Our Favorite Is Mashed Cauliflower

My husband and I went on the atkins diet several years ago. This is the first time my husband has done any dieting. I on the other hand have tried every diet know to mankind. Of course he dropped 10 pounds the first week, and could not understand why I am always saying that weight loss is difficult. I did lose 6 pounds the first week so I had to agree that the diet was working. The first two weeks were difficult to get used to eating only low carbohydrate foods. Once we got past that two week mark we found that it was an easy diet for us to follow. On the atkins diet you eat mostly protein. My husband has always been a big meat eater so that part was easy. It was more difficult for him to give up the potatoes and bread that he ate along with his meat. I bought the atkins diet book which not only outlines the diet but also has recipes. It is amazing how you can eat a lot of food on the atkins diet and still lose weight. The main challenge is getting some variety into your meals.

When we first started the atkins diet the dinner meal was very easy to prepare. We would have some type of protein, fish, animal protein, chicken or beef and a large leafy salad with bleu cheese dressing. This was not that different than what we ate before it was just minus the potato and bread. After a few weeks the lack of variety started to bore us. We were both losing weight, so that helped keep us motivated, but we were getting tired of the same meal each night. Then I discovered some of the recipes in the back of the atkins diet book. Our favorite is mashed cauliflower. It is the same texture as mashed potatoes. The atkins diet book also had a recipe for a salad that has all the same ingredients as potato salad, minus the potatoes. You substitute cooked cauliflower. I was doubtful at first, but it tastes wonderful. Over the years we have added carbohydrates back into out diet. Initially we both gained some of the weight back, but now we have found the right balance for each of us. Long term with very low carbohydrates did not fit our life style, or taste buds, but the atkins diet was an effective way for us to take off pounds.

The low carb diet movement has taken the world by storm. Nearly everyone has heard of it - who could avoid doing so, Variations of this reducing diet have been endorsed by celebrities and other popular figures. Perhaps one of the most surprising things is that low carb recipes are doable and once your system has gotten used to them, they are easy to follow. People are of the apprehension that it will be hard to make dishes because of the scarcity of ingredients. After all, we have become accustomed to using things like sugar, flour, bread, potatoes, etc. - all of which are a no-no for low carb dieters - in the dishes we eat. But as the low carb diet movement started to become more popular and as the clamor for appropriate ingredients increased, the food industry rose up to the occasion and started introducing products to meet demand.

Take for instance, sugar. Normal sugar is known to trigger certain mechanisms in the body that would make a person feel hungrier more often. Add this to the fact that sugar is full of empty calories that will only add to the ones that your body already is trying to burn. Now, however, dieters can take comfort in the fact that they can use artificial sweeteners that do not have the same effect on the body as sugar, but still impart the sweetness that so many of us want and crave. Entrees or main dishes pose no problem since low carb diets usually promote the consumption of high-protein food products, such as meat. It is those appetizers, desserts, snack foods - and even beverages - that pose a problem. But with the introduction of substitute products, a dieter need not look at dishes like breaded chicken or chocolate cake with vain longing. Just look at the variety of low carb recipes online and offline, and you will see that there is a plethora of ingredients with the label "low carb" attached to them. Want to make some brownies, No problem, just use low carb chocolate. Breaded pork chops or chicken can be enjoyed guilt-free if you use bread crumbs derived from low carb bread. Are you a pasta lover who cringes at the thought of having to give up lasagna and spaghetti, Low carb reducing diets, such as Atkins and South Beach, do not ask the dieter to totally give up food items that have carbohydrate content. The key is to control one's carb intake in order to promote faster metabolism: burn more calories faster to lose weight faster. Fruits and vegetables are still an essential part of the diet, but it is important to know which types of fruits to avoid and to enjoy, especially if you are just starting your diet. For instance, you can enjoy grapefruit, peach or strawberry shakes, smoothies or juices without compunction; the same cannot be said for dishes that contain bananas, pears, or grapes.