Where are the Las Vegas low carbers?

[livewire_T]

Hello! I'm looking for some support here guys...I've noticed that no one seems to be from the Vegas area in any of the many posts that I've read on this website recently (I'm new here). I even looked back a couple of pages. So anyone interested in communicating or having a buddy? :)

[LadyC]

i'm in las vegas!!!!

[livewire_T]

Hi Lady C...finally someone in Vegas! I think I posted that message almost 3 mos. ago. How long have you been low carbing for? I've been on/ off for about 1 1/2 yrs. I started being serious around Feb. of this year. I'm following the Atkins plan. How about you?

[LadyC]

i'm not following any particular plan because if i do, i'll get stoned by devout plan-followers for not eating my veggies! so i'm just keeping my carbs to 30g or less everyday. and i've only been doing it since.... 3/12 i think was the date... so not very long!

i miss some things though. like eating out. there are so many good places to eat here, but i can't stay away from the hc menu items! so i don't go. and of course, fremont street. oh, how i miss fremont street! in particular, i miss those great big football sized brain freeze daquiris that you can get at mermaids or la bayou!

the taconi flavor grill at the desert passage is supposed to have a low-carb menu including LC tortillas.... my husband despises going anywhere near the strip, (so do i for that matter), but maybe i could talk him into taking me there one evening. and if not, maybe you and i should meat over fajitas one afternoon LOL.

what side of town are you on? i'm on the east side.

[livewire_T]

Well that nice that you go to the downtown area...as a matter of fact I may have just gotten a new job at Binion's!! I also live near Fremont Street. By the east side, I believe there is a gym called The Chuck Minker Sports Complex, and I used to go there and exercise. Nowadays I'm trying to find a good job. I also am not a big fan of the strip...I have an interview at NYNY but I'm having 2nd thoughts. I've never heard of the taconi grill but it does sound interesting :)

[LadyC]

i can't bring myself to go to a gym. i've never been fond of them, even in my thin days i felt like everyone was looking at me like i was a freak. me and my 40-lb max on the leg machines, 10 lb max on the arm machines... i felt like i was being laughed at behind my back. and no way could i do anything cardiovascular. too many years of smoking i suppose, but i can't run 20 feet without having to stop for five minutes to catch my breath.

i'm all excited at the moment. i suppose you have heard that the MGM is offering half price tickets to Ka for locals.... i've lived here for six years and have ALWAYS wanted to see a circque du soleil show... and the only other opportunity i've had was back around christmas when they were offering buy-one-get-one-for-$13 tickets to mystere.... but christmas is a slow time of work for my husband, and a big time of spending.

i have no idea what Ka will be like... i've watched some of their shows on Bravo channel... some are great, some are not so great. i hope this one is a great one!

[livewire_T]

Wow, I hadn't heard that about the 1/2 price tickets. That sounds like it should be amazing! Speaking of casinos, I believe that I just got hired at Binion's. I will find out tomorrow when I can start. And I am a foodserver...so we'll see how this fits into my low-carb lifestyle! I know what you mean, about the gym and thinking people are talking about u from behind! It makes you wonder because you really can't turn around to see if they're looking or not! How long have you been living in Vegas? I've been here for about 3 years. I'm originally from Maryland. So I will hopefully be working on Fremont, around all those foot-long Margaritas you were speaking of...hehe.

[LadyC]

we moved here in june 2001. we're native texans, but i don't miss the mosquitos or the humidity! i'm quite content living in vegas. :)

ka was AWESOME! it cost us like 110 for two tickets... balcony seats against the wall, but the way the place is laid out, there are no bad seats. there was only one crucial part that i had a hard time seeing what i wanted to see, and that was because of the props on the stage. big columns. i think the only people who could see unobstructed in that part were the ones in the very center. that's ok, i could see parts of it because the focus was on the couple swinging up in the air, so they kept moving in and out of view. if you get a chance, drag someone along and go see it! but order your tickets in advance. the sale is on for another couple of weeks.

so, by now you should know when you're starting your new job.... hope it goes well and that they have some low-carb foods you can snack on!

[livewire_T]

Hey there, Lady C.-- Ka does sound like it was a good show. Did you know about the Grand Prix this coming up weekend? It's being held on Fremont Street, and they are expecting thousands of people. I actually got hired to help out during Grand Prix, and then beyond that if all goes well.

I did start last night, graveyard, and that's my schedule for the time being. Will take some getting used to, but not a big problem for me. Oh, the best part is that during our breaks, our food is provided. And there is a lot of low-carb items like salad bar, and meats. So, I think I can definitely deal with that!

Every now and then, I mess up on the low-carb thing, but it happens to most people, eventually. Well, I have to go get ready.

[LadyC]

yep, i'm aware of the grand prix thing... we were down there tonight trying to help a neighbor get his car fixed (it's broke down on the 5th floor parking of the Lady Luck).... all those fences everywhere LOL, i have to wonder are they trying to prevent some suicidal idiot from jumping out in front of a car flying 100+ mph? but then again, i've lived here long enough to know that people in this town are really STUPID about things like that... jaywalking everywhere. one night my husband was driving his semi up to a stoplight in town. i was with him. some guy dressed in black steps off the curb and right in front of us, holding his hand up to motion us to stop. he was about 30 feet back from the crosswalk. good grief, it is a good thing my husband was already slowing down, because that guy could have been as flat as his hand if we hadn't been able to stop!

anyway, i don't like crowds much.... i get too impatient. besides, i can't have a brain freeze on this LC diet. so i think we'll stay home and watch it on the tv!

congrats on the job! glad they have decent pickin's to choose from in the emp. cafeteria!

[livewire_T]

The job...so far, so good :)

I've also seen the overpasses. Was there an incident before w/ suicide jumpers? I didn't know that. Last night, against my better judgement, I saw this site with pictures of people in accidents and gory pictures...so at the time being I'm going to be REALLY careful downtown! It's crazy down there...I got sent home early last night due to lack of business. Tonight should be busier.

Well, I've completely fallen of the Low-Carb bandwagon, but only takes like 2 days to get back into the fat-burning mode. How are you doing so far with the low carb lifestyle? I believe you started mid-March, right?

Well, in case we don't chat before Sunday, enjoy your holiday weekend!!!

[LadyC]

nah, i was speculating regarding suicide jumpers! i mean, people do that, but apparently from what i read about these champ car races, there has never been any fatalities at one of them, at least not having to do with the races themselves. hubby said the fences are to protect the spectators from flying debris if there is a wreck. i don't know why i didn't think of that.

lack of business downtown lastnight? wow, i'm really surprised! but then, i guess everyone was at the concerts instead of inside the casinos.

i haven't fallen off the low-carb bandwagon yet, but i did kinda teeter over the edge.... i had mexican food at a restaurant last week and probably had a bajillion carbs, but it didn't put any weight on. didn't lose any more weight for a few days though.

BUT... i learned a really valuable lesson.... i couple of nights ago i made bourbon steak.... bad, bad, bad.... i put seven pounds back on. all that brown sugar it marinated in i suppose... i'm scared to weigh myself this morning because i'm afraid it still will be showing on the scale.

hope you have a good easter, too! i'm gonna wake up early and go to a sunrise service at our church. at least i'm gonna TRY to get up early! that's gonna be really hard!

[livewire_T]

Did you have a nice Easter? I hope so. I had a relaxing one also.

This entire weekend we were not busy in any of the Casinos. Very suprising! Kind of dissapointing, but I guess that's how it goes.

I have had to watch out for hidden carbs in sauces and dressings also. That has made me fall off plan too. When I do stay on track, I like to fill up on meats. It does get expensive, though. I like salads and veggies, but it does get boring after awhile. So sauces help give things a little kick. Have you tried any of those convenient Atkins bars or low carb snacks? They help out when you have a taste for a pastry or cake. I really like them.

This weather lately has been really weird. At the moment it looks like a storm or a tornado is coming. Your from Texas, right? Have you experienced any tornados before?

[LadyC]

easter was good. i'll never do another sunrise service again though... couldn't hear anything because of the street noise, the wind, and the vaccuums at the car wash next door. and it was downright chilly!

sauces are my downfall too. we bbq'd on easter.... i skipped the bun on the burger, but i had liberally coated them with a-1 steak marinade on both sides... and had two burgers. there was 20 carbs right there... and the chicken had marinated in one of those lowry's marinades that has four carbs in it per tablespoon. plus i had some carne asada that the neighbors threw on the grill, and i have no idea what it was seasoned with. but the absolute worst was a few weeks ago when i made bourbon steak... THAT really messed me up, and i won't do that again!

i'm really not surprised the casinos were dead over the weekend. too much activity outside to be inside. people had to pay money to attend the events, and it would be silly to miss them by spending their time indoors! and the locals who would have preferred going in to gamble couldn't get within two miles of downtown without taking a shuttle from somewhere else. too much hassle. i sat right here and watched the race on TV. i liked it, i could see everything! that's the advantage of watching the telecast i guess.

yep, i'm from texas. tornadoes were frequent. i've never had any personal damage happen because of one though, but when i was a growing up, the main grocery store in town (which was still very small by city standards) got hit three times in about ten years.

i did SEE lots of tornados though... i was just fortunate enough to not be in their path.

remember that town a couple of years back that got hit by a big one? (not jarrel in 97, but westminister, in may of 2005...) they ended up doing a reality tv show on five families there as they tried to rebuild? my cousin and her family lived in that town, and some of the homes on their street were totally destroyed. her home only sustained minor damage, but she and the kids were home, and in absolute terror.

[LadyC]

oh, and.... when i get a craving for something sweet, i tend to fix SF jello LOL. i'm not much of a sweets person really, although i would still like to find a good LC fudge that doesn't include any kind of cheese.

i miss FRUITS. the jello really stems my craving for melons.

i'm more of a salt fiend by nature.

[livewire_T]

It's really been a couple weeks since the last post?? Time really has gone by FAST!! I'm a big fan of sf jello myself, Lady C. I always have some ready to go in the fridge..
How have you been, by the way? I have since we last talked gone completely off course, but I am ready to start up again.

Oh, guess what. Binion's has let the temps go, so now I'm on a mission to find something else! I'm not on bad terms with Binion's, and I'm sure I'll get a good recommendation.

Do you work anywhere?

[LadyC]

i have the luxury of being a stay at home bum ;) i used to be a stay at home MOM, but my kids are grown and gone now. but since my youngest got a job, i do the babysitting now!

i figure i paid my dues. i was a single mom for years working my fingers to the bone to support them with no help from their father. when mark and i got married he told me he would rather i quit work, stay home to keep my kids out of trouble (they were hitting that rebellious early teen stage), and help with my dad... my parents lived next door at the time, and my mother had her hands full caring for my dad who was incapacitated. since then i've just never gone back to work!

sorry to hear about binions. i didn't realize you were just a temp there. my neighbor just got hired working the cage at binions a couple of weeks ago. i think it's the cage anyway. she really wanted to be a dealer, she sure paid enough for her education in dealer school!

i haven't gone off course, but i have to admit i did a fair amount of cheating for a couple of weeks. always taking carb-blockers when i cheated, and still avoiding sugar like the plague. i didn't gain weight during that time, but i sure didn't lose anymore.

i started back being strict again a week ago, and the weight is not coming off nearly as quickly as it was in the beginning. instead of a few pounds per day, i'm lucky to lose a half pound. it's almost discouraging! but i know that the rapid weight loss isn't supposed to last forever anyway, even without cheating.

i'm considering taking a nap in the pool on my little green float... i'm hoping it's not too windy to enjoy!

[livewire_T]

Lady C, you have a pool? Sounds really nice at this time of year!

Yes, I was just a temp, but they led me to believe that I would be able to stay permanently. I'm on good terms with them, and they said I can re-apply in 3-4 months. Hopefully at that time I will no longer be looking for work.

When I was strictly following low carb, and I even thought I'd eaten a little bit too much carbs, I would take a carb blocker pill also. I usually have a bottle of them (but not at the moment). Do you think they work? I think that they actually do. My first post ever here was a question about taking carb blocker pills during Atkins Induction (where your're only supposed to have less than 20 grams of carbs per day). Everyone was like, They don't work, Don't take them, Not worth it, Gives you Gas, etc. But for me the pills are really helpful. I take the white kidney bean ones. How about you?

[LadyC]

LOL, oh yes, i have a pool... two, actually, and pool-boys to keep it sparkling clean.... and a staff that keeps my lawn.... i live in an apartment :) and i'd much rather live the high life in an apartment than live with any HOA rules and regulations!

i've read so many things about carb blocking pills... some say they work, others say it's all in the heads of those who WANT them to work. but i'll tell ya what, as long as the carbs i take in are starches and not sugars, i don't gain any weight when i use the pills. i don't LOSE any, but i don't GAIN any either, so i do think they are at least fairly effective!

i've heard that ALA works even better... i forget what it stands for... alpha linoleum acid or something like that ;)

but the ones i use are called 'carb blockers', they come in blister packs in a box that includes a CD to tell you all about them... they're cheap! like $9 for 30 pills or something like that. and yeah, they're from the white kidney bean extract.

[livewire_T]

Yes, I know that brand. I think they were on sale at Wal-Mart. And I got the CD also. Ha! I've also tried Carb-intercept. I was so interested in the ALA pills that i googled it--Alpha Lipoic Acid and you're right, it is used for blocking carbs and converting the carbs into protein. That sounds like something I would like to try. If I could ever find it, I don't think I've ever seen them before. Maybe I just never looked.

I live in an apartment also. It's an older one, I think built in the 70's. I like the complex and the owner, who is an older Greek gentleman. He has let us slide until the next payment on rent before, and we are on his good side. That makes us want to stay, but truthfully, I think we may be moving soon if I don't find a job closeby. Seems like all the good jobs are further away from the downtown area.

Another week coming up...I'd better look in the paper and see who's hiring. Talk with you later Lady C.

[LadyC]

our apartment complex is a bit older too, but it's managed by ovation properties which has all sorts of luxurious apartments like firenze and verona, complexes which are WAY out of my price range!

we pay a thousand fifty for a 3 bedroom... that's QUITE enough, thank you! if i'd just kicked out our former roommate a few weeks sooner than i had, we'd still be paying in the 870-range for the two bedroom one we were in.

they won't let us slide on the rent beyond the 5th of the month, but we've lived here for six years, and really like the staff.

as for the ALA, i know you can buy them at netrition.com, where i buy almost everything else, but i haven't bought any yet. i'd guess that you could probably find them at rite-aid in the GNC section, but i haven't looked there either.

hey, i have never been a huge sweets person, or chocolates person.... but i've been craving both since going LC lol. guess what i found yesterday at the walmart neighborhood market? low carb ice cream bars with a chocolate shell! and they were GOOD! now if they'd just do a lc ice cream sandwich....

and i found some low carb bread too, by aunt hattie's. it's really good... both the ice cream bars and the bread slices are only 5 net grams.... i think i'm in heaven.

i also tried a sugar free low carb version of "fantasy fudge", you know, the kind you make with kraft marshmallow cream if you're not on a LC diet. it turned out ok, but a little strong.... it needs some tweaking. i'd have tried it sooner but i had to order alot of the ingredients from netrition.

[livewire_T]

Those treats sound really good. Yesterday I went to the 99 cent store (it's really close by) and I actually found some Sweet-n-Low Choc-Cherry bites with 2g net carbs. I was sort of suprised, but sometimes they do have low carb items. I really like the Atkins endulge bars. Wal-mart does carry a large selection of Low-Carb products, huh?

Well, I've decided to join the gym again. I've been having a really difficult time staying on track, so I'm hoping that if I start exercising, then that will motivate me to stay on track. I think I will sign up at tonight. It's only $20 a month at the place I go, which is a county-run Sports Complex.

It sure is getting hot, isn't it? Enjoying the pool? If we do move, we will have to find a place with a pool and fitness room.

[livewire_T]

Lady C--
Today we are moving in to a new apt. I have since leaving Binion's found a new job and we decided to both be closer to work (we work at the same restaurant). I think this move will signify a new chapter in my life. I'm hoping to continue with a low-carb lifestyle and incorporate exercise into my free time. I was reading on the homepage of this website about the first low-carb lifestyle book written in the 1860's. It's actually pretty interesting. Well, I'd better get going here. I have to get all my info switched over. Have a nice rest of the week.

[LadyC]

congrats on the new apartment, and the new job!

i had overlooked your last post, sorry... i have a hard time finding many low carb things at the walmart neighborhood market. i don't go to the big walmart often. i need to ask the market to carry more things... they DO carry the hood calorie countdown (low carb) milk though, which is good for when i want something sweet, cuz i have to have milk with sweets!

albertsons seems to have the best selection. i hate going to albertsons. but they carry walden farms brand of bbq, alfredo, syrup, salad dressings... and they carry russel stover chocolates, the low carb ones. i LOVE their "net carb chocolate truffles"! they're awfully pricy, but they're sooooo good! and only 0.2 net carbs per piece. you have to try them!

did you know hungry howie's has a low carb pizza? their thin and crispy crust... i'm getting a five topping pizza, and each slice only has 11 carbs. that's including onions, green peppers, pepperoni, beef and sausage....

i plan on eating LOTS of it, so i just took my carb blocker pills LOL.... that delivery guy better get here quick, i'm hungry!

ps, the pool has been my best friend lately :)

[livewire_T]

Hey there! Long time no chat! It took longer than expected to get the phone line switched over. I had no idea of all the different low carb products (like sweets) on the market. Those truffles sound awesome! Really. By the way, where is a Hungry Howie's? That sounds like something I'd really like to try. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who relies on the carb pills when indulging also. I'm currently out of pills. I took a special "trip" to Vons today just to get some, and they didn't have any at all. I use the Natrol brand for $5.99 at Walmart. I love Wal-mart!! In my opinion, they do work just about every time for me. Especially if I just go a little over my set amount of daily carbs.
I think I'll be keeping a lookout for more low-carb items at the regular grocery stores.

A question: How long have you followed a low carb diet? For me, I think it's been on/off since 2002, after I read the Atkins book. I think it's fairly easy to follow too. I noticed that after not eating carbs, I really don't have cravings for them .

[LadyC]

oh girl, i've been craving carbs like crazy lately! i had DREAMS of cap'n crunch berries cereal the other night LOL. don't worry, i didn't have any. in fact, i can't even figure out why i wanted THAT cereal anyway! applejacks or fruitloops maybe, or even honeycomb, but capn crunch??? well maybe because it has less sugar than the others and my brain was registering that fact :P

of course, aside from weird moments like that, my only real high-carb cravings are mexican food. yummm......

oh, and i started low carb on march 12....

ok, hungry howie's... the one closest to me is at vegas valley and nellis. according to their website, the only other one here is on the 1500 block of n. buffalo... so way east, or way west... if you're somewhere in the middle you're SOL. :(