Tiggertoes on Atkins

[TIGGERTOES]

Hi there. I'm new here on Atkins. Started today and so far I'm feeling great. I wasn't going to do another diary but something tells me it's the right thing to do. So here I am.

My story isn't very different from most of you so I'm not going to go into a long moan about how much I need this and how much my life has sucked since I became a fattie. I know where my faults are and I'm ready to face the music.

My name is Chan, I'm 29 and very happily married for 3 years. I currently weigh just under 15st and work shifts (nights, days, weekends etc). I also have a cat called Dexter and 3 fish called Dori, Shadow and Comet.

I did Atkins a few years ago and lasted all of 2 weeks. I shifted about 9lbs in water weight but piled that and a whole truck load more on after I failed. I also did Exante last year and shifted about 18lbs in 4 weeks and ended up off the wagon after my holiday. I recently started Slim and Save and I loved it but I was told to stop by my Dr because it made me really sick. I've shifted 8lbs in 3 weeks and now I want to try Atkins again because my head is in the right place this time. I've worked through all my food issues and I've re-read the book, cleansed my kitchen, prepped all the food and away I go!!

In the past my OH had not been fantastic in the support area. He would taunt and temp and eventually I'd give in. He has no problem with his weight being a 6'5" beanpole. I think even he has realised that by sabotaging me I'm just getting more and more unhappy with myself and he is finally being amazingly supportive. It really helps.

Atkins really appeals to me because I was brought up on rich fatty foods and having a diet made up of mostly cheese and meat and not having to take the skin/rind off my food makes perfect sense. That and the fact that I'm very wheat intolerant and suffer from terrible IBS due to excessive carb and gluten overloads. I've done some research on Induction phase recipes and found some crackers to keep it interesting. I am going to include pictures of my food in my diary for some inspiration..

Day one so far:

Breakfast:
1 egg muffin (egg, cheese, half a green pepper, crispy bacon)
1 cup of coffee with 2 tsp double cream

Snack:
1 Cheesestring (20g)
4 Pork scratchings.

Lunch:
2 Homemade spiced bbq'ed chicken drummies
1 Bbq'ed quarter chicken breast
1 Cheesestring
Small salad.

Dinner: (planned)
2 Homemade spiced bbq'ed chicken drimmies
3 Homemade spice bbq'ed pork rib
Small salad

Snack: (planned)
1 Cheesestring (20g)
1 stick of Celery
4 Pork scratchings.

Drinks:
3L water
330ml diet lemonade.


I'll add pics as I go along.

Please feel free to read my updates and to add any comments if you like.

TT.

 

[TinaLouise]

Hi Tiggertoes (Chan ) welcome and good luck on your Atkins journey! Support here is fantastic
Those muffins look yummy!
x

 

[Alpaca]

Welcome Tigger... Love the menus for today and very yummy pic!

Hope you settle into it with no probs - sounds like you're there already ... Good luck!

 

[TIGGERTOES]

Hi Tiggertoes (Chan ) welcome and good luck on your Atkins journey! Support here is fantastic
Those muffins look yummy!
x

Thank you.

I think they were supposed to be a little firmer, I may have whisked them a bit too much so they ended up a sort of soufflé consistency. Going to try again next week. Not bad for a breakfast snack though.

I'm really impressed with the Atkins forum. Alot more" grown up" here then some of the other forums. I love that.

 

[slaj]

Hi TT
Welcome and good luck!
Don't forget to eat plenty of greens each day and drink loads of water, try to aim for at least 3 ltrs

 

[TIGGERTOES]

Welcome Tigger... Love the menus for today and very yummy pic!

Hope you settle into it with no probs - sounds like you're there already ... Good luck!

Thank you . I'm rearing to go. Day so far has been great. Thunderclap headache kicking in now but that's something I'm use to. I'm on annual leave this week so I have extra pressure on myself for not snacking on rubbish. But I've stocked up on heaps of meat and cheese enough for 3 courses a day and snacking in between. I know that it will be plane sailing by day 3 so I'm very determined to get there. I've arranged a BBQ for my friend so I get to cook and eat all my fav meats and have some left over for tomorrows lunch!. And this is a diet?? So thankful for summertime because it will really help with the masses of meat we need to consume. BBQ'ed meat keeps for ages.

My OH is worried about the amount of fat I'm consuming but trying to explain to him the science behind it is like explaining maths to my cat. Alot of confused faces.

Any advice on ketostix? I've used them in the past and they always show negative even when I know for sure that I'm in Ketosis. Is there some magic behind when best to test?

 

[TIGGERTOES]

Hi TT
Welcome and good luck!
Don't forget to eat plenty of greens each day and drink loads of water, try to aim for at least 3 ltrs

Thank you for that. I'm working on adding a salad to each of my main meals. Or salad and veg.

I found that the easiest way for myself to drink water is to have the 500ml bottles in the fridge. I put 6 in a day and have to finish them by the end of the day. Tesco are doing a pack of 6 for £1. Every cupboard I open is filled with bottled water. Drives my OH nuts

 

[moonlights]

If the sticks always show negative for you then I wouldn't worry about them - they seem to do that randomly for some people, though they always work for me. It's not an important part of the diet - if your appetite dwindles, you get a funny taste in your mouth and most importantly you start losing weight, you'll know you're in ketosis anyway! No need to pay for sticks.

 

[TIGGERTOES]

If the sticks always show negative for you then I wouldn't worry about them - they seem to do that randomly for some people, though they always work for me. It's not an important part of the diet - if your appetite dwindles, you get a funny taste in your mouth and most importantly you start losing weight, you'll know you're in ketosis anyway! No need to pay for sticks.

Thanks for that Moonlights. I think I'm one of the few. I definitely had all the symptoms.

I feel great today (sort of euphoric) but I'm still hungry. I've eaten my own weight in meat and still I'm starving. I've stayed away from the bread/cakes/sugar today and I think my brain is withdrawing. I don't crave anything. I just feel hungry. Going to drink some more water.

 

[TinaLouise]

Try virgin coconut oil, and make sure you're using butter etc for cooking...makes you feel full

 

[TIGGERTOES]

Try virgin coconut oil, and make sure you're using butter etc for cooking...makes you feel full

Thanks for the tip Tina. I'm going to try that today. Going out bike riding with my OH today. Packing all the left over for the BBQ.

 

[TIGGERTOES]

Day two and I'm still alive

Slept really well last night. Makes a change to my normal tossing and turning. Comet decided to jump out if the tank and luckily we found her in time. She was starting to dry up but we popped her back in and now she's all better. Strange how hardy some fish are. It's definitely her lucky day.

Did some amazon shopping for a few baking items etc. There's so much inspiration flowing through my head it's crazy. Also purchased some zero noodles that Moonlights has mentioned. They should come in handy for carb cravings. I'm thinking butter, cheese, garlic and cream...

Today has been glorious. We decided to take our bikes out and went riding down the canal and ended up in a whole new part of town. Also had a picnic in the park and just sat for ages soaking up the summer sun. It's been great. So much energy and enthusiasm is really doing me well. We haven't been out on our bikes in 2 years I'm ashamed to say.

I've had a few moments where I'm really craven for a bit of naughty. Quitting smoking has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do so I'm pretty good and getting over the passing cravings. I've really been craving ciggies more than anything lately but that's just a phase. I'm better and stronger than any craving.

Last nights barbie was tough when I was buttering rolls and dishing up Pringles... I had a few near hits but I just focussed on my vision of slim future me and carried on. I'm quite proud of myself. Not a single sugary carby thing has passed my lips in 2 days... And I'm not nearly as hungry as I was yesterday.

Today's menus are pretty samey so I haven't bothered with the pics.

B:
Egg muffin with lots of butter
Cheese string
Coffee with cream
2 bits of left over chicken

L:
3 bits of left over chicken
Hand full of beef biltong (South African dried beef)
Half pack of pork scratchings
Cheese string

D: (planned)
Steamed salmon fillet with hollandaise
Creamy cheesy cauli mash
Creamed spinach

I had loads of water and a large diet coke with ice from McDonalds.

So another good day. I don't even feel like I'm dieting. K breath has started this morning so I'm looking forward to other symptoms kicking in soon.

Happy slimming.

TT x

 

[slaj]

Hi TT glad you are enjoying the glorious sunshine, menu sounds lovely, the salmon looks tasty, love cauli and creamed spinach
The bike ride sounds great, beats being in an office all day !!

 

[TIGGERTOES]

Thank you . I normally work shifts and this week (luckily) I have some time off so I'm making the most of it. Usually most weekends when everyone is out and about I'm in my dingy office

I'm trying to be as creative as possible early in with the meals to keep it interesting. I'm a little worried that I'm consuming waaaay too many calories. Today it was around 2500 and yesterday around 1700... Carbs are below 20g a day and protein and fat are also in ratio but should I be worried about the amount if cals I'm consuming?

 

[Alpaca]

Evening TT... Menus look fab! Well done on the focus... Not sure about the cals - in the early days it's just about getting into K and breaking the craving cycle ... Then you shouldn't want so much to eat - it sort of happens naturally

 

[TIGGERTOES]

Evening TT... Menus look fab! Well done on the focus... Not sure about the cals - in the early days it's just about getting into K and breaking the craving cycle ... Then you shouldn't want so much to eat - it sort of happens naturally

Thank you for the support Alpaca. So lovely having someone (or many someones) who can guide me when I'm being thick. I'm going to try cut down the cals tomorrow. Not sure too many cals are going to help with me weightloss. I think a good amount of cals for myself (29, 5'8, 15st) should be around 1600 a day. I overdid the cream and butter and fat today I think. I'm not too worried because K is all that's important right now. I suspect I'll be in full swing tomorrow.

Feeling a bit squishy today. TOTM due soon so I'm bound to be retaining some serious water. It's amazing how much fluid a body can keep inside. I easily gain about 4-5lbs extra weight on TOTM. :O

And on that note...

Good night, I hope you sleep well.

TT.

 

[Alpaca]

Night night X

 

[TinaLouise]

My calories are anywhere from 1800-2500 this last few weeks...and I have lost more this 4wks (5.6kg) than i even lost during phase 1 induction!
Good luck! You are doing really well

 

[slaj]

Morning TT have a great day

 

[TIGGERTOES]

My calories are anywhere from 1800-2500 this last few weeks...and I have lost more this 4wks (5.6kg) than i even lost during phase 1 induction!
Good luck! You are doing really well

Thanks for that . Wow that's a fantastic shift!! Suppose I just need to check that I'm eating the right ratios for now. I can't actually believe that I'm eating so much of my RDA in Calories. Never done that before.