I am a woman, a writer, an editor, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a yogi, an artist and a low carb dieter. It's this last part that I'm dedicating this blog to. Please join me in the quest to be fit, happy and healthy!
Hi!
posted by EJ @ 10:19 PM
As I was at what I consider to be the most useful low-carb site (besides my blog, of course, hehe) I realized that I don't think I've written about it. The Atkins Nutritional home page. If you are on a low-carb diet, and haven't been there for some reason, you should. It's a very useful source. It has all the info you need about starting and maintaining a low carb diet; so much so that you hardly need to buy the book anymore. Anyway, my favorite part of the site is "My Atkins," a free service that lets you keep track of your weight, progress, recipes, etc. I find it very useful, especially in keeping track of my weight. Anyway, check out the site, if you've been living under a carb-filled rock, and haven't already.
posted by EJ @ 2:41 PM
So, I was on another four-hour drive. I'm moving from Ashland, Ore. up to Portland and I'm making the move in stages ... this past weekend I was apartment hunting (which was successful, yay!) Anyway, the four-hour drive gets old after a few times. And I like to snack when I drive. In days of non-healthy eating, I'd pop into McDonalds and get myself a couple cheeseburgers and french fries. Or, I'd pick up a box of Cheez-its while getting gas. But I'm realizing the benefits of healthy eating more and more every day, so this time when I was at the mini-store at the gas station, another thing caught my eye: Pumpkorn. It's actually not corn at all, but pumpkin seeds seasoned with different flavors. I remembered that pumpkin seeds are low in carbs and with a quick check of the label, it was confirmed: 4 grams of carbs per serving minus 2 grams fiber: 2 net carbs. Yahoo! I picked up a bag of chili-flavored ones and was on my way. And now I'm hooked. They have a tasty dose of salt and flavoring, which really hits the spot on a long drive or any other time you just want a salty snack. And it gets even better. They are "all natural, suitable for diabetics and are kosher." I think I've found the perfect snack!! Pumpkin seeds are a lot like sunflower seeds, except the shell is soft and edible.
posted by EJ @ 1:41 PM
Hi all! Sorry I've been a little out of touch. As I mentioned, I'm in the process of moving and finding a new job ... it's exhausting. Not to mention trying to stay on a low-carb diet in the meantime. But I'm managing. One of the hard parts of uprooting your life while adhering to a diet plan is having "quick" food at hand. Lately, I've been eating a lot of edamame, nuts, slices of cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and steamed veggies. But I was kind of in a plateau. I lost about 5 pounds in my second week of induction (re-induction I should say). Then I just sort of remained steady. I still have at least 10 more pounds to lose. But as soon as I introduced a fiber drink once a day, the weight started to come off again. I usually drink a natural psyllium husk drink found at health stores, but regular Metamucil will do. As you know, Metamucil is meant for, uh, constipation. But the cleansing effects are useful for every day use. I have much more energy when I drink my fiber every day. And I can tell (don't ask me for details) that it's really "flushing" out more junk from my body than if I wasn't drinking it. So join me and raise your glasses in a toast to fiber!
posted by EJ @ 5:31 PM
For those of you who follow this blog closely, I just want to letchy'all know that I'll be a little out of touch for the next few weeks, I'm relocating and changing jobs, so things are a little hectic and I probably won't be posting too much in the next few weeks. But I will be stopping in periodically, so keep checking in, and drop me a line. I'll be back in full force in a few weeks. Wish me luck, and keep eating those veggies ;)
posted by EJ @ 4:56 PM
I was watching the Food Network the other day, and they had a 2-hour (or was it 1-hour?) special all about low carb diets. They interviewed all kinds of people; doctors, families who had lost hundreds of pounds, etc. One man was a chef dedicated to low carb cooking and he gave a recipe for using spaghetti squash instead of pasta with Alfredo sauce. I tried it last night, and even though I wouldn't say it's a substitute for pasta, it's a very good dish, and has a 'comfort food' quality to it. A nice, hearty meal for these fall days. To make it, cut a spaghetti squash in half and take out the seeds. Then 'pull' the strings from the skin, and boil them in water for about 5 minutes. Drain as you would pasta. Then, although it wasn't mentioned by the chef, I sauteed them in a little butter and salt and pepper. It crisped the strings up a little bit, and it added flavor. Then, make a simple Alfredo sauce by melting about 2 tablespoons of butter, then adding about a cup of heavy cream and a cup of fresh Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil and then simmer, stirring the entire time to blend the cheese. Pour the sauce over the squash, make a salad and there's dinner. Now, if they could just come up with tasty low-carb garlic bread ........
posted by EJ @ 1:08 PM
I am a woman, a mother, a writer, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend, an artist and an entrepreneur. The intent of this blog is to collect all of my talents in one place.
