Back from a break -- Cracker Barrel Menu

A variety of competing obligations have kept me on the sidelines during recent weeks. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back into the swing here. Of note, I was pleased to find a low-carb section on a menu in the Cracker Barrel Restaurant.

Southern Style Low Carb Foods

It's been a while since there's been time to post here. One thing that's becoming apparent is that, in spite of some great recipe compilations (like Diane Sanfilippo's), there's still a short-fall in day-to-day options for carb-conscious consumers, especially those of us who enjoy grits and other things 'southern.'
During busy times, or otherwise when there's just not time to cook, there may not be many choices. One friend, a true low-carb advocate, complains that she is bored with the foods she's been having and really wants more choices -- without having to work in the kitchen. Along these lines, I've roamed the aisles of the local markets and have only been able to find a few off the shelf options that fit the bill. Even likely looking suspects show carbohydrate measures in the dozens of grams ... not too encouraging.
A couple of successes include good old pork rinds, a regional treat that I'd not thought of in years, till a friend suggested crushing them and using the result as a breading for meat dishes. I'm still waiting to try that, but crunching down on a few right out of the bag is a joy (especially with a carb cost of zero grams per serving).
Also, as I have pointed out before, KFC's grilled chicken offerings show '1' and zeros in the carb column and their other flavors have relatively low counts it you're careful.
I've even discovered that Dairy Queen has a nice chicken salad that can be a life-saver if you'r with a group that just 'has' to have the more conventional ice-cream and sandwich offerings the present (do watch out for the dressings though -- I've seen packets of dressing in fast-food places with more carbs than the rest of the meal).

Quick low-carb snacks

One of the concerns I had when embarking on my weight reduction effort was how I'd manage when I was away from home and had to make do for a meal. I'd learned that chicken was a great choice and one recent afternoon, when I'd missed lunch, had to travel to a meeting about 90 miles away and didn't have time to go to a restaurant, Wal Mart came to the rescue! I made a quick search for a snack with a low carb count and ended up at the deli counter. They offered a chicken item called 'Wing Dings' -- basically fried wings without all the spice and sauce. I picked up a cup full and found that it made a great quick-meal. Later, I did a search and found specs that list a 3 ounce portion to carry 7 grams of carbs -- about twice my bench-mark of KFC's grilled chicken, but close enough for an occasional snack.

Diane Sanfilippo has a best seller!

When you go beyond the bacon and eggs for breakfast aspect of a low carbohydrate regimen, you soon start to hear a lot of new terms, like 'ancestral', 'primal', and 'Paleo'.  Now comes nutritionist Diana Sanfilippo's Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle with an intelligent and practical approach to bringing this exciting subject to the masses. I first heard Ms. Sanfilippo on a radio program recently. She was modest about herself, but energetic about her hopes that the book would break new ground and find a wider audience for this unique approach to nutrition. I think that her hopes are being fulfilled. As of today, it is ranked as #30 on Amazon's best selling 100 books. Combining reference and thoughtful insights with meal plans and dozens of recipes, I'd recommend it for anyone needing a comprehensive and intelligent introduction to this subject.

Half way to goal

It has been a month since I committed to lose 50 pounds. At this moment, with 25 pounds gone, I'm half way to my goal. There's been a fascinating transition in my feelings and outlook. It's like one of those commercials, eating more, no stressful exercise, just following a plan and keeping goals in focus.
The approach may seem somewhat haphazard, I'm not following a particular plan; haven't enrolled in any specific program; not keeping records of calories or grams (except for the first 3-5 days); haven't started any new (or old) exercise program. There came a point where I realized that I was obese and, unless something changed, I was destined to die that way.
That was the time when some cost-benefit decisions had to be made. Having gone through more than one serious health crisis, the choice became obvious: if I was to have any quality of life in my remaining years, the weight had to go.
There came a moment when I had to take a leap of faith, recognizing that, even if I failed, I'd be no worse off that if I did nothing! I looked at experiences that I and others had gone through in similar circumstances and decided that a cold-turkey, absolute, scorched earth, approach was in order.
I came up with a 'forbidden list' of things that I would not consume,

My Forbidden List

• Bread & anything made from wheat
• Soda pop, any kind
• Fruit with high sugar contents
• Fruit juice
• Anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Starches
• Anything with more than a few grams of 'net carbs' 

How I found low-carb, The not so Secret

I'd heard of low carbohydrate eating plans (diet just isn't the right word for me) before.
However, the whole idea of low-carb was beyond my grasp; I think I had a better understanding of the Large Hadron Collider than the subject of carbohydrates, insulin and fat.
Blood chemistry and metabolic processes were likewise beyond my reach.
Add to that, the notion that bread and, my favorite, pasta were keeping me bulked up. Pile on the fact that my health-motivated intake of fruit (brimming with more calories) was making things worse, not better. Finally, huge infusions of high fructose corn syrup in everything from soda to salad dressing were sealing my obesity!
I had become a walking disaster and had been on the same sad path for over 50 years!
Something had to change... and, finally, it did!

Weight & Obesity: confusion, deception and frustration...

When one's life is burdened with obesity, there is little joy to be found. Years of confusion and questions like, "why am I this way?", "how can I lose this weight?", and "what's wrong with me?", can really distort one's self image. These feelings combined by wide-spread deception, both intended and unintended, fostered by those who we should be able to trust create a nearly impossible situation. To exacerbate matters, the feeling that others look upon you with disdain, pity, or outright disgust guarantees, at the minimum, a degree of frustration, if not depression.

Celebration of the spirit!

After half-a-century, I found a way to lose weight!
Who'd have thought that hearing a snippet of an interview on an NPR program would result in a life-changing experience? But that's what happened to me. It was July 3rd and a segment of "Talk of the Nation" featured an interview with Gary Taubes. The discussion was about his new book Why we Get Fat: And What to Do About It.  I had to hear more! Fortunately, I was able to catch another segment later and then got the transcript.  Within a few days, I'd downloaded the book into an e-reader, where I was able to get it read in a weekend.
Some of the concepts were completely alien to me; and I had to reread a couple chapters several times before they began to sink in... and I began to realize that I'd been misled for decades, that everything I had been taught about weight loss and control was wrong and that what I thought was a healthy diet regimen was actually causing me to keep an extra 40-50 pounds of weight.
A couple weeks later (two days before my 59th birthday) I celebrated my BMI (body mass index) slipping from 'obese' down to 'over weight'.