I'm a nibbler. Somedays I can nibble my way through 3/4 head of cauliflower. I have to watch calories so I can't nibble on fatty items. My question: Is nibbling cauliflower good or bad as long as I eat enough fat & protein? Dallasalis

Some days I feel like nibbling all day, but once I have 1/2 a LC muffin w/TONS of butter I am no longer nibbly at all. You shouldn't condemn fat, it actually releases chemicals in your body that make you feel full, satisfied, and content. The cauliflower is very low carb though, so it's a good choice, but I do reccommend fat like cream cheese or something to really kick the munchies. And don't keep your cals too low, under 1200 and your body goes into starvation mode and won't let go of any fat. 10 times your goal weight worth of cals works for most people, more if your active.

Good luck, it sounds like you're really committed and you're doing great!

Dallasalis,
What do you mean.. "I'm a nibbler?" Are you hungry and therefore nibble to eat, or is it a habit to have something in your mouth?
Cauliflower has 5.2 gr. of carbo per cup, but as 2.5 are fiber the net carb count is low.. only 2.7 gr. However, if you are nibbling because you are actually watching calories too severely and are trying to control actual hunger all day by trying to fool yourself that you are eating...cauliflower should do little more than keep you hungry in that situation. My experience is that it is much better to eat a high fat food and get rid of the hunger for several hours. If you need to watch calories (as I see you have very little to lose) one way to beautifully combine both is to continue to eat cauliflower, but add it to a recipe with cheese/cream, etc to up the fat content and satisfy you more. There is a great "mock mashed potato" recipe which floats around here which bakes cauliflower and grated cheese and I think some cream in a luscious low LC (and not bad calorie) dish!!! Yuuummm!! Just typing about it makes me need to make it for dinner tonight!!! (If anyone has the actual recipe, could you please post it?!:-) ) You could make up a large batch of something like this and then snack on it as hungry throughout the day and I bet you would be much more satisfied and less preoccupied with "nibbling". (Maybe actaully eat less in the long run?)
Cauliflower is a terrific food.. and just looking in my LC cookbooks right now I see over 10 different recipes which feature it. It adds fiber, tastes great, good veggie nutrients and fills you up... AND combining it with some fat (even buttering it warm) makes it an ideal food on the WOE. (One recipe is simply "cauliflower rice".)
I would just really caution you about sitting around nibbling on it throughout the day.. for what reason? You can eat to be satisfied and then not need to eat again (or even think about food) on the WOE and lose weight. One of the best side effects of LC eating for me is NOT having to think about eating or nibble all the time.
Anyway, just my comment... I'm not sure why you consider yourself a "nibbler"... maybe you'll find that changes too as your body does?! That is not to say do not eat often or as often as you are hungry and as the book says certainly try to never go beyond 4 - 6 hours without eating something in order to avoid getting suddenly too hungry, low blood sugar, etc. Just seems that snacking on plain raw cauliflower throughout the day does not really take advantages of the LC satisfaction experience, and may be left over habit from low cal? Really serves no purpose perhaps other than reinforce the "nibbler" idea or keep your hungry (if that is really what is going on). Hmmmmmmmm... do you think it actually keeps you a bit hungry?? How long does it satisfy you? Everyones "body" is different and bottom line is ALWAYS tweeking things so they work for YOU!! Just some thoughts off the top of my head (since you asked)! smile (Also, don't forget the water... it is more filling than cauliflower... maybe it will stop the nibble thought pattern?)
Cheers,

Steam that cauliflower and cover it with cheese sauce - extra fat helps slow the nibbling.

Thanks for the replies. I don't know if my nibbling is a bad habit acquired during WW with their zero points foods or if I'm eating out of hunger or boredom (stay at home mom of a 5 yr old and 16 month old twins). I can easily go over 1800 calories per day. Cheese is my weakness, but it does fill me up (especially cream cheese). Maybe I'm nibbling to keep me awake! I do drag on Atkins, but would like to keep the carb level down to increase my chances of losing weight. Dallasalis

Super nummy cauliflower recipe I've posted before -

Better Than (or as good as) French Fries!

Head of cauliflower
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Slice cauliflower thinly (1/4 inch thick pieces), place on cookie pan. Lightly brush cauliflower with olive oil, sprinkle on lots of salt and pepper, maybe even a little paprika.

Cook until a bit brown.

It is unbelievable, with the little bit of oil you use, and the water that is in cauliflower naturally, they taste deep fried, especially if you let them get a little brown. MMMMMM!

I also roast my cauliflower with olive oil but I also add some fresh rosemary from the garden and a few garlic cloves. The aroma as this combo is roasting is great !

Oh, rosemary. I will have to try that. I love the smell of rosemary in the oven!

Hey Orzabella, Thanks for the great recipe idea. I was reading this thread and had no idea what to make with the pork chops last night and then I saw your recipe for baked cauliflower. It was delicious and DH made sure to take the rest for lunch today.

I even added the fresh Rosemary and it smelled so great cooking.