Atkins redux...

[MessyJ]

Hello all! Having spent a couple of weeks stalking all you guys through your diaries, I'm taking the plunge and starting my own! You all seem so friendly and helpful that I'm hoping you'll help me keep on track. I'm a complete newbie to the world of forums so I hope I'm doing this right...
So, first, a bit of background blurb... I first did the Atkins diet about ten years ago when I came back to live with my parents for a year after university. I had finished uni a good few stone heavier than when I started and was single and miserable and determined to do something about it. So my Dad and I decided to give Atkins a try. We bought the DANDR book and my mum, bless her, started cooking the recipes and, within about six months, both Dad and I had lost around three stone each. Result! I felt great.

So cut to eight years later and about four stone heavier... Having kept the weight off for a good few years, I had then met and moved in with my boyfriend and settled into a routine of huge plates of carb heavy food, takeaways and dinners out and it showed! So, along with a friend, I joined Slimming World and managed to lose a stone and a half before I fell off the wagon and just couldn't get back on.

So here I am now, back on the Atkins wagon, hoping to replicate my previous success. To be honest, I'm not sure why it's taken me this long to remember that Atkins was the only diet I've ever really been successful on. I think Slimming World's carb-fest attracted me and kept me interested for a few months. It felt so great to be able to eat all that food. However, that quickly turned into no holds barred eating with the Slimming World rules out the window! I can't be trusted to eat one slice of bread, I'll inhale four and tell myself "I'll just use flexible syns and make it up tomorrow" - yeah right! I think Atkins worked for me before because I find it easier to have a list of things I can eat and a list that I can't and just know that if I stick to it, I'll lose weight. Keep it simple.

So anyway, apologies for wittering on... I've now been back on Atkins for a week and so far, so good. I've lost four pounds and am nearly back to my post Slimming World weight of 13st 12lbs. My overall goal is to get back to the 11st 7lbs (size 12 to 14 on me) I weighed after doing Atkins the first time. Wish me luck...!

 

[slaj]

Welcome and good luck,post your food on your diary, anyone is so helpful and friendly and they will advise on food etc

 

[Jonsgirl80]

Hi messy and welcome.

you sound just like me. I did slimming world and gained weight!! For me there is no "eating a little bit of bread" once I start I can't stop and I just ate everything in sight. I need something much stricter.

I much prefer Atkins because there are no grey areas I know what I can have and what I can't have and I know if I eat any of the bad stuff I'll gain weight instantly.

I'm also a restarter and like you, I flirted with other diets and somehow " forgot" that this is only thing that works.

Sounds like you have made a good start. I wish you lots of luck xx

 

[ladyfelsham]

Hi Messy, great to see you here!

For me there is no "eating a little bit of bread" once I start I can't stop and I just ate everything in sight. I need something much stricter.

Same for me - I was eating bucketloads of pasta, and trying to fool myself that it was all "free" when the opposite was true!

Rule no 1 - whitter away as much as you like It's your diary hun, put whatever you like down there - but be prepared for the occasional kidnapping/off topic

Well done on your Week 1 loss!

 

[MessyJ]

Hmmm typed a big long post on my laptop and couldn't seem to post it. Tried a few times so I hope it doesn't suddenly show up 4 times! Trying again using the app on my phone but will summarise...

Hello and thanks to everyone who's taken the time to respond.

I've found the last few days more difficult as I'm really craving bread and so I don't seem to feel satisfied, no matter how much I eat. I'm hoping that if I don't give into the craving it will go away soon.

Yesterday's food:
B: 2 eggs scrambled with splash of cream
L: 2 chicken thighs with salad
D: pork chop, cauliflower and broccoli in cheese sauce (creme fraiche and cheddar)
S: celery with pate, ham, sugar free jelly with cream, 1 mim with cream cheese (decided I'm not keen on mims)
Plus 1 coffee with soy milk and 1 sweetener

Today
Brunch: scrambled eggs with cream and a slice of ham
D: roast chicken, leeks with cheese sauce, broccoli, small blob of mustard
S: ham dipped in mayo, s.f. jelly with squirty cream
Plus 2 coffees with soy milk and sweetener

Wish it could be a bank holiday every Monday...!

 

[kellmo]

Hi Messy (nice name!)


Welcome- I'm new to atkins too after a gazillion other diets including SW. Yeah, I can't do 'a little bit' or a 'sensible portion' or even 'eating until satisfied' because my kind of satisfied is STUFFED!

Your menus look great and I'm sure it will all come flooding back to you. Support on here is great - have a look at the sticky threads for recipes, shopping lists etc.

Remember to look at the label on EVERYTHING - I did pick up a shower gel and turned it to look at the label during a moment of er, randomness!

Good luck!!!

Kellmo

 

[Jonsgirl80]

Haha Kellmo. I do that too - soap, toothpaste, washing up liquid you name it i check the label.

I guess you get that used to reading the label it becomes automatic after a while lol x

 

[kellmo]

I wonder if there's carbs in moisturiser??!!!

 

[ladyfelsham]

Morning Messy

The menus sound great - and don't worry, it takes a few days for the carbs to flush out - but they will and then the cravings will go away. A lot of people also report a big surge in energy at that point too

 

[MessyJ]

Thanks jonsgirl and kellmo. I'm also one for scouring labels obsessively in the supermarket. My boyfriend's usually ditches me and is halfway round tesco by the time I've made my mind up about which ham to buy!

I think you're right Susie, my cravings seem to be much better today. Possibly also something to do with being too busy at work to think about food but am feeling full and satisfied right now. Hopefully that's knocked them on the head for the time being.

Does anyone have any thoughts on no added sugar squash? That's what I usually drink but I've been avoiding it since starting Atkins. Trouble is I'm not a huge fan of plain water and am finding it hard to drink as much as I should. I've got Tesco summer fruits squash here which is 3.1g carb per 100ml. It's the double concentrate tho so only use a splash at a time. Has anyone noticed if it affects their weight loss?

Menu today:
L: salad with ham, chicken and mayo
D: will be leftover roast chicken, cabbage and leek stir-fried with a bit of garlic, plus probably a blob of either mayo or mustard
S: cucumber slices spread with pate
1 coffee with soy milk and sweetener and one Starbucks cappuccino with soy milk and sugar-free vanilla syrup

 

[MessyJ]

Just gave myself a shock by looking up number of carbs in a tall Starbucks sugar free vanilla late with soy milk on myfitnesspal. It came out as 17!! However, I just looked it up on starbucks website and to my relief it's only 7. Still not great so I don't think i'll be repeating but much better than wasting all my carbs for the day on a drink!

 

[Jonsgirl80]

Hi messy,

I can't touch squash - it stalls me quite badly. I think because it's no added sugar and not sugar free - you still get the natural sugars from the fruit which can affect some people.

however different things stall different people - I drink coke zero for example and some people can't. Similarly some are stalled by cream or too much cheese - we're all different.

i think as long as you are losing weight I wouldn't worry too much. If you find you are stalling however you might need to try eliminating certain things from your diet for a short while to see what is affecting you x

 

[MessyJ]

Think I'll try and avoid it for a bit longer and maybe try introducing it later when I've settled into Atkins. Don't want to jeopardise weight loss just for sake of some squash. I'll just have to be better with the water.

 

[ladyfelsham]

Like Jonsgirl said, hun, it's all trial and error and what works for one person doesn't work for another

I do drink water with squash in it, but haven't noticed a problem - but cream piles the pounds on, sadly

 

[Kat1e]

Hi and welcome

Re the squash - worth trying without as your tastebuds may change. I used to only drink fizzy water (pref with wine - oops!) but now love the plain stuff more which is helpful

 

[MessyJ]

So yesterday I was on a training course so it was hard to eat well as I wasn't really in control of what was available to me. I knew there would be biccies available to tempt me (how lovely dunked into a cup of milky coffee...no, stop thinking about it!) and probably a cold buffet lunch full of things I can't eat. So I made sure I had a good breakfast before I arrived.

This was a good tactic and I was able to avoid the shortbread, chocolate brownies etc on offer. Lunch was actually easier than I thought as it turned out to be a hot meal and I was able to have a tomato-y chicken and olive dish with some broccoli on the side and avoid dessert.

I then went to have dinner with my parents as they're just back from holiday and my dad cooked almost the exact same chicken dish as I'd had for lunch, just with peppers instead of the olives. Still it was yummy so I didn't mind!

Today was a normal work day but I was starving for some reason so lunch was a bit of a blowout...

Yesterday:
B: scrambled eggs with peppers and mushrooms
L: chicken in a tomato and olive sauce and broccoli
D: chicken in a tomato and pepper sauce with salad
S: a piece of brie before bed
Lots of cups of coffee with milk and sweetener to keep me awake through the training course!

Today:
B: nothing
L: pot of chicken, bacon and sweetcorn sandwich filler from sainsburys, whole pot of black olives
D: meatloaf made from beef mince, an egg and lots of random herbs and spices I found in the cupboard and salad.
S: ham dunked in mayo

Actually today doesn't seem as bad now I've written it down. I was just a bit disgusted with myself as I'd planned to put some of the sandwich filler and olives on a salad but then just ended up spooning the whole tub into my mouth!

 

[Jonsgirl80]

Lol I do stuff like that x

 

[lollycakes]

If you're still finding it hard to drink enough water, have you tried buying one of the big bottles and drinking that through the day? I find it so much easier to remember to drink if I've got a bottle of water to drink from. I have a big 2 litre bottle of Tesco Ashbeck water (45p for 2 litres) and I've been drinking so much more because of it. I bought 3, and I use one for a few days - refilling it from the tap of course - and then recycle the bottle before opening another. If it's the lack of taste you find difficult, Tesco's orange squash with no added sugar is 1.2g carbs per 100ml, and it's the double strength one like you mentioned before. But I definitely find that having a bottle of water to drink from increases my fluid consumption quite drastically.

 

[MessyJ]

Thanks lollycakes, I'll try your tip. I've been drinking water with just a splash of squash but am definitely still not drinking enough.

B: 2 babybels
L: lots of cucumber slices spread with pate, five cocktail sausages
D: aldi piri piri chicken with salad and mayo

 

[teeney]

Just popping in to say hi! I have up on squash, decided I would rather have my morning coffee with the rationed sweetener. Have you tried a filter coffee with pouring cream and sf syrup in Starbucks? That is my treat when I go into town and totally legal