Just started a low carb diet. It is actually working much better than I thought it would. I am sure my loss rate will slow down as I get smaller, but I have lost almost 15 lbs in just three weeks.

So does anyone have any secret recipes or any helpful tips.

I bought some almond flour, but I did not plan on eating a lot of "fake bread" made from "fake flour". The only bread product I was really missing was pizza crust. That is all I have used it for so far, and it really didn't work that great. But since the crust is a minor part of a pizza it does not matter that much if it is crumbly.

I also have a small (4 cup) ice cream maker. I use almond milk low-carb fruits (small portion of strawberries or blackberries) and a carb free chocolate syrup. Again, the results are not anything close to creamy smooth ice cream, but it taste pretty damn good.

The one thing I tried that was a total failure was mashing up baked cauliflower to replace mashed potatoes. It did not taste ANYTHING like mashed potatoes even when I added tons of butter and sour cream.

I have also had to start adding a fiber supplement to my diet.

Since you're not in my neck of the woods, I'll tell you about Carb Master Milk. It's only available at Kroger and is great. Available in regular, vanilla, and chocolate. It flies off the shelves, which is why we try to limit who we tell! It is only available in half gallon sizes, but the shelf life is similar to half and half as opposed to regular milk, so don't be afraid to grab three or four when they have it.

They sell mashed cauliflower. It's not bad. My wife and daughter do the Keto thing from time to time so I've eaten some of the recipes. They made a Big Boy pizza with the dough, and it was better than I thought it would be. There's also a no sugar barbecue sauce (can't think of the name right now, but I'll get it) that isn't bad at all. It's got a slight honey flavor but there's no honey in it. I believe Rao's is the tomato/spaghetti sauce of choice for low carb. Zucchini noodles.

Looking at google, the barbecue sauce may be G Hughes Smokehouse. It looks like the bottle.

My wife did it for a while. Couple suggestions.

1- Zucchini noodles. There's different brands of spiralizers. Honestly, I liked zucchini noodles a lot. It takes a bit to learn how to cook them so they aren't mush or just raw, but once you get it down, they be good.

2- Buy the riced cauliflower instead of trying to rice your own. For a couple bucks you can find a bag in your freezer section and it, generally, will replace any rice. And it's not bad.

3- You're going to gain it back when you quit. And you'll quit, because it's hard to stay low carb because of the way our society is set up. That was the rough part for my wife. She dropped 30ish pounds in a couple months just going low carb... and that lasted up until she couldn't take not running through a drive through or eating a salad nearly every time we went out (which is a lot when you have a kid in travel sports).

If you eat at home 90% of the time, you'll probably be ok. But it's rough when you go out to eat, unless you just eat steak or salmon.

There is a school of thought that if you are going to have any carbs, have them late in the day. Carbs tend to make one feel hungry again in a shorter period, and restricting them to the end of the day means less time to act on that before bed time...

This is a smart diet, Fred! You’re going low carb by choice but some of us have to go low carb because of a gluten issue. I lost 30 pounds since going gluten-free since January 2018. I can have oats and rice but potatoes and corn are highly discouraged.

I’m excited to see how this diet works for you. Do you do any cardio as well? I get on the treadmill just 30 minutes a day.

(05-12-2020, 05:51 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Just started a low carb diet.  It is actually working much better than I thought it would.  I am sure my loss rate will slow down as I get smaller, but I have lost almost 15 lbs in just three weeks.

So does anyone have any secret recipes or any helpful tips.

I bought some almond flour, but I did not plan on eating a lot of "fake bread" made from "fake flour".  The only bread product I was really missing was pizza crust.  That is all I have used it for so far, and it really didn't work that great.  But since the crust is a minor part of a pizza it does not matter that much if it is crumbly.

I also have a small (4 cup) ice cream maker.  I use almond milk low-carb fruits (small portion of strawberries or blackberries) and a carb free chocolate syrup.  Again, the results are not anything close to creamy smooth ice cream, but it taste pretty damn good.

The one thing I tried that was a total failure was mashing up baked cauliflower to replace mashed potatoes.  It did not taste ANYTHING like mashed potatoes even when I added tons of butter and sour cream.

I have also had to start adding a fiber supplement to my diet.

I went keto for 10 solid months last year. Lost 60lbs. Rapidly gaining it back due to it just being a pain in the ass to stick with it during quarantine.


That's my excuse, anyway.

Fred, my biggest advice is just get over trying to make things "like" carbs. Nothing taste the same. Riced cauliflower is just OK. None of the keto breads are any good. Cauliflower pizza crust is OK, not great.

Just have a HUGE  breakfast...all the eggs, cheese, sausage, bacon, etc...that covers you for awhile. It did me, anyway. Stick to hard liquor, no beer or wine. Not a problem at all for me. LOL.

It did the trick for me. Stick with it. Congrats.

Oh, and once your body gets used to using fat for energy, you can cheat a little. Out to dinner? Have a small piece of bread. A couple of bites of a baked potato, whatever you are craving. As long as you don't knock yourself out of ketosis, your body just glosses over it and you stay fat-adapted.

Buy the test strips at Kroger. I found peeing on them every morning a confidence builder. LOL.

(05-20-2020, 02:24 PM)kdgjr Wrote: Fred, my biggest advice is just get over trying to make things "like" carbs. Nothing taste the same. Riced cauliflower is just OK. None of the keto breads are any good. Cauliflower pizza crust is OK, not great.

I agree.  When i bought the almond flour i only planned on using it for pizza crust.

Nice job on making the decision to better yourself. I've dropped close to 40# in the past 6 mos., and I feel great. What was even better, were my blood work numbers at my most recent medical checkup. All 4 of my cholesterol numbers were greatly improved. To keep it brief, my total went from 298 to 177. My blood sugar went from borderline diabetic to under 90, glycemic index went from 6.2 to 5.7. Nice improvement in BMI, as well.

What's even better, is that my energy levels are improving (of big importance at age 51). I've went from feeling lazy, and getting fatigued unusually quickly to powering my way through my day, and attacking my physical training sessions with much less joint pain.

I hope that the weight continues to come off, and you enjoy a better physical existence as a result. Once again, nice job. Keep up the good work.

(05-17-2020, 12:56 PM)Fan_in_Kettering Wrote:   Do you do any cardio as well?  I get on the treadmill just 30 minutes a day.

This is how I kept my weight under control until I got married when I was 39.  I weighed about 210 then.  Now I am 57 and I weighed 275 before I started this diet.  I am only 5'10".  When I weighed 210 it wasn't that bad because I was fairly muscular.  When I weighed 275 it was mostly fat.

The problem is that I have bad knees, so that really limits running and biking.  For a while I lifted weights as cardio training.  Most people don't realize that weight training can be great cardio if you work fast and keep your heart rate up.  But I also have screwed up shoulders so that even limited my weightlifting as I got older.

I developed terrible eating habits when I was growing up.  I played football through my freshman year in college and I was eating to TRY AND GAIN WEIGHT.  I was so active back then that I had trouble adding weight.  Seems unbelievable now.  

(05-20-2020, 04:17 PM)fredtoast Wrote: This is how I kept my weight under control until I got married when I was 39.  I weighed about 210 then.  Now I am 57 and I weighed 275 before I started this diet.  I am only 5'10".  When I weighed 210 it wasn't that bad because I was fairly muscular.  When I weighed 275 it was mostly fat.

The problem is that I have bad knees, so that really limits running and biking.  For a while I lifted weights as cardio training.  Most people don't realize that weight training can be great cardio if you work fast and keep your heart rate up.  But I also have screwed up shoulders so that even limited my weightlifting as I got older.

I developed terrible eating habits when I was growing up.  I played football through my freshman year in college and I was eating to TRY AND GAIN WEIGHT.  I was so active back then that I had trouble adding weight.  Seems unbelievable now.  

Im 36 and I still have to eat correctly to hold weight. Im 6'2 181. 

(05-20-2020, 04:17 PM)fredtoast Wrote: This is how I kept my weight under control until I got married when I was 39.  I weighed about 210 then.  Now I am 57 and I weighed 275 before I started this diet.  I am only 5'10".  When I weighed 210 it wasn't that bad because I was fairly muscular.  When I weighed 275 it was mostly fat.

The problem is that I have bad knees, so that really limits running and biking.  For a while I lifted weights as cardio training.  Most people don't realize that weight training can be great cardio if you work fast and keep your heart rate up.  But I also have screwed up shoulders so that even limited my weightlifting as I got older.

I developed terrible eating habits when I was growing up.  I played football through my freshman year in college and I was eating to TRY AND GAIN WEIGHT.  I was so active back then that I had trouble adding weight.  Seems unbelievable now.  

That does sort of put you in a "box", as far as activity choices go.  Do you have access to a swimming pool?  Do you enjoy swimming as a form of exercise?  If so, there are a multitude of exercise regiments that you can do to train and strengthen muscles, with minimal impact on the joints.  And, of course there is always actual swimming.

(05-20-2020, 04:24 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: That does sort of put you in a "box", as far as activity choices go.  Do you have access to a swimming pool?  Do you enjoy swimming as a form of exercise?  If so, there are a multitude of exercise regiments that you can do to train and strengthen muscles, with minimal impact on the joints.  And, of course there is always actual swimming.

I am hoping that my knees get better when I lose some weight.  I honestly think a lot of my problems with them come from carrying so much extra weight.

My right shoulder is hopeless.  I had it scanned several years ago and when I asked the doctor what was wrong with it he said "Everything"

I should at least be doing sit ups for my stomach and reverse sit ups for my back.  I'll never have visible stomach muscles again, but at least I would be burning some calories and strengthening my core.

(05-20-2020, 02:39 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I agree.  When i bought the almond flour i only planned on using it for pizza crust.

You also have to be so careful. There is hidden sugar in EVERYTHING. 

I had NO idea most pizza sauce has sugar.

(05-20-2020, 04:47 PM)kdgjr Wrote: You also have to be so careful. There is hidden sugar in EVERYTHING. 

I had NO idea most pizza sauce has sugar.

Yep.  Ketchup, BBQ sauce, many salad dressings.

When I make pizza/spaghetti sauce from scratch I always add sugar, ketchup, or shredded carrots for sweetness to neutralize some of the acidity in tomato sauce.

What suprised me was that sugarfree hard candies are not carb free.  I was planning on eating a lot of those.  

(05-20-2020, 04:24 PM)Synric Wrote: Im 36 and I still have to eat correctly to hold weight. Im 6'2 181. 

Absolutely. I’m 50, 5’7”, and 155 pounds. At my height an extra five pounds looks like an extra twenty pounds on anyone taller. My cardiologist wants me to drop to 135 which will take a disciplined diet and daily cardio.

You’re in good condition at your height and weight.

Truth be told I was at 180 myself at the end of 2017 but going gluten-free helped me drop 30 pounds in 2018. I’ve gained a little since because I haven’t done as much cardio as I used to.

(05-20-2020, 04:24 PM)Synric Wrote: Im 36 and I still have to eat correctly to hold weight. Im 6'2 181. 

Damn, I'm 6'4 and 300lbs, down from 345, but I couldn't even imagine being under 200. Just curious are you super active? I have a coworker who is around 6'1 and 170s and he eats all day it seems but doesnt workout or anything like that. Hes always trying to gain weight.

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I found it was easier to quit cold turkey from things like bread and pasta than try to eat alternatives. Buy sugar free candy and diet soda to deal with those cravings.

For snacks, peanuts and slim Jim’s or jerky. Walmart sells these good turkey sticks by their jerky.

For some reason sugar free hard candy has carbs.

Only thing I found for my sweet snacks is a carb free chocolate syrup. So I have a cup of coffee with chocolate, artificial sweetener, and almond milk. Either that or just a few frozen blackberries or strawberries with artificial sweetener. I eat them frozen because that makes me eat them slower.

Strange hing I discovered is that the store brand (Food City) of chicken salad and pimento cheese spread are much lower in carbs than all of the name brands. Same serving size, but store brand has 2 to 3 grams of carbs while other brands have 6 to 8. Been eating a lot of those with celery as a snack. Also boiled eggs, cheese sticks, and pork skins.

Celery is smart, as you'll burn more than you consume. Same with grapefruit.

(05-26-2020, 11:20 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: I found it was easier to quit cold turkey from things like bread and pasta than try to eat alternatives. Buy sugar free candy and diet soda to deal with those cravings.

For snacks, peanuts and slim Jim’s or jerky. Walmart sells these good turkey sticks by their jerky.

I too consumed a ton of diet pop and sugarfree gum (I was a huge gum-chewer my entire life, until...) and then I got skin cancer on my tongue...

I know and am well-aware that aspartame doesn't cause malignancy (and it has been proven as such), but they do **** up cells' ability to regenerate, to an extent and the sugar alcohols in the gum I was chewing, was awful.

And I was 21, so it's not like I had 50 years of boozing or anything like that. So on that end, everything in moderation (which I wasn't doing lol). Will say though, that time around when I had my cancer, I got down to 192 pounds, the lightest I had been since I was 13.

BTW, I absolutely do not intend for it to sound like I'm demeaning or on a high horse or anything, but just reading this thread, man, Americans eat like crap lol.

I have salad for dinner, 3 times a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) and my salad is a lettuce (duh lol, usually romaine), avocado, smoked salmon. Sometimes, I will add another protein (either tuna, feta cheese or bocconcini) if it is lying around: this is a staple, without fail meal that I have been eating for the past 4 years (and for lunches, many, many times in the previous 10 years of my life) and all ingredients are bought at a store.

Wednesday is either rotisserie chicken, pizza or (once a month, MAYBE) fast food. Friday is always fish/seafood (usually buy salmon or get sushi) and then the weekend is time to have some barbecue, Chinese food, something a bit unhealthier.

All this and I have dropped down to 245, as of yesterday, at 6'0 and will be 31 in 2 weeks; my blood sugar and blood pressure levels, kidney numbers and cholesterol levels, are all those of a 15 year-old, healthy male.

I'm still trying to put down weight, but the job is a major hurdle (and the reason why I gained so much weight in the past 3 years, in the first place). My advice is always, don't stick to, "a diet," or anything of that nature; simply be consistent, day to day, week to week, in what you eat and eat good food; I would NEVER buy tomato sauce in a jar, at a store (blasphemous), we've had the same BBQ sauce in our fridge since the end of 2018 and Sunday was the first time I deep-fried anything, since the first week of April.

It may seem hard, but once you fuel your body with nutritious things, you will crave salads, fruit, lean meat and seafood, etc.; stop eating fast food and unnecessary carbs and you'll never crave them again!

(at least, you shouldn't )...