Low Carb

Carb Cycling the New Craze?

I saw an ad on television the other day, during my workout that I do from Fit TV, and of course it got my attention because it had to do with something called carb cycling, which is something I’ve been interested in learning more about for a while now.

My husband and I typically follow a low carb diet to maintain our weight, and it works well for us because we really don’t like to watch our dietary fat all that much. I mean don’t get me wrong, we don’t eat bacon day or anything like that, but we like to eat more fattening foods.

And we both really love meat. So, it’s the perfect solution for us because we don’t really have to watch the fat as much, and we don’t have to eat minimal calories either, and can still maintain our weight pretty well following this type of regimen.

Carb cycling is where you can eat carbs and eat more calories on the scheduled “off days” in the diet, and then you go on a strict, low fat, almost all protein diet on the “on diet” days.

Apprently it can be pretty effective, and it can get you pretty lean and cut. It’s supposed to be the diet secret of athletes. We will end up trying it at one point, and I’ll definitely give you a full review of it when we do!

The “Other White Meat” Can Be Soooo Good!

I’ll be honest. I was never a fan of pork as a kid. Whenever my mom would make pork chops, hot dogs, sausages or anything else that was remotely pork like, I would stifle a gag (lest I be whacked over the head with a spoon).

As I grew up though, I got to have pork “the other white meat” as it was dubbed in a very successful ad campaign that still lives on today, in different, more delicious ways, and I grew to really appreciate the flavor.

I love pulled pork, sausages, and all kinds of other pork cuts of meat. But what really surprises me is that I have found a way to really enjoy pork chops. My husband actually grilled them today and they turned out moist and juicy, not dry as a bone and tough like they usually do.

What we did was marinate them in a sundried tomato marinade which also had garlic and all other kinds of savory spices in it for about half a day .This isn’t a lot for us, as we usually will marinate foods like steaks for a full day or two before we eat them, so we really didn’t have high hopes for how they would turn out.

We bought the thickest cut pork chop the local butcher sells, and I think that helped as well. The thinner cuts we were getting before probably just dried out too much when we were grilling them before, because we were unknowingly over cooking them and losing all the savory juices that build up in pork.

There was a bone in htese ones too, a T bone, so I think that buying them with a bone in also helped us get the moistness higher.  My hubby cooked them on the gril for about five minutes on each side, then gave them both one final searing on the each side on high.

Woowee, those were the best pork chops I ever had! They were moist, flavorful and tender. Fell right off the bone, as they say. Best of all, they are low fat yet taste like they’re not when they are cooked right. Think we got ourselves a regular monthly dinner now in this one!

Golden Corral Great for Low Carbers…

My hubby and I, who are currently on a low carb diet to lose weight for the summer time, have been on it now for about two weeks. We found ourselves out and about today, and we got hungry, but we weren’t sure where we should go where we could eat and still stick to our diet. It was either go somewhere for wings or something else very low carb like a chicken salad, or find a buffet.

Find a buffet we did. We found a Golden Corral in the area, which we were previously unfamiliar with. It was lucky for us that they were having a weekend deal where they had all sorts of beef and pork ribs on special. Of course, it was all you can eat as well.

So what I ended up eating was  a big heaping salad, lots of green beans, a few small pork ribs, some city chicken, chicken breast, and brisket. Talk about a low carb dieter’s dream!  I’d definitely recommend Golden Corral if you’re on a low carb diet. They have a large selection of tasty meats, and you don’t have to worry about leaving starving because you can help yourself to all the salad and veggies you want at their salad and veggie bar. Perfecto!

The Fat and Carb Condundrum

My hubby and I are on a low carb diet right now, trying to get into summer time shape. One thing we both understand about low carb diets is that the weight may not be coming off as quickly as you’d like, especially if you have already done the low carb diet several times, but once it start to peel off, it does really work.

We are both at the part now where we are questioning when the weight is going to start to really fall off because we’ve been strictly avoiding carbs now for almost two weeks. While I do feel thinner, and my pants are fitting a bit  more loosely, I still feel like I’m retaining water. It’s probably because I do eat more sodium when I’m low carbing it.

The other bad part about low carb dieting is that you really can’t watch your fat as much as you’d like to, because a lot of the low fat products on the store shelves are contrived to be low fat by using more carbs or sugars to make up for the flavor. For example, a low fat ranch dressing can have several carbs, while a full fat ranch dressing actually can have zero carbs or very low.

Same thing goes for most dairy products. Things like sour cream, cream cheese and other milk products are often times much lower in carbs when you choose the higher fat variety.  So, on most low carb diets, you will end up consuming more dietary fat, but your body usually doesn’t seem to mind because the lack of carbs switches something into high gear which allows you to shed excess weight.

The other part of low carb diets that can disagree with some people is the lack of fiber. Sure, you can eat all the lettuce and spinach you want, but you have to watch things like fruit and other notoriously high in carb, but healthy foods. So you may not go to the bathroom as much as you’d like.

You should try to avoid just eating tons of cheese, because cheese will block you up faster than anything. Also, if you eat nuts, at least make them nuts with some dietary fiber like almonds or walnuts. This will help you to stay regular too, and stay sane by adding some fiber and some healthy carbs and fats into your diet.

Overall, we’re having fun on this diet. It is the only way I can lose weight without feeling totally deprived by portion controlling (I still watch portions, just not as much, but I’m naturally fuller faster because of the fat).

New Low Carb Snack, Lunch Ideas Page

My hubby and I have been low carbing it for a few weeks now, and sometimes you run out of ideas on what to eat, or you might get bored of eating the same things over and over for your lunches and snacks, which are two of the hardest meals (I think) to be able to think of and keep fresh ideas when you’re on a low carb diet.

So I put together a page for low card dieters that gives you some of my latest ideas on meals – mostly lunches, as well as low carb snack ideas.  It’s called Low Carb Diet Ideas for Snacks and Meals.

This may help rejuvenate your low carb menu, and help you to stick to your diet by giving your mind something new to savor, and keeping you interested in the low carb lifestyle.  Low carb dieting may not work for everyone to keep the weight off, but it does for my husband and I.

I notice that the weight is coming off slower this time around, but it is coming off, and I’m never hungry so that’s a good start for me. Many times the reason for me falling off the wagon on diets is that I’m hungry because portions have to be so small, or fat content has to be so restricted.

So check out our ideas for low carb lunches and snacks, and see if we can’t ignite some new ideas.

More Low Carb Diet Ideas

When you’re on a low carb diet, there are actually quite a few options that you can eat that you may not have even thought of. My husband and I are currently doing the low carb thing in order to get back into fighting shape for the summer time, and while you usually do feel a little deprived at first, it’s easy to adapt to the low carb diet because you are allowed to have a little more fat than you can have on other diets.

This can be a huge consolation.  At least for people like me that love to eat fatty foods!  Seriously though, fat does add a lot of flavor to foods, and it also does something else that can  be incredibly important if you are to diet and lose weight successfully – it satiates your appetite.

Low fat diets are one of the hardest for me, because foods that are very low in fat tend to also not stick with you for as long, unless they are low in fat and incredibly high in fiber. This is the number one reason why the low carb diet continues to be a popular choice for many people. 

You may find that if you’ve done the low carb diet as a lifestyle, it can lose its effectiveness, this probably just means your body has adapted to the lower carbs and is starting to store the excess fat you’re eating in your diet in the thighs and belly. You should really begin to cut the fat down and not concentrate on fatty foods like bacon and sausage as a staple in your low car diet.

Instead you can opt for turkey sausage and turkey bacon. One of my favorites is to take low fat cream chees, turkey pepperoni, and a low carb small wrap (whole wheat), and wrap it all up into a little roll. This can really help curb your cravings for things like pizza and sandwiches which combine carbs with cheese and meat.

Another idea is to take ham, cream cheese, and a dill pickle, and wrap them up and put toothpicks in them as a snack. Another great options for snacks is always almonds and walnuts, which are lower in carbs and also contain fiber which helps fill you up. They also contain healthy omega 3 fats, which are even more fulfilling.

I just found a great cheese that helps counteract the sometimes constipating effects of normal cheeses. It’s by a brand called Heini’s, and it has active yogurt cultures in it. And it’s yummy, with zero carbs!  It comes in all kinds of cool flavors too like sundried tomato and basil, jalapeno, and herb and garlic.

Are There Any Sweetener Alternatives That Aren’t Bad for You?

It seems like every time the sugar alternative industry comes up with a new industry darling artificial sweetener, the world falls in love. Until, that is, the bad news starts coming out about it.  This happened with Splenda, the sugar substitute with the chemical name sucralose that came out a while ago that claimed to be an offshoot of real sugar.

People loved it because it seemed like a healthier alternative to saccharin and aspartame, which is the common artificial sweetener found in diet drinks and sodas.  Now, people are clamoring for all natural sugar substitutes like Stevia (my personal favorite) and agave nectar (not sure about this one, I heard it is even harsher on the blood sugar than real sugar).

Sucralose, or Splenda, has come under scrutiny for a variety of reasons.  The first is the claim that it is a derivative of real sugar, which was one of the main draws behind its popularity.  People thought that by using it, they were using a sweetener that was close to real sugar, without all the calories.

In fact, it is a totally chemically altered form of the chemical we know as sugar.  There were also a lot of side effects claimed from the every day use of Splenda. People were starting to report side effects from headaches to kidney problems. Now, I don’t know how much you have to consume to get these types of side effects, that type of information is conveniently not available many times.

Now, there is also evidence that many artificial sweeteners are actually linked to obesity, increased body weight, and over eating. This is because your body is naturally programmed to expect higher calorie foods when ingesting sweets. When the sweet taste is there without the calories, it can promote excess hunger, carb cravings, and other habits that lead to weight gain.

Splenda has also now been linked to an impact on intestinal health. There are claims that it may actually harm or deplete the healthy intestinal flora that inhabity the gut.  Another reason not to eat it.  However, it makes me wonder if even by using my beloved Stevia, I’m promoting myself to over eat, and to crave carbs a lot more for the rest of the day. 

After all, it’s not sugar…..hmmm…..

Dreamfields Pasta – Really Lower Carb?

I always tend to snicker a little to myself when I see these phoney baloney claims about “net carbs”. To me, it all seems like a big ploy to get people to buy a product that is still just as high in overall calories, and still fairly high in carbs, just because they think they are eating less overall carbs than if they bought a food that was the real deal.

Also, a lot of foods that advertise themselves as not having high carbs because they reduce the net carbs by adding a lot of fiber, typically add a type of fiber that does not agree with a lot of people. 

It can be sugar alcohols, which can make you gassy and crampy, or it can be inulin fiber, which for me actually has a constipating effect rather than a laxative effect, which is what you expect from a “fiber”. 

At any rate, Dream Fields does not contain any of the above. Rather, they have a patented formula where they do bulk it up with a type of fiber, and they do reduce the net carbs and the overall glycemic impact.

I’ve seen several people say they are diabetic and this pasta has the same effect on them as 5 carbs do, instead of the typical 30-50 that most pastas have per serving, so that is a very good sign that they are a healthy version of regular pasta.

I have actually purchased some Dream Fields pasta to try, and I will report back to you what I think of it as far as taste, filling potential, and overall impression once I’ve tried it. I’m going to add some hoisin sauce to it and make a big veggie stir fry. 

Apparently, you do need to cook this pasta exactly according to directions, or else the glycemic impact can be altered. I also read that you should not try to reheat it or this also alters its glycemic impact negatively (as in, it pushes the blood sugar higher). 

I’ll be sure to let you know how I like it when I try it. I purchased the Dream Fields spaghetti style noodles. My grocery store also carried the angel hair version and the linguine version.

Low Carb Diets and Colon Cancer Risk

When I was on a low carb diet, hard core, years ago, when low carb diets were all the rage, I remember having a difficult time “going to the bathroom”.  It seemed like there just wasn’t enough bulk to produce smooth bowel movements, and I always had that constipated, sort of “stopped up” feeling.

Maybe that’s why so many people get cranky on a super low carb diet, not just the fact that your blood sugar tends to drop immensely very easily since you are limiting carbs and sugars so severely!

I’m really glad that since then, I have found a good balance between eating healthy carbs and healthy meats, because it has done wonders for my naturally finicky bowels. I actually have had issues with IBS in the past. I think I was born that way, because my mom even says that when I was a tiny baby, I was always having problems with constipation!

Ok, enough with the TMI on me, let’s talk about some recent findings about low carb diets and colon health, and the relationship that low carb diets may have to developing colon or colorectal cancer over time if you are on them for a while.

Research has shown that there may indeed be a statistically higher risk of people who eat low carb diets to get colon and colorectal cancer. They can’t make the definite connection yet because it sounds like the study hasn’t been going on long enough – remember, colon and colorectal cancer usually take years to develop.

But what they can show is that low carb dieters tend to show changes in bowel habits and bowel characteristics that may increase the risk of cancer over time.

One of the main reasons for this is the common lack of fiber in low carb diets.  You need fiber to go to the bathroom and detoxify your body. Fiber bulks up stool, which makes it easier to have bowel movements, and makes for less strain on your bowels and intestines when you are having a bowel movement.

Because low carb, high protein diets often are short on fiber, you are putting your bowels at risk over time, and really “plugging up” your whole system from getting rid of toxins.  If you do want to lose weight on a low card diet, then make sure you get plenty of roughage in the form of veggies at least, since fruit is commonly exempt from these types of regimens.

Lettuce, broccoli, brussel sprouts, swiss chard and other greens are common veggies that are low carb which can help you bulk up your stool as well as help you lose weight since they are low in carbohydrates.

No Carbs After 5:00 a Good Diet Rule?

I remember reading that a famous star (I think it was Pamela Anderson), years ago, followed the advice that someone in her family gave about losing weight when she needed to take a few pounds off.  It has to do with a hot topic – carbohydrate consumption.

Not that I’ve ever seen this twiggy actress looking like she needed to drop any excess poundage, but it was interesting, because I do think this theory holds some merit – at least for me since I notice following it does help me lose weight more. 

The theory is that if you totally cut out all carby types of foods after 5:00 PM, it will help you to lose weight. It would make sense too, because this means that your body doesn’t have all those carbs to burn off in the evening, when your body typically slows down.

Think about it, in the evening, most people have already done their work out for the day, they are winding down, watching TV, and generall not moving around as much as they were doing during the day time.  They are not in “calorie” or carb burning mode any more in the evening.

And then you go to bed, and that can be anywhere from 9:00 to 11:00 usually on a week day. Of course when you are sleeping, your body pretty much shuts downt he accelerated carb burning machine, so you are stuck with all those excess carbs to burn at night.

If they don’t burn off, then they can be stored as excess fat on the body.  So, sticking to not eating too many carbs, or at least not eating any breads, pastas or anything else like that, but eating veggies would be ok, would be a good rule of thumb for a lot of people to follow.

This is especially true for people are highly carb sensitive. Some people can eat carbs all day and be a twig, while some are very susceptible to putting weight on when they eat too many carbs.

As a general rule, if you have a desk job, you should try to stay away from carbs since you aren’t in full calorie burning mode for much of the day. People who are in high energy, physical jobs, like waiting tables all day long, may do well on a high carb diet because their body is constantly burning off what is taken in.