Starting out - advice?
 

I've read. I've researched. I've placed an order to get my groceries delivered this afternoon (hooray for no impluse buys!) so I'll be started in on Atkins tonight for supper.

Here's what I've got planned for my first week.... tweaks? Good, bad, ugly??

Day 1
Breakfast Quiche with green peppers, onion & ham and a coffee
AM Snack Cucumber slices
Lunch Chicken soup (broth with chicken bits & celery) with a side salad
PM Snack sugar free jello cup with green tea
Dinner rosemary chicken with broccoli

Day 2
Breakfast Leftover Quiche and a coffee
AM Snack 3oz cheddar cheese wedges
Lunch Veggie soup
PM Snack 3oz salami
Dinner herb chicken with olives

Day 3
Breakfast Leftover Quiche and a coffee
AM Snack hard boiled egg
Lunch Turkey, cheddar, green peppers & cucumber roll-ups in lettuce
PM Snack pepperoni & paramsean slices
Dinner Meatballs & cauliflower

Day 4
Breakfast Turkey, cheddar, green peppers & cucumber roll-ups in lettuce
AM Snack pepperoni & parmesan slices
Lunch Turkey cobb salad
PM Snack sugar free jello cup
Dinner Steak & asparagus

Day 5
Breakfast scrambled eggs
AM Snack olives
Lunch bun-less burger with feta & tomatos
PM Snack sugar free jello cup
Dinner sage turkey breast

Day 6
Breakfast bacon omelet
AM Snack hard boiled egg
Lunch grilled pork & salad
PM Snack string cheese
Dinner steak & cauliflower

Day 7
Breakfast scrambled eggs
AM Snack cucumber slices
Lunch chicken salad
PM Snack no sugar added jerkey
Dinner Greek olive chicken

Caffeine is a no no and sugar free jello contains aspartame which is another no no, but I read that it's ok to have aspartame in moderation, I've also read that you should just totally stay away from artifical sweeteners. I guess it depends on your body. Another thing you might want to look at is the salami, nitrate-free is recommended. Everything else looks great, that list made me hungry. Have a great week! Let me know your weight loss at the end of the week. ^_^

Good luck!

You've done great planning - sounds like a recipe for success!

I really like the Atkins shakes - they're great for breakfast as I'm not a breakfast person and they're also great when I want something to eat and I know I souldn't. They're only 1-2 carbs depending on the flavor. The only thing I don't like is the price - about $7 for a six-pack but they are a life saver.

Caffeine and aspartame aren't no no's. They are things that vary greatly among people. I personally drink about 2 2liters of diet coke a day. No ill effects on my weight loss ever. I also use Atkins Daybreak bars in the morning because I am too darn lazy to make breakfast at 4 am, LOL. Once again, no stall due to using these. You have to see what works for you. Some people cannot lose weight with the artificial sweetners, caffeine, or the frankenfood(ie:bars, shakes). Good luck, hope to be seeing some great results in the near future!

It's just what I picked up from the "Dr. Atkins Basic Diet Manuel" on what to avoid during "Phase 1", TamiL. But again, it depends on your body and moderation.

Here's a pic from that manuel to help you UniquelyNormal.

http://i748.photobucket.com/albums/x...atty/Avoid.jpg

Looks like a good start!! :)

some thoughts:
I avoided onions when I did induction.
Some people stall on artificial sweeteners.
Some people stall on nitrates in bacon and lunch meats. Nitrate free versions are available if you look hard.

I find it amusing that chocolate chip cookies are the first thing on the FOODS TO AVOID list :lol: No kidding!

I have 3 Cups of Coffee in the morning w/Sweet n' Lo & Coffee-Mate....I gave it a try because it was harder to give up than chocolate! It hasn't bothered my diet (not yet anyway) ....I've lost 14.5 lbs in 4 weeks...maybe I would have lost more if I didn't have the coffee, but I'm a lot happier w/the coffee! lol ;)

Your weekly menu sounds great, but try and keep it fun....the same thing day after day is going to make you nuts!

Good Luck!:carrot:

So far it's going fantastic! I've saved the jello cups for when I desperately need a treat. That's only been once - to my surprise!

I have also been quite careful to keep my coffee to 1 cup and water it down. I use to drink 2 or 3 cups. And I don't add any sweeteners.

Otherwise it's been easy to stay on plan. I don't have cravings and I don't even binge anymore. I feel so full & satisfied. I even buttoned a shirt over my belly this morning that I haven't been able to close in 4 years!!

I do have that bad breath thing going... does that go away?

I never really had trouble with bad breath. I think the key is to make sure you drink a lot of water. If your mouth is dry it does tend to make breath smell. I would venture to guess that the bad breath problem is from the coffee. As I'm sure you know, coffee drinkers tend to suffer anyway from that. But, of course, I couldn't really tell you.

Jello and coffee is what saved my husband from quitting atkins LOL.. everyone is different I suppose.

There's a FAQ thread and there is a section where it talks about bad breath.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/atki...questions.html

Congrats !!! your doing fantastic.

Leenie

Thanks for the post about the caffeine effects. I was off caffeine completely for several months but recently picked it back up (and pretty heavily). I'm on vacation now and away from a scale, but if I don't lose a few pounds on this trip I'll probably blame the caffeine (and kick it to the curb for good) - since other than that I've been sticking closely to low carb on this trip. (2 planned indulgences, one already done...)