Diary of a Fat Head...the saga continues

So, since I started the whole Fat Head experiment, I have gotten a lot questions about what I'm eating (especially from my mom). So, I thought I'd give you an idea of what I eat on a daily basis, and include a couple of links to recipes and such. If you've read my previous entries, you know that I am limiting my carb intake, and eating the majority of my calories from protein and fat. If you want to know more about this and why, see my previous entry and watch "Fat Head".

Breakfast

For breakfast, I usually have some combination of 2 eggs, breakfast meat, cheese, and sometimes a vegetable with some coffee (gotta have my coffee). My breakfast is usually pretty high calorie, somewhere around 500 calories, including the half and half or sugar free creamer in my coffee. Sometimes I make an omelette, today it was 2 slices of bacon and an ounce of light brie folding in 2 eggs whisked with about a teaspoon or two of half and half. Another favorite omelette was bacon, broccoli and sharp cheddar, topped with a tablespoon of alfredo sauce.

I have also done some delicious scrambles. I especially liked my scramble with spinach (wilted in a pan for a few minutes before added to the egg), feta spinach chicken sausage, and crumbled feta cubes with sundried tomatoes. If I feel like I need something carby or starchy, I will have a slice of Sara Lee 45 calorie bread with butter (I don't eat it because it's low calorie, but because it is only 7 carbs a slice) or I will cut up a baby red potato and fry it up in some of the bacon drippings. I've actually been saving the bacon drippings and using it in place of butter or non-stick spray. It's natural and cost-effective, not to mention delicious. I also like turkey bacon, since it's a little sweeter and kind of chewy.

If you need something that is easily prepared the night before and doesn't require cooking in the morning, this is another option. A protein shake is quick, though it tends not to be as satiating, and my roommate says when she starts her day with one of these, it actually makes her crave more carbs throughout the day. But, we use unsweetened almond milk, vanilla protein powder, blended with a combination of peanut butter, 1/3 a banana, some strawberries or other fruit.

Lunch

Lunch is often leftover's from dinner the night before. But, in the case that there are no leftovers, I will often make a tuna or egg salad sandwich on low carb bread, with some type of cheese. This can be eaten with a serving of fruit or veggies and/or some cottage cheese. I like an apple with peanut butter. Neila sometimes eats broccoli or carrots with ranch dressing or celery with peanut butter. Of course a green salad with some source of protein (i.e. chicken, beef) cheese and a low carb dressing is a good option as well. Balsalmic vinegrette, ranch, salsa and Italian dressings are all good options.

Dinner

Dinner is usually centered around meat including steak, chicken, or ground beef or turkey. We are always trying to come up with new ways to prepare these items, whether it's different seasonings, marinades or toppings. We recently did a stuffed meatloaf that was delicious, though a little high in calories. Here is the recipe if you are interested. We used half of the marinara, and used part 2% fat mozzarella (just using it up) and part colby jack cheese. In the future we may try it with ground turkey or a leaner ground beef so we can eat more and have the dish be more satisfying. The way we made it, it was a about 400 calories and 11 carbs for an 8th of the loaf.

I also recently created a recipe that I am quite proud of. I'm proud because I created it from scratch, without even referencing a similar recipe to get started. It is a Peanut butter chicken curry that tastes a lot like Panang Curry. Here is that recipe. I am constantly searching for new recipes, and my roommate recently found the website SparkRecipes which has a huge database of low carb recipes. I will keep you posted as I find good ones!

With our meat, we have a generous helping of veggies. I especially like to roast my veggies. My favorites include broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, and asparagus either alone or in any combination. I sprinkle them with some olive oil, salt and pepper and pop them in the oven at 425 until they are tender. With my brussels sprouts, I generally add a sprinkle of sugar and little bit of butter as well to cut the bitterness. Another way to dress up the veggies, whether roasted or steamed is with sauces. Some of our favorites are alfredo sauce, queso sauce, salsa, sour cream, ranch and butter. These sauces are also great dips for raw veggies or on your omelette or scramble in the morning. Just a tablespoon or two adds a lot of flavor for relatively few calories.

Snacks

Snacks involve some combination of meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables or nuts. Again, I like an apple with peanut butter, cheese sticks, a piece of cheese wrapped with some lunch meat, veggies dipped in some sort of sauce, a serving of almonds, a piece of low carb bread with peanut butter, or a handful of strawberries. My favorite almonds are the Emerald cocoa roast almonds, as they have some sweetness and that chocolately flavor. Another reasonable snack option for on the go are the Nature Valley Nut Crunch Bars. Compared to other snack bars and granola bars, they are pretty low carb, decent in protein, and have that great sweet/salty combination.

Desserts

Most of my friends know I have a serious sweet tooth. So, I have had to get creative with my sweets. Unfortunately, a number of my sweet options involve artificial sweetners or sugar alcohols. I hope to reach a point where I don't have to rely on these. I know artificial sweetners have a bad reputation. I am still researching sugar alcohols and whether they are really a good alternative. I've tried stevia, both in powder and liquid extract form in my coffee, and have not cared for the after taste. It's honestly worse than that of aspartame or sucralose. I do like Truvia, which contains a combination of stevia and sugar alcohol. But, again, there is that sugar alcohol.

With that said, I quite enjoy cut up strawberries with heavy whipping cream and splenda. There is the fancy version of this, where I sprinkle about a packet of splenda on the cut strawberries, mix and refridgerate, and then actually whip up the whipped cream (about 2-3 tbsp per serving) with splenda to taste, and then top the strawberries with the whipped cream. Then there is the lazy version, where I cut up the strawberries, pour a couple of tablespoons of whipping cream over the top, sprinkle in splenda, stir and enjoy. I also enjoy dark chocolate. This is a great option, as it does not contain any sugar substitutes and you get the antioxidants and the endorphin rush of the cocoa. The lowest carb option I've found so far is actually the Safeway Select 78% cacao dark chocolate. At 57 calories and 2.7 carbs a square, it's a dream come true. It is also delicious shaved over the fancy version of the strawberries and cream. I have also tried the safeway "Watch'n carbs" ice cream. It is okay, but I'm not fond of the texture. The Breyer's Carbsmart ice cream bars are a delicious option. I've tried both the Almond Bar (vanilla ice cream coated in chocolate and almond pieces) and the fudge bar. They are rich and creamy, and sweetened primarily with sugar alcohols.

My "Must-have" products

There are a number of products now that I keep stocked in my kitchen. Some are brand specific, others I just make sure I have something in that category in my arsenal

-Peanut butter (I use Skippy Natural or Trader Joe's, little or no artificiality)
-Sunflower Seed butter (Trader Joe's, a great substitute for Peanut butter if you need some variety. Almond butter is a good one, too)
-Cocoa Roast Almonds
-Pure Silk unsweetened Almond Milk
-Sara Lee Delightful Whole Wheat Bread
-Sausage and Bacon (I prefer chicken sausages, and like both regular and turkey bacon)
-Eggs (lots of them)
-Meat
-Deli Meat
-Cottage Cheese
-A variety of block cheeses
-Fresh and frozen veggies
-Apples
-Strawberries
-Heavy whipping cream
-Half and half
-Splenda
-Safeway Select 78% Cacao dark chocolate
-Carb Smart ice cream bars

I hope that is helpful for someone! Please let me know if you have any ideas as well. I am learning and researching and trying to make it easier for this to be long term lifestyle. I will address what I do when eating out and some of the surprising options for keeping within your carbs in another post. Please note, that I am only eating about 2 servings of fruit a day because fruit, while nutritious is still fairly high in carbs. Vegetables have carbs as well, but they have much fewer, so they can be eaten in larger quantities for the most part. I would say 50-60% of my carbs each day come from fruits and vegetables, the rest comes mostly from nuts and dairy products.

It is so nice to eat REAL food that tastes good and continue to lose weight in the process. I never feel deprived and I rarely feel hungry. I'm eating things I love, like steak, cheese and chocolate, and occasionally I splurge and get a full carb dessert or eat something starchy, like potatoes. It's a pretty good deal all around!