Advice

I don't know anyone who hasn't cheated on their diet. I'm not talking about just low carbers here, but about all dieters. Everyone I have spoken to, written to, or heard from has cheated on their diet at one time or another. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Low-carb shopping can be hard on the budget, particularly if you are purchasing hard-to-find or specialty items. Where should you look for your groceries, and how can you be sure you're getting the best price?

One of the questions I hear most from new low carbers and would-be low carbers is, "How do I make food interesting without potatoes, rice, pasta, and so on?" That is, indeed, one of the greatest challenges to everyday low carb cooking.

When you first begin low-carbing, it can seem a daunting task to prepare your kitchen. Not only do you have to divest yourself of all those high carbohydrate staples in the pantry and fridge, but you'll quickly discover that many of the more interesting recipes call for ingredients you've never heard of! Xanthan gum? Soy lecithin? Vital wheat gluten flour? Rice protein powder? How are you ever going to know which items you really need and which are so esoteric that they'll take up space in your cupboards forevermore?

One of the most common refrains I hear from overweight women is their rebellion against the emphasis they feel our culture puts on impossibly perfect bodies. If Barbie were actually alive and full-sized, she wouldn't be able to carry her own weight and she wouldn't be able to walk without tumbling over. Yet little girls crave Barbie after Barbie, each one with a new look, a new outfit, a new hairstyle. Consciously or subconsciously, Barbie is a role model of style and grace to little girls, a mentor of feminine perfection that is actually possible only in molded plastic.

A very low carbohydrate, Atkins-type diet appears to shift the size of cholesterol particles from small to large, and that is a good thing for the heart.

It's less than two weeks until Thanksgiving, and by now some of the more apprehensive low carbers among us and in full blown panic mode. "How will I make it through the holidays without cheating?" we wail. "How can I give up my mother's famous stuffing, or her pumpkin pie, or her mashed potatoes? She'll hate me! Oh, woe is me! I'm doomed!" And we pause to give ourselves time to gnash our teeth and rend our garments.

Let Rani Merens show you that low carb cooking is fast, easy and inexpensive in Low Carb Cook's Corner! Low-Carb Tips and tricks and great recipes.

In order to make low carbing a lifestyle and not just a "diet," I've learned to get creative in the kitchen. This is how I stock up my Low-Carb kitchen.

Everybody is familiar with word search games where you must find words hidden in vast columns of primarily random letters. The words can be written vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. In addition, the words can be written left to right or right to left. I hate those kinds of word games! Unfortunately, the nutritional analysis labels of manufactured food products are a lot like word searches.

It's bound to happen. You're going away on vacation for a week or need to take a business trip for a few days. You'll be in a new city or visiting relatives who might not be familiar with the way you eat. Don't fret it, you can maintain your low carb lifestyle with very little effort.

Do you tell people what you weigh or what size you wear? In the dark of night, when you're lying in bed and can't sleep, do you admit to yourself what you weigh? Do you tell your family you don't want clothes for your birthday because you don't want to tell them what size to buy? Do the numbers haunt you? Do you wind up asking yourself, "How did I let this happen?" Are you embarrassed, ashamed, or frightened?