There are two types of substitutions that deserve consideration by anyone on a low carb diet plan. One of those is recipe substitutions. Some recipes call for forbidden carbohydrates. A dieter can try that recipe, if he or she finds an item that can substitute for the unwanted carbohydrate.

In these low carb pages you will find other references to diet foods. If any diet food is a sweet food, then it is usually made with a sugar substitute. The home cook can use sugar substitutes in the preparation of baked goods.

In the previous section, there was a reference to the preparation of salads. Some people like to put croutons on a salad. Croutons do not belong on a salad that will be eaten by someone on a high protein, low carb diet. That salad can, however, be topped with nuts or beans.

When a dieter has sworn off all or most carbohydrates, then any talk of item substitutions should include information about the substitutes for starchy meal contents. A person on a low carb diet might not want to attend a barbeque, if he or she can find only meat and potatoes at that barbeque.

A person on a low carb diet might feel compelled to eat a fair number of low carb snacks before going to any barbeque. Many barbeques lack any sort of low carb food other than meat. It can be hard to mix the enjoyment of a barbeque with low carb living.

A person who is planning a barbeque and who is inviting a friend, one known to be on a low carb diet, does not have to have mastered the preparation of low carb recipes. The host can prepare a few simple foods that might substitute for a potato or an ear of corn.

The host of the barbeque might want to offer his or her guests some grilled artichoke hearts. The host might want to serve some refried beans. The host might care to serve a slaw with a low fat dressing (possibly one made with vinegar).

Those foods are not difficult to prepare. They do not require the purchasing of large numbers of ingredients. Those foods demonstrate the extent to which proper substitution can guide the person who is planning a meal for someone on a low carb diet.

Finally, do not forget about how seasoning can enliven any meal. A dieter might want to keep a small container of McCormick’s seasoning handy. Then any food on the menu can be flavored in a manner that suits the tastes of the low carb dieter.

So here are some short words of advice: Use sugar substitutes. Do not hesitate to top salads with beans and nuts (not crotons). Be prepared to dress salads with a low fat substance. Have a kitchen well-stocked with seasonings. The person who follows those rules should manage to prepare tasty meals for anyone on a low carb diet.

Follow the above rules, and then eat to your heart’s content.

When a dieter has chosen to eat only those things that can be classified as “low carb food,” every stop at a fast food restaurant can be a test and a challenge. The creators of these low carb pages hope to alter that fact. The men and women who composed the material for this website have tried to incorporate the occasional eating of fast food into low carb living.

At the moment it is impossible to see regular and repeated visits to a fast food restaurant as something that would expedite the acquisition of low carb snacks or low carb meals. Still some fast food restaurants do have cooks who are comfortable creating low carb recipes. Those restaurants will receive mention in this article.

The Panda Express has a couple dishes that someone on a low carb diet could enjoy without feeling guilty. One of those is the restaurant’s Beef and Broccoli. The other one is the Vegetable Fried Rice. The Panda Express also has some low carb soups. A dieter can use soup to obtain a fuller belly.

Unlike Panda Express, McDonald’s does not offer many choices to the person on a low carb diet. It does not, however, have a menu that is entirely devoid of low carb foods. The chicken select strips at MacDonald’s are the safest choice for a McDonald’s customer on a low carb diet.

Both in McDonalds and in other fast food restaurants, chicken is the food most often sold without any forbidden carbohydrate. El Pollo Loco offers customers a chance to purchase flame broiled chicken. A person on a high protein, low carb diet can feel quite satisfied after eating one of El Pollo Loco’s skinless chicken breasts.

Someone on a low carb diet ought to stay clear of fried chicken. That might seem like a fast food item rich in protein, yet light on carbohydrates. Dieters beware! The fried coating contains many carbohydrates. More importantly, those carbohydrates enter the body along with many calorie-rich fats and oils.

More and more fast food restaurants have put salads on their menu. Some restaurants even have a salad bar. A big, satisfying salad is a fast and easy way to avoid consumption of foods that have lots of carbohydrates. A salad can be sprinkled with nuts. A salad can have greens partnered with beans.

On a low-carb diet, the dieter should use low carb salad dressing; it does not have a lot of sugar. . Having done that the dieter can relax and enjoy a bowl of greens. A salad is an excellent way to try some fast food while sticking to a low carb diet plan.

In colder weather, a salad might not “fill the bill.” In that case, the customer on a low carb diet might want to look for a restaurant that sells a black bean soup or a hearty bowl of chili. If the dieter lives close to some Persian restaurants, then he or she might want to try a bowl of ahshe.

A dieter often has problems with self-esteem. He or she might well be highly conscious of the fact that his or her figure offers evidence of past indulgences. If that dieter then “cheats” while dieting, that “cheater” could well suffer even more problems with self-esteem.

When someone has attempted to stay with a low carb diet plan, the act of “cheating” involves the ingestion of something with refined carbohydrates. That act can cause the dieter to suffer from a decline in self-esteem. Recovery from such cheating demands an improvement in the dieter’s self-esteem.

Many of the low carb pages on this website talk about low carb food and low carb recipes. This page will focus more on the best attitude to adopt while pursuing low carb living. It will explain how a recovery from “cheating” can encourage the development of greater self-esteem.

A dieter who wants to maintain his or her self-esteem should not decline participation in social activities. If a dieter has been cheating that fact deserves even greater attention from the one-time “cheater. A dieter who does whatever he or she wants while dieting should find it easier to regain his or her self-esteem.

The dieter who has been cheating should not allow his or her thoughts to dwell on that slight deviance from the restrictions of the high protein, low carb diet. That dieter should simply resume adherence to that same diet. Soon the dieter will be rewarded with weight loss. Soon the dieter will forget entirely about any past “cheating.”

A dieter must learn how to use the mirror as an esteem builder, rather than an esteem destroyer. A dieter should not spend endless hours in front of a mirror, examining those parts of his or her body that show visible excess fat. The dieter does not need to be reminded about flab in any part of his or her body.

The dieter should instead use the mirror as a reminder that he or she has a particularly attractive or eye-catching feature. A dieting female might, for example, build her self esteem by using a mirror to examine her hair or eyes. A dieting male might find pleasure in using a mirror to re-examine some extra big shoulder muscles.

A dieter should not focus on weight loss. He or she ought to become involved in a number of different activities. That involvement should help the dieter to forget about food.

The dieter needs to avoid temptation. He or she should make an effort to remain free from hunger at all times. A dieter on a low carb diet might want to carry around some low carb snacks. Those snacks would help the dieter to prevent further cheating. That in turn would allow the dieter to maintain his or her vital self-esteem.

As a result, the dieter would stay on a low carb diet, and would never again need to face the challenge of overcoming a guilty conscience. (At least not guilt from over-eating.)

I have been continuing to stick with my low-carb diet and have already lost a few pounds.  I’m not eager to track weight initially as my body adjusts.  I will share a secret to keeping low-carb (and it’s really easy) – it’s about transitioning your diet into your lifestyle. 

This helps support permanent change and makes your resolution stick!

The term diet itself makes us feel like we have denied ourselves something.  When you focus on your goals, you will easily incorporate healther choices into your life.  Don’t get discouraged.  This actually will work quickly.

Try documenting what you eat.  By keeping track of what (and when) you eat, you may discover patterns you didn’t realize.  If you find this idea discouraging, at least commit to a full day and try it.  Personally, I use an online service, food feed to track easily through SMS.  It makes an interesting log.  It’s not difficult to do, you may find other interesting Twitter followers and followees, and it’s fun to do.  If you have a particular successful weight loss week, or a plateau you are trying to break, your food trends may lend some insightful assistance.

Get off your ass and exercise.  Seriously.  You certainly can lose weight with this diet by just focusing on the food.  Definitely.  But – why not take advantage of moving this forward faster and adding additional health benefits as well?  OK, I will get back to this more in future posts – I know it’s hard to make a lot of changes at once as I am doing it.

I found a really tasty lower-carbohydrate ice cream at the market, enjoying some of the banana split one right now.  It’s not good for Atkins induction, or for overdoing it anytime, but it’s at least a little less guilt.

 Anyway – Good luck my fellow low carbers!  Happy weekend ahead…

I added a category to the website – Journey. Indeed – this is a journey.  It’s time consuming and takes commitment.  Did everyone start off today with goals of health?  I’m not a big fan of the New Year’s Resolutions actually.  We need to resolve daily to make commitments we can work with.

I had my share of carbs yesterday – champagne, pizza, pasta, beer etc. They were OK.  Future cheating (yes – it’s OK to plan for this) needs to be higher-enjoyment foods like Thai, Mexican, or Chinese.  A lot of Mexican foods can also be prepared low-carb, just not too common when dining out.  Today I started out with a few eggs and a cup of tea.  I’m going to have some coffee too.  Certain things are going to be in my diet that have carbs, no matter what.  I’m hooked on green drinks, which have around 2 carbohydrates per serving.  This isn’t high by any stretch, but all should be considered.

I’m drinking an Amazing Grass Green Superfood drink.  I like them.  Try one out, they have small packets available at Whole Foods and the Vitamin Shoppe’s, etc.  They have a ton of nutrition in them and give you energy.  I think they help with digestion and immune system too, eh – just my thoughts.  I like them.  Otherwise, I had a few fried eggs today.

Different people have different start points as well as how they follow the discipline of the low-carb lifestyle.  Some people jump into what Atkins referred to as induction; highly limiting any fruits and vegetables, and keeping their carb counts under 20 per day in hopes of getting into a ketosis state, where the body is burning primarily fat for energy.  Others slowly adjust to low-carb living.  Whichever you decide is best for you – stick with it and monitor it.  Not everything is for everyone and what got you here was a different path than everyone else too, the rebuilding will take time also.

It’s not easy – but it is simple!

Seriously – You should have fun with everything you do, including your low-carb lifestyle.  It takes trial and error, and we will talk about some methods you can incorporate into what you do, and some tricks and tips about overcoming stalls and re-motivating too in the coming months.

To get the new-year-low-carb going right, I’m going to be hitting an all-you-can-meat restaurant for dinner.  On that note, enough blogging and off to eating.

Hey what’s up everyone!  Wow – Thanks for coming to my website.

I set this up to log and share information about low-carb dieting.  I’m going to keep this simple.  I’m not going to start up with dozens of before and after pictures (who would want to see this anyway).  I’m not going to push brands of products, or tell you to count every calorie or carbohydrate you put in your body.  Here is what I am going to do.

I am going to log my journey from being overweight through a healthier weight.  I will show you the tools, resources, dedication, motivation, and results that I experience.  I hope you will share some of your progress as well.

Here is my deal.  I’m 39 years old and the pounds have crept up on my fat ass for years.  Currently, I am working my way down from 249 pounds – to breaking the 100′s barrier at 199, and then tweak the game from there.  I have never been a ‘thin’ guy by any stretch, though I have definitely been at healthier points throughout my life.  I was always ‘husky’ as a child, got thin in high school (around a 30″ waist and weighing ~140) swimming and eating a vegetarian diet, then to around 200lbs in college with bodybuilding (and being a born-again carnivore).  I am determined now to make the most incredible health gains and breakthroughs I ever have.  I’m going to start with focused diet and exercise.

Low-carb is truly a LIFESTYLE and not just a diet.

Yes, you can lose some pounds quickly – and most all of us do so when we start this type of diet.  You can continue to enjoy every food you have had before, though just not in the proportions you have had previously.

Low-carb isn’t for everyone.  It’s definitely for me – I don’t know any other ‘diet’ that encourages me to enjoy steak and other tasty meats.  I find that working with certain guidelines takes a discipline that results in greater life enjoyment.

I have lost weight in the past with low-carb (and other methods in the past) dieting.  I allowed a cocky confidence, convenience, or (insert any appropriate ‘crutch’ word here) allow me to sneak back up to an uncomfortable weight.  My wardrobe continues to shrink, and I purchase enough ‘fat clothes’ to get by.  My energy levels have declined as I have gained weight, and I don’t like how I look as much.  I also enjoyed the pride previously of losing and keeping weight off.

Low-carb has proven to me to be a reliable, consistent, and easy to maintain diet.  I feel good eating low carb.  There aren’t many difficulties with the diet outside of resisting comfort foods.  The challenges with any diet or lifestyle change are to continue being focused and creative, and recognize patterns or problems with determination to improve.

Again – This is a journey, it’s not a quick-fix.  It’s about balance and discipline.  It’s about setting and reaching goals.  Life is about ongoing self-improvement, and I’m looking forward to a long healthy life.

I look forward to sharing what I know and learn.  Please email any questions.