Easy Tips to stay LC

[NoMoreExcuses]

Originally Posted by lowcarbette

Boy, is this familiar to me. I've been doing this as long as I can remember. That's a long time. Here's to not doing that any more.

Threadjack....Are you in I.C.? I am in C.R.
I am not into football, but congrats on the Hawkeye win!!!

[NoMoreExcuses]

I just realized how old this thread is!!!!!

[sbarr]

Ah, it was good to read these again!

Lindsey is almost 9 months old - she eats better than I do, so I owe it to myself to eat as well as she does. *musing*

[FloridaShell]

Try to eat within the first hour of waking up.

[Luminescent]

Originally Posted by FloridaShell

Try to eat within the first hour of waking up.

I always do that!
In fact, it's more like within the first 15 minutes of waking up. Haha

I love breakfast.

[KellBell1234]

There are some great tips here!

[disgal]

Originally Posted by sadie_adriana

the trick for me to get my mind off of eating the wrong thing is to consume alot (not a gross amount) of fat. It has saved me so many times, its way better than going off and feeling badly later.

This SO works for me. I hate taking the time to enter my food into my journal. But that's the easiest way for me to see if I'm getting enough fat. I'll think I'm doing good for breakfast and lunch, I input my food and find I'm at 40% fat........oopsies! Then I'll think, no wonder why I'm getting hungry.

I don't know if it will be like this always, but right now at this weight, I feel really good when my fat is at least 65%. Dr. A sure knew whateth he talketh about!

[disgal]

Originally Posted by sbarr

Ah, it was good to read these again!

Lindsey is almost 9 months old - she eats better than I do, so I owe it to myself to eat as well as she does. *musing*

Very good to read for us newbies (at least on this board) too! It's like a classic......never outta style!

[redautumn]

Lots of good ideas.

When I am home I pick up my knitting needles to keep my hands busy. It helps get my mind off of eating and keeps me out of the kitchen.

[claire26]

Okie I haven't read this whole thread so sorry if I'm repeating, but I make sure I always have measuring spoons and cups with me wherever I go (even on holidays). Otherwise I tell myself I'm having 1tbsp of peanut butter or cream, but it can be two or three if I don't measure exactly... and it all really adds up for me calorie/carbs wise! :-)

[hummingbird11]

to the Newbies!!

To be Fine in 2009; this is what I suggest:
Get a copy of Dr Atkins DANDR & start reading!

Like me, you'll probably be blown away re how healthy it really is!
It's nothing like you've heard. It's NOT bacon-blue-cheese-burgers!
(tho you can eat those too )

The whole shift to LowCarb requires a shift in mindset, too.
And to shift one's mindset; one must educate themselves.

Carbs are NOT poison.
But Carbs must be "controlled" or they will control YOU.
(as they are doing now)

Here's some excellent reading for you:
(wish someone had spoon fed this to me!)

Diet for a New Revolution by Dr Atkins

The Diet Cure by Julia Ross

Good Calorie; Bad Calorie by Gary Taubes

Natural Health & Weight Loss by Barry Groves
or
Eat Fat; Get Thin by Barry Groves

These books will clear-up much of the misinformation that's been crammed down our throats re: calories, carbs, fats, etc.

You will learn to Respect Carbs.
(not fear them)

With Carbs, it's really all about type & timing.
(please remember that!)

You will learn which nutrients are really good for you and which are not.

You will learn that LowCarb is much healthier AND much more satisfying than LowCalorie or LowFat.

And you will learn that you can stop gaining weight; even lose weight -- just by learning to control your carbs & choosing good sat fats that help keep you satiated & craving-free.

You can use the info contained in these books to change your mindset; change your food habits; and change your life.

You can use this Forum to make friends, get support and ask questions about what you're learning.

Sound too good to be true?? It's not!!

Good Luck!

[flatferenghi]

May I offer a tip for Libertyjen regarding chinese food. I eat chinese all the time. Introduce yourself to one or two or more of the local chinese restaurants and take out places. Explain to them in advance what your needs are. they will be happy to accommodate you. When u do go in there to eat, to take out, or have them deliver, they will be understanding. I hope this was helpful. It hurts me when i see people deprived of chinese food. Love & Profits: FLATFERENGHI (secret ASIAN man)

[LowCarbingCarmen]

Originally Posted by SugarFreeSheila

When making your decisions right now, always keep tomorrow in mind. Will eating this make you look forward to wearing something body-conscious? If not, skip it.

Thank you for always giving great advice SFS

[geaux_kat]

My best tip is to go grocery shopping AFTER a meal. I find that since I am already full I'm not tempted to buy carb-loaded goodies, I make smarter food choices, and I don't scarf down half of what I just bought when I get home!

I also read the forums at least once a day. I don't post that often and I'm still pretty new here but I still feel like I have a support group waiting for me if I need a boost.

Buy and read (and re-read!) the book(s) for whatever WOE you are following. They give you an understanding of not just what to eat, but why it works.

[gollum]

Eat a lot of fat. And enough food.

My weakness is that I like all the foods there are, but I'm trying to make it a strength. I do get high-carb cravings, but when I do, I try to change it to something lc. For example, if I want to eat pizza, I think how kebab&salad tastes just as good, and after eating it I'll still feel really good both mentally and physically.

If possible, try to avoid stress. It makes controlled eating near impossible, at least for me...

[Off My Duff]

Thanks for bumping this back up. There's a lot of good ideas here.

[lil miss]

Great Thread, should be a sticky!

[bein_me]

lots of great tips here! Thx to all of you!

[D0ughB0y]

When you get those cravings and hunger that you can't seem to get rid of, drink a glass or two of water (or seltzer). Lots of people confuse thirst for hunger... and the water will help to fill you.

Spend some time browsing some of the huge amount of low carb recipes. Keeping your meals varied and eating a good variety of different flavor profiles really helps to keep the WoE interesting. Post here and ask for recipes.

[bein_me]

very good advice DOughBOy!

[suelegal]

One thing that works best for me is wait... When I quit smoking years and years ago I read that the cravings only last minutes and that if I could just wait, it would go away - distract, deflect, etc. So I am taking that with me in this current journey, something I didn't do before. When I get a craving, I am now asking myself "am I really hungry or craving. What do I really want?" Then I drink some water, go play with my cats, talk to someone online, knit a few rounds on my current project, something not associated with eating. If I am still "hungry" after that, then I eat a couple of nuts cuz they are crunchy, or a piece of chunky cheddar cheese, because it's very filling. But truthfully, most times, it's either because of habit, or because I'm craving the carb that I really don't want and the deflecting works!

[pooticus]

Great tips in this thread! After 9 years on and off LC (more on than off and less success than most...), it took until this year to understand that being hungry is ok. Having hunger pangs is natural and part of the normal human condition. A hunger pang is not a crisis. It does not give me the right to launch into an immediate action to "cure it" to make it stop, to jump to attention just because my tummy is telling my brain - "Hey ya big dum-may, feed me." Because often? My tummy says it just to screw with me. It does it just to test me at times. It isn't a trustworthy tool. Often my brain screws with me too and says, "Hey ya big dum-may feed me." When my body doesn't really need to be fed...

Knowing this, I've reconciled that I'm ok feeling that feeling and so I don't have anxiety or take action anymore with such urgency. But I do reflect on when I last ate and I ask if I've sufficiently eating the right foods I need for health, etc. I kinda run through a catalog of if/then statements like a flowchart. When I arrive at the end, I make a decision to eat or not.

It's really helped me as a BE in recovery to understand myself and it's helped me with often irrational urges and understanding head hunger versus real hunger.

[verbqueen]

This is a great lesson I'm learning from JUDDD, Pooticus. I have learned that hunger is not the enemy. It doesn't frighten me any more, and I acknowledge that it can't hurt me.

When I get hunger pangs on a JUDDD Down Day, it makes me happy! It makes me know that I'm burning body fat and losing weight. Every time I feel hunger, I stop for a moment and visualize myself burning my fat stores.

[ZonaGal47]

Plan, plan, plan & plan ahead....this has always helped me

[Yellobrix]

Yesterday we went to the state fair. It was feeding time in the swine exhibit area. The pigs were going nuts, squeeling with excitement as their owners started scooping feed, their fat little bodies shaking in anticipation of the scoops of corn feed they were getting. Corn.

Animals that are getting fattened (pigs, cows) are fed a high carb diet - corn, wheat, barley, oats, etc... When I see a high carb option, I'm just going to put in my mind those pigs nosing around in the corn!

[shunammite]

You stumble, you get up, that is called life. It is not over until you decide to throw in the towel, so the power is always within you to get up again.

Per LibertyJen. I thought it was worth a quote. About a hundred times - applicable to more than diets, though few things are harder.

[D0ughB0y]

Originally Posted by ZonaGal47

Plan, plan, plan & plan ahead....this has always helped me

YES! Along with coming up with new and interesting dishes to make, I try to cook a LOT of items that freeze and re-heat well. Having ready made side or entree dishes makes for much tastier meals that are quick and much better for you.

For example. I cooked up 2 pounds of bacon, 1 whole onion (fine chop), and 6 cans of french cut string beans. I put about a cup and a half of the mixture in small bags and freeze them. When I'm gong to use them, I thaw it and warm in a small sautee pan with a pat of butter.

At a few grams of carbs (subtracting the fiber) per serving, this goes a LONG way.

[TurnNBurn]

That's a great idea Doughboy; I love green beans! Wish there were more simple low carb recipes like that one

[cleochatra]

What an awesome thread; and it is so amazing to see people who I miss seeing around.

My biggest tip? Find legal, low carb versions of the foods you miss. Trust me; they're out there! I spend much of my cooking time replicating everything I miss from my 'former' lifestyle, so it can be done, and deliciously.

Why spend time focusing on what you can't have? Spend time celebrating what you can have!

[Kisha1976]

Originally Posted by cmiller130

I have a problem with nighttime "nibbling" - especially when my family is stuffing their faces in front of me and the TV. To help with this, I'm always working on embroidry, punch needle, sewing, etc. Then my hands are busy and I'm not paying attention to what is going on around me. This will help now with Christmas around the corner. We are on a tight budget and I make a lot of Christmas gifts.

I had this problem big time. I posted a question about it on here, and someone mentioned that I could be eating at night due to lack of seratonin (I guess lack of seratonin triggers carb cravings). I started taking 5-HTP right after dinner, and I haven't had the urge to eat a night time snack in a month! Maybe that's your problem as well.