I hope this time is it.

[The_Vincester]

I'm absolutely pathetic at diets. I've tried and failed them all multiple times, including Atkins once before. I really try, but either sabotage myself, or have help in doing so. Last time, my wife bought some sausage that was FILLED with sugar (I should have known it tasted too good at the time). I certainly wasn't mad at her, as she was only trying to help and thought sausage was okay. I was, however, pretty frustrated. I had been eating this sausage for two weeks, thinking I was doing induction (with other "safe" foods), but when I realized I was doing something wrong, I became frustrated and stopped.

I'm now going to try round two. Grocery today and only safe foods, so I've got a good start.

My main problem is that I have a horrible food addiction. I've got an Italian heritage that is filled with food and the love of food... and enjoyment of food. After I few days, I crave pasta and bread. I really need to be strong though. My whole family is obese, and I'm somewhat of the "runt" of the litter at 5'8" and 260 lbs.

I'm in pretty decent health, as I was in the military until last February, but my gut has continued to get out of control with the lack of steady excersize and the increased consumption of beer.

My big wake up call was after watching a video of myself playing soccer with my 4 year old daughter. I'm the opposite of someone with an eating disorder... I look in the mirror and see myself as thinner as I am, but this video didn't lie. I'm fat. I looked fat, I feel fat... I AM fat. I want to see my daughter graduate from High School at a minimum (hopefully college too!), but I'm 35 and my weight is going to cause me problems (diabetes and heat disease run in my family as it is).

I need a dramatic change, and I think this is the start. I picked Atkins again because: 1. I've seen it give results (my best friend dropped about 60 pounds in three months. 2. It doesn't totally cut me off to my food addiction. Any time I have to "limit" my eating, I'm doomed to fail.

Hopefully I can get down about 30 lbs and then get back on a strict excersize regiment. My weight increased so rapidly that it has destroyed my knees. I need to drop some pounds before I can think about running. These forums will (hopefully) be a form of support for me. The transformations I've seen have been impressive and motivates me to give it another go. Thanks for listening and your support.

[Brook]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Hey there, Vince Nice to meet you.

You've come to the right place. There are plenty of people around here that have "skinny goggles" - myself included. LOL Gotta hate those pictures and videos, eh?

You'll find a wealth of information and support here at ADBB. Be sure to read the sticky posts and FAQ's and study your 2002 Atkins like it's your lifeline- because it is.

And because I'm here to you on and support you through your journey, that also means I'm gonna ya when you need it too. My new friend, you need a bit of a

I wrote a page called Random Thoughts. One of the things I wrote on that page is this:

Stop being wishy-washy! "I want", "I'll try", "I'd like to", "I think", "I'd might" are ALL wishy washy. "I want to lose weight" isn't a decision, but "I'm going to lose 15lbs." certainly is. "I'll try to start eating better" is limp reasoning at best. Are you going to do it or aren't you? MAKE A DECISION AND THEN DO IT! Own it. Claim it. -And it will be yours.

So, soldier....are you DOING this or are you TRYING this?!


C'mon. We're here. Use the heck out of us. Lean on us, whine to us, share your successes and struggles, fears, and failures with us. We'll pick you up, dust you off, cheer you on, and support you through each and every step.


I won't wish you luck, because luck has squat to do with this. I wish you SUCCESS!!

[apple]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Welcome, Vince!

Get moving!

( )

[The_Vincester]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I have a question about bacon (and similar foods). I've seen some warnings about being cured with sugar, but I've yet to see where it says don't have them, or make sure you eat in moderation. If it says 0 G Carbs and 0 G Sugar, should it be safe? Even if cured in sugar? If it was enough sugar to be noteworthy, wouldn't it be listed as 1 G or more?

I'm really trying to be smart about this, but I haven't had luck finding bacon that HASN'T been cured in sugar.

Also, what is your favorite "snack" on Atkins? I got some pork rinds to replace potato chips, but ... well... they're pork rinds. I'm a snacker for life I fear, but I want to at least snack on the right thing on Atkins.

[Brook]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Vince- The rule is to eat nothing that's not on the induction allowed foods list. I know there are some brands out there that aren't cured with sugar, but for the life of me, I've never found them.

However if it's something you're eating in moderation (not 5 days a week), I wouldn't sweat it (and didn't/don't).

Now as far as carb labeling goes..in the US it works like this:

If something has .01-.49 grams of carb, it can legally be labeled as having 0 carbs. If it has .5-.99 grams of carb it can legally be labled <1 gram.

Careful with those pork rinds too - you really shouldn't eat more than an ounce or two a day.

I would strongly suggest you spend some time surfing people's journals, review my menu forum and the recipes sections. You will find tons of ideas and great recommendations that will help you stay on track!

Me? I *love* deviled eggs, meat rollups (roast beef or turkey w/ mayo & mustard spread w/ cheese), a few cubes of cheese, veggies and ranch dip, or jicama sprinkled w/ cajun spices w/ a bit of sour cream and fresh salsa, cuke slices, and in a pinch I'll make myself some cheddar cheese bites (nuke the cheese!) and pepperoni.

Go dig around the forums. You'll be amazed at what you find and the variety you find!!

Keep asking questions - and post the bacon question in the Induction forum with it's own topic line - you'll get lots of answers and people who know what brands are sugar free.

[The_Vincester]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Well, day three and I seem to be doing OK except for the migraines from the caffeine withdrawal. I'm a six cup a day coffee drinker normally and this has been pretty brutal.

I do really like the Diet Rite PureZero drinks and Diet Big Red (same as the diet rite). I know you're supposed to limit your splenda, but I'm not sure how many of these drinks I can have a day. They really help satisfy my "sweet tooth" but I'd like to know how many are "safe."

The best part is that my wife is being so supportive. Sometimes I think it's hard for her to understand because she's always been skinny (pretty typical for a Japanese woman), but she's really helping. She's an excellent cook and can do amazing this with induction foods. That's one piece of luck I have on my side at least.

edit: Also, I don't want to be inappropriate, but I've noticed that that diet kills my sex drive, and was just curious if that was normal.

[PatrickSF]

Re: I hope this time is it.

welcome to the family Vince! It's all going to workout for sure, just you wait and see...


Warmest regards and aloha,

Patrick

[Brook]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Vince, you're supposed to be limiting your sweetener intake to 3 servings a day.

As for the sex drive stuff, I'm not sure about all that jazz for men. If you add "male" to your signature and PM the administration here, they'll get you access to the private men's forum. My bet is you'd have better luck getting real information and advice from the guys in there.

I'm glad you've got the support you need and deserve!!

[Jace]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Welcome to Vince!

As far as sweetener goes, check the ingredients list on the side of the can. MOST brands will list there how much sweetener is used per 355mL (12oz) serving.

Typically, 1 serving of sweetener is the equivalent to a 1g (0.035oz) packet of Splenda and we only get 3 servings per day. So once you find out how much sweetener is in the can, you can pull out your math skills and figure out how much is in one can.

Please note: I'm Canadian, I know almost nothing about ounces so my gram to ounce calculations may be a bit off. I hope someone will correct me if I am. The conversions came directly from Yahoo

As for sex drive...most men seem to have experienced an increase, but don't worry. Mine went down for a considerable amount of time as well, but came back with a vengeance as I neared goal...so no need to panic yet

Best of luck on your weight loss journey!

~Far la bella figura!

[The_Vincester]

Re: I hope this time is it.

An update:

Though I'm almost "done" with the induction phase, I'll likely be extending. As with most diets, I suck at this one as well.

I haven't had many carbs and no sugar, but I don't seem to be progressing at all. I'm not really even sure if I'm in Ketosis (I'm going to get some stix today to see). I do have a funny taste in my mouth, but it's more "dry" than anything and I'm not sure what it should taste like.

I've had a strange "lightness" in my legs that's strange, like they're weak... except their not weak. I have had more energy, but at the wrong times, it seems. I wake up in the middle of the night full of energy and can't get back to sleep.

Overall, I've been "good" with the foods, but I think I'm doing myself in with these diet (with sucralose) sodas. They seem to be the only thing that fill my craving for something sweet now and again. Unfortunately I think "now and again" is likely too often.

I have a really hard time following diets to a "T" and Atkins is no exception.

One question is that... if I'm eating the right foods, but maybe have too many diet sodas in one day, how does that affect me overall? Is it like a went back to day one of induction, or is it like I just need to add one day? Can you go in and out of ketosis quickly or is it always a gradual process?

I can stay on induction definitely as far as I'm concerned, I like the foods and really never really want to go back to the carb-laden diet I had before.

[Elizellen]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Well done on sticking to the allowed foods list

As for the diet sodas, really the only way to see if they are affecting your weightloss journey would be to stop drinking them - or at least have them less often.

The trouble with a sweet tooth is that if you feed it with 'sweet' even if only sweet drinks you are keeping it strong and demanding.

Many of us found that our sugar monster weakened and went away by not eating anything sweet during induction. I find I can take or leave sweet things, and normally dont eat them, finding other foods more satisfying. I even find cherry tomatoes and red peppers a bit too sweet sometimes!!

Try eating something high in fat instead of drinking a sweet drink and see if that helps dampen your sweet tooth.

BTW - Dr Atkins gave us a limit of up to 3 servings of sweetener a day - and one serving of a beverage is usually 8 fluid ounces, so a 12 ounce can is half of your daily 'allowance'!

[ThinSoon]

Re: I hope this time is it.

Vince - Checking in to see how you are doing!! Hope all is well!


Tracey