Starting Atkins 4/9/11
 

Starting tomorrow.

I purchased both books and read through the 2002 version. After two or three horrible days in a row of calorie counting, I'm ready to start carb counting tomorrow. I've taken so many note from the book, and i have a pretty good idea of what I'm supposed to be doing.

I'll probably be talking to myself in here until I figure all of this out. I have so much anxiety about it.

Wish me luck!

Good luck! you will do great since you've read the books and are setting up a plan! have you been grocery shopping yet? Just make sure you have your fridge and cabinets stocked so you can stay on track! :)

Not planning meals is one of my biggest downfalls. When I plan meals and ensure I have leftovers, things go smoothly and I'm not panicking and scrambling through cupboards for appropriate snacks. So, make sure you plan meals...lol.

Expect stalls and delays and even the gain of a pound or two. Don't be frustrated when this happens...it's normal. On that note, don't compare your losses to someone else...each person is different and lose at different rates.

If you own an iPod touch or an iPhone, there's an application I use called "Log It". I use it to keep track of my carb intake. It's simple to use, especially once you already add your foods. I set mine to the 20g per day and as I input the food I eat, it subtracts the carbs from it and displays what I have left on the screen. To get it going, you have to know the net carb content of each food. I know, it's simple to keep track of 20 grams, but I like it. It acts as a food diary for me as well.

Anyway, good luck!!

I agree with you about the calorie counting! I started at 195 lbs. I lost 9 lbs from Feb. 1, 2011 to March 28, 2011 with calorie counting. I felt hungry still and my mind was always on my next meal. I felt like the weight was coming off to slow since I was doing P90x every day also.
Then I started the Atkins Diet March 29, 2011 at 186lbs and as of today I am 179lbs. For me The Atkins Diet is so much better. After the first 3 days my appetite went down a lot and I have more energy. Plus you can go to their website to sign up and they will send you a carb counting book & 3 of their candy bars for free. I eat 1/2 of a bar each day just to take the edge off my cravings.
In case it might give you an idea, my daily meals are as follows:
Breakfast:
-Every day I have 2 eggs.
-I alternate between 1 pc turkey bacon one day or some green pepper and onions the next.
Lunch is either:
-Chicken breast, 2 cups lettuce, Newman's Olive Oil & Vinegar dressing, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (sooo good.... one of my faves!)
-Tuna Salad with mayo, mustard, & relish.
-Hamburger sprinkled with thyme & pepper and cheese.
-Steak with A-1 sauce.
For dinner I just choose one of the choices that I have listed for lunch.
Snacks:
-Jello
-Cucumber
-Cool whip
-Extra dessert delights gum
-1/2 Atkins bar

I also power walk 30-45 minutes 5-6 days a week.
My advice is to get some really great music that keeps you motivated while working out- that helps me a lot.
Good luck on starting your weight loss! If you have any questions I'd be happy to help :)

Thanks for the great tips!

I have not gone grocery shopping yet, but I do have a list already. I share a kitchen with a few other dieters, so there are plenty of veggies and lean meats at the moment.

I do have an android phone, and it does not have log it, but it does have my fitness pal, which I've been using to track calories but also has a screen that shows a nutrient summary with a carb and fiber break down.

I woke up today and made myself a beautiful omelette with 3 eggs, chopped mushrooms, a pad of butter and a 1/4 cup of shredded colby jack, cooked in canola oil it was delicious and hit the spot.

For lunch I had crab salad . (canned crab meat, mayo and a cup of chopped celery)

and I think I will have a can of sardines in another hour.

For dinner I am planning to eat out with a friend. I plan to order a steak and a garden salad with a side of green beans.

I am also doing power 90 6 days a week but I am waiting for my 30 day shred it to arrive.

I feel good so far, but I'm wondering if that dreaded carb withdrawal will hit.

thanks again for all of the input. It really is appreciated and motivational!

Day one down. No carb withdrawals and I feel like I ate like a king today!

I'll be back tomorrow :)

Just a sidenote - have you ever tried Cool Whip frozen? It has a very similar texture to ice cream and I've found it's a good substitute when you're craving it!

Down 2lbs already! After weeks of not losing or slowly gaining...It is such a relief to see the scale start to slide the other way!

OMG frozen cool whip sounds AMAZING!

I'm reading some of the threads on what people are eating and what they plan to eat and I'm noticing many people aren't following the 2 cup leafy green and 1 cup green greens rule that atkins discusses in his book.

Is the diet successful without this standard?

I was also wondering, do we need to eat exactly 20 carbs while on induction, or just make sure to stay anywhere under that?

Hey Reasons! I'm with you on the carb counting. I do the same and it has been working as well. I hope you have much success and enjoy it as much as I do!

I dont' eat a ton of leafy green vegetables..I'm just not crazy about salads. I have to force myself to eat one,lol. I do eat a lot of cooked spinach, and other veggies, and it seems to work for me.

Thanks for the responses! That's a bummer about the cool whip! I was starting to crave it :) I've been trying to stick to the 1 cup 2 cup rule, but I eat a lot of veggies, and hate salad, so It's been tough.


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Started Yesterday
 

Hi Folks,
I thought that I would jump in on this post as I just started a couple of days behind Reasons.
Day 1 went well
Day 2 massive headache but other than that so far so good!
Hope you all are having a great day.
Cheers!

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