Newbie Topic

Froggygirl 08/09/12
Hello All. I'm looking for support for my low carb diet plan. I live in Singapore and carbs are a way of life here! I also work in IT and find myself sitting in front of a computer for 12 hours a day, 3 days a week. The pounds quickly accumulated and it's taking me a while to get them off. Low carb works for me and I've recently joined a gym and hired a trainer. I've lost 11 of the 23 pounds I packed on. I'd love to hear your stories and to get and give support in my quest for a leaner, healthier lifestyle.

Mar2a 10/12/12 replied to Froggygirl
Hi! I haven't introduced myself, but I saw your message and as another person who sits in front of the computer, I can empathize!

Regarding carbs in Singapore, I'm going to guess that the carbs come from rice and noodles. One site suggested grating raw cauliflower in then microwaving it in a covered dish without water. It works great as a base for sauces. (Hubby and I love Indian, Thai, and Chinese foods.) Now I don't bother grating it; I just microwave some cut-up cauliflower and mash it and use that as something to put things on.

Mar2a 10/12/12
Hi, I guess I should introduce myself since I've already posted here.

I'm Mar2a, a female, who lives in the northeastern part of the US (in Massachusetts, to be precise).

I started low-carb in June 2012 to get control of my blood sugar. I have absolutely no family history of diabetes, my BMI was just into the overweight category (25.6), but my BG was going into the diabetic range. At this stage, I'm pre-diabetic/impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and I'm trying to head off full-blown Type 2 diabetes.

Since June I've lost 15 pounds, which I'm really grateful for, but weight loss wasn't my main concern. Now that clothes are starting to fit and look better, though, I'm excited by the prospect!

My BG has stabilized in that I no longer have spikes and real lows, but unfortunately I still have spikes and many in the 200+ range.

So maybe I'm not that successful at my primary goal, but the weight loss plus the way I feel (energy!) is enough to keep me at this way of eating.

My goal is 60-80 carbs a day, and I do well on that, but the problem is dinner at home. My husband is the cook in the house and I don't want to offend him (or make him give up the cooking, LOL!), so I've been gradually incorporating changes.

Last night I went over 60 carbs (and had a 222 BG reading) because I ate everything on my plate. The portion sizes were too large (I should have left some and had it for lunch today) and included potato and riostto. (The good news is that it was 1/2 of a baby potato, and a blue one at that, and that I told him the day before that I wanted no more than 1/4 cup of risotto, so he had measured that.)

Anyone have any hints for training the cook without causing grief? :-)

A.Broad.Abroad 01/09/13
How's it going with your blood glucose, Mar? Have you managed to get your husband on board with your program? I sincerely hope for your sake that he has realized the importance of adopting new cooking habits. After all, this isn't just something he can brush off as a vanity issue or whatever. You're attempting to head off a serious, life-altering metabolic disease that carries significant health risks. It's bad enough to have a partner who undermines your efforts at self-improvement, much less exhibiting a blatant disregard for your health.

Dishes like risotto are really incompatible with a restricted carbohydrate eating plan, even in small portions. You may want to make a point of keeping certain ingredients on hand for quick, easy meals that you can make for yourself when he prepares foods he knows you shouldn't be eating. In my house, we always have on hand eggs, frozen greens, and canned tuna, no matter what. Two of my most frequent go-to emergency dishes are eggs scrambled with spinach, cream and hard cheese (i add things like mushrooms or ham if i have it), or a big leafy salad topped with tuna salad and whatever veg I've got in the fridge. Neither requires any skill, and each takes no more than 20 min to throw together.

Good luck to you and let us know how you're doing :-)

Mar2a 02/04/13 replied to A.Broad.Abroad
Sorry for the late reply! Hubby's getting used to the diet, especially now that I've had my cholesterol re-checked. (Apparently part of his concern was that low-carb would be dangerous. My triglycerides almost halved, my HDL almost doubled, and my doctor agreed it was okay to stay on.)

We keep cauliflower in the fridge at all times now. I don't bother to shred it anymore. I just cut off a few florets, stick them in a bowl, and microwave. I use it as a base for Indian food, Thai food, and his homemade burrito mix. He's gotten used to that and my assurances that I'm not missing anything by not having rice.

Thanks for following up!

Newbie