Inspirations

If anyone out there is reading this -- and if you are new to low carb -- I wanted to introduce you to some fabulous inspirations and important resources that will help you on your journey. The first thing you should do is read at least one of the seminal low carb diet books --- either Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, The South Beach Diet or Protein Power. My personal favorite is Atkins but YMMV. There are a number of fabulous "low carb gurus" -- all of whom you can find online -- who can provide knowledge, ideas and inspiration. My personal favorite is Dana Carpender (www.holdthetoast.com). She is a great lady and has written several incredible cookbooks. Jimmy Moore of www.livinlavidalowcarb. is another one. And don't forget Sugar Free Sheila (www.sugarfreesheila.com). She is amazing and her weight loss story is simply credible.

You may wonder what brought me to low carb? Well I was in shape and athletic for many years but struggled to lose the last ten pounds (I was about 5 foot seven and 140 pounds). In 1998, I hired a personal trainer who introduced me to Akins. Within six weeks, I went from 140 pounds to 120 pounds. Now, that may sound anorexic to you but I was a size 2 and looked great. I eventually went up to a size 4 and maintained that for over seven years.

When I hit my forties, life took a toll (I switched jobs and relocated several times) and eventually I stopped low carbing, which was a big mistake. In 2005, I lost 30 pounds in three months from a combination of low carb diet and moderate exercise. I really believe this is the way to go if you can stick to it and find a maintenance program that works for you. I am trying to find my best route to weight loss and life-long maintenance -- hence this blog.

So dear reader, with that, I leave you with a recipe for Low Carb Lemon Punch (only 6 carbs);

1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup of good quality citrus vodka (I like Stoly Citrus or Ketel One Lemon)
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of Splenda Granular
1 tablespoon of lemon zest

Pour lemon juice into a large pitcher. Add vodka, water, Splenda and lemon zest. Stir and serve over ice with a lemon twist.

Okay, I'm back...again

I'm back but only because I have a really cool low-carb recipe to share -- courtesy of Eric Ripert, the chef/owner of the five-star Le Bernardin in NYC (and a frequent judge on "Top Chef." The recipe is for a Zucchini, Parmesan and Mint Frittata. The recipe below serves 2-3 people.

You need the following:
6 large eggs
1 medium zucchini cut into thin strips
1/4 cup grated Parmesan (you can substitute Romano cheese if you wish -- I do)
1/4 cup of fresh mint, torn
3 tablespoons of good olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl. Add Parmesan, zucchini and mint; season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle the olive oil in a 8 1/2 inch gratin dish (or baking pan) and pour the egg mixture into the dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until eggs are set. Let stand for 2-3 minutes before serving.

A nice fresh green salad or some steamed veggies is a great accompaniment to this dish.

Welcome to Low Carbing My Way

It is a snowy New Year's Eve morning in New York -- a good time to start planning my low carb diet regime for the next several months. I need to lose 30-40 pounds -- for real. I will start my diet in a few days and it is my hope that writing this blog will help me stick to the diet. I have lost weight successfully on low carb diets in the past and I really do believe that this approach works. It is just hard to stick to it for long periods of time -- at least for me it is. The lure of hot buttered rolls, snack mix and comfort food proves too much for me after 60 days on the diet.

But this time, I really want to make it stick. And I want to keep the weight off -- which means that I have to follow a healthy low-carb regime for the rest of my life. Can I do it? Well, time will tell.

I doubt that anyone will ever read this -- but just in case they do -- I at least wanted this blog to be somewhat helpful -- instead of just the rambling confessional of a forty-something woman in suburban New York. So, with every post, I am going to share a favorite low carb recipe. The one below is really good if you like comfort food. I found this a while ago on a low-carb site and just made some minor adjustments to it.

I call it "Virgo's Chicken Casserole." Here you go:

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups diced, cooked chicken meat (skinless preferred)
1 cup fresh steamed broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup red or yellow pepper, chopped
1 clove crushed garlic
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons fresh dill weed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1/4 cup diced scallions or onions

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DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees F).
In a large bowl, toss together chicken, broccoli, red bell pepper, garlic, Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, dill weed, salt, pepper, almonds and onion. Bake in the preheated oven 25 to 28 minutes, or until golden brown.