How Low Carb High Fat Causes Weight Loss

As you now know, the low carb diet  plan, such as Atkins,  begins by restricting carbohydrates. When your body is not given fuel in the form of carbohydrates, it finds fuel from other sources. So, let's say you've just started following a low carb plan and are consuming a modest 28 grams of carbohydrates or less. Here is what's happening inside your body:

The liver stores glucose by converting it to glycogen. It holds perhaps a 12-hour supply of glucose in its glycogen.

Once you finish digesting all of the carbohydrates that you last ate, the liver starts converting its stored glycogen back into glucose and releases it to maintain glucose in the blood.

Lipolysis  starts  - this is the breaking down of fat in the fat cells - and the releasing of fatty acids into the bloodstream.

Tissues that do not need to use glucose for energy (for example, muscle cells) start burning the fatty acids. This reduces the glucose demand so that nerve cells get the glucose.

Once the liver runs out of glycogen, the liver converts to a process called gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis turns amino acids into glucose. The liver then begins producing ketone bodies from fatty acids being made available in the blood by lipolysis. Brain and nerve cells convert over from being pure consumers of glucose to partial consumers of ketone bodies for energy. This process is called ketosis -- which is why the Atkins plan is also known as a ketogenic diet.

So, what does this mean in simple terms?

How the Atkins Diet Facilitates Weight Loss

Who Can Relate to This?

I lost it two years ago only to regain it............... and am still kicking myself about that.

Motivation for YOU

Today's Motivation

Need Some Motivation? I've got that for you!

CARBmaster Yogurt (Kroger's brand)

Have I mentioned that I LOVE it?  Not every flavor... but most of them!

Only 60 calories and  4 carbs - 9 gm protein

Blackberry is my favorite... a few of the flavors I think are really nasty but for the most part, I LOVE these... more than Yoplait or Dannon.

Carbmaster yogurt is what is called a 'dair' blend, a cultured dairy blend. This is a blend that looks like yogurt, tastes like yogurt, but doesn't meet Food and Drug Administration guidelines for what yogurt should contain, specifically the types of bacteria cultures.

Like normal plain yogurt, Carbmaster yogurt blends contain live and active cultures L. Acidophilus and B. Bifidum, bacteria that aid digestion, especially in people who may be lactose intolerant. L. Acidophilus also helps prevent yeast infections and aids in the body's ability to process vitamin K a chief agent of the body's blood clotting ability. The other bacterium, B. Bifidum has been linked to lower risk of allergies and is sometimes said to prevent growth in some tumors.

Who Should NOT Follow a Ketogenic Diet?

The following information is offered to help you and your physician or healthcare professional determine if a ketogenic diet is right for you.

Contraindicated Metabolic Conditions 
Individuals with the following medical conditions should NOT undertake a ketogenic diet: 

 Carnitine deficiency (primary)
 Carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) I or II deficiency
 Carnitine translocase deficiency
 Beta‐oxidation defects
 Medium‐chain acyl dehydrogenase deficiency (MCAD)
 Long‐chain acyl dehydrogenase deficiency (LCAD)
 Short‐chain acyl dehydrogenase deficiency (SCAD)
 Long‐chain 3‐hydroxyacyl‐CoA deficiency
 Medium‐chain 3‐hydroxyacyl‐CoA deficiency
 Pyruvate carboxylase deficiency
 Porphyria

(Note that most of these conditions are identified early in life although porphyria can develop
at any time.)
Contraindicated Health Conditions
Talk to your doctor about implementing a KD if you have any of these conditions:
 History of pancreatitis
 Active gall bladder disease
 Impaired liver function
 Impaired fat digestion
 Poor nutritional status
 Gastric bypass surgery
 Abdominal tumors
 Decreased gastrointestinal motility; this may be in conjunction with conventional cancer
treatment and associated drugs
 History of kidney failure

Crustless Quiche to make ahead

This recipe is from the Ketogenic Diet Plan website.. a VERY GOOD website = please visit it.

Low Carb Quiche Recipes

For these low carb quiche recipes, I use a 10 inchCorningWare Quiche Pan for the first quiche, and a 9 inch deep dish pie pan for the second quiche; no special reason, it's just what I have to use.

Any medium melting cheese works well in these quiche recipes. I prefer milder cheeses like muenster or havarti, but cheddar, swiss, monterey jack and gouda are also good choices. I don't recommend using the hard cheeses such as parmesan and romano, as they don't melt well, and they are too salty.

Although you can create a low carb pie crust with almond flour as in the picture, you'll note that these low carb quiche recipes are crustless, which makes it very easy to keep them low carb. And surprisingly, the egg-cheese mixture doesn't stick, as long as you butter the pan.

I make a couple of these low carb quiche recipes every Sunday and have a slice every day for breakfast, which saves me lots of time in the morning and makes it easy to stay on my ketogenic diet plan. At times, when I'm really busy, I'll bring a slice for lunch, and throw on a ounce or two of brie before reheating.

Basic Cheese and Onion Quiche

Makes 2 quiches.

• 5-6 cups shredded muenster and/or colby jack cheese, divided in half
• 2 tablespoons butter plus more for greasing pans
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 12 large eggs, preferably organic or free range eggs
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp dried thyme

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a separate skillet, add the butter and melt over medium-low heat. Add the vegetables and saute until onions are translucent and soft. Remove from heat and cool.
3. Butter two 10 inch quiche pans or deep pie pans. Put 2 cups of shredded cheese in bottom of each buttered pan. Add 1/2 of cooled vegetable mixture to each pan in an even layer over cheese.
4. Crack 12 eggs and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream and spices, and whisk together until well mixed and frothy. Pour 1/2 mixture over each pan of cheese and veggies, then use a fork to gently and evenly distribute cheese and vegetables into egg and cream mixture.
5. Slide quiche pans into oven, leaving an inch of space between pans. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until set and puffy and slightly golden in the center. You can also use a knife to insert into middle of one of the quiches, and if it comes out clean, they are done.
6. Cut each quiche into 6 equal sized servings for a total of 12 servings. Serve immediately, or cool and refrigerate or freeze. These will keep in the freezer for a two weeks, or the refrigerator for a week.

Nutrition: Serving size = 1/6 of a quiche. Each serving has 382 calories, 16 grams of protein, 33 grams of fat, 5 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber.

More Low Carb Quiche Recipes:

Cheese, Onion and Bacon Quiche: Place 12 slices of raw bacon on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until slightly crispy. Cool, then process into fine bits in a food processor. Add to the egg and cream mixture in step 4 above. Nutrition: Serving size = 1/6 of quiche. Each serving has 390 calories, 19 grams of protein, 34 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber.

Cheese, Onion and Sausage Quiche: Cook 6 ounces pork breakfast sausage in separate skillet until done. Cool and crumble, and add 4 ounces cooked sausage to the egg and cream mixture in step 4 above.Nutrition: Serving size = 1/6 of quiche. Each serving has 380 calories, 17 grams of protein, 34 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate and .5 gram of fiber.

Veggie Quiche: Add your choice of finely chopped extra vegetables in step 2 and saute along with onions. Any low carb vegetable works; try shredded carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, celery, summer squash, etc. This will be higher in carbohydrate count depending on veggies used. Add 1 gram of carbohydrate to each serving for every cup of raw vegetables added.

Kitchen Sink Quiche: mix and match minced smoked ham, bacon, sausage and any vegetables using methods above. Quiche is almost like a pizza in a way, in that you can add just about anything you have on hand, if you think it will taste good in combination. Adjust nutrition counts as needed.

I hope you enjoy these low carb quiche recipes. I've been making them a long time and have finally hit on a recipe that tastes great every time, reheats well, and keeps in the fridge for a week or two.