You know, I think once you've lost most of your weight you can feel okay to have something even desert every once in a while...it depends on how strong willed you are...as long as the one desert doesnt turn into a whole day off or worse than I really cant imagine it would do much harm... I figure once a month max for my future with that type of thing thay way the holiday season will have to be controlled...lol

In my opinion, I don't think there is ANYTHING that we can NEVER have again. In his Atkins for Life book, Dr. Atkins lists alot of those items that are "taboo" now, as things to have "in moderation" later in maintence. As in a life long program. Of course there are those items that may set you off on a wild binge you may need to avoid forever...just depends on your will power and what triggers you to over indulge.

Hiya, Strudel! I'd be happy to ship you Splenda for the cost I pay at the store plus shipping. The only speed bump might be the possibility of regulations against shipping it from the US to Belgium. If there aren't any regulations against it it would be absolutely no problem! One box (about the equivalent of 2 pounds of sugar) costs about $3.25 US in our grocery stores, and it's very lightweight, so shipping wouldn't be very much. If you want to check regulations and are interested, send me a PM.

From what I've read, once you reach maintenance you can definitely eat fruits in moderation. Some fruits are better choices than others as far as carbs go, and berries are the absolute best! Now that I'm off Induction I eat a half-cup of berries every day because they're chock full of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.

I hear you---this WOL is rather demanding, and based on what you have written, I have two points: (1) consider the South Beach Diet, Schwarzbein Principle II, or Somersizing--all of these diet plans are fairly low carb but also allow some fruit and grains (2) if you are like me, as soon as I "indulged" in fruit/desserts/some sugar/ I gained weight and I finally realized that being overweight is way more of a burden than trying to do without carb-laden food. In my humble opinion, Atkins is the best but in any case, good luck!

Strudel:

Come back...stay away from the light! Stay away from the light!

But seriously, I hope you stick with it. Others have offered good advice. Give some of there suggestions a try and I bet you'll be able to make it work.

Feel free to experiment with what your own body will tolerate. Personally, I never gave up carrots and wouldn't hesitate to have a handful or grapes or strawberries occasionally. They never stalled me. Everyone is different and a big part of the Atkins experience is getting to know your body better and learning to control your weight loss or gain.

While Atkins doesn't like aspertame, I have used it and splenda with no problems. Don't assume it will cause you an issue. Try using it in moderation and see how it goes. Better to do Atkins on Aspertame then to just give up!

Oh, and I hit my goal weight this week so am working on my maintenance diet now. Believe me, there will be small amounts of carrots, fruits, breads, and desserts in my plan. There is no bad food out there, only food that should be a small part of your diet!

brobin
PS. I had day 10 despair too, but that was 50 pounds ago.

The mention of eating the aspartame-sweetened jello, then "stalling" for two days caught my eye... IMHO, weightloss doesn't happen every DAY, and it'd be really tough to prove a link between eating it ONCE and the lack of loss. A lot of people seem to take incidentals as evidence that way, so don't feel bad.

Strudel......*cute name*

I don't use sweeteners at all, never have. I see you've got lots of info from great people here and I'm happy to hear it looks like you will continue.

The only thing I will add - a spoon of sugar WILL hurt you. Until you are absolutely sure you are 'over the hill' and a so called treat will not trigger cravings - stay clean. I've seen so many people fall of the wagon just because they had 'one small treat'. If we could handle carbs in moderation we would have never become fat, right?

We are all addicts here, some worse than others.

Good luck

Alina

Well, I made it through the weekend, thanks for all your support. And I think I lost another 2 pounds, but my scale is slightly wonky, and in kilos, so I always have to convert - and if I lean forward I'm lighter, backward heavier - bizarre, my next US trip I'm going to invest in one in pounds - progress seems so much nicer to follow in smaller increments!

I think a big excitement was ordering a few low carb things for delivery from the UK. It will be nice to have a treat from time to time.

Had a challenge in the weekend, and lived through it - went out for lunch, with some lovely "old familiars" around, and wasn't too bothered by it. That must be a hurdle overcome!

I went grocery shopping and stocked up on all the "normal" foods, but also got some blueberries in preparation for tomorrow's treat. Plus some nuts. But, that is something I can live with or without. I really don't feel like I'd be triggered by any of these.

So, I really do think there is a Day of Despair during Induction. Even if you are doing well!

LilaCotton, I'd love to have some Splenda. Of all the things the lowcarb uk site sold, they were out of stock of that one. Curses. And then there's your kind offer. Yes please. But I can't PM you yet - I need to have posted 25 times before getting access. Maybe you can PM me?

Hi there, sounds like you may be sorted out

I just wanted to say that, I have followed the plan right through all the stages and I 'm fine with fruit now. What you are restricted to in the beginning is not the way you'll be living forever, be sure to do each stage according to the book and it's easy to live with

Cheers Kathy

if you can get hold of Natreen, Nutreen or Suketter in Belgium ? A lot of European countries have those products and they are Atkins approved. (Have checked this with Atkins Center).

Just a thought !

Nope, not a one of these products are stocked in two of the largest supermarket chains here... but I'll look while I'm in Luxembourg in a couple weeks time. They generally have a different range of suppliers and products. I've not given up yet! Maybe I should just hop on the Eurostar and go to a UK chain and get it!!!

And today is Day 15. Blueberries in about 2 hours or so. Yum.

Just look at how man carbs you USED to eat on a daily basis.

So what if a few times you eat more carbs...my lord, the world will go on and on. BUT you STILL would have had less carbs than you USED to...

I figure I USED to eat about 500 grams of carbs a DAY! I am now down to under 20 carbs a day. Been that way for the last 9 days or so. Basically I have YET to hit the 500 carb mark over 9 days when 500 was a daily thing.

Rejoice in the small steps because the small steps lead to a better way of life...

Max