Help!

[LCer09]

Re: Help!

Merely to offer up a different opinion/experience when using the Atkins bars/shakes. I have used them since the beginning and have been very successful. I don't know if I could have stayed on the plan without the shakes as I am not a breakfast person and they are the only things I can stomach in the morning. My D14 just started Atkins less than a week ago and I allow her one bar a day. She is down 6 lbs.

Everyone is different. Additionally the Dr. has us both on Metformin for insulin resistance. If you're losing with the goodies then fantastic. If you're not losing anything than cut the goodies out and see what happens.

Personally, I don't like how people will lump the shakes and bars together. The shakes don't contain the sugar alcohols necessary in the bars to make them a solid food product. I never had any problems with the shakes, but wouldn't touch the bars, only because of the ingredients. They are not the same, at all. But either way, I wouldn't live off the shakes either!

[not2late]

Re: Help!

Our collective experience on ADBB is that the bars and shakes have a tendency to stall or slow weight loss in some people. That's why we don't recommend them during the 14 Day Induction----the results of your weight loss help you determine how your Atkins will proceed, so the less you do to screw up your results the better idea you will have of your metabolic resistance to weight loss the better you can plan your Atkins.

[LCer09]

Re: Help!

Our collective experience on ADBB is that the bars and shakes have a tendency to stall or slow weight loss in some people. That's why we don't recommend them during the 14 Day Induction----the results of your weight loss help you determine how your Atkins will proceed, so the less you do to screw up your results the better idea you will have of your metabolic resistance to weight loss the better you can plan your Atkins.

That's all true. But "bars and shakes" as if it was one word and they were at all, in any way similar is just not true, no? Catch phrases tend to get overused until everybody believes them. I've been on a LOT of LC boards over the years, and I see a lot of ideas become gospel. Like "If your ketosticks turn purple, you're dehydrated!!" (oh my god, we're all gonna DIE!)

[not2late]

Re: Help!

That's all true. But "bars and shakes" as if it was one word and they were at all, in any way similar is just not true, no? Catch phrases tend to get overused until everybody believes them. I've been on a LOT of LC boards over the years, and I see a lot of ideas become gospel. Like "If your ketosticks turn purple, you're dehydrated!!" (oh my god, we're all gonna DIE!)

Well how would you write that some people have difficulties with certain low carb products without identifying them? I see what you mean, but as I wrote in the collective experience of this Board, bars and shakes cause difficulties in some folks, so we advise them not to use them in the 14 day Induction.

As for the ketosticks turning purple - dehydration, that's more of a misunderstanding than anything else. It's based upon the fact that the ketostix does not measure urine specific gravity, which tells you how hydrated a person is. If you look on the "stix" hospitals and some doctor's offices use, urine specific gravity and a whole bunch of other things like red blood cells, protein, etc. are on that stix. The urine specific gravity gives you an idea of how concentrated the urine is. Since the ketostix reagent measures the concentration of ketones in the urine sample, knowing that specific gravity can give you a better idea of the ketotic state of the person. I work in a doctor's office and I have dipped my urine with both the ketostix and the Chem 10 strips (the ones that have the specific gravity) just to compare the results. Usually, if the specific gravity is higher, signifying more concentrated urine, the keto color is darker, as opposed to when I have a less concentrated urine. But as Dr. Atkins wrote, the ketostix are just a tool and the goal isn't trying to turn them color.

[Georgiana]

Re: Help!

That's all true. But "bars and shakes" as if it was one word and they were at all, in any way similar is just not true, no? Catch phrases tend to get overused until everybody believes them. I've been on a LOT of LC boards over the years, and I see a lot of ideas become gospel. Like "If your ketosticks turn purple, you're dehydrated!!" (oh my god, we're all gonna DIE!)

Maybe fewer people experience a stall in their weight loss from shakes than from bars because of those sugar alcohols missing, but many are still stalled by ingredients that are in the shakes. If this had not be the case, then Atkins Nutritionals would not have set a limit of 2 per day for both the bars and the shakes and instead they would have said you can eat only 2 bars, but 3 shakes.

Ketostix. Many people do not drink enough water at the beginning of their Atkins and then their ketostix may turn dark purple. This is why we remind people that dark ketostix are often a sign of dehydration and we tell them to make sure they drink enough water. Also, many people get very excited from seeing purple thinking "OMG, look how purple this is!!! I'll lose a bunch of weight in 2 weeks!", when in reality the color registered on the stix may have nothing to do with the results one sees at the end of the 2 weeks---you can have dark ketostix from eating butter all day or you can artificially darken the color by consuming coconut oil or other short- and medium-chain triglycerides.

[Slapshot]

Re: Help!

Ok, I'll play lawyer here. How about we all agree to say "bars and/or shakes" from now on?

[theredhead]

Re: Help!

How about making some of your own treats. Linda Sue has some wonderful recipes here. The ones marked with an * are induction-friendly. I love protein shakes and make my own from scratch. That way, I KNOW what's in them.
Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

[LCer09]

Re: Help!

Maybe fewer people experience a stall in their weight loss from shakes than from bars because of those sugar alcohols missing, but many are still stalled by ingredients that are in the shakes. If this had not be the case, then Atkins Nutritionals would not have set a limit of 2 per day for both the bars and the shakes and instead they would have said you can eat only 2 bars, but 3 shakes.

Ketostix. Many people do not drink enough water at the beginning of their Atkins and then their ketostix may turn dark purple. This is why we remind people that dark ketostix are often a sign of dehydration and we tell them to make sure they drink enough water. Also, many people get very excited from seeing purple thinking "OMG, look how purple this is!!! I'll lose a bunch of weight in 2 weeks!", when in reality the color registered on the stix may have nothing to do with the results one sees at the end of the 2 weeks---you can have dark ketostix from eating butter all day or you can artificially darken the color by consuming coconut oil or other short- and medium-chain triglycerides.

Personally I don't give a whit what Atkins Nutritionals tells me to do. I mean, they limit the amount of Atkins bread one can eat during induction as well... kinda proving they are full of it. But reading the label on a shake (googled, I haven't had one in years) there really isn't much there to shake in one's boots over. The difference between the shakes and bars is staggering. So I'll have to stand by saying that they really shouldn't be considered even remotley similar.

I realize the intent. But like I said, I've been on a lot of these boards for a long time. And if I had a nickel for every time "My ketosticks turned purple!" was answered with "That means you're dehydrated!! (not might be, but ARE) ... well, add a nickle for every time the poor shakes are lumped in with the bars, and I'd have a giant pile of nickles. I understand it's all about good intentions. But even here, on the maitainance boards, moderators will be talking about the NEED for more "good carbs"... which is odd, since there isn't a single essential carbohydrate in existance. But... well, if everybody says it, it must be true!

[not2late]

Re: Help!

Personally I don't give a whit what Atkins Nutritionals tells me to do. I mean, they limit the amount of Atkins bread one can eat during induction as well... kinda proving they are full of it.

Of course they are because Atkins bread contains ingredients that are not on the Induction Foods List. So it's apparent the motivation for labeling it "Induction" acceptable is purely monetary.

But reading the label on a shake (googled, I haven't had one in years) there really isn't much there to shake in one's boots over. The difference between the shakes and bars is staggering. So I'll have to stand by saying that they really shouldn't be considered even remotley similar.

Maybe the ingredients are dissimilar, but it's been the experience of the board that their effect on weight loss is similar to that of the bars. And therefore, we can't turn a blind eye to that because that will be contrary to the purpose of this board.

I realize the intent. But like I said, I've been on a lot of these boards for a long time. And if I had a nickel for every time "My ketosticks turned purple!" was answered with "That means you're dehydrated!! (not might be, but ARE) ... well, add a nickle for every time the poor shakes are lumped in with the bars, and I'd have a giant pile of nickles. I understand it's all about good intentions. But even here, on the maitainance boards, moderators will be talking about the NEED for more "good carbs"... which is odd, since there isn't a single essential carbohydrate in existance. But... well, if everybody says it, it must be true!

A "good" carb differs from a "bad" carb in terms of nutritional benefits. 4 grams of table sugar is a "bad" carb when compared to 4 carbs worth of pumpkin or legumes. Why? Because at least the pumpkin and legumes contain fiber, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients white sugar lacks. So again, it would be negligent of this board to tell anyone or to intimate that tables sugar has the same nutritional value as an equal amount of veg or fruit.