Atkins Shakes And Bars
 

Another newbie question...

I think Ive read several times to stay away from low carb bars due to hidden carbs. Is this true for Atkins bars as well?

And although I know its best to eat whole foods not meal replaements like bars and shakes...I do LOVE smoothie and wondering if the Atkins shake mix seem ok to you guys or is that one of the things you find out later on are keeping you from losing?

Thanks! :wave:

Ouch - it seems they are right
 

I was in the city today and thought I would stop in the health food store. My boss told me he ate the Atkins bars (and they were only 2-3 carbs each). Of course, it was a spur of the moment thing, I just decided to get some. I hadn't eaten lunch (and in fact had not had any carbs for the day) so I tried one on the way home with a liter of water. I didn't even mind the taste. Kinda strange texture, but not bad.

Now mind you, I am only on about the 4th day of induction, but had managed to get to a moderate level of ketosis when I checked before bed last night. I was feeling confident. Until I got home and checked on this board for what everyone said about the low-carb bars. I checked my ketones - the stick said negative (boo-hoo). It had to be that *&#~$ low carb bar. Besides I have had BAD diarrhea all night. I've got $20 worth of the stupid things that I will not be foolish enough to eat. (Maybe I can give them to my boss!!)

I was in hopes that they would not affect the insulin level. It would be so handy to keep one in my purse for an emergency. I often work long hours - sometimes unexpectantly and I get caught without food at the office that I can eat. These would have been perfect to use on those occassions rather than work myself into a binge by not being able to eat anything.

Oh well, live and learn.

Em

For what its worth, maybe try again after induction?

I think its kinda crappy...
 

that Dr Atkins would sell bars with hidden carbs...

He stresses making sure you find hidden carbs then promotes a product with a super high carb count.

I sure am glad I found this out early on, but I agree with you Em, they would be a lifesaver for times when you just can't eat the right thing. No matter how hard you plan, eventually you get stuck with no way of getting anything low carb.

And for those of us with busy lifestyles they would be a dream come true.

Maybe these are things that should only be used when you get to OWL...or maintenance. If so, somebody should shout that out loud for all us newbies! LOL :eek:

Wow . . . I'm glad I read this. Maybe that's been the culprit I've been fighting! I've been eating low-carb protein bars, low-carb protein drinks and sugar free chocolate (in moderation)! Guess I'll cut that out right away.

Thanks for the input!

When I got up this am, I checked the ketostix - back to pink. So after a mistake, I am happy to report that I am back on track. No bars today though!

That's so good to know!!

I'm going to half the odd low-carb bar when my induction is over. I need to do this once in a while for a little sweet....

I ate one during induction (bad girl!) called "Designer Whey" - flavour - "Peanut Better Body" (lol) It's sooooooooooo good. Must be bad. GRRRRR.

There's a good article on sugar alcohols ((MALTITOL, SORBITOL, ISOMALT , etc..) that are in most locarb bars:
http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips010.html

I suppose the best plan is to strictly limit bar consumption, tho.
:wave:

For unexpted hunger at work - instead of the handy but "evil" low-carb bars, I kept some tuna cans, sardines, and misc. other canned fish in my drawer. If there's a fridge, maybe you can even stash some cheese (cheese cubes & mustard is pretty tasty).

After a while, co-workers do get used to one eating "strange" stuff - while they munch on oreos and popcorn.

In general, "hidden carbs" are a concern with the BARS, not with the low-carb protein shake POWDERS.

Glycerine and sugar alcohols are synthetic carbohydrates that can have unpredictable effects for people .. and may or may not trigger sweet cravings or bring ketosis to a halt. It's best to avoid them altogether during the 14 days of Induction, then try them cautiously after that, if at all. So many members have broke through a long stall by dropping their daily "low carb" bar. :) One thing, they have a tendency to cause uncomfortable gas and even diarrhea for many people, especially if over-indulged. And persons with a Candida yeast sensitivity find these produsts send the yeastie beasties into an uproar!!

The reason they're added to the bars and not to powders is that the bars need chemicals added to make them soft, pliable and to have some "bulk". Without the glycerine and thick sugar alchohol syrups, they'd be small and hard as a rock! Powders on the other hand, have no need for these bulking agents, since the idea is you mix those with water or other liquid. Do be aware that some of the canned ready-made low-carb protein drinks may have maltodextrin or other similar refined carb added to make it thick and creamy textured, so the carb count will be a bit higher than a powder.

If you have the time, you might be interested to make your own home-made protein bars from low-carb protein powder. There's no hidden carbs, there's no chemical ingredients. You know exactly what's there. Check out:

• Protein Bars (chocolate)
  
  Home-made Protein Bars - Fruit-flavoured

hth,

Doreen

Don't obsess with the ketostix
 

In response to em who said she dropped out of ketosis after eating an Atkins bar: from what I've read you shouldn't focus too much on the ketostix because lots of things can affect the reading (e.g., having just exercised, having had a high-fat meal, amount of water in your system). If you were back into ketosis the next day it's likely that you never really dropped out of ketosis but rather got a bad reading from the ketostix on that day--perhaps the fact that you had skipped lunch had something to do with it. In any case, take that ketostix info with a grain of salt. The scale is a better indicator--if you're losing it doesn't really matter whether you're in ketosis or not. Personally, I think ketostix should only be used when one has reached a stall or plateau and needs to do some detective work. My 2 cents.

Susan, who doesn't use ketostix cause they're too expensive and not all that accurate to begin with ;)