Keto, Atkins & All things Low Carb / Sugar - Frugal Meal prep, recipes, deals & ideas thread!

snowbird20

Nonnadiluca said:

Best low carb recipe, imo, beetroot and red onion roasted with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, add some walnuts and a few figs, (figs optional, I have also used prunes) and stir in some feta when it's cooked. Absolutely delicious! I believe the recipe is from Michael Moseley's blood sugar diet book. Looking forward to other low carb recipe ideas.

honestly, that's not really low carb...beets are high in sugar as are onions and balsamic vinegar.  The figs/prunes, too.  I would be curious to know what the carbs are per serving.
I'm struggling to get back on keto...so far so good today.   One thing that helps me is writing down everything i eat...it's easy to eat more than i think i have if i don't.
Great job on the weight loss, jackie!

Proofread100

I wish I had seen this thread 3 days ago! DD1 and I did keto for 4 weeks and have now stopped because it was so expensive and my daughter in particular couldn't face another omelette or cauli rice.  
It did serve a purpose though.  We're both lousy almost a stone and are much, much more aware of how much cr#p and processed sugar etc we were eating.  
I will be definitely reducing the amount of carbs I eat from now on,  will stick with some habits that I have picked up, like a portion of nuts instead of crisps or a 4 pack of kitkats!
I lost 6.5 stone years ago disappearing a low fat diet and exercise.  Put a fair bit back on through poor lifestyle etc over the years (blamed it on having kids) and poor on 2 stone in 6 months once perimenopause hit!

Back exercising regularly properly now and will be doing intermittent fasting and a lot fewer carbs than we were eating before.  Just can't sustain keto long term.  I think you either love it or it just makes you miserable.  

Proofread100

We both lost almost a stone. NOT we're both lousy!!! Can't see the edit button!

Proofread100

Wow! Please forgive the awful grammar and wrong words in my post! As a pedant I don't think I can read it again. I blame a new phone and being distracted by a kitten trying to sit under my chin as I typed. 

PipneyJane

Good afternoon All

What a great idea for a thread.  While I’m not pro-actively pursuing a keto/low-carb diet, I do try to get my 30g of fibre and 5 portions of veg a day.  (Yes, I’m a child of the 1980’s.).  My cooking style is a mixture of Indian, Italian and Mexican.  I usually pad a relatively small portion of meat out with a lot of veg.  For example, for 4 portions of bolognese sauce, I’ll pad out 250g mince beef with 250g grated courgette, 2 grated carrots, 100g sliced mushrooms and a 1/4 cup of red lentils (as well as the usual chopped onion, garlic and can of chopped tomatoes, of course).

@Proofread100, one of the things we eat instead of rice is Bulgur Wheat (aka cracked wheat).  It’s easy to cook, cheap (£1.15 for 500g), high in fibre and low on the glycemic index.  Cauliflower “rice” is far less satisfactory.  (To cook 4 portions:  in a saucepan, combine 1 cup of bulgur wheat with 2 cups boiling water and a pinch of salt.  Bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and switch off.  Leave for 15 minutes while the bulgur wheat absorbs all the water.)

- Pip

MrsStepford

I have been low carbing for years, but over lockdown went keto again. I have given up contributing to these threads though, because people get miffed when I point out that things like balsamic vinegar, lentils, bulgar wheat, figs, beetroot etc are NOT low carb. The best resource for anyone contemplating low carb or keto is www.dietdoctor.com 

Proofread100

You're right MrsStepford. Those things may be low GI and healthy, but if you are really doing keto properly, they would all put you over the limit for carbs. That's why I've had to stop. Had a tree full of apples and couldn't even eat one! Made no sense to be going out spending a fortune in enough low carb things to make meals when I had a cupboard and freezer full of things that were forbidden on keto. 

greenbee

It’s worth remembering that ‘low carb’ is relative. Average carb intake is around 300g net carbs a day. I did a lot of research on this recently as my GP has advised a low carb diet for long-Covid to help with the fatigue. I’ve done the fast 800 in the past, which is ‘lowish’ carb and very low calorie, but needed more detail. Low carb seems to cover everything below around 150g a day. For people who are trying to reverse T2 or are pre-diabetic consensus seems to be that 50g a day should be low enough. People who are insulin resistant may need to drop to 20g/day to get the results they need. It’s worth doing research based on what you are trying to achieve. 

I used the Fast800 to lose weight, and have gone back to it periodically when work travel has resulted in weight gain. My eating habits have changed, so I rarely eat bread, pasta, rice, couscous, wheat flour, bulgar wheat etc. I eat very little fruit, but enjoy what I do. I eat some root veg such as beetroot, carrots and celeriac and occasional pulses. When eating out I’m pragmatic and don’t make a big deal of it. When other people cook for me I eat what they cook. 

As my low carb goals have changed, I’m focussed in maximum nutrition for intake - I need energy, which seems to work better with fat. I need to avoid losing any more weight. And I need to do this with a reduced appetite. So I’m focused on using low carb to deliver adequate protein, plenty of fat and lots of micronutrients by eating fermented foods and as much variety of veg as possible.

Everyone’s goals are different, and even reducing sugar, or eliminating refined carbs can be positive but may also require support and ideas.

p00

Low carb means different things to different people.  I was reading the other day that even 130grams carbs is  classed as low in an average person.
If you eat bread cake rice etc you eat a massive amount of carbs.  If you cut those out or limit (as with most diets anyway) your carb intake will drop drastically.  Remember the red and green slimming world diet - it worked for most people. As do most diets if you stick to them.
I try to eat low carb 6 days a week simply to try and stop my cake and choccy addiction. And lose a bit of weight of course.  I went to my sons on Monday.  The tastiest homemade steak pie and chips I've had in a long time.  It hasnt now made me crave carbs ( I probably eat less than 40gram a day easily).
Fortunately I like high protein foods anyway and have virtually cut out bread, rice, potatoes and so on unless I want them on my 'free day' which funnily enough I dont really.  If I wanted a cake I make a pancake with almond and coconut flour, individual portion so not tempted by all the extra slices of a cake . It solves the temptation of snacking for me.
Whatever suits you individually is best. Whatever make you feel happy is best. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff as they say.
p00  xx

MingVase

I try to stick to  LC because I'm addicted to sugar. If I eat one sugary thing then I'm lost and I will binge on it. So I avoid it altogether. But I hate almonds and anything that contains them. so I miss out on LC cake. Apart from that I can do it easily as I dont eat pasta or rice or bread. But I think being too strict and rigid in any diet ruins it and you just get fed up with it.