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Old 11-05-2012, 11:18 PM   #1  
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Default The only bad thing about Atkins is...

All the cooking!! If you don't plan and prepare ahead you will be in trouble...
I feel like there is absolutely nothing that I can just get outside the house without worrying about hidden carbs...

How do you plan your day?
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Old 11-06-2012, 11:10 AM   #2  
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I too used to think that you had to do a lot of cooking on low-carb. In fact, it was the excuse I gave myself when my weight would stall or climb during the times of year when my health issues flared such as the I'm experiencing now and every November, as the weather gets colder and wetter. Such weather always aggravates arthritis and fibromyalgia quite severely. I don't have pain meds strong enough to be comfortable, so I spend a lot of time under a comforter and electric blanket until I get accustomed to the wheater (for me, weather change is much worse than consistent cold or otherwise unpleasant weather. In the spring and fall are the worst, and I'd rather have ten days of rain than inconsistent weather - guess I shouldn't live in the midwest if I want consistent weather.)

To eat low-carb without cooking, you still do have to You have to plan ahead, but there are a lot of ready-to-eat foods that can be incorporated into Atkins and other low-carb plans quite easily.

Rotisserie chickens are the obvious choice, but canned meats and fish are another. Cheese cubes. Raw veggies and flavored cream cheese...

Eating out is a challenge, but there are a lot of grab-and-go low-carb foods.
Although there are quite a few salad options if you bring your own dressing.

Ironically, convenience stores are a great source of low-carb options (you just have to eat things a little differently). Our KwikTrip gas station sells a lot of hot foods like burgers, brats, hot dogs. I sometimes buy the burgers or the jalapeno dogs (an Oscar Meyer Product, that I believe fits into induction, if I'm remembering correctly) and would just remove the bun on the hamburger, or not use on on the hot dogs (the hot dogs were on those rolling grills, so I'd just take two hot dogs without buns and would hit the condiment tray for onions and a bit of ranch dressing, salsa or mustard).

Subway salads were an easy choice (some of their dressings too).

For me, fast food isn't as big of a concern, so most of my ready-to-eat items are needed during sick and down days at home. I can plan ahead and cook and use freezer meals (and I do that too), but I also buy a lot of ready-to-eat stuff for bad days. Sometimes boiling eggs is about the extent of my cooking abilities, so I boil a dozen at a time.

Asian groceries are great sources for canned fish. I love these little cans of fish (Smiling Fish is an especially good brand), sardines and mackerel, in flavored sauces (you do have to read the labels, because a few of the flavors are higher in carbs, but most are very low). They come in all sorts of flavors, including spicy curries. I bought one as a novelty (hoping it would be good, but expecting it to be nasty - instead I thought it was awesome).

Even in the ordinary grocery stores there are a lot of ready-to-eat low-carb options, but you have to explore the grocery store with new eyes, looking for foods that will work - and food combinations you might not have ever thought of before (I do a lot of lunches that my italian grandmother would have called antipasta, cold cuts and cheese with lettuce and other cold veggies and an assortment of olives and pickles).

I know that soy tvp is a gray area for Atkins. It's high enough in protein and low enough in carbs to fit into first week OWL if not induction, but because soy is a legume it ordinarily wouldn't be added until much later in OWL. That's a shame, because tvp comes in handy as a breakfast cereal (sort of like grapenuts in flavor and texture) with almond milk and maybe some Splenda and cinnamon. Still it's not something to eat tremendous amounts of, for a variety of reasons that really have nothing to do with the carb count.
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Old 11-06-2012, 12:29 PM   #3  
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Spend a little extra time on the weekend and cook for the whole week if you can. That helps so much! Also have some boiled eggs on hand in the fridge for a quick grab and go if you're in a hurry. I'm looking at some LC soups to make and freeze since it's getting colder outside.
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Old 11-13-2012, 10:34 AM   #4  
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Boy I'm right there with you! I can't say I hate cooking, but my wanting to cook comes in spirts.

When I'm in the mood I will take a weekend and cook, cook, cook. I decide usually on Thursday what I want to eat the next week, shop for it on Friday afternoon and start cooking Friday night, usually by the end of Saturday I've cooked enough for a small army, I divide it up, put it in freezer bags and pack the frig and freezer for the upcoming week.

When I'm not in the mood I rely on rotisserie chickens and veggies (fresh) all week, I've even had to purchase lunch meats and cheese (I try to stay away from cheese as much as possible).

This week I am relying on bagged skinned chicken breast, I get up early pop two of them in the microwave, tear up lettuce (making sure to be generous with the Olive Oil I put on it) pop it in a large Ziploc bag with black pepper pack my Apple Cider Vinegar and out the door I go.

I agree, if I don't pack something for lunch I can kiss all my progress goodbye, so easy to order out during lunch at work...and unless I'm ordering chicken wings with no sauce (so much fat ) I can easily slip off plan
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Old 11-23-2012, 10:39 PM   #5  
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I have to pack my lunch for work and get around 5-10 minutes to quickly eat. I'm always at a loss as to what to pack. my job is messy so I don't like finger foods, even after washing up, I still feel dusty. by the time I microwave something, I don't have much time to eat. lately I just pack an atkins shake and a bottle of water. not the best choice but just unsure of lunches yet.


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