Well this is the first week of the third month of my dieting experiment, which I'll call the Low carb/Portion control Project. Thus far total weight loss has been 33 lbs. My daily regimen thus far has been to increase my water intake. Diet Soda has been kicked to the curb. I still drink coffee and that will just have to be my vice, as I am not prepared to give that up too.
What jump started this new journey in my weight loss was my Dr. finally agreeing to give me something to help. The pill is called Phentermine. Now because my weight was at a crisis point, she decided that the benefits would outweigh the risks.
What was the risks? Well for some people with high blood pressure Phentermine can cause it to raise, and also additionally in some people heart palpitations. However I will say my Dr's strategy has proven correct and my personal case, my blood pressure has steadily gone down since losing some weight. The last reading was 129/76. I'll take it. At the beginning my bp was around 130/86 so it was going in the wrong direction. I currently take medicine for my blood pressure so the diet has been a good thing.
Side effects of Phentermine- Well in the first week, I did feel a little "wired" more energetic, but by the second week that subsided. I suspect though that my sleep patterns are still a little off, but I can't be sure since I have never been a great sleeper not since I hit my forties anyway.
Now I have only three months left on Phentermine, because my Dr. will not prescribe it for longer than six months because it is supposedly habit forming. I personally haven't found that to be the case, since I often forget to take it. You are supposed to take it one hour before you eat in the morning and it is supposed to curb your appetite. Even though I've lost weight, I can't be sure that this pill is the reason, since I go to a lot of effort to eat low carb and smaller portions. Am I still hungry sometimes? Oh yes!
What do I do? I try my best to fight through it, I gulp down some bottled water and I find something productive to do. My weakness is wanting to eat at night so the sooner I can get to bed and fall asleep the better. Challenging for a chick that doesn't sleep well.
The other challenge is that I have a thyroid condition so this weight loss thing is even more tricky. Why? Because lots of foods I love that are low in carbs are also not necessarily ideal for thyroid, inasmuch as they can interfere with my thyroid medicine working properly. I will get blood work done probably the next Dr. visit at the end of this month and I will find out what the scoop is then.
This blog is dedicated to offering low carb recipes and chronicling weight loss and diet information for a healthier lifestyle.
Showing posts with label low carb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low carb. Show all posts
Friday, June 5, 2015
Friday, October 19, 2012
Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cheesecake for Halloween (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Ingredients:
- 8 inch round cake pan, greased
- large bowl
- electric mixer
- Roasting pan
- 3 large to jumbo sized room temperature eggs
- 3 packages cream cheese, (8 oz. each)
- 1 can pumpkin pie filling (unsweetened, without sugar), or pureed pumpkin (15 oz.) size (I use pureed pumpkin)
- 1 & 1/2 cups granular sugar substitute such as (Splenda)
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
- 1-1/2 cups ground almonds or almond flour
- pumpkin pie spice (optional)
- toasted almond slivers (optional)
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease a round 8 inch cake pan with margarine or a good quality cooking spray. Ground almonds make a nice crust, so prepare like you would for traditional graham cracker crust. Mix with a few tablespoons of melted butter and an additional 1/2 cup of granulated sugar substitute.
Step 2
Get one large bowl and with your electric hand held mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin pie filling or puree, 1 cup of sugar substitute, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg; beat until smooth. Add in your eggs slowly as you beat the mixture, one at a time, just until combined.
Step 3
Carefully add batter now to your greased cake pan. Place cake pan in a deep roasting type pan and carefully pour in boiling water in the larger pan to reach halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake 40 to 45 minutes depending on your stove. At the 40 minutes mark is it wise to check every few minutes, until cake is set in center and is no longer jiggling.
Step 4
You are now done with the baking portion of the recipe so turn your oven off and open the door let the pumpkin cheesecake remain in the oven an additional 12- 15 minutes. You will want to run a butter knife gingerly around the edge of the cake, cover it and let it refrigerate for at least 5 hours for best results. Garnish with some toasted almond slivers and a dollop of low fat sugar free whipped cream, sprinkled with a little pumpkin pie spice. Enjoy~~
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Grilled Portobello mushrooms
Not only are Portobello mushrooms flavorful but they are certainly healthy as well. One Portobello mushroom has about 30 calories and no fat or cholesterol. By comparison, a 3-ounce hamburger patty has 235 calories, 16 grams of fat and 76 milligrams of cholesterol. Mushrooms absorb the beefy flavors of this marinade to make it taste like filet mignon.
Want a recipe from South Carolina? Well, Roz’s Rice Mill CafĂ© in Pawleys Island, South Carolina has a Portobello recipe that will knock your socks off, find it here.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of red pepper sauce
½ teaspoon of powdered garlic
½ teaspoon of powdered onion
1 teaspoon of steak seasoning
¼ cup beef stock
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 large Portobello mushroom caps
Instructions:
In a 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish, make your mushroom marinade with the first seven ingredients.
Add 2 of the four tablespoons of Olive oil and mix marinade thoroughly.
Make sure each mushroom cap has been dry rubbed clean and that stems have been cut flush with the bottom of the mushroom caps. Place mushroom caps in marinade stem side down. So that the inner most part of the mushrooms absorb the marinade. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Just before grilling, flip mushroom caps over to coat the top sides and proceed to grill for approximately five minutes on each side. If the mushroom is larger, a little longer. Mushrooms should be tender when done.
Suggested by the author:
Want a recipe from South Carolina? Well, Roz’s Rice Mill CafĂ© in Pawleys Island, South Carolina has a Portobello recipe that will knock your socks off, find it here.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of red pepper sauce
½ teaspoon of powdered garlic
½ teaspoon of powdered onion
1 teaspoon of steak seasoning
¼ cup beef stock
4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
4 large Portobello mushroom caps
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Instructions:
In a 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish, make your mushroom marinade with the first seven ingredients.
Add 2 of the four tablespoons of Olive oil and mix marinade thoroughly.
Make sure each mushroom cap has been dry rubbed clean and that stems have been cut flush with the bottom of the mushroom caps. Place mushroom caps in marinade stem side down. So that the inner most part of the mushrooms absorb the marinade. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Just before grilling, flip mushroom caps over to coat the top sides and proceed to grill for approximately five minutes on each side. If the mushroom is larger, a little longer. Mushrooms should be tender when done.
Suggested by the author:
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Low carb French Toast
Image via Wikipedia
French toast is a delicious meal to have in the morning. It can be a versatile decadent food that can also be suitable for a dessert that can be had any time of day. Ordinarily, French toast would be off of the low carb menu due to the sugars/ carbs in the types of bread being used, luckily there are a number of great low carb breads on the market today.
This recipe uses low carb bread, healthy Almond milk, and a cooking spray that is tasty and has zero fat,calories,carbs,etc. Add splenda for extra sweetness and you have a tasty breakfast that is healthier for sure!Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup Silk Pure Almond Original Almond Milk (what I used for this)
3 tbs-Splenda-granulated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
Smart Balance Buttery Burst Cooking Spray with Organic Soy
2-6 Slices of-NATURE'S OWN low carb whole grain bread (called Double Fiber on label, the one you want will also say on the nutritional information that it has 10g carbs less the 5g of fiber = 5 net carbs / per slice)
In a small bowl whisk together eggs, Silk Pure Almond Milk, vanilla, almond extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Pour mixture into a glass pie dish or square glass baking dish for best convenience. Gently submerge bread in egg mixture, one or two slices at a time and place on a griddle that has been sprayed with butter flavored cooking spray- over medium heat. Cook each side until golden brown and serve sprinkled with artificial granulated sweetener such as Splenda. Top with fresh blueberries, strawberries or toasted almonds.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Just peachy low sugar Cheesecake
Image via Wikipedia It will not be long before peaches will be ready for purchase in South Carolina. With fresh peaches in season, this dessert will be tempting to try, but you don't have to wait on Mother nature, canned peaches is all that you need! This dessert is actually a healthier alternative to traditional cheesecake and still pretty darn good. Add to that the fact it is super easy to prepare and you've really got no reason to avoid making this dish.
For the Free Recipe, click here:
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