My Custom Carb-Control Plan

I've read Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Low-Carb Dieting for Dummies and The South Beach Diet. I'm also planning to read The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, The Ulitmate Weight Solution, and Life Without Bread.

But even more important than reading about a low carbohydrate lifestyle, I've actually been living it for 17 days -- 18 if you include today. I'm happy to report that I've lost 2 1/2 pounds, no longer take a diuretic or an insulin sensitizing medication and feel great! I sleep better and wake up raring to go!

Here is my Custom Made Carb-Control Plan.

EAT

Vegetables. Our garden is in full swing and giving us lots of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers and corn. I have been enjoying wonderful salads and soups. I eat all vegetables except potatoes, which I only eat sparingly. I'm careful when eating starchy vegetables such as sweet corn, yams and winter squash. I eat them in smaller servings and try to balance their carb load by eating them with a protein.

Fruit. When possible I try to eat fresh fruit with its skin or peeling. This years we've grown peaches, apricots, nectarines, raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupe and watermelon. When eating fruit I try to balance the carbs by, again, eating protein. Cheese (string or low-fat cheddar) and cottage cheese are my favorite proteins to eat with fruit. I've also learned that watermelon is almost like eating straight sugar for me. I try to only eat it occasionally and in small servings that are balanced with a protein. The same goes for pineapple and other tropical fruits. I avoid bananas like the plague. They cause me to puff up -- not from an allergic reacion, but from carbohydrates they contain.

Dairy Products. I enjoy Western Family non-fat yogurts sweetened with sucralose. My sister-in-law was on a reduced carb diet that advocated eating this brand of yogurt with a 1/2 cup of low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese. I love it! I also eat string cheese, reduced-fat cheeses, ricotta cheese, and drink low-fat milk. Occasionally I treat myself to a steaming hot cup of no-sugar-added hot cocoa. (All of the carbs in it are from the milk it contains.)

Legumes / Beans. My local grocery store has these on sale right now. I enjoy beans in soups and salads. Sometimes I add them to dishes that call for ground hamburger.

Meat. I'm not a big meat eater, but I do enjoy it. I eat chicken, beef, turkey, pork and fish/seafood. One of my favorite products is pre-cooked, grilled chicken that is frozen and sold in plastic bags. I heat up a 1/2 breast for lunch and love slicing it up and adding it to my salads. When I cook a roast, I use the leftovers in soups. (We ate Chunky Beef and Vegetable Chili just last night.) Canadian Bacon and turkey breast lunch meat are also great on the go.

Eggs. Our chickens lay 4 eggs each day. I bet I eat an average of one and a half eggs each day. For breakfast I love to cook up 2 to 3 eggs over-easy in my non-stick skillet and serve them over fresh sliced tomatoes. Yum!

Fats / Oils. Too much fat makes me feel lousy. I avoid deep-fried foods but don't really watch other fats too closely. I use salad dressings with less than 3 grams of carbs per serving, and use canola oil when cooking. I even use it in place of butter in sauteing and baking. I used to eat extra-virgin olive oil when I did Weight Watchers, but I developed an aversion to its taste. I'm going to try using light olive oil instead.

Nuts / Seeds. I enjoy raw almonds, pistacios, macademia nuts, sunflower seeds and plan to roast and eat some of our pumpkins' seeds. Because nuts are high in fat, I do track them. I try to limit myself to 20 pistacios, 10 almonds and 10 macademia nuts. Many days I have much less.


EAT SPARINGLY (1 to 2 servings per day, or less)

Whole-grain pasta.
Brown rice.
Whole-wheat tortillas.
Small potato w/ skin.
High fiber cereal, such as Fiber One.


AVOID

Bread. It's a trigger for me. Once I eat some, I crave more. And it's way too easy to just grab another slice and snarf it down.

Bananas.

Refined Carbohydrates. I avoid eating products containing white flour. I also avoid white rice and regular pasta.

Sugar. I've read product labels for a long time, but now I really pay attention to sugar. I avoid sugar in drinks, desserts, candy and cereals.

Note: I do keep a bag of Dove Dark Chocolates in my underwear drawer. The bag I have now has lasted me almost 2 months. I eat one when I really need something sweet and decadent. One is always enough. (Maybe that's because I keep them in my underwear drawer -- a reminder that I want my underwear size to go down, not up.)