I started almost 2 weeks ago. For the first 4 days I lost a lb a day.
then I gained a lb over the long weekend but I promise I did not
cheat! i lost that lb again and another 1/2 one this week, but I
am getting frustrated only havng lost 4 1/2 lbs, most of that in the
first few days. I am drinking tons of water.

Few questions

I am about 15 lbs overweight so I dont have tons to lose. I take
it I would lose less in the first 2 weeks then those who are larger?

I am very stuck in still in calorie counting to some extent. I.e.
I know I am probably taking in around 1500 calories a day. Is it possible
to eat too many calories/fat and gain weight? or if you really dont
eat carbs that wont affect things. for example, I am a big steak
eater. If I have a hugh steak with salad for dinner I feel like I have
overeaten. could I be eating too little.?

I have been buying the atkins products and having one a day for
a snack or breakfast (shake) since bacon and eggs every morning
was getting hard to do.

the hardest part is that I dont really like veggies. my favorite is
carrots, which is a nono right now, but I do find carrots on my salads
and figure I get part of the 20gm of carbs a day thru them. Its hard
to pick them all out. I figure I also get in my carbs from sauces in
food that I order out from since I work full time.

What is the best thing to order from chinese that is not all veggie
(worried about the soy sauce)

What is the real deal about yogurt. i would love to add it back in as
breakfast.

what about sugar free gum? sugar free popsicles?

for the positives

Just for a snack fyi, I have found suger free jello and cool whip.
Love it!

Took the kids to mcdonalds or chicfila and did not eat fries! that
is very hard, but I did it. Also the kids love pasta and sandwiches
and I have not cheated on those. Dont miss the carbs from
bread/pasta. I MISS FRUIT!!!!! is it bad once off induction to
add fruit every so often, i.e. berries melon.

Once off induction, are occasional whole wheat crackers ok?
what about the low carb bread a few times a week.

thanks for helping me. I have always done low fat or low calorie diets
in teh past. this is new for me.

sandy

Wow, I am not sure I can sit here long enough to answer all those questions, but will answer some for you.
First of all, 4.5 pounds in under two weeks is super...how much did you want to lose. This is not a FAST way to lose weight, we actually think of it as a way of eating, and way of life. You may be right, since you have so little to lose, the odds of you losing 10 or 20 pounds whosshhh, are pretty slim.
After induction, the book actually tells you how to go about it...I do believe he suggests adding 5 carbs a week until you are kicked out of ketosis..and then backing off 5 from there. That is what he calls OWL..ongoing weight loss....
What you add I think is up to you, but he does recommend they be veggie carbs...not a bunch of useless carbs.
You should eat until you are satisfied...not stuff yourself...during induction, just keep your carbs below 20, and have your big steak if you want it...it has 0 carbs.
I also worked full time, 12 hour shifts when doing this and it was very easy...there are lots of recipes here on this site...I take a morning and cook all kinds of things, divide them up and then freeze them...ready to go in a flash...check out the kitchen forum...
I dont' do the chinese thing...too easy to stray from the lc way of life...and really loaded with sodiumm so cant help you there.
I chew sugar free gum sometimes...don't think it is going to hurt anything...and we dont' have SF popsicles that I know of here, so haven't tried them. Once off induction, don't know why you couldn't have them, just have to add them into your daily calculations.
Instead of Coolwhip, try to use "real" food products...like really whipped cream...oh so yummy, and not an edible oil product...that always scares me...lol
Once off induction, the thing to do is read your book, he explains things very well, and there are lower carb fruits that you can have...he does list them...
As for yogurt..once off induction, I am sure that the plain unsweetened stuff would be okay, as long as you allow for the carbs..but if you go nuts and add all this stuff on day 15, I think it may hurt what you have already done.
When I look at your stats...your weight loss is huge...please be pleased with it...
I have to hit the sack now...hope I have helped alittle bit...but I am sure that others will come along and offer more help.
Good luck, you are doing very well.

I am about 15 lbs overweight so I dont have tons to lose. I take
it I would lose less in the first 2 weeks then those who are larger?

figure on 10% of what you have to lose, so you are well ahead of the game

I have been buying the atkins products and having one a day for
a snack or breakfast (shake) since bacon and eggs every morning
was getting hard to do.

You can eat ANYTHING for breakfast, not just traditional breakfast foods. Leftover dinner, roast beef rolled up in a slice of cheese, etc.

I figure I also get in my carbs from sauces in food that I order out from since I work full time.

Yikes, watch out for those sauces. They can have tons of hidden carbs, filler and sugar. Go for undressed meat instead of saucy meat.

What is the best thing to order from chinese that is not all veggie
(worried about the soy sauce)

Caution again. It's not the soy sauce that's the problem (except for the salt) It's the thickeners in the stir fries. Fried shrimp, peel off the breading. But watch out because shrimp does have a few carbs.

What is the real deal about yogurt. i would love to add it back in as
breakfast.

Check down further in the posting list (it may be on page 2 or 3.) There's a thread dealing with everything you wanted to know about yogurt...or do a search in this forum for yogurt.

cool whip.

Cool whip is not a real food. It is a chemically enhanced edible oil product. You might want to avoid it. Also avoid Reddi Whip in the can..it has lots of hidden sugars. You can whip up your own using heavy or whipping cream.


Fruit - berries are ok after induction. I think melon is too in limited amounts but you'll need to check the carb counts.

You've gotten very good advice so far. I will just add my comments to the above.

Calories...1500 is fine for you. The guideline is 10 to 12 times your goal weight. Calories do count after induction. It is still true that if we eat too many (more than our body needs for energy) we will not lose and may gain.

Atkins' shakes...They are not meant as meal replacements, only snacks.

Chinese food...Almost everything has cornstarch added.

Yogurt...Try to get the full fat unsweetened kind. I have it occasionally but don't like the plain. I add 1/2 tsp. sugar-free strawberry jam to about 3/4 cup yogurt for a fruit taste. Adding fresh berries would be OK too.

Fruit... I eat strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, but not every day. If I put a little heavy cream on them I feel that I just had a rich dessert.

Gum/popsicles....Sugar-free is OK as long as they are sweetened with Splenda and not aspertame. Wells Blue Bunny makes Splenda popsicles. There is a Splenda gum but don't remember the brand.

Crackers/bread....No regular crackers! The only acceptable ones are Wasa light rye crackers, but they have 4 carbs in 1 cracker. LC bread is OK. Just don't overdo it.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

BTW...You are doing great! Enjoy all the steak you want - I do.

Oh... no... I'm going out for Chinese food tomorrow night. What do I do?