[jennbrkcx]

Hey There!! I am new to this forum.. and to this diet. In fact, todays my first day! So far, I've eaten two eggs, a piece of cheese, three strips of bacon, and a pork chop. I actually feel pretty satisfied -- I'm surprised!! I had been reading on here and I saw how you advised not eating too much cheese. About how much should I eat in one day? I don't really know what would be considered "too much." Another thing.. Can you drink diet drinks? (as long as they dont have aspertame) Thanks SO much for your help!!!

[Mrs. Big Dawg]

I eat cheese but I check the carb grams on it first. All cheeses are not created equal. As I found out on here www.fitday.com is a great place to check the nutritional value of any food. You can also input everything you eat each day and it will total everything up for you and give you a basic idea of how much fat, protein and carbs you are actually getting.
You can also use it to look up foods that you are not sure about before eating them.

I do an occasional diet soft drink but I mostly stick with water. I also like the flavored waters with 0 carbs and no artificial sweeteners.

[Sean]

If I snack on cheese during the day I won't include it in my meals and vice versa. Cheese snacks during the day usually consist of a small triangle of smoked Gouda in the morning and a couple string cheese sticks in the mid and late afternoon. For a meal, I'll use two or three slices of American or cheddar with my meal.

I've found that cheese really fills me up and a perfectly adequate breakfast to keep me going until 2:00 PM is an ounce or two of cheese and 10 or 15 smoked almonds.

Regarding diet soda, I haven't had caffeine or aspartame for about five months and haven't had a single migraine during that time. Check out Waist Watchers caffeine free diet beverages with Splendra:

http://www.adirondackbeverages.com/ad-ww.html

I drink the stuff like water! I'll usually drink around 32 ounces of various caffeine free Waist Watchers flavors in addition to the 100 to 120 ounces of water I drink each day. Remember that caffeine is a diuretic and "doesn't count" towards water intake. Most diets state that you should drink an ounce of water in addition to every ounce of caffeinated beverage you consume.

Now, for the Atkins secret dessert: Sugar Free Jello! The generic stuff is ultra cheap and contains zero carbs. I make the Jello by dumping in a cup of boiling water, stirring until mixed, then mixing in a cup of the Waist Watchers Ginger Ale or Citrus Frost! Best carb free dessert ever!

[ChrissyB]

Sean,

I just started a thread about Waist Watchers. I love that stuff!! I haven't tried the Citrus Frost but I love the orange. This is alot for me to say because I was the Queen of Mtn. Dew. Since I started Atkins I've kicked my caffeine habit and I've been avoiding it like the plague!!

[Ms Spotdog]

Welcome, Jenn! I'm glad you found us and please feel free to ask any questions you have and join us on the daily cluck to gab about whatever.

So what plan are you following? Have you read the book? I noticed you didn't list any veggies/salads in your daily menu and that is a problem. You MUST have your veggies/salads to have a well balanced diet. There is a thread for people to list their daily menus and you may get some ideas from that.

Again, welcome!

Kel