Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

[Slapshot]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

I know we will be going to some of the nicer buffets in town and Im sure things like Shrimp, lobster, crab legs, steak will be fine. Is there anything in particular I should be on the lookout for hidden carbs in? Also when eating breakfast Ive always asked for fresh cracked eggs with nothing added to them even before I was on atkins, but how bout the bacon and sausage. Should I just assume its ok?

When you're shopping at home for bacon, sausage, etc, it's important to try and find the best options you can (i.e. no sugars, etc.). However, when you're on vacation, you don't have the luxury of being so choosy. You basically have a choice between bagels/toast/pancakes and Atkins-friendly foods (eggs, bacon, steaks, lobster, sausage, etc.) that might have some non-induction ingredients in it. When I'm on vacation, I don't sweat the small stuff (like the fact that the bacon probably has nitrates/sugar) and instead do the best I can, realizing that the other options are 10 times worse. Don't sweat it - you'll be fine. Just pick the most Atkins-friendly stuff you can, within reason, and drink a lot of water. You'll get through it.

[barrnone]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

I agree with Slapshot - just do the best you can - don't sweat the small stuff.

I drink on occasion, and may eat 'a little off plan' when 'vacationing' - but, for the most part, I stick to plan 'food wise'. Breakfast I order the biggest omelettes - normally vegetable with a side of sausage. That way, I may not need lunch, then dinner can be steak, salad, veggies. I always take a ton of 'friendly' food for the hotel, or travel time and keep in a cooler. Be sure to drink a lot of water!

Try not to worry about it too much, just have fun and get right back on track when you return - make good/fun memories!

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

>> what I am saying is that even though you are on induction you can still have a drink or two>>

I think it was understood what you were saying. The point is, alcohol isn't permitted on Induction.

Encouraging someone to not follow the rules doesn't seem right.

>>it will not knock you out of ketosis >>

But alcohol does do that ... your body burns alcohol before burning fat for fuel. And burning fat is the definition of ketosis.

[Georgiana]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

When you order salads, be careful with the dressings. They are often loaded with sugar (I mean, 10+ carbs) and can trigger nasty cravings. Instead you can ask for oil and vinegar (not balsamic), or oil and lemon juice (ask for a slice of lemon).

I've heard of places that do crazy things like adding sugar on collard greens. But you should feel that; they will taste much sweeter than what you would expect.

Have some snack with you at all times. A piece of cheese (cheese sticks) and a few flax crackers are easy to carry around and, in case you accidentally eat something that is not Atkins friendly. Fat & protein will head off cravings.

Make sure you drink enough water (not diet sodas). You don't want to confuse thirst with hunger and end up eating something off-plan.

And don't hesitate to ask what is in a dish you want to order. Or, if possible, go online and check the menu before eating there; that way it's less likely you'll be tempted by something that's not (yet) allowed in your diet.

You might want to print a carb counter. No, you don't have to take it out in the restaurant and start doing the math, but it will help you calculate your daily carbs even you don't have access to FitDay or whatever you are using. All you need is a piece of paper, a pen and the counter.

I would also suggest you move to OWL, so that you can eat more vegetables. It will make your life much easier, and those 5 extra net carbs from veggies will only do you good.

[pipee_pl]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

>> what I am saying is that even though you are on induction you can still have a drink or two>>

I think it was understood what you were saying. The point is, alcohol isn't permitted on Induction.

Encouraging someone to not follow the rules doesn't seem right.

>>it will not knock you out of ketosis >>

But alcohol does do that ... your body burns alcohol before burning fat for fuel. And burning fat is the definition of ketosis.

I am not encouraging anyone to not follow the rules- I am encouraging him to be realistic and wise about his decisions.

Hard alcohol does not knock you out of ketosis- it puts it on pause.

[Georgiana]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

Whether alcohol postpones ketosis or kicks you out of it is just a matter of semantics, imo. I think we all agree that while the body is dealing with the alcohol, it will not be in ketosis. How we choose to call this ("pause", "kick out"... whatever) is less important for Jman. I believe the OP has already decided how he is going to handle drinking situations (Jman, please correct me if I read your previous post wrong). He is aware of the effect alcohol will have on his weight loss and of the fact that a bit of alcohol might be a slippery slope, as we have often seen it at ADBB with members who return years after they had "one drink", heavier than they were when they first started. I think it would be nice to keep this thread focused on the OP, rather than start a parallel debate that has no winner.

Jman, I remember Adena was in Vegas recently. You might want to check her journal to see how she did during her trip: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ml#post1013924

When are you going to Vegas, btw?

[pipee_pl]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

well then I will respectfully disagree with your opinion- It doesn't matter if there is a so called winner in a post because I have my own opinion based on the book and to re state the quote from the book

"The body burns alcohol for fuel when alcohol is available. So when it is burning alcohol, your body will not burn fat. This does not stop weight loss: it simply postpones it. Since the alcohol does not get stored as glycogen, you immediately get back into lipolysis after the alcohol is used up."

Having a vodka soda is not the same thing as having a box of chocolate.

And from his own words Jman is not worried about the alcohol- so for him the point is mute.
But it doesn't change the facts whether he has decided to drink or not- if he eats clean in vegas and has a drink or two- his weight loss will probably not stall.

But clearly he thinks alcohol is not a problem- so it doesn't matter.

[Julie in CA]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

Im thinking Im going to try and just have chicken wings for lunch. Plain if I have to. I really rather not go the No bun burger route,

My husband is a little...uncomfortable when I order food that seems odd/out-of-norm. I don't mind making him feel a little more comfortable with what I'm eating, as long as I get what I need. With that in mind, when we go to a burger place, I order my burger with the bun, but I don't eat it. I don't even obviously not eat it. 'Ya know how sometimes your bun will slip to the side when you're eating your burger, and you end up getting a bite of burger without the bun? I sort of purposely allow that to happen. I order a huge burger, allow the bun to slip to the side and eat most of it that way, and then I get full and leave most of the bun and a bit of the burger on the plate at the end. I do end up eating a teeny bit of the bun, and I do leave a bit of the burger in the bun at the end, and people just think I'm full, not that I'm picky or odd. Hard to describe, but not really that hard to do! Some burger buns slide off like that on their own--I just help mine along.

All of this to say, if you end up at a burger joint, you can minimize the damage and still "save face" if you're concerned about what people will think.

[not2late]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

My 2 net carbs.....

Who the he11 cares what people think when you order "no bread, please"???? It's none of their business. The whole world won't stop because you didn't choose to eat pasta or cookies. They won't call the police and escort you out of a restaurant because you don't want any dessert.

We have such a hang up about feeling out of place in society because we don't want french fries. So tell me, is being morbidly obese "fitting in"? Is not being able to walk 50 feet without resting to catch your breath "normal"?

Stop thinking "oh what will other people think". Because you want to know what they think when they see an overeat person eating slices of pie, slugging down hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. ? They think "Look at that fatty inhale all that food. Sheesh! If that Fatso would quit eating for 1 day, world hunger would be solved!"

Trust me on this. Since I've lost my weight, the people who didn't know me at my heaviest look disgustingly and laugh at overweight people who "treat" themselves to whatever food. I was in a restaurant with a group of people. One medium size woman at my table saw a waiter carry three entrees past us and she whispered "I bet it's going to that guy" and pointed to a very large man seated by himself at a table across the room. When it did, she snarked "See! I told you. I bet he eats it all too!"

So don't kid yourselves. If you are overweight/fat/obese, people expect you to eat like a fat person. And if you want to fit into society by eating like a fat person rather than like a person who is trying to get healthy, nothing anyone will say here or on any other Atkins site will persuade you off your self-destructive course.

[pipee_pl]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

nicely done, not2late.

[not2late]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

My 2 net carbs.....

Who the he11 cares what people think when you order "no bread, please"???? It's none of their business. The whole world won't stop because you didn't choose to eat pasta or cookies. They won't call the police and escort you out of a restaurant because you don't want any dessert.

We have such a hang up about feeling out of place in society because we don't want french fries. So tell me, is being morbidly obese "fitting in"? Is not being able to walk 50 feet without resting to catch your breath "normal"?

Stop thinking "oh what will other people think". Because you want to know what they think when they see an *overeat person eating slices of pie, slugging down hamburgers, hotdogs, etc. ? They think "Look at that fatty inhale all that food. Sheesh! If that Fatso would quit eating for 1 day, world hunger would be solved!"

Trust me on this. Since I've lost my weight, the people who didn't know me at my heaviest look disgustingly and laugh at overweight people who "treat" themselves to whatever food. I was in a restaurant with a group of people. One medium size woman at my table saw a waiter carry three entrees past us and she whispered "I bet it's going to that guy" and pointed to a very large man seated by himself at a table across the room. When it did, she snarked "See! I told you. I bet he eats it all too!"

So don't kid yourselves. If you are overweight/fat/obese, people expect you to eat like a fat person. And if you want to fit into society by eating like a fat person rather than like a person who is trying to get healthy, nothing anyone will say here or on any other Atkins site will persuade you off your self-destructive course.

*Typo: overweight.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

Well said Megs.

[not2late]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

I forgot to add this yesterday....

Regarding our "friends" who know we are trying to lose weight, but who constantly tell us "it's okay to have a bite" or "it's okay to take the evening off" because we "deserve it". The only reason why they encourage you like that is because they want to keep you the way you are: a fat person.

Keeping you fat makes them look physically attractive.
Keeping you fat makes them feel better about themselves.
Keeping you fat gives them control over your life because you listen to them and not to yourself.

So be aware of these "friends".

The people who are truly your friends are the ones who will encourage you to stick to your diet.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Going to Vegas and I know Im going to cheat

>>egarding our "friends" who know we are trying to lose weight, but who constantly tell us "it's okay to have a bite" or "it's okay to take the evening off" because we "deserve it". The only reason why they encourage you like that is because they want to keep you the way you are: a fat person.>>

Speaking from personal experience here ... sometimes the reason is simple stupidity ... of not being in those shoes. Once upon a time, before I needed to lose weight, I said that very same thing to a person ... not because I was trying to deliberately sabotage her, but because I didn't understand.

Now that I understand, I know not to say things like that.

Those words also apply to ANYONE who says, "No, thank you" to whatever is being offered.