What Eating Slow Carb Looks Like
I’ve already discussed before how I automate my meals. Folks have asked me for a bit more detail on what eating Slow Carb looks like, so I put together a few quick pics.
Here’s what one month of groceries looks like (each pic is a week).
From those groceries, I will prepare 21-24 meals each Sunday that I will eat over six days (Saturday is reserved for #Fatterday, my spike day).
You can see, I eat quite well. Newcomers to Slow Carb (and meal automation) might think you are giving up on spontaneity and variety but you’re really not. I just build in that variety when I prepare my menus for the week. As for spontaneity, I still go out when an occasion calls for it. For the other times, most people aren’t as spontaneous and varied as they might think. For the next month, take a picture of everything you eat. I bet you’ll be surprised how often you fall back on your “usual” or some slight variation of it.
Friends and fam ask me for my recipes. I have none. I do it by feel and whatever looks good at the market. What I do have are formulas.
- frittata – 1 part filling, 3 parts egg
- stews – 2 lbs protein, 14 oz tomatoes, 2 tbsp tomato paste, veggies on hand
- salads – dark leafy greens, crunchy veggies or nuts for texture, contrasting veggie colors for visual appeal, 1 cup protein
- vinaigrette – 1 part acid, 3 parts oil
- slow-cooked protein – 2 lbs protein, 1 cup broth, cooked in slow cooker or pressure cooker
- sides – legumes (beans, lentils), fermented veggies (kimchi, kraut), veggies tossed with acid or lightly stir-fried
To all above, herbs and spices to taste. I play with flavor palates and, honestly, just experiment and have fun with it. But if you do need a few starter recipes to get you going, check out my Slow Carb Pinterest Board. Who knew Slow Carb could be so mouth-watering, right?
Of course, everyone always wants to jump to my #Fatterday. Here you go:
I’ve had two pretty epic #Fatterday Challenges:
I’ve had a lot of folks come to me excited about trying Slow Carb. Invariably, the #Fatterday is what sells it for them. Unfortunately, it tends to be the part they focus on too much. They forget that in order to earn my epic #Fatterday I am crazy disciplined about the rest of the week. The biggest mistake I see newbies make is thinking that if they just go a little lighter on #Fatterday so they can have an occasional fast carb here and there during the week, it will be okay. It will be…sort of. You must find something that fits with your lifestyle and is a balance between your happiness and results. The importance is consistency.
However. HOW. EVER. You must then adjust your expectations accordingly. The whole point of building these behaviors is that they are consistent choices, that you are teaching your body to fall into a rhythm. When you interrupt that rhythm it’s like coming to a dead stop then having to start up again. Law of inertia (and biochemical and metabolic cascades). That bowl of pasta during the week might not seem much to you–and in the grand scheme of life, it isn’t–but as far as your momentum goes it is very disruptive. You want to know how I lost 2.5 lbs every week for an entire year? Because I didn’t waiver. Not once. I was strictly Slow Carb six days and only spike one day. No exception. Weight loss is not linear. You cannot say, well, Serge, I’m okay losing 1.5 lbs every other week, so I can drift from Slow Carb 30% of the time. It doesn’t work like that. Momentum. Biochemical and metablic cascades.
I’m not saying you must stay strictly Slow Carb. Do whatever will be the right balance for you. Just know that you’ll have to temper your expectations accordingly. Measure your progress over months, not days and weeks. Understand that your results come from your deliberate choices. That’s all.
Okay, enough doom and gloom. Slow Carb was the program I found works well for me. Maybe you’ll find you like it. Maybe something else will connect with you. Over the years, I’ve dipped my toes into Paleo and Keto. In fact, you’ll see from my pics above, slow carbs seem spare. You’re catching me in my third year so I’ve been alternating with slow and no carbs during my week. If you’re just beginning, ease yourself into it with some legumes (beans and lentils).
Buon appetito!