Two melons balancing on an egg, wedged between two chicken drumsticks..

Oh my god, just found the Recipes bit in the Atkins section....and now I'm wondering, how have I been doing this for 8 weeks without it???

Can't wait to write a mega shopping list and get cooking, cooking, cooking! I'm particularly looking forward to trying oopsie bread, to liven up breakfast time :)

Made my milk shake this morning with soya instead of water, and it seemed to help the sickly taste a lot and it was very creamy - hurrah!

Right I'm off to drool on my keyboard over these recipes lol.

B xx
 
My carbs have gone over a bit today..

Thursday
Breakfast: Choc Whey Shake made up with 200ml unsweetened soya milk
Lunch: Tuna salad, with tbsp mayonnaise
Dinner: OH's made 'chicken surprise' by cooking cauli rice and pan frying it with spices, peppers and onion..he even weighed all the ingredients, what a gem :)

MFP: 23g carbs, 950kcal. Is this turning into the Dukan diet or what lol?

Massive unbelievable cravings for baklava this evening..I've been googling like crazy to find a low carb recipe, it seems you can only make it with real filo pastry though. Ah well, when I am in maintenance I will make my own with sweetener, and totally pig out lol.

Soo tired, can't wait for all this overtime at work to end next week..

B xx
 
I don't think you'd be allowed the mayo or the shake on Dukan ;) it's a very low fat diet but not necessarily low calorie.

Yes, come join us on the Atkins forum! It's quiet over there lately. I hope you get some good rest in tonight to get you through your days.
 
Thanks Moonlight :) Rather quiet lol? I had a look in a couple of the other diaries in that section and there seemed to be a chorus of voices coming from all directions. I felt a little shy then lol..I don't know that I could keep up with that many diaries. But it does make sense to be there if Atkins is what I am doing..

We've had a busy weekend, but overall was a very successfully managed lunch out and wedding reception on Saturday. I was drinking Saturday, but I stuck to vodka and diet cokes, and only nibbled chicken. Practically the whole buffet spread was different types of dessert/cake, they even had crumble...I was looking at heaven! But I was good!

I've decided on halloween though to have a real night off and indulge in some homemade halloween goodies, including cheesecake, cupcakes and biscuit fingers..and am preparing myself for probably gaining this week. There, now I've said it I can't complain! Lol.

Will update diaries later when I have a few more minutes.

B x
 
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Just so you all know, I've not fallen off the bandwagon completely..I've been doing silly hours at work and missing breaks to get things done in preperation for our audit. I had a planned naughty evening yesterday, but it could have been worse at (very approx) 70g carbs for the day. Jumped on the scales this morning to check the water damage and I have nudged down to 13st,11.8 from 13st,12.4 which I've been since at least Wednesday last week.

I'd love to think that eating pizza and cupcakes last night helped me to lose that weight lol, what a wonderful world that would be!

I need to think of a new idea for packed lunches for work, I'm starting to get bored of salad now..moved onto a new flavour for my protein shakes though, chocolate orange! It's yummy :D

IOU diary entries x

B x
 
Weight still 13st, 11.8 - phew!

Busy weekend, with a meal out on Friday and my mum coming to stay Saturday/Sunday. On Friday it was a birthday and the venue chosen has basically the biggest and best choice of desserts in Cornwall..Trevaskis Farm..literally the slices of cheesecake are like door wedges! They also dish up tons of gorgeous chunky chips with every main..but but, in the end the giant portions meant that I had so much pan fried duck, mushrooms and leeks that I couldn't have eaten the chips anyway. And while everyone was eating dessert I had a big bowl of strawberries and clotted cream, which I couldn't finish..they tasted amazingly sweet and I enjoyed them so much :)

Last night we bought some naughty goodies at M&S, including their beef Wellington (43 carbs) and black forestini pots (25carbs), which wouldn't have been so terrible - if during the day I hadn't had two lattes. Who knew that 500ml of semi skimmed milk had 24carbs...you guys probably, as you no doubt look these things up before chucking them down your throats lol.

I have felt this week that I wanted to loosen the reins a touch, and with two naughty nights I'm lucky to have lost almost a pound. Really I want to stay on induction, the constant counting, checking and obsessing is driving me mad though. A valid note to self would be to buy only the low carb vegetables in the first place, but I find that very limiting.

I need to think more out of the box for lunch times, and consider other options for quick breakfasts. I'm aiming to read more diaries on mims for inspiration!

The best news is that the audit at work is finally over, and my cough/cold has gone..so I can hit my exercise classes again this week and I'll have more free time in the evenings :)

Yours sincerely hoping to replace the halo tomorrow..

LadyB xx
 
Hello! Glad you're still well even if the diet has been slippy lately. What veg is it you're missing?
 
Hey Moonlights! Well, you know..take the salads for example - probably shouldn't use tomatoes or peppers, but in order to keep the colour and variety in there I've just been adding them in in ever decreasing amounts..it just feels as though everything is getting plainer..but I know that's because I haven't been imaginative enough with my meal plans.

Currently anyway I am rebelling against salads and eating leftovers for lunch instead :)

X
 
Tomato is an induction vegetable - you do need to keep an eye on the carb count but with the way low carb changes your taste buds you often need less to get the flavor. I have both peppers and tomato sometimes - if you're going to go a little over the 20g carb count, doing it with a bit of extra veg is the safest way to go ;) I very rarely eat salads tbh, I'll have raw cucumber and spring onion but I don't like lettuce so I mostly have my veg cooked. I do love tomato though and 1 carb ketchup and marks and spencers low carb tomato pasta sauces are great now and then.

Pickled gherkins if you like them are also easy flavor hits - just check the carb count on the jar, some varieties are very sugary.
 
Thank you for the salad suggestions lovely ladies, I do love gherkins and I love your idea of homemade coleslaw Diem. However I am still stubbornly rebelling lol :p I feel I need a bit of a palette clense, I do enjoy salad normally though - so it won't be a permenant seperation.

I've been thinking about it and I've decided from now forward I'm taking Kat1e's advice and aiming for induction, but with less restriction on food groups and less panicky fear of exceeding 20 carbs by a few dots. So to this aim, I made almond fairy cakes using Moonlight's recipe last night..well that's how it started - then I thought, I want to add coconut and almond essense, accidentally added too much almond essense..doubled the recipe to try and even it out - but didn't double the splenda. So the result is, great texture - but not enough sweetness and has an acidy aftertaste (I don't think I should have doubled the baking powder -- ukk). But ah well, we live and learn!

LadyB x
 
This dieting malarkey is so hard..I am so impatient lol. I just want the weight to drop off and then worry only about maintaining. If only life was that easy!

I need to remember that this is a journey for all of us..and there are people with much longer roads than me, and those with shorter, so I should be happy with my lot and just get on with it lol!

In the meantime, I've ordered some Da Vinci Peppermint Syrup from LCMS to make yummy minty cocoa bark and some Walden Farms low carb ketchup.
 
Right...diaries. I've decided to backdate them as far as Sunday 4th, which was my last day of sin:

Sunday 4th
Breakfast - Flaxseed pancake
Lunch - 1 homemade chocolate cupcakes (22.3 carbs) 25g of salt and vinegar peanuts, 2 baby beetroot and 180ml unsweetened soya milk.
Dinner - Chicken and mushroom, with creamy pesto courgette strips.

MFP: 34 carbs, 1388kcal
F 61%, P 29%, C 10%.

On this day the evil plan was to skimp on carbs all day so that I could eat that cupcake (knowing full well that this is not weight watchers, and we're not allowed to do that on this diet) Shop bought cakes I can convince myself to leave alone because I know they won't be that good, but home made ones are definitely a big weakness of mine.

Monday
Breakfast - Choc Orange Shake/Supplements
Lunch - Courgette, chicken and pesto leftovers
Snacks - Two babybels, 180ml soya milk in tea.
Dinner - Lamb Passanda - this was a recipe from the Atkins section, which I printed and OH started..I came into the kitchen and just saw a pan full of onion. With modest portions we turned this into three meals, and the carbs ended up at 23g a portion. It was delicious, but put me over my induction level of carbs for two days. I would make it again but with 2oz of onion, instead of 6!

MFP: 31 carbs, 1221kcal
F 40%, P 50%, C 10%

Tuesday
Breakfast: Choc Shake/Supplements
Lunch: Lamb Passanda
Snacks: 60g Cheese cut up and wrapped in 30g pepperoni (weight guesstimate). 180ml soya milk in tea. Pepperami.
Dinner: 162g mince made into homemade burgers, with 25g pepper and tblsp of reduced sugar ketchup.

MFP: 33g carbs, 1334kcal
F 50%, P 41%, C 9%.

Wednesday
Breakfast - Choc Orange Shake, made with 200ml soya milk.
Lunch - Homemade burgers with tbsp ordinary ketchup
Snacks - Pepperami, 2 babybels, 120ml skimmed milk in tea (ran out of soya milk at work) 2 almond cupcakes
Dinner - Tuna casserole - this was also printed from the Atkins recipe section, and reminds me of something similar my mum used to make with rice, which I loved. Very yummy!

MFP: 24g carbs, 1322kcal
F 60%, P 33%, C 7%.

Thursday
Breakfast - Choc Orange Shake, made with 200ml soya milk
Lunch - Homemade burgers with tablespoon ketchup
Snacks - 2 babybels, 3 almond cupcakes and 180ml approx soya milk in tea.
Dinner - Tuna Casserole

MFP: 19g carbs, 1312kcal
F 62%, P 32%, C 6%.

Friday
Breakfast - Choc Orange Shake with 200ml soya milk
Lunch - Flaxseed pancake, made with 50g flaxseed, 7g butter, 40g cream cheese, one large egg, 2 tsp splenda, 1 tsp lo-salt and fried in olive oil (Great for my fat ratio's, 44g of the stuff in total for one pancake! I can even hear the thud of low fat dieters fainting as I write this...)
Snacks: 2 almond cupcakes, 9g pepperoni, 260ml soya milk - which much of went towards a hot cocoa, made with tsp Green & Blacks cocoa powder and tsp splenda (2g carbs and I really enjoyed it)
Dinner - Curry made with 1 quart jar of Patak's Korma Curry paste, half tbsp caraway seed, - 100ml coconut milk, 25g pepper, 400g chicken & a tbsp elmlea double cream. This was then divided between me and OH, and I had 100g cauli rice to accompany. Very yummy :)

MFP: 22g carbs, 1730kcal.
F 64%, P 31%, C 5%.

Weighed in this morning and I am two pounds lighter (13st, 10lbs!) which is a big relief, but I wish the weight loss would happen in a more reliable fashion. I seem to plateau for ages, and then lose a bit more than expected - and then I never know where I stand - or if this plateau is going to be the one I'm stuck on permanently - then just when I'm losing all hope the scales move again! I suppose I just assumed it would be more scientific, like if carbs= <20 weight= [current weight] -2lbs(x no of weeks). Lol! But I guess this is just a throw back to the old way of thinking about weight loss in terms of calories in - calories out, which we all know better than now. Plenty of people have said that weight loss on Atkins can be slow, or whoosh & stall, I don't know why I would think I would be any different. Sometimes you don't realise why you're disappointed, until you challenge your own reasoning though.

Anyway, time for breakfast!

LadyB x
 
Thanks Diem :) xx
 
Well done on the loss! And yes it's frustrating when you don't lose every week or lose less one week - I feel down even though I know how it works - but at the end of a month or so I always look back and find I've hit the average or beaten it. As long as I'm eating less than 19g carbs (the rest of mine come from meds) and staying on plan/in ketosis then I know I'm losing weight really and it will show if I just keep on.

The theory is that the body is resistant to fat loss do when you lose weight it fills up your fat cells with water, keeping them readily available if new, carby food gets in your system and it's allowed to store fat again.

Then, after a while it takes the hint and lets the water go - resulting in a stall then a woosh.

If you're on plan, you'll lose. Do be careful about eating big chunks of carbs at one sitting though xx
 
I know what you're saying, have faith, be good and it will work :) You are a font of knowledge Moonlight, I had no idea about the fat cells taking on water..is that why Atkins makes you so thirsty?

My day's carbs do tend to fall a little top heavy, I know it's not ideal. As I get more used to using leftovers for lunch, I'll put a few more vegetables in and have a little less at dinner time.

Not having to do much overtime this last week has been great, the food I've eaten has been fab thanks to the recipes from this forum and some extra time and energy.

Saturday
Breakfast - Flaxseed pancakes
Lunch - Salmon, baked with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and tsp of lemon juice (salt/pepper) served with asparagus pan fried with almond slivers, and roast celeriac.
Dinner - After a late lunch..this was an almond cupcake, a cup of hot soya milk, with tsp cocoa powder and tsp splenda. 2 strawberries, and one Oopsie Roll.

MFP: 17g carbs, 1916kcal
F: 81%, P 15%, C 4%.

Sunday
Breakfast - 2 Oopsie rolls with melted cheese
Lunch - 2 Strawberry Spice Cupcakes (courtesy of Sandy T, but made with almond instead of coconut flour)
Snacks - 50g salted mixed nuts, pepperami, 3 strawberries, 180ml (approx) aphro light for tea.
Dinner - Lamb roasted with celeriac potatoes, rosemary and garlic, served with broccoli, sprouts & green beans. Still waiting on the lamb to finish cooking!

MFP: 24g carbs, 1518kcal
F: 62%, P 32%, C 6%.

B xx
 
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Thanks Smiley, it was heaven..I was trying to do something a bit fancy by adding the almond slivers lol xx
 
image-1532347609.jpg

Love, love, love this diet :)

These are the Cream Cheese Cheese, Coconut and Lemon mounds from Low Carb Gourmet..dipped in Sainsbury's No Added Sugar Dark Chocolate. 2.2 carbs each and so good! I have to be careful though that I don't snarf the lot, I can eat coconut macaroons until they come out of my ears.

B x

(had to edit this post, as I didn't make 20 as per the recipe, only 14 - so the total carbs were higher than originally thought)
 
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I haven't logged on much this week, as OH and I are trying to plan the perfect summer holiday for next year - and there's so much involved in this now..you want to get somewhere that's highly reviewed, has plenty to do, great food...and is within your budget! I think we're close though. I like the idea of Greece, as there are some amazing historical sites there including monasteries built on top of breathtakingly high pillars of rock, towns within fortresses, a village preserved hundreds of years ago in ash and an ancient palace where you can still go in to most of the rooms...Add that to the natural hot springs you can visit on one of the islands, and to the fact that the Greek make their own form of baklava (one of my most favourite treats ever)...And the vote for Greece is looking pretty good to be honest :)

This diet is a constant learning process for me, between the great advice I've had on Mims, the various books I'm reading and just learning about what works with my own body, its constantly evolving. A few weeks ago I switched to induction and between my lack of hunger and time to cook I was on less that a thousand calories a day.. Now according to Atkins, this would mean you would lose weight faster than on higher calories and I did spectacularly for a few days..but then plateaued off for two weeks. Through adopting a more relaxed induction, I had more food choices and with my work situation more time to cook, so the calories shot up and against all traditional ideas of dieting, I have lost 4lbs over the last two weeks. So higher calories, lower carbs seems to be my approach at the moment. You learn and adapt, and hopefully eventually get it right!


That said I have ignored some very good lessons in a couple of my food choices this week, as I think I felt I wanted to stretch out a bit and test some boundaries. I've bought chocolate éclairs from LCM made with awful malitol, La Nouba no added sugar jam, eaten a Bounty style Atkins bar (darn those money off offers), eaten two sugar free sweets every day and today dipped my macaroons in sugar free chocolate (containing more malitol) - not to mention the salted nuts..but none of these things have I gone absolutely mad on.

I also ordered the Walden Farms Whipped Peanut Butter spread, which sadly I found absolutely gross!. I think I'll have to do a big Freecycle clear out, where there's basically a box of these crappy diet substitutes up for grabs for the next unfortunate victim..

Anyway, enough procrastinating..this weeks diaries:

Monday
Breakfast - Choc Orange shake made with 200ml soya milk
Lunch - A portion of lamb roast and vegetables, leftover from the night before
Snacks - 2 babybels, 2 strawberry spice muffins, Atkins Bounty bar, 180ml soya milk in tea, Tesco's Sparkling Water with a hint of lemon & lime (made with Splenda, really love this range)
Dinner - Salmon fillet, baked with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil, aspargus and savoy cabbage.

MFP: 18g carbs, 1798kcal (excluding Zumba class)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Choc Shake with 200ml soya milk
Lunch: 2 Oopsie Rolls, 30g cheese, 20g pepperoni and 1 tbsp La Nouba jam (not altogether mind!)
Snacks: 25g Tesco's Roasted & Salted Mixed Nuts, 180ml soya milk in tea
Dinner: Chicken curry with 200g cauli rice, 36g pataks korma paste, 100ml coconut milk, 10ml double cream and small amount of green pepper.

MFP: 24g carbs, 1626kcal.

Wednesday
Breakfast - Choc Shake with 200ml soya milk
Lunch - Chicken curry leftovers
Snacks - 2 babybels, 180ml soya milk in tea
Dinner - Sirloin steak with celeriac chips, creamy peppercorn sauce and two small glasses of white grenache.

MFP: 22g carbs (however entry for the wine had no carbs, which from looking on line could be as much as 8g) 1818kcal.

Thursday
Breakfast - Choc Shake with 200ml soya milk
Lunch - 1 oopsie roll, microwaved with 55g cheese and topped with 20g pepperoni - little pizza :D
Snacks - 25g Mixed Roasted Salted Nuts, 2 babybels, 2 sugar free chocolate eclairs, 180ml soya milk in tea.
Dinner - Salmon fillet, baked with bay leaves, lemon and rosemary, 180g swede mash, asparagus and savoy cabbage.

MFP: 21g carbs, 1354kcal

Friday
Breakfast - Choc Shake made with water
Lunch - 1 avocado, 50g salted mixed nuts (end of the bag, thank god)
Snacks - Hot cocoa, made with soya milk and splenda, 60g whole pickled beetroot
Dinner - Chicken, mushroom, pesto and cream sauce, with courgette strips.

MFP: 21g carbs, 1306kcal.

Saturday - The Day of Eating Fat (85%!)
Breakfast - Flaxseed pancake: made with 40g cream cheese, 40g ground flaxseed, 10g butter, 2 tsp splenda, 2 large eggs and spread with 2 tsp of La Nouba jam. Still experimenting with different ingredient quantities with these!
Lunch - 1 avocado
Snacks - 3 chocolate dipped coconut mounds. Milk choc cocoa bark made with 25g chopped mixed nuts. 180ml soya milk in tea
Dinner - Not very hungry after the above, so I just ate 120g pepperoni slices..

MFP: 19g carbs, 2134kcal

Looking at these entries all together, I realise how much salt I've had this week with the salted nuts and pepperoni - definitely something to be careful of. Luckily I've made the switch to lo-salt in the kitchen, as I'm quite liberal with the stuff in cooking too. Naughty girl!

Quite exhausted after all this typing and rambling! *yawns*

LadyB xx
 
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