Day 114

Everybody on the LCHF lifestyle watch their carb intake. Unfortunately, not all carbs are easily recognized. Many of the products we use everyday have hidden carbs. Not so much to make a real difference on their own (specially not if you eat strictly from the Green List in the RMR), but they all add up. And if you find you're not losing weight, these little culprits may be what is keeping you out of ketosis. Here are the carb counts for meats per 100 grams of meat:

• Beef Liver - 8.9g
• Seafood, Clams - 5.8g
• Seafood, Crabmeat (imitation "surimi") - 12g to 15g
• Seafood, Mussels - 8.4g
• Seafood, Oysters - 8.0g

Dairy products have lots of hidden carbs. The less fat, the more carbs. Milk can have anything from 11g to 14g carbs per 250 ml, depending on the fat content. Fresh cream, all types of cheese (including cream cheese), sour cream and yoghurt all contain carbs. If you find you don't lose weight, have a look at how much of these products you consume in an average day.


Then comes the truly "hidden" carbs. These counts are very low, but if you look at how much you use, then add it all up, you may be surprised. Specially if you try to stick to under 25g carbs per day.

1. Herbs - most green herbs from the leaf (basil, mint, oregano, tarragon, etc....) are less than 1g per tsp dried, or 2 Tbsp of the chopped fresh herb
2. Spices - from the dried root, seed or bark (cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cloves, etc....) are 1g per tsp of the ground spice
3. Blended Spices, such as curry powder, chili powder, Chinese 5-spice, garam masala, pie spice, etc - have 1g per tsp
4. Vanilla, and other flavor extracts (almond, orange, etc) - 0.5g per tsp
5. Garlic, fresh , 1 large clove or 1 tsp minced - 1.0g; garlic powder, 1 tsp - 2.3g
6. Ginger Root, fresh - 1 Tbsp grated has 1g carb
7. Vinegar - most vinegars are zero carb - white, cider and wine; balsamic vinegar, however, is 2.0g per Tbsp
8. Hot Sauces - most hot pepper sauces are zero (Tabasco, Red Hot), but beware some varieties such as Jamaican, Trinidad and Cajun style have sugar added. Read label carefully.
9. Bouillon cubes and powders - most commercially available products contain sugar and/or corn syrup. Check the label. One packet or 1/2 cube = 1g carb
10. Lemon and Lime Juice, fresh or bottled, 1 Tbsp = 1g; dried grated rind, 1 tsp = 1g
11. Soy Sauce - 0.5g per tsp
12. Mustard - most plain and dijon prepared mustards are less than 0.5g carb per tsp; beware "honey" varieties, and Russian sweet mustard at 2.0g per tsp
13. Mayonnaise - most regular real mayonnaise is less than 0.5g per Tbsp. Beware the light mayo - 1.0g per Tbsp and ultra-low fat at 3.0 to 4.0g per Tbsp

Yesterday I was the biggest loser again! I lost 2.8 kg, while Eldest came in second on 2.1 kg. The Wife was not far behind her on 1.5 kg, then came Youngest with 0.1 kg. But, like I told her, it's not how much you lose, any loss is good! And besides, weight loss is but an added advantage to this lifestyle. A healthier life is what we really are after!