Hi all,

Before I started Atkins I didn't cook that much (I used to cook when I was married). I just ate fast food, deli food, frozen foods, etc.

My lifestyle has changed! I am constantly buying eggs, broccoli, cauliflower, scallions, chicken breasts, fish, sausages, chop meat, you name it, I am buying it! I am cooking almost every day and I live alone! I used to enjoy cooking and now I am enjoying cooking once again even though it's only for me. My only complaint is washing all those pots and pans!

Not only do I have a new WOE, I have a new WOC (Way of Cooking).

Toby

You know, my husband and I have noticed the same thing. And we used to buy a bunch of stuff in boxes and cans but now hardly anything comes in a manufactured package. I guess that's part of eating real food. I too have noticed how much my dishwashing has increased but we compromise and use disposable dishes a couple nights a week.

That's wonderful! Isn't it a nice feeling, making good food for yourself that gives you good nourishment?

I find that I'm really skipping an awful lot of aisles now when I go shopping. I just go around the edges of the store - meat, dairy, veggies - and dart in to a center aisle to pick up the kitty food and paper towels and what-not.

I used to spend a lot of time (and money) in the simple-carbs part of the store. No more! I know people always say it's expensive to eat this way, but I think I'm actually spending a bit less money than I was before, because I used to always buy meat anyhow because I had to have some meat for my husband even if all I was eating was twinkies. All those snacks added up to some money, even more money than the fresh veggies I think.

Is anyone else thinking of doing any gardening or growing a few herbs or anything? I got a couple of catalogs in the mail for gardening stuff and I'm daydreaming about having all kinds of herbs planted and maybe some salad fixings and of course tomatoes. Maybe some hot peppers too because I really like hot stuff and salsa. By this summer I should be high enough on the carb ladder (maybe 30 or 40 carbs?) to be able to have moderate portions of salsa.

Does anyone else here like to grow herbs or plants or anything?

Hi all,

Honey, it is nice to be buying and cooking "real food" instead of fast food. And yes, I do use paper plates whenever I can to save on washing plates so I am only left with the pots and pans plus the casserole dishes. I do have a dishwasher but for 1 person it doesn't make sense for me to use it.

I spent lots of money on my BAD carbs, hey, a bag of Tostito Chips cost almost $5.00! And the cost of bread? I liked those thick seeded buns and they were almost $5.00 too unless they were on sale. So instead I am buying lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, meats, chicken breasts, etc. Oh yeah, and lots of eggs!

Lori, I avoid certain aisles too! I go straight to the produce section and to the meat section as well as the dairy aisle.

I do have a Costco near me so I buy their BIG packages of chop meat and chicken breasts and when I get home I separate them, put them in Ziploc bags and freeze them. You should see my freezer, compartments for frozen meats and chickens, more compartments for frozen veggies, and someone told me I could freeze my Cheese so I did that too.

Funny that you brought up gardening. Every year (before Atkins) I always plant a veggie garden because I simply enjoy it. I grow eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and last spring I actually grew string beans and wow, did I have string beans growing like crazy! Not the type where you have to tie them to a trellis, but bush beans where they the plants just stood up by themselves. I was picking off beans everyday!

A friend of mine gave me some advice, she said to go to the beach with a big plastic bag and scoop up seaweed and spread it around in my garden, so I did and wow, did that make a huge difference in my garden. Everything grew so much better and bigger!

Sorry for the long post,
Toby