low carb/fat/calorie healthy recipes and tips

[taxsavey]

I would love other peoples input. I am sort of dieting. Less calories, low fat and less carbs diet. Besides the obvious lots of water and vegetables etc, I'd like to share my tips. Weather your on a diet, you can add some of these tips. But if you have tips and recipes, I would LOVE LOVE to hear them and share with all my SC sisters.

First my hot tips that have helped me.
Carbonated water/coffee/tea I know carbonated isn't great for you, but right now i'm trying to just get through my cravings!
capella drops flavored and non sweetened yUm. zero carbs/calories and fat (great in carbonated water and cooking and shakes)
Truvia, healthy from the states alternative to sugar (really nice stuff)
Lovin Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches
Lovin Nori seaweed sheets, FULL of Omega fatty acids and pretty much zero calories/carbs and fat. Great for wraps.


I went to a Nature Path years ago, what she told me really worked. She said, if you crave:
sugar, it means you need more protein
crunchy stuff, it means you need omega fatty acids
chocolate, it means magnesium
vinegar, it means you lack calcium
can't remember what the other ones were, but I have always found this helpful.

My cravings are at night (so frustrating). I'm also trying to have high protein for dinner to stop that! So if I really can't stand it, I will heat up a cup of water with soup stock because its tasty and I feel like I'm having something tasty.

I'm going to try a dairy free chocolate pie that is loaded in protein on Dr.Oz's site. We'll see how that tastes. Looks yummy. I googled it.
It has silken soy, honey, chocolate chips, store bought wafer crust, and your favorite liqueur. On his site it gives you breakdown of fat,carbs and calories etc. I'll add as I think of things. But I would seriously love to hear what you do. We all have different needs and cravings etc, it would be great to share info.

[Zonny]

I'm a person who finds soup very satisfying, so I'm going to try using that option more for lunches.

I usually have chicken and beef broth on hand and a lot of veggies. Costco is my main source of vegetables, I usually have mushrooms, broccoli florets, baby spinach and mini carrots on hand for snacking and cooking. Hummus and pita is a staple of ours too - not super low fat, but much healthier than a lot of dips and snacks out there.

I'm not into artificial sugars. I don't use a whole lot anyhow, so not really an issue for me. I find as I get older, I'd much prefer another piece of chicken than a scoop of ice cream after.

Good luck!

[taxsavey]

I get so boooooooored
of veggies. I wish I could be more like you.

Ok, wow, that pie was awesome! No bake too. If anyone wants the recipe I will post it.

[MangoFruit]

I am a guy, I don't go on diets, but I have studied these stuff. MOTIVATION IS THE biggest thing. It's best to have a friend to go on a diet with you since you guys can motivate each other.

Calories: (Avoid snacking to get the best of calories)
1) Try to aim for a 1500 calorie diet, don't aim for anything less. Remember that every 3500 calories = 1 pound.

Fat: (I recommend eating vege and fish)
2) Not all fat is bad for you. Fats from vegetable and fish is good for you. For instance, omega-3 helps reduce inflammation and makes you look younger. Also, omega-6 is good for you too.

2.5) Try not to eat any food with trans fat, or aim for as minimal as possible. saturated fat is okay.

Carbs: (Any lean meat and vege)
3) Low carb diet is good if you're planning to lose the excess fat. Carbs = fat. Hence, you should avoid eating bread, rice, cereal and any high sugary food.

3.5) Most meat has almost no carb.

If you have time to exercise, or do some calisthenics that would be great help. Aim for at least 20 minutes of exercise, 3 days per week.

Another thing I should add is that you should only consume a bit of chocolate a day if you're craving for sweets because chocolate is high with antioxidants, so it's good for you. If you eat too much chocolate, it will make you fat again, unless the chocolate that you're eating is unsweetened.

Have you tried splitting up your meal? Normally it's 4-5 hours per meal, but have you tried splitting it upto 2 hours per half a meal? It's better for your digestion.

If you're craving for something sweet, you should eat fruits. They're healthy and have low calories. However, you should try excessive eating of fruits because it will make you fat with the high amount of fructose inside them.

[FallenPixels]

I have tried a number of recipes from skinnytaste.com and they have all been amazing, all are low fat alternatives to regular recipes and weight watchers friendly (she lists the points for every recipe)

For something sweet, I prefer actual candy over pie etc so its not so hard to give up, like zonny I would prefer a piece of chicken over desert - but I have been using my cake pop maker to make mini cakes for when I do want something sweet

[anisa]

I think i'm the same as Zonny and Mango.

I'd rather eat real food than artificially sweetened food and lots of fillers

i have an insane sweet tooth. i actually HEAR candy beckoning me when it's in the house, so i try not to buy it. really hard when there's christmas candy on clearance everywhere, ack!

i haven't incorporated soy in my diet. i'm wary because of all the negative things you hear about over consumption of soy. almond milk is not an option because i need to carry an epi pen for my almond allergies. pretty much the only dairy i am consuming is milk in my coffee once a day, cheese and sour cream and other creams here and there, and yogurt. no more tall glasses of chocolate milk. boooo!

i'm an evening snacker, which is horrible. i find if i make something healthy during the day to prepare for any cravings later on in the day, it's very helpful.

the past couple of years i have really gotten into having spiced herbal teas in the evening. i drink a lot of peppermint tea. with a squirt of honey having that hot cup to sip slowly is a good way to deal with my need to snack!

[lekate]

I'm not sure about the sugar thing, your body requires it for brain function (the brains source of energy is glucose). Also, you can trick your tongue with artificial sweeteners but your brain will know and your sugar craving will persist.

Carbs get a bad rap in dieting, but complex carbs are your body's preferred energy source. When you consume a low carb, high protein body your body has to convert the protein to carbs in the bloodstream. It's the type of carbs you eat that cause you to gain weight (refined grains that break down fast in the blood stream...)

[taxsavey]

I think i'm the same as Zonny and Mango.

I'd rather eat real food than artificially sweetened food and lots of fillers

i have an insane sweet tooth. i actually HEAR candy beckoning me when it's in the house, so i try not to buy it. really hard when there's christmas candy on clearance everywhere, ack!

i haven't incorporated soy in my diet. i'm wary because of all the negative things you hear about over consumption of soy. almond milk is not an option because i need to carry an epi pen for my almond allergies. pretty much the only dairy i am consuming is milk in my coffee once a day, cheese and sour cream and other creams here and there, and yogurt. no more tall glasses of chocolate milk. boooo!

i'm an evening snacker, which is horrible. i find if i make something healthy during the day to prepare for any cravings later on in the day, it's very helpful.

the past couple of years i have really gotten into having spiced herbal teas in the evening. i drink a lot of peppermint tea. with a squirt of honey having that hot cup to sip slowly is a good way to deal with my need to snack!

Ahhhh your like me! Evening snacker. The most dangerous kind. I have been very good. But I hate fighting cravings. I eat 6 small meals a day which kick starts your metabolism to. And the tea, hmmm. Have you had the Bengal Spice? I can't find it lately. So good.

[taxsavey]

I'm not sure about the sugar thing, your body requires it for brain function (the brains source of energy is glucose). Also, you can trick your tongue with artificial sweeteners but your brain will know and your sugar craving will persist.

Carbs get a bad rap in dieting, but complex carbs are your body's preferred energy source. When you consume a low carb, high protein body your body has to convert the protein to carbs in the bloodstream. It's the type of carbs you eat that cause you to gain weight (refined grains that break down fast in the blood stream...)

That is so true. Truvia isn't artificial. Its not unhealthy for you like the others. But I agree anything else, your tricked for 5 minutes then your body wants it again. I'm just a carb addict. Awful. I believe in balance. Carbs are definitely important. I would just like more of them. And that is not balanced! Dam body

[lekate]

That is so true. Truvia isn't artificial. Its not unhealthy for you like the others. But I agree anything else, your tricked for 5 minutes then your body wants it again. I'm just a carb addict. Awful. I believe in balance. Carbs are definitely important. I would just like more of them. And that is not balanced! Dam body

I suppose to start just move from refined grain products to whole grain products.

Drink plenty of water, and do it before meals, sometimes all you are is thirsty. (and I say water because you really don't want to waste calories on liquid, at least that's how I view it, think of soda's as 'liquid candy' it really changes your perspective of it...).

Another good tip, wait 10 mins or so before getting more food, you may not end up actually being hungry anymore.

I find understanding the mechanics of processed foods really helps (pleasure plateaus between sugar fat and sodium and how processed foods are designed to meet all three, etc). This is an excellent book on the topic.

[robert12]

Nice tips thanks for sharing. Please let me know if there is any good tips for gaining weight.