rung 1: when can I add popcorn? Pasta? Chile? bread?

[bpollina]

My wife is driving me crazy! She misses us eating things together like popcorn, pasta, chile and bread. When can I add those?

[bgood2me]

Check the *Sticky* at the top of OWL and Pre-Maintenance!!! It's entitled: How to Climb the rungs of the OWL Carbohydrate Ladder

[not2late]

Re: rung 1: when can I add popcorn? Pasta? Chile? bread?

My wife is driving me crazy! She misses us eating things together like popcorn, pasta, chile and bread. When can I add those?

Corn is a grain, so it's added during the Grain rung.

Pasta: depends what the ingredients are. The soy-based pastas can be added during the legume rung (but i hear they taste nasty!). The whole grain based pastas can be added during the grain rung, but is to be an occasional type food.

Chile: depends what the ingredients are. I ate chili during Induction that I made using Induction legal amounts and ingredients....

Bread: grain rung, but there are some lower rung alternatives (not very good imo, but others find them suitable).

Tell your wife that you are on this diet so you can live longer and spend more time with her. Eating shouldn't be the only couples activity you and her share. It makes me wonder if eating with you is more important to her than sharing her life with a healthier you. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but in light of your other threads, I just get a feeling that your wife would rather have you fat, unhealthy eating pasta with her than have you fit and healthy.

[2big4mysize]

yep I got to agree with Megs on this. Send your wife to the recipe section and tell her what veggies yo can currrently have and then let her pick what she wants to cook .

you guys will have a long long time together when you get healthier and smaller at premaintenance and goal to have romantic pasta dinners if that is your thing. Why don't you hand your book to your wife and tell her to read it so she can be your diet support net helping you to be strong when you can't or won't and cheering you on too. If you dare post you don't have a book then you know what to be buying yourself for Valentines day!


Happy low carbing.

[cmcole]

Maybe your wife needs to join you (even if not fully, but at least experimentally) in your Atkins-friendly meals and see what "real" food tastes like.

All those things listed are mainly "empty" fillers, rather than good, wholesome choices like fresh veggies, good selections of proteins, etc.

Why do your meals together have to be carbohydrate-laden, when you can sit down together with, for instance, a steak and salad?

[bpollina]

YOU are all of coure RIGHT!

I thought of entitling my original post "I HATE MY WIFE" but that's not totally true. She's just VERY misguided! She has pre-diabetes as well (wsa diabetic during both pregnancies!) and thinks she can just do the lipitor and the ADA diet (modify her portion sizes and eat whateve she wants!).

I have read the book cover to cover, btw, and am on my 2nd reading.

Tomorrow marks the end of 3 entire weeks, and I've gone from 201 to 190.0! I'm LOVING this WOE! I've never been treated to such fresh, tasty food in my life! I also FEEL GREAT! I exercise for 40 minutes (5 min warmup, 5 min cooldown) 3x per week (Tues/Thurs/Sat) @ Ballys and am glade I found this WOE.

BTW, I made it through my hardest temptation this weekend -- my wife and I went to the movies, and I sat next to her and let her eat all the popcorn with butter and Pepsi and didn't have ONE BITE! This was EXTREMELY HARD!

I wish she would read the book, but she thinks we're all crazy! She swears about and at all People who are on Atkins and even believes that Dr. Atkins died BEACAUSE of the diet he was on, which, according to her and what she heard on the news, the autopsy revealed that he could have survived the accident had he been on a "normal" diet with carbs! I don't believe this for a minute, btw, but if anyone has any sites I could go to to look at the report and something official that says this isn't true, that would be great!

I really don't miss Pasta that much! And I REALLY don't miss the acid reflux I *USED* to have before Atkins! That has DISAPPEARED!

Thanks, everyone for your encouragement.

[sharbur2002]

I am so sorry that your wife is giving you grief over your WOE.

The only thing you can do is to hang in there and convince her with your success that this is a good thing.

Woohooo on the absence of Acid Reflux!!! I had Acid Reflux for many years before I started on Atkins and have not had one single episode since Aug of 2003!!! That in itself keeps me going.

My whole family is afflicted with Acid Reflux. My mother had surgery to correct hers and has scar tissue in her throat because of it. My father died from cancer of the throat due to chronic Acid Reflux. My sister has it so bad that she has to sleep with the head of her bed elevated and constantly takes medicine and still has Acid Reflux. I could go on and on.

If I never lose another pound, I will keep on this Way of Eating for the rest of my life just because I feel so much better.

I wish you success.

Sharon

[2big4mysize]

Mrs Atkins was on Larry King talking about her husband he died from massive head trauma which caused because of his viral CHF his body to sweel with fliuds in the short period of time he was in the coma. he weighted 19? when he was admitted and over 250 according to the doc whole stole the medical examiners info and published excerpts from it. Mrs Atkins Adressed it all on Larry king you can see the tanscripts on the CNN Larry King archives transcripts i think it was in early 2004.

Okay now about your wife why don't you use some Dr Phil lines on her and ask her to read your OWL chapter 14 and be part of your diet support team becaue losing this weight and getting your cholesterol controlled and lowering and stabilizing your blood sugar will allow you to grow old together and you want to be healthy for that. SHe can't turn you down and she will have to read at least that part then push her to read the premaintenance and the maintenance sections so again she can be your support system when you are weak ( She will love that part) then get her to read chapter 22 about exercise and you just might get her to try it.

[Marvin]

Good replies so far. Can I (amateur psychologist) add one more?

If your wife is overweight, too, it could be that she could be jealous of your weight loss and is trying to sabotage you. Mind you, of course, that it is likely totally subconcious on her part and she is not aware of it. She may think that if you lose the weight you won't be interested in her, and so by "tempting" you, she is keeping you "for herself."

Okay, again, not consciously. Just a thought. Keep it in the back of your mind and from man to another, DO NOT ask her if it is the case. :raving :yikes

[Mindykins]

I used to miss popcorn and a coke at the movies sooooo much. And the smell just drives you bonkers :yikes Now, what I do is cut up very little cubes of my favorite kind of cheese and put them in a baggie and take that and water to the movies. If you cut up the cheese real small, you can take quite a bit for 3 oz. The repetitive, dipping my hand in the baggie and munching makes me feel just like I'm snacking on popcorn, but it's even better because once the taste of the cheese hits your taste buds you're not going to even miss the little popcorn buggers! Plus the cheese makes you thirsty so the water is welcomed!

[lasst10]

Mindikins - what a great idea of taking cheese to the movies!


Lynn

[Mindykins]

Thanks. Let me know how it works for you!!

[bpollina]

wife still crazy!

My wife is worse then ever! She swears at people who are on atkins to my face, calls them names like uneducated, stupid, a**holes, etc. even in front of the 6 year old and 2 year old! We asked a diabetic in our church what she thought and she said her doctor said it was okay for diabetics "so long as you don't stay on it too long". She even wants me to drink milk and eat pretzels! This is really starting to anoy the he*l out of me, but so far hasn't deterred me from this WOE! I LOVE this WOL and have gone from 201 to now 185.5 lbs since I started! I just wish she could at least be NEUTRAL and not so negative. She's on me all the time and NOTHING I say helps! Even my MD doesn't like it but prefers converting the ADA diet to low carb! 6 weeks is almost here, so I'll wait until 8 or so and then have my #s re-run at the md's office and let the #s speak for themselves. While I haven't ever taken measurements, I know my clothes are fitting much better and I suspect that my 38 waist is probalby a 36 now! I've never felt better physically either! Thannks everyone for your support! :clapping

[not2late]

Re: wife still crazy!

My wife is worse then ever! She swears at people who are on atkins to my face, calls them names like uneducated, stupid, a**holes, etc. even in front of the 6 year old and 2 year old! We asked a diabetic in our church what she thought and she said her doctor said it was okay for diabetics "so long as you don't stay on it too long". She even wants me to drink milk and eat pretzels! This is really starting to anoy the he*l out of me, but so far hasn't deterred me from this WOE! I LOVE this WOL and have gone from 201 to now 185.5 lbs since I started! I just wish she could at least be NEUTRAL and not so negative. She's on me all the time and NOTHING I say helps! Even my MD doesn't like it but prefers converting the ADA diet to low carb! 6 weeks is almost here, so I'll wait until 8 or so and then have my #s re-run at the md's office and let the #s speak for themselves. While I haven't ever taken measurements, I know my clothes are fitting much better and I suspect that my 38 waist is probalby a 36 now! I've never felt better physically either! Thannks everyone for your support! :clapping

IF your wife is becoming verbally abusive, I think it's time you have to talk to her. Tell her to either read the book and educate herself or shut up because she looks stupid talking about a subject she knows nothing about (um....clean it up and be nicer, but you get my drift)

The other thing is you should tell her that it's not emotionally healthy for your children to see her berate and insult you. By the way, unless if you and your wife plan on raising two disrespectful potty-mouths, the foul language should really go. I work for a pediatrician. Beleive me, your children's behavior, particularly at this age, reflects your parenting.