So, I started Atkins this week...

Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS)
#21

You can have up to 20 grams of carbs a day during the first two weeks of the Induction Period:

http://atkinscenter.com/Archive/2001/12/15-325810.html

Here is the main page of the Atkins Center:

http://atkinscenter.com/index.html

I recommend reading the information in the web site to learn as much as you can about this diet so you can make a fully informed decision about whether you think it’ll work for you. You may also want to consult with your physician.

Works for me! I lost the fat that I couldn’t before when I was on the traditional low-fat, high-carb diet.

#22

The site makes no mention of the ratio or protein limits from what I could see. Still, quite a few people brought it up at a fitness related board, so I took there word for it and still can’t discredit them. I may just stay under 15g per day over a 5 day period and see how it turns out. One thing I’m still unsure of after reading the sit, Lipton Diet Iced Tea. Anyone know if this will compromise ketosis?

#23

I’ve been on Atkins since the day after Christmas. I have lost 20 pounds so far. My clothing are a lot looser, my face is thinner and I have tons of energy!
I stayed at or under 20 carbs a day for about a month and then I began to add more in. Right now, I am at about 50-60 and still losing about 1.5-2 lbs a week. I also cheat once or twice a week, but I imagine that will catch up with me sooner or later and my weight loss will stall out. But so far, so good.

My big addictions are Carbolite chocolate bars (96 cents at Walmart), Atkins banana nut muffins and low carb tortillas. I don’t like any of the bars or shakes.
Low carb tortilla chips are excellent but I have to stay away from them because I will eat the whole bag in one day.

A great snack that I’ve gotten hooked on recently is fried hotdogs. I used to eat these when I was a kid and found out that they still taste as good as when my grandmother made them. :slight_smile:
I also love pepperoni chips. (Put a few slices of pepperoni on a plate and cover with 2 papertowels. Nuke in microwave for about 80 seconds and the pepperoni will turn into little crunchy chips. )

Good luck to everyone on Atkins. I also second the recommendation to check out low-carbfriends.com
Great website and the folks on that message board will keep you on the straight and narrow, believe me!

#24

It’s pretty cool that there are some responses here! It’s keeping up my determination a bit, and thanks for the well-wishes! :slight_smile:

I’ve found a website called fitday, which is pretty neat. You set up a (free) account and you can input the food you’ve eaten for the day. It give you the calories, grams of fat/protein/carbs, and percentages of what you input. The only “problem” is that with Atkins you follow the ‘digestible carbs’ for counting, and this site doesn’t do that (like a cup of cauliflower has 7g of carbs according to fitday, but only 4.5 or 5g of that are digestible, so I only count 5).

And even though I’m not calorie counting, according to that website, my daily food amounts to 1000-1300 calories! I’m not trying to do low-calorie (I think Atkins even recommends against doing that), but it’s hard to get a lot of food (with my situation as I explained in the OP) that isn’t carb-loaded or not just cheese or lunchmeat,etc. Hmm…

#25

Oh yeah, and I’ve been reading where a lot of people don’t recommend any of the low-carb bars/etc when you’re in Induction. Is this just because it might trigger cravings, or what? I had one (to see if they were any good; they weren’t bad!) and I had no cravings or anything.

And thanks for the pepperoni chips idea! Awesome!

#26

I started Atkins on Jan 6th and I’ve lost 35lbs so far. I’ve allowed my self a few cheats (valentines day w/no Chocolate is damn near impossible)but so far so good! I’ll second the cheese (think string cheese) and boiled eggs. I have even learned to like pork rinds. I like
http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/
They have lots of recipies on the site and a whole room on their message board for recipies. Good Luck!

#27

When you’re ready to indulge legally: Perlege low-carb chocolate is to die for! I get the dark version, and sucking on just one or two little pieces satisfies my chocolate cravings.

I used to be able to get it at my local CVS, but now I have to mail order it – which is pricey, but the stuff is worth it, trust me.

#28

been low carbing since Jan 1st and have lost 30 pounds. Food menu is getting boring now tho. My fav so far is mexican omlet for breakfast. cheese, sausage with a dash of taco seasoning with a splash of salsa topped with sour cream all served “open face” (omlet not folded). This really holds me over until lunch. I usually have lunchmeat and cheese for lunch and sometimes a boiled egg. Supper favorite is meat balls with gravey and mashed califlower. another favorite is shepards pie. basically its a ground beef casserole with califlower, browned beef with 2 shredded cheeses baked for about an hour.

#29

Oh, you can also order Splenda from their website: www.splenda.com.

Candy: I mentioned the Russell Stover chocolates, but I’ve also ordered a bunch of sugar free taffies from a site that had the Golightly brands. I can’t remember the name of the website, but the Golightly taffies are really good. I’m going to look for those Perlege chocolates.

I’m going to try a shephard’s pie with mashed cauliflower. That sounds good.

Almond flour is a pricey but good substitute for white flour. I tried to make some to make an almond flour pound cake, but I guess I didn’t grind the almonds fine enough. It ended up being more of the texture of cornbread. It was very good, though, and I’ll probably make it again just by using less sugar

#30

Just thought I’d mention I checked my measurements tonight, and I’ve lost three inches around my waistline since February 12.

And yesterday I bought some sugar free ice-cream bars that are very very tasty and only add six carbs to my day but make all the difference in the world.

I also noticed today at the store that they are slooooowly adding splenda-sweetened products. They had a few syrups and candies and FINALLY Diet Rite cola. It’s good stuff for me because Nutrasweet gives me migraines.

#31

Also, according to Dr. Atkins, nutrasweet slows weight loss in some people. We use Splenda because of this, and also because it tastes better! If there is a Sam’s club near you, and you have a membership, our Sam’s club sells 700 packs for under $14.00.

#32

Also, according to Dr. Atkins, nutrasweet slows weight loss in some people. We use Splenda because of this, and also because it tastes better! If there is a Sam’s club near you, and you have a membership, our Sam’s club sells 700 packs for under $14.00.

#33

Also, according to Dr. Atkins, nutrasweet slows weight loss in some people. We use Splenda because of this, and also because it tastes better! If there is a Sam’s club near you, and you have a membership, our Sam’s club sells 700 packs for under $14.00.

#34

Yay! Sorry to bump my own thread, but I ignored the scale all weekend and when I weighed myself this morning I dropped another 5 lbs! :slight_smile:

#35

Thanks, Rushgeekgirl, Ill try it. (also thanks for that clam chowder recipie,leafrog, that sounds really good) I stayed on induction for 3 weeks, then last night gave in and had a Blake’s lotaburger and fries (a local burger chain, great burgers) I think I was craving ketchup. Anyway, I’m going to do the induction for two more weeks, and then move onto the next phase. Total weight loss is about 9 lbs.

#36

That’s great you guys!

I’m amazed at the amount of “willpower” I have had. Like when I quit smoking, I had to learn to live with my friends’ habits while kicking my own. My closest friend in the world is a chainsmoking sugarfreak. Today as we shopped, she ate FOUR candy bars! And we went to Wendy’s, home of my number one weakness: Frosties. But I’ve been feeling so good I didn’t want to screw anything up with all that sugar. So I had my salad, which, by the way, was completely satisfying. :slight_smile:

I have NEVER lost a pound intentionally before. I have tried diets and lost it around midnight. Well, it’s past midnight tonight, and I’m nibbling on tuna salad, celery and swiss cheese, but not because I’m really hungry. I really never feel that headachey, weak–kneed, cranky hunger that I’m used to.

Okay, I’m not trying to sound like an Atkins cheerleader (especially after reading the “Debunking Atkins” thread), but there is something about it that’s working for me. I feel GOOD.

#37

Leap, (may I call you Leap?) The diabetic section in our grocery store sells sugar-free ketchup. It’s prettty expensive (almost $4.00), but still cheaper than Atkins’ sugar-free ketchup stuff. We put it on omelets.

#38

There is a ton of recipes out there. Check out the recipe rooms at http://www.low-carb-friends.com. They also have a great support forum and low-carb chatroom.

I made my own ketchup over the weekend… I tried different recipe that used a 1/2 cup of steamed eggplant for texture. However, I didn’t drain the tomatoes and ended up with ketchup soup :smack: Need more spice as well…

I’ve lost 65 lbs on Atkins since I started a year ago. I get bored from time to time, but I make an effort to try a new recipe and kill the cravings. My problem now is that I am eating too much “legal” food and it is hampering my loss. I am not gaining, but I’m not losing either.