Atkins: The Diet I Never Thought I'd Try

[Goldilukes]

Canadian,

you sound like you are really chucking your heart and soul in to it so I wouldn't worry too much about a little cheese. Cheese can be a friend in the early days keeping us from other naughty stuff. If you notice weight not coming off cut back because it can stall some but not all. I drink gallons of double cream each day in my coffees and extra 100-200ml glasses when I'm needing something sweet and I've not ruined my diet but it's not healthy to consume as much as me. My bedroom smells like quavers though

as for potassium I'd go easy, smallest doses possible to build up just incase you are getting it from somewhere else without realising. I sometimes drink tonic water for my leg cramps because it contains quinine which is great for that. We drink a lot of water on this woe and we flush a lot of electrolytes away so just go easy topping them up in clever ways. Coconut water is full of these and is great for you, it's quite carby but if a couple of days a week you have a sip it shouldn't be a problem maybe..?

 

[Canadian]

Canadian,

you sound like you are really chucking your heart and soul in to it so I wouldn't worry too much about a little cheese. Cheese can be a friend in the early days keeping us from other naughty stuff. If you notice weight not coming off cut back because it can stall some but not all. I drink gallons of double cream each day in my coffees and extra 100-200ml glasses when I'm needing something sweet and I've not ruined my diet but it's not healthy to consume as much as me. My bedroom smells like quavers though

as for potassium I'd go easy, smallest doses possible to build up just incase you are getting it from somewhere else without realising. I sometimes drink tonic water for my leg cramps because it contains quinine which is great for that. We drink a lot of water on this woe and we flush a lot of electrolytes away so just go easy topping them up in clever ways. Coconut water is full of these and is great for you, it's quite carby but if a couple of days a week you have a sip it shouldn't be a problem maybe..?

Thanks so much for the tips, Lauren!

I think I'm being so obsessive because I'm still having a tough time believing that I can eat things like mayo and chicken with the skin on and still lose weight, you know? I believe it can work which is why I'm trying this WOE, but it's still hard to let go of old beliefs about low fat diets. When I started I was terrified of doing something wrong and putting on even more weight, so I've tried my best not to deviate from the rules.

If I can have a bit more cream and cheese than I've been eating, that would be wonderful. One of my favorite treats are iced cappuccinos which can be made with Splenda just as easily as sugar. (I still haven't had any artificial sweeteners, but may experiment with them in small doses once the first two weeks are up.) I've switched over to decaf coffee but caffeine addiction wasn't really an issue for me anyway.

A couple weeks ago I actually tried coconut water for the first time ever. I like coconut milk so figured maybe the water would be good too. I think it's an acquired taste. I managed to finish the bottle but didn't really enjoy it! But yes, I agree with your point about going easy on potassium pills. I've been tracking my food very carefully so as long as the MFP nutritional info was accurate, I had a good idea of how much I was getting (not much). But now that I've taken a couple pills I'm going to back off for a bit. I figure if I listen to my body it will tell me when I need potassium (leg cramps).

Today marks one week of doing induction and I lost 6lbs! I'm very excited about that! I'd really love to finally be out of the 200s when I weigh in next week.

 

[Dietninja]

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[Goldilukes]

Thanks so much for the tips, Lauren!

I think I'm being so obsessive because I'm still having a tough time believing that I can eat things like mayo and chicken with the skin on and still lose weight, you know? I believe it can work which is why I'm trying this WOE, but it's still hard to let go of old beliefs about low fat diets. When I started I was terrified of doing something wrong and putting on even more weight, so I've tried my best not to deviate from the rules.

If I can have a bit more cream and cheese than I've been eating, that would be wonderful. One of my favorite treats are iced cappuccinos which can be made with Splenda just as easily as sugar. (I still haven't had any artificial sweeteners, but may experiment with them in small doses once the first two weeks are up.) I've switched over to decaf coffee but caffeine addiction wasn't really an issue for me anyway.

A couple weeks ago I actually tried coconut water for the first time ever. I like coconut milk so figured maybe the water would be good too. I think it's an acquired taste. I managed to finish the bottle but didn't really enjoy it! But yes, I agree with your point about going easy on potassium pills. I've been tracking my food very carefully so as long as the MFP nutritional info was accurate, I had a good idea of how much I was getting (not much). But now that I've taken a couple pills I'm going to back off for a bit. I figure if I listen to my body it will tell me when I need potassium (leg cramps).

Today marks one week of doing induction and I lost 6lbs! I'm very excited about that! I'd really love to finally be out of the 200s when I weigh in next week.

You are welcome and I hope they help a little. WELL DONE on the 6lb loss!!!!!! Way to go!

id suggest to stay strict on induction for your 2 weeks then go carefully in to artificial sweeteners if you have to because I noticed when I did Cambridge diet and Atkins induction that I did extremely well for the first few weeks but then when sweeteners and allowed cd or Atkins bars were allowed back in they messed me back up and woke my carb cravings. I know back then I was not mentally ready to deal with those feelings so early in. I'm ok now and can take or leave but at the time I'd just become free of my sugar/carb addiction and they really did put me back to square one.

yeah the coconut water is an acquired taste but I love it! It goes off even in the fridge real quick which to me is an amazing sign that it's good s**t anything that lasts for ever I try stay clear of.

 

[Sam_Dodd]

Well done on the loss!! You should be really proud! xx

 

[athenagold]

Well done on the loss, sounds like you are getting on great!

 

[coffeelover]

Whoop whoop on the 6lbs well done. x

 

[PogMoma]

Well done on the loss!

 

[Canadian]

Thanks ladies!

I'm trying hard to stick with this and as time goes on (and I find more and more delicious induction recipes online) it becomes less daunting. The first day of induction I stared wistfully into the fridge thinking I couldn't have anything, LOL - not true! I do miss eating more and a wider variety of vegetables, but in time I'll gradually add them back. I did have about a teaspoon of Splenda today because I desperately wanted an iced cappuccino, and the instant decaf coffee (blech!) was too bitter without it. It didn't taste the same as normally I would have put in 3x the sweetener but it was still nice.

The past couple of days I've been slowly easing myself back into walking and weight lifting, and in May I'm going to resume my jogging. I'm not very good at it but I do enjoy it and it's a great workout. I'm not even sure why I stopped to begin with!

So all in all, I'm still sticking to the induction diet and have thrown some light exercise into the mix as well. I'm hoping to kick it up a notch come May. I'd like to do induction for the entire month of May as well as develop a good, regular workout schedule. I haven't made any decisions yet about when I might transition to the next stage of Atkins, but will give it some thought at the end of May based on where I am then.

This is the first diet I've ever been on that, so far, hasn't felt completely unbearable. There are foods I miss and I know I can't go back to binging on massive quantities of carby or sugary stuff again, but it's a small price to pay for finally beginning to take the pounds off. I haven't been at this weight in several years, so I'm definitely encouraged!

 

[Canadian]

Tonight my stomach is growling like crazy and the only explanation I can think of is I had a teaspoon of Splenda late this afternoon. I've read that it happens to some people who use artificial sweeteners on Atkins. I figured I'd better post about it to remind myself - if it happens again in the future then I'll know Splenda is the culprit!

 

[Goldilukes]

Tonight my stomach is growling like crazy and the only explanation I can think of is I had a teaspoon of Splenda late this afternoon. I've read that it happens to some people who use artificial sweeteners on Atkins. I figured I'd better post about it to remind myself - if it happens again in the future then I'll know Splenda is the culprit!

Sweeteners can make me feel very very hungry straight after and grumbly tummy is the norm. Usually after a diet coke or coke zero type drink. It's not a nice feeling like a very false hunger followed by wind (sorry)

on the last post you posted well done for being so on top of it all. You are doing great and you are looking at it all positively. Don't worry about the next step yet, only go there when you are ready. I think Atkins says step up when you have lost a good portion of weight for some people they are on induction levels for ages. It all depends on how you want to play it but knowing the options are there it helps. I pretty much stayed induction my whole time and it bit me in the butt. I'd advise to transition in to the next steps gently with maybe intermittent carbing up your extra 5g one day not the next etc and play it that way because when I started adding back quick I gained so easy does it whatever step

 

[coffeelover]

I've heard Stevia is a good substitute for sugar. Think they sell in powder form like splenda and liquid which is the more pure form. x

 

[Canadian]

Sweeteners can make me feel very very hungry straight after and grumbly tummy is the norm. Usually after a diet coke or coke zero type drink. It's not a nice feeling like a very false hunger followed by wind (sorry)

on the last post you posted well done for being so on top of it all. You are doing great and you are looking at it all positively. Don't worry about the next step yet, only go there when you are ready. I think Atkins says step up when you have lost a good portion of weight for some people they are on induction levels for ages. It all depends on how you want to play it but knowing the options are there it helps. I pretty much stayed induction my whole time and it bit me in the butt. I'd advise to transition in to the next steps gently with maybe intermittent carbing up your extra 5g one day not the next etc and play it that way because when I started adding back quick I gained so easy does it whatever step

Thanks for the encouragement! Why do you say staying on induction bit you in the butt? Did you add back 5g at a time like the book says and you still gained? I've read that some people do extremely well with staying in induction longer term, but others actually seem to lose better when they're in the next phase. So far I seem to be doing fine with induction and I've been incredibly fortunate to not experience the carb flu or any of the other nastiness people sometimes mention. I figure if it isn't broken why fix it...but I'll just wait and see how everything plays out before making any decisions.

I've heard Stevia is a good substitute for sugar. Think they sell in powder form like splenda and liquid which is the more pure form. x

Oh that's good to know. I think I have some little packets of stevia in the cupboard. I bought it to have in tea but prefer cream over sugar in hot drinks. But I may give it a try in my cold drinks after the remainder of my two weeks is up. Only 4 more days!

 

[Goldilukes]

Morning Canadian,

I say that because I stayed on induction pretty much the whole time but now and again I'd add in a bit of wholegrain rice, fruit, dark chocolate, or all bran and for some reason I never got away with adding those back. Not sure why but looking back I believe I'd screwed my metabolism and so those added carbs were grabbed and kept which led to gradual weight gain which left me so upset and confused. But...saying that I've never stuck with anything properly and I never stuck with owl of adding 5g bit by bit, I tried to bite off more than I could chew literally. I also did a lot of fasting which I now believe really didn't do me any good. I never listened to my body because I believed it was trying to get me in to trouble but it actually wasn't. I was by doing silly things.

 

[Canadian]

Thanks for the explanation! I'm sorry to hear you had those problems but I'm glad to know what your experience was like. To be honest I'm a bit scared of this diet. I think that's what keeps me trying to stick to the rules as best I can.

 

[Canadian]

I couldn't resist the temptation and hopped on the scale this morning. 2 more pounds gone! It can't still be water weight at this stage, can it?

 

[KittySoftPaws]

Well done on the loss

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[Canadian]

Thanks Kitty.

Ladies, I have a question. I was looking at this recipe (hopefully it's okay to post links here). It's a recipe for induction-friendly cheesecake and it says:

• You can substitute high-fat cream cheese and sour cream for a lower-fat product. Just be sure to check those nutritional values; reduced-fat products typically contain added sugar.

What are your thoughts on this? Right now I'm using high fat everything because I thought I was supposed to. I understand that often low fat versions of food have sugar added in. I also understand that high fat helps keep the appetite under control. But if we're talking about something like a dessert, is it better to use low fat where you can, depending, of course, on your intake of fat from other sources? What I'm thinking is that ideally we're supposed to get fat from healthier sources anyway, so if I were to use light mayo for example (which doesn't appear to have any added sugar) would it be a bad idea?

I made the cheesecake, by the way, although I made a slightly smaller amount than the recipe calls for. I'm not having cravings for anything in particular but wanted a snack and my usual go-to foods just don't appeal today. So I decided to try something different! I skipped the artificial sweetener, went easy on the lemon juice and used liquid egg whites instead of an egg, as I had an egg with my lunch. I haven't eaten it yet as it's still cooling, but I licked the spoon and it tasted pretty good!

Today I'm in a funny mood. I'm not tempted to cheat, but I don't feel like eating meat at all. I have some PGX vanilla whey protein powder and after reading the label, I think it seems okay in terms of carbs and sugar. I'm thinking of having that instead of meat, but I'm not 100% sure a protein shake is induction-friendly. I tend to go by the 2002 book rather than the newest one that tries to encourage people to buy Atkins products like shakes. Hmm... I want my first two weeks to be as clean as possible and even after that I don't want to stray too far from an induction-friendly way of eating. Maybe I should forget about protein shakes for at least the next four days. Decisions, decisions! I feel silly for obsessing over something so minor and I'm sure I'm overthinking it, but there you have it!

 

[PogMoma]

I tend to find low fat versions often have higher carbs so compare the carb content and decide.

I'd stick to real protein for now and have shakes as last resort when/if you start to feel really fed up with all the meat

 

[Canadian]

I was just looking at the info on the Atkins web site. When I started I mostly paid attention to the Induction part and quickly skimmed over the rest. I didn't realize we're allowed things like seeds, nuts, peanut butter and almond or coconut flour even if we choose The Fast Track method after the initial two weeks. That really gives me something to look forward to! I know I'll have to be mindful I don't overdo it with that stuff, but I'm stupidly excited about being able to add a few things back in! My appetite is completely off today and I've only eaten about 600 calories so far. I don't feel ill or anything...just not hungry. Maybe I'll perk up later tonight. Looking at some of my bookmarked induction recipes for inspiration might help...my taste buds seem to be demanding something completely different from the norm today.