atkins shakes

[erinonatkins]

i just finished my first two weeks of induction and have decided to stick around for a little longer. from tracking in fitday i've noticed my calories tend to hover around 1000/day. i'm fairly certain that maintaining calorie levels like this will cause my body to try to hang on to my fat rather than drop it. i have thought about adding atkins shakes, but have heard they're pretty much a no-no. i read the label and noticed that they're 5g total carbs and 4g fiber. there's no mention of those devilish sugar alcohols. aside from artificial sweetener (i made it through the first 2 weeks without a drop of it) what makes them so naughty?

[Booyah16]

Re: atkins shakes

Yeah I would like to know that too. I used to drink them every morning except on weekends and it didn't seem to effect anything. I've stopped drinking them but I think I want to go back to them because I never eat breakfast anymore.

[Moochiecat]

Re: atkins shakes

Atkins strives for us to get our nutrients and fiber from real foods that are close to their natural states..meats, cheeses, vegetables...REAL foods that offer us nutrients and fiber in a form that our bodies benefit from the most.
If you learn to eat real foods, you'll be building a foundation for a lifetime of good eating habits.
If you get in the habit of turning to, or god forbid, get dependant on a processed, artificial food source...well...really, think about it..real food versus a fake food? If I have a choice between a can of cold artificial liquid or a plate of say scrambled eggs, sausage and sliced tomato.....or a cheeseburger(no bun) with sauteed mushrooms...well...it's just not much of a contest.
For a lot of us, turning to fake foods is what got us fat. Substituting one thing for another might not seem to hinder weight loss in some people, but what is a person learning when they do that? How will this help a person on their way up the rungs of OWL, when they should be experimenting with real foods to see what they can and cannot have?

Go for the real food, folks...your bodies and your digestive systems (and your bank accounts!!!!) will thank you for it in the long run.

And don't skip breakfast. Breakfast gets the fat-burning metabolism going for the day...and that's what we all want to do isn't it? Burn that fat?
I don't know about you but I want this fat gone asap, and if eating fresh, natural foods is what I have to do...lol...I guess I'll have to suffer through it.

[erinonatkins]

Re: atkins shakes

i understand the necessity and desirability of eating whole natural foods. however, i have never in my life consumed a bacon cheeseburger and i'm really not interested in starting to. i eat plenty of veggies, lean meats, acceptable cheeses, eggs, etc. however, the calories just aren't there. my appetite disappeared to nearly nothing within 2 days. i guess my real question is, do i have to start essentially force feeding myself to get to a reasonable calorie range or is this an ok addition when food alone just isn't getting me there? i'm going to try re-working my menus and see if i can't find ways to add in calories without eating things i really really dislike - otherwise i think my only options are to supplement or move on to OWL which i'd really rather not do at this time.

[Brook]

Re: atkins shakes

Erin, you will find that as you continue on over the next while that you will get used to being in ketosis - and the appetite issues will resolve themselves.

I'm not now, nor have I ever been a fan of force feeding to meet some ridiculous pre-set calorie goal. Our bodies are very capable of letting us know what it needs, all we have to do is listen. I don't know how much fat you're looking to remove or what your stats are, but assuming you've got extra body fat your body isn't going to starve by any stretch of the imagination. As you adjust to being in ketosis and get the hang of listening to your body's cues, you'll have days where your calories are low and days where your calories are high. It's just the way it goes.

As for adding in calories, on Atkins that's a *very* easy thing to do. Cook your veggies in olive oil, use an extra tablespoon of dressing on your salad, add butter to your veggies, use an extra bit of mayo in a roll-up or in your chicken salad.

You should be supplementing regardless - with supplements. Give yourself and your body time and be patient. It really will take care of itself if you follow the plan.

~Brook

[erinonatkins]

Re: atkins shakes

brook - i'm taking vitamins already. i think you're right, i should relax and just listen to the ol' body for a change. if i'm not hungry, (and it hasn't been over 6 hours since i last ate) i won't eat. when i am hungry, i'll eat. hopefully as i learn more about what my new food preferences are i'll be able tuck in a few more calories fairly effortlessly (700 - 1100/day just seems unhealthily low to me).

[Elizellen]

Re: atkins shakes

AS has been said already, some days you will feel you want more food than others so dont worry about calories at this stage of Atkins.

If you find you are feeling weak and tired you might need to eat more food - expecially if you step up your exercise.

Just eat when you feel like it unless you have reached the 6-hour limit, in which case just eat something fairly calorie-dense with a good balance of fat/protein/carbs (we aim for 65%/30%/5% on induction)

If you find you are consistently eating too little then you will need to rethink your choices of the food you do eat and choose higher carb salad and other vegetables and use more fats in cooking and preparing them instead of filling up on lettuce and lean meats.

[not2late]

Re: atkins shakes

Listen to your body Erin. I agree with Brook about the calorie thing----if you listen to your body, you'll find that some days you'll eat more and some days you'll eat less and counting calories daily will be one less hassle to complicate your life (it's hard enough keeping track of carbs, imho!). Our bodies are smart and they won't allow us to starve.

[Moochiecat]

Re: atkins shakes

In my first two weeks of Atkins I hadn't found the board yet, so I was flying on my own...just me and DANDR. I was religiously (one friend used the word 'fanatically'...lol) following the Rules of Induction and eating correctly from the Acceptable Foods list and I was hoping that I was doing it right. I wrote every single thing down in a food journal and did my own calculations and figured I was pretty close to where I needed to be.

I found the board and I found out about www.fitday.com and about the ratios of 65%fat/30%protein/5%carbs so I went to my food journal, and put it all in.

Turns out by just following the Rules, etc. I was pretty much where I needed to be when it came to the ratios and when I learned more about calorie counts, I was also within a good range there as well.

Relax, follow the diet as it is laid out...don't focus so much on calories...listen to your body. It'll all come together.

[Elizellen]

Re: atkins shakes

well said Moochiecat

[erinonatkins]

Re: atkins shakes

okie doke - henceforth calories are on my mind's back burner. thanks so much for setting this perfectionist's mind at ease. i lost 14 pounds (of a total 50 i want to lose - summer goal of 30) in the first 2 weeks. i must be doing something right.

[Angelasherell]

Re: atkins shakes

I am doing the atkins shakes during induction. I do 1 day as a snack. I am on day 10 and have lost 5 lbs. According to the book as a female I may have a average to low metabolic resistance based on the weight I have to lose. (30lbs).
There are so many variables. Like genetics, body fat, exercise, ...etc


SW165 CW 160 GW 135 48 F

[iris42801]

Re: atkins shakes

Hello, I have been on an extended induction for 4weeks, the first 2 weeks I lost 10lbs, the next 2 I have lost 1lb. per week, is this slow down normal? Overall I need to lose 20 more lbs., how long should I be strictly on Induction? I am also a bit confused as to how exactly transition into OWL without falling out of ketosis. Does anyone rely on the ketosis testing strips for visible proof that you are still doing ok? I haven't tried these yet but I'm wondering if this is something I should start doing if I am to transition safely into OWL. Maybe I'm just worrying too much about not losing anything more than 1 lb. this week, any advice is greatly appreciated.

[allierw26]

Re: atkins shakes

Hello, I have been on an extended induction for 4weeks, the first 2 weeks I lost 10lbs, the next 2 I have lost 1lb. per week, is this slow down normal? Overall I need to lose 20 more lbs., how long should I be strictly on Induction? I am also a bit confused as to how exactly transition into OWL without falling out of ketosis. Does anyone rely on the ketosis testing strips for visible proof that you are still doing ok? I haven't tried these yet but I'm wondering if this is something I should start doing if I am to transition safely into OWL. Maybe I'm just worrying too much about not losing anything more than 1 lb. this week, any advice is greatly appreciated.

Hi iris, welcome and congrats on your loss so far! Since you don't have much more to lose, your slowdown is VERY normal, and 1 lb a week is excellent. I think moving to OWL would be perfect for you, because not only can you re-introduce more foods, you also learn how your body reacts to different foods. You don't need ketostrips. I suggest you read the Chapters in DANDR (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution 2002) on OWL, and go visit the OWL forum and repost this question. There are also some very informative stickied posts in the OWL forum that should help you. Good luck!