losing touch with the Atkins way

[Cobra Dan]

i've been back and eating low carb since mid April... in fact today, i'm down 24 lbs... and at my lowest, 28 lbs. great progress.

well, it actually seems that the past couple weeks i'm struggleing. my weight actually seems to be rising and to tell the truth, i've bent the rules. now, i've eaten low carb without fail, but i tell you, my taste buds will only allow me to eat a pretty basic/small menu of food... even smaller now that i've cut out all the great high carb food. so, getting a little burnt on foods i've been eating, i've explored a few different low carb foods... things that are better left alone. i've also been eating some salty foods because it's easy to make. lack of time is getting the best of me.

i've got to get back to basics here and get rid of the rest of this weight.

[SandyL2002]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

I hear you Dan.. I am in the same boat... When I get bored I do try some different recipes..some I have loved..some I hated... I need to do that again..

[buffy67]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

I can relate Dan. This woe is definitely something you have to plan for. First off, are you eating low carb or, are you eating Atkins. If so, what rung are you on? Are you still in induction?

Let us know your status, there is a wealth of support here willing to help out!!!!

Take Care,

Buffy

[Cobra Dan]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

well, i'm still in induction...

but i don't really need to be... i still have about 35 lbs to lose though, so i'm staying right here. i do eat veggies... ie: mushrooms, salads, broccoli. i know i need to drink more water... i do drink alot of soda, but that doesn't really seems to be an issue, thus far.

as far as moving on to other rungs... not really a big fan. most of the stuff i can add back in later rungs will set me right back into my old ways. so i stay in induction where i am comfy and i know whats happening. i don't mind adding in veggies to counter the weight loss when i hit my goad.

oh, and yes, i have been exercising, although more exercise couldn't hurt.

[Discolemonade]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

can you pinpoint exactly what it is you are missing and find an atkins alternative?

I'm with you on the taste buds. I have never liked asparagus and ordered some with my rosemary chicken last night. I ate 5 stalks and can safely say that I still don't like them. But you're in control not your taste buds. Taste buds got us here.

[slimndown]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

Are you SURE soda isn't an issue??? It just may be something to consider....

[harmony3098]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

hi cobra dan, i think i am hearing you...i like the control (illusion or not!!) that the induction phase allows me...i get bored and adventurous and soon am not as on board as i was...thus my weight stabilizes and even rises a few pounds...but then my mental anguish kicks in and i start saying all those dreaded things to myself like, "i'm always going to be this weight" etc., and then there i am again, fighting the same mental demons...i know that every time i tighten up, i get stronger...i know that by sticking with the program, i am taking care of myself and getting stronger...i know that i can be successful, not perfect, and this makes me stronger...thanks for this post...

[Sherri]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

Hi Dan, good to hear from you. My question was the same as slimndown, about the soda. Another thing you mentioned was that you had been preparing salty foods lately. Could be water retention? I was in a stall a week ago and cut out cheese this week and that got the weight loss moving again. You might want to tweak your diet a bit to get you moving again. I too am content in induction, but have found by dropping or adding different foods allowed in induction helpful to get the weightloss moving again. Also I use Mortan lite salt, it has half the sodium as table salt, and use low sodium soy sauce for my marinades. Check out the food and recipe forum, that may be helpful to get more ideas on your menu. Hope this helps, best of health to you! Sincerely Sherri

[Cobra Dan]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

soda... i can live without out it... do i want to, **** no. the way i see it, i still drink some water and i drink soda... it's like my way to escape the candy bars, cakes, cookies, SUGAR. i still get that sweet kick and i don't feel guilty or remorseful at all. i could be craving a candy bar (who doesn't, really) and i'll grab an ice cold diet dr. pepper and bam, i'm back in control.

now, i have had a few Atkins products lately... for years, i have been a sucker for the Peanut Butter Chocolate meal replacement bar. i love them.

but Atkins products are becoming more and more hard to find in local stores... seems as though the "fad" saw it's 15 mins and now it's gone. but what the store does have around here is the Peanut butter bar, and these Atkins coconut bars. DELICIOUS! i'm pretty sure that coconut bar is the devil dressed in a chocolate dress.

so, i'm going to cut that out, all together.

i have been cooking alot of Johnsonville bratwurtst lately too. it's no trouble at all for me to fire up the grill in the back yard and cook these up. just open the package and toss them on the fire and before long, with minimal effort, i'm eating.

Cheese, i gotta have it. As long as i have been an Atkin-eer, i have held cheese on some sort of golden pedistal. I gotta have it... and i eat more than 4 oz daily. can't really help it.

Steak is too expensive to eat daily.... and i'm so tire of hamburger patties that i could puke, no to mention eggs!!!

i have been making my own breakfast sausage (all natural, no fillers, just meat and spice!) and it's great, but alas, i'm tired of it too.

i'm out of creative ideas here... i don't want to stop eating this way. I'm still motivated here, still want to lose weight, still want to be healthy and best of all, i'm still in control and still not stuff my self to the point of feeling ill, still don't have guilty feelings about myself after i eat, still don't feel like i need to eat garbage (bad food, i don't really eat garbage).

i've been through the recipes... and blah. i'm super picky and i simply will not invest money in something that is gross.... i won't eat it.

what are you guys eating everyday?

[dreamof145]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

Are you getting bored with the meals you eat? Are you eating the same things all the time? Try looking through the substitution forum and see if anything there interests you? The substitutions really helped me. Also, maybe you could move on to OWL -- as that gives you more variety and might help out.

I'm glad that you are catching this early, noticing that you are starting to sway from plan. Now might be a time to make a new plan. Get yourself siked up with motivational stories, photos and new exercises. Joining local activities, participating in the challenges and changing your routine might get you back into the positive frame of mind and make a difference. As soon as I start to lose my focus, I've found that a change in my routine really helps.

You are worth the effort. Check out the recipes, substitutions and use more spices to make your meals more interesting. I eat a lot of tuna and chicken...I never tire of them. I also have meatballs quite often.

I make the Atkins pizza, lasagna and use cauliflower for rice dishes such as stir fry. I never tire of my meals. I always make a lot and freeze some for future meals.

Best wishes. The best thing I can tell you to do is to revise your plan as soon as you feel you are bored with it and liven it up with new foods, exercises and strengthen your attitude to motivate yourself. Come here as much as you can to find the encouragement to keep going. Best wishes!!!

[julirama723]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

Dan, I would suggest moving to OWL. If you're bored, you're likely to have a "roving eye", so to speak. OWL is a way to combat that. And anyway, you don't really benefit from staying on induction for an extended period. OWL is the MAIN WEIGHTLOSS PHASE OF ATKINS, and you can control how slowly you want your weightloss to slow down. Actually, many people see a jumpstart to their losses when they switch to OWL. I lost 25 pounds on induction/extended induction, but I've lost 60 POUNDS on OWL.

Don't be afraid of the food choices. Start slowly, stay on rung 1 for a month or two if you want. You NEED to learn what foods you can tolerate and which ones you can't, if you want this to be a lifestyle and not a diet. The higher I climbed in the rungs, the more realistic and maintainable this WOE became. I have NEVER cheated, and I attribute that to moving up the rungs as intended. Why cheat? There are so many awesome food choices!

I would also recommend giving up caffiene and bars. Most people have to count the FULL carb count of the bars (not counting fiber, but counting sugar alcohols) because their bodies absorb the sugar alcohol like "regular" sugar. So, if you eat a bar that says it's only 3g carbs, read the label, and add those sugar alcohols back in. You might be eating 20+ carbs per bar and not even realize it. Another bad thing about those--they contain ingredients NOT legal until later in OWL, like nuts, fruits, soy, and grains.

[daniejim]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

i know what you mean.. and what happens to me is that I just can't find good induction friendly recipes... and I end up eatin' chicken or beef with garlic and veggies.. and that's it.. but you know? my tastebuds are not an issue.. I'm the kind of person that can live eatin' the same things.. regarding the soda issue... I stalled with it (diet coke with splenda) I think it was the caffeine (why don't they do splenda sweetened no caffeine diet coke LOL here I came up with a new recipe.. LOL)... and the same day I gave it up, I started losing 1lb or 1.5 lb a day!! wow it's worth it.. My non-water drink now is splenda sweetened kool aid (I make a pitcher without splenda, chill it, and put 1 splenda packet in a glass - so I don't lose control of my 3 pckt allowance per day)..... for my sweet tooth I've found that jello is very good.. I use water, unsweetened kool aid, unflavored gelatin, splenda (and heavy cream for strawberry or cherry kool aid) yummy... it works really well for me..

[Cobra Dan]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

so, i bought some unflavored gelatin today... added some strawberry kool-aid... and made my own whipped cream... excellent dessert.

i also went out and bought caffine free, diet dr. pepper. we'll see if that helps any.

one new thing i did today was make an omlet. can't believe i forgot about making omlets. i pan fried some thin cut, cheap steak... cut it into strips and used it as filling for my omlet... as well as fresh shedded cheddar cheese (home shredded, that store bought stuff has corn starch!). maybe i can get this weight loss fired up again.

[kellyf48]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

lowCarbcafe.com has a lot of simple and easy recipes. I put a porkroast in the crockpot today with locarb bbq sauce to make pulled pork 4 dinner. Last night we had steak and stuffed mushrooms(easy 2 make), pork roast and saurkraut is another crockpot recipe. Stuffed hamburgeres w feta cheese and tomatos. Ever did an omlete in a bag? In n.y. we have waistwatchers soda made w splenda and no aspartame.

[Tack Candy]

Re: losing touch with the Atkins way

Hi Dan,

How about?:

tuna (salad w/ mayo, celery, onions, splash of lemon juice, dash or 2 of dry mustard)
chicken (salad w/ mayo prepped same as tuna salad)
caesar salad (w/ chicken too) no croutons
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE !!!!!!!! (easy and awesome, coco pdr,heavy whipping cream and splenda)
dill pickles
olives
shrimp (and shrimp salad - yum)
you like cheese? try some fried in a teflon pan....delish
cauliflower boiled to death - drain,add parm cheese, butter, sour cream and make mock smashed potatoes. Doesn't taste like cauliflower AT ALL
and of course....OMLETS any induction filling at all - be creative. (if you like cheese blintzes try cream cheese w/ vanilla and splenda blended as a filling...sinful)
pepperoni microwaved until crisp - salty but fun and easy. add cheese 5 sec. before done.

try these out. I think most are easy and are good change ups if you are feeling bored.

Candy