What do I do first?

The most common question I get is how to start on a low carb/ high fat diet.  I recommend doing so in very small steps.  There is a definite adjustment period involved.  It took me 3-4 weeks before the low carb fog cleared.  I think this was my body reacting to the new lack of sugar and grains in my diet.  I started by changing my breakfast as a first step.  Before I started this program, I would jump out of bed usually ravenously hungry and have 2 large bowls of cereal with non-fat milk.  Somedays, I would have waffles covered in syrup.  Looking back, this was an incredibly large carb load I ingested every morning.  The carbs are converted to sugar quickly once digested causing my blood sugar to rise quickly. My body responded by producing lots of insulin to lower the sugar.  The sugar has to go somewhere so it is converted to fat which landed in my mid section :-(

For a low carb breakfast there are many alternative choices.  One of the easiest is Greek yogurt.  The yogurt should be full fat (NOT low or non fat) and unflavored.  The fruity yogurts have tons of sugar and carbs in them.  Look at the labels next time you are at the grocery store.  You will be amazed!  Greek yogurt is regular yogurt that has been strained through a cloth or something similar.  This removes much of the water and sugar, resulting in a thicker, creamier and better tasting yogurt.

A reasonable sized bowl of plain Greek yogurt with some blueberries, raspberries or strawberries on top will actually keep you full much longer than your cereal/toast/pop tarts, etc. breakfast ever could. My favorite brand of Greek yogurt is Fage.  I also like Greek Gods yogurt.  There are many other brands out there you can try as well.  The object is, of course, to find one you really like.

I tried a bowl of yogurt one Monday morning back in 2013 around 6:00am before I headed off to work.  I didn't even think about being hungry until almost 2:00 that afternoon!  I found this amazing as I used to get hunger pangs every morning around 9:00 or 10:00 which usually led me to try out the donuts that reside in the lounge.  Other good choices for breakfast are eggs (any way you like them), bacon, or any leftover low carb items you might have made for dinner the night before.

Another item I discovered was "bulletproof" coffee.  This is just coffee with fat added.  By fat, it should be a good fat such as real butter, coconut oil, and/or heavy whipping cream.  You want to avoid sugar, half and half, milk and any of the commercially made non-dairy coffee creamers.  I usually make my coffee with coconut oil and cream.  It takes a little adjustment but once you grow accustomed to it any other coffee seems lacking :-)  My favorite butter is Kerrygold butter from Ireland.  It is made from cows that are only fed grass.  Costco carries it along with other stores. Grass fed (instead of grain fed) beef and dairy products from these cows is healthier for us.  I will discuss the specifics of this as well as what makes for a good vs. bad fat in a future post.

Once you are comfortable with low carb breakfast, you may want to try making your own breakfast sausages.  The commercially available frozen sausages, while low in carbs and high in fat  tend to have lots of bad fats and other chemicals. If you make your own, you know what the ingredients are.  One recipe I have used for the last few years is: Breakfast balls/burgers recipe      

I usually flatten these into mini burgers.  Being a guy, I was uncomfortable eating something called "breakfast balls"  :-)  Now I have breakfast burgers.  I make 3-4 batches at a time now.  My kids love them as they taste like cheeseburgers (without the bun of course).  Good luck with your first step toward eating healthier!  Please let me know how this goes for you!

Hi!

Welcome to Low Carb Silicon Valley!  We are a blog committed to helping you become healthier by making better food choices.  I am an anesthesiologist by training.  Despite having gone through more than a decade of formal medical education, the length of my nutrition training can be measured in minutes.  However, in the last few years I have read a tremendous amount about healthy eating, particularly the low carb/high fat (LC/HF) dietary system.  Since starting on the program I have lost more than 35 pounds, eliminated my cravings for sweets, and watched my cholesterol and blood triglycerides plummet.

I will be presenting link to recipes that I have found that are tasty, low carb and will keep you feeling full longer.

None of what you will be reading on our blog should be considered medical advice.  Please check with your personal healthcare provider before starting on any diet or exercise.

Happy Reading!

Rich