A Few Tips on Induction

There are a few tips that you should remember when you are in the induction phase of low-carb eating. Some people don't think about these things, and they definitely affect your success. Induction can last anywhere from three days to two weeks. I feel like after three days, I can start to be a little less strict, and consider my induction to be over. There are some who feel induction should last for two weeks, but if I am too strict like that for too long, I always worry that I am going to give up in a hurry. The following tips can help you to not only survive induction, but to get the best possible result from it.

Tip # 1:
Only eat when you are hungry, and only eat enough to make you not hungry anymore. Don't over eat when you are in the induction phase. Your carbs should be limited to 20 per day, and you should not just eat all day long because the food is there.

Tip # 2:
Try to drink lots of water, and steer clear of caffeine. Water is always the best thing to drink when you are trying to get healthy, and you should drink large amounts of it. It's fine to drink carbonated drinks, but they should be free of caffeine when you are in the induction phase.

Tip # 3:
Do not consume alcohol during induction. Alcohol can have an affect on many of the factors that are involved in low-carb dieting. There are low-carb alcohols out there that are fine to drink in moderation while you are living a low-carb lifestyle, but they are not acceptable to have during the induction phase.

Hopefully these tips can help you to have a great induction phase for you new way of eating. It is an important part of low-carb life, and should not be done lightly. Jimmy Moore has done a few videos explaining the dos and don'ts of low-carb. They can be found here. Good luck.

To Begin With...

How to get started on the low-carb lifestyle...

The first thing that you need to do if you are considering cutting back on your carb intake is do a little bit of research on what low-carb dieting means. There are many versions of low-carb diets out there, and without doing the proper research, it will be difficult for you to predict which version will give you the best results. You can research in a number of different ways. You can ask people you know what they know about low-carb. You can join forums online, and ask all the questions you like. You can do Internet searches to find out information about low-carb. There are also a lot of books on low-carb dieting that you can buy.

The best books on low-carb are written by Dr. Atkins. He is the leader of the low-carb craze, as it is so often called. He has some fantastic books that explain low-carb in detail. I recommend buying at least one of his books, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and purchase more than one. All of his books contain information that is important, and the information contained in each one differs. My favorite is Atkins for Life, which contains great information, as well as six month's worth of meal plans.

After you have purchased some books, you need to brush up on the low-carb lingo. For example, the word induction is a word that many people may not know. If you have no book to tell you what induction is, you can find out what it is here.

Finally, once you have learned the terms that you will need to be familiar with for the low-carb lifestyle, you need to begin to shop for your new lifestyle. The first thing to make sure that you have on hand is canned tuna fish. Tuna is, ounce for ounce, one of the highest sources of protein around. Peanut butter is something that I like to keep on hand. Fresh vegetables and peanuts are also great to have. Ground beef is wonderful to have in the freezer because it is so versatile. It can be made into almost anything. I also like to have cheeses in my refrigerator always. Any kind of cheese will do. I love them all.

Hopefully this will help you to know where to begin now that you have decided to go low-carb. The next post will help you to know what to do once your induction phase is over. Come back, and find out.

Beginning the Low-Carb Lifestyle

In response to the question posted by Angie from Thrifty Florida Mama, I would love to post a step by step, how-to on the low-carb lifestyle. It can be quite confusing if you haven't read any of Dr. Atkins' books. Most people think I just eat meat all day long, kind of like a lion. Contrary to popular belief, there are more foods on the low-carb lifestyle than meat, cheese, and water. That being said, those three are my favorites. Tomorrow's post will be a tutorial on how to get started, what to do after induction, when it's okay to stray from low-carb, and what to do when you have reached your goals for getting healthy. I will also give some suggestions for books to buy, snacks to always have on hand, and any other advice I can think of between now and tomorrow's post. So....Until tomorrow, enjoy your sugars and pastas, because soon, you'll be with me, Loving the Low-Carb Lifestyle.

Crock-Pot Chicken Parmigiana

If you miss Italian food due to the whole low-carb/no pasta thing, have I got great news for you. It's an Italian meal, involving a few easy steps, and the ever-so-lovely crock-pot. This one is a little work, so you want to make it on a day that you know you will have a little extra time in the morning. This isn't one you can rush. By the way, notice ingredient that is number eight on the list...drum roll please...it's eggplant.(my new favorite)

You will need the following ingredients:
6 whole chicken breast (or 6 halves)
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup pork rind crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 small eggplant, peeled, cut into
3/4-inch slices
1 can (10 1/2oz) low carb pizza sauce
12 slices Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Cut whole chicken breasts into halves. In bowl, beat egg, salt, and pepper. Mix pork rind crumbs and Parmesan Cheese into separate bowl for dredging the meat in. Dip chicken into egg then coat with crumbs.

In large skillet, sauté chicken in butter or margarine. Arrange chicken and eggplant in crock pot with eggplant on bottom. Pour pizza sauce over chicken. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Add Mozzarella cheese 15 minutes before serving. Top with Parmesan cheese.

If you want my opinion, which I hope you do since you are bothering to read my blog, it's the crumbled pork rinds that make the meal. Very crunchy, flavorful.

Crock-Pot Italian Beef

Getting back to the crock-pot meals, this is one that is great. It involves a few more steps than some of the others, but it's still a pretty simple meal. The last ingredient is something that I always have on hand at my house because of the great dip you can make with it, which I'll post later.

You will need the following ingredients:
3 to 4 pound rump roast
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce (no sugar added variety)
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
Dash Worcestershire sauce
Dash soy sauce
1 package Italian salad dressing mix (Good Seasons)

Put roast in crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and pour over roast in crock pot. Cook all night on low or 6 to 8 hours on high. About 1 and 1/2 hours before serving, flake meat apart and continue cooking.

Delicious!

Not a Crock-Pot Recipe

I must say, I am enjoying all of the wonderful low-carb meals that can be made in the crock-pot, but yesterday, I was watching The Victory Garden, (yes, I'm a PBS nut, and my husband makes fun of me all the time) and it was a look back at past episodes. One of the scenes was cooking with vegetables from the garden. He began to make something with eggplant, which, I have to admit, I don't recall ever tasting it. However, after watching him make his meal with eggplant, I immediately went to the store, bought an eggplant, and made dinner. This recipe is a new low-carb take on an old favorite. It's a wonderful low-carb lasagna with eggplant in place of the noodles. It's pretty simple to make, and it was delicious.

You start by cutting an eggplant into slices that are a little less than 1/2 an inch wide. From an average sized eggplant, you get 7-10 slices. He did not peel the eggplant, but next time I make it, I will peel after I cut it. It makes it easier to eat. Next, you grill the eggplant for about 3 minute on each side, seasoned with a little salt and pepper, and some extra virgin olive oil that has been brushed on . Then, layer the eggplant, spaghetti sauce (with or without meat), and mozzarella cheese. Mine was like this: eggplant, sauce, cheese, eggplant, sauce, cheese, eggplant, sauce, cheese. Depending on the size of the eggplant, and the baking dish, you may not get that many layers. Once you have finished layering the lasagna, place it into an oven that has been preheated to 450 degrees, and bake it for 15 minutes. This is the quickest lasagna I have ever had, and now that I know it's good, next time, I will be adding ricotta cheese, and other ingredients to make it my own.