How am I finding low carb eating? #mealplanning

Regular readers will know that I generally favour low carb eating. However, I do tend to fall into bad habits from time to time and the occasional bar of chocolate or bag of crisps becomes a daily ‘treat’. The more carbs I eat, the more I crave them!

The problem is that eating too many carbs, such as bread, potatoes, sweets, pasta and cakes, eventually catches up with me. My weight is usually within what is considered a healthy range. However, fat creeps in around my waist and belly and soon my jeans aren’t comfy any more.

My fibromyalgia symptoms flare as well, and I become very tired and achy. This is exactly what has happened over the past couple of months. I think I have been comfort eating my way through lock down, along with many of you I am sure!

So I am easing myself back into low carb eating. It is really just a matter of being organised, and making sure I have the right foods in the house and don’t have loads of biscuits hiding in the cupboard.

What does low carb eating look like?

I am not attempting the keto diet; I don’t need to go into ketosis to feel better and lose the fat around my middle. I also find the keto diet difficult to follow all of the time and much more expensive.

That is one of the issues with low carb eating generally, actually. High carb fillers such as bread, rice and pasta are very easy to incorporate into a frugal food plan, but a no-no when you are trying to cut the carbs.

I counter this by buying our food in Aldi and Lidl. Organic grass fed meat, milk and eggs are not an option when you are eating on a budget, so we buy the ordinary stuff to keep it affordable.

I also try to avoid ready prepped low carb snacks now and generally make my own. The Atkins type bars you can buy are nice for a treat but quite expensive to eat on a daily basis.

Breakfasts, lunches and snacks

Breakfasts for me are usually frozen berries and Greek yogurt with seeds. As I am eating a lower carb diet, this is a quick and delicious option. Mr S either has this, porridge, cereal or toast. Sometimes we will have scrambled eggs.

Lunches are often home made soups such as this broccoli and Stilton one, something with eggs or a salad with some form of protein.

Snacks are nuts, pork scratchings, hard boiled eggs, fruit (occasionally) or some home made keto crackers and cheese.

I mainly drink water or tea, but will sometimes have a sugar free bitter lemon with ice. I am cutting my alcohol intake right down, and find that this is a good option instead of my usual glass of white wine. Sometimes I will treat myself to a gin and slimline tonic, but I am keeping this to no more than one glass three times a week.

I am not eating completely carb free. The other day I had a bit of cake my mum made – we had been for a long walk and I just couldn’t resist!

It is Mother’s Day tomorrow and I know that my daughters have organised our lunch (even though they can’t be with us!). This is not likely to be low carb, but I will go with the flow for one day.

Anyway, here is what my low carb eating plan looks like this week.

Low carb eating meal plan

Saturday

Chicken and chorizo casserole. I have half a can of green lentils to use up rather than the butter beans and will use bacon rather than chorizo. Always good to adapt and use up what you have.

Legumes are quite high in carbs, but I do like to eat a few occasionally.

Mr S will have potatoes with his meal, but I will stick to carrots and green beans.

Sunday

Not sure yet! Will see what turns up for Mothering Sunday. Probably a bit of a carb fest, but one day won’t hurt.

Monday

Pork chops, fried in olive oil, garlic and rosemary with roasted veg (carrots, peppers and sweet potatoes).

Tuesday

Bolognese with keto garlic bread. Mr S will have pasta with his.

I picked up two lots of beef mince reduced by 30% when I was last in Aldi, so will use one of those. Their reductions are always worth looking out for.

Wednesday

I’m going to try these keto cheese and bacon rolls this week. Psyllium husk is a key ingredient, and I purchased some last week from Amazon*. Let’s give them a go!

We will have these with a fried egg and grilled tomatoes.

Thursday

Salmon pieces (another reduced find in Aldi), fried simply in some butter with some mushrooms and served with lots of veg.

Friday

Three egg omelette with cheese, peppers and mushrooms, served with a green salad.

Hopefully, if I stick with low carb eating 90% of the time, I will have a lot more energy and the flab will begin to disappear.  I am going to continue to experiment with new, easy recipes though so that I can find good options that aren’t complicated and won’t break the bank.

What are you eating this week?

I am joining in with Katy Kicker’s meal planning linky. Check out her meal plan this week too. You can see more of my favourite food ideas and recipes here. 

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