[JerseyGyrl]

With all the newbies here lately, I thought it might be a good idea to speak on Atkins bars.
Since Dr. Atkins death in 2003, his company is being run by Atkins Nutritionals Inc. and like any other company, their main focus is profit.
They have labeled the bars "appropriate for Induction". If you pick up one of those bars and begin reading the label, you will quickly find the carb counts don't make sense. For a newbie to Atkins, this can be quite confusing.
First of all, these bars contain ingredients like soy, milk & peanuts...none of which are on the acceptable foods list for Induction. Getting back to the confusing carb counts, Atkins Nutritionals Inc. deducts the glycerine in the bars because they claim it does not effect blood sugar.
I recommend you read the following article:
http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19059967.php
Dr. Atkins created these bars for emergencies, when no other low carb foods are available.
They tend to stall a lot of people & cause cravings. Unless there is nothing else available, its best to avoid them.

[katieloumagoo]

I am glad you posted this Kim. I have seen you say this alot so I have never gone that route. I have a box in my cabinet that I bought long before I began the diet guess I should get rid of those.... I have a shake in hte fridge too, again never wanted it.

[Violet73]

I eat the bars about two a week or when I really get a chocolate craving.....and I've stayed in ketosis and am still losing weight. I think in moderation they are fine.. They are not something you should eat daily unless your body can handle it. I worked with a lady who lost 70 pounds on Atkins and she snacked on those things daily. Everybody is different. To tell someone they will stall your weight loss should also be followed by stating "IMHO" cause there are people who lose tons of weight and still eat them. Even though Dr. Atkins only recommended them on an emergency basis...I still think people can use their own judgment and if their weight loss stalls by eating them then they need to slack off of them. Again, everybody here doing Atkins should really just see how things effect them IMHO.

[JerseyGyrl]

The main thing I wanted to stress is, these bars are NOT Atkins Induction friendly.
The label clearly states they contain soy, milk & peanuts. These things are not on the acceptable foods list for Atkins Induction.
If you are not doing Atkins Induction, and you choose to eat these and they work for you.....
But...to those doing Atkins Induction....they should not be included IMHO

Originally Posted by LeslieLou

... Everybody is different. To tell someone they will stall your weight loss should also be followed by stating "IMHO" cause there are people who lose tons of weight and still eat them. Even though Dr. Atkins only recommended them on an emergency basis...I still think people can use their own judgment and if their weight loss stalls by eating them then they need to slack off of them. Again, everybody here doing Atkins should really just see how things effect them IMHO.

I agree with LeslieLou & am attaching a quote posted by the moderator on the Atkins website forum that really helped me,

"More and more frequently, we're seeing conflicts between the old guard DO-IT-BY-THE-BOOK! group, and the folks who find a little room to flex in the plan.

There is room for both groups here. Ideally it would be good if everyone learned the basics before departing from them, but this isn't an ideal world, and we have to exercise some patience and understanding.

It's important to realize that some of us don't have to be as strict as others. it isn't fair, but that's just life and it's our job to live it.

So let's try to be understanding with each other. Understand that the by-the-rules group has experienced success with following the program exactly, and they want everyone else to experience that success, too. And there are those who find it can work for them without following the rules to the letter in every instance. ...
Let's all try to be more cool about the different ways to do Atkins because ultimately, they aren't all that different, and arguing about how many carbs can dance on the head of a pin is not only not productive, but it slows everyone down.

Tolerance of the other approach may not make the weight loss journey any faster, but the ride will be more pleasant. "

/cheryl

--------------------------
Short term goal - Jan 29/2010 - fit into purple dress for hubby's gala @ 215lbs
Mid term goal - Feb-May 2010 - lose 2lbs/wk = 30lbs/4mths, new house=new life @ 185
Long term goal - Jun-Aug 2010 - lose 2lbs/wk by my birthday = new me @ 170lbs!!

SW: 235/CW: 220/GW: 170

[HealthierLori]

Thanks for posting, Kim! That could help newbies who are experiencing a stall or still having cravings, who don't understand what the cause could be of those continued cravings or the weight stall.

For those who can eat these with no problems, more power to you! Each of us have to find out what works for us...and this whole thing is so complicated (weight loss I mean) and bodies are so complicated....but if each of us shares what doesn't work or does work for us, it might still help others who are still trying to find what works and doesn't work for them.

[JerseyGyrl]

Originally Posted by HealthierLori

Thanks for posting, Kim! That could help newbies who are experiencing a stall or still having cravings, who don't understand what the cause could be of those continued cravings or the weight stall.

You are quite welcome Lori
Sometimes a little knowledge makes all the difference.

[HealthierLori]

I sure do wish someone had taken me by the hand all those years I struggled with high-carb diets, and told me, "this is why you are hungry all the time, and this is what will help you..."

[JerseyGyrl]

Originally Posted by HealthierLori

I sure do wish someone had taken me by the hand all those years I struggled with high-carb diets, and told me, "this is why you are hungry all the time, and this is what will help you..."

Its funny you say this Lori. I had people telling me about Atkins on & off for years...people who had lost weight on it & fell off the wagon. I figured if they couldn't maintain their loss, I probably wouldn't be able to either and I used it as an excuse not to do what I knew in my heart I needed to do. My "ah ha" moment came when I went to SC with a friend and could not keep up with her. I was so out of breath, I couldn't walk a half block! Then I got to thinking about my Dad being an insulin dependant diabetic and I KNEW I did not want to end up that way....so, in my early 40's, I finally took the plunge! BEST thing I ever did! Atkins saved my life and I will forever be grateful and sing its praises to everyone I know!

[HealthierLori]

Wow, Kim, you story is so inspirational! I think for me, too, it was only at this point when I reached my bottom and realized I'd rather be healthy than continue overeating french fries, candy, and other high-glycemic things. I just got tired of feeling awful and having no energy and being so depressed.

I didn't realize that going on this WOE would have such a dramatic positive effect on my depression, that was really an eye-opener for me and it makes me even more convinced that I need to stay away from those foods I used to eat, not only for my weight, but for my mood.

[Violet73]

Cher...Thanks for posting that! That is really great info! When discussing with someone on the board it can become quite tiring of someone else jumping in with their opinions when you yourself are just trying to encourage people! Support is what is important here...not hand-slapping

[Deena52]

Well, I'm gonna throw my 2 cents in here and say that I'm glad that I learned from Kim, some time ago, that there was indeed a big difference between Dr. Atkins and Atkins Nutritionals. The fact that all these new bars were being touted as fine for induction seemed suspicious to me and I couldn't understand how Dr. Atkins could have endorsed this.

I also don't think that the initial post here was written in any sort of rigid tone. She was simply saying that they can cause a stall in many people...which is 100% true.

I also wanted to add this....I am not one to ever argue with success. If a person is having success with whatever WOE they're using, I think it's great. But Atkins is more to me than just a way to lose weight. It makes me feel great, improves my mood and energy, eliminates cravings, binges and constant hunger.

I tried the bars back in the early 90's...loved the chocolate coconut ones. And mind you, I did not use them until maintenance. And what they did, over time, was kick-in sweets cravings for me....and took me from a good road and veered me over to one where I was headed for trouble....craving the bars in the late evening...then EVERY evening, etc. Luckily I had a rule that I HAD to go on strict induction whenever I gained 5 lbs...so I nipped that in the bud.

But my point is....why eat extremely sweet stuff and overly processed stuff when one of the benefits of this diet is that we eat so healthy and are able to eliminate all the prior bad patterns of craving, binging and constant hunger? Our quest is not only to lose weight but also to keep it off...right? Why go back to bad, unhealthy patterns that can doom our continued success long-term?

deena

[TobyThin]

This is a great post (thanks Kim!) as before I knew what Atkins was all about I did buy those bars and sure enough stalled myself during Induction! So once I started reading "the book" I found out no bars for me!

I also learned that if I feel like something on the sweeter side that I have choices without the carbs and sugars like Kim's "french toast" with Walden's SF Pancake Syrup (which is really great!). Thanks for that!

Deena, you made a great point about losing the weight and keeping if off! I agree totally!

Toby

[Deena52]

Let me also add one more thing. I think support is wonderful. I love support. But what I love even more than support is....SUCCESS.

I struggled for almost 4 years trying to get this diet to work for me after medication caused me to gain 60 lbs. It was horrible, just horrible, to have to struggle for that long...especially since the diet had worked just fine for me back in the 90's. And then it occurred to me that a great idea would be to find message boards to see if they could trouble-shoot for me.....and thanks to folks who told me what things could cause problems on Atkins induction...I finally got the diet to work. At that point...I needed REAL information. Needed to know every single possible thing that could be causing me to spin my wheels and get nowhere.

If they'd told me to just keep trying....that would have gotten me nowhere.

And to be honest, I read around the entire board quite a bit here....and see quite a few who seem to be spinning their wheels due to repeatedly going off plan. And generally speaking, going off plan leads to more and more going off plan. Do I want to support them? Absolutely. But I'm not the type to sugar-coat things and I will, in a very nice and tactful way, be honest with them. I think that doing otherwise isn't really helping them.

deena

[JerseyGyrl]

Originally Posted by Deena52

And to be honest, I read around the entire board quite a bit here....and see quite a few who seem to be spinning their wheels due to repeatedly going off plan. And generally speaking, going off plan leads to more and more going off plan. Do I want to support them? Absolutely. But I'm not the type to sugar-coat things and I will, in a very nice and tactful way, be honest with them. I think that doing otherwise isn't really helping them.

Deena! Couldn't have said it better myself.
As long as people on this board want my support....I'll be here