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Carb Creep, Thanksgiving, Dogs, Chickens and Worms

Carb Control Works Again
Something that just happened makes me wonder how often low carb diets "stop working" for people because they don't realize the extent of their carb creep. The scale and the clothes-o-meter told me last week that I was gaining weight. I had to face the idea that I can't eat peanut M&Ms without gaining. weight. Just by cutting out my few handfuls of M&Ms every day, I'm down four pounds. That doesn't sound like much, but on me, it makes the difference between having a flat belly and having the beginning of a pot belly.

What really struck me, though, was how much better I felt. Once again, I can run on six hours' sleep. My head feels clearer and I've started on projects I meant to do months ago. A coworker happened to give up the M&Ms at the same time and noticed how much better she felt, too. As she put it, you know all that sugar has to be bad for you if you feel so much better without it.


Who Says Thanksgiving is a Fat Fest?
My orthodontist is hosting a charity drive to collect Thanksgiving food. I've taken the list of food he's requested and made a table showing fat and carbohydrate content. Note that the list doesn't include desserts or rolls (or gravy, in all fairness), but, with the exception of the mac & cheese and cranberry sauce, things generally regarded as real food.

Uploaded at http://www.slideshare.net/lorimiller/thanksgiving-nutrition


A Dog Walks in to a Chicken Swap
I took my dog, Molly, to the chicken swap yesterday to see how she'd act around the birds. She was curious but well-behaved. It was the chickens that got excited--except for the naked neck chickens, who hardly noticed her when she put her face up to their cage. They were ugly as vultures, and I wanted beautiful birds, but I want harmony in my home even more. The owner said that despite their bare necks, they do well in cold weather and they have little combs that don't frostbite. They're not flighty, either.

Turkens, or naked-neck chickens. They keep calm and carry on. When you look like this, you have to have something going for you. Image from Braided Bower Farm.
Molly did get excited by a rooster fleeing its owner. When the rooster saw Molly, he unfurled his wings and ran faster than I ever thought a chicken could go. But Molly didn't strain on the leash, and she got in the car without much trouble. It was the chicken that gave its owner a lot of trouble.


Drama in the Worm Bin
The worms are growing and possibly reproducing. At least, I don't remember any of the worms being that big when I dug the out of the ground--and some of the other worms are tinier than what I remember digging up. A few are no longer with us. The rest favor cucumbers.
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Comments

tess said…
i think we all have our favorite "low-carb equivalent" foods which short-circuit our progress. :-) even some "legal" foods don't agree with us, and we don't know it till we eliminate them. my husband discovered that dairy was holding him back, AND contributing to eczema, much to his surprise.
October 07, 2013
Lori Miller said…
I had to quit most dairy, too. Even heavy, organic, pastured cream gives me acne and other problems.
October 07, 2013
Lowcarb team member said…
"Carb creep" can happen so much easier than people realise. Once you've found what does work for you stick to it!

Really enjoy hearing about the chickens and your dog, thanks for sharing

All the best Jan
October 07, 2013
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