My husband and I were on Atkins before the holidays and then we "went off" during the holidays. We started back up on Atkins this past Monday. It seems a whole lot easier this time around hitting Phase I than it did the first time. I've already lost 7 pounds and it's only been 4 days. It took me nearly a month to lose that much when I first started the program last year. Maybe it's the different meds I'm on now, or maybe my system has gotten used to the program, or maybe I don't have a clue why it's easier this time.

Anyone else doing Atkins? Is it easy, hard? How long have you been on the program?

Do you want to be on the program but have questions? I'd be happy to answer what I can and direct you to links that might answer any others.

I have a great recipe for a crustless quiche, if anyone is interested. YUMMY!!! Just the thing for breakfast!

[ January 08, 2004, 11:57 AM: Message edited by: Vicki M. Taylor ]

Vicki

HELP!!

Send all the Atkins info you have! It's an emergency. I have the book, but no time to read. The holidays turned me into the Jennie Craig before photo.

I've fallen onto the couch and can't get up!!!

HELP!!!

smile

Phase I is the Induction Phase.

Before you start, make sure you donate all your "non Atkins approved" foods to a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen. If they're in the house, it's a temptation. If there are others in the house that aren't going on the program, set up a separate cupboard for them to keep their sugar loaded foods. One away from your cupboard.

Basically you count net carbs. Those SUGAR carbs that your body stores.

Here are the rules of Phase I

1. eat 3 meals a day or 4 or 5 small meals a day. Don't skip. Don't go more than 6 waking hours w/out eating.

2. combine fat and protein and eat liberaly of poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs, red meat and pure natural fat such as butter, mayo, olive oil, safflower, sunflower and other vegetable oils.

3. limit your carb intake to 20 grams a day. Most of your carbs should come from salad greens and vegetables. REMEMBER: 3 cups of salad a day or 2 cups of salad a day and 1 cup of vegetables.

4. NO fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables or dairy products other than cheese, cream, or butter. NO nuts or seeds in Phase I. No chickpeas, kidney beans or other legumes.

5. Do not eat anything that is not included on the acceptable foods list. (I'll include that list below)

6. Adjust quantities to suit your appetite.

7. NEVER assume a food is low in carbs. ALWAYS check the label.

8. You can eat out, but avoid gravies, sauces, dresshings.

9. Avoid aspartame. (Use Splenda)

10. Avoid caffeine.

11. Drink 8 glasses of water a day

Acceptable Foods
All fish - including tuna, salmon, sole, trout, flounder, sardines, herring
All fowl - including chicken, turkey, duck, goose, cornish hen, quail, pheasant
All Shellfish - including oysters, mussels, lobster, clams, squid, crabmeat
All meat - including beef, pork, lamb, bacon, veal, ham, venison
All eggs - including scrambled, fried, poached, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, omelettes (made w/acceptable vegetables)

Cheese - 3 - 4 ounces daily of full fat, soft, and semi soft aged cheeses including cheddar, cow, sheep, and goat cheese, cream cheese, gouda, mozzarella, roquefort & other blue cheeses, swiss

Salad vegetables - 2 -3 cups daily of alfafa sprouts, arugula, bok choy, celery, chicory, chives, cucumber, daikon, endive, escarole, fennel, jicama, lettuse, mache, mushrooms, parsley, peppers, radicchio, radishes, romaine, sorrel

Other Vegetables 1 cup per day of artichoke hearts, asparagus, banboo shoots, bean sprouts, beet greens, broccoli, broccoli rabe, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery root, chard, collard greens, dandelion greens, eggplant, hearts of palm, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, okra, onion, pumpkin, rhubarb, sauerkraut, scallions, snow peas, spaghetti squash, spinach, string or wax beans, summer squash, tomato, turnips, water chestnuts, zucchini

Salad garnishes - crumbled crisp bacon, grated cheese, minched hard boiled egg, sauteed mushrooms, sour cream

Spices? any without sugar

Herbs - basil, cayenne, cilantro, dill, garlic, ginger, oregano, pepper, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme

Beverages clear broth, bouillon, club soda, cream, decaf coffee or tea, diet, caffiene free soda, flavored seltzer (read label 0 calories), herb tea, lemon juice, lime juice, mineral water, spring water, water.

Vicki

Thank you. FABULOUS! I can do this. I'm printing your post out and taking it to the grocery store. I don't have a ton to lose and if I get it quick, maybe it will leave without a huge hassle. My husband is in the same state so we'll try it together.

I sort of knew the basics from nutrition clases, but you're post is so much easier than reading that whole book. And I can take it with me.

Thanks again.

smile

I'm glad I could help. Remember, that's Phase I of the Atkins program. There are 4 phases.

You should stay on phase 1 for at least two weeks to a month and then re-access to see if you need to stay on it longer or can move to Phase 2.

I've been on Atkins since the mid or latter part of October and I've lost 32 pounds. I had some carbs over the holidays but not much and didn't gain any at all. Just drink your water!!!

I've way given up on being Twiggy or staring on "Sex in the City", but I need to get rid of this holiday Fluff NOW!

Hate my clothes strangling me and always feeling bloated. YUK!

smile.

Major congrats, DreamrKate! Much success to you and your weight loss goals!

What a good reminder.. DRINK YOUR WATER!

The more water you drink, the more your body will flush out the extra water it's retaining.

Vickie,
Your post is sooo timely! I started a diet on Monday with a group of friends but I really haven't felt motivated enough. I've given it lots of thought all week and decided yesterday to start/try the Atkins diet. I have a lot to loose. I would say how much, but then I would have to kill you. I'll buy the book to read and reference, but could you tell me a typical day's menu for youself, just as an example?

Also, my sisters are all coming to town this weekend to take me out for lunch for my b/day (Jan. 14th if you want to send large, expensive presents...what? what?) and told me to pick out a place. I thought Olive Garden. I love salads and can forgo the breadsticks...so what about soup and salad from there? is that acceptable?

Happy Birthday!!! jawjaw, I'll tell you what I had for meals yesterday, but I eat weird stuff.. so don't hold me to it. :-) Oh, by the way, the book has menus and recipes in it. And there's a great website that you can access, even join and keep track of your weight loss. https://atkins.com/

Breakfast: 1/2 c. cucumber, 2 oz mozzarella cheese

Snack: Carb solutions chocolate crisp bar (kinda like a Nestle's Crunch)

Lunch: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 tbsp mayo, salt, pepper (egg salad w/out the bread)

Dinner: 1 c. green beans, 1 c. rice (Jasmine Rice, with 0 carbs) meatloaf

Here's my recipe for the meatloaf

1 1/2 pd ground beef
2 eggs
salt, pepper, garlic, onions (other seasonings you enjoy w/out sugar)
1/2 c. Pace chunky salsa (only 2 carbs per serving)

mix well and place in loaf pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

The rice I get from a local health food store. It is called JASMINE RICE and it has 0 carbs. Don't try substituting regular rice. NOT ALLOWED.

As for Olive Garden. .. if you don't eat the dressing.. the salad is okay. but I doubt the soup is going to be.. as it may contain sugar in the base. However, I've never asked them, so you could probably ask and find out.

But, if you truly want to stick to Phase I then I'd have to rule out the soup altogether.

Here's another recipe:

Smothered Chicken Breasts
2 chicken breasts
seasonings
onion
mushrooms
shredded mozzarella cheese

season (garlic, salt, pepper, bbq seasoning) and bake 2 chicken breasts (w/bones & skin) at 350 for 1 hour

while chicken is baking saute fresh garlic in butter, then add 1 med yellow onion, thinly sliced. Saute onions until tender and lightly browned. Add 8 oz of sliced mushrooms. Cook til mushrooms tender.

When chicken done, spoon sauted mushrooms and onions onto chicken, sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Put back in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and forms a slight crust.

ENJOY!!!

Ladies, FYI there is another post under diet and exercise that already had 4 pages about the Atkins diet. You might want to check it out.

My husband has lost 9 pounds and only needs to lose a total of ten. He is doing a variation of the Atkins. Tried to go whole hog and at first it was great because he dropped several shots of insulin a day (which we first thougth was incredibly great) but after 2 middle of the night lows, we decided no more. So he cuts lots of carbs, but not as many as Atkins requires. Whatever works!

http://atkinsathome.com/sample-menus.asp

here's a page on the Atkins site with sample menus. It's part of their "Atkins delivered to your home" program.

I'm not in their area yet, but by golly, as soon as I am, I'm going to sign up!

Happy Impending Birthday JawJaw....

I TOLD you that Atkins was a good thing! But if I were you I think I'd pick somewhere other than Olive Garden for a meal right out of the gate. Right when I started, my friend... the one who tried to warn me about the candy (?)... she took me to Chevy's. I don't know if you have them back there but it's kind of a 'fresh Mex' thing. We had steak and carnitas fajitas which consisted pretty much of strips and chunks of meat with bell pepper and onion, really good. And I told the waitperson, "NO Beans, NO Rice, No Tortillas and don't even bring 'em because I might eat them and then there won't be a tip for you because I told you not to in the first place and now you've sabotaged my diet....get it?" And so he didn't but I did get the guacamole and sour cream and salsa......it was wonderful. And there was just so much food that I ended up asking for a couple of tortillas and made a couple of burritos to take home to my husband.
ANYWAY.... really, if you don't make it complicated, it's a very simple plan to follow JawJaw. I can't stand complicated things so I make it easy.

I'll have a couple of eggs and maybe a couple of pieces of bacon for breakfast. Or an omelette with avocado and cheddar. Or just the bacon. Or a hard boiled couple of eggs if I'm in a hurry.
For lunch I'll have a salad and a grilled hot dog, or Polish sausage, chicken breast, tuna or ... my favorite if I'm not broke, a small steak.
For a snack I'll have one or two pieces of string cheese and maybe a handful of pork rinds, which come in all kinds of interesting flavors these days.
Dinner, steak and salad but I've made a turkey, made meatloaf, salmon croquettes but without the bread crumbs (you can crumble pork rinds to substitute) or sauteed fish or scallops or tuna salad.... even a sort of taco salad without the shell.
And my most favorite thing - HELLO - it's my new best food friend - CAULIFLOWER!!I'm in love, it's like potatoes...my vehicle for butter and sour cream.
Really JawJaw. I've got a hundred pounds to lose and I'm 32 pounds into already. I can be done this year! I swear, after the first few days of getting rid of the sugar/carb bloat and detox... you'll embrace this. I swear! Really.
I'm not all that into rules and I hate fussing or having to think about what I'm going to eat, but it is really so simple.... meat, green leafy...that's it. And a ton of water, because you like it...you love it, you want some more of it!

Go for it. What do you have to lose?

Kate

Wait, hold on.. Dreamrkate what about the candy? What was the warning. You don't get any candy. Right? But is there some warning? If so, I'm sure I will need it very soon because my sweet tooth will be acting up and I only started today.

smile

you know...the more I read (on their site) and the more I hear from you all, this just sounds like it was tailored for me! You have all said over and over that it's easy and it sounds like it is. Also, I think I get the jest of it...no bread, no potatoes, no caffeine, drink water...

Ketchup? but can you have things like salad dressing? Someone told me you could, but you are saying the dressing at OG is not good for you. One girl told me you could eat all the Ranch dressing you want...but somehow that doesn't seem right to me. Is that true?

She also eat these little candy bites which I call log cabins.

No, we don't have Chevy's...but we have Rosie's which is similar.

Hmmmm.... you really shouldn't have ANY candy, at least not in the first two weeks of induction. Really. You shouldn't. You don't want to sabotage yourself right out of the gate. And if you just stay determined, two weeks isn't that long really. I just kept thinking.... how big do I reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaallllllyyyyyy want my butt to be?

And then... and this was a big deal for me.... I had to ask myself... "Will there be cheeseburgers out there in the world when I get done?".... "Will cheesecake still exist in a year?"... "Will Ben and Jerry just fold up and cease to exist if I take a break?"

Well the answers were pretty plain... although Ben and maybe even Jerry might miss me, they'll probably still be hangin around so, since cheeseburgers and taco will still be around too... and we won't have gone to prepackaged morsels of dehydrated space food in a year....I'll still get to eat some of this stuff later. But I can tell already, in my still-novice stage, that (and this is a HUGE part to me) my approach to the whole sugar/carb thing has completely changed.

I'll get to the candy, really.

Since I restricted my carbs SOOOOOO very much in the first few weeks, I became painfully aware of what I had eaten before. And while it never seemed like a lot it obviously added up without me ever being totally aware of it. Tasting the mashed potatoes as I fixed them, grazing while I cooked... dipping the sourdough bread into the spaghetti sauce as it simmered... what else?....a couple of glasses of Coke, a muffin, maybe a bagel, ice cream, cereal......all that stuff.....(not in the same day, but realistically you actually could eat all that.

Anyway, I have become so aware of it, I'll never eat like that again. It was so imbalanced. And I wasn't even paying attention. If I got nothing else out of this, THAT would be the huge reward.

But back to the candy... you'll have to go back into the old Atkins posts....oh my god... my girlfriend warned me about some sugar free candy and I didn't listen, I JUST WANTED SOME CANDYYYYYYYY.....well all candy is NOT equal... some of it is just like setting a bomb off in your gut... and it hurts for days....not to mention you could totally destroy a bathroom if you lit a match, we're talking major reconstruction here.

The sugar-free Reese's peanut butter cups taste great but I SWEAR to you, they are the worst...well if you eat seven of them they're the worst...and that's what I started with. (I hadn't reached my enlightened phase yet. But Russell Stover has some great ones, Hershey's are good....there's more and more stuff out there, and there's even CarbSmart (I think that's the name) ice cream that's good and you can have a little bit and you'll be satisfied with a portion of it.......

......if you be good the first couple of weeks!

Be good to yourself!

K

Oh... I almost forgot... (I keep telling you guys about this web site) ... www.lowcarbfriends.com

They've got a GREAT recipe area, which you'll find on the left. And they have a great bulletin board section that has all kinds of stuff. I havent' figured all that out yet but there were recipes that would satisfy a sweet tooth easily. You've just GOT to check it out.

Kate, some of those "no sugar added" candies do have malitol, which can have a laxative effect on you. One should only eat those in moderation probably never on an empty stomach.

I got another recipe for you. Scrambled eggs.

I call it Eggs My Way

If you're feeding 1 person use 2 eggs.. if you're feeding 2 people use 5 eggs.

You'll need:
Eggs
Butter

Seasonings:
Garlic salt (w/the bits of parsley)
Chopped onions
Salt
Pepper

Kraft Mexican Style Four Cheese (shredded)(combination of cheddar, monterey Jack, Asadero and Queso blanco cheeses)

Heat your pan and put in enough butter to saute the onions and cook your eggs
Sprinkly the chopped onions and garlic salt into the melted butter and saute for about a minute

Crack your eggs into butter mix and salt and pepper to taste. Let the whites cook until you can no longer see the bottom of the pan. Then swirl gently w/spatula to break the yokes.

Keep cooking and slowly swirling eggs until they no longer glisten and are losing their "wet" look.

Sprinkle a handful of cheese onto the eggs and fold the egg mix over the cheese .. then swirl w/the spatula until "wet" look is gone. (usually on a few more seconds)

The eggs are finished!

Well thanks Vicki... I never really thought of actually using a recipe for eggs but I'll try it.
It sounds yummy.

One of the other things that helps me is sugar-free Jello...it's wonderful! And sometimes just what I need when I'm prowling for something sweet.

I don't seem to have a problem with not having bread or lots of other stuff but when I made fried potatoes and eggs for dinner the other night for my family, I realized how MUCH I missed THOSE. I had a couple of bites but hurried up and get them on the plate to my husband and son before I could enjoy any more of them.

My one little allowance is movie popcorn. Other than that, I pretty much stay right on my program.

If you know of any other wonderful little nibbly things.......let me know.

Kate

sugar free jello works for me too.. but when I'm in the mood for something crunchy I make a batch of dip (sour cream and Ranch dressing dip mix) and either crunch on celery or pork rinds. In the beginning I really couldn't even consider eating a pork rind, but with dip on it it's not so bad!

Here's a recipe for Crustless Quiche

I usually put Spinach and Mushrooms in it.. but you can use ham, sausage, asparagus, cauliflower, whatever floats your boat.

Serves 6

2 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
3/4 c mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp chopped onions
1 box chopped spinach, thawed
8 large eggs
1/2 c heavy cream
1/4 c water
1 tsp salt
1 c mozzarella cheese, shredded (or you can use swiss, provolone, etc)

Melt butter in skillet over medium-low heat, saute garlic. Add onions and mushrooms and saute for 3 - 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook until onion is soft. Then add spinach and cook til heated through.

Spoon into sprayed 9 inch deep dish pie plate and set aside

In medium bowl whish remaining ingredients together til light and fluffy. Stir in cheese. Pour over spinach and mushroom mix in pie pan. Bate at 325 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes or until set.

It's DELICIOUS!!!!

Vicki,
Did you or you hubby ever get stuck on a certain weight? I have lost 6 lbs, but for the last three days, nada....

any encouragement?

oh gosh.. you're talking about where I am right now!

I lost 10 pounds and now I'm just sitting there.. you have to just keep on the program and eventually you'll push through. The book has some tips about what to check for in the case of not losing. BIG POINT... DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY, you flucuate too much, try once a week, at the same time of the day.

First of all, give it a couple of weeks or more. If you still aren't losing weight consider these reasons for metabolic resistance:

1. Excessive insulin and insulin resistance, usually accompanied by high triglycerides

2. The use of prescription drugs or hormones which impede weight loss

3. underactive thyroid function which can be present even when blood tests indicate no abnormality

4. Overgrowth of the yeast organism Candida albicans

If you suspect any of these, contact your doctor.

RE: prescription drugs, here's a list that can interfere w/weight loss

1. Estrogens and most synthetic hormone replacement therapies (HRT) including birth control pills

2. anti-depressants

3. insulin and insulin stimulating drugs

4. anti-arthritis medications, including steroids

5. diuretics and beta blockers

If you're on any of these medications you might be able to get your doctor to prescribe a "natural" replacement

For example, I was on HRTs, so I asked my doctor if I could go off PREMARIN and try something natural. He agreed, and now I take ESTROVEN, an OTC natural HRT w/black cohosh

If your problem is NONE OF THE ABOVE, then you might want to try a FAT FAST recommended in the Atkins book ONLY IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY OTHER ISSUES STATED ABOVE AND YOU'VE ALREADY TRIED INDUCTION

This phase requires you to count calories, 1,000 a day - 75 - 90% of it fat
frequent meals, 1 every 4 hours of 200 calories each
choose from the following to create your meals, each item is approximately 200 calories

1 ounce macadamia nuts or macadamia nut butter
2 ounces cream cheese or brie
1 ounce of tuna or chicken salad w/2 tsps mayo served in 1/4 avocado
2 deviled eggs made w/2 tsps mayo
2 ounces sour cream and 2 tbsp black or red caviar
2 and 1/2 ounces whipped heavy cream topped w/sucralose 0-calorie syrup
2 ounces pate
2 egg yolks (hard boiled) w/1 tbsp mayo

hope that helps!

[ January 23, 2004, 10:07 AM: Message edited by: Vicki M. Taylor ]

Vicki thanks so much. Yes, I do take horomones but it is either that or hunt down my friends and family and burn them at the stake...

I also take arthritis meds but stopped them when I started this diet. It was for my hip and it seems to have improved anyway. I can start back on these meds at any time...so I will assume it is the horomone pills. This morning it seemed I may have lost another pound...you know how the needle seems to have moved but you are not quite sure? You are right of course, quit weighing everyday...not only does my weight go up and down, but it is discouraging if it hasn't moved...I will continue this journey..thank you girl

Keep at it JJ!!!

I'll be your role model for what "not" to do. I keep starting and stopping and I know it only puts more weight on to do that. Why do I do it??

I think the way the diet works may be something I learned in a nutrition class about how it takes 40 gm. of carbohydrate to utilize calories from protein and fat. Fat has more than twice as many calories per gm. as carbohydrates or protein so if you eat a high fat diet and consume enough carbs to metabolize it, you'll get really fat. But if you combine less than 40 gm of carb with a diet of fat and protein, both of which take more calories to digest and metabolize, you should go into ketosis and lose tons of fat!!

Since Christmas I keep losing 5 or 6 pounds and putting on 6 or 7. I think my problem is social eating. I'm telling ya' no one ever takes me out to eat until I'm on a diet then folks come out of the woodwork. And they're all carrying chocolate cake. Who can resist? It's a curse. I'm working on this.

smile