Hi all,
Today I started induction on the Atkins diet. I already blew it, cause I had two cups of caffeinated coffee. I KNOW I'm physiologically addicted to the stuff, but going cold turkey just is beyond me. I usually drink a pot a day. I won't have any more today and am going to try to drink mint tea instead. Although I love coffee, I want to be thin much more than I want to be a coffee drinker. I'm willing to give it up, but it may take a few days. I did use heavy cream in it today instead of my usual milk, and also used some sweet & low, and now I'm thinking, shoot, sweet & low is also not correct, right? Additionally I didn't measure the whipping cream, just poured some in. Oh well...tomorrow I'll measure it if I use it again.
I have been up and down and up and down and up again ad nauseum with my weight since I was 19. I am now 49. I am 5'8 and a half, and have my goal as being 136. Honestly though I start looking good when I hit 175 or so, and look lean and good at 150......136 is that I-can-take-my-clothes-off and not run shrieking ideal. The weight at which I know I can wear a bathing suit and look good. So.....here goes.
My last diet was a very low calorie, medically supervised diet that I had had success with in the past, but this time the program had changed and I did not have a good success with it even though I was excercising and compliant. VERY frustrating.

I will do my best to be 100% compliant with Atkins induction, except for genuinely feeling I need to wean myself off of coffee over the span of a few days. I'll also go out and get some Splenda if I can find it, or just plain saccharine.

I do like diet root beer, but that is made with nutrasweet. Are there any brands of diet soda that comply with the Atkins regime that you all use successfully?

Crystal Light says it contains no carbohydrates...is that an okay beverage on this program?

Lastly, my supermarket carries these low carb bars that are 25 grams of protein, 2 grams of carbohydrates, and zero sugar. Would this bar be appropriate on induction?

Thank you all for reading this and good luck to everyone!

~Red

Stop obsessing. This is really easy

Now take a deep breath.

If you need coffee, have coffee. Try to taper it down to about two cups a dayl.

Dump the bars! The contain hidden carbs and sugar alcohols and can cause weight stalls. Plus they aren't allowed on induction.

Watch your fake sugar intake, too.

Try to keep induction as pure and unprocessed as possible.

If you look through the Newbies Questions you will see links for the foods allowed on induction.

Good Luck and Welcome.

I think eating the bars on induction is okay (I lost ten pounds in two weeks and ate about 4 of them) but a lot of people seem to have had stalls with them. Atkins does, in fact, say they're allowed on induction. (Of course, he wants to sell products.)Another good reason to stay away is the sweets addiction that may reemerge with a taste. But if you're really busy, like I am, I don't think one or two a week hurt anything. That's just me.

I think the trick is to find what works with you. Just take note of when you feel cravings, whether they seem psychological or physiological, and adjust your methods of eating to suit.

Anyway good luck. It will feel good to break free from things soon. Maybe start mixing some decaf with your caf to wean yourself off?

Good luck! Happy low carbing!

Nowhere in my book (and I'm looking at it now) does it allow bars on induction....
Maybe it's on the website cos they want to sell 'em to you

Don't worry about the coffee, in the book it says avoid caffeine in your coffee but slowly ween yourself off it.

Zuleikaa is right, stop beating yourself up, relax and enjoy the good things about induction and this diet

Good luck
Ali

p.s. I'm a diet coke addict and won't give that up...I allow myself 1 a day...well you can't give everything up !!

The bars are DEFINITELY an individual thing. Some people lose just fine while eating them instead of meals. But other people stall until they cut them out.

If you are stalled and eating the bars every day or even every few days, they should be the FIRST thing that you eliminate.

It is said that glycerine and the sugar alcohols are "inert" as far as blood sugar and insulin are concerned. Possibly for some people but not, perhaps, for others. You'll just have to see how things go for you.

If you're needing a 'soda fix', Diet Rite is made with Splenda and comes in a variety of yummy flavors (including regular cola). I do believe there's another brand of diet soda that uses Splenda, Hansen's-- I think.

I allow myself 1 can a day to give me the soda sensation that I used to get from drinking Diet Coke all the time. Remember to count the carbs for Diet Rite as although they may not be any listed on the can, Splenda still does carry a small amount of carbs and it can add up if you abuse it.

As for bars, I indulge in one a week at the most and I still seem to keep moving (I'm still on induction levels). I think they can get chalked up as a YMMV kind of thing.

Good luck!
Nikki

Red... As everyone else said... it's all individual.

Bars, caffine, diet soda, Crystal Lite, artificial sweeteners....

Me personally... the latter ones don't affect me at all. But the bars... I stall with just one.

I would suggest you cut back your coffee like you are already doing, and keep the diet pop and crystal lite limited until you are losing then play with it a bit. Skip the bars until later.

If you stick with your salads, veggies, meats, eggs, cheese and a ton of water, you should be fine. If you like tea, by all means drink it but check the labels.

Good luck to you!!

Yeah, I do believe it was on the website and in the catalogues that the bars are indicated to be allowed. One reason they may not affect me as much as some others is because I'm not really a sugar craver... more of a pasta and potato fiend. To each his own. I might advise sugar crazy folks to lay off the bars for obvious reasons.

Not to mention, the point of this diet is to eat delicious fresh veggies, meats, and fats, and you're really missing out on the wonderfulness of that if you eat too many processed meal bar and shake type things. This isn't SlimFast starvation. Enjoy yourself!

It is suspicious how many products are for sale at exorbitant prices. Conspiracy?

Actually beverages or other items that are made commercially using liquid Splenda, like Diet Rite, really don't have any carbs. Splenda itself doesn't have carbs. The reason the packets of Splenda or the Granular Splenda have carbs is because of the filler that is used to give them bulk. The filler has the carbs.

So anything that uses liquid Splenda doesn't have carbs. That's not to say that unlimited amounts of Diet Rite should be consumed, because anything in excess can cause a problem.

Virginia

Well thank y'all for replying - it was so nice to check back here and find all those notes on my letter.

Today was the 2nd day, of course I hopped on the scales this a.m. to see a THREE POUND GAIN - but I'm not freaking out. I measurred every possible diameter I could find on myself yesterday and I figure my scale's glitchy anyway, so I'll just keep on and measure myself again in a week or so.

Today my little treadmill came. I have the world's MOST un-engineering mind, and it's still half assembled in my living room. I'm going to recruit someone to help me tomorrow.

Although I ate flat out like when I was gaining this time over the past year or so, I haven't been overindulging routinely at all for several months, yet my weight has been pretty stalled. I am truly hopeful that with exercise and a moderate consumption on Atkins I"ll succeed. Today I had coffee with cream & sweetener, three eggs with mushrooms & chives for breakfast, and tuna with some vinegar for dinner. I wasn't hungry beyond that.

One thing I know I have to do is drink water, and it's SO hard for me to remember to do it....but I will try.

Thanks again to all who were so kind as to reply.
~Red

when i was first doing induction, i called the hotline about the bars, and they are allowed they say, one per day. i know that there is controversy about them, some people do say they have problems with them, so i think a cautious approach would be best, see how they work for you.

After reading the boards, it is apparent that it is a very individual thing regarding the low carb diets.

I start mine (again) tomorrow, but let me tell you about mine from the first go round.

I had coffee every morning. With sweet-n-low and half-n-half.

I used no carb bars, no diet sodas and no diet foods of any type. Whole foods only. And I never counted my carbs. I just became familiar with what was low carb and ate only three meals a day. Breakfast was usually eggs and something and coffee, lunch was some kind of meat with either broccoli, cabbage or one of the leafy greans, and supper was bascially a repeat of lunch. I used plenty of butter, mayo, sour cream and such. It took me three days to get over any of the cravings, and from then on I couldn't care less about eating carbs.

But, that being said, I also must tell you the last time around I found out how sensitive to carbs I am. Very!!! I didn't get on the scale for a week, and I lost eight pounds the first week. (So, I don't really know if I gained at first or not). After that, I lost something every day (unless they were scheduled cheat days). And yes, I found I could have scheduled cheat days. I didn't lose on that day, but I didn't gain either. As long as it wasn't two days in a row, I was fine.

I truly believe now that I have food sensitivities and that is why the low carb diet is so successful for me! Not only am I getting rid of the fat, I am getting rid of what affects my breathing, my poor digestion etc. This time though, I am not going back!

Good luck!