1. Share a favorite summer recipe you have been enjoying.
I don’t like the word “diet” or the negative connotations that come with it. When you’re on a “diet” you’re confessing that you have a problem you are working on, they never work, so then everyone knows you tried and failed to solve your problem, and they all knew you wouldn’t be able to stick with it. They ask all kinds of questions about what you can and cannot eat. And you become that person in the restaurant who can’t eat things because you’re PARTICULAR now when maybe a week ago you would have quickly ordered a pasta dish without drawing attention to yourself.
That being said, I decided to live a low-carb/low-sugar life.
I know, I KNOW that when you decide to cut something substantial out of your “DIET” you run the risk of say…8 months from now, falling off the wagon and gaining 700 pounds back. I know. That’s why I call it a “lifestyle change”. It has be forever. I can’t come back to this post a year from now and think, “oh yeah, I remember when I was doing that. Too bad it didn’t work.” Because if I do that, it means it wasn’t a lifestyle change. It means that I actually was dieting when I’m sitting here telling you I don’t diet. I don’t even like the word “diet”. So it’s not a diet.
It’s a low-carb/low-sugar life I lead now. With an occasional pizza slice.
I know, I KNOW that an occasional pizza slice is a gateway drug to more pizza slices on more occassions and that it becomes a slippery slope right into carb overload mode. I know. So it really will just be on occasion and I’ll be fine.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I ate that many carbs to begin with. Turns out I do. My low-carb life wants me to aim for less than 25 grams of carbs (and 12 grams of sugar) a day and as it turns out, I put about that much in my morning cup of coffee. Needless to say, I’m pretty sure in my old life (a month ago) I was consuming hundreds of carbs a day.
It has been a challenge to find fast snacks that I can grab on the go and dinner planning has been interesting, but I’ve welcomed the change because again, I didn’t know this was a problem I had until I stopped eating it.
This Greek Salad from Damn Delicious has worked its way into my meal plans and I love it.
I’ve also been eating a lot of cheese and meat. And low carb tortillas topped with tuna and cheese. And salmon. And jalapeno poppers. And more salad.
Doesn’t that look better than donuts?
I don’t think so either, but it’s better FOR you. And we’re adults now so that is what we care about. Nutrition, health, long lives, and looking younger than we are.
Now.
Would anyone care for a lettuce wrap?
Abby says
*Still staring at that sprinkles close-up*
And your niece (I think that’s your niece?) is too cute.
But, hey, thanks for the recipes. Work that diet…erm… lifestyle! Doctor says I should cut back on the carbs – “borderline AIC”, whatever the heck…
John Holton says
Mmmmmm…. donuts….
I tried the low-carb thing a while ago, and hated every minute of it. You’re right, diets doin’t work, especially when one of you is on the diet and another isn’t. I’ve learned to live with myself. It’s a whole lot less stress.
madamdreamweaver says
I tried the Atkins diet once (all protein & fat, no carbs) and you know what, not eating any carbs gave me a piercing headache for the whole week I tired it. I started eating normally again and headache left.
I use the (free) Fitness Pal app, which lets me track what I’m eating as well as exercise. I’m trying to just find the right balance between food and activity. For me, it’s important to have a steady balance of protein intake so I don’t have hunger plunges. I’ll warn you—one thing to watch out for with that low carb/high protein plan is getting in enough fiber so you don’t get constipated.