Big things are happening in our third week of the Feminine Collective Low Carb Challenge. Our FC group and our at home challengers are finding their way, getting in the groove, and learning how to low carb successfully. It’s a whole new lifestyle, and it takes a little getting used to. We’ve been trained our whole lives to worry about calories and fat. With our FC low carb challenge we are reversing all those past ideas. We are telling people to throw out all their old weight loss beliefs. Forget about calories and fats, don’t even think about them, and just focus on the carbohydrates and sugars in foods. For some, it’s like telling them dinosaurs have come back to life. They just don’t believe it’s possible … until the weight starts dropping off.
This week our team has done it again, losing lots of weight. Running the gamut from 1-9 pounds per person. Everyone is different, and every system is different. So losing nine pounds can happen and so can one. It’s all progressing towards our personal goals. There is no right and wrong amount to lose. With that being said, if you are on a low carb program and you’re not losing at all, then either you are eating too many carbs or hidden sugar is getting in. Really be mindful of the carbs you are eating, but it could be the sugar getting you too. Make sure that you aren’t eating more than 2 grams of sugar per serving. That doesn’t mean 2 grams of sugar per meal. That means, if you are having lemon pepper chicken, with a side of broccoli and mousse for dessert, that each of the individual servings you are eating should only have 2 grams of sugar or less, per item. That’s a hard one for some, but it’s an important thing to be aware of. Too much sugar will take your system out of ketosis, which is where your body needs to be to burn fat and lose weight.
Speaking of carbs and sugar, our team has been posting up a storm this week about carb trackers, favorite foods and the special things that they have really grown to love on their low carb adventure. There are so many things out there, but these are just a few of our favorites.
Below are what we like to call our Top Three Favorite Things:
#1 Atkins Carb Tracker: I downloaded and tried out all the different carb tracker apps for iPhone. From pay to free, this one turned out to be my favorite. The group tried a few others too, and they came up with the same idea … this counter rocks. It’s not fancy, but it does just what you need it to. It has a large database of food. It lets you set your carb level to 20, and quickly add your personal favorites. It makes it easy and fun to lose weight and track your meals, all in one app. I can’t stress enough how important it is to track your daily carbs. You need to know how you’re doing at all times, and not just guessing. Guessing brings in lost carbs for the day, and then your weight loss slows. So whether it is an app or a sticky note on your fridge, count those carbs. Find out more about the app, which is available for iPhone and Android phones.
# 2 Josephs Flax Seed Pitas: These are lifesavers! The pitas are amazing and so versatile, plus the whole pita is just 4 carbs. You can fill them to bursting with just about anything you can imagine. From scrambled egg pockets in the morning, to ham and cheese melts for lunch, or fill them up with your favorite taco fixings for dinner. I know a few people that cut them into triangles, bake them in the oven, then cover them with cheese for an amazing 4 carb nachos meal. The only limitation with these is your imagination. The whole team agrees, these are a must have. You can find them in most grocery stores or check them out online.
#3 Cauliflower: I know … you’re at home
right now rolling your eyes, but Cauliflower is amazing. You can make it into rice, pizza crust, or cauli-mashed potatoes. There is even a baked version that tastes like popcorn. The list really goes on and on. The FC Low Carb team are going crazy with it. They are making everything from lasagna to Mac and Cheese. There are so many low carb recipes out there that substitute cauliflower for the starch in them that you are able to make anything. It sounds crazy, I know, but give it a try. You’ll love it!
So are you ready to start the FC Low Carb Challenge with us? It’s easy, you can even do it from home. Just pick up a copy of the low carb plan we’re using called Fat to Skinny by author Doug Varrieur. It’s a quick read, but it will make the low carb lifestyle really come to life for you. If you have already been doing it with us at home and you’re proud of your progress, drop me an email aByteOfLife@FeminineCollective.com or hit us up on Twitter @femininecollect. We would love to hear all about how you’re doing, plus you might make it into one of the weekly articles.
What do you have to lose? Or should I say … what don’t you have to lose?
Week 1 – The Rules
Week 2 – Getting Started
Week 3 – Favorite Things
Week 4 – Screwing Up
Week 5 – I Want Candy
Week 6 – Taking Care of You
Week 7 – You Can Do It!
Week 8 – Wine, Beer, Tequila? Definitely!
Week 9 – Carb Creep
Week 10 – Hollywood Eats Low Carb. You Can Too!
Week 11 – Wow! You Did it!
Photo Credit: Keoni Cabral via Compfight cc
