Atkins shake *with* breakfast????
 

Hello all,

I'm a newbie and have been doing the Atkins diet for about a week now. I weighed 165 on Monday, today (Friday) I weigh 157...yay! I did buy the latest Atkins book last night and will be digging into it soon. All the info I have received has been from the Atkins site and here. I've been following the induction rules carefully and I'm thrilled at the energy that I now have.

Over the last few days, (except yesterday) I've had the problem of being really hungry between meals. I'm learning how to spread my carbs out over the course of the day instead of using them all up in three meals. It seems, though, that after breakfast (usually two scrambled eggs and a couple pieces of bacon) that I'm still not satisfied and quite hungry. Probably four eggs and four pieces of bacon would have filled me up, but again, I'm trying to spread my carbs out throughout the day to include more snacks.

Sooo, yesterday, after my eggs and bacon, I also had an Atkins shake (1 carb). I was filled up for hours afer that! In fact, the rest of the day was a perfect food day. Between lunch and dinner I had deviled eggs for a snack, walked a couple of miles, and then later in the evening had a nice dinner.

I've already had my shake this morning to see if the shake alone would satisfy me and, well, it hasn't. So I'm going to have my two eggs and bacon in a few minutes. But what I want to know is: Is this really a good eating habit? Is it ok to have a shake *with* breakfast instead of replacing breakfast or drinking it as a snack later? I hate feeling hungry and I know that we shouldn't go hungry, but at the same time, I'm really trying to spread my carbs and fat intake out throughout the course of the day.

Here is my fitday for yesterday, the day that I felt the most satisfied. I think my calorie intake was too low the days before. I'm not quite sure what it should be, but I felt awesome all day yesterday.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/Public...&Month=2&Day=11

Thanks so much!

I don't agree with having shakes on induction, but that's just my opinion. You only have 1 pat of butter listed in your fitday account for added fat, how about instead of the shakes, you up, or add more fat? Fat is known to satisfy hunger for a good amount of time. You could add olive oil, butter, cream cheese, or 1/2 an avacado to your meal to make you fuller longer.

:)melissa

Hi Twilight,
Congrats on a great start! I looked at your menu on fitday and it looked good. I also like the Atkins shakes sometimes, though if you could make it through induction without them I think that would be better. Everyone is different and you need to do what works for you. The shakes are high in protein and have a decent amount of fiber so overall they are a good thing. I don't know how you do with dairy products, but you can have 3 to 4 ounces of cheese per day during induction. For my breakfast, I make a nice cheese omellete with bacon or whatever in it that you want. The cheese helps you stay full longer and also makes a good mid morning snack. Good luck and have fun losing.
Marie

Thanks for the comments!

I think I'm going to stick to the shakes for on the go meals as originally planned. (I have three kids and on some mornings, I'm doing good to get dressed before I leave the house!) I usually only have a couple mornings per week where I wouldn't have time to make my own breakfast. I'll try adding more fat to breakfast to keep me from feeling hungry.

Thanks again!

Hey Twilight,

I also had shakes early on. I guess it's just different for some people. If you're exercising a lot, maybe that's helping your progress... but be wary of these frankenfoods at first.

I didn't even introduce the shakes until 2 weeks after starting. I figured if I can get through the first 2 weeks totally clean, I'm good to go. Then I'd have a shake with breakfast every other day. I HATE eggs... so that's why I did it. I was eating hot dogs at breakfast and I needed something to break up my pattern...

Now, I drink one every day for breakfast. With either 2 little ham steaks or 4-6 slices of bacon. Gives me EXACTLY enough energy to go exercise and get my day started!!

Congratulations of starting ATKINS, losing weight, and
buying the book so you can start studing it.
I've reviewed your fitday from 3/9 to 3/11. What I'm going to say next is JMO. I'm speaking from my own personal experience. I too went thru this same thing you've talked about. I'd eat two eggs, w/cheese and bacon. Be starving in an hour to two. Started FITDAY, reviewed everything and found just what I see in your post.

So here goes.

I don't think you are eating enough good fat each day. I'm wondering if you're in ketosis.

(And please, I know every post about why ketosis isn't that important and isn't necessary. But, for me, if I'm not turning purple, I'm stalled, because I've gotten some hidden sugar in something.)

Why? Because I see hidden sugars in your diet. Where?
First go to the top of the FORUM and click on LC Tips. Scroll down and read about Sweetners. Now, I think you're getting sugars from possibly your salad dressing, the deli ham, the pepperoni, tomatoes and onions. Lastly, anything breaded and fried like the chicken breast, even though the skin wasn't eaten, is a no no.

So, I increased the fat, lost the hidden sugars, drink 10-12 8 oz water a day, stay within FAT 65%-70% CARBS 5% PROTEIN 25%-30%. And I am still VERY HIGH PURPLE on my sticks. And I don't do shakes, bars or other processed foods because they stall me immediately.

i had the shakes on induction. i am allergic to eggs & sometimes can get by eating a small amount of them but some days eating a little makes me itchy and break out in hives so i switched to shakes. some die-hard people will yell at you. but everyone is different and if it works for you then that is great. it worked for me :-)

Hmm, well, tomatoes and onions are on the acceptable foods list so I thought they were ok. The dressing has less than 1 gram of sugar and pepperoni also has a small bit of dextrose with sugars reading 0. Also, the chicken wasn't breaded and fried. It was just a boneless, skinless piece of chicken cut up and put in broth the other night and last night they were baked chicken wings with pepper sauce. I couldn't find skinless breast anywhere in Fit Day and I didn't realize that I had chozen the fried/breaded chicken from the available options. I haven't had anything breaded since induction. And the fresh deli meat contained 0 carbs.

So do you think that perhaps I'm not in Ketosis after all? I don't have weird breath but I do drink tons of water. Today was another day that I seemed hungry the entire day. *sigh*

Twilight,
You are doing great! You are losing weight and eatting your veggies so don't stress it. Have your shake with breakfast and remember - you aren't supposed to be hungry. If you are, eat something :) Again, cheese is good for making you feel full (3 to 4 ounces a day) is ok if you can do dairy, eggs or meat roll ups for snack is good too. Keep up the good work and have fun with your new way of eatting.
Marie

Think of this diet as a journey and a learning process. One of the great things about eliminating most foods form your diet and then adding them back slowly is you learn what foods you can tolerate. Some foods you identify as trigger foods. These are the foods that when you eat soem you get hungry, cravings, or just want more regardless of how full you feel. For me a huge trigger is cream, especially whipped.

Experiment. If you are losing weight and feel good, then don't barrow worry. If you get to a point you just aren't losing (remember soem small plateaus are normal) or you feel poorly, then see what changes can be made.

Fresh deli meat is often listed at 0 carbs per serving, but can have sugar. Something can have up to 0.99g of carbs and be listed as 0, so always read ingredients. Tomatos and onions can be fine for most people, but for others they are too high in natural sugars. Tomatoes are also a fruit, which is why some have problems with them.

I wouldn't worry ketosis either. If you are losing, then you are burning fat. The ketosis does have appitite suppression in some people. Alot of people find just before a period of weight loss they are suddenly starving. It's like thier body wants reassurance they aren't starving and it really is ok to let the energy stores go. For me a little broccoli and cheese mix with some colby jack on top would really help.

"Think of this diet as a journey and a learning process."

Yes, indeed! I'm just having such hard time getting it all balanced. It seems there were several comments saying that I'm not getting enough fat. So today I made sure I got enough fat but it looks like I got *too* much according to my ratios (77/3/20) for today, March 12. Between lunch and dinner, I ate 2 deviled eggs, pork rinds, and olives (spread out over a couple of hours) and I was still hungry. I had a nice big salad for dinner and a burger topped with sauteed mushrooms and swiss cheese. That filled me up, thank goodness! But now that I've upped the fat intake, the protein is low. I'm just going to have to learn how to get it all balanced. I have to say this is very frustrating to me but well worth it.

Does anyone use a bleu cheese dressing that contains no sugar at all? Or any other dressing for that matter?

Oh, and I have been forgetting to subract the fiber, so I guess I haven't been getting enough carbs in either. So today I ate extra veggies and then subtracted the fiber leaving 19.78 net carbs.

About the only oen I've seen is Annies NAturals Goddess Dressing. It has no sweetners at all, but it does have a small amount of carbs. You can always experiment with making your own.

This morning I bought some more extra virgin olive oil and also picked up some red wine vinegar to make my own dressing. Also, I found sugar free bacon since what I was using did have a small amount in it. As far as fresh deli meat, the only thing available that had no sugar was the oven roasted chicken, which is fine with me...it's very good:) I did notice that along with being hungry a lot yesterday that also felt less energetic than I have been. I did get in bed kind of late the night before but I have fibromyalgia and that is the primary reason why I've switched to this WOE. I may just be extremely sensitive to sugar intake.

Today already is a better day. I didn't have a shake with my breakfast, so that's good. I got up and had a couple of halved hard boiled eggs with whipped cream cheese spread on them before going on a brisk 1.25 walk. During my walk I had an 1 oz cheese stick, and when I got home, I browned four pieces of bacon and then scrambled three eggs with a tablespoon of butter. I added the cut up bacon in the eggs and topped with another tablespoon of butter. Voila! I'm full!!!! Good thing because I have whole lot of spring cleaning to get to today!

Thanks for the tips...I'm looking for ways to add more fat to keep me satisfied!

Twilight--You like blue cheese dressing, right? And you just bought good oil and good vinegar. In a jar that has a lid, make up an oil and vinegar dressing with whatever herbs you want to add, and crumble an ounce of blue cheese into it. Now, put the lid on and shake that jar until the blue cheese melds in with the rest of it. OMG yummy--and legal. Perfectly legal. :D

Jude

If you read on the label of many atkins products it states NOT RECOMMENDED DURING INDUCTION PHASE
Blueflyer I am with you on the ketones
I check my ketones almost everytime I go to the bathroom and if I am not in my deep purple I start to evaluate what I ate
KETONES rock

Cool! I'll have to try making my own bleu cheese dressing!

As for the shakes, according to the Atkins site shopping area where you can buy the shakes, it says that they can be used during all steps of Atkins.

hugggs twilight, you are doing great =), the shakes and bars stall me instantly so i don't use them, but my husband does and has no problem. i say make the blue cheese dressing yourself, and try and stay away from processed anythings hehehe. cream cheese rolled up in roast beef is a great snack and will get you through. i also add mayo and butter to things to increase my fat. i used to have fybromialga also and i'd like to tell you, it is completely gone now =) so keep eating this way and you will be pain free with a spring in your step =) good luck and hugs to ya

I have to agree with the Atkins shakes seem to fill you up (but I never used them with meals only as a meal). And the chocolate isn't that bad! I don't use the shakes as much as the bars, but neither have detered me from weight loss. (especially the first time I did atkins I lost 30 lbs. and I used the bars as a mid morning snack every morning) I don't use them as often as I used to but they didn't give me a problem. Now I have a friend that can't touch any of the LC sweets because they make her want to eat the "real" sweets. But they curb my sweet tooth. And no funky side affects either.

BTW welcome to LCF and best of luck!!! :wiggle:
~Becky

Thank You MissRed and Page and everyone! I feel that there is no going back for me because the difference I've felt this week has been incredible! I have no cravings for sweets or breads and that in itself is a huge step! Plus, the energy is great. Page, you know how it felt to be completely drained much of the time. Now to be able to wake up at 5:30 in the morning ready to go...wow, it's wonderful! And even energy to exercise!

Today I did well with food, I think. I wasn't hungry at all between meals and snacks. I think I did go a little overboard with the veggies because after I subtracted my fibers, I was over 20 carb grams by a little bit. I really think that adding more fat has helped..so thanks SO much for all the input! I wouldn't have figured it out by myself:)

Twilight,
Yes tomatoes and onions are on the acceptable list, but, they both are high carb items. That's because they have more sugars in them than something like cauliflower. I pointed out the chicken from what you posted. Like you said, it wasn't fried. Note, my point is that you were getting sugar into your system - which makes you hungry. Cut out all sugar and you won't be hungry. Trust me. I learned this very thing the hard way.

Buy up meats and chicken parts that you like when they're on sale. Oven roast, use your crock pot, package and freeze dinners for your use during the week when you don't have time.

Have a chicken leg or two after you've eaten breakfast as your snack! Roast a turkey breast, slice it up. Slather a piece of it with mayo and a slice of cheese for your afternoon snack.

This diet is really simple in that you get to eat lots of fat, moderate protein, and few carbs.
You're doing it! And getting rid of a couple of little items will teak it even more.

Do you have Atkins' "New Diet Revolution"?
Here is his Blue Cheese Dressing recipe if you don't have the book.

4oz blue cheese (i.e. Stilton, Gorgonzola, Danish blue, Roquefort, Magtag)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium bowl, mash cheese. Mix in mayo, sour cream, vinegar and mustard until well combined (doesn't have to be smooth).
Whisk in olive oil until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2 tablespoons = 2 digestible carbs

protein 3 grams, fat 20 grams; calories 200.

This is a excellent dressing. I've made it several times now and it is different with what cheese you use.

Funny thing about reading DANDR, you never get it all the first time! I re-read parts of the book on Induction lastnight, and the sample menu included chocolate and vanilla shakes as a snack. It also offered Zucchini Nut Bread as a breakfast option! How did I miss that?

Just thought I'd offer that bit of information. I think that the prepared foods often hinder some rather than help because they start eating less whole foods. Used in moderation, prepared foods probably help keep some people on track.

HTH!

drink more water, with your meals.

Thanks for the recipe..I will definately try that!

It seems NOW that my current potential problem is the intake of *too many calories*!!! ARgh!!! Before I started this thread, the cal count for the days before was 1635 and 1390. (I had just started my fit day account. Since then I've been taking in more fat to ease the constant hunger and my cal count is way up there!...2184, 2797, 2316...and today it already is at 1818 - it's mid afternoon and I haven't had any afternoon snacks and will need to eat dinner tonight, of course. I'm only suppose to weigh in of Fridays, but the worry over fat calories caused me to take a peek today. I've gone from 157 to 160:( Grrrrr!! Will I ever get this right???? This morning, even after 2 boiled eggs and cream cheese, and then 3 eggs with a piece of melted cheddar & 4 thin slices of bacon, I was hungry again. So later for a snack I did have an ounce of string cheese and later a shake. And I was *still* in the pit of my stomach hungry. For lunch I had a cup and half of pulled pork and two cups of greens with red wine viniagraitte. That finally satisified me but my calorie intake is now over 1800. So now is it time to cut back on the fat?

I'd say bulk up with veggies! You'd be suprised how easy it is to keep everything else in check if you have a good amount of high-fiber veggies with your protein/fat.

Add some veggies to the eggs for an omelette. It really stays with you longer, or have your protein over a bed of greens. It'll help with feeling full AND help things stick with you a lot longer.

When did you take a peek at your weight? If it wasn;t first thing in the morning, then you are also weighing all the water you have drunk, all the food you've eaten and so on.

When I peeked at my weight, it was in the middle of the day, so that was part of the reason for the increase. But to be sure I checked this morning and I had in fact gained a pound or two. So I've decided to not go too crazy with the fat calories. This morning instead of bacon, I added cut up chicken breast to my eggs along with some green pepper. I used a tablespoon of butter to scramble the eggs.

I've notice that for some odd reason I'm less hungry when I'm exercising or I'm very busy with housework. It seems it's when I'm vegging out on the sofa that I notice the hunger. Strange.

That's why you've been hungry! NOT ENOUGH FOOD INTAKE per day, plus the hidden sugars.

During INDUCT, you don't worry about caloric intake, you worry about HIGH FAT, Medium Protein and LOW CARBS at 20. As you move into OWL (ongoing wt loss stage 2) then you start to decrease fat, increase carbs at a gradual increase of no more than 5 carb a day per week until you find your CCL (Critical Carb Level).