Tell me why, why in the world I've decided to start Atkins in the summer???

I could go for a Blizzard and Slush Puppies at the same time!!! And may I add a nice cold Iced Cappuccino...And more a nice creme brulee.....mmmmmm So Not fair!!! Oh well, the only way I can calm down is by reminding myself that none of those treats is disappearing anytime soon, they will all be there when I reach my goal weight. Patience is key.... PATIENCE!!! And a little bit of self control...

I bet you could find a carb/sugar free flavored ice if you looked hard enough. I haven't yet but I think I might. I know my husband has been able to find sugar free several times as he is diabetic. If not maybe you could make your on variation with crushed ice and a sugarfree drink mix...in fact I might try that tomorrow! lol or a sugarfree flavored syrup?

Walden farms caramel syrup. 0 carbs. Yum.

There realluy are a lot of low and very low carb frozen treats appropriate for Induction and OWL.

I have an electric ice shaver (I think Rival brand) that shaves ice a little finer than your average snow cone, and a little coarser than your average hawaian ice.

For the sugar free syrups I've bought them at Walmart and Target (sold in the same area where the ice shavers are sold) and I've also used Torani and Davinci syrups and have also made my own with KoolAid packets and Splenda, or Crystal Light (only using 12 to 16 ounces of water instead of the normal 2 quarts and storing it in a squeeze bottle of some kind).


I also make sorbet and frozen fruit daquiris by putting strawberries and a bit of diet lemonade or diet sprite or diet mountain dew in a food processor and processing the mixture until it's the right consistency (using a little liquid for a sorbet and more liquid for a slushee).

Or you can use milk, cream, almond milk, coconut milk.... for the liquid to make a strawberry icecream like dessert.

You can also use other frozen fruits (and if you're not on induction or are on a different reduced carb plan, you can even use higher carb fruits like peaches or bananas).

They will be there any time. The idea is not to go without and then when you have reached the goal to start getting back in to the things that put you where you were or worse.

Give yourself 1 day a week where you allow yourself to eat what ever you want as long as your not bingeing. That way you can have your cake and eat it too We know we are here because we've been having too much of the bad things and not enough of the good, so by having 6 good days and 1 bad we are still going to be in front and getting to where we want to be.

You can find 5 calorie sugar free popsicles right next to the regular ones in the grocery store. Also. 7-11 just came out with a sugar free slurpee using splenda 20 calories.

If a cheat day works for you, then go for it. But I wouldn't recommend it on Atkins. The whole purpose is to get your body in ketosis so you burn fat. If you have a cheat day you will defeat the purpose. Also you will cause your cravings for sugar to come back.

The title of this thread caught my eye because it's the opposite for me....much more difficult in the winter than in the summer.

It was in the winter...when stuck inside, curled up with a blanket, that I wanted the....CARBS. In the winter, when I could hide myself in sweatshirts and other heavy clothing, that I wanted those nice warm....CARBS.

Plus....I'm not really an iced-coffee kinda person. I like my coffee HOT.

I'm not really a cold beverage person in general but I do like crystal-lite....and what I'd do in hot weather would be to put it in a squirt-type water bottle, stick it in the freezer until partially frozen, and then crush the bottle (run a rolling-pin over it), turning it into a slushy.

deena

Thank you all for all the great ideas, have to give them a try (not any time soon, I find it's too early in the diet for me to go back to my addictions ). The thing is I never liked the taste of artificial sweeteners... I tried crystal light and it leaves a weird after taste in my mouth... Guess it needs some time to get used to. The other thing, I always felt that if you're gonna have something sweet might as well get the REAL thing!

For some people that can work, but it's not always that simple when you're insulin resistant, carb-sensitive, or diabetic - or if you're low-carbing, because even a small "real carb" indulgence can cause carb-triggered cravings/hunger and can also cause temporary water weight gain (because the body needs to hold onto more water to digest carbs - so the more carbs you eat, the more water you can retain - and likewise the less you eat, the less water your body needs to hold onto so that even a modest increase can cause a weight loss stall or even a gain).

You'll have to (eventually) experiment to see what works best for you, mentally and physically.

I've found that for me, there are far fewer negative consequences to the low-calorie sugar substitutes than to "real" sugars, so I make my choices accordingly. I try to choose all my foods based on the cost-benefit analysis. Sometimes natural foods win (such as choosing fruit for dessert) and sometimes foods sweetened with artificial sweeteners win, and sometimes "real" (processed or concentrated natural sources of) sugar wins out (though it's becoming less and less likely).


We all just have to do our best and sometimes that means accepting the lesser evil once in a while (though we all may make different choices as to what that is).

Most of the suggestions people made in this thread can be adapted to natural and "real" foods easily enough (such as using fruit juice or better yet, pureed fruit in place of the artifically sweetened syrups...)

I know it's not that simple for everybody, I was only referring to my reality, sorry if it may seem insensitive to others...

But I really agree with you, I have to try and see what works for me. I for now don't want to go with the artificial sweeteners so I'll wait until I'm allow some sweet stuff in my diet.... which can be a while but that's life! I want to lose weight way more than I want to eat sweets!