Hello and Welcome to my new low carb blog.
I am a elementary school teacher who loves kids, family, and cooking. I am a low carb connoisseur if you will. I have been on the diet for 2 years now and have lost a total of 50 lbs. The low carb lifestyle is easy. I used to be the typical mindless person when it came to what I put in my mouth. There was no limit.
In 2010 I changed. With my father having a heart attack, I realized I didn't want to be in the same position at his age. The doctors were always nagging the family to exercise, and they were right. We also changed our diet quite a bit. Changing to low carbs food was easy after we started eating healthier. There are plenty of easy and delicious low carb meals out there!
I have also found some great support and resources online for eating low carb. There are several forums, and plenty of recipe sites that have helped my family and myself.
The hardest part about being on a low carb diet is eating out. Plenty of restaurants will cater for the low carb eater, you just have to ask. It does help to eat at home though, not only to save money, but to make some of the great recipes that cannot be found in a restaurant. We used to go out to Chinese food all the time. This is now a once a month trip. Which we still enjoy. Call me crazy, but after eating low carb all the time, the carbs have lost their appeal. I don't crave a pound of rice with fried chicken so much. I do crave grilled chicken with veggies. This is my new staple. If I can plan ahead, I marinade the chicken in some Italian dressing, and let it set overnight in the refrigerator. A few minutes on the grill, and you're a side away from a great dish. My husband also made some great low carb barbecue sauce using tomato paste, artificial sugar, spices and a little Jack Daniel's. He of course has to pour himself a glass while he makes it.
We have found a new restaurant to eat low carb. There is a great little mexican place down the street called Casa Bonita. It is great, and they already have a few dishes that are approved on the diet. They also inspired us to cook our own mexican food at home. I have never cooked with chili peppers before, and let me tell you, they are great! The spices and flavors are so easy and will make your mouth water. I can't believe I used to think Taco Bell was Mexican. They don't even use cilantro!