Karma's low carb lifestyle thread:

Most of you guys know from my renovation thread that I'm strictly no to low carb due to my diabetes and weight issues. I'm going to be adding tips, hints and recipes to help other brothers in my shoes who are looking for a remedy.

First, I love this lifestyle. It's hard and not something easily accustomed to but it has certainly worked for me. My blood sugar is now level and stable, my mental acumen is strong due to no more sugar highs and dumps, and I am dropping pounds steadily.

I'll begin with the staples and the rules I follow:

I can eat any and all meat, fish/seafood, cheese, eggs, creams (sour and cream cheese), green vegetables and sugar free jell-o. Drink is green tea made with splenda or Crystal Light.

The rules include:

Eat in threes; Within 3 hours of waking up and then every three hours thereafter and then NOT eating 3 hours before bed (this rule I'll sometimes bend by having a jell-o cup but nothing more than that). This keeps your metabolism steady and running to promote healthy energy and motivation. Exercise. This is critical. Even if it's a brisk walk around the block, or a couple laps in a pool; anything to raise your heart rate and get you sweating is beneficial to your life. A positive attitude. This is probably the most important thing to have because it gives you the drive an reassurance to keep going.

Stay away from: White breads (all fo them), white flour enriched products, "sugar free" chocolate products containing maltitol (gives you the sh!ts) and tastes like ass. Fruit juices, potatoes, rice, pasta (with the exception being Dreamfields brand pasta, even then use sparingly) and finally milk. Stuff is absolutely loaded with sugar.

Some tips/hints include: Drink a full glass (16 oz) of tea or sf drink before you eat to help get your stomach ready for some grub. Don't kid yourself with the mentality that "a little bite won't hurt", it will. If you do eat something which is carb laden DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP ABOUT IT! You'll only cause yourself grief and unnecessary guilt. You did it, live with it. Move on.

I'll be adding more info as I become more accustomed to this new eating and living style and I'll be adding some cooking tips and recipes which I turn to regularly.

Good thread Karma.

I'm really proud of you man for what its worth.

Also I was wondering is your type of diabetes the kind you can cure with enough weight loss or is it the unfortunate type that needs managing the rest of your life?

General KontrollerX,

Positive reassurance makes my face crack --> :moon: !

:crackup: :crazy:

Thank you brother, to answer your question I am type II diabetic and with exercise and weight loss is absolutely possible to be free of it entirely which is my ultimate goal.

It's one battle in the war. Always keep fighting.

Great thread.
You probably know this by now: get all your carbs from fruit and veggies. If you need more, do yams/sweet potatoes/oatmeal.

Stay away from refined/processed foods. Always check labels for bleached flour or High fructose corn syrup.

Eat lots of fiber, from fruits and veggies.

A-fvcking-men! Read the labels!

Anything unpronouncable or has more than 6 syllables I don't put it in my mouth.

My recent favorite low-carb quick meal:

2-4 cups of cooked vegetables (mix & match)
4-8 organic eggs cooked over easy

1. Salt & spice vegetables as desired (shredded cheese optional).
2. Place cooked eggs in dish on top of vegetables.
3. Eat.

Running yokes will compliment the vegetables and make them more palatable.

Easy, very healthy, <10 min to prep.

substitute ground beef, chicken, turkey or pork (or anything similar) for the eggs and you've got at least 4 other variants w/o even putting any thought into it.

don't drain the meat fat (unless using very fatty pork or beef) -- let it run over the veggies and use less butter/olive oil.

Karma's no carb Chicken Cordon Bleu:

I love this recipe:

crush some pork rinds and set aside. Using boneless (skin on) chicken breasts, pound until flat and even. Use proscuitto or virginia baked ham slices and lie flat on chicken breast then cover those with cheese of your choice. I use mozarella, havarti or meunster. Roll and then dip in egg wash (1 whole egg and 1 tblsp half n half) then roll in crushed pork rinds. Skewer with long toothpick or skewer.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place Chicken in a shallow pan and cook for 25 minutes. Once 25 minute cook time is reached turn on the broiler and cook for an extra 3 - 4 minutes to get a nice toasty crust on top.

Yummy!

total carbs per serving: 2

Side with some mashed cauliflower and butter and you'll be tasting heaven.

Karma's authentic Louisiana Gumbo:

I just made this for the second time this week so I'm going to post my low carb recipe which retains all of the flavor and none of the sugary garbage.

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter
1 bag of gumbo veggies (in the veggie aisle)
1 onion, bell pepper, 2 stalks of celery
1tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, 1 tbsp minced garlic.
1/2 lb of fresh okra pods cut. (this is critical).
1 1/2 lbs fish (any kind will do but I like tilapia or grouper)
1 pound of shrimp (45-60 or "large")
4 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of beef stock (my secret ingredient!)
1 regular can of sliced stewed tomatoes.
1/4 cup of all purpose flour. (one note on flour, I've used unbleached wheat and soy flour but neither one will make a decent roux so I have to bite the bullet and go with all purpose flour for this.)

Dice your trinity veggies and put them in your pot with a little pat of butter. Add the seasonings too.
Once they're caramelized, remove them and add the rest of the butter on med-low heat until the you have clarified butter. Add the flour and stir with a whisk until well incorporated into a roux. keep stirring for at least 5 minutes until the roux becomes a deep golden color. DO NOT LET IT BURN! It's ruined if it burns.

Next get your stock and tomatoes together and get 'em hot.

Pour the liquid slowly, one cup at a time, while stirring into the roux. Once all of the liquid is incorporated, dump in your trinity veggies and your gumbo veggies. Stir the gumbo until everything is mixed in. turn heat up to medium.

Lastly, put all of the seafood in. Allow it to cook for 20 minutes then enjoy the best damned gumbo ever!

Some sidenotes:

Some people like to put sausage in thier gumbo. If you want to, go for it. I don't as it makes it too gummy for my taste.

Also, I used to use file' at the end but I stopped that by using fresh cut okra.
The file' will turn ropey and give it a grassy taste. Blah.

Other than that, this is my kinda eatin'!

Enjoy.

If you want any specific recipes or want some cooking tips please let me know.

Karma how do you bring your blood sugar up if you get low? I'm type 1 but I'm trying to lost some of the weight I have on a low card dietary guideline and was wondering about that.

I'll have a 1/4 glass of orange or apple juice or a piece of fruit.

If I'm out I have glucose tabs I keep in my car.

My recipe for perfect chicken:

I eat a ton of chicken. A ton. It's cheap and, if cooked right, absolutely delicious.

Here you go:

First, I always brine my chicken. Always. This helps to inject flavor and tenderness into the meat while removing the blood.

Karma's brine recipe:

2 gallons of cold water
2 cups of kosher salt
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
3 tbsp whole peppercorns
1 garlic clove

Mix all of the above until clear. Add chicken and allow to brine for a minimum of 4 hours.

Once the brine process is complete, dump the brine and rinse off the chicken. Pat dry with paper towels.

cook thighs on the bottom side first for 4-5 minutes at med high heat. Turn it over and on the skin side turn the heat up to high for another 4-5 minutes then remove and allow to rest uncovered for 5 minutes.

legs you have to rotate every 3 minutes or so until charred/grilled.

Breasts. The big ones need more time so you have to adjust the heat. Turn to medium and cook on the bottom first for 6-8 minutes. Flip, repeat but turn the heat up to medium high.

A note on superb grilling and barbeque:

You will absolutely burn the hell out of your chicken if you baste/glaze/mop your bird before you take it off the grill. Once you've moved the chicken over to the warm side of your grill to remain cooking is when you mop or glaze your bird. Close the lid and allow the smoke to sear the sugar in the glaze and caramelize the skin.

Resting is absolutely crucial for juicy chicken. Let the meat rest at least 5 minutes away from heat, uncovered. And the best lesson of all:

DO NOT OVERCOOK YOUR BIRD!​

Enjoy.

KarmaSutra said:

I eat a ton of chicken. A ton. It's cheap and, if cooked right, absolutely delicious.

Click to expand...

Thank you, sir. A practical guide that will be used, by me anyway.

Awesome thread!!!! i love chicken too man


post some pics up!!!!


best user on this board hands down

This is called the Ketogenic Diet, "Keto"
I go on Keto diet only to get ripped for certain events or to just get utterly shredded for spring/summer break. Make sure your fat intake is high...

StateOfMind said:

This is called the Ketogenic Diet, "Keto"
I go on Keto diet only to get ripped for certain events or to just get utterly shredded for spring/summer break. Make sure your fat intake is high...

Click to expand...

when you say fat intake high? what kind and hoiw much? fish oil? olive oil? avocados?

Macros for Keto is 65/30/5 Far/protein/Carbs
Make sure you get plenty of fiber in your diet(Fiber doesn't count towards daily carb intake)

The only types of fats you need to consume in general are Saturated, Poly and mono fats... Comming from peanut butter, avocados, steak, olive oil etc... Avoid trans fats always.

I'm a bit supporter of low carb dieting so I'm right behind you on this. It has been the most effective and quickest way I've ever lost body fat while maintaining muscle.

Just a few things I'll add from personal experience. Carbs are addictive, especially simple carbs and sugars. If you lapse or decide to include cheat meals/snacks that include refined sugar and simple carbs, it will cause you to crave more and make it more difficult to maintain your diet - much like a smoker who has one cigarette or an alcoholic who has just one drink and falls off the wagon. Low carb dieting is very difficult to get started, but once you get through the first few days you'll find it gets much easier.

Another thing is that zero carb dieting for long periods (2 weeks or more) can have some really detrimental effects such as low sex drive, low motivation and low energy. It can also affect your mood very badly and cause you to be overly sensitive or emotional, even depressed. I experienced this and a lot of bodybuilders go through it as they're approaching competitions and cutting hard. I'm guessing it has to do with lowered testosterone levels, but that's just me speculating. A good way around this is to go low carb instead of zero carb or to have one day where you stock up on carbs (complex carbs only).

That's my negatives. Once I found the right balance things worked very well for me all round!