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-   -   Low Carb, low calories (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=14309)

lilith_rizel April 22nd, 2005 09:29 AM

Low Carb, low calories
 
Does anyone have some recipies? My husband wants to be put on a low carb low calorie diet. And I have no idea what to make for meals.

Sneaky2006 April 22nd, 2005 10:43 AM

It's very hard to be low carb and low calories... many low carb diets are high in fat because you can eat cheese, meat, eggs, etc.
I don't know of any recipes, but you're only going to be able to work with non starchy veggies and very lean pultry and meat, egg whites... I don't know of anything else low carb and low calorie?
What types of foods does he want to eat?

lilith_rizel April 22nd, 2005 01:22 PM

His guidelines are: no red meat, except for once a week, and no more than a 1500 calorie intake a day if possible. He likes most veggies, except for onions and peppers. He will be drinking mostly propel fitness water. He does love rice. Doesn't care for pasta all that much. He is already taking slimfast as breakfast and lunch and a decent sized meal for supper with snacks in between. But lately he has been having tacos, pizzas, and tv dinners for supper. And he wants to stop and eat healthier.

If I can't get both, can anyone give me any really healthy, delicious and inexpsnsive meal ideas? I would like to get away from boxed foods, and actually LEARN how to cook. I know it is pathetic. I can't even make mac n cheese without reading the directions. I don't know how to make anything from scratch. Everything we eat comes from boxes.

Sneaky2006 April 22nd, 2005 01:39 PM

Well rice has a ton of carbs... but probably little calories... usually you can't have both unless it's veggies and lean meat, but it's very hard to do.

I know what you mean about eating out of boxes... that's all my hubby knows how to do also, and he doesn't like many things that aren't boxed so most of the time I don't bother trying.
I do know how to cook and I cook when I can but it's tough cooking for someone that doesn't like any veggies other than corn. He's a meat and potatoes/boxed noodle type person. It gets very boring, not to mention totally not good for you.

I am actually on a somewhat of a low carb diet right now... I am not doing atkins because I don't think you should eat sticks of butter just because it's got 0 carbs and I think everyone needs fruit in their diet also, which is carbs. But I stick to melons and berries, which are lower carbs than say bananas for example.

I am basically getting back to whole real foods, something I think is best in itself. I eat chicken, turkey, tuna (some beef and pork but not as much as the poultry)... some cheese, eggs, occasionally brown rice, barley and oatmeal, but those last things not everyday. Also, as for fruit, mainly berries as I've mentioned above.

I do not eat anything boxed, prepackaged or anything with preservatives. No potatoes, white rice, bread, pasta of any kind, sweets, or sweet fruit, or fruit juices... obviously no snack type items like chips or crackers either.

The only problem with this is the food bill. It's very sad to say but real whole foods cost wayyyy more than your boxed items and it sucks! We are on a budget and this way of eating is kinda costly.

The best way I've found to see what you're eating and the food values is going to [url]www.fitday.com[/url] . Make an account, it's free, and then you can pick from food lists what you'd like to eat and how much and it breaks it down as far as where your calories/fat/protein are coming from. It's a great site if you're dieting. Then you can find the best foods for you and find one of those recipe sites where you put in the foods you have and it comes up with recipes for it. I'll look for it and post it if I can find one like that.
Good luck to ya! :)

lilith_rizel April 22nd, 2005 01:52 PM

Thanks sneaky. I told James that if he goes on that kind of diet that there won't be too much of a variety. I figure if I can find 14 good recipes that are healthy and not that fatty, I can make 2 weekly meal plans. He said that he would be fine with that.

SarahLynn123 April 22nd, 2005 02:34 PM

I follow the GI Diet and there is tonnes of receipes and options. We made chili the other night with ground turky breast instead if hamburger and you cant tell at all!!! Other then that beans are good, tomato's, seasoning, some veggies the usual you would put in Chili.

We just made chicken jumbalya and it was excellent aswell. I will have to find these receipes for you. (Its made with brown rice but because of the spicy flavor you cant really tell.)

Also vegetable and chicken homemade soups are always a hit in my house.

I will post back some actual receipies for you when I find them.

Sneaky2006 April 22nd, 2005 02:40 PM

I believe the GI diet is sorta like South Beach... I think SB is lower fat too.
Here's a link to lots of SB diet recipes... they look good!!
[url]http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/recipecollection.html[/url]

CyberKitten April 22nd, 2005 03:06 PM

I have to admit to not being a fan of "fad" diets and while the low carb craze has lasted longer than most, to me it is still a fad. It is also not that healthy in some ways. (and I am not sure Dr. Atkins' dying of heart related probs helps his case). I did actually design a web site for a friend who wanted to post her low carb recipes but she is a healthy person who knows exactly what she is doing. It seems to provide a quick start for someone who is really obese and whose weight is causing health problems. Once they lose that large amt of weight tho, they should return to a normal nutritious diet and change their lifestyle so they can keep off the weight.

I try to eat healthy foods and follow the Canada Food Guide but I do like the occasional junk foods and so far, they have not hurt me. Life is too short to worry about everything I eat. (tho if I were diabetic or had another conditon that required monitoring my food intake, it would be much more significant.) I was on TPN for an ulcer related surgery so it was of concern then!

Ironically, the low carb diet would be "fine" for me because I am not much of a carb person anyway - do not eat much bread and dislike taters except French Fries and even them I eat only sparingly. I will eat some rice and the occasional pasta on occasion but I do not go overboard on any of it.

Prin April 22nd, 2005 05:10 PM

My dad is on the atkins hard-core. I think it is affecting his short term memory.

Atkins follows the idea that Thin Means Fit. And it so doesn't. I'm pudgy now and I am way more fit than I was when I was thin. If you want to lose weight, geez, just exercise more. Atkins doesn't give you abs. Or stamina.

kayla April 22nd, 2005 09:28 PM

Stir fries are great. You can get a bunch of veggies (non-starchy ones), whatever you like, then add a can of coconut milk and half a packet of A Taste of Thai red curry paste and it is soooo good. You can add chicken and whatnot to it too. Coconut milk is actually really great for burning fat too, you can look it up on the web and find tonnes of info.

Are you thinking of going hard core no-carbs or just cutting back on pasta bread and rice? I personally think some carbs are necessary in a diet, cutting out fruits and veggies seems wrong to me (mind you this is coming from a vegetarian of 15 years).

Portioning and excercise is a good way to lose weight. With portioning you just make sure at least half your plate is vegetables (preferably raw), 1/4 is protein, and 1/4 is carb. It really helps cut down on something like pasta when you have to eat double the portion in raw veggies! Good luck :)

raingirl April 22nd, 2005 09:49 PM

As someone told me once: Eat Clean.

I only eat brown rice or brown whole grain bread. I make home made pasta (always spinach) or if I buy pasta, it's brown pasta now. If I make bread at home, I add soy flour and ground flax seeds to it. Nothing wrong with eating carbs if you eat the ones that are good for you.

The only oil I use is Olive oil. It's the best oil for you, doesn't clog your arteries and lowers your blood sugar naturally. Mix Olive oil with Balsamic vinegar, a little garlic powder and pepper, and you have an easy salad dressing (none of that store bought stuff!!).

Eat unlimited veggies and fruit. Yes, fruit has sugar, but it's natural and the amount of carbs you get from it is way less than regular processed sugar.

Eat white meats (chicken and pork) or fish. Limit red meats. one egg a day is fine, unless you have high cholesterol already. My mother found an old meat grinder in the basement when she sold her house and gave it to me! I get cheaper cuts of meat with the bone on, save the bones and trim the fat off for stocks (freeze them), and grind the meat myself. WAY less fat. You can buy large peices of meat or whole chickens at costco cheap.

As for dairy..that's my "achiles heal". Just limit it. I love cheese...and eat way too much. I buy lower fat cheeses when possible, but they don't make low fat old cheddar (trust me, I've looked!). A nutritionist advised me to go no lower than 1% milk, as 0% has too much sugar added, and you need the a little fat in the milk to digest the fat soluable vitamins in the milk. Drinking a few glasses of 1% milk is fine a day, and actually good for curbing hunger (has protein in it, so you digest it slowly). If you like Yogurt, here is an easy recipe for healthy yogurt:

[url]http://www.doingfreedom.com/gen/0600/ff.yogurt.html[/url]

I've made yogurt before. I buy a small container of good quality organic plain yogurt, and go from there. You just keep using yogurt from the previous batch. Milk is often cheaper than yogurt, so this is a way to save money. then I add fruit or whatever to flavour it. I used to have a yogurt maker, but it made too little yogurt each time. I just use a heavy ceramic container with a tight fitting lid, put in the oven with a thermometre, and watch it. THen into the fridge when it's how I like it.

I'm kinda an amateur cook and pastry chef, so if you need any specific recipes, or an old recipe changed to be low fat/low darb, just let me know. I love to cook. I can cook almost anything, although I'm picky so I have basics I stay with. I've been cooking since I was...gosh..since as long as I can remember. I was making bread before I was in kindergarden (obviously with my mom's help). Only once did I screw up a batch of peanut butter cookies by adding a cup of salt instead of sugar (I was maybe 5, and my mom didn't label things, she just knew which was which).

My favorite healthy meal is this (I invented):

Summer spinach salad

1/4 package of bacon '(about 5 slices), boiled till firm (about 10 minutes-boiling removes a lot of the fat), slice the bacon in small pieces and put in a frying pan and sautee until crispy.
1 red onion, sliced and lightly sauteed until soft
3 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 cups mushrooms sliced and lightly sauteed until soft
1 large package of spinach, washed, drained, and shredded
Balsamic/olive oil dressing (about 2 tbsp each of balsamic and olive oil, with a little pepper and garlic powder added, then shake it up).

Toss ingredients except spinach. Pour the mix over the spinach and serve. The cooked egg yolk mixed with the dressing, and coats everything nicely, and it almost tastes kinda creamy without and cream. Makes 4 servings.

lilith_rizel April 23rd, 2005 12:32 PM

Thank you all. I will be creating our meal menus with what information I have gotten. Thank you all again.


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