food for lazy people?

[BiT]

Hello all! First time poster and I've got a few problems with low carbing.

First a little history of my work out attempts. I'm a 25 year old male, and have been on the heavy side for a quite a long time, since my mid teens I guess. I always wanted to really dedicated myself with working out but always put it off for a later day.

However I stumbled across John Stone's site on January 2004 and that really helped me to change my outlook. At that time I weighed in at 195ish lbs. I started an active 40/40/20 routine that involved a Max OT weight training program and a bit of cardio here and there.

Things went really well and for about 7 months I managed to get down to about 180 with a good increase in muscle mass and was starting to get decent muscle tone. However at that time I had to go for an tonsilectomy so that knocked me out for about 2 1/2 weeks.

Of course during that time I couldn't really eat very much so my weight plunged down to about 170, but I knew I had lost a lot of muscle mass. Trying to get back on track, I started to be a little less strict on my dieting and racked up quite a bit of junk food points.

At that time as well, my regular workout partner stopped going to the gym so I was stuck doing heavy free weights without a partner. With the weights I was doing it's pretty dangerous to use free weights without a partner so ... well.. I kinda stopped going :blush:

Anyhow, here I am 3 months later, and back to 195. I've pretty much let myself go and ate junkfood for all those 3 months. I've lost muscle mass, and my muscle tone is gone from everywhere except my arms.

I've read about Keto diets before and have read the Atkins New Diet Revolution and have decided to give this a go for atleast a few months. During this time I will only focus on lossing fat and as little muscle as possible. I will NOT be weight training as doing this during low car will cause me to lose much more lbm then I want to. I will however try to do 1h of 65-70 MHR 5-6 times a day.

Now that that's over with my questions are this:

I'm a really lazy person in terms of cooking. The reason why I eat so much junk food is that I don't have to cook it!! Essentially I've been eating canned fish and cheeses for the last few days.

Does anyone have any suggestions on low carb food that is easily preparable? The simpilier the better. I don't really care about taste as long as it's easy to get / make.

[Tigerfly]

I have to suggest freezing meat (steak, chicken, pork) in individual freezer bags, and buying a George Forman Grill.

When you get a bit hungry... throw a frozen meat in the microwave for 2 minutes and then toss it on the George Foreman with some seasoning!

I happen to do this nearly everyday. It's fast, it's easy, and its 0 carbs!

[nanjack200]

Not sure if you would even consider doing this....but it works for me. Usually on Sundays I make a bunch of food to take me through the week...it really helps me out because I stay away from all the frankenfoods (low carb candy, etc)

If you don't mix up the foods you eat, you will get bored.

Sometimes I fry up some pepperoni and cheese..burn it..and it is a great crunchy treat. Also, you could try to do a search on this forum. Hope this helps and good luck...seems like you are on the right track!

[kara-z]

Hi bit, Welcome to the fourm. There are tons of really easy stuff to eat, for a quick snack you can get the can tuna or chicken and add some mayo and couple of spices and you have chicken salad, I like to eat them on pork rinds. Also i buy the frozen chicken wings from Sams and put them in the micro. Some of the flavors have more carbs than others but they really do taste good. You mentioned that taste doesnt matter but when your going to be doing this a while you really need to enjoy the food that your eating or your gonna get bored with it quick. Good luck to you

[Heather823]

When I first started Atkins a month ago I didn't think I'd be able to do it either. The idea of cooking all the time annoys me -- especially when it's just for me. I have found that freezing meat in individual servings and using the george foreman grill has helped a ton. Pork Chops are easily done in just a few minutes in a frying pan as well. Cook them with olive oil and some fresh herbs (Rosemary or Thyme) and you've got a really quick really delicious meal.

I've started mixing some vegetables like green onions and chives into hamburger as well before making it into patties. Sneaking veggies in wherever possible means less actual cooking and less clean up.

I do the chicken salad thing a lot too. Throw some celery in with the chicken and mayo and you've got some vegetables snuck in there too.

[Dewi]

you can get pre cut salads and i know tyson has grilled chicken strips out there. The chicken strips can be used for other things besides salads. It will get easier with time.

[jgmusicfan]

What up HEATHER!
I'm so glad that I have someone to talk to about this low carb thing. I think people that bash the diet are just uneducated and don't understand that it really DOES work and you really AREN'T HUNGRY! How cool...it's not for everyone, that's for sure, but for me it's a way of life. I don't think I'll ever go back to eating "crap" again. Plus, you just FEEL so great on this WOL. Love it.

[Mousesmom]

I buy bags of mixed greens for a quick salad. You need your veggies!!! There are lots of meals that don't require a lot of prep work, the Foreman Grill is an excellent idea. It's quick and painless. I don't like to cook either. Hard boiled eggs are a quick snack and you can boil a bunch and keep them in the fridge til you want them.

Cheese, pepperoni, pork rinds, bunless hamburgers. Lots of choices here.

Drink your water!

Good luck to you.

Julie

[Steve175]

Another vote here for the ol' George Foreman...
5 minutes to heat it up (while your meat is defrosting in the micro), and 5 minutes to cook. Add a bag of precut salad and a bottle of CarbWell dressing and you're set.

Vary the meat and/or the seasoning to avoid boredom... Life is good and the carbs are low!

[BiT]

wow you guys rock =)

I remember hearing something about the grill but it didn't hit me till now. Yum slamon steaks!!!

[sugarjunky]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v335/delicatepink_knife/dinner.jpg

I'm lazy too, but I shop smart, (not to imply that you don't) so I can make meals like this one fast. Salmon filet with greens, avocado, romas, and broccoli. Drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, with a dollop of sour cream and a slice of lime... Mmmmm.

[luddybell]

::Drooling::

[Whammy]

Rotisserie chicken at the supermarket (eat for main course, leftovers can be used in a salad with pre-cut lettuce and dressing or mayo)

Canned tuna w/mayo w/celery (you can dip pork rinds in it)
Canned tuna with pre-cut lettuce and dressing or mayo
Ditto on canned chicken

Tyson's cooked chicken strips dunked in dressing or mayo
Tyson's cooked chicken strips w/lettuce and dressing

Deli sliced roast beef added to lettuce and dressing
Deli sliced roast beef/ham/turkey (spread mayo on your choice, add some natural cheese, a fistful of lettuce, and roll it up)

Bag of shredded cheese (use a fistful in a LC tortilla, throw in the microwave for a quesadilla). Throw some sour cream on it for the fat

Cooked shrimp is available at the fish counter

ALSO, you don't say where you live but if there is a latino community in your area, a lot of their markets carry cooked take-out meats. You can get carnitas (shredded pork), or fajita meat, etc., by the pound.

[rosey1]

1 note about the Gf grill... cover it with foil and spray non stick spray on the foil. then all ya gotta do is remove the foil and throw it out.. no cleaning involved!!!

[nowonder]

I've read about Keto diets before and have read the Atkins New Diet Revolution and have decided to give this a go for atleast a few months. During this time I will only focus on lossing fat and as little muscle as possible. I will NOT be weight training as doing this during low car will cause me to lose much more lbm then I want to. I will however try to do 1h of 65-70 MHR 5-6 times a day.


I'm sorry, but where did you get the idea that low carb will reduce lean body mass? There is no way a diet that provides this much protein can reduce your LBM. Most experts agree that Atkins and the like are muscle sparing compared to other diets.

As you know bigger muscles burn more calories...
--nw

[nottalozer]

ummmmmm what are greens?

[BiT]

Ahh I was refering to the doing Weight Training & Keto. Doing this will burn more LBM due to skeletal muscle being metabolized for glycogen for the brain.

Our brain is the biggest user of glycogen in the body, however we only have 2 readily available stores of it: 1) in our liver, 2) Our skeletal muscle. That being said our brain does require a fair bit of this and once liver stores run dry, LBM is next.

Weight Training tends to quickly deplete our bodies glucose levels fairly quickly. If you don't replenish these levels fairly quickly after a workout, your body goes into catabolism in order to feed higher functions ( brain ).