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Hey, Gang -
Yikes! In less than 24 hours I'll be in New York City, and I haven't even started packing yet! I'm going to just hit "send," and go deal with getting myself ready to go out of town.
Read on!
Dana
The Thanksgiving Indulgence: Damage Control
There are two possibilities for the low carber when faced with a feast day like Thanksgiving: Do your best to de-carb the meal, or just declare an Indulgence Day, and eat all your traditional favorites for that one day. We'll be exploring the first possibility next issue. In this issue, let's talk about the Indulgence Day, both how to minimize the damage, and how to get right back on the low carb track afterward. ,
There will be at least a little damage, you know. That's why I greatly prefer the term "Indulgence" to the term "cheat" - because "cheat" implies you're going to get away with something, and you never do. You may be able to fool yourself now and then, but you can't fool your body.
You can, however, help your body deal with an Indulgence, and help yourself get right back on your low carb plan with minimal pain. Here are some ideas for getting through a Thanksgiving Indulgence with the least backlash possible:
* Start thinking now about which foods your family traditionally serves for Thanksgiving dinner, with an eye to which of the carbohydrate foods really matter to you. By way of example, I adore stuffing, but couldn't care less about candied sweet potatoes. Accordingly, I would have a moderate serving of stuffing, but skip the sweet potatoes. Don't bother Indulging on anything that isn't a huge favorite of yours just because it's always been there.
* Don't let family members decide what you should Indulge in, either! Indulgences are way too precious, and your health and weight loss too hard-won, to give in to nagging to "have just a taste; after all, it's a holiday, and you're eating stuffing, so why won't you eat my bread?" or whatever. You don't owe it to a soul to eat anything that isn't 100% what you want at your Indulgence meal.
* On Thanksgiving Day, as on every other day of the year, get up and eat your low carbohydrate, high protein breakfast. No starving yourself all day in anticipation of the big feast! Just a couple of eggs first thing in the day will be enough to help you eat one serving of mashed potatoes, not three!
* Do load up on the wonderful low carb foods on your Thanksgiving table, too - turkey, of course, but how about low carb vegetables? Our family always has green beans almandine for holidays, and that's a great low carb treat. Rutabaga, a borderline vegetable that I love, is also a part of our Thanksgiving. You can bet I'll be having big servings of both of these. Do you have a favorite low carb vegetable dish? Consider adding it to the menu. By loading up on protein and low carb vegetables along with the stuffing and the mashed potatoes, you'll dilute the carbs with plenty of fiber and protein - and minimize the rebound effect on your blood sugar.
* Remember, when Thanksgiving dinner is over, your Indulgence is over! You do not get to spend the rest of the holiday weekend eating hot turkey sandwiches and leftover pie! If the feast is at your house, consider giving away most of the carb-y leftovers to departing guests. If you're eating at someone else's house, and they offer to wrap up a piece of pie for you, ask if you can have some leftover turkey instead.
* Once the Thankgiving bloat starts to lift - probably several hours after dinner - hop right back on the wagon with a small protein meal. A slice or two of leftover turkey would be the obvious choice. Don't let your blood sugar crash when there's lots of temptation in the house! Anyway, this is a good way to give yourself the message that you're back to Business As Usual.
* Going to be spending the rest of the weekend watching football games? Make sure you have plenty of low carb snacks on hand - hot wings, cheese, cold cuts, a relish tray from the grocery store deli, pork rinds, mixed nuts, all will go a long way to keeping you out of the chips. For that matter, the low carb chips have improved over the past couple of years; Keto Tortilla Chips, and Atkins Crunchers are a couple of brands I really like. Remember, these aren't free foods, but they'll help keep you from feeling sorry for yourself.
* Don't forget the low carb beverages! If you like a beer with your football, make sure you have Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, or Milwaukee's Best Light in the house - they're the lowest carb beers on the market.
* All that family togetherness driving you to sugar? Leftover pie singing a siren song from the pantry? Get out of the house. Start your Christmas shopping, go downtown and look at the Christmas decorations, take in a movie, rake the yard, go skating if it's cold enough, or walk if it's warm - just get the heck out of the house and DO something!
* And remember: Having so many food choices that we have to eat mindfully, with an eye to our health and our waistlines, is a blessing so immense that it is unimaginable to vast numbers of people. Be thankful!
Next issue: How to put together a reduced-carb Thanksgiving Feast that will please dieters and non-dieters alike!
Reader Review of 15 Minute Low-Carb Recipes
They'll Think You Slaved for Hours!
I didn't think Dana could make low-carb cooking any easier, but she has. This is a wonderful cookbook. For busy cooks, there's even a slow cooker section. I made baby back ribs her way, and they were unbelieveable. This woman's a genius!
Reviewer: biztec, Hoover, AL, October 31, 2003
Well, thanks, biztec! A genius, huh? Dunno about that, but I can cook, at any rate. ;-D
To see this and other reader reviews of 15 Minute Low-Carb Recipes, visit Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/159233041X/lowcarbohysoluti
Please know, however, that you can get 15 Minute Low-Carb Recipes at any bookstore!
National Television Appearance!
Hey, gang, I'm going to be on national television this weekend! I'll be on Fox and Friends on Saturday morning, (on FOX TV, of course!) demonstrating recipes for the holidays. They've decided to put me on twice in the same show, so I'll be on at 8:30 and 9:30 Eastern Standard Time - check your local paper to figure out local schedules.
The added bonus is that I get to go to New York City again. I love New York, and that ain't just a song. Of course, I'll only be there for - well, just under 24 hours. But still, it's always good to be in New York.
Used Equipment Girl Strikes Again!
Buying used exercise equipment makes all kinds of sense. After all, machines that get used just a half a dozen times before becoming clothes racks are so common as to have become a standing joke. As a result, there is a vast treasure trove of great exercise equipment, cheap, just waiting for the buyer who goes to yard sales and thrift shops, or keeps an eye on the classified ads.
Case in point: The machine I just got off of! It's the Gazelle, advertised via infomercial by Tony Little. You know Tony; he's the very muscular gentleman with the long blond curls who seems to constantly be hollering, albeit in a friendly way. I picked up my Gazelle a few months back, during the yard sale season. The nice lady who was selling her Gazelle had purchased it just 6 months before, and had paid price - $200. What did I pay her for her like-new Gazelle, complete with the instructional video that came with it? $35.
How do I like my Gazelle? I like it very well, thanks. It's well-made, sturdy, and stable, with very smooth motion. Better yet, it's absolutely silent, which is an inestimable virtue as far as I'm concerned. I found the motion of the Gazelle easy to get used to, as well. That may sound pretty basic, but I've had exercise machines that were tough to get the hang of - the Nordic Trak ski machine come to mind.
Another good thing about the Gazelle is that it uses both arms and legs, which means it will get you in better shape, faster, than a machine like a treadmill or stationary bicycle that only gets your legs moving. Furthermore, the Gazelle involves no joint impact, so it's easy on your knees. Personally, I think the Gazelle is more fun than a treadmill, too, and it takes up a bit less floor space, though I wouldn't call it a small piece of equipment.
Which leads to the down side: While the Gazelle is very easy to fold and roll, it takes up a fair amount of space even when folded. Mine lives up against my living room wall, between my TV and the door, and while I don't trip over it, I can't say it adds to the decor. It also makes smudge marks where the handles hit the paint. If you're lucky enough to have more closet space than I do, rolling a Gazelle into the closet wouldn't be terribly tough.
Also, the foot beds of the Gazelle do swing back and forth in a pretty big arc, and of course they have all the impetus of your body weight. A child or a pet wandering into their path could get a pretty nasty whack; I've come close to hitting one of my dogs more than once. You'll want to be alert.
Still, the Gazelle has become my current machine of choice for in-front-of-the-tube exercise. If you're looking for something to get the blood pumping while watching Law & Order reruns or your daily soap, you could look far and do worse.
Here's a link where you can see what this thing looks like, and read more user reviews of the Gazelle: http://www.fitnessinfomercialreview.com/gazelle.htm You'll find that the reviews are largely very positive. (Fitness Infomercial Review is a terrific website, by the way. I visit every time I'm considering another fitness infomercial product, and I've saved some money this way...)
I actually think a Gazelle would be worth the price new, if you're the sort of person who would actually use it. However, when I checked Ebay there were at least a couple of dozen for sale, so if you're a savvy bidder, you might get a deal.
And who knows - maybe one will show up at a yard sale near you!
Reader Review of 500 Low-Carb Recipes
Low Carb Must Have
This book was heaven sent! It is a practical recipe book that is not filled with lots of gourmet recipes. It has things people eat on a regular basis. People who are used to eating at fast food places or whipping up Hamburger Helper for dinner.
My favorites are the Protein Pancakes and the Oatmeal Cookies! They both taste so close to the real thing you would swear they had all their carbs. This cookbook has so many easy-to-make recipes that it makes it easy to maintain a low carb lifestyle. I was even able to find almost all the ingredients in my local grocery store and the rest can be found at Health Food stores. I was very impressed!
bsquishcat23 from AZ, October 10, 2003
Thanks, bsquishcat23! I like the Oatmeal Cookies myself. And I do make a real effort to minimize my use of hard-to-find ingredients. Here's my rule: If I have to go to more than two stores here in Bloomington, Indiana to find an ingredient, I don't use it.
To see this and other reviews of 500 Low-Carb Recipes, visit Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1931412065/ref=ase_lowcarbohysoluti
However, be aware that you can get 500 Low-Carb Recipes virtually anywhere - it's started showing up at Sam's Club and Costco! Surely it's at your local book store.
Hey, East Coast readers! I'm going to be on Your Morning, on a station called CN8, that's shown from Massachusetts down to Washington DC. I'll be appearing live on Monday, November 24th, and I'll be taping another segment to be shown in December. Hope you'll tune in!
Upcoming Personal Appearances on the East Coast
Just over a week until the East Coast Publicity Tour! Hope you'll all come out and see me, and get your books autographed! Here's that schedule again:
11/15
11 AM
Mrs Greens
666 Lexington Avenue
Mt. Kisco, NY. 10549
914-242-9292
3PM
Mrs Greens
780 White Plains Road
Scarsdale, NY. 10583
914-472-0111
11/16
11AM
Wild By Nature
198 Main Street
East Setauket, NY. 11733
631-246-5500
3PM
Wild By Nature
369 West Main Street
Huntington, NY. 11743
631-424-6480
11/22
11AM
Wegman's
724 Route 202
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
3PM
Wegman's
240 Nassau Park Blvd.
Princeton, NJ 08540
11/23
11AM
Wegman's
45 View Hwy 9 South
Manalpan, NJ 07726
3PM
Wegman's
15 Woodbridge Center Drive
Woodbridge, NJ 07095
Yet Another Personal Appearance, This One On the Left Coast
Hey, West Coasters, don't feel left out! I'm going to be doing a book signing at Carb Smart's bricks-and-mortar store in Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday, November 29th - the Saturday after Thanksgiving. You know you'll be out shopping anyway, so stop in and meet me! I'll be there at least from 1 pm till 3 pm, and it wouldn't surprise me if I hung around longer than that.
If you're in Southern California, you simply have to check out Carb Smart anyway - it's just fabulous. And Andrew says he'll be putting some cool low carb treats on sale, so you can start your low carb stocking stuffing. He does great gift baskets, too.
I hope to see you all there! Here's Carb Smart's URL - you can get directions to the store there: http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html .
And all the rest of you who live nowhere near Southern California, check out the website anyway. It has an astonishing variety of great stuff, and Andrew discounts everything!
Send In Your Holiday Recipes!!
Last year Lowcarbezine! went to a weekly publishing schedule over the holidays, to help support our readers through the biggest carb-gorging season of the year. It was so well received, we're going to do it again - we'll be going weekly as soon as I get the latest cookbook turned in, which should be sometime in the second week of November, to help you to get through to New Years Day with your resolve - and your waistline! - intact.
But we need your help! Send us your best holiday recipes - cookies, candies, desserts and other treats, festive holiday main dishes or side dishes, party beverages (alcoholic or non), and hors d'oeurves and other party foods! We'll publish just as many as we can fit.
And maybe, just maybe, I can talk my publisher into a "Best of Lowcarbezine! Low Carb Holiday Cookbook!"
One very, very important rule: Do NOT send recipes from already existing cookbooks! That's a copyright violation. If you've changed a recipe, even a little, to make it your own - for instance, substituted Splenda for the sugar - then it's a new recipe, and it's fine. But if you just copy a recipe out of your favorite cookbook and send it in, and we publish it here, we could get in trouble, and might even end up having to close down Lowcarbezine!, which would break my heart, and hurt a lot of folks. So no copyright violations!!
Send your favorite holiday recipes to mailto:recipes@holdthetoast.com
No, no, it's not a month to get diabetes, it's a month to raise awareness about diabetes, and help people fight their diabetes. Since diabetes is the big-casino, end-game version of carbohydrate intolerance, that makes Diabetes Month a big deal for us here at Lowcarbezine! And since type II diabetes (we changed the name from "adult onset diabetes" when children started getting it with alarming frequency) is one of the fastest growing epidemics in the world, it should be a big deal to everyone else, too.
Most of you will remember that back in August, I put out a Special notice asking for low carb diabetes success stories. The response was nothing short of overwhelming - I got over 90 stories in 48 hours! Clearly, many of you have found that your low carbohydrate lifestyle has been instrumental in getting your blood sugar (and cholesterol, and triglycerides) under control. I'd like to share some of those stories this month:
Donna Hogan writes:
I have had diabetes since 1998. Started on medication and tried to lose weight. Never lost a pound. Always heard diabetics could not do low carb diets. Until I read Dr. Bernstein's book in 2001, I never thought of going low carb. But he is living proof it won't kill me.
So I started cold turkey, cut out carbohydrates similar to Dr. Atkins suggestions. Never had any trouble dropping the carbs, especially after I started dropping the pounds. When I started dieting I also started a walking program. I had been told I would need hip surgery in the future. Walking was painful, but I started slow and worked at increasing my time spent walking. Was told by my orthopedic doctor not to do any exercise except swimming or walking, so I walked.
When blood sugar started falling to normal levels, I threw my diabetic pills away.
To end this story: I lost 65 pounds. I take no medications now. I lowered my cholesterol and related blood fat levels. Have improved the hip condition, weight condition, and now walk at least two miles a day, but usually three miles a day. My endocrinologist says my diabetes is "in remission." My body will not know I have diabetes until blood sugar go over 126. I maintain a level between 98 - 115 with diet and exercise. I am 66 years old.
Hope this story is what you want to hear. I still cannot get other to do low carb dieting even though they are overweight. I think the diabetes and bad hip were my incentive to follow this through. I have been on low carb maintenance way of life for almost two year now, with no weight gain.
Carolin Van Pelt writes:
We have a friend (a guy) who is married with three children. He is 30+, in good shape, lifts weights, works a physical job. His doctor told him he was borderline diabetic. He was told they would need to start medication.
We explained the no carb/low carb diet. He did almost no carb. He has not had to start medication. He came back to us and was concerned because he had been losing so much weight. I told him to add a few more carbs back into his diet. I explained weight loss is what the diet is for besides diabetes. I told him to start adding some fruit, still try to stay away from pasta and potatoes. He has been medication free for several months. I don't have the particulars on his blood count, but he is doing well. His doctor was surprised!
John Foyt writes:
My specifics are: At age 37 I went to the doc for a checkup and was warned of borderline high cholesterol and EXTREMELY high triglycerides (450.) He recommended Lipitor which I did not want to take - personal aversion to drugs of all kinds. A few months later I tripped on a copy of the Carb Addicts Lifespan Program and got started right away. Three weeks later, I saw the doc for a followup. Cholesterol had dropped 40 points and triglycerides were down to 330 - in THREE WEEKS.
Doc noted that "the drug was working" and was VERY annoyed that I had done this WITHOUT drugs. In subsecquent followups, choleterol is down to normal and triglycerides are around 200. All without the Lipitor prescribed. And as triglycerides are a marker - I'm off the diabetes fast track.
Darcie Westhoff writes:
In February 2003, my 36 year old huband was notified his triglyceride level was 799. He was approximately 10-20 pounds overweight. His fasting blood sugar was normal, but he has diabetes in his family history. His doctor wanted to start him on the medication Lopid, but he did not want to go on medication. I put him on a low carb diet. He lost 15 pounds, and his triglyceride level at recheck 4 months later was down to 156.
He is staying on the low carb diet in hopes that he can avoid getting the diabetes that has affected so many of his family members.
Reader Review of How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds!
I did too!!
Before reading this book, I had already discovered low-carb, lost 35 pounds, and kept it off for 2 1/2 years. But I figured there's always something new to learn, and I learned a lot from Dana Carpender!
This is a very well researched, intelligently written book, put in interesting, fun text that we can all understand. Dana has put in the time to thoroughly research all of the current low carb plans and explains the basics of each one. I defy anyone (who's on a low fat diet that's not working) to read the FIRST CHAPTER of this book and not seriously rethink their weightloss plan!
I'll be honest, I actually got this book from my library, but I have just ordered it AND her '500 Low Carb Recipes'! I'm buying the recipe book sight unseen-I have no doubt it will be good! These are keepers! I hope to see more from Dana Carpender!
Nancy Shufritz from Toledo, OH, October 28, 2003
Thanks, Nancy, and congratulations! Hope you like 500 Low-Carb Recipes!
And believe me, you'll be seeing more from me. I'm on a Mission From God! ;-D
To see this and other reviews of How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds!, visit Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592330401/lowcarbohysoluti
Come the end of this month, you're likely to have a big pile of leftover turkey that you need to do something with. Here's a good way to use some of it up:
Turkey Tetrazinni
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, diced
2 cans mushrooms, drained
1 cups heavy cream
1 cups half and half
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon crystals
2 tablespoons dry sherry
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon guar or xanthan (optional, but it makes the sauce thicker)
cooked spaghetti squash, scraped into strings (about 3 cups)
3 cups diced leftover turkey
Over medium heat, melt butter in a heavy skillet, and start the onions and the mushrooms sauteing in it. While that's cooking, combine the cream, the half and half, bouillon crystals, sherry, and guar, if you're using it, in a blender, and blend it for just ten seconds or so, to combine. Go back and stir your veggies! When the onion is limp and translucent, transfer half of the vegetables into the blender, add the Parmesan, and blend for another 20 seconds or so, to puree the vegetables. Combine the cream sauce with the spaghetti, the rest of the vegetables, and the turkey, and mix everything well. Put in a 10 cup casserole that you've sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake uncovered at 400 for 20 minutes, until bubbly.
6 - 8 servings. Assuming 6, each will have 7 grams of carbohydrate, a trace of fiber, and 24 grams of protein. 492 calories.
This tetrazinni is wonderful; everyone who tries it loves it. However, if you have some folks in your family who are going to be unhappy about spaghetti squash, here's what you do: use half spaghetti squash, half spaghetti. Mix half of the sauce with the turkey, and divide the other
half of the sauce, and the un-pureed mushrooms and onions, between 1 cups spaghetti squash, and 1 cups cooked spaghetti. Put the spaghetti squash at one end of your casserole dish, and the spaghetti at the other end (it helps to use a rectangular casserole dish!) Then make a groove down the middle of the whole thing, lengthwise, and pour the turkey mixture into the groove. Bake the same way as above.
That's it for this issue! See you next issue!
Dana
To request a full-text version of this issue by e-mail, just send a message to: htt031106@holdthetoast.com (Message and subject can be blank.)