Just been thinking on the long terms of Low Carbing and was wondering does this mean never to have Rice,pasta,potatoes again or add them slowly and in small quantities when you reach your goal weight.

I bought a Tin of Sweet N sour Chicken and it is only 2.2 carbs per 100 grams total tin = 400 g so i figured i could eat the whole tin if i wanted and probably will but it's what to have with it obviously it used to be rice with such dishes but now Rice is a no no so is it just veggies with it or is there any of the usual suspects ie rice,pasta,potatoes,noodles that can be eaten in sensible quantity?

Iv'e now been on atkins nearly 5 weeks and i have never put chocolate.crisps,or the usual rubbish i used to eat in my mouth and i am surprised it's went along swimmingly so far! but the thought of never having Noodles,pasta,rice again is rather concerning or am i just going through a dodgy period since the variety i am having isn't a great deal different every day.

From what I understand, adding rice, pasta (both preferably wholemeal which is at least a little gentler on the blood sugar) and potatoes back in moderation is more than possible when you reach your goal weight... provided you don't find you start putting the weight back on and feeling lethargic again.

Everyone goes through a stage of eating the same dull stuff day in day out... time you hit the recipe section I'd say! If I as a vegetarian can manage a varied diet, what a meat eater is whining about I don't know! Seriously, it's very easy to get stuck in a rut... which suits some folk really well, but for others it's their undoing.

Have a look in my journal for a rice substitute for now. Er... I'd suggest you double check the ingredients on that tin though. I've yet to see shop bought sweet and sour sauce (especially in Scotland!) that wasn't jammed full of sugar and mono-sodium glutamate.

Once you reach Maintenance you can add higher carb foods now and then; even Dr. Atkins said he ate half a baked potato occasionally.

In the meantime, a very tasty (and far superior, in MHO) substitute for rice is cauliflower, shredded in the food processor and sauteed in butter. You can eat it plain or add spices and veggies or whatever you want. It is great with Chinese or Indian food or any food formerly eaten with rice.

Karla

I second that suggestion! (It's the substitute I was referring to earlier). Having mine tonight in the mother of all stir fries! You're so right Karla; I used to love rice, but I swear this tastes infinitely better... and that's from a woman who otherwise detests cauliflower!

No this way of life does not mean giving up all carbohydrates for life.

However, whilst you want to lose weight you should limit any high carb food to a few special ocassions.

You will always need to keep an eye on the number of carbs you eat as you now know that it is those that make you put on wieght. However, once you are satisfied with your weight loss good carbs are fine in moderation. As already said wholemeal or unprocessed complex carbs are the best.

I supose another thing you could have with your sweet and sour is stir fried beansprouts. These are less than 1 g carbs per 100g.

Urban these are the exact ingredients on the tin
Chicken 41%,water,vegetables 13%(paprika,bamboo shoots,carrots,onions,celery
sugar,pineapple,vinegar,tomato puree,salt,modified starch,citric acid,thickeners: xanthan gum and guar gum,spices
minimum 35% meat

typical values per 100g
energy 526 kj/126k
protein 13.7g
carbs 2.2g
fat 6.9g

Sugar is in there as are carrots which i read are quite high in carbs also pineapple but it says only 2.2 g of carbs?

UrbanGypsy,

I used to love rice and potatoes and bread and noodles, too, but after eating LC for three years all of that stuff tastes gummy and icky to me I'd much rather eat zucchini pasta or the cauliflower versions of rice, mashed potatoes, and potato salad; they taste better and have actual nutritional value to boot! I do a tiny taste test now and then when we eat out just to see if I miss anything like that and I definitely don't. (Unfortunately, baklava does still taste good to me, which I discovered on our last vacation, when DH and I shared a piece, but it's not something I even see often and I lost 2 pounds on that vacation, so it's not a big problem. )

My husband, who is on Maintenance, will have some bread when we eat out, but only so he can eat the butter

Karla