Any nurses out there.....

[SunAngel]

I am in a house full of carb junkies! Including myself. But honestly didn't know how the flours break down into sugars like that. Its going to be a challenge to illiminate a lot of our carb intake.

So what do you stick with...meats, veggies and fruit in moderation?

 

[BarkerChickens]

My friend has a great way to live with a low carb diet. 2 of your 3 meals are protein and veggies (fruit has lots of sugars) and the 3rd can be have fruit and/or some sort of carb (such as bread, potatoes, etc) added to it. That way you feel like you get your favorite carb of the day (but think smart about it of course), but you are still limiting the carbs by a significant portion.

Also, of you like sugar in your coffee or tea, look into stevia. It is a natural sweetener and ok to use!

 

[SunAngel]

That seems like a doable solution. At least I could do it and make the kids do it, hubby might put up a fight...he's a bread and potato guy lol.

 

[Wifezilla]

My friend has a great way to live with a low carb diet. 2 of your 3 meals are protein and veggies (fruit has lots of sugars) and the 3rd can be have fruit and/or some sort of carb (such as bread, potatoes, etc) added to it. That way you feel like you get your favorite carb of the day (but think smart about it of course), but you are still limiting the carbs by a significant portion.

That very well may work. It kind of depends from person to person. I had to go pretty low on my carbs. Too much damage was done and too many genetic predispositions.

I DO eat sweet potatoes, but have to stay away from the flour, rice, etc...

I eat meats, veggies, and healthy, natural fats. No corn, soy or canola oil. I use butter, olive oil, non-hydrogenated lard or coconut oil depending.

I also eat a lot of dairy. Greek yogurt is a favorite. 4% cottage cheese is another (Daisy brand...no added fillers).

One of the biggest mistakes people make when cutting carbs is also cutting fat. DO NO DO THAT!!!! Your body NEEDS the essential fatty acids. Once you are no longer burning sugar, the fat becomes your primary fuel source. Also make sure you are getting enough protein.​

 

[SunAngel]

So would cheeses be ok, like cheddar and/or mozzerella? I love cottage cheese so could definitely do that. I have no problem with meats & eggs either! What about peanut butter?

Cutting out the french fries, mashed potatoes, sandwiches, chips, pretzels, snack cakes, etc, might be a real challenge. I think I would have to cut them pretty drastically too to see a real weight drop. Do you cut out most potatoes all together then?

I think if I could just do it for a few weeks and see a noticable drop or change, it would help keep me going.

I do know when I go a few days without carbs and then go back to eating them, I feel heavy, bloated and blah. Its a good indication of how bad they are for you.

 

[cmjust0]

Just for shiggles, I bellied up to the little BP machine at the Wal-Mart pharmacy the other evening. Wife was looking at something and I saw the big chair thing with the cuff and the buttons and I'm basically a child, so...what else am I gonna do, right?

Anyway....yeah....I don't even remember the actual numbers, but a siren went off and lights started flashing, it paged 6 doctors who happend to be in the store, city fire and EMS showed up with their paddles charged, somebody rolled a crash cart out of the stockroom...

Well, not really, but that's probably what should have happened..

I'm only 31, but there's a history of cardiovascular "issues" (love that word...so innocuous) in my family.. Gonna die young unless I do something.

Seriously...I think it was like 150/100 or something close. Not great. I didn't expect it to be so high because I'm a big guy...should be plenty of room for all my blood to travel around in there.

If I were like 5'2"/130lbs with all this blood squeezed in me, then yeah...would make sense then..

 

[BirdBrain]

Just remember that not all carbs are created equal. Whole grains do eventually change to sugar, but it takes more calories to convert them and you don't end up with rapid spikes like you would with refined grains.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Quote:
Cheese and peanut butter both fine.
Going hard core at first is the worst since you will not likely want to continue. Maybe at first, change just one meal a day to no carbs and leaving the other two alone. Meanwhile, finding snack alternative (such as string cheese!! Yum!!). Then, once that is no problem, make it 2 meals a day, etc. Until you are eating mostly protein and veggies with limited simple carbs (complex carbs are better than simple carbs since the simple carbs reduce to sugar more quickly. That one is probably better for google than tying up the forum with a description).

Small changes are easy to stick with. There are many alternatives to carb foods such as mashed cauliflower (sounds nasty, but it's good) or using half potato/half rutabaga instead of the traditional mashed potatoes.

 

[Wifezilla]

I agree with Barker. I eased in to low carb. I did not follow the Atkins plan with a very low carb induction period. Going really low actually puts you in to withdrawal and can leave you feeling like total garbage. NOT very inspiring...LOL. "Natural Health and Weight Loss" has a higher carb limit.

Whole grains can sometimes be helpful, but that really depends. I ate whole grains for many years and I had the same blood sugar and weight issues on whole grains as I did on refined grains. In some instances, whole grains can even have a worse impact on blood sugar. If you can reduce ALL grains, you will be better off. You already have a parent with type 2 diabetes. I am guessing if we did a family history we would find all kinds of instances of blood sugar and insulin issues. (Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, alzheimers, etc...)

As for mashed cauliflower....YUM! Here is a recipe I came up with last year.
http://www.examiner.com/x-798-Denve...d28-Recipe-Jackedup-Low-Carb-Cauliflower-Bake

 

[SunAngel]

The cauliflower sounds really good, thanks. I will have to try it one day!

I think I am just going to have to make a list or mini cookbook with ideas for meal substitutes. Getting out of the meat, potatoes, veggie, bread routine for meals is probably going to be the hardest part. Almost everyone here loves the mashed potatoes or rice with gravy all over it. Not me though, so I won't miss it lol.

BP last night was 144/106...but now first thing this morning its 140/90. Its all over the place. Now I bet any money when I go into the docs office today, it will be 130/75 or something else they consider just fine.