Hey everyone! Thsi thread is where I will ask questions...about life in general and about the atkins lifestyle! The first question I'm pondering is this: Do you let others outside of your immediate family know that you are dieting? I ask this because....I dont! I don't want people to know that I'm dieting because people have critisized me in the past and I dont want to hear it! I am better off just doing my thang(lol) and keep it to myself. ok....another question...
How late do you snack?? I'm on the Valentine Vixen Challenge and I'm wondering how late is TOO late?? I wanted to grab an atkins bar right now(10pm) but i dunno if thats kinda too late...i dunno.....what do you all say?
oh...another question....
what is so bad about aspartame(sp?)? I bought some sugar free juice for the kiddos and noticed it's made with this sweetner....Dr. Atkin's say's not to drink this stuff....but he doesnt say why....Do any of you have an idea, why?

well, i'm off to bed...Gotta fall asleep before I find myself in the fridge so late at night...LOL! Good night you all....and of course....inquisitive Becca will have MORE questions soon

I tell my family that I'm on this WOE. Otherwise, unless it comes up in a conversation I don't point it out.

I think 10 is too late to snack. Usually don't they say like 3-4 hours before bedtime you shouldn't be eating??

Forgot the reasons. But some people it causes headaches in. For dieters it can cause stalls or no weight loss.

And any time you have a question ask! It's the only way to learn what others think or know.

I don't tell anyone. If people ask I tell them I'm eating 'low carb' and then I usually just get the eye roll or the negative "ohhhhhh, I could NEVER do that".

As far as snacking. (not recommending this just saying it works for ME) I've been eating two big solid meals for breakfast and lunch and for supper I drink a protein shake. I think my body appreciates this and it's hard to stick to at first but it has definitely been what I needed to do.

ASPARTAME. I've done tons of internet research on this. Each person has to come to their own conclusion as to wether to consume this or not but it is not allowed in my home, I have read that it causes brain tumors, neurologic defects, etc. If you do a google search on aspartame it will bring up tons of research articles. My mom used to eat the sf pudding daily and her arms started going numb and hands tingling everytime she at it. YIKES!

Lace

I dont tell anyone except for my family. If anyone asks what Im doing, I say old fashioned hard work. Otherwise I get too much unsolicited advice!!

Snacking, I keep it no later than 8pm. I think 10 is too late unless you're going to bed at around midnight or 1.

Aspartame....it stalls out some ppl. It does for me. I cant drink diet soda's or I dont loose weight. Im ok with splenda tho....go figure

Thanks for all your wonderful answers

Aspertame will stimulate the body in thinking that it is eating sugar and will cause cravings as well as being bad for you with the aforme mentioned issues. they (most low carb WOL) recomend eating more natural foods. like no white breads and no refined sugars. It can get really stick and difficult if you really go in depth with the eating life styles.

Personally I have no problem saying I am eating low carb. I did great with it before and at work there are many who have done fantastic. so that is not an issue. for the most part I just say I am cutting the carbs dowm but not being rediculious about it. that means I still will have carbs but within the diet limits.

I personally don't feel comfortable about telling my in laws b/c they are kinda critical anyways....I would only be leaving myself WIDE open for more sneed remarks...I would rather lose the weight and have them say, wow, your losing weight....and leave it at that. LOL. But like I said before, I am staying positive and if that means keeping others in the dark about my eating habits, the better Thank you for ALL your help with apertame..i did NOT know all of this info! Sheesh...and to think...i was allowing my kiddos to drink it....thats BAD! ok as for my menu for today...here we go:
b: egg muffin & apple crisp morning start bar
l: 2 ham & cheese rolls, 4 celery sticks and a 1/2 cup of cucumber & ranch
d: omelet w/ diced onion & bell pepper and cheese
pm snack: shake

I am only getting about 16-18 carbs a day...is this bad? Should I opt for 5 smaller meals a day? Also....someone mentioned that if you dont get at least 1,000 calories a day...ur body goes into starvation mode....is this true? Hmmm..? Anyway~Good Job Ladies!*clap*applause* keep it up! ~Becca

Are you wanting to do atkins? Are you in induction?? Personally the muffin and morning start bar would be enough to stall me for days, if not weeks...

your lunch and dinner look great if following the atkins diet If you go to fitday.com it will show you basically how much you're taking in calorie wise. Good luck!!

I've never really counted my carbs OR calories. It worked for me before and hoping it does again. The bars, as mentioned, aren't on induction, but sometimes you just HAVE to have something on the go. Just remember it might cause you to stall out. I eat 3 meals a day-not 5. You almost have to make the meal choice on how you can live. If you want to eat 5 meals and it works better for you, then go for it. Or 3 meals. Just remember to eat

well....the muffin isnt exactly a "muffin" it's just eggs in the shape of a muffin. As for the morning start bar...it doesnt say" not intended for the 1st phase of Atkins" like the other atkins products do....So, I figured it would be ok....so far I think I've lost 4 lbs unless my scale is trying to flatter me...hah! Thanks for the feedback ladies!

ok...another question....

Is it normal to feel depressed, unmotivated and ready to give up when you come to a stall in your weightloss? I am feeling so down and out right now. For the last 3 days I've been 158. I feel like a failure. I want to give up and go eat something I'm not supposed to. Gosh I hate Saturdays. They are the worst. Hubby is working today so that sucks but even when he is here I can't be around him much cause he gets on my nerves after awhile. I really feel like crap. I can't even talk to my kids without giving them a dirty look. I feel like going to bed and staying there. *ugh* I haven't been eating anything different then I have the last 2 weeks. actually, I ate a piece of winterfresh but then I checked for the nutritional facts and it didnt have any! so I assume that it had sugar. *sigh* I'll keep on keeping on.....what choice do I have...I want to lose these pounds!

Ok, iloveadam, Relax. Three days without weight loss isn't a big deal. When you think about it, you have to cut 3500 calories from your diet or increase your exercise enough to use that many calories up in order to lose ONE pound of weight.

Granted, Atkins works on a different principle, but calories are still a part of the weight loss picture. So you really can't expect to lose a pound a day or really even every 3 days.

What we have to remind ourselves is that we are in this for the long haul. It isn't a crash diet, we don't expect to be there immediately. Set your goals small, and then work for them. Be satisfied with small losses or even with maintaining, because sometimes that is all you can do. Giving up just means you start gaining it all back again.

I have been there. I lost 50 pounds right off the bat (within 8 months) and then spent the next two years trying to lose more. Even after finally losing an additional 10 or so, I couldn't seem to keep losing. Giving up wasn't the answer though. ( I did it and I wish I hadn't ). Right now I'd give anything to be back where I was and "maintaining".

The weight is coming back off, but it isn't fun having to lose it twice. This time though, I am celebrating EVERY success. Even if that success is just a matter of "I didn't gain".

When we get perfectionistic, we beat ourselves up for success, because it wasn't as much success as we were hoping for. Don't go there. Love yourself, love your body, be happy that you've been losing and don't worry about something as small as 3 days.

Wow..thank you, Sherry. I appreciate your words in a HUGE way! I know I should just be happy with what I have acheived so far. Yes, I should love myself and celebrate as you say. Again, thank you for caring*hug*

Glad I could help... Now remember what I said because you'll probably have to repeat it BACK to me next time I get discouraged... LOL.

Hi Becca

No, I just sort of do my own thing. The people who live with me know, but I don't really tell anyone else. If they ask, I just say I don't eat processed food. Keeps away A LOT of unwanted advice, and a lot of unwanted comments, should I decide to treat myself to something that day.

I would stop snacking at least 2 hours before bedtime. Unless you are really truly hungry, not just bored - which is my problem