T Nation

Strapped On Cash ( Low Carb Foods)

Supplements and Nutrition
#1

Here is the lowdown. I was 60 lbs overweight in highschool and I went on the Atkin’s diet and lost 50 lbs. I am not overweight now at all ( three years later) but I am trying to lose 6% body fat. Saturday I start the Cheat to Lose diet and the first week is extremely low carb (22 net carbs/day and under 100 grams of fat/day)

I was wondering how to make the dollar stretch and what foods to consume besides the typical egg whites, jerky etc). Normally I would carry out dinner every night from this cheap deli and get a burger without the bun and a greek salad for 5 bucks but I can’t anymore because the salad has feta on it and the burger has to much fat. Any response is helpful. Thanks

#2

Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Doesn’t matter where they come from, carbs, fat or protein. Eat like you did before, if it fits you better. There are no miracle ways to lose weight or fat.

I was one of the test persons for Cheat to Lose. Not impressed at all, only thing I lost was water weight since there are no carbs during the first week. Once carbs was back on the menu I gained the water back.

#3

That’s the last thing I want to hear prior to embarking on this journey.

#4

Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables but significantly cheaper. There’s an article called “Muscle on a Budget” on this site, you might find in interesting.

#5

don’t forget that most jerkey has alot of carbs

#6

First of all TP is totally wrong. Obviously hasn’t read very many articles on this site. If it was calories in vs calories out, then everyone would just eat 2500 cals worth of donuts for breakfast and fast the rest of the day. Good way to lose muscle and gain fat.

Anyways I was going to make a new post for this because I just found an awesome food. I found 4 small pork steaks for 3 bucks. Normally I hate pork because it’s always dry, but that must have been how whoever was cooking made it. I fried them all in about 7 minutes, topped them with shredded mozza and mustard. Awesome meal man. I think this is going to replace chicken for a little while.

#7

TP seems to have not read anything since mike mentzer was writing.

Anyway, good luck with the diet, and you can cook your own hamburgers with lean mince. I do it all the time. easy and cheap

#8

TP isn’t completely off. Yes, calories in versus calories out does matter.

What type of calories being taken in also matters!

I don’t care if you eat 3,000 calories of donuts or 3,000 calories of steak and veggies. If you need to be taking less than 2,000 calories to lose, you’re not going to lose either way! Obviously, one way is healthier and better than the other. But calories do matter.

As for TP’s results on the Cheat to Lose diet, he’s not the only one who experienced the same thing! I have heard feedback from others with similar results.

Sorry, but “fad diets” don’t work in the long run. You have to learn to eat properly in the long run. I agree that Cheat to Lose, the Velocity Diet and others are a nice “quick start” to fat loss, but they are just that…a quick start to something you need to take control of and learn how to properly use for long-term success.

#9

I think that you would do better on the AD than on the cheat to loose. I read the structure and while in paper it is good, there are too many variables to account for.

The AD is no brainer and will make you lean and hard if you follow it. Many people have done it and there are a great thread with lots of questions and answers there. Plus in MWA women are doing it too sucessfully.

#10

It’s really tough to find low price low carb protein sources.

Eggs (and I can’t be bothered to eat only whites or some crap like that), ground beef, ground turkey, ground whatever, sausages, pork loins, bulk chicken parts (crock pot fodder), cottage cheese (watch the carb content), hard cheeses, pork rinds (easy to carry crappy snack food) and so on.

You can make omelettes with eggs, cheese and a little meat… don’t forget the butter!

For filler, stock up on pickles. As long as they aren’t sweetened you get fiber and basically nothing else.

#11

Why do you consider CTL a “fad diet”? I’ve only been on it for 3 weeks, but disagree with you. I think it is a very common sense, practical approach to long term nutrition. That is especially true of the maintenance phase, but even the core phase is something that I could do for a long time. Contrary to other diets I’ve tried, CTL allows a wide variety of foods, keeps my metabolism revved, and so far is delivering results.

#12

I believe cheat to lose works better for some people than others. It depends on your carb tolerance and whether or not your body responds well to that type of feeding. In the cases of those that it hasn’t worked, it caused fatigue/energy issues and did not result in fat loss due the way the plan was structured.

I also feel it works better for those who are naturally leaner or more “ecto” to begin with (even the “skinny-fat” people). People that gain fat easily seem to struggle more with CTL. But that’s just from feedback I’ve heard from others.

Diet is one of those things that can vary greatly from individual to individual. So it may work great for you, but not for others. :wink:

#13

I agree you need to make adjustments based on what works best for your body type. CTL claims to help 90%, and has alternate recommendations for the remaining 10%.

I’m not naturally lean (used to weigh 205 at 5’6"), but so far the carb timing approach with CTL has been working well for me.

Anyway, I don’t see CTL as a fad diet but as a good long term solution for people that find it beneficial. There is no universal solution, you have to find what works for you. PN was a great program, but I think my metabolism suffered and from being low carb so much of the time.

#14

[quote]Nate Dogg wrote:
TP isn’t completely off. Yes, calories in versus calories out does matter.

What type of calories being taken in also matters!

I don’t care if you eat 3,000 calories of donuts or 3,000 calories of steak and veggies. If you need to be taking less than 2,000 calories to lose, you’re not going to lose either way! Obviously, one way is healthier and better than the other. But calories do matter.

As for TP’s results on the Cheat to Lose diet, he’s not the only one who experienced the same thing! I have heard feedback from others with similar results.

Sorry, but “fad diets” don’t work in the long run. You have to learn to eat properly in the long run. I agree that Cheat to Lose, the Velocity Diet and others are a nice “quick start” to fat loss, but they are just that…a quick start to something you need to take control of and learn how to properly use for long-term success.[/quote]

I second this. I also second the AD. But part of being successful in this game is finding what works best for you and kissing a lot of diet plans before you can find your prince… or something like that.

#15

well yesterday was the initial cheat day and today is my first day on CTL. Ill update daily

#16

I’ve had great success with Joel’s diet, and I also really enjoyed the variety of the different days.

Good and inexpensive options for the low carb days are eggs (whole, not whites), leaner cuts of pork and canned salmon.

I make a “salad” of canned salmon with scallions, a little fresh tomato, sour cream, mustard and vinegar. It’s the most palatable way to eat canned salmon (which is the only kind of wild alaskan salmon I can afford to eat on a regular basis) I know of.

Eggs, cheese & spinach/mushrooms/green peppers are a great breakfast. Maybe a little bacon or sausage, too.

If you like to cook (which is the only way to eat healthy food that tastes good on a limited budget), I can give you a bunch of recipes I tweaked for CTL and saved on fitday.

#17

that would be awesome. ill tell u what i ate today sao far on my first day

bfast: low carb protein shake
snack: handful of almonds and 2oz. turkey jerky
lunch: turkey and mustard w 2 slices tueky bacon wrapped in lettuce

snack: 12 cheese cubes

dinner: greens salad with balsamic vinagrette and hamburger wrapped in lettuce

i imagine ill have a shake before bed 2 because im very hungry especially with a heavy lift today.