not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

[jonah]

Hi..going to introduce myself... names jonah, going on induction phase monday... and i;ve had success back in 2003, when i was 15, was like 240, and school was out over the summer, so like in july i went on it with ease, and lost like 35 pounds by the end of august, when i went to high school its was cool. and i kept low carbing for like the next 6 months and went down to 170, which i couldnt believe it, but over the years i crept back up to 240, so yeah.
i tried other diets with little success in the begining
but atkins is so strict, which is probably why it works for me.
the problem i have is boredom of food choices, but ive been looking on websites and found some good recipes

so im going into induction, im gonna need mad support, im not gonna be me. so yeah.
im like 244 right now, and im just sick of fat, i know atkins works so if i can get thru a few days, i think i'll be alright.
and what do you do for cravings that screw up the induction phase.....
cuz i really dont know what to do..
so please help me. i'll post before pics of me later on.
but these next few days will be crucial for me. so please ill need your love and support. thanks

[Desertthorn]

Re: not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

Hi Jonah, glad you found us.
You have had awesome success the last time so I'm sure you'll do great this time.
If you surround yourself with foods you love and are legal you will do fine. I find pickles help with cravings for both salt and sweet, but if you can fight thru the first couple of days you'll do great.

[Georgiana]

Re: not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

Hi, Jonah. Welcome to ADBB.

Good for you to get back on Atkins.

but atkins is so strict, which is probably why it works for me.
the problem i have is boredom of food choices, but ive been looking on websites and found some good recipes

Did you progress through all the phases of Atkins when you got down to 170? It is easy to get bored of food choices if you do a very long Induction, but once you move to OWL you can eat yogurt, milk, nuts, berries, legumes, fruits, starchy vegetables, grains and even have an occasional glass of alcohol. Hard to get bored with such a food variety!

Desertthorn has given you some great advice about snacks. When you have the impulse to eat just for the sake of eating, you can try going for a walk/run or to the gym, listening to some music, looking at pictures of you at 170, reading posts on ADBB and looking at the before/after pictures... anything that will keep you focused on your goal and take your mind away from food.

I think you've come to the right place for support. Good luck!

[liv]

Re: not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

I think the strictness if why it works for me too. In addition with me it works because I am/was a big lover of carbs (bad carbs) and cutting those out helps.

Cravings can be an issue. What do you usually crave? A special food? A taste? There are many ways to work around it. It depends a little on what it is.

[jonah]

Re: not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

thanks for your support, when i just eat chicken or steak, with a salad, i
just get the craving for bread, i dont like wheat bread at all, but now, doesn't look so bad about now.
i did an extended induction when i first did it. for like 2 months then i kept my carbs around 50 a day,
and when i was really into it, i didnt miss or crave carby foods at all,
and back then i noticed my skin was alot better, didnt break out alot
hope that comes back too.
the strictness is crappy at first, but yeah it what keeps me on atkins
like i know i cant have cake or soda, but if i was on a low calorie diet, i would try to have a small portion but that never happens..

[IrishIrish]

Re: not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

One person's boredom with food choices is meal simplicity in another person. Induction worked well for me to jump start weight loss. In time, I added recipes and remade some of my favorites in a low carb way.

Congratulations with your choice to do Atkins!

[JulieB]

Re: not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

One idea to help with the want for something 'special' is to save legal foods to use as treats. (Prob best to do away with using food as a reward altogether, but...) For example, you could not usually have diet pop with splenda...only have it when you crave something sweet. (Although if you look around this board, eliminating sweets altogether helps some people not have any cravings for sweets at all).

Have you heard of 'oopsies'? They're an induction-friendly bread-substitute. The recipe is around on the board somewhere. I haven't tried them yet, but they seem to be pretty popular.

Welsome to the board there's tons of great advice & support here.

[Sunny_0ne]

Re: not so "newb" newb.... and i have questions..

Welcome, Jonah!

You sound knowledgeable and motivated, so I am going to enjoy watching your progress!

Look in the recipe section under "Snacks." One of my favorites are the "cheez-it" crackers, made by microwaving little squares of cheddar cheese until they are crisp and crunchy. They taste even better than cheez-its to me, and kind of satisfy a craving for crackers or bread.

There are also flax seed muffins that give you something to eat sandwich fillers on, and they only take a few minutes in the microwave.

Keeping a supply of deviled eggs made up in the refrigerator is also a lifesaver... as are veggies and dips made from cream cheese or sour cream... or just salad dressing.

Another AWESOME thing is chicken breast strips dipped in egg, then "breaded" with parmesan cheese and fried. They taste better than the chicken tenders you buy!

Sometimes you have to get a little creative to keep induction from getting boring. But it's worth the time and effort!

Good luck!