Hi red! The headache is carb withdrawal. It's amazing how dependent we become. I'm on day 7 and I am finding that I'm getting tired of the same old foods. I know there are so many other things I can be eating other than the basics but I am a creature of habit and exploring takes work.

I sometimes get tired of eating the "basics" as well, I seem to mostly eat taco salads, eggs, cheese, hamburger patties, salads, and stir-fries. Those are my main staples. Cooking takes a lot of work so I'd rather grab a salad with ranch and a couple slices of cheddar than take the time to cook some elaborate meal!

Linsy, I agree. I'm still in induction and I've noticed that imitation crab meat has a lot of carbs in it, so I gave it all to my daughter (she was in heaven). I'm also scared to try ranch, because it is so high in calories and I have to watch those too. I might see if I can find a good home recipe for ranch.

One of my favorite snacks is a piece of smoked salmon and a slice of cream cheese. mmmm

I've been meaning to buy peperoni so I can microwave it and try peperoni "chips". I love crunchy things. Pork rinds are good once in awhile too.

I'm leery of deli meat because it doesn't really come with nutritional info, but I'm really wanting to make cream cheese roll-ups and keep them around for breakfast.

Right now for breakfast I'm eating brats. I don't have time to cook in the morning and I'm too tired to get up earlier.

My favorite "quick" lunch is a can of chicken of the sea and a tablespoon of mayo with some diced onion and green pepper on top of some romaine lettuce.

Hi Folks,
Day 4 I'm still hanging in there seem to be losing about a pound a day...YAY!
still having headaches and major thirst even though I'm drinking at least 2 litres a day. I woke up in the middle of the night for a drink of water not a usual occurrence.
Reasons, I don't know if this is available in the US but Renee's Gourmet dressings have a yogurt Peppercorn Ranch that is 40 calories and 1 carb per TBSP and it's really tasty.
Have a great day
Cheers!

Good luck! I just started a week and a half ago and have lost 7 pounds so far :) I know it's going to be a journey but I'm ready for the challenge! The good thing about this diet is you don't have to go without and feel hungry!

For Reason~glad to see you are now adding onion and green pepper to your tuna salad. Earlier you had said you added relish.....and in case that happened to be sweet relish, it would be a definite no-no.

For all you gals getting tired of the same foods.....I have an even greater challenge. Due to quite a bit of some serious dental surgery....I've not only been eating Atkins Maintenance but it also has to be dental-soft (until I get my implants)....which can be quite a challenge......as most Atkins foods involve significant chewing. I've had to make, ahead of time, plenty of Atkins-friendly meatloaf, chopped liver, all sorts of quiches, etc.....to make sure I always have something to eat. I am really getting tons of use out of my food processor now. Salad veggies are pretty much out....so I eat them cooked/steamed, which are easier to chew. Adding butter and sprinkled cheese makes them yummy.....and so does roasting them...with a little olive oil and salt. I go to a local farmer's market and get fresh broccoli, eggplant, asparagus, etc. Most veggies are great roasted.
I would love to be able to eat a steak, roast chicken right off the bone, salad veggies, etc. now. We always seem to want what we can't have even more than usual.

From now on, having had to do this....I think just being able to do regular Atkins will seem like so much more variety for me. :D It's often just a matter of what you were accustomed to....and readjusting your expectations/desires.

deena :)

PS...and it's been totally worth it....I've kept all the weight off for over a year now. I will try to get my son to take and post recent photos of me so you can see. Having to do this (stay on Maintenance...but dental soft) is nothing compared to the misery and pain I'd be in if I was gaining the weight back or had already gained it back. Having to eat from a VERY limited list of choices is well-worth still fitting into my skinny jeans.:D