Maintenance and Food Frustration!

[BellaHMB]

Hi Dear friends,

The past couple days I have been really stressing about my
ongoing food plan. To sum it up, it is BORING and not very
fulfilling! I know this probably will pass, but a couple of nights
ago as I sat at dinner looking at my baked chicken and broccoli
I thought all the most negative thoughts about it. I wanted
something I could sink my teeth into- a cheeseburger! Lasagna!
Something!

And, the scary thing is that I have continued to feel this way
now for about 2 days. No, I haven't gone off plan at all.
But it's not good!

Thanks for listening,
Bella

[JuliaL]

Hey Bella! Pardon me for saying so, but baked chicken and broccoli does sound kind of boring. Personally I love food, so I can't eat the same thing day in and day out without wanting to go crazy and eat off plan. What helps me is to mix things up a bit - try new recipes.

Do you like to cook? Linda Sue's website is great, and you can make her recipes lower in fat and calories if that's something you watch in addition to carbs. For example, I make the chicken, sausage and mushroom casserole with turkey sausage and low fat cream cheese. I also lower the amount cheddar cheese by about 1/3. I think it tastes just as good, but it's a lot fewer calores and less fat.

This is the tough thing about maintenance - figuring out how to eat for life so you don't get frustrated, feel deprived, or stop enjoying food. Food is one of the great pleasures of life, IMO, and I will never be able to think of it as only fuel.

I hope you figure out some new and tasty things so you don't feel so bored with your choices!

[BellaHMB]

I know she has a website- I will ask her about it, thanks.
And yes, chicken and veggies is getting old.....

I think I need to start branching out...tonight we are having butternut squash and
a veggie/shrimp stirfry which will be good but I need some menu items that are more
filling so Im not hungry an hour (or 15 minutes!) later.

Bella

[LaurieRobo]

Bella--Bella...

Have a cheeseburger GIRL!!!! On a revoloopise roll even better LOL!

I second the Julia's suggestion on Linda Sue's website... Whenever I'm bored I always head there... Coney Island Chili Dog Pie and the Chicken Divan are favorites and we made the Deep Dish Pizza this weekend.

If you are worried about the calories and fat which I think you still are, have a smaller serving w/ a big salad or another veggie.

You can easily turn that chicken and broccoli into alfredo - not quite as boring.

Be BRAVE - you can do it!

[LaurieRobo]

Originally Posted by BellaHMB

snip....I need some menu items that are more
filling so Im not hungry an hour (or 15 minutes!) later.

Bella

Adding a little bit more fat will help keep that hunger at bay.. Don't be afraid!

[JuliaL]

Originally Posted by LaurieRobo

Adding a little bit more fat will help keep that hunger at bay.. Don't be afraid!

I agree! If you're hungry 15 mins. after you eat, you're not eating enough fat. Fat is your friend, and it will not make you gain as long as you're keeping the carbs low. I eat 1/2 an avocado sometimes with dinner, and I notice I feel full longer, but I never see a gain on the scale after eating it.

[BellaHMB]

I made the Revolution Rolls last night but they were runny and ended up in a loaf pan!
But I think I need more main meal variations.... I do eat fat, such as almond butter every day. Last night's dinner was stirfry with shrimp, 1/2 cup butternut squash and 1 piece of the revolution "roll".

Bella

[Texoma]

I don't know if you are opposed to the forever horrible "processed food" but that is always an option.

I am experimenting with Dreamfields pasta and toying with the idea of adding cereal and carb countdown milk for breakfast.

I have never craved pasta but it sure is nice for a change of pace.

You just have to remember that you are in maintenance and no longer have to eat the plain old meat and veggie for your meals.

I can't say that maintenance is a breeze for me because I also struggle with being bored or resentful of my food. 2 months down...a lifetime to go!

[dae_tona]

I'm a pretty boring person when it comes to eating different foods but one thing I have found that works for me is my free day.

As long as I know that is coming up, it is easy to stick to plan the other 6 days. And on the 7th day, I eat what I have really been wanting which is usually a sweet potato, some of Linda Sue's ugly green bean snack & some high percentage dark chocolate. See what I mean by boring? But this has worked for me & it's easy for me to get back on schedule & I never gain weight doing this. Sometimes, I'll even make myself some gluten-free pancakes on this free day.

You are in maintenance now. You should allow yourself more than just the meat & veggie dish. Maybe even try some of those shiritake (sp?) noodles in a stir fry.

Dyan

[BellaHMB]

I did make the revolution rolls (which were runny and I put the batter in a loaf pan)
which helped a little. Last night we had salmon with pesto and a yummy salad- I actually
wasn't hungry afterwards as I ate enough.

I think you are right in that I am afraid to add in too much for fear of gaining!

Bella

[crestalee]

Make low-carb lasagna! Buy a few eggplants, slice them thinly, sprinkle with olive oil, salt & pepper, roast at 400 for 20 minutes. Incorporate as the noodles into your favorite lasagna recipe.

[delynmonet]

Has anyone thought about Atkins recipes on their web site - and they have a cookbook that has delicious meals in order to plan an exciting WOE!

I have tried some of the recipes - but haven't done so lately - hmmm . . . I will have have to follow my OWN advice and check them out again!

[steady]

Originally Posted by delynmonet

Has anyone thought about Atkins recipes on their web site - and they have a cookbook that has delicious meals in order to plan an exciting WOE!

I have tried some of the recipes - but haven't done so lately - hmmm . . . I will have have to follow my OWN advice and check them out again!

The Atkins website has some nice recipes. I use the Atkins recipes as "inspiration", but I don't use their products.

[2big4mysize]

hey for lasagna Cleo posted a recipe for doing it with cauliflower noodles even makes pizza dough you can pick up and eat in your hand with cauliflower. you can see them on her website. Since you are in maintenance you can add all kinds of "normal" foods for your meals. I make gumbo and skipped the rice part during induction using riced cauliflower i likes so much I still eat it in maintnenace. Just get out your cookbooks and check the maiun dish section for ideas and then low carb them you could turn your broccolie and chicken into a cheesey broccoli chicken casserole or souffle. you could make Curry if you like curry out of it you could even make cream of broccoli soup with the chicken diced up in it or on the plate under it.

Dana Carpender has some great low carb easy to fix cookbooks out there and even explains the ingredients low carbers use in her 500 recipes book.

[BellaHMB]

Think Im going to try the eggplant idea....anyone have some ideas about it?
Sliced, use olive oil to bake, cheese on top? ???

Bella

[Ailuros]

Every so often we get bored with our food, then I dig out a few of my vast collection of cookery books, and go through picking out things I'd like to try. Most of the books I use aren't low carb, they're traditional French, Italian (just ignore the pasta/risotto chapters) or British, or Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean/Middle Eastern. I just pick out the recipes that work - or ones that can be made to work by just leaving out the potato or bread component. Last night we had beef pot roast from a Marcella Hazan recipe (Essential's of Classic Italian Cooking) - it was supposed to be cooked in Amarone, but I didn't have any, so I used claret. We were just commenting when we'd eaten it, that we really enjoyed it because it had been a while since we had something like that. It's important to us to keep the menu appealing. Some people happily eat the same thing day after day, but if you're not one of those, then just dig around to find some new recipes to tempt you.

[sigphibuck]

Originally Posted by JuliaL

Do you like to cook? Linda Sue's website is great, and you can make her recipes lower in fat and calories if that's something you watch in addition to carbs. For example, I make the chicken, sausage and mushroom casserole with turkey sausage and low fat cream cheese. I also lower the amount cheddar cheese by about 1/3. I think it tastes just as good, but it's a lot fewer calores and less fat.

I agree. Linda Sue's website is great. There are a ton of recipes and it really helps she has reviewed them. My wife tried LCing a couple times but got board after a couple weeks. Since using her website she has been on plan since just after Christmas!!

[xamier]

Hey:
You might try averaging your foods. I aim for an average carb/calorie amount per week. (around 1700/60-150 carbs.) If you ocasionally want a cheeseburger or whatever,have it. Just cut back a few hundred calories and carbs per day and your average will come out the same. I also eat sweet potatoes, and fruit daily. You can have more carbs in maintenance. The average helps me because I don't go into the deep end thinking I have wrecked the day if I eat a (fill in favorite junk food here) I didn't wreck my day, I am eating for my weekly average.
Good Luck.

[TaDa!]

Xamier! I am also planning to do the weekly average thing ... and was just thinking about it, lol!!

I also recently started to come up with foods that I haven't eaten for one reason or another,but love and SHOULD eat! lol!!!

grilled mushrooms, peppers and onions
artichokes and butter
scottish smoked salmon
coquilles saint jacques ( scallops in cream and butter)
avocado mashed on an lc pita with onion

I've also been making some of the lc baked goods ... five years on this wol and I never bothered before, but I am totally loving it now!

[BellaHMB]

Scallops in cream and butter.....recipe?

YUMMO!

Bella

[fawn]

Experimenting with the bounties of the season is good also. It gives you a healthy respect for seasonal foods.

Make a commitment to experiment with one new vegetable a week. whfoods.com has some great recipes as well.

[Ailuros]

I agree. I don't stick absolutely to what's in season - I'll buy a few peppers and tomatoes to brighten things up in the winter. But sticking largely to seasonal food really makes me appreciate things when they do appear. I'm just getting this year's first strawberries and asparagus now .

[fawn]

yep, mom in law just brought us fresh organic strawberries and cream for dessert on Mother's day. Just fabulous! Interestingly enough, my step mom served strawberries on Saturday night....she swears by Driscolls because they're all of mammoth size....I didn't have the heart to tell her my thoughts but the taste difference between the puny organic inconsistent and the mammoth conventional was just huge!