Common low carb Acronyms

AS - Artificial Sweetener

BCAA – Branched Chain Amino Acids

BG – Blood Glucose

BF – Body Fat

BMI – Body Mass Index

BPC – Bullet Proof Coffee

BS - Blood Sugar

CHO – Carbohydrate

CKD – Cyclical Ketogenic Diet

CO – Coconut Oil

DKA – Diabetic Ketoacidosis (not the same as ketosis)

EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

EVCO – Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

FBG – Fasting Blood Glucose

FF – Fat Fast                                                                                                                                             F-Following 

GF – Grain Free

HWC – Heavy Whipping Cream

IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome

IF – Intermittent Fast

IR – Insulin Resistance

LBM – Lean Body Mass

LC – Low-Carb

LCHF – Low-Carb/High-Fat

MCT – Medium-Chain Triglycerides

NK - Nutritional Ketosis

NSV - Non-Scale Victory

OWL – Ongoing Weight-Loss

PCOS/PCOD - Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/Disease

PUFA – Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

SAD – Standard American Diet    shark week = Your period

T1D – Type 1 Diabetes

T2D – Type 2 Diabetes

TKD – Targeted Ketogenic Diet

WOD/WOE/WOL - Way of Dieting / Way of Eating / Way of Life

YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary

All you need to know about sugar alcohols

Sugar alcohols are a type of carb called "Polyols".  Part of their chemical structure resembles sugar and part resembles alcohol.  SA occur naturally in plants, fruits, mushrooms and fermented foods such as wine and soy sauce, but are mostly manufactured from sugars and starches. They are not completely absorbed by the body.  Because of this, blood sugar impact is less than sugar and they provide fewer calories per gram.  

Here are some examples of SA, where they come from, and how they impact blood glucose/insulin (glycemic index) levels.  Notice Sugar and Malitol syrup have close to the same GI.  Some SA do count

Sweetener- Source- Sweetness- GI- Cal/gram

Sucrose (sugar) for comparison 100%- 60- 4

Maltitol syrup 75%-52-  3

Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate 33%- 39- 2.8                                                                Malitol 75%- 36- 2.7

Xylitol 100%- 1-3- 2.5

Isomalt 55%- 9- 2.1

Sorbitol (made from Corn syrup) 60%- 9- 2.1

Lactitol 35%- 6- 2

Mannitol (made from seaweed) 60%- -1.5

Erythritol 70%- 0- 0.2 

MALTITOL CAUSES SERIOUS GASTRIC DISTRESS AND HAS THE MOST IMPACT COMPARED TO SUGAR.

Erythritol has the least impact on blood sugar, 0 carbs, and 0 GI.  Powdered Erythritol is a great choice for baking and as a straight sweetener.  It is available in granulated form and powdered form. 

My point is, while these can typically be subtracted from total carbs along with fiber to get net carbs, they are NOT A FREE FOOD!  They will cause blood sugar spikes and can cause weight loss to stall if consumed in large amounts.  It is recommended for SA amounts higher than 5, to subtract only half the total grams listed.

The higher the GI, the more it can stimulate a blood sugar spike, resulting in an insulin response, which can trigger fat storage.  Some also cause more gastric distress than others. 

low or zero carb food list

These  meats have zero carbs:

• Beef
• Veal
• Lamb
• Pork
• Fowl (turkey, chicken, duck, goose, hen, quail)
• Organ Meats (brains, tongue, liver, heart, kidneys)
• Game Meats (venison, bison, ostrich, caribou, elk)
• Exotic Meats (such as ostrich and emu)                                                                                          
  Fresh (unprocessed) seafood is zero carb:
  • Cod
  • Flounder
  • Sole
  • Haddock
  • Halibut
  • Sardine
  • Swordfish
  • Tuna
  • Trout
  • Salmon
  • Catfish
  • Bass
  • Crab
  • Shrimp
  • Lobster
  • Squid
  • Oysters
  • Mussels
  • Clams
                  

  Zero Carb Dairy

  • Butter
  • Whipped Cream (check each label)
  • Heavy Cream (check each label)
                               

  Zero Carb Seasoning

  • Salt and Pepper
  • Vinegar
  • Ground Cinnamon
  • Most Hot Sauces
  • Yellow Mustard
  • Dill weed
  • Chives
            

  Zero Carb Oils and Fats

  The following fats and oils have zero carbs:
  • Olive oil
  • Coconut oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Safflower oil
  • Corn oil
  • Soybean oil
  • Canola oil
  • Peanut oil
  • Sesame oil
  • Avocado oil
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Soybean oil
  • Safflower oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Fish oil
  • Animal Fats (including lard)
  • Vegetable Shortening
  • Butter and Margarine
  • Mayonnaise (check each label)
               Almost Zero Carb Fruits and Veggies:
  Serving size: 1/2 cup
  • Spinach .2
  • Parsley .4
  • Avocado .5
  • Radish .5
  • Lettuce .25
  • Bok Choy .7
  • Celery .8
  Serving size: 1/4 cup
  • Mushrooms .5
  • Garlic (1/2 clove) .5
  • Pokeberry Shoots .5
  • Cabbage .5
  • Asparagus (3 pieces) .6
  • Coconut .5
  • Yellow Squash .7
  • Raspberries .7
  • Cauliflower .7
  • Broccoli .8
  • Cucumber .9
   Eggs .2 to .7 (check the carton)
  Eggs are so versatile: fried, scrambled, omelets, quiche, boiled, deviled and of course – egg salad.

  Most natural, unprocessed cheeses (no added flavors or ingredients) are 0 to 1 net carbs per serving. Hard cheeses will be the lowest; softer, creamy cheeses will be the highest.

  Almost Zero Carb Cheeses:
  Serving size: 1 oz = 1″ cube = 1/4 cup grated (approx.)
  • Asiago .9
  • Blue .6
  • Brie .1
  • Camembert .1
  • Cheddar .3
  • Colby .7
  • Edam .4
  • Fontina .4
  • Goats .6
  • Gouda .6
  • Gruyère .1
  • Havarti .7
  • Mexican Blend Cheese .5
  • Monterey .1
  • Mozzarella .6
  • Muenster .3
  • Neufchatel .1 to .8
  • Parmesan .9
  • Provolone .6
  • Ricotta .8

Magnesium benefits

I keep seeing the question being asked  what does magnesium do for the body ? Magnesium is an essential mineral for staying healthy and is required for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Multiple health benefits of magnesium include transmission of nerve impulses, body temperature regulation, detoxification, energy production, and the formation of healthy bones and teeth. 

. Zinc, calcium, and magnesium are three of the most important minerals essential for good health. Magnesium aids in the absorption of calcium by the body, while zinc actively supports the body’s immune system.
 

Women of all ages benefit immensely from the intake of magnesium. Besides keeping osteoporosis at bay, magnesium health benefits in women include relief from symptoms of menopause and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). It also minimizes the risk of premature labor.

The other crucial health benefits of magnesium include protein synthesis, relief from bronchospasm (constricted airways) in the lungs, and improvement of parathyroid function. It boosts the bio-availability of vitamin B6 and cholesterol, improves muscle functioning, and prevents osteoporosis, insomnia,  heart attacks, hypertension, , migraines, kidney stones, and gallstones,constipation. And we all know doing low carb we sometimes end up with the last one :(
 

breaking a plateu and my weight

For the past few weeks i have not updated any change in weight cause there was none :(  but the good news is there was no gain either.  I know i lost inches but i felt like there should be some weight loss soon. after reading lots of ways to change this i decided to add more carbs in for the day and i ate 40 instead of 20. I added some refried beans to my low carb dish cause i have been craving them bad and now im glad i did cause i weighed myself today and dropped 2 pounds :) when you go through this you have to play around a bit to figure out what your body needs. some people need more fat and some more carbs  but during this process never give up

Can you drink too much water?

this question has been asked several times in a couple facebook pages that i go on and I will give you my honest opinion and say yes i believe you can over drink fluids /water . Now the reason i say yes is due to the fact i was not much of a water drinker and no where near drank half my body weight in water each day as suggested by several low carb sites so i decided to test it out to see how i felt. Day one i drank half my body weight and felt kinds sluggish all day and peed way too much at night. second day same thing and now my ankles and legs were swelling up and up all night again peeing. third day same thing...stopped it and went back to normal and swelling went down and i was back to normal :) (not that i ever was normal) :)

Low carb on a budget

One of the largest concerns about a low-carb lifestyle is its impact on the user’s wallet. However it can be done on a tight budget and done with great success. The key to this    is . When you see a giant sale on meat at your butcher or grocery store, (aldi has great deals)  spend more than you would on average (even more than what you could consume that week). This allows you to play the budgeting long game instead of the present budget. Sure, you may spend an extra twenty percent on meat this week but you have protein for three weeks now for the cost of one and a half weeks. Apply this logic with staple foods in your area. . There are a couple of small tricks to finding cheap food. You’d be astonished at how much cheaper something like 75/25 ground beef is, with its 80/20 partner being dollars higher with virtually not a single iota of difference between the two.  Make sure you cut coupons and shop when your stores have double coupon days

 I also wanna mention starting your own gardens and growing your own veggies can save tons and you know they will be organic :)  Also I have been making an extra 10 bucks a month doing something i already do and that is doing a few searches for bing. they pay you in gift cards of your choice and i use amazon .com and but low carb products with them. takes a few minutes a day and it is so easy.check them out.     bing