I'm eating very few carbs. I do my best to keep it under 30 grams a day. That means no grains at all. I also don't eat any fruit right now. At some point, I'm hoping to be able to occasionally eat fruit, but I don't ever see it being a big part of my diet. As far as vegetables go, I'm pretty much only eating cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, zucchini, and sometimes a green salad. Vegetables do have carbs (some more than others) and I have to limit them. Definitely stay away from veggies that grow under ground. Also, peas and corn have a lot of carbs. I use cream instead of milk (milk has more carbs). I use butter and full-fat sour cream and cream cheese. I also use coconut oil and occasionally olive oil. I think that it's a lot easier to begin this way of eating by just giving up carbs completely rather than trying to ease into by cutting back on carbs. Cutting back prolongs the torture. If you just quit, the cravings go away quickly.

Yes, I've been eating this way since February. I have no carb cravings. If I could eat carbs, I would eat them because I remember how very, very tasty they were. But, I don't have a problem resisting them at all. I just had blood work done yesterday and all my cholesterol readings are great. Amazing. I eat a ton of fat. This is the way I have to eat for the rest of my life (unless a miracle happens).

We'll be in the mid-90s, so no fall decorating here. I start fall decorating around Sept. 1, Halloween decorations go up Oct. 1, Thanksgiving decorations go up Nov. 1, and Christmas decorations go up the weekend right after Thanksgiving. That's my schedule.:D

Also, he could keep his eyes open for an entry level HR-type job while going to school. He would definitely need strong office skills - Excel, Word, etc. That would help him get a better idea of all that is involved and what area he is most interested in.

There are HR degrees that he can pursue. I work in an HR department for a large company, but my degrees are in Music Performance and Education. :D It really depends on what area of HR he wants to be in. What are his long-term goals - Director? Manager? In-House-Trainer? Assistant? etc... I love my job. Good for him for choosing a great career!!;)

I'm always trying new recipes and I know what you mean about forgetting about them. I use MasterCook and I have cookbooks within MC that are only recipes that I have actually made. This makes it much easier for me to remember what I've made and want to make again. I also have LOTS of cookbooks within MC with recipes I want to try. I love searching for recipes so, like I said, I have LOTS. Right now, I have 233 "cookbooks" within MC. I'm working on volume 6 of the recipes I've made. Anyway, this has worked out really well for me.

I agree with previous posters. You might want to rethink the "calories in/calories out" idea.

My daughter had pneumonia a couple of weeks before Christmas last year. It seemed to last quite a while. We took her back to the doctor after Christmas and then again later in January because we were concerned that she wasn't back to her normal self yet. The pneumonia itself was gone by then, but the after effects just seem to linger. Take it easy, don't try to do too much too soon. Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids...you know the drill.:001_smile:

I like the "Walk Slim - 5 Really Big Miles". It came with a resistance band and utilizes upper body exercise, too.

Four women in my office have done this and loved it. One did several rounds, lost a ton of weight, looks great and has kept it off. She watches what she eats and exercises. Two have slowly been regaining (neither was careful about their diet after doing hcg) and have just started another round. One has been regaining and I don't know if she intends to do another round or not.

This is REALLY interesting!! I would love to be able to eat potatoes again. Although I wonder if all the carb cravings would come back. Have you noticed a difference in your carb cravings when you've had potatoes?

Yep, you totally described me. I kept waiting for something to hit me, but haven't had anything yet. I also never dealt with pms. Sometimes cramps, but I never wrote off my mood, etc. to my period.

A low carb option would be to use a thin slice of ham or Canadian bacon to line the muffin cup.

I have tried several low-carb cake and brownie recipes and haven't really found anything worth making a second time. But, tonight I tried the following recipe and LOVED it. Now, maybe it's just because I've been doing LCHF for 5 months and my tastes have changed, but my dh and dd (neither is doing LCHF) also tried it and liked it. You can see her full blog post with the recipe here: http://www.healthyindulgences.net/ Now, if I could just figure out how to make this in a way that would serve maybe 6-8 people, I could make birthday cakes or other celebratory cakes. * Exported from MasterCook * Healthy Instant Chocolate Cake Recipe By : Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Cakes & Frostings Low Carb Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter** 4 teaspoons half and half cream OR lite coconut milk 1/16 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 beaten egg 5 Tablespoons almond flour -- gently packed 2 teaspoons coconut flour 2 Tablespoons erythritol OR 2 Tablespoons Truvia 3 packets good-tasting stevia OR scant 1/16 teaspoon pure stevia extract (if using erythritol) -- (3 to 4) 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder) 1/8 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon vinegar Makes 1 large serving **For a dairy-free/paleo version of this cake, use coconut oil or nonhydrogenated organic shortening and lite coconut milk. You can use a tablespoon of honey and the listed amount of stevia to sweeten it. Add butter, half and half or coconut milk, and sea salt to mug. Melt for 30 seconds on HIGH in microwave, or until butter is liquified. Add vanilla and drizzle egg into mug while whisking it with a fork. Add the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly with fork until batter is smooth and evenly mixed. Whisk in vinegar. Slap the bottom of the mug with the palm of your hand 10-20x to pop air bubbles. Place in the center of the batter a square or two of 70% cocoa chocolate or sugar-free milk chocolate for a gooey, melty center. Microwave mug on HIGH for 1 minute, 15 seconds, or until batter has cooked through. Let cool 1 minute. Top with s squirt of whipped cream or a dab of low carb cream cheese frosting if desired. Eat! Description: "This healthy yet decadent spin on the beloved One Minute Muffin is sure to hit the spot when you're crunched for time and craving the sweet stuff" Source: "http://www.healthyindulgences.net/" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : This makes a VERY large serving, but it's the best cake I've had since going low-carb! I used whipping cream as I didn't have any half and half. I made a double batch in 2 mugs so that I could use the whole egg. This really is awesome!

If sealed tightly you can store in the freezer: raw rice flour uncooked oatmeal, both steel cut and rolled corn meal other grains I'm unsure about the other items as I would worry about them absorbing moisture. You could store the chocolate, but it may change the texture.

Thanks, nono. I'm going to be away from my computer for the next 4 days, but if this thread is still active when I get back, I'll try to post more. I love trying new recipes and it's been a crazy time since switching my diet. I try to stay under 30 carbs per day and am always on the lookout for new recipes.

:lol::lol::lol: Thanks for cluing me in!

I'm totally embarrassed because I don't know what BOB means. I googled it and came up with all kinds of different Bobs, as in celebrities named "Bob". So, I still don't know what BOB means. I've only been able to come up with one possibility, but that one starts with the letter "v".:blushing:

Here's another one we love: * Exported from MasterCook * Heroin Wings Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Appetizers Low Carb Poultry Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 pounds chicken wings or chicken breasts. 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 Tablespoons dried parsley 1 Tablespoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons paprika 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup butter -- melted option: couple gloves of garlic sliced thin Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the chicken into pieces (one- or two-bites size) Combine the parmesan cheese and the parsley, oregano, paprika, salt, garlic and pepper in a bowl. Line a shallow baking pan with foil.( if you don't do this you will be sorry cause you will be scrubbing on this pan a week later!). Melt the butter in a shallow bowl or pan. Dip each chicken piece well in butter, roll in the cheese and seasoning mixture, and arranged in the foil-lined pan. Bake for 1 hour, and then kick yourself for not making a double recipe. Makes about 50 pieces, each with only a trace of carbs, a trace of fiber and 4 grams of protein. Source: "www.lowcarber.org" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - OH, and here's my favorite dessert right now. I'm doing LCHF, so getting in enough fat is sometimes an issue. This one is a big help for upping my fat. I got the idea for this one from a recipe I made in my pre-low carb days. It was a frozen mocha cheesecake mousse. I always left the coffee part of it out, but I'm sure it would be a cinch to add coffee to this for the mocha aspect. This is a very soft "cheesecake" dessert. But, I made it again last night and somehow I got the ratios just right and it was a bit firmer while still being incredibly creamy and luscious. I just realized that maybe the difference was that last night I put the cream cheese in the microwave for a few seconds to soften. I hadn't done that the previous times I had made this. Sorry I couldn't come up with a more creative name. * Exported from MasterCook * No-Bake Cheesecake Cups Recipe By : Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Desserts Low Carb Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cup heavy cream Truvia to taste 8 ounces cream cheese -- softened 1 teaspoon vanilla several drops of liquid stevia 1/2 cup heavy cream 6 ounces 90% dark chocolate -- broken into small pieces. Truvia Whip the 1 cup of cream with Truvia to taste until stiff peaks form. Beat the cream cheese, vanilla, and stevia to taste until smooth and creamy. Gently fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cream cheese until combined. Continue folding the rest of the cream until all is combined well. Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cups lined with paper liners. Refrigerate until firm. Heat the 1/2 cup cream in the microwave until it comes to a boil. Add the chocolate and Truvia to taste. Stir until chocolate is melted. Refrigerate until thickened. At this point it can be whipped or not, your choice. Spoon chocolate onto the tops of each cheesecake cup. Refrigerate until ready to serve. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : The second time I made these I did them a bit differently. I whipped the cream cheese with the liquid stevia and also some Truvia. I added a few tablespoons of cream to thin it a bit. I whipped about 3/4 cup cream with the Truvia and vanilla until stiff peaks. I folded the cream into the cream cheese and followed the rest of the recipe for the cheesecake part. For the topping, I put a couple of tablespoons of butter, a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil and about 3/4 cup of cream in the microwave with Truvia. I heated it until everything was melted. I then added about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and whipped it together until all was smooth. I then refrigerated it until chilled. I again whipped it until it thickened and then topped each of the cheesecake cups with a spoonful.

Here is my version of Wendy and nono's recipe. I have this once or twice a week: * Exported from MasterCook * Crack Slaw Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Ground Turkey Low Carb Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 bag Dole Cole Slaw Mix (try to pick out the carrots) or Shredded Cabbage. 2 tablespoons sesame oil -- (2 to 4) 1 1/2 lbs ground beef *Red Pepper Flakes. Brown meat till it's cooked, place in strainer and tap off fat. Place meat on side. Heat up sesame oil in another pan, then add in shredded cabbage. Cook to desired tenderness then you sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top and even can add soy sauce. Ony carbs is the cabbage which is very little. For Mexican, transfer it to a plate and top it off with some shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream and salsa. Ole. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : This is the basic recipe. I use ground turkey and brown it in butter. I then remove it from the pan, add more butter to the pan and saute the cole slaw mix. If I'm doing Asian style, I add garlic, ginger and green onions along with some soy sauce and a bit of Truvia. For Mexican, I add chili powder or taco seasoning and garlic to the meat. I brown it all together and add some water and let it simmer a bit until the water evaporates. I remove the meat, saute the cabbage, add the meat back and serve it with avodaco, sour cream, and cheese. Pesto Crack Slaw - just add pesto at the end and combine all. I sometimes add additional cheese. Baked Spaghetti Crack Slaw - after adding the meat back to the cole slaw mix, I add oregano, tomato sauce, sour cream, and mozzarella. Combine until cheese is melted. One of the things I've really missed since going low-carb is pot stickers. I found this recipe and have made it several times. I even took it to a potluck and everyone loved it: * Exported from MasterCook * POTSTICKER PATTIES Recipe By : Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Ground Turkey Sausage Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- Cabbage Mixture: 3 pounds napa cabbage -- *(3 to 4) 1 small- medium onion -- chopped, about 3 ounces 2 cloves garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon granular Splenda 2 tablespoons oil Meat Mixture: 1 pound ground pork 1 pound ground turkey -- or chicken 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 eggs 5 green onions -- minced 1 Dash hot sauce 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil -- optional 2 tablespoons oil -- or as needed To prepare the cabbage, chop off the bottom 3-4 inches of the stalk and thick stems. Separate the leaves. Stacking a few leaves at a time, slice them in half lengthwise through the stems. Next, slice them crosswise into very thin shreds. You'll probably have a bit left from the center of the head. Either discard or use it in another recipe. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large wok or pot over medium heat. Add all of the cabbage mixture ingredients to the wok and stir-fry until the cabbage is very soft and wilted. Once the cabbage is wilted, turn the heat to high briefly and stir-fry to evaporate any excess liquid. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, mix all of the meat mixture ingredients, except the oil, in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until the egg no longer feels slimy. Stir in the cabbage until well blended. Divide the mixture into 8 equal size patties. Fry, 4 at a time, in oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook about 8 minutes per side or until done in the center. I found that they got quite dark brown on the outside, but they didn't taste burnt. Makes 8 servings Can be frozen * You'll only end up using about 1 1/2 pounds by the time the cabbage is trimmed. The nutritional counts reflect 1 1/2 pounds of cabbage and not 3-4 pounds. If you don't have a kitchen scale, you'll need about 8 cups chopped cabbage. Per Serving: 308 Calories; 20g Fat; 25g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs I didn't have much in the way of instructions to go with Heather's orginal recipe so I kind of played it by ear. I think she may have put the cabbage in hers raw, but I decided that the flavor and texture would be nicer if it was cooked first with some onion and garlic. They have a very nice flavor even though I went a little heavy on the sesame oil. I've cut it back from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/8 teaspoon here. Heather didn't say how much to use so I had to wing it. Source: "http://www.genaw.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : These were really good. I used prepackaged coleslaw that was just green cabbage. I used Truvia rather than Splenda. I made the patties quite a bit smaller and cooked them in coconut oil. Next time, I will make the patties even smaller (maybe 2-bite sized) and serve them with a peanut sauce dip. Here are the two sauces I served them with: * Exported from MasterCook * Soy Ginger Dipping Sauce (For Dumplings or Pot Stickers) Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Low Carb Sauces & Marinades Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 2 1/2 teaspoons sugar equivalent 1/2 medium scallion -- minced 2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes Bring soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and 1/4 cup water to boil in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour mixture into bowl and stir in scallion, ginger, oil, and hot red pepper flakes (Sauce can be refrigerated in air-tight container for several days). Makes about one cup. Source: "Recipe Zaar" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * Exported from MasterCook * Peanut-Coconut Sauce Recipe By : Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Sauces & Marinades Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 cup peanut butter -- creamy 1 cup coconut milk 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon ground ginger 2 garlic cloves -- chopped 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes mix ingredients and refrigerate. Bring refrigerated sauce to room temp and use as a dip Source: "http://ginnyslowcarbkitchen.blogspot.com" - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Made this to go with the Potsticker Patties.

This is awesome! Please tell everyone you know how horrible the Seattle area is. Remind them that it rains 399 days a year and that it's always gray, nasty and cold. None of us know how to drive in the snow so we stay home and watch all the crazy drivers spinning out and crashing into each other on the news. Traffic is horrendous everywhere - we've made the national news because of our traffic. Our cost of living is crazy expensive. Be prepared to spend half your pay check on lattes. Our bridges are all becoming toll bridges and you know that Seattle has an abundance of bridges. We've had some psycho killers to add to our bad rep - think Green River Killer, Ted Bundy, Josh Powell, etc. Our baseball team isn't so hot. Our summer doesn't really start until after the 4th of July. Ferry prices just keep going up. It's almost always green here and you know how tiring green can be. And, the "big one" could come at any moment. :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: I've lived my whole life in WA and LOVE it! I can't imagine living anywhere else. I even love the rain and cloudy days. But, don't tell anyone else how great it is. It's our secret. Maybe if people stopped moving here our traffic would improve? :D

What about Falling Skies? The second season started recently and I can't think of anything that would be wildly inappropriate. It's sci-fi, alien-oriented.

Just had to say - Dd and I went to see the musical in Seattle a week and a half ago. Awesome!!! I guess I should read the book.

I keep reading that sugar alcohols do affect blood sugar levels and that's why I try to avoid them. I guess maybe at some point I'll need to do my own experimenting to see how they affect me. I LOVE your idea about adding cream to the root beer. I'm definitely going to try that. Oh, and the margarita suggestion is on my list, too. I was just just feeling sorry for myself yesterday for not being able to have margaritas any more. Also, I did see Virgil's at one of our stores, but I only saw that it had sugar. I'm going to keep looking for the stevia sweetened version. Thanks for your suggestions.

My dd has been watching this and I finally have time to watch. So, I bought season one at Costco and am totally enjoying it. Yesterday I saw that Costco also has season two. It's a bit more expensive than season one, but if you REALLY want to see it NOW, I think it was around $22 for season 2. I'm seriously considering splurging and buying it the next time I'm there.