Tag Archives: low carb

Best Chocolate and Peanut Butter Bars?

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I have been experimenting with new protein bars.  It is important to remember that carbs is the way to go in terms of protein bars, but also look at fiber.  You can subtract fiber grams from carbs to get net carbs.  I tried the new Luna Protein bar at 12g of protein, 17g of carbs, minus 3g of fiber totaling 14g net carbs.  (Purchased it at Target)

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It was pretty good, AND GLUTEN FREE, but I still prefer my Nature Valley Protein Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bar, which is not gluten-free,  (there is also a Peanut, Almond, and Dark Chocolate one and a Salted Caramel Nut with similar info), and I love that it is DARK CHOCOLATE with 10g of protein, 14g of carbs with 5g of fiber, so that is 9g net carbs.  Still loving it more.  (Available online or at Target and Costco)

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My sister-in-law told me about a KIND protein bar and I will be trying that tomorrow and report back.  The one she told me about, I could not find (Nuts and Sea salt), but I found one at Trader Joes that was chocolate and peanut butter, so I will report its taste and if it could possibly be better than my favorite Nature Valley Bar.   This is gluten and wheat free, which is better for my diet!  So, I hope I like it.  7g of protein and 17g of carbs, 3g of fiber, so it is 14g net carbs.  I will keep you apprised of my results.

 

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Pancakes That Will Keep You Skinny

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After two years of dodging illness, I caught a cold.  Today I am starting to feel better.  I still ate well, but I felt like I needed pancakes.  Did I go off the diet?  NO!

I ate my Lindora.com pancakes.  They are so good.  I have tried a lot of different low-carb syrups and STILL my favorites are Maple Farms Sugar Free Pancake Syrup (gluten-free and Splenda-sweetened) and Cary’s.  Both are about 12g of carbs per quarter cup of syrup vs. 50g per two tablespoons of regular sugared maple syrup.

But, while investigating for this blog, I discovered that Maple Farms makes a pancake and waffle mix that is only 8g of carb per 1/4 mix (more for the Lindora version).  So, I am going to order it and try it and report back.  If it is as delicious as the Lindora version, I am happy.  It will be cheaper too and still loaded with protein at 11g per 1/4 cup!

The site where you can buy these things if you can’t find it at a store and where I will buy my mix (Ralph’s market had the syrups):  Netrition.com  http://www.netrition.com/maple_grove_pancake_mix_page.html

And I found packets that you can bring with you to restaurants for syrup:  http://www.shopwell.com/walden-farms-pancake-syrup-ready-to-serve-packets/honey-syrup/p/7245713399

carysMaple-Syrup

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Proof Why Fad Diet Don’t Work and Why You Have to Cut Carbs and Learn Portion Control

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http://www.elements4health.com/cutting-calories-changes-the-way-the-brain-makes-food-choices.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+elements4health%2FmTrh+%28Elements4Health+%29

Results suggest that restricting food intake increases the reward value of food, particularly high-calorie, appetizing food , and that the more successful people are at caloric-restriction dieting, the greater difficulty they will face in maintaining the restriction.  Additionally, abstaining from food intake for longer durations of time also increases the reward value of food, which may lead to poor food choices when the individual eventually does eat.

The implications of this imaging study show that if people want to lose excess weight, it would be more effective to consume healthy, low-fat/low-sugar foods during regular meals, rather than go for long periods of time without any caloric intake.  So, for those who do the cleanses, HCG drops, Protein Shakes all day long type of dieting, they are more likely to gain their weight back than those who do slower low-fat and low sugar/carb diets, which involve regular daily meals.

My daily food plan involves 6 protein based meals a day, with two small salads, four small servings of vegetables (not starchy ones) and two small servings of low carb fruits a day.  I also exercise.  I have maintained my weight loss for over a year now.  This way of dieting is way more successful.  It isn’t  really a diet, it is just a new way to eat outside of the old stupid way that I ate, which got me fat in the first place.  You just have re-train your brain to eat the right and healthy way.

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Counting Carbs While Eating Out

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Carbohydrates have a big impact on weight because they are broken down into glucose, which in turn raises your blood sugar. They are found in starches such as cereal, bread, and pasta, and in sweets such as cakes and cookies, but also in many “good for you” foods like fruit, starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, and corn, and dairy products including milk and yogurt. Learning how to accurately identify and count carbohydrates will help you lose and maintain your weight.

On my eating plan, having between 50 and 100g of carbs a day helps me to lose and maintain my weight.

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Tips for Counting Carbs Home or Away

You can buy a carb-counting book, use an online version, or download a smartphone app to see how many carbohydrates are in the foods you eat. You can also read the nutrition label on prepared foods to tally up the number of carb grams in each serving. You might have to guesstimating carbohydrates at a restaurant.

Here are tips to make tracking easier:

Use measuring tools. At home, use a food scale to weigh that apple or whole-wheat roll. Use a measuring cup to dole out your portion of cereal or pasta. When you measure the serving size, your counts are more accurate – and you learn what a ½ cup or 1 cup serving looks like. Keep the tools handy so you’re not searching for them at every meal. I don’t even need to bring cups with me anymore.

Use every day visuals. For example, a cup of fruit, starchy vegetables, or ice cream is about the size of a baseball or an average fist. A pancake or waffle is equal to a CD. Then you can look up your serving size using a carb-counting guide or smartphone app.

This also gives you a point of reference when you’re eating out. According to Melissa Joy Dobbins, RD, LDN, CDE, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “if you know what a cup looks like and how many carbs are in a cup of that pasta when you eat it at home, you can use that to guesstimate carb counts at the restaurant.”

Table(spoon) it. When you’re away from home, estimate your portion by counting tablespoons. Here’s the conversion:

4 level tablespoons is equal to about 1/4 cup,

8 tablespoons is 1/2 cup, and

16 tablespoons is 1 cup.

So 8 tablespoons of macaroni salad equals 1/2 cup and 30 grams of carbohydrates.

Do your homework. Before you head out to a restaurant, check out its menu online. Decide what you’re going to order, and then gather the nutrition facts for the ingredients to put together a guesstimate of the carbs in your meal. Many restaurant chains now put all their nutrition facts, including carbs, on their Web sites.

Mind the proportions. Know that the more grains and starches in a dish, the higher your carb estimate. For instance, you can count an 8-ounce cup of a broth-based soup as 15 grams of carbohydrate, while a thick soup with beans, lentils, or noodles should be counted as 30 grams.

There’s an app for that. There are many apps available. Many are free, and many can help you with counting carbs. For example, GoMeals provides three apps in one – a database of nutritional values (including carbs) of thousands of foods you’ll find at the grocery store and your favorite restaurants, a tool to track and record your meals, and a restaurant finder with menus and nutritional information.

You Might Really Love Fish With This On It

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I took my husband out to his favorite seafood place for his birthday yesterday and I had this marvelous and delicious dip for my fish. I am not really a fish fan, but I eat it to stay thin. But, if I just have a little bit of this dip for my fish every time I eat it, I could eat fish all of the time. It was called, “Aioli.” I never had it before in my life, but I am now a convert. I looked it up online and I found a recipe that is easy. Remember not to use too much. It is for flavor, not a meal, in itself.

Garlic–Cilantro Aioli Dip
2 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Directions

Garlic–Cilantro Aioli Dip

Put garlic in olive oil and set aside at room temperature to steep for about 30 minutes.
Remove garlic, and combine the oil with fresh lime juice, cilantro, and mayonnaise. Add salt to taste.

YUM!

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How Much Protein Do You Need On a Low Carb Diet?

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Our protein needs depend on our age, size, and activity level. The standard method used by nutritionists to estimate our minimum daily protein requirement is to multiply the body weight in kilograms by .8, or weight in pounds by .37. This is the number of grams of protein that should be the daily minimum. According to this method, a person weighing 150 lbs. should eat 55 grams of protein per day, a 200-pound person should get 74 grams.  I need about 44g a day.

Let’s look at my protein intake on a given day.

YESTERDAY:

An egg has about 6g of protein.

My tuna salad with mozzarella had about 40g of protein (on salad)

(I am already at the amount I need)

I had a burger for dinner (with salad) at 20g of protein

I had some strawberries.

A protein bar with 10g of protein

A small carbolite frozen dessert with 9g of protein.

My total:  145g of protein.  No wonder my nails are so strong!

But, I do get fat and carbs in my diet.  I just try NOT to go over 100g of carbs a day.  My protein bars, fruit, and veggies in my salad had carbs.  My burger, cheese, protein bar and egg all had fat.  I eat the yolk in the egg to get some fat.

So, there you have what I do.  You don’t have to do what I do, but it keeps my weight down, I feel good and my skin, hair and nails are all stronger and better than ever.

It is said that if you have too much protein, your breathe will smell.  So far, so good.  And if you work out, you need even more protein.  I work out a lot, so I am glad that I eat it.

proteinwomen

Power Crunch Choklat is Da Low Carb Bomb

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I got both Power Crunch Choklat bars in the mail.  The dark chocolate and the milk chocolate.  I have had the opportunity to sample both.  The milk chocolate is good and tastes like a good Nestle Crunch bar, only it has 5 grams of protein, 8g of carbs (7g net).  But, the dark chocolate is soooo good.  I love dark chocolate and this is a dark chocolate version of a nestle crunch bar.  Even my husband likes it.  It is worth getting and eating.  I like it even better than the regular crunch bar.

I got mine for the best price on Vitacost.com.  If you find a better price, write me.

Who said you have to suffer eating low carb?

 

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Make a Tasty, Yet Healthy Salad, Not a Fattening Salad

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I had to re-examine why I was stuck on weight loss, and it was because I slowly started to increase some things into salads, which were not conducive to weight loss.

Yes, you are supposed to have proteins six times a day, but if you eat half of a cup of regular cheese and not lite, then you are adding more fat into your diet.  Technically, there are no carbs, but you still have to watch portion size.  You are better off with lite cheese, but if you do regular cheese, you have to use less and less often.  I know that was a problem for me and I will be watching this from now on.

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So, here is a list of items that are basically No-Nos for a salad while trying to get or stay skinny.

1.  Regular fat cheese (already covered that).

2.  Candied nuts.  You already have to watch the amount of nuts you eat in a day because they have carbs, but the added sugar in candied nuts is over the top.

3.  Croutons.  Very high in carbs and they have no nutritional value.  They are made from stripped white bread.  If you must have bread, have a wheat roll or slice (I don’t recommend eating bread while trying to lose weight, but you can eat a   wheat roll or slice once or twice a week instead of having fruit.

4.  Won ton noodles or tortilla strips or chips.  Same as croutons.  Basically, one tortilla chip has about 1g of carb per chip.  Are you willing to sacrifice for that?  Have a serving of carrot in your salad instead.

5.  Sun-dried tomatoes.  Too much sodium.  Get fresh tomatoes.

6.  Watch the salad dressing.  Some are filled with carbs.  Get a good balsamic vinaigrette or lite ranch.

Don’t forget that you can add a protein into your salad like egg, chicken, turkey, etc. and make it tasty.

THEY’RE BAACCKK!

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proteinbars

Nature Valley Protein Bars, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter.  Can be bought at Target or online, but the big box of 18 is at Costco (which is oly there, here and there, but they are back!).  Turns out to be like 65 cents per bar.  Get them while supplies last.  10 g protein, 14g carbs, 5g fiber–so net carbs is 9g.  I use these as one of my protein snacks throughout the day and it tastes AWESOME!  It is like having a dessert.

Emergency Junk Food

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If I ever get in a bind and need a protein hit in the morning (gotta have breakfast and eat again  a few hours later), I make a sacrifice and stop through a fast food restaurant.  You can order a side of eggs, a side of eggs and bacon, or if you are disciplined enough–you can order a breakfast sandwich and throw away the bread.

breakfast

Yes, I throw away the bread.  I sometimes feed it to birds.

The biscuit itself in this sandwich is about 30g of carbs and less than 2g of carbs for the rest of what is in the biscuit.  Is the biscuit itself (white flour that is SOO not good for you) worth 30g of carbs, when you want to only eat 50g to 100g of carbs to lose and maintain weight?

It is your choice.

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