[Deena52]

Hey everyone! Remember me?

For those who don't, I lost 60 lbs. on Atkins...and it took me approx. 8 months. I had gained the 60 lbs. from a medication I was put on back in 2005 but had struggled for several years trying to get Atkins to work until I finally discovered that the problem was the artificial sweetener and that I had to drastically cut down my usage of it.

Update: I had to have major dental work done in May (and have more coming up in September)......and after the surgery, due to difficulty chewing, I had to go off Atkins and could only eat very soft foods. So I was like YAY! I get to eat mashed potatoes and yogurt...things I've not had for almost a year!
Well, how much darn mashed potatoes and yogurt can you eat? So I lost another 5 lbs. on top of the 60 lbs.....not that I'd planned it...it's just that it's been very difficult to chew and eat since May. I am supposed to have one more thing done in August that will help with this....but then I have even more work in September. And it kinda takes the fun and joy out of eating when you are having difficulty chewing it. Plus, I always loved meat...and I'm missing it badly (though I do make myself meatloaf, which I can eat).

I have to go and change my tracker and look around and see who is still here....(I do see LeslieLou <<waving>>)....be back soon.

deena

[bargoo]

Welcome back ! Have you thought about protein shakes ? No chewing rerquired. Blend in a banana for variety . There is always jello and puddings and cottage cheese and soup. Good luck.

[sandyfanny]

Congratulations on your weight loss and maintaining it! I'm wondering about artificial sweetners and me. I've used them for a billion years, but I ain't skinny yet...of course, it could be the awful stuff I have eaten over the years with my Diet Coke! I'm two weeks on Atkins, but I wonder if I'm creating unnecessary problems for myself with artificial sweetners? Would it make a difference if I stopped using them and used a form of Stevia instead? Maybe Truvia? What do y'all think?

[Deena52]

Thanks so much for the replies, bargoo and Sandyfanny.

Sandyfanny......regarding the artificial sweetener....approx. 20 years ago, I used the Atkins diet to lose the weight I'd gained during 3 pregnancies...but at that time, I only put about 2-4 packets of Equal in each cup of coffee (I've always LOVED coffee). Years later, here I was, using SO many packets of Equal and/or Splenda that it was truly ridiculous, I'm embarrassed to admit.

So approx. 5 years ago, after getting myself off a medication I'd been put on (which had caused a 60 lb. weight gain within months, literally).....I set out to lose that weight.....and about 3 or so years later, I was getting nowhere. I tried and tried to get Atkins to work for me because it had worked so well in the past plus I really feel good when I'm on it.

I THOUGHT I was doing Atkins the same way I'd done it in the past and could not figure out what was wrong. Long story short...extremely frustrated, I went to the Atkins site and they helped me to trouble-shoot the problem.

It turns out that artificial sweetener (doesn't matter which kind) that comes in packets/powdered form has maltodextrin added to the liquid sweetener to make it into a powder....and EACH packet contains 0.5 Gm. of carbs. They are allowed to post the carbs as 0 (zero) as long as it is below 1 mg. per serving....so the nutritional info on the package is VERY misleading.

SO...because I was using such a large quantity on a daily basis and because every net carb was critical to lose weight on this WOE....I had literally been getting nowhere.....and just becoming more and more demoralized and desperate. I went down to 3 packets of Splenda ONLY daily.....and as soon as I did that, the ketone sticks turned color and I was on my way and never looked back.

They did say that Splenda is a better option than Equal and that Equal specifically can also cause problems on Atkins (aside from the whole maltodextrin problem). As far as Stevia goes....I have heard both pros and cons....that it's better than the other ones but also that it's more problematic than the other ones. Personally, I don't like the taste of it.

But.....the actual LIQUID artificial sweetener DOES contain 0/zero carbs, since there is no maltodextrin added. You can buy liquid sweet n'low in stores but you have to go on the internet to buy liquid Splenda.....but it is extremely strong and can last a really long time. The same applies to those flavored syrups with artificial sweetener.....as long as it's a liquid, it has no carbs.....but made into a powder....it does...and they can add up really fast if you don't limit how many you use daily.

deena

[firefly68]

Hello Deena! I'm sorry you've had all this dental stuff to contend with. You're doing a beautiful job staying slim, though. Such an inspiration, as always.

[sandyfanny]

Thank you for 'splainin' artificial sweetners to me; I didn't know that quantities of "Zero" calorie/carb powdered sweetners add up so quickly. In my case, I'm a coffee with cream person all the time, not just on Atkins, BUT I drink Crystal Light all day and iced tea with Splenda all day. I'm going to work on learning to live without them; I learned to love coffee without sweetner when my husband (now ex) developed kidney problems and was told not to use them. I gave them up because he'd use them if they were in the house...sort of like me and sugar.

Here's a soup recipe for you that I make because it's delicious, but it's great too for our WOE:

Cauliflower Soup

1 head of cauliflower, washed and cut into florets
2 cups of chicken broth
1/4 - 1/2 c. heavy cream
grated sharp cheese (as much as you like - I use about 1/2 c.)
chopped onion (I use maybe 1/2 cup)

Steam or microwave cauliflower florets until they're soft. Put them in a large saucepan with the chicken broth and onion and simmer at least 15 minutes. The cauliflower should be very soft now. Let the mixture cool and put it in a blender and puree. You may need to do this in two batches. Return the pureed mixture to the saucepan and add cream, reheating over low heat. Stir in the cheese and ground black or white pepper and serve. This makes 4 - 6 servings. You can refrigerate leftover soup and reheat for another meal.

This is easy, inexpensive and will be good for dental work mouth. I'm having oral surgery Wednesday and I'm making some for me so I'll have something OP to eat when I get hungry Wednesday night.

[sarahinparis]

yum that soup looks great! I even have all the ingredients on hand!

[LTs girl]

I am going to the store to buy the ingredients I need to try this soup. It sounds yummy.
Thanks Sandyfanny

[Deena52]

Hey guys!!

How's everyone doing?

Still having problems with chewing. I should patent this and call it "the upper plate/denture diet"......guaranteed that you will lose weight. I'm serious. But I'm going to the dentist on the 20th to have the permanent liner put in it and then the chewing should be much easier.......I hope.

There are those who don't wear their dentures (for some reason) and apparently "gum" their food.....but I have all my regular bottom teeth...they are fine.....and you don't want to be chewing with gum meeting teeth....quite painful.

It's getting frustrating....esp. because Atkins Maintenance is such a healthy WOE....whereas my dental soft diet here is not. Plus I'm craving meat, etc.
But it's the healthiness factor that has me upset....because if you think about it....soft foods are not usually the healthiest...esp. if that's all you're eating. Sure, it was great having some non-Atkins stuff....like yogurt, pudding, etc....but that didn't stay fun for long....and I'm getting tired of it.

Weight this morning was 129.9............which just goes to show you how much I do NOT really enjoy this WOE....because if I did....I'd have gained some of the weight back, not lost even more.
Well, keep your fingers crossed for me that this permanent liner (on the 20th) will enable me to go on Atkins Maintenance.

<<wahh>> I feel like I'm not really in the club anymore because of what I'm eating.....and I want to be back in the club.

deena

[sandyfanny]

I'm so sorry you're still having problems chewing, Deena. I've had minor dental surgery, and it's driven me nuts! I hope when you get your liner in, you'll be able to enjoy your Atkins program again. Have you tried the cauliflower soup? It's really good; you can also make it with broccoli or asparagus. Congratulations on your weight loss!

[Deena52]

Hi Sandy.

Thanks for posting. I have been buying those V8 cream soups in the carton....squash, broccoli, red pepper, tomato.....but then added in some mashed potatoes just to make it have some solidity to it. BTW, they are really good soups...but the problem is, each of them has somewhere between 10-20+ carbs per serving. But when I can get back on Atkins (maintenance) I am sure I could make low-carb versions of these soups....that would probably taste even better than the V8 ones.

I CAN eat soft fish....like tilapia, etc....as far as protein goes....plus eggs...but I don't do much in the way of protein shakes because I'd much rather eat my food than to drink it. And I CAN chew better as the upper gum healed....whereas when it was first done, I could barely chew anything.

But it's the funniest thing....and I'm not sure why this happens...but with the upper plate, I CAN chew soft veggies like corn, peas and beans but for some darn reason, the skins stay in my mouth and don't get swallowed and I have to spit them in the trash....so there's more food added to the list that I don't eat. Why it would make me unable to swallow the skins is beyond me. But due to the roof of your mouth being almost completely covered....you definitely get an alteration in not only chewing....but also swallowing and taste. I didn't realize that the roof of the mouth had anything to do with taste (or swallowing, for that matter)...I thought it was only the tongue that registered taste, basically.

They have this diet joke about getting your jaw wired (to lose weight) and then the punchline is something to do with "but I'd puree all the foods I love and would probably be the only one who actually GAINS weight with their jaw wired". But in real life? No....it doesn't take long for you to get sick of it.

deena

[Deena52]

Hey all !!

Still maintaining at 128 lbs., quit smoking the end of August...and have the next (second) of a total of 3 dental surgeries scheduled for 11/11....and not looking forward to it. (This time it's 2 surgeries on bottom gums...each done separately...in 2 parts...then done..for a good while, I hope).

I can now eat chicken...in addition to the meatloaf...and most cooked veggies.
So doing okay with that. I am now eating fruit (cut-up or berries, etc.)but I still stay away from any sort of simple sugar.....not to lose any more weight but because they cause horrible cravings and compulsion to binge. Much easier to basically avoid them altogether most of the time.

Oh...and I'm planning to cut-off about half of my waist-length hair on October 20th. It's just a huge hassle and headache to take care of. It will still be "long" but not nearly as it is now....plus my whole family has been bugging me to cut some of it.

OK...let me go and catch-up and see how everyone is doing.

deena

[StephanieM]

Congrats on quitting smoking! It's not easy. I never got a physical addiction to it, but I liked the motion of smoking and having something to do on my breaks at work. That was tough to break!

And a new hair cut sounds fun Once in awhile I cut my hair to about jawline and because it's curly I look like Shriley Temple haha. I just like it short once in awhile. But then it get's long and it's annoying to comb and style.

Hope your feeling better from your surgeries

[Deena52]

Thanks so much, Stephanie.

I agree that it's the "act" of smoking that's so addictive. In fact, when I bought my electronic cigarette...I did not order them with the gradually reducing doses of nicotine in them....and had none whatsoever of any sort of nicotine put in them.

In fact, the vendor tried to convince me to get the nicotine, at least at the beginning, but I assured him that I was convinced that it was the act of smoking, not the nicotine (he didn't really believe me but sold me what I wanted)..............and sure enough, I think I was right and the electronic cigarette worked great on its own, no nicotine needed.

Apparently, people are being very successful using this. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to quit smoking.

deena

Hey Hey Deena

...good to hear from you & hope that your next surgery goes well

/cher