I'm on day 12 of Induction and I have to admit that I "cheated" today and had a low carb snack food. I don't fell too bad because my cravings were so bad that it was either this or real sugar.

Anyway, I am wondering if this snack would be okay to eat on OWL. Here's the info:

Lean Protein Bites Peanut BUtter Covered Crunch

Ingredients: Protein Blend (Soy and Whey Protein Isolate), Peanut Butter Coating (Maltitol Powder, Palm Kernel, Partially defatted Peanut Flower, Nonfat Dry Milk Powder, Whey Powder, Peanuts, Hydrogenated Rapeseed, Cottonseed, Soybean Oil, Salt, Soya Lecithin) Kosher Gelatin.

Serving size: 1oz bag
Cal: 120
Fat: 5g
Sat: 4g
Chol: 1mg
Sodium: 200mg
Total Carb: 5g
Effect. Carb: 1g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 1g
Protein: 14g

The chocolate flavor has only 2.5 total carbs and 1 effective carb. They come in white chocolate also, but those have quite a few more carbs for some reason. Lean Protein Bites are basically like chocolate or peanut butter covered rice krispies. There are about 75-100 or so pieces in each bag, so if I eat them slow, it occupies me for a while. They aren't terribly sweet, but somehow they satisfy me and don't leave me wanting more.

From the looks of the ingredient list, I am sure they aren't the healthiest snack I could eat. But, how would they affect my weight loss on OWL? If I could look forward to a bag of these every evening while I watch tv with my sweetie, I might make it on this WOE. They have got to be better than all the SF/low carb chocolate bars out there that have 15-20 total carbs. Right?

What do you guys think?

What is it?

Might slow your weight loss down a little especially if you're planning on having one EVERY DAY. Once you get into OWL your supposed to use up your carbs on more vegies and some fruits..And wait a little while before you start adding things like that in..

But if ya try it and your still losing I'd say its up to you.. They might make your cravings worse though

I guess I keep reading about people on OWL eating low-carb cheesecake, chocolate mousse and SF jello with whipped cream. I didn't think that these were any worse than those things because they aren't even very sweet so they won't freak my body out.

I have read that my sugar cravings should have calmed down by now but they have been worse than ever. I haven't even ovulated yet, so it isn't related to my TOM. I'm going crazy and what sucks is that I have been ultra strict and haven't lost much weight at all. I'm dying here!

Hi Shasta!

I did a quick calculation and came up with roughly 100 calories from protein and fat. That leaves 20 calories, or roughly 5 grams, from carbohydrate. Unless you are not affected by artificial sweeteners, I'd advise to use with caution and really advise against using them every day. Once in a while as a treat probably won't hurt, but the majority of your carbs should be coming from fruit and veggies, not low carb "junk" food. If I read your stats correctly, you've already lost 5 lbs. which is quite good for someone who has as little to lose as you do. The typical weight loss during induction is about 10% of what you need to lose, then 5% of what you need to lose every month after that, so it looks to me like you are already ahead of the average. If carb/sugar cravings get or stay bad, you could try a supplement called L-Glutamine at 500-1000 mg. According to Dr. Atkins, this is pretty effective at curbing cravings. Good luck!

I just wanted to interject my 2 cents worth here.

I am extremely addicted to sugar. I am on day 4 of induction, without any sweetner or sugar of any kind. My withdrawl symptoms are awful...however, this is nesessary for me to get the crap out of my system. I think that eating even artifical sweetner will cause cravings and head aches etc. I think that for some of us, it is important that we completely stay away from this stuff until our systems are flushed. Once that is done, we may be able to add the occassional artificial sweetened treat.

Last time I did LC I ate something sweetened everyday...even tho it was Splenda, or Aspartene, or some other artificial sweetner...I believe it is what led to my down fall. I am going to be much more careful this time around. I want this to be my WOL. I want to reach goal. I want to feel good, not sluggish and tired all the time. Staying away from any form of sweetner, I am sure it is the best thing for me.

Are you eating anything that could be triggering the cravings? Like atkins or low carb bars? You could be still going through withdrawl too..

No, I haven't eaten anything to trigger my cravings. Not until the protein bites and they aren't very sweer. I am even taling glutamine, but it doesn't seem to be working.

I have really only lost 2 pounds because my set point is 118. I just happened to start this WOE after a couple of pig-out days, so my weight was up. It would have dropped to 118 in 2-3 days, anyway. It always does. I was even up to 124 once and 2 days later, back to 118.

That's why I am feeling so desperate. I have been 116 several times before, but it always returns to 118 in a day or two. Maybe I haven't lost any weight at all. Every morning I am afraid to weigh myself, but I need to be able monitor my progress to see if I need to change anything.

If the whole idea is to break addictions to sugar, why do so many people here and on other boards talk so much about low-carb desserts, chocolate mousse, SF jello with whipped cream, low-carb cheesecake, etc.? Reading about these treats is what makes me think that they are part of this WOE. Atkins even has dessert recipes in his book and he produces tons of sweet products.

Isn't that a bit misleading if these things will derail our efforts and feed our addictions? No wonder I am confused!

Yes, you do see a good bit of talk about LC treats and snacks, and most of us don't eat them everyday, it is just with over 7800 people on this forum, it just seems like we do.

Some peoples bodies react to artifical sweeters, just like they would with sugar - an insulin spike, which set off cravings, etc. If you are having problems with cravings and are eating enough protien and fat, the LC treats would be one of the first things I'd suggest to get rid of.

Patience is a virtue, you will need time to learn what your body can and cannot handle, everyone is different. If we were all the same it would be king of boring, wouldn't it.

Sounds more like yer at a stall since you keep going from 116 to 118..You don't have much to lose so it would make sense..Dunno what to tell you for that tho

As for the low carb snacks and stuff, it is confusing. lol I'm still a little confused. Even Atkins contradicts itself on their own website;..It says specifically you can't have any foolds not listed on induction, Yet they're selling lowcarb bread that says its ok for phase 1. Um ok. Go figure.

It's not so much though what you can and can't have, its more on how your body reacts to things..If you can eat it and you're still losing then go for it.