Atkins Low Carb Diet

The Atkins Diet is a low carbohydrate diet. You can eat as much protein and foods which do not contain carbohydrate as you like but all other foods groups are restricted or not allowed. Even potato, carrot and peas are too high in carbohydrate to include in this diet. You can’t eat cereal, bread, biscuits, cake, milk.

There are 4 stages to the Atkins diet:

·         Induction

·         Ongoing Weight Loss

·         Pre-Maintenance

·         Maintenance

      Go To Atkins web site for more details

 

Induction lasts for 2 weeks. You can skip this if you have only a small amount of weight to lose. Carbohydrates are very restricted during this phase. Only eat 15-20 grams of carbohydrate per day.

The Atkins web site has a carbohydrate counter

Ongoing Weight Loss: much the same as the induction stage but you very very gradually add more carbohydrates. You will be at this stage for the longest time.

Pre- Maintenance: You gradually add more carbohydrate until you stop losing weight.

Maintenance: Once you have reached your goal weight.

Sample Menu for Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL)

Breakfast:

Allow yourself no more than 3 tab spoons of cream a day. The cream can be diluted with water to use in recipes.

2 Eggs fried poached or scrambled. Fry in butter or oil don’t add milk to the scrambled eggs.

2 rashers Bacon

Coffee or tea with cream, sweeten with sugar (i.e.Splenda) substitute if needed

Lunch:

Meat or Fish Salad

6 oz. Chicken Grilled fried or roasted you can use any fat to do this

or tin of Tuna in oil 

or roasted beef or pork

Grated Cheese

salad, (lettuce, cucumber, tomato).

Mayonnaise full fat  or other full fat dressing of choice (if you are using a jar check ingredients for sugar,and carbohydrate)

Dinner:

Pork Chops  

or Cheeseburger Pie recipe below

Mashed cauliflower: recipe below

Greens (cabbage, sprouts, broccoli)

Egg custard made with cream. Recipe Below

or

zero sugar jelly and cream.

Recipes

Cheeseburger Pie
Total carbs 9. Serves 4
Ingredients:
500g minced beef
50g finely chopped onion
150g chopped mushrooms
100mls double cream
2 heaped tablespoons of mayo
150g strong cheddar grated
3 eggs
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Fry mince, onion and mushrooms together until cooked season to taste, drain off fat, add Lee & Perrins sauce.
Place in a greased foil covered deep pie dish, flatten with spoon.
Beat eggs add mayo, cream and cheese.
Pour over the top of mince, drop olives around the dish and bake in oven Gas mark 5 for 20 to 25 mins until set and golden brown.
Leave to cool before taking out of pie dish, remove foil.
Cut in to portions and wrap in cling film
This freezes very well.
Lovely with salad, cauli mash, or stir fry (Great in lunchboxes)

Cauliflower Mash
Total carbs 8. Servings: 4
Ingredients:
1 cauliflower
4 tablespoons butter
4 ounces parmesan cheese
2-4 of tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon horseradish

Plenty of seasoning to taste
Directions:
Cook cauliflower, until very soft. Drain well and add butter and grated Cheese. Add all of the other ingredients. Mash up well and serve. Gently reheat if needed, best served hot.

Egg Custard
Total carbs14, Servings 4

Ingredients:
5 eggs

1/2pint cream

1/2pint water
4 teaspoons sweetener
Directions:
Place ingredients in mixer or blender and whip well. Pour into a baking dish or individual oven proof bowls cook at 350c for 40-45 minutes or until set. Chill 1 hour and serve.

The Dukan Diet

The Dukan diet is a low fat low carb, high protein diet. Protein (meat, fish, etc) takes a long time to digest so you shouldn’t feel too hungry.

Choose a good time to start, You may feel tired by day 3 so let that coincide with a day off work.

 Take a look at The Dukan Web Site.There is lots of advice on it and I like the 'calculate your true weight' link.

On this diet you can eat as much of the allowed foods as you like and carbs in moderation mainly from veg. Eat 2-3 tablespoons of oatbran daily either as porridge or in you yogurt/cream frais,or in your galette. There are 4 stages to the diet. You cannot eat: fat, fruit or sugar.

 Allowed foods

 Meat Beef steak, Fillet of beef, Sirloin steak, Roast beef, Rump steak, Tongue, Bresaola, air-dried/wind-dried beef, Veal,Kidney, Calf's liver, Pre-cooked ham slices (without any fat or rind), Pre-cooked chicken and turkey slices (without any fat or rind),  Game (venison, pheasant, partridge, hare, grouse) Rabbit/hare

Fish Bass Cod (fresh), Crab/ocean sticks (surimi), Dab/lemon sole, Dover sole, Grey mullet, Haddock, Hake, Halibut, Herring, Mackerel, Monkfish, Plaice ,Pollock/Coley, Rainbow trout/salmon, trout, Red mullet, Salmon, Smoked salmon, Sardines, Sea bream, Skate, Swordfish, Tuna, Turbot, Whiting, Fish roe (cod, salmon, herring, nitillet).
Seafood Calamari/squid, Clams, Cockles, Crab ,Crawfish/crayfish, Prawns, Lobster Mussels, Oysters, Scallops, Shrimps, Whelks.
Poultry Chicken, Chicken liver, Guinea fowl, Ostrich, Pigeon, Quail, Turkey.
Veg Artichoke, Asparagus Turnip, Soya beans, Aubergine, Beetroot, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Celery, Chicory, Courgette, Fennel, French beans, Mange Tout, Leek, Mushrooms, Onion, Palm hearts, Pumpkin, Marrow, Squash.

Salad All the Salad leaves like lettuce, rocket, etc. Cucumber, Radish, Spinach, Swede, Swiss Chard, Tomatoes.

Dairy All zero fat dairy foods, yogurt, fromage frais, quark,tofu etc. and hen eggs.

Drinks tea, coffee, skimmed milk, zero sugar fizzy drinks (not fruit ones)

Suggested Shopping List (Cruise phase)

All of you shopping should be fat free or very low fat <1% if poss. and sugar free: a lot of low fat foods have hidden sugar. Read the labels of everything you buy.

Matthessons turkey rashers (I prefer the smoked)

8 chicken breasts without skin

prawns

low fat ham

no drain tuna (oil or brine is fine so long as it is the no drain)

lean steak

soya mince

salmon fillets

any other low fat meat or fish

I cal oil spray

Oxo cubes

Sugar free jelly

14 zero fat plain fromage frais or yogurts (not the fruit ones)

flavourings for above, lemon juice, vanilla etc.

Splenda granulated sweetner, (Splenda has the least impact on blood sugar)

Eggs

Oat bran Vegetables for soup

Salad stuff include iceberg lettuce

1-2 pints Skimmed milk

sugar free gum. (No more than 6 sticks a day)

1 calorie salad dressing ( lots of low fat ones have added sugar) or balsamic vinegar

diet drinks coke, lemonade etc. ( I drink these to ward off hunger but no more than 3 a day)

Suggested Menu (Cruise Phase)

Everything must be grilled griddled roasted or boiled without adding fat you can use 1 cal oil spray then wipe with kitchen roll to lubricate the pan. Drink plenty of water. Tea ,coffee, diet drinks. Sugar free gum.

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
turkey rashers with tomatoes	1-2 chicken breasts. Salad with 1 calorie spray dressing or balsamic vinegar. 500grm tub 0% fat yogurt. Flavour yogurt with lemon, vanilla flavouring and 3 teaspoons Splenda and a tablespoon oat bran.	Homemade vegetable soup. Tin tunafish (no drain) flavour with black pepper or a little fine chopped onion. Salad with 1 calorie spray dressing or balsamic vinegar. 500grm tub of 0% fromage frais. Flavour with lemon, vanilla, 3 tsp Splenda and a tablespoon oat bran.
Galette recipe below	Low fat ham slices. yogurt or fromage frais & tablespoon oat bran and flavour/sweetener	Grilled steak with  and oxo gravy. Sugar free jelly with sweetened fromage frais
Oat bran porridge recipe below	Chicken wrapped in ham. Salad. Sugar free jelly with sweetened fromage frais	Chilli Soya mince. Shredded iceberg lettuce. You can kid yourself the lettuce is rice. homemade egg custard
Galette	Hard boiled eggs. 500grm yogurt or fromage frais flavoured/sweetened	Grilled salmon 500grm tub of 0% fromage frais & tablespoon oat bran flavoured/sweetened.
Grilled turkey rashers with tomatoes	Chicken breast. salad 500grm Yogurt or fromage frais & tablespoon oat bran flavoured/sweetened.	Chicken breast curry Shredded iceberg lettuce. 500grm tub of 0% fromage frais & tablespoon oat bran flavoured/sweetened.
Scrambled eggs	Tin tuna or sardine (in Brine). 500grm Yogurt or fromage frais flavoured/sweetened	Chicken breast Galette with oat bran flavoured/sweetened
Oat bran porridge	Ham & egg salad 500grm Yogurt or fromage frais & tablespoon oat bran flavoured/sweetened	Grilled salmon with lemon and salad. Yogurt and fromage frais mixed 500grm. Flavour of choice.

 Recipes

 Galette

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of oat bran (or 2 of oat bran and 1 of wheat bran)
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons of low fat yogurt or skimmed milk
• If liked you can flavour with cinnamon and sweetener before cooking.
• 1 spray of some spray oil – or a couple of drops of oil in the pan then mopped with kitchen towel

Method

Crack and egg into a bowl of oat bran and mix well. Add the yogurt/milk and continue to mix. You want the mix to be a bit thicker than pancake batter. If it is too thick then add a drop more skimmed milk.

Heat up a non-stick pan and spray on some oil.

Pour the mixture into the pan. When things start firming up, gently lift the oat bran and flip it. I find it easier to grill this side rather than turn.

Serve with lemon juice and sweetener or fill with ham etc. Can be served cold with filling like a wrap.

Oat Bran Porridge

Ingredients:

• 2 – 3 tablespoons of oatbran
• milk
• sweetener

Method:

1. Put 2-3 tablespoons of oatbran into a microwave safe bowl
2. add milk so the oatbran is covered, give it a stir with a spoon
3. put bowl in the microwave and cook for 1 minute
4. take the bowl out, the oatbran should have absorbed all of the milk
5. add more milk, (not too much or it will be runny), stir
6. put the bowl back in the microwave for another 1 minute
7. check you are happy with the thickness of the porridge, if too runny cook for another 30 seconds
8. stand for a minute
9. sprinkle with sweetener

Slim.Fast - Meal Replacement Diet

Slim•Fast is a brand of shakes, bars, snacks, packaged meals, and other dietary supplement foods sold by Unilever. Slim.Fast is a calorie controlled meal replacement diet. You will usually eat about 1400 calories a day on this plan. You substitute 2 meals a day with their meal replacement shakes or bars. You also choose 3 snacks a day. The Slim.Fast website has lots of support and ideas to help. 

 Daily Menu

2 meal bars or shakes

Choose two Slim·Fast shakes or meal bars. Use these to replace breakfast and lunch or Dinner.

Snacks

Choose three 95 calorie snacks a day – either Slim  Fast 95-calorie snacks, or fruits and/or veggies, or nuts and seeds to the value of 95 calories. 

1 Sensible Meal

A 600 calorie  balanced meal per day. 

Examples of a 600 calorie balanced meal:

serves 4 

Ingredients:

800g potatoes, peeled and quartered

400g (14oz) good quality pork sausages

1 tablespoon oil

2 red onions, sliced

300ml beef stock, made with 1 beef stock cube

½ teaspoon cornflour

3 teaspoons redcurrant jelly

Black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

30g low cal margarine for mashing

Directions

Step 1

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 15–20 minutes until tender. Drain and keep warm.

Step 2

Cook the sausages until golden brown and cooked through.

Step 3

Meanwhile, heat the oil, add the onions and cook for about 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and beginning to turn golden brown. Add the stock and simmer for about 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half.

Step 4

Mix the cornflour with a little water to make a smooth paste and stir into the onion mixture. Bring back to the boil and simmer gently for 1 minute. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and season to taste.

Step 5

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of mash onto each serving plate and serve with the sausages and red onion gravy.

Step 6

Add the mustard to the drained potatoes and mash with the milk and margerine.