The low-carb diet has long been the center of diet debates. The health benefits and risks, the restrictive nature of it and people’s ability to make it a lifestyle have all been offered up for discussion. This article is intended to neither promote nor discredit the low-carb diet, it is meant to offer helpful strategies to those choosing to follow the low-carb lifestyle.
Losing weight has always been my motivation to embrace a low-carb diet and I have had great success in losing while following a low-carb diet. Low-carb eating does offer many challenges and restrictions that can act as roadblocks to your success. Here are a few strategies to bypass a few of the hurdles low-carb eating offers.
Problem: It is not always convenient to find low carb food when on the go.
The first time I low-carbed it was in the late 80’s with Dr. Atkins plan. It was basically meat, veggies and cheese. Low-carb has come along way since then and companies have marketed foods specifically for low-carb diets. Atkins has come out with lines of shakes and bars that make a great grab-n-go snack. Low-carbers should also get reacquainted with the insulated lunchbox, as many snacks need to be kept cold. Carrying a lunch box with an ice pack allows you to make foods such as baggies of lunch meat, cheese sticks or cream cheese roll ups portable. Having items on hand that are easy to eat makes a fast food drive thru less appealing. It may be a little odd at first to drive around munching from a bag of deli turkey in your lap, but really it is no different than drivers who wrangle a giant burger while they drive…and probably a lot safer!
Problem: I get bored with the same low-carb foods.
One of the drawbacks to low-carb diets is the restrictions on what foods you can eat. If you’re eating a steak and veggies every night it is going to get boring no matter how juicy the steak is. It’s time to crack a cookbook and reacquaint yourself with your spice cupboard. Pork tenderloin is a perfect example of how the same food can be so different with the aid of seasoning. You can buy pre-seasoned pork tenderloins seasoned several ways like lemon pepper or teriyaki. Each flavor is a different experience. You will also need to cook to keep your low-carb diet interesting. Search recipe sites for their low-carb options and give them a try. The dishes you like make a large batch of and freeze it into several meals so the cooking is minimal. Having several of your favorite low-carb dishes in your freezer also gives you variety when your jonesing for something different. Saving freezer entrée containers to reuse makes perfect portion control containers to freeze your servings in. Trying new foods will also add excitement to your journey. I recently fell in love with pinenuts, a food I would never have tried if I weren’t on the low-carb diet. Many sites offer a low-carb food list for you to browse through and find foods you haven’t tried, be forewarned though…sweetbreads are something very different than one may expect.
Having a positive attitude toward the diet choices you make will be your biggest tool for success. It will also make the planning and preparation you put into your diet fun and rewarding. As with any diet you need to make safe choices specific to your body. The above information is not medical advice and you should seek the counsel of your physician when starting any diet program.
