I need some advice. Tomorrow is going to be a really stressful day (starting with an interview). I was planning on going to a music venue with a friend, that turned into dinner and wine before AND then going out...

She is an amazing cook, very healthy living type person. He is a wine and liquor conniseur(?) who pairs wine, etc. with each course! The meal will be vegetarian. Usually crackers cheese, olives and wine then a salad, then PIZZA - the best darn thin crust pizza I have EVER eaten. Usually I bring dessert - last time she made a chocolate hazelnut cake that was really dense - like 2 cups of nuts in it. Before that I made a banana cream pie with hot fudge over it!!

I really have no idea what is being served but HOW DO I HANDLE THIS? Telling them I am on Atkins is NOT an option. Tomorrow will be day 12 of induction. I don't mind adding some carbs but EEK. I have been very strict with calories and carbs...

Please help! Should I save up all my carbs until the evening? That's sounds pretty hard...

Thanks,
Jinx

Oh, Sh&t! Yeesh, my only suggestion is picking at the food as best as you can, saving up carb counts too, and drink as little wine as you can get away with. Maybe you should just drink six glasses of water after every bite so that you'll be too full for anything else...

Ms Jinx~first off I want to say that I enjoy reading your post...you really make me laugh! But on a serious note....

Maybe eat before you go? Eat the pizza toppings instead of the crust? You can eat it with a fork and still look presentable! Drink lots of water and pray they have something that you can eat!

So sorry you have to deal with this so early into LCbing....what a pain! Good Luck and keep us posted!

Thanks y'all. Also thanks for the compliment, goat lady. I really dig goats - my aunt and uncle have tons of them!

They do always serve lotsa water. So saving carbs is the way to go? I think I need to eat a lot tomorrow - otherwise, like today, I get home and want to eat the house down (good think it's made of rock). Excess calories is better than excess carbs, right? Should I exercise? OH, I forgot to mention that I am also having a vegetarian house guest for the weekend - arriving in a couple of hours!! The worst part is that I was the person who (silently) influenced him by example into that way of eating - before i started this cavegirl diet...

OK, listen to this, and I am as serious as a heart attack: Last night (before I even had a dinner invitation) I dreamed that I was at a big fancy dinner and everyone was served my favorite food - a hot CHOCOLATE CROISSANT!!! That's it. Oh, and red wine - my other fav. I mean...that was like the worse freakin' nightmare I've had in a while! NOW I'm invited to a dinner? Coincedence? I think not.

I know it won't be that tough but I have a bad little habit of over-doing EVERYTHING when I go to see these friends (WASTED and TOO FULL, in other words). I have never regretted it in the past because, hey, quality is quality - I'm not stuffing myself fulla Ding Dongs and MadDog - wait. that doesn't sound quite right. OK TWINKIES and Budweiser.... I can resist your run of the mill junk. But...

What about dessert? Should I try to bring something? This is like my own little hellish Triathalon!!

I don't know if this will turn out being sound advice, but here goes. The choice is yours. If this is going to be your WOL, then you need to decide if you'll allow yourself the occasional day off to enjoy some of what life has to offer, or if you want carbs out of your life period, no questions asked. We really can't make the choice for you. If being carb free is really important to you, then telling people you don't eat carbs will be something you'll have to work on. In the meantime, don't eat them and wait for their reaction. Giving in and eating what you'd rather not eat just to "fit it" isn't going to help you in the long term. Just my opinion.

I hear where you're coming from and I appreciate you advice.

I guess the hard part is all the meat I'm eating when, at heart, I would rather not and am philosophically opposed on many grounds. I can't, in good conscience, tell people I think eating meat is all of a sudden wonderful. I suppose I'm not ready to "out" myself as another Atkins person. The circle in which I travel is composed MOSTLY of vegetarians. My mother, my fella, his sister, and my friend Jeff all became vegetarians after being around me for a while. I don't want to do a 180 until I am sure. I am only on day 11. I was on WW, Zone, now this. I don't want to totally lose credibility as some diet freak. Honestly, I started this diet mostly because I was feeling so badly. The Zone did not work for me. WW is a joke (a SICK joke).

Also, I am having serious skin reactions to something I'm eating - there are so many new things in my diet that I'm not sure how to narrow it down (allergy tests said mold is my only real allergy). Anyway, I have to wonder if I can go back to mostly no meat - high protein just not so much actual meat and dairy. Increase veggies, stay away from most grain, sweets. Keep low carbin'...
Well this post is no fun at all! I'm avoiding housework, as usual, diarrhea of the mouth...ew!

You are right. I'm not ready to have a blow out night of wine and sweets. I've worked too hard. I'll just try to be conservative...arg!

Jinx

Why not? I mean - not that they should make you some special meal or anything. But if these are your friends - why not tell them? Keep in mind that if you are serious about lowcarbing it is not going to be a temporary thing. Your friends should know or you are going to face this problem over and over - whenever you get together.

Well - that answers that question. You were replying while I was checking my spelling.

I agree with Crimson. You have to decide for you if you are going to take days off now and again. I know to you, the weight you need to lose is probably a big thing, but of course, I look at your stats and think, one day off won't hurt...she only has 10 or so lbs to lose. Then again, if you are still on induction, that makes it hard. (Guess I am not helping, am I???)

However, if this is something that happens on a regular basis, like more than 1x/month, then I would seriously consider bringing a side dish and a dessert to be "kind". Then you could eat more of that than what they cook with lots of carbs.

Personally, I decided when I started this that I could pass up lots of different occasions, but there were certain things that I would not give up. I was not going to take this to the extreme and miss out on some of the things I really enjoy in life. So far, I have not had an occasion where I ate carbs (and I passed on a lot of things), but just knowing that I CAN do it, I feel like I can do this for life.

Okay, I have probably confused you...but maybe something in here will help a little!

Amy

I think that the 'A' word is scary (atkins - eek!). I think that people hear it, and immediately it conjures up pictures of bacon bingin', chomping down on a beef carcaus, sorts of images. I think if you just say 'low carb', it might soften the blow a bit. Just explain that you were feeling really tired and having low energy before, and wanted to try cutting out the carbs and sugar. I think people respond better when it is a 'feel better' thing, and not a weight loss thing.
I feel for you about your dinner though - sounds rough. Just fill up on things you are allowed, and do the best you can with the rest. And if you are bringing dessert, bring the cheesecake!! It is so rich and indulgent, and doesn't taste at all sugar free if you do it up right. Good luck!!

Thanks Achio and Faerie. I think you're both right. I like your mindset thing - I totally dig what you're saying, wasn't confused at all. I also liked the idea about saying low carb instead of the A word. I never told people I was on WW either...

I did think about the cheesecake idea. I hate trying out new desserts on others! I don't mind if I screw it up if it's for home consumption. It is still an option though...

Hey Jinx,

Do not save up a day's worth of carbs. Just try to eat lighter during the day with a mix of carbs, protein and fat. Don't let yourself get hungry. Eat some good fat and protein before you go unless you are sure they will have cheese as an hors d'oeuvre.

You can do this. During apps, eat the cheese without the crackers and by all means eat the olives. With luck some fresh vegs and dip will be served. Drink one very small glass of wine (if you must), sip it.

Rave about the salad and hopefully they will serve pizza. I don't think there is anything wrong with eating only the top (if you've got enough fat in you by now you should be able to resist the crust), in the most ladylike manner of course. The only serious difficulty could arise if they serve some kind of vegetable pilaf (bulgur, quinoa etc.). Not too easy to pick those bits out, but, maybe just focus on the vegs as best you can. At least they are whole grains and packed with fiber. More wine? Sips, baby sips.

You will have to bring a dessert unless you can turn down hers, which could be tough depending on your relationship and her personality. Berries w/ a creamy vanilla sauce (recipe follows) or one of the desserts from your cookbook (cheesecake?). More wine? Sips, baby sips.

"Cognac, no thank you. I'll just have a little ice water if you don't mind."

Creamy Vanilla Sauce
1 c. splenda
3 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1 c. heavy whipping cream

Whisk together splenda, melted butter, egg yolk, vanilla and salt in a med. bowl until well blended and fluffy. Whip cream in separate bowl, with electric mixer. Fold whipped cream into splenda mixture. Sauce may be refrigerated, covered, overnight. Serve chilled. Makes 1 3/4 cups.

This isn't going to be easy. Just give it your best shot. I agree it would be better in the long run to just come out with what program you're doing, but, sometimes that causes more problems than it's worth, at least at the time.

You'll do okay, maybe even learn a few new social dance steps. I've read enough of your posts to know what kind of fancy footwork you are capable of. LOL

Jones

This may sound silly, but are you eating cheese? And if so, what kind? That could be the cause, especially if you are eating lots of blue style cheeses.

I know there are a few people on here who are attemping to do Atkins vegitarian style. I have no clue how they do it but you may want to search through the forum to find out.

This WOE is so important to me. I bring food with me whenever I go anywhere. There are lots of good vegitable recipes up top and in the recipe corner. Also, I make a mean cheesecake. Even my sister's finance likes it!

Creamy New York Style Cheesecake

4 packages of cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat variety because it is slightly lower in carbs and less calories.)
4 eggs
1.5 cups of splenda
2 teaspoons of good vanilla extract
1 cup of heavy cream

Mixed all ingredients together until its well blended. I grease a springform pan with butter. Pour in the mixture and back on 325 for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Let cool. Then cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge. Next day it is perfect and really really good! I serve with fresh berries and whipped cream!

Hope you like!

Definitely try Teresa's cheesecake, it is foolproof. I do NOT cook, and it came out like a charm.

You could also take a cheese plate as a hostess gift. And then eat that and the salad.

Just curious, why can't you tell your friends that you are low carbing? If you have supported their decisions over the years, they should support you in this.

I can say that i'm doing Low Carb - I just don't feel comfortable saying Atkins.

Found out the friends are doing veggie Mex. Portabello fajitas! Margaritas! rice, beans, tortillas, etc. Good grief it's worse than pizza!! NOW WHAT?!?!?