Ok, so this was my third day on the low carb diet, and I am going INSANE! I am so grouchy and irritable, I feel like if I don't get some sugar coarsing through my veins soon, I'm going to CLAW SOMEONE'S EYES OUT!!!
Also, I am finding it difficult to find things that are low in carbs, other than meat. I think I'll try nuts and cheeze for work, since they are portable, but does anyone have any advice or support for a girl who's JONZIN' for the SUGAR BUZZ?
Hugs to all!!!
Marie

Have you done anything like try to give up smoking, coffee, tranquilisers or painkillers at the same time as starting Atkins? If so, then I guess that might make it more difficult.

Try getting yourself to the vitamin supplement store and getting yourself some L-glutamine. If you're anything like me, you might need it for a few days, but you probably won't need it much after that. Let us know if this works or not, or if you've already tried it. Thanks.

Hi there,

I'm on my first week of induction myself. Though I usually never crave sugar I have been this week. Try sugar free jello with heavy whipping cream in a can on top. You can get the already made ones and bring them places with you. I also broke down and had some freezing cold watermelon. Yummm that cured my sweet craving. You can't have more than three ounces though. Be careful. Also some one sent me a link to snack suggestions. Maybe she will send them to you. It seems everyone reads the threads and replys. Also the way I hear it, nuts are not aloud in the first two weeks. Good luck, I'm sure you will be successful.
Haffpk

no nuts...jeepers. There's already practically nothing I can eat. How long until I can eat nuts?
sugar free jello, sounds good What is L-glutamine? No, I am not quitting smoking or anything, I already quit that almost 2 years ago now And caffine I was never that into. So I guess I'm starting out at a pretty good point. I made a huge omlette with 2 eggs, cheeze, bacon and some leftover chicken. It is really good and it is finally something that seems to satisfy my appetite.
I looked for the Dr. Atkins booke yesterday, coudn't find it. ANyone from Vancouver know wehre I can pick one up? Chapters probably has it, I haven't had a chance to get there yet.

So why no nuts? Too many carbs? Bacon even has carbs in it.. Is there a place online where I can see the list of foods I can eat during induction? I';ll try and find the book again today. Hugs! Thanks for the responses and good luck haffpk and squidgy

www.Atkinscenter.com should give you the info you need! Hang in there, because the cravings WILL go and you'll be SO pleased you did... Good luck!

Thanks Freeatlast I took a look at that site, and it lists all the induction foods and everything, it is very helpful. Thanks!

That insane feeling will go away believe it or not. You might also experience some headaches and aches in your legs.

Make sure you are taking at least a good general multi vitamin, and extra potassium to replenish the potassium you are losing by drinking all that water. Potassium pills are available anywhere you get vitamins.

Hang in there, it gets better. In a while you will be craving salads and good stuff instead of sugary things.

This site also has a great recipe section where you can find LC recipes for just about anything from soup to snacks to sweets to main meals. Look at the orange bar at the top of the page, then click on the recipe link.

Watermelon is NOT allowed on induction. 1 cup of watermelon has 11 carbs alone.

Refer back to the allowed foods in the induction chapter of your book for the list of legal food choices. There is no fruit allowed on the first two weeks. If a food source isn't listed there it shouldn't be in your diet, regardless of how bad the cravings are.

Point of induction is to break us of those carb cravings and to detox our system. If you give in to the cravings, you have not helped yourself one bit I am afraid

Hang in there it is only for 2 weeks. After that it gets pretty easy.

hi marie,

so sorry, Agonycat is right. I don't have the book. I looked it up on this website after she said that. I blew it. Continue on though, I'm sure you can make it through these first two weeks. Then there really is lots to eat with good recipes. I'm going camping with all my family, and I was really counting on the watermelon. Oh well. In the large picture this will seem like nothing. Kinda like having a baby, you don't remember the pain, you just love this remarkable new thing. and we are going to love this remarkable weight loss-right? Keep on going, we can make it through this together.

Haffpk

That's ok, I have refused all the fruit that has been offered to me during my cravings. I did have one of those diabetic chocolate bars though. It had a LOT of fat in it, and only 3 grams of carbs. That was 2 days ago when I was really going nuts. I know that's not really allowed during induction, it wasn't very sweet at all though. ANyway...I'm staying away from sugar and fake sugar as well. No point in getting myself addicted to nutrasweet or splenda to replace the sugar addiction, right? Once in awhile is ok (after induction) but not every day, those chemical sweeteners are quite bad for you I've heard. And they give me a tummy ache.
I still need to pick up some potassium. I'll add it to my shopping list right now....how much potassium do I need in a day? I'm already geting 25 mg from my super multi vitamin. I take Jamieson Mega Vim, level 4 potency (it's the highest you can get). Any comments? Thanks so much for all of your help. I'm sure all of your great responses will help other newbies too thanks!
P.S.
The cravings are gone...for now. We'll see how long I can keep this up, lol. Good luck to you, watermelon person Think of all the yummy fish you can fry up and eat (if you catch any) on your camping trip! You're going to be having too much fun to think about sugar anyway, right? HUGS!

Marie,
For potassium I take 300 -400 mg a day (6 to 8 50mg pills). There's very little danger of taking too much, extra is flushed out when you go to the loo. If you have medical conditions, talk to your doc first. Potassium is a form of salt, so if you have conditions that are salt restricted you'll need to check with your doc first.

Aspertame is the bad chemical sweetner. Splenda is made from sugar and is more natural without the bas side effects. If you use splenda, b e careful.. the bulk kind that you can replace cup for cup in baking h as less sweetness in it thatn the little packs you tear open and put in your coffee or tea. The little packs have more carbs in them.

Stevia is also a natural sweetner made from some kind of a plant. It's a liquid. I've seen it in h ealth food stores, the Bulk Barn and in some groceries where the sugar is.

Good luck. Happy eating. You're gonna love this once you get settled into it. (My signature used to be "Anything I can stick with more than one day in a row is a good thing". I'm still here 9 months later and loving every meal and 4 dress sizes smaller.)

O.k. I just went shopping today and found some things which might help you.

Eggs
Atkins or an off brand of their chocolate shake powder mix
Atkins or off brand of choc bars(but be careful because they have more carbs so eat them little by little)
Pickles
I got a lot of meat of course
I'm not sure about peanut butter because it does have some sugar in it, but I hope some of that small info helped.

Oh yeah sorry I forgot

Diet Rite --it has Splenda which is made from sugar, it also has no caffeine and it comes in different flavors. I love it because everytime I get a sugar craving I go to it and it satisfies it but you can't suck it down constantly throughout the day or you can gain from it. As with everything be careful how much you take in.

Also I bought some Wal-nuts

Thanks eveyone My sugar cravings are gone...and I discovered that part of the craziness and cravings could have also been hormonal. Just a quesiton to the senior members: Ladies, when you're experiencing PMS, now that you've been Low Carbing it for awhile, do you still get major cravings for sugar, chocolate and carbs? Please let me know. I am only going to eat those low carb chocolate bars when I'm totally desparate for a fix. So far, it was just that one day. I plan to stay on the induction phase for at least a month or two, as I have a lot of weight to lose. HUGS to all and Happy Canada Day!

I think I've gotten it down to one a month when I can't stand it anymore and someone might have to die if I can't have chocolate. I prefer the Ross Dark Chocolate bars over Atkins, they're a bit harder in texture and I REALLY like dark chocolate.