Zero Carb
 

So, we needed a new thread. Here we go. For all the zc and people striving for something close to zc! lol

Thank you Suzanne! :wave:

I do believe I'm hooked on this WOE, and that's a GOOD thing. I think the simplicity of it all is the key for me. A heartfelt thank you to everyone for sharing.

I just finished frying chicken tenders in butter and oil, my crockpot was full of beef steak today (yummy :yum: ). and I'm slowly eating fewer eggs, and drinking only water. :thup: and I've never felt better in my entire life!

How do you veteran ZC's handle being out to dinner and wanting to stay ZC. We are going out with friends to Ruby Tuesdays on Saturday night. Do you just not worry about what they'll think. Or do you eat off plan (staying as ZC as possible) to be "politically correct"

Maybe they serve a sample platter of various meat dishes, that would allow me to stay on plan. (I tell you I'm really an all or nothing type person) and I don't want to break my streak. Any suggestions?

marking my spot:

haven't gotten on the scale yet but as for eats:
bk: coffee and HnH
pork ribs
cheese

dinner:
2 cups of ground beef cooked in beef fat
water

feel satisfied....

When eating out I have learned that my woe is the only thing important to me. To much misery allowing what others think to derail my woe. Ruby Tuesday will have a lot of meat dishes, stick to what works for you, within your plan.

Order what you want. You don't need to justify it. If someone gives you grief, just tell them that that's all you want. You don't "feel like" having any of the sides, just the meat. Repeat if necessary. It's the truth. It's like a similar strategy to avoid having friends press you to have "just a little" dessert. "I made it myself." "Come on. You have to try the [fill in the name of any carb-laden sugar bomb]. It's their specialty!" Just reply, "I don't feel like dessert." or "I'm full." or "I'm not hungry." Repeat until they stop. Very effective.

Thanks for the input! I appreciate the support and advise it's just what I needed to hear!

I am very clear when I order out, not rude, but explain myself very well. I always order a steak, safest and most filling for me. I am ask that no sauce or spices me used on my steak either, that I have food allergies. Yes, I do get strange looks, but there are also not a lot of almost 40 year old moms who look as good as me either. So, which would I rather? I few strange looks and comments or my new amazing body and perfect health?
No one questions a vegeatarian when they make their meal order and are very specific, so I feel I have the same right.
Now, the first few times you eat only meat in front of others, it is weird, but after a while people get used to it and you get used to it too.

It's really amazing how the desire to eat this way can be transforming in ones thought process. I'm finding the desire to even consider eating off plan a very, very dim option. I can't believe it. I must not get over confident, but so far so good.. :thup: It helps reading on this forum and getting better informed. I hope everyone has a successful day today. :thup:

I've been also doing the steak only route when eating out. I use the steak enthusiast gimmick to be super picky about what is on my steak. Food allergies sounds good, too.

How is restaurant hamburger generally? Any complaints? (Aside from the fact that they always cook it to death maybe?)

I have done hamburgers in a restaurant and have not had good results. They tend to add a lot of fillers and they have caused me leg cramps and cravings. Thus, I stick with steak.

Yeah steak is the only safe thing for me as I'm allergic to gluten, and that manages to creep into just about everything...I want a bit of meat that looks like meat! Daren't eat burgers.

What are chicken tenders???

Oh and I don't make excuses, beyond I have an allergy, and it's not safe for me to eat that....My mother's constantly saying "oh but a bit of bread won't hurt". ......get outa here!!!!!

I usually have a bunless burger at a restaurant, but will order a steak if it is a good price.

To make my life easier, I say simply 'we have allergies so this is how we eat'.

Nobody questions it, and we can all eat what we want that way.

People are much more in tune with allergies than specific dietary choices. And this way I can keep the comments to a minimum, because anyone can go away thinking we only eat like that when we go out and have no control over what is in our food.

it also helps that we DO have allergies, DD2 cannot have cow dairy and DD7 is allergic to vegetable oils and I cannot have gluten. So a spice/free steak and real butter is our only option at most restaurants!

Mind you, when we eat out alone, I only say that to the staff who might try to persuade us to order something other than meat :)

I get my chicken tenders from Aldi. They are just like boneless, skinless, chicken breasts but they are quite smaller and panfry alot quicker. Delish when fried in butter and olive oil. I add a bit of sesesme and fennel seed as they fry also.

Hello ZCrs! :) I'm following a loose VLC plan of my own.

I have a question for those who have lost 10-20 pounds of weight on ZC.

Were you left with any sagging skin? I'm especially curious about those who did not exercise much during the loss.

Do you think age and elasticity of skin will affect this?

Thanks for your answers and all the information, love these threads! :D

Ah right, I know what you mean...they just call them mini-breasts here. Ooh you have Aldi there too. We have Aldi, but there's not one local to me. But we do have a Lidl up the road, and that's pretty much the same. I get big trays of chicken thighs there.

I have some loose skin, but then again I have been over 220lbs and back down to 160 three times in the last 12 years.

I had more loose/saggy skin when I was 165lbs after losing 45lbs on Atkins before, than I do now at 135, having lost the last 40lbs with ZC.

I am almost 45 and do not exercise... but I am definitely not ready for a bikini, but I DO have prior weight losses to compare myself to now. I have not been this thin in over 25 years...

It could be genetics, but seeing how I look naked now, compared to before, tells me that it has to be somewhat related to diet as well.

I'm 25 (male) and have lost about 72 pounds on ZC in the last 6 months. Prior to that, I had lost 22 pounds on a low calorie diet in 4 months. Still have another 90 or so pounds to lose.

Anyway, no real loose skin here, but I do have stretch marks on my stomach and upper arms.

ate 6 small chicken thighs with skin
half and half with coffee

I kinda feel guilty for all that chicken

My boobs were a mess for years. I even met with a plastic surgeon to get them done, but I chickened out. Thankfully!
After many years of VLC, then a few more years of zc they got firm again! Even my husband noticed and he notices nothing!
My skin everywhere got firmer. My tummy still has some loose skin, but whatever, I had a baby.
So, give your body time and lots of it!

About eating out, Suzanne's right, you get used to asking for what you need, and it is no shame to do so.

Many places have a bunless burger on the menu now, but do ask to make sure there aren't fillers. I always ask for nothing else on the plate, but if it makes you more comfortable you can just leave the sides on your plate.

I use it as a substitute for crushed red pepper because it is not a nightshade, but it has a different flavor. It tastes a little lemony, and its hotness is more like black pepper than chili peppers.

One tip I learned belatedly: The seeds of Szechuan pepper are not good to eat - they're bitter and gritty. The part you're supposed to eat is the husk. It's a bit of a pain to separate them, but I got lucky when I bought a big bag of them because it only had the husks in it.

Thanks, Mike. Where do you find this?

Usually if the restaurant has a gluten-free menu which features a burger, there are no bread crumbs or other fillers in the ground meat. I've been okay with burgers at Five Guys, and Ted's Montana Grill chains.

I am not zero carb, but I am keeping my carbs very low right now.

I have several questions for the zero carbers.

1. Do you eat organic or grass-fed meat, and free-roam chickens, and wild-caught fish, or do you buy your meat/fish in a regular grocery store.

2. If you eat conventional meat, are you concerned about getting an unbalance of Omega 6 to Omega 3 Fatty Acids from eating feedlot beef/confined chickens/eggs/farmed fish, which are totally different from animals raised before 1930? Do you take Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplements? Other supplements?

3. How is your general health? Is it fine, or do you have any ongoing issues? I'm not interested into prying for details into anyone's health problems, just a general question.

I'm a bit of a health nut. I have no pro or con opinion on doing zero carbs. Whatever people choose to do is absolutely fine with me. I wanted to hear from those who have been doing it for a while regarding their general health. I am eating very low carb right now. I am dealing with some health issues. I am trying to be very careful to not do anything to makes things worse.

(I've read a lot about zero carb in some of the old threads here, and I've also read some stuff on another forum.)

Thanks!

I have no health issues or concerns after over a year of ZC.

I was not this way 13 months ago, I could barely get out of bed in the morning.

I buy my meat at the grocery store, I used to worry about all that O3 vs O6 stuff but I do not any more.

I take no supplements.

I have not felt this alive or as healthy as I do now... I have zero concerns about my ZC lifestyle :)

I have had health problems on zc, but I do not believe they were related to zc. I recently had hair loss, but I THINK (only a guess, mind you) that is was because this past summer I had a lot of stress and lost a lot of weight quickly. I think I got to thin and my hypothyroid was effected, thus the hair loss. But, it has stopped.
I started taking suppliments during the hair loss to see if oit helped, so I take them now. Not sure they do a darn thing.
I eat grocery strore meat.
My recent blood work showed all good numbers, except low estrogen, but it has always been low.

Let me answer for my hubby too... (you can see his transformation in my link as well)

he had almost 5 years of low carb under his belt when he decided to ditch all the carbs and go ZC with me a year ago.

In a very short time he had massive health improvements:

*lifelong constipation issues 100% GONE
*concentration issues 100% GONE
*sleep issues, teeth grinding, nightmares, night sweats GONE
*lack of energy and motivation GONE
*dry skin, itchy anus and hair loss GONE (we even swear there is some growing back, he has been losing his hair since he was 16)
*losing the last 20lbs he never managed to lose on Atkins as well as keeping his muscle mass that did not happen when he was on Atkins.


None of those issues were helped on low carb, but when he went to ZC they disappeared almost over night.

My brother is ZC right now, after years of thyroid issues, depression, anger issues, skin issues (psoriases), cataracts (he had surgery 2 years ago, he is only 38), gluten issues, chronic pain (anklyosing spondylitis). he was tested for lupus and celiac. His Doctor is stumped... He was not obese, he is 5'11" and started at the end of Dec at 205 and was down to 185 by the end of February. He is not 100% well just yet, in fact he still has a long way to go... but he knows now that eating this way is the only way for him to live any kind of life worth living. Just being able to get out of bed in the morning without pain is a gift for him.

Thanks, good info. I'm having inflammation issues, and I'm keeping my carbs very low for now. I'm not sure when/if I'll go higher, but I'm gathering information and keeping all of my options open.

for VLC what would you prefer to eat:
salad veggies or dairy?