Low Carb Menu Ideas

[Sherrie]

Hey I thought it would be a good idea to have a low carb menu thread going where fellow low carbers could share their menus if they wish.

Below I will add some of my old ones which I have copied from a post of mine that I did last year. Plus, I have some I did for someone else once as a favour.

Feel free to add your own.

[Sherrie]

Here are some of my old ones from 2002, I was aiming for around 1500 calories, 5-8% carbs, 20-25% protein and around 60-70% fat.

1500 Calorie Menus

You'll find some menus may be around 1300-1400 calories, I always aimed for 1500 calories at the time so it most likely means I forgot to go back to it and add something like say a serve of cream, butter used during cooking etc. At the time I would've known what was missing but that was 4 years ago now so I don't remember.

In the beginning I used to still have a small dash of milk in my coffees which later changed to cream, I used to add just enough cream to whiten then top up with cold water, you wouldn't believe the difference that once change made to my carb counts!

Menu 1


Breakfast:1/3 cup of low carb cereal, 15ml flax oil, 50ml milk, 1 tsp splenda

Lunch: piece of cheesecake

Dinner: Chicken and Mushroom Paprika served with 150g broccoli and 100g brussel sprouts

Snacks: 1 protein shake with 15ml flax oil, 2 decaff with 20ml milk and splenda.

Totals: 1483 calories 122 gram protein 98 gram fat 27 gram carbohydrates


Menu 2


Breakfast: slice of cheesecake

Lunch: taco mince (using 100g mince) with salad and 1/2 cup cheese

Dinner: scrambled eggs (3 or 4 large eggs) with bacon (2 rashers, fat trimmed), mushroom and tomato

Snacks: 1 decaff

Totals: 1320 calories 88 gram protein 97 gram fat 20 gram carbohydrates


Menu 3


Breakfast: 1/3 cup of low carb cereal, 15ml flax oil, 50ml milk, 1 tsp splenda.

Lunch: piece of cheesecake

Dinner: Taco mince (using 200g mince) with salad and 1/2 cup cheese

Snacks: 2 decaff with 20ml milk and splenda

Totals: 1423 calories 100 gram protein 106 gram fat 18 gram carbohydrates


Menu 4



Breakfast: 1/3 cup of low carb cereal, 15ml flax oil, 50ml milk, 1 tsp splenda
Lunch: piece of cheesecake with cream

Dinner: 2 jumbo eggs scrambled with 1/2 cup cheese, bacon and spinach

Snacks: 2 decaff with cream and splenda, protein shake with 15ml flax

Totals: 1513 calories 99 gram protein 115 gram fat 21 gram carbohydrates


Menu 5


Breakfast: 1/3 cup of low carb cereal, 15ml flax oil, milk, 1 tsp splenda

Lunch: piece of cheesecake with cream

Dinner: Lamb casserole using cabbage, green beans, leftover roast lamb, mushies and tomato served with cauli mash and brocolli

Snacks: 1 decaff with cream and splenda, protein shake with 15ml flax, cream and strawberries

Totals: 1480 calories 104 gram protein 105 gram fat 26 gram carbohydrates


Menu 6


Breakfast: 1/3 cup of low carb cereal, 15ml flax oil, milk, 1 tsp splenda

Lunch: protein shake with 15ml flax and scoop of LC ice cream

Dinner: 3 lamb loin chops, butter, 1 cup cabbage, 1/2 cup green beans and 100g brocolli

Snacks: 2 decaff with cream and splenda

Totals: 1461 calories 80 gram protein 122 gram fat 15 gram carbohydrates


Menu 7



Breakfast: 1/3 cup of low carb cereal, 15ml flax oil, milk, 1 tsp splenda

Lunch: peice of cheesecake

Dinner: 200 chicken breast, butter, 50g broccoli, 150g mixed cottage veg, 200g brussel sprouts

Snacks: 2 decaff with cream and splenda, 2 muffins using mix like cereal, cream cheese, half and half and flavouring, protein shake with scoop of LC ice cream
Must have been that time of the month LOL


Totals: 1649 calories 130 gram protein 107 gram fat 37 gram carbohydrates

[Sherrie]

Heres some others (not mine):


Anyway, here are a few examples, its a bit monotomous but thats what she wanted and suggested salad and vegies were just examples, it was up to her to experiment. You could skip snacks and have bigger meat portions for dinner and lunch. If your eating more then this and losing weight don't lower it to this!


Menu 1

Breakfast: 2 large eggs, 50g bacon (with fat), 100g spinach, 1/2 small tomato (50g) ad 10g butter.

Lunch: salad consisting of 100g of cooked chicken breast, about 200g of greens such as celery, lettuce and cucumber, 100g tomato and 20g egg mayonaise.

Dinner: 100g pork chop w/fat, 100g broccoli, 100g zucchini, 200g spinach and 10g butter

Snacks: 20g vintage cheddar cheese, protein shake with 20ml cream and 15ml flax, 2 decaff with 20ml cream and 2 tsp splenda each.

Total: 1,735 Calories 118 gms Protein 137 gms Fat 18 gms Carbs


Menu 2

Breakfast: 2 large eggs, 50g bacon (with fat), 100g spinach, 1/2 small tomato (50g) ad 10g butter.

Lunch: salad consisting of 100g of cooked chicken breast, about 200g of greens such as celery, lettuce and cucumber, 100g tomato and 20g egg mayonaise.

Dinner: chicken breast (200g when raw), 100g broccoli, 100g zucchini, 200g spinach and 10g butter

Snacks: 15g almonds, protein shake with 20ml cream and 20ml flax, 2 decaff with 20ml cream and 2 tsp splenda each.

Total: 1,744 Calories 148 gms Protein 121 gms Fat 20 gms Carbs


Menu 3

Breakfast: 2 large eggs, 50g bacon (with fat), 100g spinach, 1/2 small tomato (50g) ad 10g butter.

Lunch: salad consisting of 100g of cooked chicken breast, about 200g of greens such as celery, lettuce and cucumber, 100g tomato and 20ml flax oil.

Dinner: beef fillet (200g when raw), 100g broccoli, 100g zucchini, 200g spinach and 10g butter

Snacks: 15g almonds, protein shake with 20ml cream and 10ml flax, 2 decaff with 20ml cream and 2 tsp splenda each.

Total: 1,713 Calories 145 gms Protein 118 gms Fat 20 gms Carbs


Menu 4

Breakfast: 2 large eggs, 50g bacon (with fat), 100g spinach, 1/2 small tomato (50g) ad 10g butter.

Lunch: Salad consisting of 100g of cooked chicken breast, about 200g of greens such as celery, lettuce and cucumber, 100g tomato and 20g egg mayonaise.

Dinner: Salmon (200g raw), 100g broccoli, 100g zucchini, 200g spinach and 10g butter

Snacks: 15g almonds, protein shake with 20ml cream and 15ml flax, 2 decaff with 20ml cream and 2 tsp splenda each.

Total: 1,657 Calories 142 gms Protein 118 gms Fat 19.5 gms Carbs

[KatieP]

Sherrie, were you losing weight on your diet of 1500 cals a day? How much exercise were you doing??
Thanks
Katie
xxxx

[Sherrie]

Katie I reached 56kg on that, the last few kgs I did refeeds as well and I was doing weights at home every mon, wed and friday with some cardio on tues and thursday. I was stuck at 56kg for ages but then when I added a little more carbs in to give my body a break I promptly dropped 1 more kg in that intitial first week and stayed at that weight for ages.

In retrospect I didn't eat enough (for me) as it wore me out.

[KatieP]

I just started my carb re-feed -- I just ate a Cadbury turkish delight icecream!
It was only 100 ml and 98 calories --18g carbs -- so not too much damage really - boy did I enjoy it! mmmmmmmmmmmm ...
I'm taking Doingit's advice and easing off slightly. My new strategy is
...eating healthfully, training joyfully, and living passionately!!!

[DOINGIT]

eating healthfully ~ exercising joyfully ~ living passionately

Just love it@!!

[Janine2203]

after reading those menus I wonder if I don't eat enough! when I stall I reduce what I eat and I just keep stalling and staying stalled for a month or more! I have about the same amount of protein as in those menus but I'd say my carbs are way down, maybe I've not been calculating them corrrectly..a typical lunch salad with my protein would be

6 thin slices cuc
1 slice beetroot (sometimes)
50g tomato
2 small lettuce leaves or 1 big
2 slices onion
about 20g capsicum

it's plenty to eat for me, I don't think I could manage the salads in those menus.

BUT on the other hand, I can't exercise so I always thought I should be on the lower calories...like about 11 or 1200.

[DOINGIT]

just to exist breathe sleep etc you need about 1200 so you are way way tooooooooo low!!!

[Janine2203]

how come most weight loss diets say you should have 1200/day to lose weight! I'm really confused! I guess if I try one of those menus for a week I'll find out huh?

[Herbie]

Thanks for posting the menus, i am sure they will be a great help.
I think I have had a bit of the same problem as Janine, I don't think i have been eating quite enough either.
I dont count calories, I am just winging it all on what I remember from last time.
I think I might give the taco mince, salad and cheese a go, I LOVE have a taco salad, YUM!!!!

[Sherrie]

after reading those menus I wonder if I don't eat enough! when I stall I reduce what I eat and I just keep stalling and staying stalled for a month or more! I have about the same amount of protein as in those menus but I'd say my carbs are way down, maybe I've not been calculating them corrrectly..a typical lunch salad with my protein would be

6 thin slices cuc
1 slice beetroot (sometimes)
50g tomato
2 small lettuce leaves or 1 big
2 slices onion
about 20g capsicum

it's plenty to eat for me, I don't think I could manage the salads in those menus.

BUT on the other hand, I can't exercise so I always thought I should be on the lower calories...like about 11 or 1200.

Janine when I did those menus it was using dietclubs old database which was Australian. Now they have changed to caloriekings database which is american and very inconsistent. I say inconsistent because their fresh food database is worked out using the american standards and their packaged/take away database is using Australian, idiots they are!

Anyway, what all this means is the figures you use most likely have the fibre included as americans include fibre in their carbohydrate counts. The fibre passes straight through, it does not need to be counted as carbohydrates!

[Sherrie]

how come most weight loss diets say you should have 1200/day to lose weight! I'm really confused! I guess if I try one of those menus for a week I'll find out huh?

Because when eating massive amounts of fast acting, insulin producing carbohydrates and no fat to slow their digestion down you have to pretty much starve yourself to have any chance of losing weight!!!

I thought you tried upping your fat a month or 2 ago? How did that go?

[Sherrie]

Thanks for posting the menus, i am sure they will be a great help.
I think I have had a bit of the same problem as Janine, I don't think i have been eating quite enough either.
I dont count calories, I am just winging it all on what I remember from last time.
I think I might give the taco mince, salad and cheese a go, I LOVE have a taco salad, YUM!!!!

You're welcome, I wanted to post the calories with them because it gives people an idea what 1500 and 1700 calories look like.

You don't want to eat too little at the beginning of a diet even if you aren't hungry because after a while your metabolism will slow down to match it. If you can lose weight while eating a bit more then that's what you should do, it gives you more room to move later when your body catches up.

As the saying goes don't put all your eggs in the one basket!

[Janine2203]

Sherrie I did try upping my fat but I think I have this mental issue going on, I go between trimming the fat off the meat to leaving it on!

I'm pretty sure I've slipped into the old rut of reducing calories so I'll follow some of these menus and see what happens. One weird thing happened a few weeks ago, went to lunch and decided to blow it, think I had nachos or something like that and that week I lost more than usual. weird!!!

Sherrie, which cheesecake recipe did you use in your menus and was it crust on or crustless? also what is the taco mince is that in the recipe section (note to self - go and see..lol)

What is carb refeeding???