Hi everyone,
I have been following the Induction phase of Atkins for the last two weeks pretty strictly, although I have only lost 5 pounds so far, I don't have that much to lose so I guess I'm on track. However, I have to visit the folks tonight for a Birthday party for my niece, and I know my Mom and Dad will be pressuring me to eat cake and ice cream. They think low-carb is bad for you, they won't listen to me when I try to explain the concepts, they just say things like: "you need to eat all foods in moderation if you want to be healthy, how can it be a good diet if you're not allowed fruit?" They will try to guilt me into cheating. Plus they say I don't need to lose, and any time I get near my goal weight of 125 they say "you're too skinny, you don't look good, you need to stop dieting, are you anorexic?" Please give me some tips to deal with this kind of sabotage, I don't understand what they get out of it. It's crazy because I'm 43 years old for God's sake, I'm old enough to know how to feed myself! But they still act like I'm a teenager...has anyone else successfully fended off these "attacks"? Part of me will want to have some cake, so it's going to be a struggle...please help! Thanks so much for any support.

I just say, "I'm not hungry...plain and simple". If that doesn't work, tell them what you told us....I'm 43 years old and I know when and what I want to eat! If all else fails, have a teeny tiny piece of cake, no ice cream, no punch, no nothing else and wash it out with water, water and more water. A tiny sliver of cake won't do much if any damage. Good luck!

Tell your parents you agree you should be eating healthy, that's why you are having veggies and meats. Then ask them how exactly cake and icecream count as a health food.

As close as you are to goal you should probably be adding in fruit and moving through the stages of Atkins a little more quickly. Go ahead and add berries with whipped cream or cottage cheese. Look into what other low carb low GI fruits you can start adding back in. Staying with Induction until goal is a bad idea as it doesn't teach you how to eat for life, and can make all the weight come back. Also as tall as you are 125 may be on the lowish side. Get your body fat tested and shoot for a healthy percentage there. Add more exercise for toning and sleekening, ignore the scale. Try going to www.zoneperfect.com and looking under the resources section to get an easy body fat calculator.

Tell your family firmly that you are not going to eat any cake or ice cream, you do not want the 'sugar headache' that usually follows after LC'ing for a while. Why not take along a nice LC snack for yourself, or you could make something like the cheesecake that I've seen on this site and hand it around for anyone that doesn't want sugar.

Be strong, stand your ground and enjoy yourself.

Had basicly the same thing happen with my sister. She kept it up until I finally took her hand and quietly told her that I was working very hard at this, I knew exactly which choices I wanted to make and please don't worry about me I'm fine. If I wanted to eat it I would, as I have in the past, but right now I don't want to.

Thanks so much, you guys are awesome. I am stunned at how quickly I got some responses! I just realized I need to update my stats, my weight has been all over the place due to HRT, which I have now discontinued. This is probably my 3rd time doing Atkins, and it seems it's harder to see progress every time. But I love the fact that I found this board with so many helpful, inspiring people. I'm really going to try to make this a permanent WOE this time, I feel so much better when I don't eat all those carbs. Thanks again, I'm truly touched by your generous show of support. I hope I can repay the favor some day!

Sounds like it is time to show the folks you mean business. I know this isn't easy when family is involved but being direct is best. Tell them you do not want the cake/ice cream (unless you're opting for a small piece - make sure that is YOUR choice, not just caving in to them). If they continue, I would consider walking away. Go to another room, or leave altogether. This may sound drastic but it sounds like they need to know this isn't just a lc issue, it's about respect for your choices.

I nod my head in agreement at all the advice above. Just remember to be polite about it because they don't mean it as an attack to you per se. It is society telling us how we should and shouldn't eat, and it's also people feeling uncomfortable with our changes.

I do agree that you should bring a dessert. Like it's mentioned, try making the cheesecake. Better yet, why not make a double batch of homemace chocolate peanut butter cups? Keep them in the freezer until ready to serve. You probably have the ingredients on hand anyway, and it will change the focus on what you choose NOT to eat, to the goodies you DID bring!

Here is the recipe in case you have never seen it:
Homemde Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Melt 1 cube UNSALTED butter in microwave. Add 1/3 c. SPlenda (27 packets), 1 Tbsp. cocoa or 1 square unsweetened choc. Melt together. Add 1 Tbsp whipping cream, 4 tbsp natural peanut butter. Stir. Pour into cupcake cups and freeze. Keep frozen until ready to serve.
Depending on how you fill them, they are between 2 and 4 g. carbs each and so worth it.

Will you let us know how you do at the party? It may be the beginning of a new way of standing up for yourself. (I'm 43 too btw).
Hugs to you! Annie-Pie

i think your goal weight is actually very realistic, not knowing how big your build is--but I have 2 daughter, both 5'6"--one weighs 120 lbs (small frame), the other 125-130 (medium frame). So go to it--be firm, be polite, just make it clear that your way of eating is really your own choice, not theirs... Hang in there, you can do it!!

If you have a grocery store nearby, go and get yourself a box of the Atkins Endulge Ice cream - they have vanilla and chocolate. It comes in 4 pre-packaged little containers (reminds me of what we used to get in elementary school). It is a full fat, splenda containing ice cream, and I think it has 5 net carbs or lower. It is also very tasty! This way you can go to the party, eat ice cream, and it will shut up anyone pressuring you! Also, it shouldn't mess you up too badly overall and shouldn't knock you out of ketosis.

Good luck!

I am on a mission to find atkins endulge icecream .
I haven't seen it anywhere. That sounds like the best advice to me.

Also, Andrea, you might just say "I'm cutting back on sweets". Surely THAT can't be a bad thing! Everybody in this country needs to cut back on sweets.

Again, Good Luck!

Andrea,

Your stats and height are almost identical to mine. I'm 7 years older than you, so I know that your goal weight is realistic and not "too skinny." (Unless you have a large frame - measure your wrist and go here http://www.1is2fat.com/body_frame.htm to see what size frame you have. Clothes do a pretty good job of hiding those last 10 lbs of fat rolls, and I also get lots of "you don't need to lose weight" comments. From people who have not seen me in a bikini! They would change their mind if they did!

I was about to suggest that you purchase some low carb ice cream and bring it with you, but I see several others beat me to the punch!

Good luck at the party!

Joan

Your family needs to know it is your body and your choice. If you chose to feed it those yummy peanut butter cups - lucky you - be sure to share so that everyone who "can't have that - it's fattening" can feel deprived or guilty - depending on what they do with them. Don't try to explain - they don't want to know, cause if they find out the truth they will have to change. In a corner of their mind, they know. Do they listen to Dr. Merkin at all. That is what saved me with my DH. Dr. Merkin says its good, it must be good. Whew! Now I don't get any flack from him at all. In fact he is sometimes the food police! Hee hee.

Hi Again,
Just wanted to send a big Thank You to all you wonderful people who responded to my plea! I did have just a few bites of cake and one spoonful of ice cream (probably only 30 gms of carbs max) but it was my choice, and it wasn't too hard to just eat a little bit because the cake tasted almost sickeningly sweet. I told my DH afterwards it wasn't worth going off my diet for! My parents actually weren't as bad as I anticipated, and I was fortified with your words of encouragement and support (maybe they sensed my newfound resolve). Anyway, thanks again to all of you, I'm back on the program and determined to stay the course till I reach my goal. I am so happy I found this forum, now I have to find away to stop reading the boards so much at work!