The unthinkable happened. I stopped losing weight, in fact I found one of those 7 lost kilos! I now know why because I read the Banting Beginners 10 Commandments (see The Real Meal Revolution by Tim Noakes et al. page 51) and I have been over-indulging in nuts and not taking into account the carbs from vegetables. I think I have also been eating way too much protein. It’s such an easy thing to eat, cold meats.

Cream is something I love and happily it is on the Green List! (See The Real Meal Revolution by Tim Noakes et al. page 47). My appetite for cream is vast and I can use it in just about everything, but I realise I need to watch my cream intake. I have had 2 filter coffees with cream today and I was never a huge coffee drinker, but now that I can have it with cream it is so much more appealing.

The one commandment for Banting Beginners is to not lie to yourself. I think we could read “Don’t fool yourself”. When I thought I was eating a low carb food I was jolted to find it was quite high (1/2 avocado = 7.8 g carbs!). As for sweet potato, well! Only one slice for me then. Carrot is a little better, but still, half a carrot and that’s it. Check out these carb counts below.

Tuna, Salmon, Herring tinned – 0 carbs

Cold Chicken = 0 carbs

Cold roast meats = 0 carbs

Eggs – 1 = 0.6 g carbs

Mayonnaise – 1 Tbs = 0.3 g carbs

Cheddar – 28 g = .36

Blue Cheese – 28 g = .66

Cream cheese – 2 Tbs = 0.8 g carbs

Cream – 1 Tbs = .5 g carbs

Kiri square – 18 g = >1

Laughing Cow – 1 triangle = >1

Olives – 5 = 1 g carbs

Spinach – 1 cup = 1.1 g carbs

Lettuce – 1 cup = 1.3 g carbs

Celery – 1 stalk = 1.5 g carbs

Macadamia Nuts – 6 nuts = 2 g carbs

Salami – 90 g = 2.4 g carbs

Pumpkin Seeds – 2 Tbs = 3.1 g carbs

Almond Butter – 1 Tbs = 3.4 g carbs

Biltong – 100 g = 3.5 g carbs

Cottage Cheese – ½ cup/113 g = 3 – 5 g carbs

Almonds – 2 Tbs = 3.6 g carbs

Hummus – 28 g / 2 Tbs = 4 g carbs

Carrot – 1 medium = 7.2 g carbs

Avocado – ½ = 7.8 g carbs

Droewors – 100 g = 7.9 g carbs

The figures above made me sit up and take note. I have not been eating 2 Tbs of nuts, but whole packets! I have now switched to beef biltong (and game biltong if I can get it) and I can indulge in that fairly heavily I have to admit, so it means I need to weigh it out when I want to snack. There are carbs everywhere you look outside of fresh meat, poultry and fish and butter and oils. I searched, found and have printed out two Carbohydrate Charts and highlighted the lowest carb foods in green and I will endeavour to keep a food journal from now on.

Today’s food: Sunday 19^th October 2014

Cucumber – 1 small one = 5

Sour Cream – 2 Tbs = 1.2 g carbs

Butter – 0

Cooked Cucumber with Sour Cream and Dill

2 x cream cheese blocks = 2 g carbs

Cream in 2 x coffee – 4 Tbs x2 = 2 g carbs

Salami – 100g = 3 g carbs

Biltong – 100 g = 3.5 g carbs

1 small carrot raw – 3.6 g carbs

SALAD = (8.4g)

1 cup lettuce = 1.3 g carbs

4 cherry tomatoes = 2 g carbs

Green pepper – 30 g = 3 g carbs

Feta cheese – 2 Tbs crumbled = 0.8 g carbs

Olive oil – 0 g carbs

Lemon juice – 1 Tbs = 1.3 g carbs

Lamb shank = 0 g carbs

Lamb Shanks in the Slow cooker

28.7 g carbs TOTAL

If I am to keep under 30 g carbs per day, the only thing I could eat today if I was still hungry would have to be tuna or salmon mayonnaise, and more fats! I shall be much more careful from now on! Here’s to a successful Banting week!

Learning with the Revolution…