Hi everyone, its me again. lol. I'm trying to formulate my own plan that works for me , and I know I need to limit carbs but I'm not exactly sure how to do it without being either atkins or watching calories. ..I would greatly appreciate it if yall could give me some of you sample menus, or describe exactly what your doing...thanks!!!!!!!!!

as you know, Atkins starts you off at 20grams per day for 2 weeks, or as long as you can or want. Then up to 25, 30, 35 whatever, as long as you keep loosing. There is a lot of freedom in what carbs you add, although veggies and berries are recommended.

Other plans are similar eventually, varying by kinds of carbs, percent of fat, portion control of protein.

I think you have to see what works for you, or read another plan. But I think Atkins gives you all you need to know, drink water, eat protein. Count your carb grams.

good luck!
dottie

come onto the daily thread, the one with the date? say hi!

I've been doing the Curves low carb plan- limits you to 20 carbs a day for 2 weeks and then you go to Phase 2, 40-60 carbs a day. You stay on phase 2 until 1) you get sick of dieting, 2) you reached your goal weight or 3) you plateau then you go on to phase 3. phase 3 you set a high weight and a low weight (within 5 lbs of each other usually) and you eat whatever you want but when you reach your high weight you diet for 2-3 days (no more than 20 carbs). It's not yo-yo dieting, it's supposed to stretch out your metabolism and it's all proven- they've done studies at Boston University and another university too. so once you get it where you need to be, you should be able to eat whatever you want all month and then diet for 2-3 days and should come right off.

I'm not watching calories at all.

exercising 5x a week, 30 minutes a day

sample menu-
today
carb control yogurt for breakfast
pepperoni and string cheese for snack
3 pieces of deli ham and 1 piece of cheese for lunch
1 green pepper for snack
lasagna using LC noodles and LC spag sauce (like 49 carbs though still) for supper
and probably sugar free jello for snack.

Seriously I'm never hungry eating 6 times a day like that. I treat myself like once a week to pasta because before I started LC'ing we'd have pasta like 3-4 times a week. but I eat good the rest of the day and keep my carbs to a minimum so I can. Planning out the menu the night before has really helped me.

Good luck!

I don't count carbs or calories, that stuff drives me nuts

I just stick to low protein, unlimited low-GI veggies and 1-2 portions of low-GI fruits per day. That way I have some freedom, but I also have food lists that make shopping and menu planning much easier.

Here's a typical day for me:

Breakfast: 2-egg omelet with veggies

Lunch: homemade burgers with mustard, mixed salad with homemade flaxseed mayo dressing

Mid-afternoon snack: raspberry-whey protein smoothie

Dinner: roasted chicken legs, steamed broccoli with flaxseed mayo dressing, roasted kohlrabi with garlic and rosemary

If I'm hungry before lunch I usually have some raw veggies, like celery, cherry tomatoes, fennel... and if I get hungry after dinner, before bed, I'll either have another (smaller) smoothie or a rasberry-whey "cookie" (recipe follows).

Raspberry "cookies" (got this from my friend Charli - she posted it on the FF forum):

In your food processor, blend 1 scoop of vanilla-flavored, stevia-sweetened whey protein with 1 egg, 1 pinch of stevia plus, a shake of cinnamon and 1 cup raspberries. Pour it into oiled muffin cups and bake at 300 for 15 minutes or until set.

Variations:
- pour the mixture into a loaf pant and cut it into "bars" once cooled.
- double the ingredients, pour into a springform cake pan and top with additional fruit once cooled for a "cheesecake"-type thing.
- insted of raspberries, use peaches, baked apples or 1 cup blueberries, and add 2 Tbsp lemon juice to the batter.