have a tendency to not stick to things...so I am hoping that number will increase. Thats why I am so paranoid that I will do somethign wrong and have to repeat from scratch. Seriously, just one single burger would mess it up for me. I dont know why its so easy for me to gain the weight back. I mean, I might not gain all of it back from eating a single burger, but I will always return to where I started. I am just trying to stick to a "clean" diet at the moment, and trying to avoid all temptations as best as I can.
I have a tendency to not stick to things...so I am hoping that number will increase. Thats why I am so paranoid that I will do somethign wrong and have to repeat from scratch. Seriously, just one single burger would mess it up for me. I dont know why its so easy for me to gain the weight back. I mean, I might not gain all of it back from eating a single burger, but I will always return to where I started. I am just trying to stick to a "clean" diet at the moment, and trying to avoid all temptations as best as I can.
You can eat burgers as long as you skip the bun. The best burger place in my area serves a fantastic Cobb Salad with a big burger on top. It's delicious. I go there once a week and my husband and I split one of these as it's too large for one person. If I go by myself I bring half home.
I feel like you don't really understand how a low carb diet works. I am VERY VERY glad that you are losing weight however, I am afraid that if you continue to restrict yourself to chicken and green veggies you won't be able to stick to this way of eating.
You can eat burgers as long as you skip the bun. The best burger place in my area serves a fantastic Cobb Salad with a big burger on top. It's delicious. I go there once a week and my husband and I split one of these as it's too large for one person. If I go by myself I bring half home.
I feel like you don't really understand how a low carb diet works. I am VERY VERY glad that you are losing weight however, I am afraid that if you continue to restrict yourself to chicken and green veggies you won't be able to stick to this way of eating.
Oh no lol, I dont just eat CHICKEN and veggies. I eat Chicken, shrimp, turkey, fish, beef on occasion ( I dont know why doctors say red meat shouldnt be consumed often, I had no problems eating that before), and tofu. I dont limit my protein at all. I cook them different ways so I dont get bored. I am Asian and there are bountiful ways to cook a meal, so I dont get bored. Vegetarian dishes are yummy too (I am about to learn to make a vegetarian style dish for tomorrow which is an alternative the regular dish). Sometimes I would make stir fry with green beans, other days I may steam cabbage, I love grilled Salmon, and the baked halibut is yummy too.
What I was referring to is adjusting to normal eating once I get to (or near) my optimal weight. If I bring some carbs back at the time, will I gain the weight back again or will I maintain? Right now I am eating to lose weight, so it makes sense that by that time I should eat some carbs again otherwise I'd keep on losing?
To be honest, sometimes I am scared to go out because I feel like I havent reached a good level of self control yet. For example, I havent eaten any "junk" food (sweets, cookies, cake etc) and one time I came across some good looking cake and a part of me said "ok, I wanna eat that" the other part was like "no you cant, it will mess you up". So I end up using all of my willpower and self control to turn away from the cake. It doesnt happen all the time, but when I have a sweet tooth (and fruits wont cure it) I really want junk, like a cake or cookie, or chips...
Oh no lol, I dont just eat CHICKEN and veggies. I eat Chicken, shrimp, turkey, fish, beef on occasion ( I dont know why doctors say red meat shouldnt be consumed often, I had no problems eating that before), and tofu. I dont limit my protein at all. I cook them different ways so I dont get bored. I am Asian and there are bountiful ways to cook a meal, so I dont get bored. Vegetarian dishes are yummy too (I am about to learn to make a vegetarian style dish for tomorrow which is an alternative the regular dish). Sometimes I would make stir fry with green beans, other days I may steam cabbage, I love grilled Salmon, and the baked halibut is yummy too.
What I was referring to is adjusting to normal eating once I get to (or near) my optimal weight. If I bring some carbs back at the time, will I gain the weight back again or will I maintain? Right now I am eating to lose weight, so it makes sense that by that time I should eat some carbs again otherwise I'd keep on losing?
To be honest, sometimes I am scared to go out because I feel like I havent reached a good level of self control yet. For example, I havent eaten any "junk" food (sweets, cookies, cake etc) and one time I came across some good looking cake and a part of me said "ok, I wanna eat that" the other part was like "no you cant, it will mess you up". So I end up using all of my willpower and self control to turn away from the cake. It doesnt happen all the time, but when I have a sweet tooth (and fruits wont cure it) I really want junk, like a cake or cookie, or chips...
I'm glad to hear you are varying your protein sources. Beef, lamb and pork are healthy choices as are chicken, fish, turkey, shellfish and eggs.
I think you have to look at low carb as the way you eat. Period. Once you lose the weight you want to lose you cannot return to the way of eating that made you fat in the first place. You really can't ever go back to eating that way. You may be able to have a piece of cake or a cookie every few months but you really can't ever go back to eating sweets on a regular basis. In other words, low carb is your normal way of eating.
You can probably add a bit higher level of carbs into your diet when you are maintaining but that bit more carbs isn't going to be white rice, and bread. That might be an extra tablespoon of brown rice or a few more pieces of fruit per week.
I think that eating out is part of life and that you eventually have to figure out how to add it to your repertoire. If you aren't ready yet, it's fine to wait a little longer.
I'm glad to hear you are varying your protein sources. Beef, lamb and pork are healthy choices as are chicken, fish, turkey, shellfish and eggs.
I think you have to look at low carb as the way you eat. Period. Once you lose the weight you want to lose you cannot return to the way of eating that made you fat in the first place. You really can't ever go back to eating that way. You may be able to have a piece of cake or a cookie every few months but you really can't ever go back to eating sweets on a regular basis. In other words, low carb is your normal way of eating.
You can probably add a bit higher level of carbs into your diet when you are maintaining but that bit more carbs isn't going to be white rice, and bread. That might be an extra tablespoon of brown rice or a few more pieces of fruit per week.
I think that eating out is part of life and that you eventually have to figure out how to add it to your repertoire. If you aren't ready yet, it's fine to wait a little longer.
You are doing great!
I dont quite understand though about the maintenance part (I know I still have a long ways to go and need to stick to my current way of eating). Say, if I were able to reach my goal weight of 120 lbs and want to stay at that weight how do I maintain that? I found a random carbs calculator online where you input your age, height, and weight and it gives you a list of how many calories to eat in order to maintain as well as carbs for energy needs.
I input 27 (hopefully I will be at my goal weight by then, since I am 25 now) and it said I need 1717 cal to maintain my weight, and 183 carbs (40%) - 343 (75%) for energy.
If I go on to eat 50 grams of carbs like I am now, wouldnt that be much less than the recommended daily intake and I would end up going below my target weight? I want to weigh around 120 lbs and stop losing at that point and just maintain. I dont know how maintenance works so maybe you could shed some light. Thanks
Btw - I dont think I will ever go back to white rice again, so I have fully adapted to brown rice if I want some. I am also not a fan of bread so if I want bread I'll just opt for whole wheat.
I dont quite understand though about the maintenance part (I know I still have a long ways to go and need to stick to my current way of eating). Say, if I were able to reach my goal weight of 120 lbs and want to stay at that weight how do I maintain that? I found a random carbs calculator online where you input your age, height, and weight and it gives you a list of how many calories to eat in order to maintain as well as carbs for energy needs.
I input 27 (hopefully I will be at my goal weight by then, since I am 25 now) and it said I need 1717 cal to maintain my weight, and 183 carbs (40%) - 343 (75%) for energy.
If I go on to eat 50 grams of carbs like I am now, wouldnt that be much less than the recommended daily intake and I would end up going below my target weight? I want to weigh around 120 lbs and stop losing at that point and just maintain. I dont know how maintenance works so maybe you could shed some light. Thanks
Btw - I dont think I will ever go back to white rice again, so I have fully adapted to brown rice if I want some. I am also not a fan of bread so if I want bread I'll just opt for whole wheat.
If you eat a certain way and it makes you fat then you need to change the way you eat to get thin. You need to maintain that way of eating to stay thin. I wouldn't advise anyone who is diabetic (or at risk for diabetes) to eat 183 g of carbs a day.
If you need to eat low carb to lose then you also need to eat low carb to maintain. You can probably eat more carbs that you are eating while you are losing but you simply will not be able to return to eating carbs they way you did before or you will regain all the weight you lost.
If you can find a copy of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution or Atkins for Life (both old books that you can probably find used for very little money) it is explained in those books.
If you eat a certain way and it makes you fat then you need to change the way you eat to get thin. You need to maintain that way of eating to stay thin. I wouldn't advise anyone who is diabetic (or at risk for diabetes) to eat 183 g of carbs a day.
If you need to eat low carb to lose then you also need to eat low carb to maintain. You can probably eat more carbs that you are eating while you are losing but you simply will not be able to return to eating carbs they way you did before or you will regain all the weight you lost.
If you can find a copy of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution or Atkins for Life (both old books that you can probably find used for very little money) it is explained in those books.
I eat low carb and I cook exactly the same as always. The only difference is I don't eat pasta, bread, potato, or rice. I eat the protein and vegetables...as much as I want. For breakfast I eat bacon or sausage and eggs, or a cheese or veggie omelet, but no toast. For lunch, I eat a "sandwich" with lettuce instead of bread.
Its not hard at all.
I make desserts for my DH, but they really don't tempt me.
I aim for 22 carbs a day, and usually stay under.
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