I need more of a variety in my daily menus. Problem is I really do not like veggies to snack on like celery, i tried putting cream cheese and peanut butter on it but after gagging...I decided to throw it away. Today 4/15/03 starts by 4th week on Atkins, I am sticking with the Induction for a while longer. My menu now consist of:

Breakfast: 2 eggs and 2 bacon

lunch: salad with grilled chicken

dinner: grilled chicken, hamburgers or roast.

snacks: pork skins, slim jims or beef jerky, sometimes sunflower seeds (to keep my hands busy) and GUM.

Please send any menu ideas you can, I do not want to stop, but I am affraid I will get bored

Hi Amy:

Read your post about being bored with the foods and needing recipes. When I first started I too got bored and started looking for lots of recipes and tried all kinds of them...BUT what I found out the more I experimented the more I stalled. This is only my opinion...you have a lot of weight to lose...stick with plain, unadulterated foods and you will lose steadily.

Stay away from those snacks filled with nitrates and foods that will make you retain water (that was my problem, pepperoni, cheese, etc.).

If you eat enough fat and protein with carbs you WON'T be hungry and will not need all those snacks. You don't mention eating any veggies at dinner. Try a cup of green beans, broccoli, cauliflower or zucchini. You need these for fiber.

For instance, if you had 3 eggs and 3-4 slices of bacon for breakfast instead of 2 eggs and 2 slices of bacon. Up your calories and fat and I guarantee you won't need those snacks. I would guess snacks have always been your problem so try to do without them. I find when I look for a snack it is because I didn't eat enough for lunch or dinner. Don't be afraid of the calories in the beginning. Dr. Atkins says to eat until you are full but not stuffed.

There are plenty of recipes on this site. Look to the top of this page for recipe ideas.

I hope you find these ideas helpful because I feel they helped me in the beginning.

Good luck to you.

Rose

I just ordered a cook book "500 Low Carb Receipes" I think it's fairly new. The reviews from the customers were stellar. I'm looking forward to trying out some new receipes. It's hard to keep my family interested in LC meals.

Hi Amy,

I'm in week six of Atkins. I began adding some new foods in when I finished Induction. I still aim to stay at less than 20 g of carbs per day (Induction levels), but I have a lot more variety in my diet and this is really helping to keep me committed. I love the foods I'm eating and so the plan is much easier to stick to for me. I'm really enjoying food again.

Why not add in a few more items if you're getting bored. The key to success is sticking with LC for the long haul, and that's going to be very hard to do if you're bored and unhappy with your food choices.

Have you read the book regarding the carb ladder and which foods to add back in when? Dr. A recommends starting with more veggies, then more cheeses, and then berries and nuts.

I must confess that I did not follow this strictly. I added in 1/2 c of strawberries in week 3 because I was dying for fruit. I ate them with a couple of tablespoons of devon cream. I also made the recipe for LC Peanut Butter Cups (in the recipe section) and allowed myself one, twice a week.

At the end of week 3 I added in .5 c plain yogurt a couple of times a week. (Have you read the info on this? If not do a search for yogurt. The active cultures eat the lactose - so the carb count is only 4 g per cup.) This has made a difference for me. I can now make my own protein shakes, or have a half cup with some berries for brekkie. Makes a great change from eggs, eggs, eggs.

Mid week 4 I added 1 oz nuts, first once or twice a week and now everday. Last week, I added the odd "faux float" (diet pop with heavy cream -- just like an ice cream soda!) None of these additions seems to have interfered too much with my loss. In six weeks, I have lost 20 lbs. Granted, my degree of metabolic resistance is obviously low.

All of these changes have really increased my satisfaction with this WOE, and provided some quicker meal/snack options.

As I said, most days I still come in at 14-19 g carbs. Very occasionally I have gone up closer to 25. (I also had two Friday nights with a few glasses of wine.)

I'd encourage you to really think of this not as a diet, but as a new healthy way to eat. And that means making it work for you and your lifestyle. If your body is asking for variety - go for it!

As to specific menu ideas: dress up meats with yummy cream sauces, eggs and veggies with hollandaise; get creative with your morning eggs and try varieties of omlettes; aim to try 1 new veggie or new method of prep every week.

What else?

Lots of toppings that are good on pasta taste equally great on a bed of spinach. Experiment with cheeses and seek out ones that have a strong taste (you need less, so fewer carbs). My faves are asiago and smoked gouda or cheddar.

Have some soup. Karen's Vegetable Cream soup is delish. I made mine with cauliflower and it was VERY low carb.

Hope those ideas help. For me, the biggest thing was finding alternatives for breakfast, because I was SO sick of eggs.

Good luck!

That book is excellent!!! Most of the other cookbooks i've seen involves recipes for filet mignon and braised orangefish. While I'm sure it's delicious, I think most of us just want to cook something fairly simple and inexpensive. The Heroin Wing recipe (the first one in the book) is really good, and excellent to serve at potlucks. I'm now famous for bringing the wings.