Welcome LOW CARB Caroline to the blog~!

Low Carbin' It

I'm a mom on a journey. My story is a little less "Lord of the Rings" and more like "Meat and Veggie Tales". If you've ever ventured onto the wild side of Atkins or a similar low carb diet plan, you know exactly what I'm talkin' about. Meat and veggies are my life, aside from the manly, hairy guy I'm married to and the twelve year old son we homeschool. A little over two weeks ago, I embarked on this journey after two previous attempts (thwarted the first time by my grandmother's passing and the next time by the major discomfort of the first several days suffering the "Atkins flu"). This time, I've lost 13 pounds in 15 days. In the eternal words of Kool and the Gang, "Cellll-e-brate good times...C'mon!"

The benefits of a low carb lifestyle are many including a real energy boost, loss of cravings, decreased joint pain as well as hunger, much less or even a total disappearance of indigestion and of course, weight loss. Some folks tend to wrongly think Atkins is all about steak, butter and bacon. Some find this way of eating too limiting. Some want to have their cake and eat it, too, but you just can't do that on Atkins. Not and be successful, anyway. Atkins is all about eating foods that my ancestors would have...all types of meat including poultry, fish and wild game while consuming fairly generous amounts of low carb vegetables on a daily basis along with certain cheeses and yes, even butter. There are really many options and meal combinations. (As you move along through the Atkins phases, the options become even wider and more varied. We'll get to that at a later date, though.) I don't feel deprived whatsoever. I'm satisfied for hours and my physical cravings are gone. Currently, what I can't eat is pasta, rice, potatoes, bread of any kind, beans (except for green beans), most dairy products, certain high carb vegetables or fruit. For now, I'm good with all that because this part of Atkins isn't forever. You might have gathered from that list that cinnamon rolls and sweet tea are off limits. That last one's a real bummer for a Southern girl, lemme tell ya and although I don't typically feast on sugar-laden foods, they are a slight temptation.

I'm just at the beginning of this adventure but I'm more dedicated than both teams at the Super Bowl put together! I'm afraid my posts won't be terribly exciting for some of you (especially you beautiful "gimme donuts or gimme death" sorts) so you may want to gloss over them and check out the posts from these other talented cooks. Or...if you're a former cheerleader, you might just consider breaking out the pom poms and cheering me on. I'd really appreciate that. I might even be compelled to blow kisses your way and send you virtual hugs. I can see all sorts of cheerleaders lining up right now. Y'all look good!

Without further adieu...because this is what you're here for, right? We dined on our enclosed porch today since the weather in the Ozarks is still pretty nice. My low carb meal at lunch consisted of a pork chop fried in butter (which I split with my son), home-canned green beans and a simple spinach salad with sliced mushrooms, cute little tomatoes (if you don't find these tomatoes absolutely adorable, I don't know what to tell ya), a little shredded Cheddar cheese, some real bacon bits and a drizzle of dressing. I'm crazy about this Blue Cheese Vinaigrette by La Martinique! If you're looking for a delightful, tangy, zero carb salad dressing made in the fine state of Louisiana, run to your store and hunt this up. You'll also notice a Mason jar in my picture. That's because I'm a country girl and obviously a thirsty one because that's a quart-sized jar. My Mason jar is filled with ice water. I like to pretend it's the house wine of the South. It's refreshing and it's good for me so it is ever-present throughout my days. That's it for now, y'all. If you enjoyed this little introduction, let me know in the comment section. Ya know...down there. I'm pointing but somethin' tells me you've got this.

Love from the Ozarks, Caroline

POSTED BY CAROLINE