Tag Archives: low carb

Paleo-Primal Eating Out In Manteca

Since changing my diet over a year ago, I find it very hard to eat out. Most restaurants in this area of California serve pretty cheap food. And by cheap I don’t mean the price that they charge you–I mean the quality of the ingredients.

There are not many places I can eat in Manteca. I try to be as paleo-primal as possible. I avoid grains and other starches, legumes, and refined sugars. And this is a big problem here.

Manteca restaurants are mostly taquerias and chain restaurants. We’ve got Chilis, Applebees, Panda Express, and all the common fast food joints. These places put flour and sugar in just about everything.

So I’m looking for dishes that don’t contain the foods that I’m avoiding, and this is extremely difficult here. So where do I go? I can think of three establishments in Manteca, CA.

Chipotle is my go-to restaurant of choice in Manteca. The service and the portions are hit-or-miss but the quality of the food is always good. It’s easy for me to eat gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free at any Chipotle. I just get a bowl and skip the tortillas, rice, and beans.

In-N-Out is my budget restaurant. I get Double-Doubles without the bun, and skip the fries and soda. There are lots of other burgers in town, but I like In-N-Out the best. I think their burgers have the most fat–tender, tasty, juicy, and always delicious.

And finally, there is just one affordable restaurant here in Manteca where I can sit down and get some good ol’ traditional American food. And that is Johnny’s.

Johnny’s serves typical diner food. They close at 8:30pm every night. On Sundays they are full of people from various churches. Johnny’s is open early enough for truckers, seniors, and other early-risers to come in for breakfast. All the omelettes are good. For dinner I like the liver and onions with chopped bacon.

And then there’s the hot wings.

OB’s in Truckee (now closed) used to have the best hot wings I’ve ever tasted. But now that OB’s is closed, that award goes to Johnny’s. The sauce is perfect, not too hot. And the wings aren’t too greasy. I think they bake the wings instead of fry them, but they won’t tell me.

So that’s about it. Chipotle, In-N-Out, and Johnny’s. If you are trying to eat paleo, primal, or low carb in Manteca these are your best choices. You can just about skip everything else here.

Six Months In

So it’s been six months since I started my low carb, high fat lifestyle makeover. As of today I’ve lost over 50 pounds. And that’s without counting calories, measuring portions, starving myself, eating less, aerobic exercise, or any of that other conventional wisdom nonsense. I feel the best I’ve felt in the last 10 years.

My favorite foods: bacon cheeseburgers (no bun, of course), steak and salad with full fatty dressings, sausages and sauerkraut, broccoli and cauliflower smothered in butter and/or cheese, berries and heavy cream topped with cinnamon, coffee with heavy cream, wine and bourbon, eggs and bacon, clam dip with pork rinds, full fat kefir, salami prosciutto pancetta, BBQ’ed chicken thighs and legs with the skin on, hot wings with ranch and bleu cheese, liver and onions with chopped bacon, piles of meat in a bowl at Chipotle.

I still walk at work on my breaks and lunches, but I don’t do that any more now than I did before. Still not going to the gym. Not doing any exercises at home or anywhere else. On weekends I like to hike and fly fish and camp and enjoy the outdoors. I’m just as active today as I’ve ever been. (So it’s not the exercise that’s causing me to lose weight.)

When I eat out, my favorite places are In-N-Out, Carl’s Jr, Chipotle, and my local steakhouses like Cattlemens and Texas Roadhouse. At In-N-Out I typically get three double doubles protein style (no bun)–each burger is over 500 calories. At Carl’s I usually get two low carb six dollar burgers–about 700 calories each. At Chipotle (my favorite) I get double meat pork beef, extra cheese, extra sour cream, double guacamole, and I skip the tortilla rice beans–this meal is around 1400 calories. At the steakhouses I get a salad with all the fixin’s and the biggest rib eye on the menu–and I eat all the fat! (So it’s not “eating less” that’s causing the weight loss either.)

Weight loss continues at the rate of about 1 pound per week. Effortless. Easiest thing I’ve ever done. My clothes are all baggy and hanging off my shoulders and hips. I know that I’ll seriously need to shop soon, and that’s a great feeling.

Low-carb saved my life, made it enjoyable again, and gave me my self-confidence back. This is the only thing that has ever worked for me. All that conventional wisdom bullshit about eating less and exercising more has never worked. I plan on eating this way for the rest of my life.

You Don’t Know What It’s Like

If you’ve never been obese, well, then you don’t know what it’s like.

You don’t know what it’s like to have to shop for your clothes online because stores don’t stock sizes big enough to fit you. You don’t know what it’s like to have to buy new clothes every year because you keep getting bigger and your old clothes don’t fit any more.

You don’t know what it’s like to try, and fail, repeatedly to lose weight. Everyone, especially thin people, knows how to lose weight. And you, fatty, are fat because you’re lazy. Eat less and exercise more, right? (wrong, at least in my case)

You don’t know what it’s like to eat in public. You feel everyone’s eyes on you, judging you. “Look at that fat man, he’s disgusting. If only he would eat less. If only he would eat healthier food. Then he wouldn’t be so fat.”

You don’t know what it’s like to be uncomfortable sitting everywhere. Squeezing into the desks at school. Sometimes you’ll sit down in a chair and break it. You won’t fit on airplane seats. Sitting in a car will be very uncomfortable–most cars aren’t designed for large humans.

You don’t know what it’s like to wake up every morning and feel pain everywhere. Your back will be hurting. And soon after your knees will start to hurt. Everything hurts.

So now I’m eating low-carb and I’m losing weight. This is the only thing that has ever worked for me. Calorie restriction and endless aerobic exercise never worked. Low-fat never worked. But now I’m eating high-fat and it’s working. It really works. (for me, that is)

You don’t know the joy of life. Life is so much better. The weight is dropping off my frame week by week. I’m not exercising. I’m eating delicious foods. My blood lipid profiles are markedly improved. My old clothes fit again. I can fit into various seating more comfortably. I’m on the verge of being able to buy my clothes in an actual store again. I enjoy eating out again. I feel more confident. I’m happier. Life is, once again, good. Really good.

So if you’ve never been hopelessly fat you don’t know what it’s like to find something that helps you lose weight. Low-carb high-fat works.

Don’t criticize me. Be happy for me.