Hi
I'm been on and off protein power for over a year. I am getting bored ....any one else finding it hard?

Hi, Bess . No, I am not bored. What exactly is "boring" you? Is it what you're eating, how you're accounting for what you're eating, life in general, your exercise routine (or lack thereof), something else or all the above? I am sure whatever it is, it can be changed once you pinpoint the exact source.

Shadow....
I guess it is the food.... I am not a very good cook and find I am in a rut of foods that I know are OK for carbs and with not wanting to screw up on the hidden carbs I have become a little bored with my food. Some times recipes are hard to convert and I have a household not on LC like me that want the usually foods....hamburgers, hot dogs, lasagna, sheppard's pie, stew etc... So to come up with a LC version was beyond me. I then tend to just cook a piece of chicken or fish and eat a salad to avoid the double meal. As a result, I am bored with the food and at the same time tempted by what is around me.
I was great for a while but not sure my will power is big enough to continue this way. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks in advance

Bess - Don't be discouraged ! It takes a while to learn to "think outside the box". If you're like me, you've always had "XXX" with hamburger, "XXX" with stew, and so on - to the point that you've stagnated on being creative and coming up with options.

My first suggestion, is that if you don't plan your family meals in advance, try planning ahead. That will give you an idea of what you'll have available (hamburger, vs stew meat, vs chicken, etc). Then, cruise the recipe forum to look for things that would appeal to you. For example, say you're making stew for the family. Put aside some of the cooked stew meat and broth. To this meat and broth, you could do something simple like boil it with cabbage (or cabbage & carrots if you have the carbs available) or you could add some onion, mushroom and sour cream and have more of a stroganoff. Or if you're in the mood, take plain beef and fry it up in olive oil with garlic and onion - or spices of your choice. For that matter, if you want, you could pull out stew before thickening it and have a beef soup with the same ingredients.

Secondly, keep in mind that a lot of dishes can be frozen. So if you take a little extra time here - you'll save a lot of time there, see what I mean? For example, if you make meatloaf for your family - bake one (low-carb friendly, of course) at the same time and freeze the leftover portions for a quick reheat some other time.

Third - Don't be afraid to experiment and to fail. That's how you'll learn to adapt to cooking the low-carb way for one. It takes patience and perseverence, but you can do it ! It's like learning or adapting to anything else, it just takes time . And there's always the recipe section to post questions on. You may want to surf the Tips and Techniques thread where there's a lot of great information on low-carb cooking.

Hopefully this has helped some! Unfortunately, work is hectic here and I must go. It's taken me all afternoon to just get this done! But hang in there - I'll try to think of more suggestions soon !

Shadow....
Thanks for such a great reply. First, I hadn' t found those forums you mentioned yet (I'm new to this computer forum thing too). I am going to look for them after posting this!

I didn't know you could do some of the things you mentioned. You are right about looking out side the box. I see what you mean by that with the way you approach it. I definitely am "creatively challenged" in the kitchen! Maybe that is the biggest problem. Probably why I never tried new product too.

Your approach has given me pause to re-think things. For example... I have hamburgers defrosting for tonight. Usually I would just eat mine without the bun and put everything that I would normally put on a burger on top. But maybe if I look in the other forums you suggested I might find something else to do with that plain burger!

Thanks for opening the box....I'll try looking outside.... any more helpful hints would be appreciated. You sound like a good cook! I think that is helpful with this plan. Thanks for the ideas!
Going surfing now! hope to talk soon.

Hi Bess ! You are certainly welcome for what little advice I gave you! It is very daunting trying to adjust cooking for one to this WOE, especially if you don't have a background in cooking. But don't lose hope - you'll be a whiz in no time .

In case you didn't find the recipe thread on this forum, it is here:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2

Also, the Protein Power recipe thread is here:
http://bbs.eatprotein.com/cgi-bin/u...i?ubb=forum;f=4

There is a "search" function on both web sites so if you have something particular in mind - like hamburger - you can just put that in and it will pull up all recipes that mention hamburger. I'm not computer savvy by any means, but if you need help with these sites, or searching, or finding your way around, just let me know and I'll see if I can help you .

Let's see if I can come up with a couple more tips for you:
- When you try a recipe, make note of any changes you have done to that recipe (like substituted a spice you like for one that you don't like). That way, the next time you make it, you'll know what you did.
- When you first try a recipe and taste it, make any notes on the recipe of things you'd like to change or try the next time. For example, if a recipe calls for cheddar cheese but isn't quite "right" when you try it - try swiss or another cheese the next time. Obviously, if you like it the first time around, don't change anything .
- As with any recipe, make sure you read all the steps involved and ingredients needed before making. I find the less steps involved, the more inclined I am to try it.
- There are so many recipes available - one mistake I have made is trying a recipe and not caring for it - then forgetting to get rid of that recipe. Then I end up making it again .
- Start with simple/basic things and work your way up from there. Experimenting with meat and veggies is a lot less risky, for example, than baking.
- You'll find for pretty much any recipe on this forum or others, there will be variations others did to that recipe. My suggestion is to make a recipe as close to it's original form as you can the first time. Once you know what it should taste like, it's texture should be, and how easy it was to make, you can then start to experiment and change it. If you do the note-taking suggested above, this will be easy.
- Almost all recipes (baked goods being the biggest exception) can be made in smaller portions. Just divide everything out equally. But keep in mind, if you're pretty sure you'll like it, go ahead and make the whole thing and freeze portions for later use.
- Stock your kitchen with basics (veggies like cauliflower and cabbage, sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, heavy cream) so you have them on hand. Obviously veggies don't last forever, but usually the dairy products have a long shelf life.
- And finally, never be afraid to try! At worst, you'll end up eating something you won't want to try again - and at best, you'll have a new recipe to add to your collection that you'll look forward to making again.

Hopefully by now you've found something good to do with your hamburger! If not, a couple simple suggestions to change it from the same old thing:
=Add some taco seasoning and serve it with sour cream &/or cheddar cheese
=Add some bacon and optional mushrooms - top with swiss cheese
=Fry it up with some onion and tomato plus spices of your choice and eat that way or add a little beef broth and you'll have a beanless chili

Best of luck to ya! Keep in touch and let me know how it's going!

Shadow...
loved your post....
I have definitely tried recipes and forgotten and tried them again even after disliking them the first time! You made me laugh when you mentioned that!

I looked around the forums.... really liked the recipes that people posted the best. Like you mentioned, not many ingredients and steps so they look like something I will try. I loved your hamburger suggestions but didn't see them until this morning....maybe next time I have one I will try one of yours. Didn't find any other recipes for hamburgers yesterday so I ended up eating a salad and two burgers with mayo and mustard for dinner. Boring but I am encouraged more than I was a few days ago about this being less boring....
For instance , tonight I am cooking scallops at home! Never done that before. I found a recipe that says to cook them in butter and lemon with some lemon pepper. Sounds good eh?! Going to try that! Looking forward to something different. I order scallops all the time in a resteraunt but never have tried to cook them myself.

I found a recipe for a cream sauce that sounds great too. Can't wait to make it and pour it over chicken for a change of pace!

It's a start! Turning my way of looking at things up side down! Maybe if I make it and don' t tell my son and husband, they will like it too and eventually I will have less double meals!

Thanks for all the hints! My attitude has take a change this week. I credit you and this site! I was creeping up and this week I have stuck to it and I am down 2 lbs already. Feel less bloated too!
I appreciate you taking a "cooking challenged" person under your wing!
I come from a family of 6 and it was my sister who learned how to cook. I learned how to dust and vaccumn!! Not that I like doing that! My husband still blames my mother for my lack of cooking skills but maybe there is hope for me yet!

Talk soon....let you know how the scallops go!

Bess - It is great to hear you so excited about meal plans !! See - I knew you could do it! Now that you've opened the box, the possiblilites are endless ! And I'm so glad I'm not the only one to repeat a recipe I didn't like the first time around !

Actually, your hamburger sounds good to me with just mayo and mustard - but I know you need a change now and again. By the next time you have it, you'll have had more time to search around. I've also used allrecipes.com and meals.com for meat searches - those recipes are usually easy to modify to low-carb.

Wow - let me know how your scallops turn out!! I have never made scallops. But I'm sure they'll be just wonderful . I think, especially with entrees, that you could sneak quite a few in and your family would be none the wiser - but you'd have a lot less work to do !

And congratulations on the 2-pound loss!! That is absolutely awesome ! Keep up the great job!

There were only 3 in my family, but being the youngest, I learned the dusting and vacuuming too! In fact, I didn't really learn to cook until after my divorce !

Hang in there - you're doing great!!! Keep me posted on how you're doing

One of my favorite hamburger ways is a bed of lettuce, the hamburger, salsa or taco sauce, shredded cheese and sour cream on top!! If you can have more carbs, you can throw a few refried beans in there too!!

Hi Bess. I do a lot of double-cooking, too, but I try to keep things as similar as possible. Stir fry is an example of a healthy, quick meal that you can easily cook in two batches. The variation in meats, veggies and sauces are endless. My current fave is to cook it in butter, ginger, garlic, and a tad of Asian hot chili sauce.

Shadow offered great advice. The one thing I'll add: flavorful sauces are a good way to add variety to boring ol' pork roast, roasted chicken, or burgers. If you don't want to make the sauces, Kraft makes excellent dressings that are good for marinating. Roasted Red Pepper and Parmesan and their Greek Feta are my two favorites.

Bess, I have a challenge for you: buy and serve a vegetable this week that your family has never tried before. Perhaps jicama, daikon radish, belgian endive...

Enjoy!

Hi everyone!
Thanks for posting all the helpful hints!

Just an update.... the scallops were great! I got the frozen ones. I put them in tinfoil and added butter, lemon & lemon pepper (spice). I wrapped them up and BBQ'd them on the BBQ with a small steak! It was surf and turf night. My family had steak and baked potatoes and I had my scallops instead of the potato. Love it. Very light and easy.

As for your challenge Kristine... I think I already fail because I have no idea what those things are ...let alone know how to cook them!

Shadow... & m1whowaits....
I have saved your posts to refer back to the next time we have hamburger! They all sound better than the mayo/mustard to me right now!
It is good if it you don't have time to cook.


I have a question that I hope someone can answer......
How do you calculate how much Carbs you are getting in a serving with a new recipe that doesn' t tell you the amount per serving? Can you just add all your ingredients and divide by the number of servings and be accurate enough for the diet?

For example: Last night I had pork chops in Mushroom soup. With Green beans. So if I calculate: No carbs for pork chops, plus 8 carbs in a can of Campbells Mushroom soup, and 10 carbs in a can of green beans. Since I had 1/3 of a can of beans which counts for 3-4 carbs.
2 pork chops counts as 0 carbs and they were just cooked in the soup I counted 2 carbs
Am I correct to estimate: last night's dinner as 5-6 carbs?

Thanks for the help in advance!

Hi, Bess! I've been wondering how you were doing - so glad you got time to post !

As for your supper carb count, I think you're right on track ! You did remember to subtract out the fiber in the green beans, right? And to answer your other question, yes - you are correct on that too. Just add all ingredients and their values and divide by number of servings. Because I'm a control freak, I always portion out a recipe after it's made to make sure I get even-sized servings but that is just being anal and is not necessary !

You're doing a marvelous job!!!! Hang in there - and keep us posted on all your new and exciting creations !

Shadow....confession time!
had a bad weekend. Didn't feel like cooking and made too many bad choices this weekend. On track today. Had eggs for breakfast and chicken salad for lunch. BBQ chicken for dinner tonight!

But with my confession comes a question.....
what about eating out at fast food joints? Help!
Is chicken nuggets a really bad choice? Especially as a quick meal if you are driving??? Salad is just impossible if you are driving?

I would love to have a few choices that are ok if you are in a tough spot! Any suggestions.

Hi, Bess! So glad you popped in - I've been wondering how you were doing ! Don't sweat the weekend - you're back on track and that's what counts the most! If it helps any, my weekend wasn't stellar either ...

Unfortunately, I am a very bad choice to ask about fast food places - it's been years since I've eaten at one. Nuggets do have carbs (the flour coating) and are cooked in transfatty oils. My suggestion is that if you know you're going to be eating on the run, take something that can be eaten in the car. Maybe make a couple of roll-ups with meat & cheese (you could wrap it in a lc tortilla if you wanted), peeled hard-boiled eggs, diced/string cheese &/or cut-up chicken or beef, and a less good option, celery filled with peanut butter or cream cheese (you'll be lacking protein on this one!). Yes, the fingers will be a little messy - but they'd get messy with nuggests too . You may want to stock your purse or car with beef jerky, pepperoni sticks, or something like that for emergencies. I wouldn't recommend it for a daily basis, depending on what additives and preservatives there are, but it would beat being caught in a crunch. As a worst case scenario - since sugar alcohols cause a lot of problems for some and they are a frankenfood, after all - you could pack along an Atkins bar which would have low net carbs (as long as sugar alcohol doesn't affect you), semi-decent protein and some fiber too. If you're a sweet junkie though, like me, they could become addicting which is NOT a good thing . If this is a once-in-a-blue-moon occurance, the nuggets won't hurt you too badly - but I certainly wouldn't want them more than once a year if I were you !

I'll see if I can't come up with some other traveling ideas . Glad you are doing ok and back on the program! Hang in there!!

Feeling Blue today.....Ha Ha! Just ment the colour!
I wasn't as good as I thought, I didn't think the nuggets would be that bad but if you are saying once a year! that's not a good choice.
I have done the cheese and pepperettes thing before. That has worked! Never tried the bars and I am afraid to try!
I got in trouble when I started to add carbs back in my diet and found my cravings are unreal
Now here I am up 30lbs and it only took a few months. Less time than it took to lose it! That's for sure.
I like the planning thing but I also think sometimes I will eat it if it is there even if I'm not hungry and that isn't good either.
How bad would it be to skip a meal instead of eating something bad?
I've tried that in the past and found it helped the weight loss but only I tended to plateau shortly there after. The book on Protein power doesn't address these "life problems".

Had a good day yesterday .....except ..... I am tempted to cheat so much. I haven't lost the cravings yet. Guess that is because of the weekend. How long did it take for the craving to go away for you. I think the last time I started it was at least two weeks of no cheating for the cravings to go away. Then the plan got easier. What about you?