Experienced but need help...

[L-Jo]

I've been doing LC for about 2 1/2 yrs now. I lost 50 lbs in the first year or so and have pretty much stayed there since. I feel 100% better when I follow this WOL, but I find myself cutting corners lately. I still need to lose about 50 lbs more and I'm tired of spinning my wheels. I need to do SOMETHING! I got depressed today and ate 9 cookies, a bag or popcorn and washed it all down with a margarita. If I'd had cake or pie in the house they would not have survived the afternoon either. I need some fresh ideas for snacks. Sweets especially. I'm tired of string cheese, slim jims and nuts. I can't eat anything w/sugar alchohols in it. (They give me terrible stomach pains.) I need simple, quick snacks so when I'm eyeing that cookie I can have an alternative. I've got two kids and a husband who do not do LC, so there's no getting rid of the 'bad' stuff. Thanks in advance for your help!!!

[barb0324]

A quick legal indulgance for me is "ice cream". I have frozen berries in the freezer, the big bag at Costco with blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Mix in blender with some heavy cream and Fiberfit (or other non carb sweetener). Sometimes instead of sweetener I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder. Sprinkle a little ground flax seed on top, and it's healthy, to boot :)

Another quick small sweet snack is the "mock danish". I don't remember the original recipe, but what I do is put two Tbsp of cream cheese in a little Pyrex bowl and micro for 30 seconds. Add cinnamon, some flax seed, and a bit of sugarfree syrup, any flavor, I like Kaluah, and mix well. It's filling and hits the spot.

There are great recipes for melting sugarfree chocolate and adding sweetener, some coconut and ground walnuts, etc. - then dropping little piles on foil, and when hard, save in freezer.

Oh, and sprinkle some almonds with Splenda and cinnamon and roast for a bit in the oven, they are great for a sweet snack.

Hope those ideas help somewhat.

[CindySue48]

Have you tried SweetPerfection? It's a natural sweetener made from chicory and mung beans. I know you can get it at Low Carb Specialties.

Bawdy's cheesecake recipe is wonderful. I used sweet perfection instead of splenda (actually I've made it both ways) and it's wonderful. There doesn't seem to be an aftertaste to it like artifical sweeteners. It measures like sugar and can be used exactly the same way. I would imagine any of your favorite recipes could be made with this as a substitute.

[nedgoudy]

Everyone is different, and I only share
my own opinion and experience.

I don't cheat. When I was in my
weightloss phase I didn't cheat either.
I wanted to drop the weight ASAP and
I knew that if I cheated it would just
take longer OR WORSE YET, I would
return to bad habits and NEVER LOOSE
the Weight.

You need to find a regime that will keep
you losing weight on a predictable basis
so you can continue to experience success
and thus you WILL NOT BE TEMPTED to cheat.

I like to refer people to the Whey of Life website
at: http://www.wheyoflife.org/ which has a lot
of great information on it about the benefits of
a diet that includes a lot of Whey Protein.

That was the secret to my weightloss and it
continues to serve me well in maintenance,
although NOW I can have a couple of shakes
for lunch and dinner and since I exercise a lot
I can eat just about anything I want for dinner,
although I have a long list of Carby foods I will
NEVER EAT AGAIN.

As for your family not Low Carbing, you can
start educating them and since you probably
do the cooking you can UNILATERALLY make
decisions that will effect what goes on the dinner
table and in the lunch bags.

Good Luck, if you want further information, don't
hesitate to send a personal message for more
details.

[Rachel1]

There are tons of LC dessert/snack recipes in this forum, many of them very simple. Browse through them and find some that work for you.

I'm also a long-term low-carber (4-5 years? Lost track!) who still has some pounds to go. I'm in this primarily for the health benefits, so I don't much mind. What's helped me lose weight is (1) finding and sticking to a regular exercise program and (2)occasionally tweaking the diet, for example reducing fat and/or calories for a couple of months. I'll lose a few pounds, then go back to my regular LC diet for a few months of maintenance. Then, when I have the time and energy, I'll do another phase of tweaking.

Try and resist the temptation to cheat out of boredom or depression. Putting weight back on, which will surely be the result, will just make your bad feelings worse!

Best of luck, and stick with it!
Rachel

[SkeeterX]

Sounds like you haven't kicked the carb addiction to me.. perhaps try a clean induction period to rid yourself of the cravings..

[black57]

What are you doing for exercise? Whatever your effort increase it a bit and close your eyes to the scale. Exercise will prepare you for additional weightloss but it will also cause you to gain a little. Muscle mass, and water that it retains, will add weight while reducing the size of your bod.