Hi All!!

I know that alot of you don't use them, but I'm sorry to say that I've kind of grown psychologically dependent on them!! Im now in the (owl) phase of my Atkins diet, my stix shoe me at a trace, is this still suficiant for weight loss, or shouls I cut back on the carbs a little to help it along?!?

THANKS GUYS!!!

I can't justify trying to pee on those little suckers.. ROFLMAO

I just can't SEE trying to pee on those little suckers!!!



Having said that, from what I've read it's sufficient for the stix to show 'trace' - that deeper colours simply mean you aren't drinking enough water to flush out the ketones, and so they concentrate in the urine.

Rachel

Me thinks I still prefer to pee in a toilet.. Trying to pee on the stix I may just miss and get my hands instead.. rofl

I'm somewhat addicted to the strips as well, so it's not just you! Mine are usually in the moderate area unless I drink more water than normal and it will show more of a lighter pink. You may want to try cutting back on carbs for a couple of days to see if it makes a difference in the stick. But if you're feeling smaller and are losing, I think you could be just as satisfied with a lighter pink stick! Any amount of pink says you're in ketosis, after all, it doesn't have to be purple... (But it seems more exiting when it is....I know... )

Also, here's a tip my mom gave me, cut the strips in half! They're expensive little buggers and then they'll last twice as long.

Emma

I am on my third day of the Atknsons Diet and was wondering how you can tell if you are in ketosis without using the strips (I'm finding them hard to come by) - is there something I should be looking for?

Hi Emmielou, welcome aboard. There are other changes that you may feel in your body switches to ketosis mode, such as the keto breath. It's hard to detect though, especially if you want to find the daily amount of carb that is your limit before taking you out of ketosis.

It may not be very essential though, if you take your body measurements and note down your progress in terms of inches lost, while taking a food journal to track your carbs, you'll be able to observe how your body reacts to changes in your food intake.

Wa'il

I have noticed that I get a headache mid-afternoon (which is when I usually head for the sweeties or crisps)
but its early days yet - onwards and upwards as they say thanks.

A headache might be a sign that you're getting into ketosis. I also get hyper/tense/agitated on the 2nd-3rd day when I get off the wagon and get back to induction. It goes away on the 3rd day when I'm back to LC. Not sure if it happens to everyone, but I got used to this reaction.

Wa'il

The headaches may also be a sign that your fuel reserves are low. especially in the early days, when your body is still using up the last remnants of glucose/glycogen reserves, and switching into full ketosis mode. EAT SOME PROTEIN. It's wise to eat a small meal or snack containing protein every couple of hours or so.

Not sure what you have for lunch, a lot of folks have a small salad and a piece of chicken, or a bunless burger, then go for 6 hours till supper time. Way too long. If you're at work, take some of those cheese strings, or beef jerky strips, a handful of nuts, or a hard-boiled egg (leave in the shell).

And drink lots of water or other carb-free liquid to keep those ketones flushed out .. .. and coffee is NOT carb-free. An 8 oz cup has 1.1 carbs (black), plus any cream and/or sweetener...

take care, keep us posted of your progress

Doreen

I'm getting a bit worried - I've been eating quite a lot of cheese (which dr Atkins says is ok in induction stage - as long as you watch the carbs) i've been eating between 125 and 200g of the stuff - beginning to worry that I'm eating way too much cheese
For breakfasts and lunches - so far, I've been having Turkey rashers and scrambled eggs with some cheese - aulthough I've been adding some vegetables in here and there for carbs
Thanks for the help :-)

Hi, Emmielou, welcome to the board! We're becoming quite the international crowd, eh?

Ketostix should be available at the chemists, in with the diabetic supplies. Here in Canada they keep them behind the counter - I suppose because they're expensive and in a rather small box, easy to nick. So you might have to ask.

Cheese is OK if you count the carbs, as you say. However, some people find that too much dairy stalls them, and of course cheese has that lovely binding effect on the innards.....

Turkey rashers and eggs sound fine for breakfast and lunch, but you might find yourself becoming bored after a while! It's hard to believe, but one can actually become quite creative with low-carb cooking, even at the induction level. Check out the recipies on this forum for ideas. (Note: we don't weigh ingredients here, like you do there; so where it says 'cup', just use an ordinary 8-oz. coffee mug.)

Good luck! And if you have more questions, just ask!
Rachel

Oh dear, 200 gm is an awful lot in one day! I know what you mean though, as I LOVE cheese. The thing is, a lot of folks seem to find that high-fat dairy products, such as cheese, cream, cream cheese, sour cream etc (all the stuff that makes life worth-while **sigh**) can stall the weight loss like nothing else. Not everyone, but some folks, and usually I've noticed it's women - including me. Go figure.

Here's some tricks I've found helpful -

• Buy sharper tasting well-aged cheeses, and goat and sheep cheeses. The stronger flavour means you can use just a small bit to get that same wonderful cheese-y flavour. Yumm.
  
• The higher cost of these sharp cheeses also helps one to use a lighter hand. Psychological trick, but it works for me. It's way too easy to whack off a huge slab of the cheaper bulk cheeses from the supermarket.
  
• Add some herbs and spices with the cheese, to punch up the flavour. Even with breakfast eggs, I find a wee dash of cayenne adds a nice zing to the cheese. Or, good Spanish paprika.

Another suggestion, when this packet of turkey rashers is gone, do consider buying REAL pork bacon rashers. The turkey slices are at least one carb each. Regular bacon, especially the salt-reduced types, is lower, often less than 0.5 gm for 3 slices.

You'll do fine, maybe you just need some new ideas for creative menu planning. Click here for Karen's tips to "Jazz Up Your Induction".

take care, Doreen