I am confused about SUGAR

**atkinsgal08** · February 27, 2010, 11:19 AM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

>> i am not following Atkins Diet Plan religiously..>>

Why not?

>> I check ketones with ketostix and it's still purple.>>

That might mean you're dehydrated.

It certainly don't mean you're doing Atkins properly ... or that you'll lose weight.

>> i am wondering
if i should stay away from sugar forever or if i could consume
some..>>

Have you read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (2002)?

>>ke i want to eat shrimps with the sauce
but sauce has 5g of sugars. should i stay away from this?>>

Shrimp is fine ... the sauce is not ok. You can make your own though.

>> I will try to increase carb week by week>>

There's a system for doing that ... read Chapter 14 in your book!

**Georgiana** · February 27, 2010, 12:25 PM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

as i am a student living by myself,
i got little lazy and did not find time to calculate all that

There is time, if you stop being lazy. Being a student and living by yourself is not an excuse for not following the plan correctly.

Whatever you're doing might work for you now, but from what I've seen, having only a vague idea of how many net carbs one is eating does not get one to goal.

I will try to increase carb week by week

Other than reading Chapter 14 in DANDR 2002, you might want to check out the sticky threads in the OWL forum as well. The stickies are not a substitute for the book though.

**Elizellen** · February 27, 2010, 12:41 PM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

The main confusing thing about sugar on labels is that there are 2 parts of the label on a pack or jar of most foods which might mention the word 'sugar' or its many aliases - the nutrition label and the ingredients list.

The nutrition label may list sugar butthis does not mean it is a no-no for Atkins, as it might be listing the natural sugar in something like tomatoes or other vegetables. The ingredients list will only list sugar (or things like corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose, HFCS, fructose etc) if it is actually added to the food item.

So as long as the list of ingredients does not mention any of the words for sugar then any sugar mentioned in the nutrition list is just part of the carbs in it and therefore we can eat it as long as it contains no other ingredients not allowed on whichever phase ofAtkins we are on.

**maxima** · March 17, 2010, 07:46 AM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

I, too, have found the ingredients to be very important when buying anything out of a can or jar or box. Sugar is in nearly everything, even most bacon is cured with sugar!!

And, there are different forms of sugar you MUST be aware of. The book is really necessary as this explains everything you must know.

If you take in any sugar, you will crave foods you must stay away from if you are going to do Atkins successfully. If you don't do it correctly and eat too many calories because you aren't doing it successfully, you will not lose weight. You might gain.

Calories don't count if you are following Atkins correctly, it's the only diet I know of where this is actually true.

I make my own shrimp sauce. I, too, must have it in a "tomato" form and I use Linda's low carb improved ketchup recipe but I add stuff to it for the shrimp sauce - to make it good. No, it's not like it used to be from a jar but you know what? I've been away from that stuff and sugar for so long now that I'm very, very happy with what I make. I love my shrimp, we have it once a week now in cold shrimp with cocktail sauce form.

I also make a barbeque sauce myself from the ketchup recipe stated above. One of the vital ingredients I find that makes it work is a splash of diet coke - the coke is what gives it the flavor I'm hunting for, plus a bit of liquid smoke amongst other stuff. I'm thinking of buying pure coke syrup and playing with that because the diet coke makes it a bit too "sweet" for my taste, I want more control over that part of the recipe.

If you have a small fridge in your dorm and a place where you can fix this stuff and store it in your fridge, you should be able to stick to the diet. If you don't have that fridge then get one.

The book is vital. I tried doing this without a book and it was a complete disaster - you must know what you are doing and why you are doing it in order to follow this diet correctly.

Good luck!

**dyjack** · March 17, 2010, 08:56 AM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

If you like cocktail sauce with your shrimp as atkinsgal mentioned, you can make it yourself. Sugarfree ketchup - either store bought or make your own and mix it with horseradish (the plain kind in the jar, not he horseradish cream). That's it.

I can't really give you any other advice as I follow DANDR 2002 and stick to it. But good luck to you on your journey.

**mission to lose** · March 17, 2010, 09:39 AM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

Originally posted by dyjack View Post

If you like cocktail sauce with your shrimp as atkinsgal mentioned, you can make it yourself. Sugarfree ketchup - either store bought or make your own and mix it with horseradish (the plain kind in the jar, not he horseradish cream). That's it.

I can't really give you any other advice as I follow DANDR 2002 and stick to it. But good luck to you on your journey.

I even bring my own cocktail sauce when going out to dinner when I know I will be having shrimp cocktail.

**HereKittyKitty** · March 17, 2010, 04:12 PM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

Originally posted by ykbaek View Post

but as i am a student living by myself,
i got little lazy and did not find time to calculate all that..

I do not understand this at all. You live by yourself, which means you can control what you bring into the house. I found it MUCH easier to follow Atkins religiously when I wasn't living with someone who wasn't following. This is the time to do it. It'll soon become habit, and it won't take extra time at all to calculate the carbs.

**maxima** · March 18, 2010, 09:18 AM

Re: I am confused about SUGAR

I bring everything to restaurants that I will want with what I am ordering, which I do really know ahead of time. I bring my revolution roll or rolls if I'm getting the Cracker Barrel grilled chicken with the cheese and bacon over it to make it into a chicken burger, I love that. I just bring them in a lunch size paper bag (how I store them in the freezer) with a paper napkin separating them. I normally don't feel the need for anything to put on the bread but if i do, I bring my own mayo/spicy brown mustard mix that I like in a tiny little container. And a slice of lettuce leaf from my daily veggie allotment. The first time I carried in my little paper bag I was a bit embarrassed but I do it unobtrusevly and quietly just assemble what I want and eat it, nobody even looks at me or notices.

It's easy and delicious and I appropriately paid for my meal. I'm even willing to pay for what it is I won't eat from an assembled dish, I just put it aside.

I'm so satisfied in my mind with this diet that my husband eating whatever he wants doesn't bother me a bit - it being in the house doesn't bother me a bit. I don't actually buy it, he brings in what he wants himself, and he did that on his own, I didn't have to ask him.

If you stick to it religiously for a good month, you really will become adjusted and be content if your desire to lose weight and keep it off via Atkins is a determination. You have to accept the process and be willing to live with it. I found that once I did that,

I was completely fine with what is allowed and let go of what wasn't, which was -for me-vital in an emotional sense.

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