Hello,

I am living in Greece and find that eating this way is very easy, as long as I stay away from the bread and the friganyes!!! However, after the first couple of weeks, I didn't want bread any more. I haven't had a piece since July 1, which is when I started Atkins.

I don't know a single person here who knows about this diet and get a lot of negative comments about it (big family). Everyone here is into the low-fat/low-calorie way of dieting which does NOT work for me. And frankly, I don't see that it works for anyone else, either!

If there are any LCers in Greece I would like to talk to you on the boards.

thanks,
Lauri

Hi Lauri, since you didn't get responses from real Greeks:

I went this summer to Romania, Bulgaria and Greece* and found them to be the best countries to low carb my, South Beach, style. South Beach is closer to what is called here Mediterranian diet -which is not every Mediterranian country's diet. But in Greece, there were red and green peppers and cucumbers and cheese and eggs for breakfast - compare to US breakfast of fatty meats and sweet doughnuts!, and most restaurants had fresh fish. My impression is that the biggest problem you might have is in getting whole grain anything - bread, tortillas, cereals, noodles. If the diet isn't popular, check in health food stores. In Germany, such items would be there and my guess is with that many ex-German Greeks around, there has to be a place to buy Vollkornbrot, for example. I think in all other regards - frequent use of veggies, moderate fruit, lots of seafood and lean meat - Greece is actually a great place to be.

Feel free to click on my journal! Good luck! let us here know!

* although I was only one night in Athens, it was the night Greece won the European soccer cup - what a craze! The whole Plaka shut down to watch the game. Before that I was in Thessaloniki

Hi Monika,

Thanks for answering! You are right, it is very easy to LC here. Actually, I do more of a Neanderthin/Atkins mix here than straight Atkins--I use Atkins' guidelines and Audette's menus. I probably should change my profile. I eat fresh meats/fish and vegetables every day, with olive oil and lemon juice. I do eat lots of cheese (not Neanderthin!)plus some nuts once or twice a week. I don't eat any fruit and supplement with 2000 mg a day of L-Carnitine. There are no low-carb products here.

I have been visiting Greece regularly for the last 10 years and finally moved here last February. People here are solidly into the low-fat theory. Unfortunately I have met with some hostility over the way I eat. Now that high-carbohydrate packaged snacks and low-fat products are everywhere, this time I have noticed many more overweight people than ever before. It used to be that I was the only overweight person I saw. So the diabetes/heart disease problem has not arrived in full force yet although I am afraid that it won't be long. I have even noticed many overweight children because of the new overconsumption of junk food.

My parents (in the U.S.) are doing South Beach now, but I need something more restrictive. I don't lose if I go over 25 grams of carbohydrates a day.

It was nutty the night Greece won! The horns, singing, and firecrackers went on until at least 3:00 a.m., which is when I finally fell asleep. There is one man here who has these speakers on top of his car and will make announcements. He led a spontaneous parade of citizens around and around the town for hours, blaring the national anthem. I never laughed so hard!

Good luck with your diet!

--Lauri

Hi Lauri,

don't listen to Greek mothers, they can't help but object to you not eating bread. It's always been a staple around here! :-)

I'm Greek, have tried Atkins, South Beach and Paleo and have found the latter one the easiest to follow - I actually had tons of energy about a week after starting it. Fell off the wagon though and have unsuccessfully tried to get back on it. I work too long hrs and finding time to cook is difficult. Plus I live and work at the city centre and I'm practically surrounded by junk food!

You're right about the lack of low carb products in the Greek market - though it could turn out as an advantage as it has always felt kind off consuming products processed to that degree.

Atkins and South Beach are indeed not known though both books were published in Greece this past year. So there's still hope.

I presume you live in Athens; how do you find it there?

Lena

Hi Lena,

Thanks for replying! My husband's cousin is a doctor and she knows about Atkins; she is the only one in the family that didn't go ballistic when finding out about the way I am eating. (Not that I really wanted everyone to find out, but somehow they all did.) She said it's fine.

I agree, I am GLAD there are no low-carb products here. I am really avoiding any kind of processed food.

I was wondering about whether or not Atkins had been published in Greek. I'll try to get a copy for my husband.

We live in Piraeus right now. I live near the big Carrefour's there, on Limani Zeas. I like it, but am afraid to drive. This has made my adjustment a little harder. I am used to hopping in the car and going wherever I wanted. I am really from Tennessee so the driving styles are pretty different. I really can't figure out the "rules of the road" here and I am too afraid I won't be able to feel what someone is going to do.

I have been here for one year. I found out about low-carb a couple of months before we moved here, but in the insanity of moving I didn't start it until this summer. I have lost steadily since then, until I ate two pieces of lachanopita at Christmas and came to a dead stop. I'm sure that part of it is that I have been sitting in the house a lot since it's been raining so much.

Do you get to walk a lot? This is a great advantage for me, having to walk to the grocery store, etc. I would not have been able to do that in America. My favorite low-carb meal is chippura and vlita with olive oil and lemon juice. It's so easy to make, too--just grill the chippura in the oven and throw the vlita in a pot of water. I feel so full after eating this. I usually eat a couple of eggs and some cheese in the evening. I was avoiding eggs at first because they are not refrigerated but I caved and haven't died yet. My biggest weakness is the Total yogurt. It's like eating chocolate cake for me. I plan on eating it once in awhile after I reach my goal.

I wish you the best of luck. I hope you really respond to LC like I have. I feel much better now. I know it's hard to be overweight in Greece because people are so ready to tell you your business. If you ever want to email me, let me know and I'll give you my email address.

Best wishes,
Lauri

Dear Lauri,

I can't really blame you for being afraid to drive; I lived in Agios Stefanos, Athens for three months last year, and since I don't drive I cycled to work and around town. Athenians drive extremely offensively, always in a hurry and always rude! I guess it has to do with the additional stress of living in the capital, or something... Things are quite slower up North.

I actually live in the same building work is, so commuting is really going up two flights of stairs. I do Pilates twice a week though, it's the only type of exercise that I trully enjoy and stick to.

Frankly I have never had laxanopita and I rarely eat vlita :-) but tsipoura is an excellent fish indeed. I love fish, especially grilled. Grilled liver (yeap) and fried steak come next in my list of low-carb favourites.

Hmm, Greece is looks-oriented, I'm afraid. I lived in Glasgow for 5 years and never felt odd about my figure. On the contrast everytime I came home it felt as though I was on the spotlight even walking down the street. Seriously. Men and women check me out, top-to-bottom, on the tube, walking down the street, at work. People I've never met keep on giving me (most of the times) good-natured advice on how to "lose my weight". He he, I think top on the list would be "rubbing my thighs with olive oil every morning after drinking a glass of warm water". Right. You get used to it and learn to ignore it after a while.

Oh well, I'm having quite a laugh at the moment watching Fame Story. That's a very odd-looking mom for a Tom Cruise look-alike. Good God.

Anyways, my email address is lenalg~yahoo.com, you are welcome to use that for replying.

Lena

Hello Greeks!

I couldn't imagine that there are Greeks here. We should be, we are everywhere!
Lauri are we neighbours? I live in Moschato!
Waiting for your news my sunny Greeks!

I'm not Greek, but came in to see if you all are exchanging recipes yet. I loooove Mousaka! It sounds like Paleo or Mediterranian is the way to go over there, but there are some yummy traditional recipes...I heard about using the chicken-egg soup and putting a little shredded caulifower in it. Anyway, I'll check back later with you, hope you're enjoying living there, and losing weight to boot!--Gail

Hello Gailew!

Most of the greek foods are ok to eat in a low carb diet. It's the way we eat in general. If you ask why we are fat, it's because we eat too much!

Since many of you ask, I'm thinking of making a Greek recipe topic to collect all the greek recipes . Maybe I will transform them a little bit to make them even more low in carbs.

I've eaten moussaka many many times but I didn't have the time to make it my self. I know how to do it in general but I'll try to find a recipe and translate it to english.

Have a nice day!

Yiasas! Just had to say HeLLO!
I'm a Greek-American with Athenian parents. I live in the US.
Check out Aquamarina's post from earlier today- called "Greeks around the World". It took off from an earlier thread where a bunch of posters discovered they were all Greek!

I love her idea of posting recipes. I'vd like to find an LC- gluten-free Karidopita. One of my favorite desserts.

Na eistai kala!

wow more greeks! i love it there and i totally agree that it is easier to eat better over there. not as much pre-packaged food and fast food.
i will tell you something about greece that makes me so SCARED to come back though. everyone is so SKINNY. not only that, but a lot of people are (what us americans would consider) rude. i know they dont mean to be but, they will just blurt out anything they want.

last time i went, i was 100 pounds thinner so it wasnt bad. now i am really avoiding going back until i can manage to lose the weight.

eve