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Why call it a diet?

I think I absolutely realised on New Years Eve, that this is now my lifestyle choice and no longer a diet. We were out dancing the night away and there was a buffet. I had no desire at all to eat the sandwiches, sausage rolls, cheese straws etc. There was very little low carb choice..( next year I'll take my own.) but I nabbed the salad garnish off the sandwich plates, a couple of chicken drumsticks and some peanuts and skipped the dessert... I did go and have a look but nothing tempted me... Before LCHF I'd have never had the willpower to do this, but it just felt right for me.
I will also add that I eat a much better variety and quality of food now. My cooking skills are improving and I find it a fun challenge to look at low carb ingredients and think what to create next. I'll be trying a lamb tagine this week
 

Wow, that's impressive. All the more so because you weren't even tempted. You've (perhaps subconsciously) made the decision that a sausage roll just isn't worth it. LCHF works in so many ways. I'm really, really impressed and happy for you.
 

Don't forget to post your lamb tagine recipe. Hubby loves a bit of lamb and I wouldn't say no ...
 
Don't forget to post your lamb tagine recipe. Hubby loves a bit of lamb and I wouldn't say no ...
I'm investigating it. It will depend on what veg I have in the fridge and I need to find out what spices I'll need. I'm planning on adding a couple of chopped dried apricots , not low carb I know but it will be a big casserole ( freezing portions for later) so will be balanced out with the rest of the dish. I'll let you know how it works out
 

Yep, a dried apricot or two is essential for flavour but spread out over a meal for at least four or six, shouldn't rock anyone's meter. Cayenne, garlic, paprika, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon seem to be in most recipes and some are often cited as lowering blood sugar, another plus. Not sure I believe it, but can't hurt.
 
I've found a couple of recipes, but I will tailor them to what I have.

Once you get past the cackling, this sounds droolingly lovely. I think I'd drop the beans and squash - I'm very much the carnivore - but looks quite lovely, and easy! I might give it a go too.
 
I left out the raisins and Honey but this is a great tagine.
I used lamb instead of beef.
http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/recipes/beef/pages/beeftagine.aspx

Okay, I'm now officially drooling. Lamb is definitely the right tagine meat, and that leg is coming out of the freezer right now. A couple of dried apricots, to be eaten by hubby, will be added. Luckily, he's perfectly happy with cauli rice rather than the real thing. I'm not sure he knows the difference.
 
That's so great! Well done! I hope to follow in your footsteps
 
Interestingly, the word 'diet' originally comes (via Latin and French) from the Greek 'diaita' meaning 'a way of life'.

The dictionary gives more than one definition for the modern meaning:-
Diet:
  1. The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats
  2. A special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/diet

Someone with coeliac disease follows a gluten-free diet for life. Similarly, for me, a diabetic diet is just the way that someone eats to control their diabetes. Probably some confusion arises because people who are overweight when they are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are usually advised to lose weight - they may follow a 'weight-loss' diet initially which would be replaced by a 'maintenance' diet after the weight-loss occurred. Obviously, the maintenance diet that someone with diabetes follows may be very different from a maintenance diet followed by someone without diabetes.
 
Diet is fine. The problem, particularly at this time of year, is folks declaring, "I'm going on a diet"
Erm, NO! You go on holiday, not diet. Going on a diet implies you will be returning from it, and that where the problem starts and magnifies IMHO of course

Like the tagine recipes btw, will give them a whirl
 
I've had to correct a few people.
I'm not "on" a diet. This is what I am eating for the rest of my life. I will never be "off" this way of eating.
I need to loose more weight perhaps as I reach my goal I will have better BG control but I can not go back to eating high carbs.
 
It was amazing. I made 6 portions and froze 4 of them . Worked out at about 10 carbs a portion but you could do less as I did add 4 apricots and some chick peas. Mine was rather veg heavy as I just used up what I had.. Celery, yellow pepper, courgette, carrot, butternut squash, onion. Fried the lamb chunks a little in olive oil. added about 1tsp each of cumin, cinamon. nutmeg. tumeric. smoked paprika, celery salt and garlic granules.. I also put in 2 cloves of fresh garlic. As I was frying I threw in some sesame seeds. Put it all in my big Le Creuset casserole with a tin of chopped tomatoes, 4 chopped apricots and topped it with boiling water. Into a low oven for 2 hours. I then added some flaked almonds and a tin of drained chickpeas, Put it back in the hot oven and turned it off and left it there. We ate it the next day and the flavours had really developed .. yumm I'll def do this again.
 
Diet is fine. The problem, particularly at this time of year, is folks declaring, "I'm going on a diet"

The supermarket shelves are full of New Year diet books and CD's, rich pickings for the authors

I suppose the word 'diet' is open to interpretation to those who here the word.
 
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