Hi everyone!

I find that on the atkins diet, i don't feel like eating. It's good in a way, but i end up not eating enough or end up sticking my hand into the cookie jar. How many calories should i be eating? ~1700? Do you guys have any tips?

Here is my fitday journal
here

Thanks
Alex

A good rule for calories is 10-12x your goal weight. Since you acknowledge that you're still a growing adolescent, I'd say anywhere from 1500-1900 sounds fine.

It's good that you're not trying to get your carb level low either, but I have to say the couple days that were in your Fitday don't look very nutritionally sound. There were no vegetables listed and refined flour and sugar in both days.

You must understand that it is not the quantity of carbohydrates as much as the quality in these diets. You will not be receiving proper nutrition getting all of your carbs from cookies and doughnuts only to restrict the rest of your diet to meat, eggs, and cheese. The point is to control insulin, which can't be accomplished when eating refined sweets like that. You will also find you won't crave sweets as much if you don't eat them.

My suggestion is to eat more veggies, give up sugar except in the form of fruits, eat whole grain breads instead of refined flour. If you haven't really read any books, I'd suggest you do so. You won't be reaping the benefits of low-carb if you continue to eat cookies and cakes.

I wish you the best. Hope you find something that works for you!

That's very good advice from Skamito. basically you AREN"T low carbing at all when you eat meat, cheese, eggs AND SUGAR AND STARCHES.

The low carb way of eating is a chemical change in the way our bodies convert food to energy. If we eat protein and low-carb vegetables and salad, we stop putting out insulin which stores excess calories as fat, and begin to process our food by the hormone glucagon. Because we are not eating enough carbs for our energy needs, the body must convert some protein to sugars to run the muscles. But it also needs to bring fat OUT of storage and use it for the rest of the energy needs. When the fat is "burned" for energy, the body knows this and begins to lose 'weight'.

But you cannot fool your liver into thinking that starch & sugar carbs don't count. The liver knows, the pancreas knows and out comes the insulin to put more fat into storage on you. The veggies & salad are essential for good nutrition and to make this way of eating work for you.

Please read the book, at least as far as how to do Induction. You will learn so much and be so much better prepared to succeed.

Thanks for replying

I know that cookies are not allowed... i just get cravings....erg. They are getting better though .

I think you are totally right about the vegetables. Everyday I do have them I just forgot to put them down. I had green beans at dinner.

However, I do agree that even some more vegetables throughout the day would be good too.

What do you guys do about cravings? I'm looking for some easy stuff without aspartame (allergic to the stuff). I usually have some tea with splenda and that helps me. I also have a diet rite with atkins syrup.

Thanks again,
Alex

Alex

Please read a book...now browse thru it...but seriously read it. You'll find that LC is not just stopping sugar and starches.

You should be eating several tiems a day. You should be following a fairly well balanced diet. Veggies are very important.

As for the cravings? The first few days are hard, but if you follow induction correctly after a few days you shouldn't have any! If you are young, you should not do 20 carbs/day...Protein Power allows more...but it is very important that you do not cheat or have unacceptable carbs for the the first 2 weeks. It allows you to detoxify and break the bad habits of reaching for carbs to satisfy your hunger.

Good luck and welcome to the forum. We're all always willing to help and support where we can.

But, please read a book (or two) and then follow their plan.

Cindy

Alex:

I, too, was allergic to Aspartame. I used to get an upset stomach after one diet drink. I found that after a fews months on the diet with no suger I lost my allergy to Aspartame!

Katie