Well, Mr. Skeptic and I have determined that we’re going to do Atkins. Does anyone have any good Atkins-safe recipes, especially ones appropriate for induction? Snack hints (or eating out hints, or any other helpful hints) would be appreciated as well.
We have the books, so if you’ve tried a particularly yummy recipe from them, post the book and recipe titles.
Well, I am not doing Atkins, but I brought this to a neighborhood potluck and my neighbor who is doing Atkins was thrilled, because it was stuff she could actually eat. It’s also a great recipe for this time of year, when everyone’s likely bringing in their last crop of tomatoes.
Buy fresh mozzarella – lots of stores make their own, so get that stuff if you can. Slice it into about 1/4" slices. Do the same for some fresh, firm tomatoes. Arrange the slices on a plate, alternating cheese and tomato slices. Cut fresh basil into thin strips and sprinkle them liberally over the cheese and tomatoes. Then sprinkle everything (again, liberally) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Voila! A yummy salad straight outta Italy.
Make burgers or meat loaf using turkey sausage removed from its casings. Keep nuts on hand (gotta be careful with these as some are high in CHO–however almonds, walnuts, pistachios are among the lowest.) as well as cheese (including lowfat whipped cottage cheese, a personal favorite appetite queller). Don’t pass on the vegetables, of course. Wine and distilled spirits always make things festive, if you’re so inclined. You might also want to purchase Ketostix for urinalysis. i’ve been on a modified Atkins plan for a year and have lost 25 pounds with no sweat. Good luck!
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/
The above link is a message board that may help you in your quest for recipes, support, and more. There are many who post there, and we (my husband and I) found it helpful. Also, Nanook made the comment to keep nuts on hand. Its been a while since we’ve been on induction, but I believe that nuts are a big NO NO during induction. Good luck!
Beadalin, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were one of my coworkers. I was fresh off induction last Spring, and at our End-of-the-Year party, one of my coworkers brought that mozzarella & tomato salad. As I was looking at a table full of pasta and rice and fruit and sandwiches, I suddenly saw that and realized, “Hey, I can eat that!” It was heavenly. 
I’ve been doing Atkins since the spring and have lost nearly 50 pounds.
As for the OP, I eat lots of chicken and seafood. Broiled, maybe with a simple sauce or just plain. Lots of small fish filets, too, just broiled or sauteed. I’m allergic to shrimp, but I’m able to get lots of fresh seafood here, so it’s easy to make something simple.
Turkey burgers (broiled or cooked in the George Foreman grill) with a honey-mustard dressing, just on the plate, obviously, rather than on a roll. No carbs in the turkey burgers, and 5 carbs in 2 tablespoons of the honey mustard.
Salads, with cheese and a hard-cooked egg and a sprinkle of sunflower seeds and real dressing for lunch. No croutons!
I 've been eating lots of veggies, too. Steamed broccoli, sugar snap peas, and green beans.
I would have cottage cheese for a little snack. I think there’s 4 carbs in a half-cup, even the non-light versions.
Read the labels of everything, and be sure you’re getting the serving sizes right. Don’t just pick something up and read “5 carbs” and not realize that there’s 2 or 3 servings in the container.
You really have to just break the habit of snacking.
Be sure to drink lots of water.
Oh, another thing: The book says to give up caffeine and coffee.
I never did. I get migraines, and giving up the caffiene would have killed me.
I was using Equal, but switched to Sweet & Low.
(I can’t remember why the book said not to use Equal, but it didn’t matter to me, so I switched)
I also had been using 2% milk in my coffee, but switched to Half & Half, which was great, as far as I was concerned.
As I said in my first post, drink a lot of water. No soda… not even diet. IMO, drinking lots of water really helps with the weight loss. I’d have 2 cups of coffee in the morning, and then just drink water all day. A lot of people think drinking water all day means you’ll be in the bathroom all day, but once your body gets used to it, you’re* not* peeing all the time.
This probably is better for after you get out of induction, but one thing I like is to eat unsweetened chocolate–which is of course nasty bitter by itself. What you do is get some Splenda sugar substitute, put it in a saucer and dip the chocolate in it bite by bite. It’s pretty good and kind of fun too.
Plate Pizza:
Put about a tablespoon if spaghetti sauce into a dinner plate. Smear it around to cover the bottom
Sprinkle a small amount of pre-cooked hot sausage over the sauce
Sprinkle about a half-cup of shredded mozarella on top
Add some pepperoni slices. (Use the hydrated, in-a-package kind, not the stick kind)
Nuke in the microwave on high for 1-2 minutes.
Quick and easy to make, if you’ve already precooked the hot sausage. Pizza goodness without the carbs. Yum!
Sounds yummy, but the balsamic vinegar is out for most Atkins followers. Balsamic vinegar has over 2 grams of carbs / Tbsp, so it is usually avoided during the Induction and OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) stages of Atkins.
However, I’m going to bookmark this recipe for later