I just wondered if anyone else is going through this...

I haven't told my family that I'm doing this and it's funny to see what their reactions are! Like the other night at a seafood restaurant i said no to the potatoe and ordered this shrimp wrapped in bacon appetizer! Something they know I would have never eaten before in a million years!!

Also my dad had a lot of cheese in the fridge that I consumed in a couple days and he was like I can't believe you ate all that cheese, it makes you fat you know.

They have always known me to be someone who eats really lowfat and occasionally gives in to sweets now it's the opposite and I know they think Im blimping up!

If only they knew...

People give funny reactions, and a lot of it is based on the low fat theory...usually that you are eating to rich or fat. Some people feel compelled to dispense advice and/or criticism.

On Christmas Eve my hubby told his mom and brother I was on a diet. They proceeded to watch everything I ate, and give me lots of advice (like spare ribs have fewer calories than chicken). After a while of constant watching and talking from my brother-in-law, I lost it and told him very tursely, "I've been doing this for almost 2 months and have lost 18 pounds. I know what I am doing, do you?"

It was funny to watch my husband's family eat. I brought a veggie tray, a cheese tray and the fixings for a delicious salad. They didn't touch a morsel. My husband lived there for 4 years while he was on the road, and he never once had a salad, and rarely had veggies except for potatoes. But there was always dessert.

Be happy in knowing that what you are doing is good for you and your body. The heck with what anyone else thinks.

I too kept my low-carb WOL a secret for a while. About 3 weeks into it, I had to attend a long weekend family event on my husband's side. The entire time, I managed to find and enjoy low carb foods and the fact that nobody knew gave me the power to stick with it. It was quite enjoyable---like a game or a joke.

A month later we attended another family event and by that time my weight loss and physical fitness were so obvious that I had to tell them the secret. They are filipino and thought it was nuts to try to survive a single day without rice!! They were curious but because it obviously worked, they didn't criticize it.

I think that's kinda the key here. Maybe keeping it a secret is not only a bit fun but it gives you time to prove the concept to those who think they know it all already.

Best wishes!
K.

I kept it a secret for ages too. My family is in Australia and what they don't know won't hurt them. Or me. I blame my mother to some degree for my bad habits (not totally, but some). My husban's family are very restrained english and wouldn't dream of passing comment. Keeping it from friends was harder and hubby finally let out the secret. My friends are mostly as big as me or bigger and they think I'm mad. But appearances say it all! We're spending new year with them and that might be hard as we all stuff ourselves with rich food, usually. Husband's family at xmas was not bad beause the traditional english middle class diet is meat and veg, all I had to resist was the puddings and I managed to, to the extent that I lost a pound over xmas / boxing day (which is also my birthday. but they don't do cake, either.)

I tried this WOE a couple years ago and lost weight, but didn't really pay attention to the recommended vitamins, so I felt awful! This time I am doing it right and I feel wonderful. The last time I got some strange reactions when I mentioned "Atkins." This time friends at work have noticed my weight loss and asked what I am doing. I tell tham that I have "cut out processed carbs." Most people have then asked "You haven't cut out carbs completely have you?" I tell them that I am still getting carbs in vegetables and some fruits and I feel great! That seems to satisfy them and they don't walk away thinking that I am living on meat and eggs! Don't feel that you have to keep it a secret. You are doing what is right for you and if it is working don't worry about what they think!!
Hugs,
Carrie

My daughter has her 3rd b-day party this weekend. I don't have a problem with avoiding cake and ice cream, its afterwords. We have envited everyone to the park for a small cook-out. My husband, to keep cost low, wants to serve hot dogs for the main course. I am just starting induction. I don't want to screw it up with hot dogs! But if I eat something else, It will be very obviouse and my family will blow up! I really don't need that stress. Any ideas?

Hot dogs are low carb. Granted they're processed, granted they're about 1 carb each, but heck, you can eat hot dogs.

Now, the bun is another story. :-) But you can get the bun, slather mayo and a little mustard on it if that's what you like, subtly roll the hot dog around in it, then just slide it out and bite by bite, eat the dog. Leave the bun on your plate. Actually I bet some kid would happily eat it if they were near. If anybody asks you can just shrug and say you just didn't feel like eating it, but probably they won't really notice.

You can also eat a dill pickle slice... some black olives... I'm trying to think of cookout foods here, hmmn. Ice tea or diet soda. Granted, Atkins induction is real limited on foods, but you gotta do what is workable. Falling off plan entirely for social reasons would be way worse than for one single meal having a few items further down the OWL chain of Atkins than where you are.

Thanks, that makes me feel better! It looks like it might rain now this weekend. Maybe we won't have to deal with it! I blew things last night, it all got the best of me. That tends to happen on the second or third day of induction. But, todays another day, I might have to send my kids to bed early, so they don't drive me insane, but I will do this!

Yes it is!! Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and dive into the cream cheese. Remember, fat and protein are your friends... they fill you up so you don't WANT to eat things you aren't supposed to!!

Good luck with everything... and coleslaw is a great picnic food (if you make it yourself and use AS!)

It's easy in my family with our Celiac disease - no flour, bread, etc. But my fam still lives on rice and potatoes with meat as nearly a "garnish". But because we have so many food allergies to contend with in our lineage no one ever blinks at a refusal of some sort of food. Now the time they waved creme brulee under my nose and I said no - that DID cause some alarm.

Youknow, my DH made a comment to me yesterday about him not wanting me to tell people we were back on Atkins because he didn't want to hear everyone's comments and opinions about it - I thought it was odd, then again I've lost 7 pounds since monday and I want to shout it from the rooftops..

on another note, today I've been eyeing all the stuff around the house that I can't eat (like brownie mix and betty crocker icing, wonder bread with butter) ... I have an AWFUL headache that just wont quit and my three year old has discovered the dreaded temper tantrum (and she's QUITE good)... I know the headache at this point is probably being made worse because of the kid-related-stress - but I really felt like I would snap today (and didn't!)

You know I rarely participate in conversations about diet with people (neighbors, coworkers, friends, people at the gym, etc). If you were to simply tell people that you're cutting out sugar and refined foods like white rice and flour and focusing more on fresh vegetables and meats, no one would think twice about it. It's healthy, right? Sounds healthy.

I don't think there's any debate about the health benefits of cutting sugar and white stuff out of your diet. The proportions of food you eat once the sugar, etc., is gone --- is really immaterial to anyone but you, isn't it? So you eat more fat than protein, or you choose cream over milk... those things aren't choices to get worked up about unless it's your own body. I can't fathom how strangers would have enough time/energy to CARE which proportions of fat and protein another person puts into their body. Can you picture caring if a coworker ate chicken with or without the skin, or cooked in coconut oil instead of Pam spray? But it seems as soon as "Atkins" is uttered, people immediately DO seem to care how many eggs you eat for breakfast or if you cooked them with or without butter. How insane!!

Absolutely! I can't tell you - success or otherwise - how many debates I've gotten into people about exactly that! There are so many misconceptions with Atkins. But what never ceases to amaze me is that the more adamant someone is about telling me NOT to do Atkins, the less they actually know or have bothered to find out about it. And how many times have you explained to someone that Atkins doesnt mean NO carb only LOW carb....
geesh

I got sick of hearing all the BS too. I just started tell people who ask that anything with flour or sugar seems to give me BAD gas. They usually leave me alone with that.

Yep, this is me. The word Adkins or Low Carb sends people into a lecture on what I'm doing to my health. (Nevermind what weighing 215 did to my health! lol)