Entering low-carb land

I try to eat well. For the last 10 years, I've been avoiding sugar, and for the last 6 years I've been making sure I actually get at least 3 portions of vegetables a day. But when I started grad school a few years ago, exercising quickly dropped from my agenda, and I became overweight.

I've been trying to fix that for the last four and a half months by exercising 5 days a week, 2+ hours a day...and I haven't lost a single kilo. I'm not expecting the flab to melt away, but I do expect some progress! The gym instructor was surprised. When I saw my doctor, she thought it was so odd that she ordered a thyroid function test (it came back fine). So I was referred to a dietician, who has put me on a low-carb diet for the next two weeks. I should aim for 30-60 grams of carbs a day.

I don't really have experience with low-carb eating. But I do have some tools which I hope will help me make this cuisine a bit more interesting than the sample diet I received, which seems to be aimed at people who don't especially care for cooking. First, because I already eliminated sugar, I know how to get a pretty good taste using stevia and a touch of agave syrup (important, given my sweet tooth!). Second, I have cooked for someone with a wheat sensitivity, so I know a little bit about using almond flour and coconut flour. Third, I already know of some dishes which naturally contain few carbs, which is good, because I don't want to spend all my time trying to make replacements. I'd rather apply the same principle that I do with vegetarian food, and look for dishes which are already complete without the ingredient that's being avoided. I'm already looking forward to making gado gado and ratatouille. Finally, I like to cook, which is an essential quality when embarking on a non-standard diet if you aren't willing to torture your tastebuds.

I've decided to start this blog to give me incentive to keep trying to make tasty food. I expect some failures, but hopefully there will also be some successes I can share.