How do you guys feel about the new low-carb subs for the high-carb foods that most of us LOVE but cannot eat? I am planning on beginning induction on New Year's Day but I can't eat any of these things even if I stay under 20g right?
I post a little on another board that is strictly atkins and they are sooo strict about EVERYTHING that I am beginning to wonder if I will be able to do this. They told me I can't even drink Fruit2o while I am on induction because it is sweetened with splenda (even though the liquid splenda has absolutely no-carbs!) I feel confident that if I am able to do the food substitutions (like low carb breads..etc) that I will be able to eat low-carb forever but are the low-carb substitutions only for weak people?? I know I can tough out two-weeks without them but I just feel like I could eat more 'normally' if I could use the low carb food subs AFTER induction. What is your take on this???

my understanding is that you can have up to 3 packets of splenda on induction. We are starting at the beginning of year also. I would go to atkins.com and look up "Rules of Induction"

tkins on TV one time and even he said he ate the Atkins bread. but only 3 or 4 slices a week. I personally eat LC bread and bagels. I have eaten just about every LC sub that they make but some of the stuff will stall your weight loss. You have to find out what works for you. And do read DANDR and follow all the steps.

Thats the thing...I READ the rules for induction on the website and couldn't find anything that said 'limit your sweetenrs to 3 packs a day' maybe I overlooked it but all I saw was 'count each pack as one carb'
Congrats on your decision to go LC
I am excited AND nervous!!!

And thanks for the input Bette!!! I am soooo relieved to know someone out there DOES eat that stuff b/c I ordered over $100 worth of low-carb stuff from carbsmart a few days ago...

Have you ever tried Netrition. com? They are a pretty godd source for LC as well

BTW I just made "doughnut holes" out of ketatoes. I mix up the recipe for hash browns mix in some splenda and cinnammon make it a little thicker and deep fry. I used to eat doughnut holes by the truckload and for some reason every time I have passed them in the stores recently they have looked really good. So I made these LC subs.

The reason for limiting the packets of sweeteners (and yes, it is in the book but I don't have the book handy to give you a page reference) is because the packets DO have carbs and must be counted towards your daily allowance. The good doctor wanted those on induction to be getting the majority of their carbs from veggies, not artificial sweeteners, since the amount allowed during induction is very low already. The liquid Splenda used in beverages, however, does not have any carbs, so I see no reason to really limit them other than the fact that many people find that too much artificial sweetener does stall them.
As for not using the artificial sweeteners at all during induction, there is some wisdom in that even if it is a difficult thing to do; it helps you kick the craving for sweetness if you can manage to do it.

Hi,
I think you will be much better off if you do a strict induction for at least the two weeks. After that you may want to increase your carb intake or maybe just occasionally have some of the low carb substitutions while staying at induction levels.
I am now into my 4th month on Atkins. I followed a pretty strict induction for about two months. Now, there are a few substitute foods that I use.

Low carb ice cream - maybe 1/2 cup per week.
La Tortilla Factory tortillas - several times per week
Atkins breakfast cereal or MiniCarb granola - several times per week
Nature's Own 7 carb bread (5 net per slice) - one,two slices per day
Hood's Carb Countdown milk - with my cereal
Hood's Carb Countdown chocolate milk - one glass, 3 or 4 times per week

I have never felt the need for any of the candies even though I used to be a 3 Musketeer junky.

The cereals, granola, tortillas, and bread are good methods to insure your fiber intake.

I am probably eating 40 to 60 carbs per day and I am still losing weight, although not as rapidly as before.

Lots of luck,
Johnie

Alot of people still stall using the LC substatutes. Make sure to read why all carbs aren't counted the same. 20g of carbs coming from low glycemic foods such as veggies and cheeses will effect blood sugar much less then 20g from whole grains or fruits. That is why there is a carb ladder which should be followed on OWL.

Most of the LC substatutions are ok in moderation. Just add them in slow and watch how you react to them. No diet will let you eat 5 candy bars a day and still lose weight though. The goal of LC is to learn healthy eating habits for over all health and weight loss, not just substatute bad eating habits with ones that have LC on the lable.

Thanks for all the input guys!! I have decided to definitely do the strict induction but I am sstill going to drink my fruit2o's unless I feel like I am not losing weight at the rate I would like, then I will cut them out and even still I will limit the number I drink. My SO and I are hellbent on losing weight together and since I do all the cooking around the house I am sort of leading the way.
I do however plan to move onto a 'modified' OWl after 2 weeks. I want to keep the carbs at 20g but add some low-carb subs. Those doughnut holes sound absolutely delicious and I too could eat my weight in doughnuts!! {grr..lol thats a lot of doughnuts!!} I think eating a little more artificial sweeteners is definitely the lesser of the evils compared to pigging out on high-carb products. I really don't have a 'sweets' addiction, its more a bread and potato addiction but my SO is seriously addicted to sweets and I think it would be a much more pleasant WOL for both of us if we could supplement with some of the stuff we both love!! Thanks again for all the input, you guys are grrrrreat!!!