Fiber and Carbohydrates

[Sugarwood1]

I have been an Atkins low-carber for 2 years; I lost 45 pounds in the first year, then gained back 20 pounds while still on the diet. l I never cheated, but I think I got hung up with the maltitol-sweetened chocolate bars, peanut brittle and caramels! I discovered Schwarzbein a few weeks ago, am following it just about to the letter (I'm not throwing away perfectly good heat-pressed olive oil or caffeinated coffee; when I run out, I'll replace them with cold-pressed and decaf.) I love having 15 grams of carbs per meal and the 7-1/2 grams for snacks, but am wondering: we know that grams of fiber are listed under carbohydrate counts but that they are not usable carbs. Can we subtract fiber on Schwarzbein? I make really good psyllium husk crackers (all fiber/no carbs) and would love to keep eating them. Answers or opinions, please.

[LCer in NW]

Sugar -

What can you tell me about the thoughts that ran through your head when you were regaining the first 5, 10, or 15 pounds on the atkins plus maltinol sweets. I am on this trek for the first time, and want to be aware of what to look out for. Did you try anything drastic like restart induction phase? Do you think your metabolism slowed? Did you begin to feel more hungry here and there between meals, reduce or increase consumption of fats or proteins?

thanks.

[Sugarwood1]

First of all, I never went off Induction; I'm a pretty good cook and found lots of things to make that are. The only time I tried a ketostick to see if I was in ketosis, it showed that I wasn't, so I stopped worrying about it and just assumed that if I did things right, it would all work out eventually. The main problem I found is that when I am under stress, I tend to eat. I don't have to eat carbs; macadamia nuts or 1 gram of carbs per serving of peanut brittle will be fine. The funny thing is, I never realized that I had gained so much weight back because I "stopped the insanity" of getting on the scale. Frankly, I was shocked and scared, but determined to beat this thing. I finally had to decide that I didn't become overweight because of good eating habits and if I didn't want to gain it all back, I had better FIND some good eating habits. Atkins isn't something I could do for the rest of my life; Schwarzbein is much less harsh in that you can eat LOTS of vegetables and some fruit. So anyway, now I simply eat 3 Schwarzbein meals a day (15 grams of carbs-sedentary) and 2 7-1/2 grams of carbs snacks. No binge eating, no other snacks, no sneaking anything not on the plan. That's it. End of story.

[LCer in NW]

Thanks for the great explanation. I'll have to really keep an eye out for some of these same things getting me.

[StarOrchid]

you can subtract fiber from carbs on any diet. Fiber is not absorbed by the body, hence it has no effect.

-ambrea

[JudyAH]

Sugarwood1

Would you like to share your recipe for Pysilium husk crackers. I need a good fiber option that tastes good. :)

Thanks

[rosarugosa]

:thup:

May I second that request? I would love to have a recipe with crackers containing psyllium husks!

[Sugarwood1]

These are kind of an acquired taste. The dryer you bake them, the better they will be. (If they are not really dry, be sure to have lots of drinking water handy!) They are a zero, carbo-speaking, being all fiber, so I eat them whenever I need something to munch on. Bon appetit!

For sweet psyllium husk crackers:

Put 2/3 cup psyllium husk powder in a straight-sided bowl. Combine 2 cups of Splenda-sweetened flavored syrup (DaVinci or Nature's Flavors), 2 tablespoons good-for-you oil and 1/2 tsp. guar gum or xantham gum. Add to psyllium husk, stir until all combined. Divide into quarters, make each into a ball. Take one ball of dough, place in the middle of a rectangle of aluminum foil and flatten it with the heel of your hand. Place a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap over the dough and roll out as thinly as possible. Repeat with other 3 balls. Place in 300-degree oven and start checking it after 30 minutes. (It will turn a really dark brown; this is unimportant.) Tap the cracker with your fingernail; it should sound hollow. This may take a long time, depending on humidity; psyllium husk tends to hold moisture and what you are doing in the oven is drying it out. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Break into manageable pieces.

Variations and notes: The tropical fruit flavors surprisingly make a lovely dipping cracker for salsa.

Chocolate crackers: Use DaVinci chocolate syrup, add 2T cocoa powder.

Nut crackers: Replace the 2 cups syrup with water, replace the fat with 2 T (or more) nut butter. Add 1 tsp. salt with the liquid mixture.

Herb/spice crackers: Replace the 2 cups syrup with water, add dried herbs or spices to taste (onion, garlic, chili powder). This variation is particularly good with olive oil.

[JudyAH]

Thank you for the recipe. I'm going to try these very soon.

[rosarugosa]

:thup: sugarwood, I finally got to the hf store to purchase psyllium husks and tried the recipe over the week end. I used the herb one with water and they were easy and great tasting! I got some thin enough to make them crispy ~ I should do better next time.

I imagine since these contain psyllium husks and guar gum it is vital to remember to drink plenty of liquid with them and to not overconsume. I do not think one would need metamucil or the like if you eat these. Thanks!

[Sugarwood1]

I learned last Friday that there are absolutely nonstick flexible pads to put over your cookie sheets that will cut down the baking time on the psyllium husk crackers and make a MUCH better product. They are called Exopat and Silpat. They are available at Cooking.com and Surlatable.com, also Wal-mart.com. I tried one of each; they are identical, just marketed by different retailers, but the price is the same. To use them, I just halved the recipe. Since the baking time is so much faster and I don't have to peel them off the aluminum foil, I can make them every morning before work! Use 1/3 cup psyllium, 1 cup liquid and 1/16 tsp. guar or xanthan gum. Outstanding! (Not cheap, but DEFINITELY worth the money.)