Lunch and Dinner ideas LC

Main Dish
Chuck steak
Pork Steak
Pork chops
Hamburger patty w/mayo dip
Chili Dogs w/ no bean chili and onions
Beef Strogenoff - recipe here
Pizza, made with Healthy Life Low Carb English muffins
Homemade Pizza -recipe here
Chili - recipe here
Breakfast w/ omelettes 
Breakfast w/ Flax seed pancakes and sausage
Spaghetti made with bean sprouts/spaghetti squash/zucchini noodles
Cheese burgers on Rev. rolls
Cheese polish sausage
Breakfast- Polish sausage and scrambled eggs
Hot dogs
Grilled Chicken breast w/ french onion dip (Walmart pre-cooked)
Fried Chicken breast or baked w/mayo dip
Chicken or Ham salad w/ pork rinds
Veggie soup
Chicken medley soup
Pepper Steak
meatloaf or meatballs

Sides
Can Green beans (microwave)
Frozen Green beans made like french fries (baked)
Fried Can Green beans
Medley Vegs w/cheese whiz
Cauliflower made like baked pot - onion, butter, french onion dip
Cauliflower made like mashed Potato
Cucumbers in vinegar
Fried cabbage
mock potatoe salad - recipe to the side <- br="">
Salad

The Deep Issues Behind the Fat

The Deep Issues Behind the Fat (click here for original posting)

The more time I spend working out my own escape from obesity, the more I am convinced that there are (at least) two kinds of people trying to lose weight. There's people who don't really understand or are not focused on the principles of good nutrition... who just plain eat the wrong kinds of food in the wrong amounts because they taste good. One day they wake up and say, "I really want to lose weight!" They figure out how to change their eating and start moving, and they pretty much just DO it. They start eating chicken and broccoli and apples, they get on the treadmill an hour a day, an after months of work they have lost the weight. Period. Then there are the people who, even after they *know* how and what to do, they stumble and straggle and suffer along, maybe losing weight, maybe not... regaining, losing, struggling, and wondering, "WHY can't I lose weight and keep it off?" They see the people in the first category, who report that they just "decided" to lose weight and were "determined" to do it, and they think, what is wrong with me, that I cannot do what they did? And they usually stay fat or, if they do lose weight, regain it all within a few years.

I am, of course, in the second category of people. What is going on here? Why can some people up and change their lives without a lot of drama, while others seem to be unable to make real progress?

I'm not saying that if you're in the first category that it was EASY for you to lose weight. I am sure it always takes hard work to make big changes like that. But I've read blogs of people like this. Their weight loss graph is almost a straight line going downward, and they are so inspiring! But then people in the second category read their stories and think it must be impossible for THEM to lose weight, since they go up and down and regain a million times and it is *such* an inner struggle every day to stay on plan. And I think people in category A have a hard time understanding people in category B... because they think it is a matter of "just doing it," of willpower, of excuses, of "just" putting down the fork and being determined to change.

But it's not that simple.

The more I focus on getting the weight off, the more I am learning not only about myself, but about other people and their weight loss journeys and what makes people tick. And I think I've figured something out.

My getting and being obese is a matter of being "checked out" more than I am "checked in." Let me give a few examples of checking out... because it isn't really about food.

There are people whose lives are so stressful to them that they use drugs as an escape. Or alcohol. Either way, what they are doing when they use/drink is "checking out" from what is bothering them. Checking out from THAT LIFE while they are high or drunk. Then when they sober up, they are forced to check back in and deal with the emotions and problems... unless they check back out again.

There are teenagers (and older people) who use sexual activity as a way to lose themselves from whatever things are troubling them. Problems at home with parents, school issues, whatever. When they are lying in bed in the throes of a sexual high, they forget all about those problems. They're checked out. Sometimes teens who have a lot of stress but don't drink or use drugs will use sex as their escape. It turns their brains to something else... something that is pleasant and exciting and NOT their current life problems.

It's not just limited to pleasurable activities, either. Some kids cut themselves as a way of checking out. It's all a matter of doing *something* to get to another place. ANY other place than the life you should be dealing with.

Video games... computer time... the Internet... gambling. All are ways of checking out. How much time are you on the computer? Playing games? Mindlessly surfing? A LOT of people these days claim "Internet addiction," where they spend hours and hours staring at the computer screen each day instead of tending to their real-life responsibilities. I personally have watched someone sit at the computer for 8 to 10 hours A DAY chatting, playing Solitaire, doing nothing, really... in order to escape from the reality of things that are stressful or upsetting. And I have been guilty of doing it too, on occasion. As a matter of fact, a couple days ago I had an upsetting incident in which one of my teenagers could have been severely injured (but thankfully is FINE)... and I sat on the computer ALL DAY "checking out" because I just could not stand to think of him being gone and couldn't handle the emotion anymore.

I am pretty sure a lot of us check out through food. That's why what I wrote the other day about eating in front of a mirror works. It brings reality back, and makes it impossible to check out. And for me, at least, the point of a binge or overeating is pretty much to check out. Call it a coping mechanism, call it an addiction, say it is avoidance. All true. All checking out.

Being hyperfocused on *something* lets you forget about whatever it is you wish did not exist in your life. If you're obsessing about food all day, then you can forget about the laundry, the dishes, the bad marriage, the economy. When all you're thinking about is sex and when you'll get your next lay, you don't have to focus on the fact that your mother is dying and you can't afford your car payment. If you're spending every moment counting calories, fat grams, weighing food, exercising, then you can ignore the other things that need your attention that you don't want to deal with. Not that being diligent about calories and exercise is BAD... but it can certainly take the place of binge obsession to the point of *still* being checked out even while losing some weight.

Being checked IN is about living life in your body and not in your head. You are actually DOING things that need to be done, you're outside taking a walk or you're lifting weights. You're dealing with life, not avoiding it. Being checked in CANNOT involve sitting for 4 hours a day in front of the computer or making 3 runs to the store for Pringles and ice cream and Coke and then wolfing down Happy Meals in your car on the way home and hiding the evidence in the trash before you get there.

How many hours a day are you LIVING your life?

Checking out is a coping mechanism that has its place. Sometimes we HAVE to escape from the stresses of everyday life or some crisis that is occurring. We read a novel or watch a TV show or read blogs for awhile. We can do that and be healthy IF we come back and check in and LIVE each day.

Whenever my child has a tantrum, I get a distinct impulse to run to the kitchen and shove food in my face. I actually used to do it. She would be screaming and I would go to the kitchen and eat a whole piece of cold pizza or a donut or a handful of cookies in 30 seconds flat. I don't do that anymore, even though I still have that fleeting impulse. So I really think this can be changed, if we are conscious of what we're doing. But breaking free from food obsession (or any obsession) actually frees us to focus on other things. That can be good, but it can also be scary and uncomfortable for someone who has coped through avoidance for so long.

Pay attention. How much time are you spending "checked out" on food, games, Internet, etc? Maybe it's time to check back in and deal with life. It is, for me. How about you?

Retraining Your Brain

This post is from 'Spaceace' over at LowCarb Friends Bulletin boards. The orginal post can be found here.


This comes from someone in the mental health field, so pardon my slightly clinical angle here. I too have fallen off the wagon many times, after months of really good habits. I figured this time, why not apply what I do with clients to myself.

I recently have tried to apply some cognitive therapy to myself, meaning that I identify triggers, high-risk situations, and (for me) most importantly the irrational thoughts that lead to my downfalls. I am going to concentrate on the irrational thoughts in this post, because many of us know our triggers and when we are likely to encounter them already.

I have to accept that, yes, I make irrational decisions because because my brain manufactures these irrational thoughts in much the same way that an addict's brain does for their drug of choice. The brain designs these very strong and pointed thoughts because it wants to feel good NOW, and would easily choose to feel great for the 1-10 minutes as the taste buds send powerful messages to the brain that it should experience ecstasy (the feeling not the drug). The part of the brain that inspires these irrational thoughts is very primitive and only cares about feeling good in the extreme short term, it simply is not designed to consider long-term consequences so it won't - period. It's the same as the crack addict who time after time says "this is it, this is ruining every aspect of my life" but chooses again and again to restart their addiction.

Anyway, here are some of my irrational thoughts, and thoughts I have to manually choose to replace them with when they come. Knowing that these thoughts are coming helps me, and with practice replacing them becomes easier.

1. I can have just one piece of birthday cake. Replace with: Yes I want that birthday cake, but experience has shown me that afterward I will feel awful, will crave more, and may throw away my WOE for a long long time. I might get away with it a few times, but eventually this type of choosing causing me to give up everything I've gained. So I must choose "no" now - and every time - to avoid that game of Russian roulette. (And just as in Russian Roulette, my life is truly in danger.)

2. I deserve to taste this wonderful-tasting food. Replace with: I can have this food but it is not so wonderful, because I really don't want obesity, diabetes, shameful feelings, shorter life, and heart attacks that go with it. If I choose the food, I choose these things at the same time. No getting around it.

3. I will look like an outcast if I don't eat what everyone else is eating. Replace with: I will chose to do what is best for me. I may feel weird in this social situation, but it is not the end of the world and it will be over in a few hours at most. There is no chance that someone will kill me because I chose not to eat that stuff.

4. I just had something with too many carbs, I might as well just binge right now and get back on track tomorrow. Replace with: WARNING! I just ate something that I shouldn't have eaten; if I don't get right on track right this second I will end up farther and farther from my goals with every passing minute. [This one is like the driver that misses his exit and figures he might as well just keep on driving - we obviously wouldn't do this because it is irrational! Make the U-Turn as soon as it is safe and legal to do so, which is right now!]

5. I've been stuck at this weight for weeks. I might as well just eat what I want since this isn't working. Replace with: I knew before I started that plateaus are part of weight loss, and I am experiencing something that I knew was going to happen so I shouldn't be surprised. Instead, I will stay the course or try to change things in my plan that are still consistent with my plan, like upping my fat, changing my workout routine, or giving my scale to a friend (along with $20 that he gets to keep if he doesn't give my scale back until the date I specified.)

6. This persons' feelings will be hurt if I don't eat this. Replace with: This person can choose to feel hurt or not because I do not want to eat their food; their feelings really have nothing to do with my choice to be healthy. The irrationality is theirs, not mine.

These are just some ideas, they may or may not work for you. Maybe they will work for somebody. I've only been trying these approaches a few weeks, but it is nice when a craving occurs to be able to identify the thought that my brain makes to try to get me to do what it wants, and to already know how to combat that thought with one that is more useful and rational. Anyway, it gives me a sense of power to be approaching this with a different plan after several really valiant attempts (as long as 6 months) have eventually failed.

Good luck on your WOE!

Banana Split Cake - Low Carb

* I've also used SF Banana pudding or SF Vanilla pudding for the filling instead of baked filling.

CRUST - Melt 3 Tablespoons Butter, and stir in 2 Tablespoons Sweetener blend. Combine with 1 Cup Almond Flour.
Spread crust mixture into greased 7 X 11 pan. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. Do NOT allow to brown. Set aside to cool while you prepare the filling.

FILLING * - Mix 8 ounces Cream Cheese, 1/2 Cup Sweetener blend****, 1 Egg, and 1 Teaspoon Vanilla. Spread Filling onto Crust, and bake in a water bath for 35 minutes at 325 degrees. Do not overcook. This should just have a 'dry' look on top when done, and should not be brown anywhere. Fill a larger pan half way up with water, set small pan inside to bake.  (That is what is meant by water bath).
Cool on counter, or in refrigerator. Top with a thinly sliced Banana About 38 slices or so) and small amount of well drained crushed pineapple (packed in water not syrup). ****sweetener blend is 1 Cup Erythritol, 1 Splenda Quick Pack, and 1/8 teaspoon Stevia.

 TOPPING - Whip 1 Cup Heavy Cream until stiff. Add 2 Tablespoons Davinci Vanilla syrup (or vanilla extract) , and whip a little more. Place on top of filling.
Top with Walnuts, Chocolate drizzle, and Maraschino Cherries (optional).


1 Cup Almond Flour.............640 calories........12 carbs........56 fat........24 protein
8 ounces Cream Cheese.......792 calories..........6 carbs.....79.1 fat......17.1 protein
1 egg......................................71 calories.......(.4)carbs..........5 fat.......(.3) protein
3 Tablespoons Butter.............305 calories.........0 carbs......34.6 fat..........1 protein
1 Cup Heavy Cream..............821 calories......6.6 carbs......88.1 fat.......4.9 protein
Banana (108 grams)................96 calories.....21.9 carbs......(.4) fat.......1.2 protein
Pineapple (68 grams)..............33 calories.......7.6 carbs..........0 fat......(.4) protein
Walnuts (30 grams)...............200 calories.......2.0 carbs.........20 fat.........5 protein
Sweetener (1/2 Cup + 2 Tbsp)...8 calories.......2.0 carbs..........0 fat.........0 protein
2 Tablespoons DaVinci syrup.....0 calories..........0 carbs..........0 fat.........0 protein
1/4 ounce Pre-melted Cocoa........40 calories......1 carbs..........4 fat......(.5) protein
1 Teaspoon Sweetener for Cocoa...0 calories.....0 carbs..........0 fat.........0 protein

Totals............................3006 calories.......59.5 carbs.....287.2 fat.....54.4 protein

Per serving (12 slices)........250 calories........4.9 carbs.........24 fat........4.5 protein

The Cherries are optional, and 2 carbs each (ouch)!

Original post found here with pictures. Thanks bobo36us  over at Low carb Friends for posting this. !!!!!!

Revolution Rolls

This is how I make mine. Double recipe.
***Other recipes below. 

6 egg Whites
4 egg Yolks
2 package of splenda
1/8 t. Cream of Tartar
6 T. cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
I use parchment paper on my pans.
Separate eggs making sure NO egg yolks get into the whites. Mix egg yolks, cottage cheese, and splenda. 
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until whites are stiff. Easy way to check to see if whites are ready -Once whites stop moving in the bowl and you can turn the bowl upside down without whites coming out, their done. Now put a little of the whites into the yolk mixture and mix. Using a plastic spoon, FOLD in the yolk mixture a little at a time into the whites. Once mixed, Mound the mixture into 12 mounds on your parchment paper. If you have liquid in the bottom, spread some of the mounds like mashed potatoes and put liquid into middle of the mounds.
Cooks for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Watch closely until rolls start browning on edges.
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(The Original) Basic Diet Revolution Rolls
Straight from the 1972 Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution book
Makes 6 rolls

Pam spray
3 eggs separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons cottage cheese
1 package of Sugar Twin*

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Separate eggs very carefully (make sure that none of the yolk gets into the whites.)
3. Spray Pam on a Teflon cookie sheet.**
4. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until whites are stiff but not dry.
5. Fold in yolks, cottage cheese and Sugar Twin*** (Be extremely careful not to break down the egg whites. Mix for no more than 1 minute.)
6. Place the mixture carefully on the Teflon cookie sheet, gently putting one tablespoon full on top of another until each “roll” is about 2 inches high. Repeat this until you have 6 piles.
7. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for about 1 hour.****

Total carbs 3.1; grams per serving .5
~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOTES since its publication:

*can substitute Splenda or your preferred sweetener
**muffin top pan and small Wilton cake pans work fantastic for these rolls
***recommend blending these ingredients together first before folding in
****cooking times in variations range from 30 minutes to 1 hour

VARIATIONS TO THE BASIC ROLLS since its publications:

Instead of cottage cheese, replace with:

3 tablespoons mayonnaise, OR
3 tablespoons ricotta cheese, OR
3 tablespoons of cream cheese
(Cleo's famous Oopsie rolls use three ounces of cream cheese)

Egg Yolk Add-ins:

-Add a scoop of LC natural protein powder for a more 'bready' texture
-Use a flavored (such as vanilla) protein powder and add in a tablespoon of LC maple syrup for a sweet roll
-Add in a scoop of protein powder, plus a tablespoon of room temperature butter, plus a tablespoon of heavy cream
-For a chocolate version, add in a scoop of chocolate protein powder, a tablespoon of cocoa powder, and a tablespoon of chocolate Da Vinci's syrup xxxx

HOW TO MAKE ZOODLES

HOW TO MAKE ZOODLES:

1. Use a veggie pealer to peal zucchini into long strips, throwing away the inner core of seeds. When you peal your zucchini into noodles lay them in a pile on a a few paper towels off of the roll (like 2-3 in length), spread them out to cover the two paper towels and then roll the towels up. This will help wick out a lot of the moisture in them and will help your zoodles be a bit more firm and have more of a pasta texture when eating. Prepare your zucchini strips before you start making your sauce so you can finish up the meal quickly while everything is still hot!

2. In a sauce pan melt some butter and throw in a tablespoon or two of minced garlic.

3. Once garlic and butter have heated throw in the zucchini "noodles" in the pan and cook until they are just tender, if you cook too long they will become mush and won't hold up the your sauce well.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with your already prepared sauce and top with Parmesan. Enjoy!! Delish, easy, and honestly tastes WAY better than the pasta that it replaces

One Minute Pumpkin Protein Muffin

1 Minute Pumpkin Protein Muffin:

1/2 Scoop Unflavored Protein Powder (or any flavor you have)
2 TBS Beaten Egg (save the other 2 TBS for another 1 MM, or double recipe and use the whole egg, making 2 muffins.)
2 TBS Golden Flax Meal
1/2 TSP Baking Powder
2 TBS Pumpkin Puree
2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 TSP Cinnamin
1 TBS DaVincis Praline SF Syrup (will add another TBS or so of powder/granular sweetener next time) Or 2 TBS sweetener of choice, granular or overwise
1 TSP Vanilla

Mix all together in a coffee mug or bowl and microwave on high until it looks "dry" on top, about 2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave.

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 Serving without cream cheese filling

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 70
Calories 156

% Daily Values*
Total Fat 7.83g 12%
Saturated Fat 1.293g 6%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.504g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.011g
Cholesterol 138mg 46%
Sodium 328mg 14%
Potassium 111mg
Total Carbohydrate 7.88g 3%
Dietary Fiber 4.9g 20%
Sugars 1.97g
Protein 15.82g

Net Carbs: 2.98
________________________________________________________________________

 1 Minute Pumpkin Protein Muffin, ingredients tripled and baked in the oven to make 6 muffins:

1 &1/2 Scoop Unflavored Protein Powder (or any flavor you have)
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup Golden Flax Meal
1 TSP Baking Powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 & 1/2 Tbs Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Tbs Cinnamin
2 to 3 Tbs DaVincis Praline SF Syrup (will add another 1/2 TBS or so of powder/granular sweetener next time) Or 6 TBS sweetener of choice, granular or overwise
1 Tbs Vanilla

Mix all together and put into 6 greased muffin pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until a toothpick inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean