Support and ideas for those on low-carb diet

Hmmm - pumpkin is a better option, but not available! I'm surprised that carrots come out lower than peppers. And that cabbage is so high.

I think Granjura, I probably meant "you can't have chickpeas and beetroot if you do the first phase of the strict bootcamp way of doing the diet," (the bit we never did!)
I think I do look a bit thin in the face at the mo but the rest is ok. Definitely a bit of saggy flesh at the top of my arms too, but the "gym douce" teacher gave us a heavy workout with weights last night and gardening should do the rest.
The think is that I am back to where I always was before the menopause hit, so it feels right for me (and I have always done a lot of ballet).
I absolutely think this diet is about finding a way of eating that is right for you. There is a strict way of doing it, but it is also very adaptable.

I think maybe the quantity of each veg is just as important - chillis and garlic are very high, but only minute quantities are eaten.

Just logged in to say I've been on holiday and found this really easy to stick to Mamie, Merlot et al even though been staying with friends and family and eating out.

I've not logged into GN for some time as, to be frank, I'm sick of being attacked for having a view that doesn't tally with some. I'll pop in now and again to this thread for ideas and support and to share recipes.

Flip me Anya! When did you get so thin skinned?!

I think it works well when you are eating out too Anya. Glad you will keep popping back on this thread.
We have been KOKO and even flogging ourselves in the garden we haven't suffered from hunger pangs.
I have been making lots of different salads at lunchtime and enjoyed being creative. We particularly enjoyed the goat's cheese, walnut, prune, leaves and bacon bits combo in a warm nut oil dressing and today was ham (we bought a whole jamon de serrano last time it was Lidl's Spanish week which was maybe a bit over-ambitious) egg, leaves, toms, cucumber and mustard mayo.
Tonight is cold chicken with aubergine parmigiano.
We have also noticed that our food bills have dropped quite a lot, not sure exactly why. Should get even better when we start cropping our own salad again.

Not talking about you jingl but I'm not thin skinned I'm just sick to the back teeth of certain people.

That sounds yummy Mamie

No, I didn't think you were talking about me.

You know how it goes - "don't let the buggers......."

I agree with how easy it is to eat away from home and stick to the low carb rule. I have also noticed our food bill has come down and there is a lot more space in my store cupboards. I would think that's because I've stopped buying tinned food like tomatoes that contain sugar. The fridge, however, is full to bursting after a supermarket shop and is completely empty by the time I need to go again.

As we are now outside all day (weather permitting) I am also experimenting with salad ingredients so any recipes will be much appreciated.

Last summer's clothes are looking good and they're going to be my yardstick.

I'm steadily losing weight too, it certainly works for me. I did find it hard at RHS Hyde Hall for lunch, though. All of the five main meal choices had a large dose of carb as an integral part of the meal. As in, I couldn't leave off potatoes, they were cooked into the stew. The beef was in a pie. The fish was battered. The other was sausage casserole, not my thing. I ended up with veg chilli and a little timbale of rice, so ate it anyway. As there were only about 5 beans in my chilli, I doubt they made much difference. I tried a few tops on this morning that were a little 'snug' shall we say, a few weeks ago. They look much better now.

Thanks for the warning about Hyde Hall, janer. We're going there on 21st May to meet up with DB and DSIL for her birthday. I'll probably go for the chilli as well. SisIL is as thin as a rake and very fit even though she's only six years younger than me and can eat like a horse so I'd better try hard to lose a bit more because I'd like them to notice!!

DH is moaning that his belt is on the last hole and his trousers are falling down.....RESULT

In the fridge I keep baby toms, cucumber, avocados, salad leaves, packs cooked beetroot (not very low carb).
In the larder we have dried dates, prunes, apricots, goji, figs, cherries. (Not vlc but very small quantities).
Also walnuts, pecans, almonds, pine nuts, anchovies, olives.
Protein sources are eggs, smoked salmon, ham, garlic sausage, goat's cheese, tinned tuna.
I mix and match from the above to make the salads.
Our local Lidl is getting very good at organic fruit and veg. The nearest proper shops are a 30km round trip so we keep masses of stuff in stock and always shop with a list!
We limit the smoked meat to once a week. At the moment our not salad days (!) are devoted to eating up last year's minestrone made from our own vegetables.

Useful site Anya. Thanks. Like others, I have found this a good way of life, rather than a diet. I do still have porridge for breakfast, wine sometimes and bread very occasionally. But I don't miss daily rice and potatoes etc which are more than made up for by having olive oil and full fat mayo and even cream when required. Started the week before Christmas and have slowly lost 16 lbs which has been encouraging. Cauliflower mash and courgette noodles dry fried with garlic are very good accompaniments if your plate looks empty!
Agree about RHS food Janerowena. Surely imaginative use of vegetables ought to be in their interest?

OH's shorts fell off when he was up a ladder cutting the hedge. I don't think the cows were upset.

That just about matches the contents of my fridge, Mamie plus lots of leafy veg and cauliflower which we use instead of potatoes and rice. I also have nuts, anchovies etc.

I have an aubergine to use up and I hadn't thought of parmagiano so that will go nicely with some baked fish tonight.

I love cauliflower mash. I love the way you can eat plenty and get up not feeling full at all. I keep meaning to try cauli saff mash!
OH makes and freezes lots of ratatouille in the summer though we rarely seem to get all the ingredients ripening at the same time. I got really into the aubergine stew, caponata, last summer as well.
Our spinach is still good in the garden, but the last cabbages have gone over.

I make tons of ratatouille! I love it. The chilli at Hyde Hall was actually like a thick spicy ratatouille. It was nice, but not filling. DBH had the sausage casserole with mash, his looked more filling but of course was no help to me at all, as I think the main other ingredient was French beans.

Both Wisley and Hyde Hall are starting up big new veg areas, but they are very slow about it, unlike the National Trust which has many acres given over to supplying their restaurants, Sissinghurst in particular. They had some amazing things on their menu last summer. I think the RHS need to employ Mark Diacomo or someone like him.

Inspired by Lidl's Iberian week, today's salad was roasted red pepper, salad leaves, tomatoes, asparagus, almonds, chorizo and Manchego cheese.

I have chorizo and Manchego in the fridge so that's tomorrow sorted. No asparagus so I'll steam some green beans.

DH is out today so I will have the last of the veg soup. Meatballs and cauli-mash tonight.

We did get some fresh asparagus today, but I always bring the tins back from Spain, ditto the roasted red pepper.
We are having gurnard and bouillabaisse sauce tonight. We make double quantities of the sauce and freeze half and also freeze gurnard, which is very cheap on the market fish stalls here. As we have been slaving in 25 degrees in the garden this morning I shall do nothing more energetic than mix a salad and pour the rosé!

Choir tonight and only just got in and have to go straight back out again - so a piece of shredded chicken on a small handful of salad will have to do for now, then when I return I shall have prawns and garlic mayonnaise with more salad. Can't have garlic before choir! We went to a lovely Bill's Restaurant for lunch, in Cambridge, which did amazing salads and mine was smoked salmon. So not doing too badly at all really. I have to say I do feel healthier.

Merlot Tinned tomatoes themselves don't contain any added sugar or do you mean processed sauces.

These "low carb diet" seems to make the 5:2 diet look very easy.

Interested to know what you mean by easy NM? I don't find low-carb difficult, but we do both love cooking and spend a lot of time on it.
DD did 5:2 but swapped to low-carb because she found the fast day menus boring after a while.
I really think you just have to find the way of eating that suits your lifestyle.

I don't mean processed sauces, Nelliemoser but tinned tomatoes which contain about 2.4g of sugar.

I don't find this diet hard at all and as DH and I are doing it together we can't fast because he's on warfarin.

Not that I'd want to fast. I enjoy food too much.