Hi all Can any one tell my why is it that my ketostik is purple in early afternoon. And by late afternoon it's only a trace or none. I've been on Atkins diet for about 4 weeks now and only lost 4 lbs.And that was the first week on Atkins, I have cut out the sugar and flour. I am drinking diet soda and eating sugar free jello. Is this a NO NO? I love my sweets and find it really hard to NOT have anything sweet. I do eat eggs and bacon in the morning, then for lunch it can be a salad with tuna, and for supper it could be steak and salad. BUT during the day I do tend to eat jello, whipping cream with low fat hot chocolate mix phily cream cheese recipes ect... any thing that has low carb (dessert recipe) I've been going nuts trying new recipes.
Is this wrong? Should I cut out my dessert compelety? Is jello, whipping cream, Phily cream cheese O.K.
What do you guys eat? Give me some sort of idea what you people eat during the day? I read and hear people lose weight quickly but here I am only 4 lbs lost.

Hi there.......

On the ketostix.....even showing a trace is adequate, though for many, the stix never register at all. It's not a problem though....it just means that you are properly hydrated (drinking enough water) or that there aren't many ketones spilling into your urine. The best way to know that you are on track is by knowing that you are eating correctly.

It's not uncommon for you body to take time to adjust to this new way of eating....and for weight loss to be slow. The big losers generally have more weight to lose so lose what seems like more, although as a percentage, is about the same as those with less to lose.

As for the sweets, the artificial sweetners have been known to stall some people. Atkins does talk about certain foods that tend to slow some of us down. If you aren't happy with the rate that you are losing, you could try some tweaks....such as paring the plan down to the basics and eliminating the diet jello and other things containing A/S. There is a thread that gives a list of foods that tend to slow you down.

HTH
Marlaine

Hi Thanks for your suggestions. Could you please tell me where to look for that list of foods that could slow you down?
I'm going to cut all those artificial sweeters. (try ) Do you know if whipping cream and phily cream cheese is O.K. ?That doesnt have any artificial sweeter in it.
Oh Marlaine, I have notice you sure have dropped alot of weight good for you.
If you please point the way to that list of no no foods. Thanks

for most people, whipping cream and cream cheese are both o.k. They tend to stall me (but I'm odd!).

The ideal way to eat--if you can manage it--would be:

meats of all sorts (but no processed meats)
eggs
veggies of all sorts
berries
oils and butter
up to 4 ounces nuts or seeds per day
spices, salt, herbs in reasonable amounts
herbal tea and water to drink

and nothing else.

But very few of us can be that pure in our eating. Every food you add in beyond that (cheese, other dairy, AS, other fruits, LC tortillas, LC bars, sugarfree gum, alcohol, even vinegar for some people, etc.) increases your chance of stalling or losing very slowly. So, the fewer of those you add, the more you stick to the short list of real/unprocessed foods, the more you optimize your loss.

If you're a veteran dieter, you'll lose more slowly. If you take meds, you may lose more slowly. Just a tiny taste of something sugary twice a week can stop loss dead in the water. A pound a week average isn't bad at all, especially if it continues!

Best of luck to you!

I think the tips & Stalls section have many hints and ideas of the NO-NO foods for you. Also go back to the Atkins book and re-read it, it also has all the foods listed that could cause problems. Another thing you mentioned was that you are drinking Low Fat hot chocolate mix??? Low fat does not mean sugar free, just as sugar free on the hot chocolate mixes generally still has carbs. So, you may want to read the label on that mix, it could be a culprit also. And drink plenty of water, your deep purple may mean dehydration not ketosis.

Hope this is of some help.

Good luck
Cindy

Hi all The hot chocolate that I was drinking is calorie reduced. instant hot chocolate is high in carbs 5g. The dessert that I make with is 3 cups of whipping cream and one package of this hot chocolate.YUMMY It make lots. It usually last a couple days. Maybe it's the aspartame. I'll have to cut it out of the diet.
This is for Razzle I havent ate any fruit(berries) because of the sugar in it. I havent ate any seed/nuts. And ate very little veggies because of the sugars in the veggies. It's been alot of meat(pork beef fish) eggs and cheese.
So alot of you have said the aspartame may be giving me the stall. Well I think tomorrow will be the day I start with NO aspartame. I'll have to start drinking my green tea again.(maybe adding 1 tsp of aspartame) It sure taste awful with out that sugar or aspartame.

Not, the sugars in berries/nuts and veggies is not the same kind found in SF pudding or aspartame or any other 'fake' foods. All carbs are not created equal.

Keep in mind that Induction is <20g a day and keeping it as low as possible is not the aim. Shoot for 20g, and remember to subtract your fiber (allowing you to actually eat more carbs). The odd dessert of whipped cream with splenda isn't a 'bad thing' - but using all of your carbs on these kinds of 'foods' is. You only have 20g of them, spend them wisely.

You actually need those veggies and berries and nuts - they pack a lot of vitamins, essential fats and minerals. About the only thing the pudding/jello is packed with is sodium.

If you pull out your copy of DANDR and copy down all the foods that you should be eating on Induction and keep it taped to your fridge you might find it easier. We tend to eat the same foods over and over again and forget that there's quite a variety we can eat, even while on Induction.

Nat

Hi So you are saying I could have some strawberries and cherries which I've been craving this week. I do have a carb gram counter that I have been using and for strawberries .25 cup is 2.7g cherries is 4.8g for the same amount. Alot (most) of the fruit is up there in carbs..25 cup is sure isnt much. Veggies is up there also.50 cup of green beans is 4.9 , broccoli is 3.9g for .50 cup and nuts are no better. Two tbs of macadamia nuts are 2.3 grams What I'm saying you sure can have your 20 grams quickly in a day.
I know you should have a bit of veggies/fruit a day. I do take vitamins daily. I have been eating a little veggies a day. But I have not had any fruit or nuts since I started this diet. But what I'm saying by the time I have my meals with spices,salad dressing ect. it is pretty close of being 20grams. We all have done it (I'm sure) got a little over our 20grams or even go under.

notaquiter....

You will find that list here:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...6416#post436416

Marlaine