Eating low-carb is easy and deliciously satisfying!
My husband is a big guy that likes to eat, so normal diets do not work for him. By simply following a low-carbohydrate meal plan, he lost 21 pounds in 3 months and has kept it off. Eating this way shouldn’t even be called "dieting," as you're not restricting food intake—just carbs. It’s all about choosing wisely.
Strictly counting carbs or weighing foods isn’t necessary. Nothing is off-limits, just starkly lower the serving size of starchy carbs. Eating low-carb, not no-carb—like the Keto or Atkins diet—is easy and doesn’t have the nasty side effects like bad breath from ketosis. One of the hardest parts of starting a diet is figuring out what to eat every day, so I’ve designed a week-long meal plan for someone starting a low-carb diet.
*Disclaimer: The meal plans listed in this article are merely suggestions to help maintain a balanced diet.
Before undergoing a new lifestyle change, please speak with your doctor.
*To calculate the number of carbohydrates in the food, simply take the carbohydrates per serving minus fiber and minus half of any sugar alcohols.
MONDAY
Breakfast:
One or 2 fried or boiled eggs (there's only about 1 carb in an egg, so if you're hungry, it’s up to you how many you want to eat), 2 pieces of bacon, and coffee or tea (black or with sugar-free creamer and or sugar-free sweetner).
Snack:
Half an apple with 1 or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
Lunch:
Turkey or ham and cheese sandwich on low-carb bread. Sara Lee has a great low-carb sandwich bread called “Delightful” and it comes in multigrain or whole wheat—7 carbs a slice. Feel free to put lettuce, sprouts, or cucumbers on your sandwich, if that's what you prefer. Low-carb dieting also allows for lots of mayonnaise and mustard!
Dinner:
Shake and Bake oven-baked chicken (whichever pieces you want to eat) and a salad with a low-carb dressing like ranch, blue cheese, or various “light” dressings.
TUESDAY
Breakfast:
One piece of low-carb toast with peanut butter, coffee, or tea.
Lunch:
Breaded chicken patty sandwich with buffalo sauce and blue cheese crumbles (if you don’t like blue cheese, you can do cheddar) on a piece of low-carb bread. Use iceberg lettuce for the second piece of bread on top, and carrots and celery sticks with ranch on the side.
Snack:
A two-thirds serving of veggie chips (Terra brand is delicious!). You can also have a dip such as French onion or queso.
Dinner:
Grilled or pan-made steak (however you do steak) or fish or salmon if you do not eat beef. Green beans with bacon and a salad with low-carb dressing. Low-carb garlic bread— spread butter, garlic salt, and parmesan cheese on low-carb bread. Coat pan with olive oil or butter and bake at 400°F for 5 minutes.
Dessert:
Breyer's CarbSmart ice cream (you can find at King Soopers).
WEDNESDAY
Breakfast:
Half an apple cut up with equal slices of cheddar cheese, and coffee or tea.
Lunch:
Lettuce-wrapped burger from Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Steakburgers and a small order of cheese curds!
Dinner:
Fried or baked (your choice) chicken salad with boiled eggs, cucumber, carrots, bacon bits, sunflower seeds, low-carb dressing, and 1 piece of low-carb garlic bread. Make a big salad!
THURSDAY
Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs with sausage, veggies, bacon or ham (or all) and cheese, and coffee or tea.
Snack:
Low-carb protein bar or a small bowl of mixed berries with whipped cream on top.
Lunch:
Chicken wings—you choose the flavor—carrots and celery with ranch dressing to dip.
Dinner:
Beef or chicken tacos in low-carb tortillas (La Banderita taste like full-carb tortillas and have the same texture) with tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream. Half an avocado cut into strips and salted, green and red pepper cut up as a side.
FRIDAY
Breakfast:
Ham-steak sandwich, a small bowl of berries with whipped cream, and coffee or tea.
Lunch:
Canned tuna sandwich on low-carb bread with mayonnaise, pickles, tomatoes, and lettuce. Half a serving of veggie chips.
Happy Hour:
Drinks to choose from: diet gin or vodka tonic with a lime; glass of red wine; lower-carb beer; diet 7-UP seltzer with vodka, a lime, and a splash of cranberry.
Dinner Out:
Don’t eat any bread on the table. Meat and vegetables. Check out the appetizers that don’t usually include all of the starchy sides.
SATURDAY
Breakfast:
Bacon or sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich on a piece of low-carb bread.
Lunch:
Quesadilla on low-carb tortilla, black olives on side, and sour cream and salsa.
Dinner:
Lettuce wraps with iceberg, butter lettuce or lettuce cups, grilled chicken strips, thin carrot strips, cucumber slices, red pepper slices, cilantro, and peanut sauce (I buy delicious House of Tsang Bangkok Peanut Sauce at King Soopers).
SUNDAY
Breakfast:
Omelet—load it up with whatever meat and vegetables and cheese you like. (How to make an omelet!)
Lunch:
Chicken tortilla soup with a low-carb tortilla on the side.
Dinner:
Pot roast with green beans and carrots.
Have you made unique and delicious low-carb meals? Any other suggestions? Let us know in the comments.
