Advice - Low Carb Diet compromises

[Destiny 39,384]

So, Mister Destiny has decided to start a low carb diet at the advice of medical professionals. I'm proud of him, as he needs to make some changes and loose a ton of weight. That said, I have a problem. I can't tolerate a low carb diet, as they usually contain more meat and by their very definition, fewer carbs than my system likes.

Have any of you any advice on how I can make this work without making myself sick and or gaining weight I don't want or need to, but still supporting hubby in his endeavour?

[doggie 1,849]

I have to be super low carb and my wife was not I ended up cooking two meals each time her food keep getting simpler be cause I could not taste it when I cooked.

[Destiny 39,384]

11 minutes ago, doggie said:

I have to be super low carb and my wife was not I ended up cooking two meals each time her food keep getting simpler be cause I could not taste it when I cooked.

I hate hate hate cooking, so I'm hoping to avoid having to do this 3 meals a day. I'm hoping that someone will have a brilliant idea I didn't think of yet.

[meda 1,119]

I am low carb-ish because of thyroid issues, but I'm not a big meat eater. Depending on how strict the plan is, you can add in more fruits and veg rather than doubling down on meat. I do a lot less pasta, rice and bread and more sweet potato, small amounts of regular potato, and there are some decent low carb wraps on the market for sandwiches and burritos. I also really like cauliflower "rice" (shred cauliflower  in a food processor, sauté for about ten minutes) as a substitute for a starch. It's texture is rice like and you can do fried rice with it or spice it up. 

You might want to search some Whole 30 blogs for ideas,  http://nomnompaleo.com/ has some great stuff

[doggie 1,849]

44 minutes ago, Destiny said:

I hate hate hate cooking, so I'm hoping to avoid having to do this 3 meals a day. I'm hoping that someone will have a brilliant idea I didn't think of yet.

yep know how you feel my meals are so simple. but I gave this to my wife and now she can't eat carbs either. but she can't handle as much meat as I can. myself I don't want to eat as much beat but I don't have a choice. but I can't handle soy and I can only eat so many eggs and nuts. 

[Howl 40,383]

This is kinda rant length, but it's reminding me to clean up some areas of my diet! 

Google "fat resistant starches + paleo diet" for some interesting information.

paleoleap.com/eat-your-starches-why-safe-starches-are-healthy/

chriskresser.com/how-resistant-starch-will-help-to-make-you-healthier-and-thinner/

marksdailyapple.com/the-primal-carbohydrate-continuum/#axzz3wlIo2eh8

I'm not recommending any of these approaches, they are just "food for thought".  

I've found the Indian Ayurvedic approach to diet interesting and useful.  The have roughly three divisions of human types (or doshas in their terminology), Vata (that's me!), Pitta and Kapha that roughly correspond to (I think) endomorph, mesomorph and ectomorph and they do understand that many people fall in between.  Each of these doshas have foods that support them and foods that aggravate them.   My point being that no one diet is great for everyone.  For me, I just can't eat a lot of meat.  But I do love green veg and root vegetables, especially sweet potatoes, and beans.  I'd be miserable on low carb, but I do know my carb cravings need to be restrained. 

However, there is probably one universal rule: cut out sugar and processed food and eat real food and you'll feel better. And remember, you need all of the foods (fats, protein and carbs -- none of them are evil), just in the right proportion.  

I do think there is a bullsh*t element to Primal diets, because hunters/gatherers ate ALL of whatever they hunted or gathered.  They ate eyeballs; they ate livers, brains and all the organ meats, they ate tongues, they broke open bones and sucked out the marrow.  They gathered wild grains. They ate insects.   In other words, they ate whatever was there and ingested the landscape, and not just Whole Foods cage-free chicken breasts from chickens that are bred to be fat or grass-fed beef muscle meat.  Don't know where I'm going with this, but there you have it. 

Also, the cauliflower substitute is awesome!  

My sister, who has had chronic fatigue syndrome since her late 20s and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes almost 20 years ago plus seriously overweight, blew off the recommended diabetes diet and is getting very interested in cooking with healing and anti-inflammatory spices, which has made a big difference for her.  She is off insulin, and is loosing weight steadily, even though she is unable to exercise.  I think she follows the Joel Fuhrman guidelines: drfuhrman.com/library/what-is-a-nutritarian-diet.aspx

The Fat Resistance Diet fatresistancediet.com/trial/  and Mark Hyman UltraMetabolism drhyman.com/blog/2011/05/26/the-ultrametabolism-companion-guide/  might also be of interest. 

A friend got a copy of The South Beach Diet at the recommendation of her doctor, lost 18 pounds and has kept off those pounds for a year.  I think South Beach is low-carb-ish. 

MyFitnessPal.com web site will track calories and what kind of calories, for free!  It's awesome and easy and they do seem to have a database of every food and manufactured food on the planet and that makes it easy to do entries. 

 

[lascuba 4,816]

What do you like to eat in terms of carbs? One easy thing to do is to make whatever low carb meal you want and then something like rice or potatoes--he get's the low carb, you substitute as much of the low carb stuff with the starch.

[Bethella 14,976]

14 hours ago, meda said:

I am low carb-ish because of thyroid issues, but I'm not a big meat eater. Depending on how strict the plan is, you can add in more fruits and veg rather than doubling down on meat. I do a lot less pasta, rice and bread and more sweet potato, small amounts of regular potato, and there are some decent low carb wraps on the market for sandwiches and burritos. I also really like cauliflower "rice" (shred cauliflower  in a food processor, sauté for about ten minutes) as a substitute for a starch. It's texture is rice like and you can do fried rice with it or spice it up. 

You might want to search some Whole 30 blogs for ideas,  http://nomnompaleo.com/ has some great stuff

Another substitution is spaghetti squash in place of pasta