Diet Elaboration

Hi again chaps of the universe!

Last time we talked a bit about some of the foods I eat, and about eating and drinks at restaurants.
I thought today I'd elaborate a little on what I eat daily.

Recently I had shoulder surgery, so the diet has been a bit odd since I've been stuck at home; however, usually I work in the City/CBD area of my home city, Adelaide. Its a pain to lug a lunchbox in everyday and there are loads of food options, so a lot of the time I end up buying lunch in town.

Something I noticed though was that almost no fast food joints were doing lower carb optioned food. In fact, I had one Chinese Stall under David Jones's server almost yell at me for asking for no rice. She wanted to me to pay more for the same portion size without rice; and couldn't understand that I wasn't actually asking for more meat; I just didn't wantthe rice.
But I digress.

I realised something important shortly after that. And that was when I began going to the supermarket on my lunch break. This is a seriously great option for those working in close proximity to a supermarket. I walk in, buy a quarter of a hot chicken (About $3) and pick up a nice bottle of either Waterfords Soda or Diet Iced Tea. We don't have a fridge at work yet, but we will soon, and this makes things a great deal easier.

I'm sure someone out there is thinking: But what if I'm not in close proximity to a supermarket; what if I either have to bring it myself or buy it from a deli/cafeteria?
My answer to that is simple. Forward planning.
Y'all gotta buy groceries sometimes. Plan out your meals for a week, two weeks. Purchase enough chicken or meat or meat substitute or vegetables that you can cook at home so you can section it into portions and take it along with you. Its a pain in the ass, but like I keep saying we're trying to achieve something here.
And in the even that you DO get stuck eating at say; KFC or Macdonalds, remember that /you don't NEED to eat those chips/, you can leave them. They're a meal stuffer, and you're not starving any Ethiopians by not eating them; you're just treating your body with the respect it deserves. Sure, you're stuck with only having water or Diet Cola to drink in those places, but there ain't no gain without sacrifices here. Or should I say there ain't no losses without sacrifice ;D
Anyway- If you really, really hate water, you can always pack a small bottle of undiluted diet cordial to take with you to work/wherever it is you go every day. Cheap, effective.

I also often snack on plain cheese. And plain bacon, especially at home. Its a really quick, easy snack that has no carbs and doesn't make me feel like a bloated doughy buffoon. If I were a vegan, probably I'd substitute that with straight vegetables such as lightly sauteed Pak Choy or literally eating a cucumber like it was a banana.

Speaking of Fruits... They're actually pretty sugary. Try not to eat more than two peices of fruit a day. Sure, they're "good sugars" (lol) but they are still sugars, and if you're losing weight you need less of them.

Well, I think I've rambled enough for today. Any questions? Shoot. And don't forget that nothing is a substitute for you doing your own research and talking with your local GP or Health Professional, I insist, you can't just take my word for it! Everyone is different and has different needs which should be assessed by a professional. <3

What I eat and when.

Aloha, carb counting folks of the universe!

So, this time around I promised to talk about some of the things I eat, in a day, and when.

I was thinking though that it might be more useful to simply talk about some of the foods that I eat that are lower in carb, that I often use to replace typical carb-filled foods for meals. I also thought to mention about Drinks, and eating at Restaurants.

I want to re-stipulate that I DO in fact, eat carbs. This isn't a ketosis diet. I eat between 70-100 grams-ish of carbs in a day, usually. I don't eat any breads if I can help it, but honestly that's a thing about me and wheat, and how we are no longer friends ;D

So, here are some of the foods I replace with:

Bacon
Chicken
Broccoli
Cheese
Eggs
Sausages (Specifically those nice canned hot dogs)
Salad foods such as Lettuce, Avocado, Cucumber
Actual protein-centric products such as Low-Carb brand food bars, and shakes
Steak, and other plain meats

I admit, I'm not very creative with it, but you can also use fish, cooked or uncooked, and there are a myriad of other great vegetables such as pak choy and water chestnuts, google is a great tool for finding out more on that. Its less expensive to buy these things fresh and cook them yourself, and buying meat from a butcher can sometimes be a lot less expensive than buying meat at a supermarket.

I also eat a remarkably large amount of chocolate. S'not as bad for you as you think. Read the packets, take note of the serving sizes in the description vs the carb %.

And now, about Drinks: you can get a surprising amount of diet drinks that taste pretty amazing- you can get diet iced tea, too! I want to reiterate that Juice and Juice Drinks are BAD FOR YOU, though. Very bad. Don't drink juice if you want to loose weight. In fact; if I am gonna go so far- don't drink anything that isn't water or sweetened with a sweetener.

Giving up the sweet soft drinks is, I hear, the hardest part. Most restaurants don't stock anything diet that isn't Diet Coke, Coke Zero, or Water. (As a diabetic, this has been consistently frustrating. What if you want something nice and don't feel like bloody cola?) Just remember that you're trying to achieve something here, don't lie to yourself and tell yourself that just one, or a little bit is ok- you'll end up just drinking that stuff again.

But anyway. If you're out to lose kilos, don't expect restaurants to cater for you. You ARE going to have to make sacrifices in this piece. When you order, realize that yes, you're going to have to not eat most of the chips/potato/bread that they serve you. And that it doesn't matter if you don't eat it, you don't have to. Those things are meal stuffers things that fill out the plate so you feel like you're getting a bigger meal and better value; when the expensive products such as meat and veggies come in far smaller serves. And for the love of god, don't order the pasta, lol! Pasta is the WORST for that kind of treatment.

Remember that this isn't forever. You don't have to not eat these foods forever. You just have to give yourself long enough to lose the weight you want, and then gently ease SOME of those foods back in.
But if I were you, I'd give up the full strength soft drinks and juice more permanently ;D that stuff is evil.


As always, please research these things for yourself. I don't know everything and my talks with you are limited to my own research and experience. I could be wrong! Or not. But you need to make your own mind up :) See your Doctor! ;D