Hi Lauren,
Seems like you have got everything covered. Though at present I am not on the atkins diet, I have had some success with it in the past.
Now to answer you questions
is it really ok to fry my chicken in olive oil all the time?
Yes, it's fine. If you don't get bored with the same thing.
is fried bacon ok?
Yes. It's perfectly fine.
when will ketosis start?
Why does it matter if ketosis starts or not. Your aim is fat loss and not ketosis. If you really are that interested in ketosis, a two day water fast will put you right into ketosis without much trouble. You wouldn't have to bother with all the carb counting. But, then again fasting is too difficult and comes in the way of daily life. I suggest you focus on fat loss and not ketosis.
do i need to count calories as well?
OK, now this is the question which I feel everyone who goes on Atkins should answer. On Atkins, the general rule is you don't count calories because that's the whole premise of the diet.
You do away with the whole concept of obsessive calorie counting. You simply focusing on what you eat and care less about calories. But, that certainly doesn't mean calories don't count.
Calories will always count no matter which diet you are on. It's just that it is easier to be on a caloric deficit eating the Atkins way.
Most carbs are easy to consume. Think 300 grams of boiled rice to 300 grams of roasted chicken. They both have more less similar calories. The chicken has slightly higher but you will struggle to eat it than the rice. And, this is the reason why people on Atkins generally lose weight faster. Unknowingly you are eating less calories because you are eating high protein and high fat diet both of which are appetite suppressing and keep full with less calories.
is up to 4 oz of cheese a day really ok, i weighed some out and its an awful lot!!!!
Eat as much you enjoy. Anything above or below is minutiae.
is meat unlimited???
Atkins said as long as you cut out the carbs you can eat whatever else you feel like and in any quantity. Firstly, it is virtually difficult for people to consume a lot of meat on its own. Without the sugary sauces it's just impossible you can keep eating a lot of meat. But, as with all things moderation is the key. Take the Atkins advice on this with a grain of salt.
In my experience, when you consistently eat meat your body is in a acidic state. I have experienced that this leads to acidity and it used to burn when I used to pass urine. I also gave out this weird body odour which people around me tried hard to ignore. much to their dismay.
On the positive side, your hunger will be suppressed and you won't feel bloated.
So, eat about 2 portions per meal. This is about the size of your palm minus the fingers. The meat portion should be equal to the palm minus your fingers in size. That along with plenty of water and fibrous veggies to pass bowel and lower acidosis.
Also, the atkins bar is ok in moderation as it does cause you to crave more sweets later in the diet.
When you eat out just stick to protein and fibrous veggies. And, since I recommend ketosis is not the aim. Eating carbs once in a while is not only ok but beneficial for fat loss. It will replenish your glycogen stores and reset your hormonal environment in the body preparing you for fat loss again.
One thing I surely like to add. Atkins or any other diet if it causes you to adjust your lifestyle in any way. Then, it is just a short term diet which will cause you to rebound in a big way and cause major fat gain. The best diet is always the one with which you can live with and that which will not come in the way of your lifestyle.
Hope I have been helpful. If not please do let me know in what other ways I can help.
