[PolPitasc]

I just joined this forum.
I am very familiar with the Atkins way of life. I have lost almost a ton (140 pounds) of weight and have kept it off (for years) till recently when I gained back about 15 pounds. Not much (15 pounds) but I must nip it in the bud now before it gets out of hand.
One problem I have is I live in an extremely remote (small village) area of Northern Ontario where fresh veggies are not easy to come by at all time. We do shop in a larger town, but only once a week.

I will post my stats and more info later........

Looking forward to posting on here often.............

[VDAu5p33]

Welcome, Benji! You are very SMART to do something now... seriously. Kudos on that. As for the veggies... frozen and even canned vegetables are acceptable choices! Stock up on those so when the fresh stuff runs out you have an alternative.

Good luck and hope to see you around a lot!

Tril

[posimoka]

Welcome Benji and Yeah!!! Another Canuck!!

Congratulations on your success. 140lbs is an amazing loss and recognizing the need to get back on track right away is very smart of you.

I love it here and credit the excellent support of these fine people for my 42lb gone forever!

Look forward to hearing more!!

[M1iFiNmC]

Hi & welcome. Good quality frozen veges will be better than nothing, and you are coming into summer - can you grow any? Our bodies don't actually need any carbs to survive, but just meat and fat gets mighty boring. Keep it in mind though.

[55Beaphable]

WTG on your weightloss!! How did you do it and how long did it take you? Any tips? Welcome!!! This is a great forum. Nice friendly people here!!

[Patabeamn]

Thanks everyone for the lovely welcome.
It took me several years to lose the 140 pounds. It also took me several years to gain it.
Living way up in the North, it is very difficult to grow any veggies but we do grow some. We are just starting to plant out tomatoes as well as other veggies. We had a severe frost just a few days ago.
Frozen veggies are just about the only solution, but one gets fed up with that awfully fast. Nothing replaces fresh !!!
As far as meat goes, we don't eat any beef or pork at all. Mostly chicken and fish. I BBQ an awful lot.
When I say we, I mean my wife as well. She is also on "Atkins" as well. There is only the 2 of us which makes it easier for cooking. I do all the cooking.
When I say we live up north, we live way on top of Lake Huron in a small village of just under 1000. We are about 30 minutes from a decent town that has all kinds of food.
Someone asked for tips. DRINK LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER EACH AND EVERY DAY.

That's it for now. I only come on here in the evenings.

[gariharlj]

Hi and welcome....I am new as of yesterday too...

[Doctor-CTAC]

I haven't abandoned you guys. We were just involved with a friend that lives up in Elliot Lake where the roof of the mall fell down and unfortunately killed two women we knew well. Our friend stayed with us and is OK other than very shook up.

On the other hand, we have been out working the land we have. Our garden is doing just wonderful with some veggies. Actually I have been picking some green onions and radishes from there already.
Some veggies just refuse to take and grow while others are just great.
Tomatoes, Butternut squash, onions, green beans, peas, radishes, are among the veggies doing very well while the zucchini, spinach, lettuce, carrots, turnip, parsnip, seem to be refusing to grow.............
My wife has been busy weeding the flower gardens she has. I also have been mowing the lawn almost every week.

That's it for now......
One good thing about all this is as long as we are busy, we are not overeating. Drinking lots and lots of water daily............


PS ........... Is there a thread on this forum where one can post their daily food ????? I can't seem to find it.

[Annewsded]

Benji,
I am so sorry your friends were killed. how horrible. I had not heard about the accident. You have a wonderful heart to take in a hurting friend.

Yes, it sounds like you are farmers! Busy from daylight to dusk and too busy to eat. You have probably done well with your weight.

To start posting, go to the Progress part of this forum and start a thread there. you can post daily, most of us here do not. Many do track but as far as I have decided, I only post a bit of what I eat, when I am home I track everything, tho, and we will follow you there, cheer and comment. It is a good idea to post what you are eating.

[viiagrag]

We have been seeing that terrible accident in Elliot Lake on the news. I am SO SORRY for those families who lost their loved ones. I heard the husband of one of the women speaking on the radio and he was so distraught. Please give my best to the families and Bless you for being there for them. As a fellow Ontarian and Canadian I empathize with them. Just a freak and dreadful accident and lives forever altered. Too sad for words!

[TopcigsCOM]

Is there another Lake Huron in Ontario? I mean, other than the great lake shared with the US? If you're at the northern end of that lake... then you and I are at about the same latitude. A garden is definitely doable. You (and I) can't grow things like watermelon or cantelope... but we can grow TONS of leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, lettuces. Those are cool weather veggies... southern gardens can only grow those in early spring and late summer. We can grow them all summer. You can grow broccoli... radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes! I do. I use this system... "Square Foot Gardening" by a guy named Mel Bartholomew. Check it out!!! Follow his formula for the growing medium and you can have fresh veggies all summer.

[angelxmagic]

Is there another Lake Huron in Ontario? I mean, other than the great lake shared with the US? If you're at the northern end of that lake... then you and I are at about the same latitude. A garden is definitely doable. You (and I) can't grow things like watermelon or cantelope... but we can grow TONS of leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, lettuces. Those are cool weather veggies... southern gardens can only grow those in early spring and late summer. We can grow them all summer. You can grow broccoli... radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes! I do. I use this system... "Square Foot Gardening" by a guy named Mel Bartholomew. Check it out!!! Follow his formula for the growing medium and you can have fresh veggies all summer.

And you can do all the winter veges, you lucky thing - garlic & fennel (bulb type - my absolute favourite vege and we can't grow it or galric because we are subtropical) and lots more. My sister and her hubby in frosty cold Tassie - winter max 8-15C - have a little greenhouse frame with a plastic zipped cover they bought at a hardware store and they grow tomatoes and lettuces and other veges all year round.

Here's a link to a cold climate vegetable planting guide chart.

[Chubrehege]

Benji, Welcome to you and your lovely wife! You are doing what we all want to do. lose our weight and stay in control on maintnenance. You do have some to lose, but it will not take long with your dedication.

As Odille said, you can do fats and meats and what veges you can get. It does sound like you should start a garden if you really crave the fresh, tho. It looks like you have several gardeners who are very willing to help. Onward with the kale!

[Snweyuag]

Yes we live on top of Lake Huron the Great Lake. About half way between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.
We do have a garden and we do grow some veggies.
Just last week, we got completely wiped out of our tomatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, as well as some others. We had a severe frost !!!!! We bought more plants and planted them in the ground today.
Our onions are doing extremely well. Peas, beans, radishes, carrots, lettuce, spinach, muslix, beets were all started from seed and survived the frost.
We have acerage where we live, not just a regular piece of land.
My wife does all the planting while I do all the digging.

Today we are veggie low. We still must go into the BIG city to do food shopping. We don't have a grocery store within 30 kms from our house. We go once a week and try to buy for the week.

Fish, NO problem. A rod and lure you can catch all the fish you want. Walleye, Bass, and mostly Musky are plentiful up here.

Bottom line is we definitely don't starve. We eat well but have a hard time with veggies during certain times of the year. Frozen veggies are almost the only solution. I won't touch canned veggies at all....................................

[Pynctyncroast]

We are back from fighting the war.....

Food wise, there was only one meal that was out a bit and that was supper on last Sunday where they served a typical Voyageur meal of ..... Beans,... Bannock,... and Beef..... It was rather good and there was plenty for all to eat seconds and thirds.....

Other than that, we ate most of our meals in the trailer which was mostly BBQ one thing or another.

Bottom line is I didn't gain any weight. Didn't lose either but ate really well.

[nanyaHgoc]

Allie..........

You mentioned butternut squash soup in a previous post.

We have a ton and a half of butternut squash in our garden and I was wondering if you can tell me where to get that recipe.
At the same time, do you have any other recipes that use Butternut squash ?????

Thanks.............

[casinobonuscxz]

Welcome back Benji. Glad you had a fabulous time, enjoyed your food and didn't gain anything. I found a couple of LOW CARB recipes for butternut squash soup: http://www.calorieking.com/recipes/V...yaWQ9NDE0.html

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/10/b...e-1-ww-pt.html

This link also had a good recipe for butternut squash and other foods you might enjoy: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/prima...#axzz21e8jxBqM

....as well as this one:http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2008/10/recipe-for-roasted-butternut-squash.html

ENJOY!

[Ad0i89Od]

Have you tried canning your own? During peak seasons for things like green beans, tomatoes, etc. they are very plentiful... canned the old fashioned way, veggies are very good and not at all like the stuff in cans.

[Galvanoidum]

Actually, NO we never tried it.
Never even thought of it.
I will look into it .............

[Garry Hovard]

If your canning veggies your best off using a pressure canner. I did beans once in a water bath and they spoiled pretty quickly.

I love your quote ...
I used to live to eat......... Now I eat to live..... It's excellent and so true. We all have the common goal!

It sounds like you live in a wonderful place and how nice to have some land. Do you use cold frames for any of your veggies. I keep a trailer on a leased spot in an area that is quite high up and is slow to beat the frost in the spring. The owner has a whole series of raised beds with hinged windows on top that he uses to start all his veggies and protect them from the cold and then he just opens the windows and braces them open for summer. He has an amazing garden and it looks really neat. They are all old paned wood frames and I do stained glass and I've always thought it would be cool to do some sort of windows for him so that when they were all propped open in the sun they would become garden art. LOL sorry....kindof off topic there.....sometimes I drift LOL

Anyways, glad you guys are here!