Yesterday I drank some chicken broth and after a couple of hours I was good as new. All the fatigue was gone. I'm a little slumpy today but I've been up since 6:30 and running back and forth all over the place shopping and stuff. I ate 6 oz of broccoli with a couple of sprinkles of parmesean cheese and butter for breakfast and I had some steak for lunch (I will make a salad to go with it but I was so hungry that I scarfed it down pretty quick! So nice to get to eat the fat and not worry about it!)

Are single serve packets of drink mixes allowed if they're made with Splenda?

At the store today I saw bags of sugar free candy and stuff which was made with malitol and other sugar alcohols. Are those a no-no? (Can you eat something like that in OWL or do you have to wait longer?)

Thanks all!!

I don't know about the sugar free candy. I know you're not supposed to have more than a certain amount of sugar alcohols a day. I think no more than 12 - someone correct me if I'm wrong!.

For the drink mixes...anything like Crystal Light or a packet of Splenda in coffee, you calculate it as 1 net carb each. I used to put 2 packets of Splenda in my morning tea/coffee but I've cut it down to 1 so I can use the extra carb later in the day!

everdeen, personally, I would stay away from both Splenda and sugar alcohols. Others may not have issues with them, but I've read that some people react to them as if they ate real sugar.

I have also been told recently by a nurse that Splenda builds up in the liver and increases overall body inflammation (after I developed arthritis symptoms while drinking Splenda in coffee over a few weeks.)

Her advice was to avoid artificial sweeteners, but if you really feel you need them, that this is the order she preferred used, from best to worst:

* Stevia (natural plant)
* Sweet'N Low (saccharin)
* Equal (aspartame)
* Splenda (sucralose)

I've stopped using Splenda in coffee and drinking diet soda, and I stick to plain chilled homemade teas, water, and coffee with just cream. It's an adjustment, but the pain in my hands is gone!

Oh wow, I never knew that artificial sweeteners could contribute to inflammation. I've had an awful pain in my left knee since puberty (it's genetic). Every now and then it really aches and I walk with a slight limp. I'm going to be more aware of my sweetener intake and see if there's a connection.

I have one, maybe 2 cups of coffee or tea a day. And I always throw a Splenda in there. I've never had a problem. I can't take the taste of Equal or Sweet N Low. Not sure about Stevia. Is that Truvia? I got a sample of that and it didn't even taste like anything.

I've been using Stevia for about 3 months now and find it very satisfactory in my hot and cold drinks, it comes in drops as well and last week I picked up at the health store a bottle of flavoured Stevia drops "English Toffee" just put a few drops in a glass of iced water and presto you have a flavoured drink. Tastes wonderful and smells great!

kurbain, Truvia is sort of Stevia Its 1st ingredient is erythritol, a sugar alcohol, then stevia leaf extract and natural flavors.

Personally, I prefer PureVia for its taste. It has a different formulation of Reb A (sweetest part of stevia extracted), then erythritol, isomaltulose, cellulose powder (bulking agent), and natural flavors.

But I have dropped PureVia too for its sugar alcohols. I have found a way to "cold brew" coffee that results in such a smooth taste that with just cream, it's plenty sweet. (I can post the link for the cold-brewing if anyone is interested.)

The nurse did say her info on Splenda's inflammatory effects was based on studies just coming out. I'm going to ask her for her sources when I next see her on June 17th.

Not everyone will be affected... but I was. Admittedly, I was drinking coffee with 2 packets a day in it, 5x/week, for I think 3 weeks. So 30 packets made my hands really ache. That's me though, might not be you!

If you love the taste of Splenda and don't have any negative effects, feel free to disregard this info. It's more of a community notice on my part

Splenda is the thing of my nightmares. Migraine-inducing. I just steer clear of it. I have some stevia drops and truvia.

So, how did everybody fare for the memorial day holiday? I didn't eat off plan, but I definitely at too much. Ugh.

Hey all! I'm new.. started induction today! I lost 50 lbs on atkins about 7 yrs ago, but it's all back (plus double)... so I'm committed to changing my lifestyle and realizing that my body doesn't have a very good relationship. It's tough, I'm a pescatarian (the only "meat" i eat is seafood), but I did it before.. .and will do it now and stick with it forever... I don't have a choice! I've tried calorie counting and weight watchers, but Atkins is easier and makes more sense to me (I'm reading back up on it.. got a great book that breaks it all down, including the physiology, history, and research). For years, I"ve eaten "healthy" whole grains.. (Brown rice, whole wheat breads and pastas) and now I realize that this is my true enemy... carbs.

So I'm happy to meet others on my journey! I'm ready for health.

Slimmer Down Now, !

I'm not a big "meat" eater either; I was a vegetarian for 5 years and it really affected how I feel about preparing meat from scratch. I'm a wuss, what can I say?

I know I definitely feel much, much better off grains, and I'm really not having a hard time sticking to this. I went off plan slightly for a bowl of wonton soup, and for some sushi with rice, but that's it. I used to easily devour an entire large pizza, so this is serious progress for me.

Your seafood focus sounds delicious! Happy losing!

Hi! Another newbie. I've been induction-ing for about 2½ months now. It's so effective, I can't stop! I'm afraid if I increase my carbs, I'll stop losing.

I feel so much healthier without the grains, I don't think I'll ever go back to eating them.

Maybe I'll give Truvia/Stevia another try. Does it taste much different than Splenda?

I've tried the vegetarian thing at times, but sometimes I just have to have some meat! I actually did full on vegan eating for a bit when I was about 16. My friend and I were just trying to see how hard it was. She lasted about a week, but I did about 6 months.

Slimmer Down Now - I love seafood...sometimes. I don't really eat chicken and I try to limit my beef and other fattier meats, so I eat a lot of shrimp and tilapia. I grill pan the tilapia and it's so good!!

ultrapeaches - I'm kind of in the same boat...so afraid to move on and add in more carbs! I've been doing induction since 30 April.

Hi all, this is day one for me on Atkins (second attempt) I already feel horrible, my body is so use to the sugar and carbs. The worst is getting over caffeine but I know I will feel much better once it's all out of my system. Just have to deal with headache for next couple days!

Hi ladies. I thought I would just join in with out reading as there is so much. My name is Brook I have been around here for a long time in and out the past few years struggling with some other things other than weight. I got those under control and now its time for the weight to be in control too. I have been on my 3rd attempt (first one was very successful) of Atkins (semi modified) since the 21st of may. I have lost 10lbs thus far. Part of that was from me also being deathly (dramatic I know) ill with either food poisoning or the stomach flu but now that I am back on the mend I actually kept 3 of the 5lbs I lost during that off. I got that at the same time I was going through the "atkins flu" portion which didnt hit me the last two tries but sure did this time. So if I can make it through it I know you all can. I lost a lot of weight in a pretty short amount of time the first time I did this. Not saying that thats the way it will happen again or for everyone but I know there is truth in atkins and if you follow the steps to life time maintenance it will work! Good luck!

kurbain, I personally prefered Stevia (PureVia in packet form for me) over Splenda, but that's me. The difference in taste is hard to describe. Splenda to me has a weird chemical aftertaste after an initial burst of super sweet. Stevia is just a bit odd all the way through

6 months as a vegan!? Whoa! I only made it about a week, ha! Eating dairy and eggs made vegetarianism pretty easy for me though. But my cholesterol never really dropped My mom used to call me a cheeseatarian NOM.

I have to learn more seafood recipes!