Thanks, Deena, that's an awesome link!

I read about a study, when I was reading Dr. Atkins books (my head is all full because I just got the books and have been reading them.) It really shocked me. They did this one study, where one group was fed a diet that was mostly protein, another group was fed mostly carbs, and another group was fed mostly fat, as a percentage of their calories. The calorie count and activity level was the same for each group, so they did their best to make it a controlled study, although with human beings, there are alway so many variables...

Well anyhow, the results of this one study just blew my mind. Guess who lost the most weight? I figured it would be the guys eating protein, because it takes more calories to digest protein than other foods. But no, the biggest weight loss was in the fat-eating group, then second was protein, and in the carb group, there was not only hardly any weight loss but a couple of the subjects actually gained a bit of weight on what was supposed to be diet level calories!

That really made me stop and think, and it made me a whole lot less afraid of eating fat.

I mean, I still have to not go all crazy on the calories, because I'm older and although you can eat more calories on Atkins than on a carb-heavy diet, there's still a point where too many calories is too many calories. But I'm not one bit afraid anymore to put a tablespoon of cream into my tea or use a Tbs of butter to fry my scrambled eggs in.

Ok I printed out the info from Deena's link which should be very helpful. I wonder how it would taste if I made tuna/egg salad with buttermilk dressing instead of mayonaise? I really like the idea of using regular salad dressing. Also, what's the word on chili? I love to make chili but I always use pinto beans. Is this alright if I make them myself? Or is that a Phase II thing?

Next thing on my mind--no grains during induction. Fine, duly noted. How do we keep the "downstairs plumbing" in good working order then?

If you eat plenty of veggies, esp. the cruciferous ones, you should not have problems with constipation. The really low carb veggies seem to be the ones with the most fiber in them. For people who do develop problems...there are solutions in his books...I think adding flax seed to your food is one of them.

Beans are out for induction....BUT you could put a ton of ground meat in it with chopped peppers, etc. and have a great chili without beans. Can even add some nice shredded cheese....and a little sour cream...yum.

OK...store-bought salad dressings...just be VERY careful of the carb content per tblsp. and also check the ingredient list for any sugars (sugar, dextrose, sucrose, etc.). Must be 2 carbs or less per serving, I think. You could probably make your own dressings with way less carbs, I would think. I've wanted to try making my own mayo, in fact....and who knows...it may taste way better than the mayo in the jars at the store...and you may turn out to love it. You never know.

deena

I read about the salad dressing after I posted (drat!). Oh well. I guess I need to experiment with mayonaise. My problem has always been the glossy (read: oily) texture. Believe it or not, I grew up eating pretty low fat back before we even knew what fat was. That was what my dad liked so that's what we ate. As a consequence, I do not have a taste for fatty cuts of meat, whole milk, and OMG chicken skin is the worst. But don't come between me and my little powdered dounts. Ironic much?
I love broccoli though and some cheese sauce would be lovely. Ooh and I could put some butter on it too. (Another thing I never cared for--butter--and I despise margarine.) I think I want to make a steak with onion, bell peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes and some broccoli on the side. Who wants to come over for dinner?

There ARE actually a few bottled dressings that would be Atkins friendly...though I can't vouch for their taste. You could also use oil and lemon juice on regular salads and I'll tell you honestly, you don't need all that much mayo in egg and chicken salad...just enough to bind it together.

I LOVE dark meat and chicken skin but other than that I was never a big fat eater....didn't eat fried stuff, etc. Oh, just remembered...you CAN have stuff fried...just NOT breaded. For instance, you could deep fry chicken wings but can't put any breading on them...have to fry them naked.
But you are definitely gonna have to find some sort of fats you like because it's critical to get adequate fat on this diet....not just to fill you up but to keep the fat burning. If I don't get enough fat, it definitely affects my ketosis.

If you like cheese, try inventing some sort of butter/cheese type sauces. Sounds like you're gonna have to be a bit inventive here since you're not a big butter or mayo fan. I'll actually dip things in mayo just to get the fat in (even though I'd not normally do that). It's a shame cream cheese can cause stalls because that is pretty high in fat, I think. So are avocados but we can only have half an avocado daily.

Maybe I can look around at some recipe sites to try to come up with some idea on what things could up your fat intake. What foods/dishes do you like/love?

deena

I love beef--hey its Texas-- seafood except for catfish, chicken breasts, eggs over medium or poached, big giant salads, pizza (bye bye), fruit, gosh the list goes on and on but likewise there are soooo many things I don't like. I think my challenge will not be getting enough fat but getting enough healthy fat. Well, all I can do is get educated and try my best. Whatever I lose will be a good thing and if I can get my husband healthy in the process then it will all be worth it.

Do you eat shellfish or are you totally kosher? I don't keep kosher but do avoid pork....more like a "bad luck"/taboo thing from childhood.....just like no naming any children after anyone in the family still alive and no giving toasters for a wedding gift...ONLY cash will do....and that applies for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs too. You just learn these things growing up. I remember the first time I saw a bride getting small appliances as gifts at her wedding and was horrified. No careful slipping of the envelope with the cash? What?!!? Who WERE these people?

OK...let's see. Roasting vegetables is a great way to cook many of them. You put them on a cookie sheet, toss them with olive oil and a bit of salt and roast in the oven (you can also broil but have to watch very carefully though). This is one way to get healthy fat into your diet.

Boy, you really do have to get that major fat in...I must have pure butter or mayo or it slows my ketosis big time. We're gonna have to figure out a way for you to get the fat in there. You do cook your eggs in butter when you make them over medium, right? Poached isn't gonna give you much fat. I love to eat raw fish but usually have to make myself cook it so I can add the butter....can't exactly slather it on raw fish (yuck). I do love slathering the mayo on roast beef, though. I'm thinking we need to figure out some fatty sauces for you. Some sort of Atkins-friendly Hollandaise to put on your poached eggs, etc.

You need to totally reverse your brain with the whole healthy fat issue....meaning, to switch to "fat is good". No tossing out the egg yolks, using the butter and mayo liberally, etc. It's a complete turn-around from the old standard of low-fat is best. I'm not gonna go off on one of my Gary Taubes diatribes but theories are changing and the new thinking/theories are that it's carbs making us fat (not to mention sick and diabetic) and NOT fat.

You have to give it a try to see if it's really for you. I know it's not for everyone (she ruefully admits even though she thinks Atkins is the BEST diet out there)....but you can be amazed at how great you feel when you switch your thinking to "fat is good" from "fat is bad". I've seen some have one heck of a time trying to turn their brain around because the low-fat thing is so entrenched in their brains.

Amazingly, the high-fat, low-carb diets have actually shown improvements in diabetes, hypertension, lab values (including cholesterol), etc. The medical/nutrition community is having difficulty signing on to this quickly and I'm not a conspiracy theorist but do have a few conspiracy-like thoughts regarding the food industry's role here. But I worked in the medical field and these new theories make total sense to me.

I'll have to see if I can find some sort of Atkins-friendly way to make your own version of Miracle whip....maybe substituting Splenda for sugar, etc. I have to check to see what's in it and think of ways to improvise.

Also...do not use those "heart-healthy, lite" margarine/butter concoctions. All you're doing is trading in some of the fat for chemicals.....and fat is fat. Why make it fat with chemicals? Healthy fats you can get from fish (esp. salmon), olive oil and fish-oil capsules. Dr. Atkins listed supplements that can get you the healthy fats in his books.

deena

Just wanted to chime in, Honey, I love beef too! I'm originally from Montana, the northern end of the cattle kingdom! My husband's family jokes that all they need to get me for Christmas is a cow. I answer, hey, that'd be fine with me, and as the cow goes by me, I'll take a bite because I like my meat rare to the extreme, LOL!

OK...been researching Miracle Whip:

Kraft claims that this condiment is named for the machine which was developed for mass production of Miracle Whip®. Like mayonnaise, Miracle Whip® is an emulsion of eggs, oil, and sugars, but it is somewhat tricky to blend the emulsion to the desired consistency. An enterprising Kraft engineer developed a machine which could blend the ingredients properly, dubbing it the “Miracle Whip,” and the name apparently caught on with Kraft management.

This product has a naturally sweet flavor, as you will discover if you taste it side by side with mayonnaise. It is often used as a replacement for mayonnaise, because it is much lower in fat than traditional mayonnaise. Miracle Whip® can be spread on sandwiches, blended into salad dressings, mixed with other ingredients to create a dip, and used in a variety of other ways, depending on personal taste.

And the ingredients are:

Water, soybean oil, vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, sugar, modified food starch, eggs, salt, mustard flour, artificial color, potassium sorbate as a preservative, paprika, spice, natural flavor, dried garlic.

So clearly, Miracle Whip would be a huge no-no for Atkins.

And then here is what's in mayo (and how to make it...can also make it with a whisk. I really wanna try making it)

In the blender or food processor, mix 1 egg and 1 yolk with the mustard and salt.
With the blender or processor running, slowly add 1 1/2 c. oil in a thin, steady stream. (In the food processor, leave the insert in the feed tube and let the oil drip through the hole in the insert.)
Add the vinegar.
Store in the coldest part of your refrigerator (the bottom and back) for up to two weeks.

So sounds like Miracle Whip might possibly be improvised by adding some Splenda and if you could find it, an extremely low-carb ranch dressing. The main differences seem to be that it's sweeter and more diluted than mayo and it's made with several sweeteners and dressing is added to it.

OK...off to look for other sauces for you.

deena

Deena and Lori you two are cracking me up this morning.
Ok ok I do see that some major reprogramming is in order.
I do not keep Kosher, only avoid pork, so shellfish gets the green light.
I have been eating sprouted wheat bagels and peanut butter for breakfast this week but I feel like today I want to get some chicken fajitas (no tortilla) instead. I haven't started induction yet, obviously, I'm just bored but I also want to start training myself to eat differently so induction will feel natural. They make the fajitas really oily at the cafe in my building.

Oooh, you could dip shellfish in melted butter! That would get some fat in your menu! I love shrimp, clams, etc....well, and lobster but how often can you afford that? A good substitute for that is langostinos....usually found in the frozen food dept. They're basically crawfish but taste a lot like lobster and are great with lots of drawn butter.

Have you ever made omelets with grated cheese in them? They're delicious and you can add spinach, peppers, whatever you like to them. That makes a great breakfast.

You have to check out thistoo's "oopsies" recipe. You could make those, put poached eggs on top of them and maybe I could find an Atkins friendly Hollandaise recipe for you.

deena

I've been thinking about omelettes for breakfast next week. I was going to put diced turkey and cheese. However, the extra 5 minutes of sleep usually wins out over getting out of bed. Also, I have my own mini frig and microwave at work so that opens up a lot of opportunity. They didn't have any chicken fajitas this morning and I brought my usual can o' soup today but I am really feeling like having something new. The cheesesteak place up the street will put any sammich on a salad for you so I was thinking about doing that.

Also, how much of what can I have right now? Can I get a double cheese burgie if I skip the bun? Love me some burgies.

Honey, that Oopsies recipe Deena mentioned (here it is) is a 'mock bun' that people use to put burgers on. I believe the recipe's inventor used it to replace the bun on Wendy's baconator. Technically you should skip the ketchup during induction, but I think everything else on a fast food burger would be fine if you skip the bun.

I am eating a taco salad for lunch--lettuce, tomato, cheese, taco meat and ranch dressing. It is amazing but it feels so weird being a big girl and eating something this fatty. Like people are going to look at me and say no wonder I am so big.