Exante to Atkins nightmare - HELP??

[Elemental]

Posted this in the exante section but can any of you help??

I'm so confused!! Some of you may have read my nausea post + things have slipped out of hand when i thought i was in control but this whole carb- protein-ketosis thing has got me confused!!! Let me explain....

Started Exante total solution on Monday.....three days went past and i'll felt fine, kept to it 100% sneaky/naughty weigh ins told me the scales were dipping loads..... random pee tests told me i was in ketosis one minute then not the next....My first taste of the banana shake and choc orange bar werent that pleasant - but by day two i found them tolerable and day three discovered flavours i actually really liked ...

Then on day four i began to feel REALLY sick, so ill i couldnt even finish my nutrition bar, the smell of it made me want to vomit. The next day (yesterday) i couldn't eat anything all day long until the evening, when i was so scared about how i'd feel the day after i read up about some pure protein foods (atkins) that i could eat without knocking myself out of ketosis - so i had some chicken, cheese and bacon. It was lovely but even after eating it i still felt sick (i'm very talented at eating past the point of feeling sick hence the obesity).

So today i had to ring in sick for a shadow shift for a job i'm starting next week, i woke up this morning - another 3lbs lighter from yesterday despite the food , yet still feeling sick as a parrot, last night i had abnormal movements (if you know what i mean) and i figured it was either a tummy bug or that was the food whooshing through me cos the diet had messed with my system. After a long lie in i've felt a little better for eating, so continued to eat pure protein, contemplating whether i could go back to exante or not as the thought of even the tastier packs makes me feel so sick so i contemplated atkins....and have been eating "the atkins way" today just while i consider what to do,, only i missunderstood what the atkins way was...... and i've been eating zero carbs thinking stupidly that's what it's all about, then i read that even on induction you need to have 10 to 14g of carbs........then i read the exante packets to see if they had any in only to discover they have lods more than that in carbs so then i got stressed and confused and ended up drinking vodka and coke zero cos the whole business has got me down i've lots 8lbs in 5 days and done so well but i cannot handle feeling like crap for my first week at a scary new job next week

Can anyone be bothered to read all that and advise me??? :cry::cry::cry::cry:

 

[Leanne1]

Ok, I've heard about this before. Going into ketosis does make you feel ill enough even if it is through healthy eating, such as low carbing. Many people find that going into ketosis on a more "un-natural" diet is much harder on them. Now, I'm not knocking Exante, I'm sure it works for a lot of people in quite wonderful ways but I am a meat and veg girl.
Try Atkins alone for a week and see how you do.
Good luck.

 

[Elemental]

i think i might have to.....i still feel a bit sick but the extra calories would mean i could keep going to the gym which i've enjoyed loads over the last few months, my remaining concern i suppose is all the exante packs...........i'd use them as meal replacements but it seems their carbs are actually higher than i thought - which baffles me cos i thought they had to be low for ketosis?!?!

 

[Leanne1]

You can have up to 20g carb on induction in Atkins. If you use those packs as meal replacement then you will go over. We don't worry about calories too much but I think the packs might be lower in them.
Try and stay clean and green. Meat/protein and nice green veg. Have a good read of our diary section.
Post often and get to know us, we are a friendly bunch.

 

[Elemental]

You can have up to 20g carb on induction in Atkins. If you use those packs as meal replacement then you will go over. We don't worry about calories too much but I think the packs might be lower in them.
Try and stay clean and green. Meat/protein and nice green veg. Have a good read of our diary section.
Post often and get to know us, we are a friendly bunch.

thanks leanne, xxxxx

 

[Leanne1]

You are very welcome.

 

[ransch]

Hi Elemental, I'd just like to throw in my two cents worth. I'm on day five of Atkins and am going through the dreaded Atkins flu (I think) where I don't feel hungry just totally crappy with a thumping headache. I know it will pass as loads of the others who are further along have told me so and that really helps.

I also think that weighing yourself everyday is the fastest way to giving up in despair as our bodies play strange tricks on us so, chill, try and relax and do Atkins for a while. Save your energy for the new job- that's always stressful and I wish you all the best for your first day!

 

[Elemental]

Hi Elemental, I'd just like to throw in my two cents worth. I'm on day five of Atkins and am going through the dreaded Atkins flu (I think) where I don't feel hungry just totally crappy with a thumping headache. I know it will pass as loads of the others who are further along have told me so and that really helps.

I also think that weighing yourself everyday is the fastest way to giving up in despair as our bodies play strange tricks on us so, chill, try and relax and do Atkins for a while. Save your energy for the new job- that's always stressful and I wish you all the best for your first day!

This is what worried me, starting my new job .....having tried to eat the atkins way for two days i have decided i really cannot afford to do atkins right now - due to being out of work for four weeks and having to work 6 weeks at new job before getting paid things are really tight right now - i really only justified spending the money on exante cos i thought i'd be saving money on the weekly shop - i never imagined in a million years it would leave me feeling as crap as i did. So i'm still in a dilemma! Would low carbing be the way to go maybe i really miss the gym so i'm not keen on going back to the Very Low Calorie Diets ....... i'm still feeling a little poorly but kept strictly to proteins and i can't help thinking that eating something carby would make me feel normal again, but it's probably not that easy is it? What to do me and hubby are so stressed about this!!!

 

[Leanne1]

For what it's worth, I actually save money doing this as I no longer need bread, rice, pasta, etc. Instead I just have loads of veg and meat and fish. Veg can be got quite cheaply if you have a market or an aldi near you. Meat can be got at iceland or where ever in large bags or in smaller amounts if you have a good butcher near you. A butcher will also tell you about the cheaper cuts of meat. I got enough liver from my butcher today for four meals for £1.68! I love my butcher!

 

[Elemental]

there's no way this would be cheaper - rice and bread and pasta are so cheap! And were a massive part of our diet before hence why i got so big to start off with.....i think it's my own fault because i'm such a fussy eater

 

[ransch]

I think you have to set some priorities here, your level of stress/anxiety is def not healthy. It seems to me that you're really worried about your job and want someone to tell you it's ok to eat carbs until you've been at the job for a while and are ready to tackle your weight. Nobody can tell you this, you have to decide for yourself!

So have some faith in yourself, sit down and think about what is important in which order and work through your list. Starting Atkins is easy, staying committed is a totally different matter. There's no use starting, then succumbing to carbs and feeling guilty! Better to start when you're ready to commit.

That's my humble opinion hope it makes sense

 

[Fuffs]

I only commented to my partner today how cheap it has been following Atkins again. I have kids and a business which is making no money. So I would defo feel if this was too expensive.

I buy a bag of meat, example pork, from the meat markets in Brum. That costs me a fiver and lasts 3-4 days. I then buy bits of veg and salad. The reason its lasts so long is the fat. Fat fills me up, so I only have one large pork steak at a meal with some stir fry veg or salad.

I also buy a box of free range eggs and have 1 or 2 a day. They are 99p a box by me.
I wish I had stuck to Atkins in 2009. I was doing really well. It is a great way to eat, easy to stick to and means you never need to be or feel hungry.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do

 

[ladyfelsham]

Hi Elemental

You poor love, you have been having a rough time! I can only echo what the others say, I find eating on Atkins is a lot cheaper - but before I was buying loads of ready meals and pizzas so no wonder it cost me a lot

Now I cook from scratch (my poor kitchen is in shock) and I have really reduced my costs. I buy only value meat, meat and chicken from Tescos, the fattier the better because, as Fuff says, it fills you up and helps you stay in ketosis.

Check out the recipes thread - there are loads of slow cooker and mince recipes there - all cheap to make. Try the cheeseburger pie, mince with chilli and cabbage, mince loaf - and you'll soon be convinced

 

[Kat1e]

Agree with the comment on prioritising - no point beating yourself up - instead focus on how you can do each thing that you want in your timeline
Xxxx

 

[Jim]

Hi elemental, I an sympathise with how you feel, Lidl and Aldi have loads of cheap meat deals, and like Fufs, I shop in the market at Birmingham and find plenty of good deals there on meat and veggies, I got 4lbs of spring greens for a pound, 5 large bellpeppers the same, 1lb of mushrooms for a pound, it's so cheap

 

[jenki2]

Oh you poor thing! I can only echo what everyone else said!
Doing a diet that makes you that ill can never be a good thing, I've been there and it just isn't sustainable.
I understand if money is tight, but like others I too don't overspend at all, tuna for example is a staple and from aldi is so cheap!

Also as others have said you need to decide if now is the right time for you to be doing a change of diet.... with so much stress you don't want to add more.... is this something you just want to put on the backburner for a month or two, don't go out of your way to eat unhealthily, but just don't stress about what you are eating until you are settled and in a routine.

xxxx

 

[Elemental]

Wow, thank you all so much for your support! I think you are all right, my first day today was so draining, there was no way i'd have got through it feeling any less than 100%. However, once i get the hang on it and the money starts coming in i'd definite lean towards atkins over the VLCD. What a fun way to eat it is lol.

I do wish the pendulum hadn't swung so far the other way though, i was so fed up of feeling ill i ended up on an evil carb binge i feel so fat and bloated now.....!!

You guys seem like you have some great markets around, down here in cornwall is ironically not so easy to get good deals .....or maybe i've just not found any yet! I will look into it though