Hi all!

My name is Annett and I am new to the whole low-carb thing. I have a few good questions so I hope you can help me out If my questions seem "stupid" please bare with me as I am new

#1 Why can't I have low-carb wraps on induction? If I stick to my 20 carbs per day shouldn't it still work?

#2 Sugar-alcohol. I noticed a lot of low-carb items contain sugar-alcohol but I don't understand what sugar-alcohol is....can anyone explain?

#3 Family-issue. My husband and 3-year old daughter are skinny as can be and -lucky them- don't need to diet -I on the otherhand need to go low-carb. Do anyone have any good tips or recipes that can be used in my situation that satisfies my low-carb yet easily can be added to or changed to include carbs they need?

I think that sums it up for today. If any of you have any suggestions please write me and let me know. I would really appreciate the assistance.

Thank you,
Annett

Okay, I'm sure others will have lots of info, but I'll try.

#1 the rules of induction and what you can eat has a lot to do with ridding you of cravings and cleansing your body. Dr. Atkins had many years of working with people to perfect his program, and following induction very closely is important for later success. In fact, I am still (11 months into this) very careful about "frankenfoods" and try to stick with natural things. I'd save the lc wraps, etc. for after induction--and even then sparingly. You don't want to get discouraged if things start stalling you right away.

#2 Sugar alcohols are sweetners (neither sugar nor alcohol) that do not impact blood sugars in most people. They are wonderful for adding flavor to sf candy, ect. WARNING #1, they can cause extreme gas and/or diarrhea so keep quantities small; WARNING #2, they stall some people.

#3, find plenty of things to serve that you can eat and then just add carby things for the rest of your family. For instance, serve your meat with a salad, and let your family add bread and corn. Even if they are thin, teaching them to make good and healthy food choices will be a benefit.

Hope that helps.

Hi Annett!

I just wanted to add in my experience in dealing with a non LoCarb eating family. My hubby and son are both regular eaters, I am the only one in the house doing LC.

Thankfully, they've been very sympathetic to my situation and try very hard not to tempt me.

I agree with the other Pam - make a maid dish meat, add salad and a LC friendly Veggie - then you can also add in a couple of starches for them.

The other night these guys wanted meatloaf - I didn't want to suffer them through LC version so I cooked something separate for myself. No big deal.

I really think it helps to have a supportive family if they aren't doing LC. So far so good with mine! I hope you're family understands how important this is to you - it can make a BIG difference as does this forum.

I think without this forum I would not have made it this far!

Pam

Hi there

Thank you both for your input. It is good to hear that others deal with the same situation of being the only one in the family on low-carb.

My husband is trying hard to support my low-carb diet but he is a very picky eater which makes it hard to cook for him in the first place but so far so good.

My daughter Katyann is 3 and she'll eat just about anything so it easy just to add on some carbs.

I did think of another question to add to my other questions: After I get through induction I know I will need to sub some groceries for low-carb groceries. Not many just a few like ketchup (one of those things I can't live without) and maybe something frozen like those sugarfree popsicles or a few other things. Now, my daughter should be able to eat those just fine right? As long as she gets her carbs in her main meals? I imagine less sugar in a few things doesn't hurt anyone.

Anyway, I am so glad I found this board. Its been very helpful reading everything. I am a real newbie on this diet, so all the tips really help.

Thank you!

>Annett

You know I found that for me it is better to be around the regular foods. If I banish them from the house then when I go out I am more tempted to try them.
I know it is extra work to fix 2 dinners, but it's worth it in the end

Good Morning Annett!

Hey! You need a journal! There are links at the top of the newbie question page to tell you how to start one. Go get one so we can come visit you!

I agree with Diana, keep it as natural as possible.

One thing though... after reading and reading and reading when I started this WOE, I have noticed there is a tremendous amount of info regarding Aspartame - is it right, is it wrong? I don't know. I do know that now I would be very hesitant to give it to a child. Kind of a 'better safe than sorry' thing.

Our children in this country (and probably many others in the 'civilised' world are overweight), I wish I had had all this information when my guy was younger. Now at age 14, he's a big boy. I know I played a big role in that, like mother, like son.

Katyann doesn't have to go through what we are going through right now - you're fortunate to now have the opportunity to raise her loving foods that are healthy - she will learn from you!

No, I am not saying to LC the little one! I'm saying to keep as many whole foods around her as you can. Nothing beats fresh fruits and veggies.

Personally, I stay away from all the frankenfoods - I thought I couldn't live w/o ketchup - but I haven't had any in a month and no longer miss it - I think I've discovered I had been covering up the taste of so many wonderful foods.

You are going to do great!!

Pam

It is hard when your family can still eat carbs, but it can be done!. I make sure when I cook my dd dinner at night that I include stuff for me to nibble on like sliced celery, dill pickle, cucumber etc, and I cook only enough high carb stuff for her plate - a bit of pasta, potato, rice, whatever - there is no tmeptation if there is only enough cooked for her. And the nice thing is that we can still eat the same food -meat, salads, veggies, only she has a bit more stuff.

LOTS of recipes on this forum. But a lot of basic dishes can be made for the family by you just eating around the carb items (e.g. baked potatoes, bread, rice). You can even eat the top off the pizza after you're through with induction.

I've created a thread for newbies...read through it. It covers a lot of the things newbies go through.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=175492

Sugar Alcohol.. Sugar Alcohol is not supposed to raise your blood sugar level and therefore is not supposed to increase your cravings. The candy industry puts a LOT of sugar alcohol in candy "treats" and subtracts the sugar alcohol from the total carb count to come up with "net carbs". For most people here, those "treats" stall them out on their weight loss. I was stalled for a while chewing about 10 pieces of "sugar free" gum. 10pieces * 2g sugar alcohol (basically things ending in "ol") is 20g of carbs JUST FROM THE GUM.

Wow

A lot of good info again today. Thank you all. I will see if I can set up that journal today.
I am so happy I found this forum!!!!!
I do have another question: Are Keto strips a must? I know in some places they are recommended but are they really a good tool? If so...I did find a cheap source -Ebay- 100 strips for $3.49+$3.50 shipping= $6.99 -----still beats the grocery store price of 25 strips for $9.99!

Have a wonderful day!

>Annett

Hey Annett!
I'm the only LC'er in my family, too. What has helped make mealtimes so much easier is having a small George Foreman grill that I can cook a piece of meat on, just for me. While I cook a pasta dish or casserole for my family I just throw on my main course on the grill and steam my veggies in the microwave. It's super quick, and many's the time that they want my dinner instead of theirs!
Good luck!

Karen

Keto sticks are optional. A lot of people like to use them in the beginning (including me) to get a sanity check that things are really changing. They did help me in the beginning, but the stick don't change color for everyone.

I bought the sticks before I asked anyone about them and was disappointed that they didn't turn the dark purple that everyone was talking about. Mine was in the moderate range. It kind of threw me for a loop thinking I wasn't lcing enough! Then I found here in the forum that not everyone turns the dark color. Some are like me and only show moderate and some don't show anything at all. There is an expiration date on them so be sure and check it if you decide to go ahead with them. I guess they are not very accurate after that date.

Personally, I really like the sticks, but thats probably because I am in the Dark purple club. Not everyone is. Case in point: I turn the stick purple and I lost 80+lbs, my mother turns it pale pink and has lost 75lbs. However, for me, they help me stay calm during my monthly when I ALWAYS gain like 7 lbs of water weight. PS I would severly caution you against wraps in induction. It's only two weeks, and the more you stick to it the better of a kick start you will get. As for dealing with your carb loving familial unit, the only problems I find when I'm with my family is seeing them eat fab sugary goodies. To deal, I always keep lots of homemade 1by1" lc treats wrapped up in my fridge so I don't feel deprived.