I did the low carb program 2 years ago and lost about 25-30 pounds. Unfortunately, I strayed from the program and put it back on. Then I tried the Body for Life program but made it about half way through.

My downfall is pasta and bread. It made me so tired that after lunch I would be nodding off at my desk and then after dinner I would fall asleep for about 3-4 hours.

So I think the program that I'm following is Suzanne Sommers but I'm not having any complex carbohydrate bread products - just some veggies and lots of salads. Some mornings though, I'm having a couple of small mandarine oranges and black coffee. Then I don't eat until lunch - is this a bad thing?

I drink tons of water - 2 to 3 litres a day during the week - sometimes on the weekend not as much.


Can someone explain induction? I don't know if I've done it properly.

And one last thing... I cheated today and had a half of a rum ball...What do I do now??? I haven't eaten anything after the rum ball and the only thing I ate today was chicken wings with some sourcream.... Any advice or thoughts as to how many times you can get away with cheating? Can you cheat for a day? Do you have to go back into induction?

Lots of questions...


Thanks!

a few answers...well, you can cheat as much as you want, but you'll probably lose ketosis for 3-5 days from each cheat...so it's not advisable! I'd go right back to induction levels, yes. (Many of us have to stay at induction levels all the time anyway, so we're already there!)

If your downfall is bread and pasta, then you probably have some sort of grain intolerance. Make a commitment to yourself to stay away from them forever. One little taste will lead to a craving for more. Can there be a life without grains? You bet! You might find a copy of Protein Power LifePlan and read the chapter about grains there, to help convince you.

Make sure you eat enough food--good food like meat, eggs, fish, salad and oils. Try to train yourself out of the "dieter's" mentality that a cheat is best remedied by eating fewer calories or skipping a meal.

I don't buy into the Sommer's concept, so I can't advise you on your meals in particular. Best of luck to you--you have a great start!

I'm sure you'll get a variety of answers, but my advice is that you pick ONE program, and stick to it. Especially for the early weeks/months. Once your body is in low-carb fat-burning mode, then you might choose to mix and match different programs, because you'll be tuned to what your body really needs, not what your mind and appetite thinks you want . Check the Quick Links column to the right. At the top, you'll see "Which low-carb plan is right for me?" ... that will take you to a collection of summaries of some of the different low carb programs that are out there, including Somers and Atkins. Many of the program books you can borrow from your local library ... it really is best to do your research so you know exactly what you're doing. It's not enough to just cut out the bread and sugar. Without understanding the metabolic changes happening in your body, it becomes too easy to justify "cheating". Low-carbing isn't like lowfat or low calorie ... "just a little" sugar or white flour WILL hurt.

The orange and black coffee??? Bad news!! I'm not 100% familiar with Somers, but I do believe some fruit is permitted. However, you don't start the day with pure carbohydrate and caffeine, and expect to not suffer any consequence. You need PROTEIN for breakfast ... save that orange for a snack. Eating just an orange, which is pure carb with a little fiber for excitement ... will make your blood sugar and insulin shoot way up ... add the coffee .. zoom, more insulin. Result ... once the carbs have been used up, and they will be very quickly .. the extra insulin will make your body STORE fat, not burn it .. the exact opposite of what you want. Plus, your blood sugar will then be in your boots, and you'll be starving and ready for a nap less than 2hrs later. Of course, you'll be tempted to have another black coffee ... the virtuous dieter's best friend ... which will just trigger the same cycle all over again.

Skipping meals?? More bad news. The human body is very adaptable, and will do everything to survive. If you don't feed it, it will think you're starving and shut the metabolism down to conserve fuel (your fat stores) for the perceived famine. You need to be eating at least 10 times your weight in calories every single day, and divide that up through the day. Eat protein, lots of it.

If you want to do Atkins Induction, it's essential you get your hands on a copy of his New Diet Revolution, then you'll know exactly what you're doing. You should be able to borrow it from the library, so no need to buy anything. If you want to though, his latest edition was just published a couple weeks ago ... you might choose to buy yourself a present

Happy reading, and happy low carbing

Doreen

Doreen,

Thanks for your wise words... after reading your response, I realized that I'm not doing myself any favors if I continue on this way.

I think part of the problem is my busy lifestyle. I'm not a big breakfast person during the week. On the weekends, however, I love to eat a big brunch...

Any suggestions?

And another question? I love sausages. But find it hard to eat them with out ketchup... I know that there's breadcrumbs in almost every brand that I look at in the grocery stores. And I know that ketchup has 4g of carbs in a tbsp. When I did this two years ago, I seemed to be able to eat as many as I wanted with ketchup and still loose.

The biggest problem I find is that when I'm down, my instinct is to binge on carbs so that I can fall asleep.

Normally, my pattern of energy would be tired in the morning, then after lunch sleepy, then after dinner, crash for a few hours. Then fall asleep after midnight.


Up until yesterday, I was having no trouble. For some reason though, the last two days, I've been slightly tired after lunch, then once I got home and ate a salad with cheese, chicken, bacon, sour cream and salsa, I fell fast asleep again! Then I couldn't fall asleep and I've slept in three days in a row!!!!

What do you think is the solution???

There is Westbrae's Unketchup, which does not have sugar or sweetener. Around here it is available in Whole Foods stores. You may want to try it. I like it a lot and don't notice the taste difference.