Traditional Tuesdays

I've had a bit of a hiccup on the weight loss train. DH and I fell "off the wagon" when we were super busy last week. Then this weekend we were determined to hop back on and I got sick. My throat hurt so bad I wanted to rip it out of my neck! So, all I wanted to eat was Chicken Noodle Soup and Popsicles. However, on this little detour I've noticed a couple of things:

1) When I'm eating low-carb and I get hungry I don't get whacked out. Last week when I was off of a low-carb diet and I got hungry (ie my blood sugar dropped) I would get emotional, kinda depressed, overwhelmed and have great difficulty making decisions. I CRAVED sugar and had a very hard time making the best choice for a nutritious meal. I had fallen off the low carb wagon but we still had fruit and veggies in the house and I could have eaten healthy. Nope, I would dive for the cookies and bread. So, I had this amazing realization, when I eat low carb and my blood sugar drops I'm just hungry and a bit grumpy (who isn't?). I'm not overly emotional or overwhelmed. It's pretty easy to choose the healthiest thing for me to eat. When I'm low-carb I see food as fuel instead of comfort.

2) I get terrible stomach aches when I'm hungry and not eating low-carb. I feel like I'm going to throw up but I'm hungry....it's awful. When I eat low-carb, nope, hunger just feels like hunger.

3) I don't eat breakfast when I'm "off". I drink coffee like a madwoman all morning and then at noon I'm STARVING and craving, yep, sugar and bread.

4) And my final observation is about how often I get hungry. On the wagon, I eat 3 meals a day and get hungry every 3-4 hours. Off, I'm hungry every 2 and I'm not just hungry, I'm "whacked out" like I described above.

So, I have new motivation to get back on the low-carb wagon and the weight loss train! Not only do I want to lose weight but I want to FEEL BETTER! I don't want to be on an emotional rollercoaster all day long depending on where my blood sugar is registering. And those stomach aches are awful! Today I'm going to stick with Chicken Noodle soup but if I feel better tomorrow it's back to eating the way that makes me feel best!

Here is my favorite low-carb recipe for the week:

scallops
2-4 T butter (depends on how many scallops you have)
parmesan cheese
parsley (optional)
green onions (optional)
garlic (optional)
bacon

Place scallops very close together on tin foil on broiler pan. Melt butter, pour over scallops, sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. Broil for about 10 minutes on low until the parmesan cheese is lightly browned. Top scallops with minced parsley, green onions and/or minced garlic. While scallops are cooking, cut bacon strips in 1/2 and cook in frying pan until done but still soft. Allow bacon and scallops to cool a bit, wrap bacon around scallops and secure with toothpick. Serve over a hearty salad with dressing. If you are in a hurry, just cut the bacon in to 1X1 squares and toss in with the salad and scallops. Make sure you take at least one bite with a scallop and bacon though!

Note: Veggies for the salad that go with the bacon wrapped scallops particularly well are snap peas, red bell pepper, romaine lettuce, tomato, avocado! The dressing I like with it is ranch and DH likes bleu cheese.