Induction Menu

[westphalia]

Hello, all. I'm back on Atkins after a four-month layoff (I'm on day six of induction). I started at 428 pounds on May 8, 2007, and am about 290 now. I was wondering if a few eyes could look over my induction menu and tell me if I'm missing anything. I've been having taco salads, but they're too big, with too much sour cream, so I'm ditching them. This is what I'm having today (dinner has yet to be cooked, but this is what it'll be):

Breakfast
3 eggs, fried in 1/2 tbs. butter

Lunch
1 boneless chicken breast and 1 cup brussels sprouts, fried in 3 tbs. olive oil

Dinner
1 or 2 pork chops (butterfly chops, boneless) and 1 cup broccoli, fried in olive oil

Snack
3 oz. Swiss cheese

Water - about 80 oz. a day (I don't drink anything else)

Does this look alright? Is there anything I'm leaving out?

Thanks, folks.

[Desertthorn]

Re: Induction Menu

Looks pretty awesome to me Joe.

[Elizellen]

Re: Induction Menu

Looks really tasty, Joe!

but
Induction veggies should be 2 cups from the 'salad veg' list plus one cup from the 'other veg' list, which includes both brussels and broccoli - so you are over by one cup of the 1-cup list and short your 2 cups from the 2-cup list.

Remember the 'salad veg' list includes many other veggies than lettuce - peppers, onions, celery, jicama among others, which can be eaten either raw or cooked and contain much more nutrients than plain old chewy water (aka lettuce).

[Desertthorn]

Re: Induction Menu

Joe, I saw another post from you lamenting that you were eating to much beef in your taco salad and I was wondering why. While protein isn't a "free" food, we are never limited on it. Also you mentioned that you count calories, since your 150 pounds down, I was just wondering why, looks like your doing fantastically and we should be learning from you. Way to go. I am in awe.

[westphalia]

Re: Induction Menu

Well, I started counting calories because I hit an awful plateau around October. I used fitday,and it seems I was actually eating more calories than I was burning, even after the exercise I was doing. I love those taco salads, but I ended up with almost 3000 calories for the day, and the scale wouldn't budge. Sometimes I'd put a pound on. That's why I ended up taking the last three months off - my weight loss had stopped, and I was killing myself exercising. Sour cream is a weakness, too, so I thought maybe I should eschew the taco salads and the ground beef this time around if I couldn't stay disciplined enough to have just a little bit, and not the whole bloody package.

I know I don't use 2 cups of the salad vegetables, but I don't like them. There's nothing on the list that I really like, save for peppers, and they're bloody expensive. Cucumbers are okay, but they're so tasteless and boring. I thought perhaps I could keep myself steady with two cups of veggies off the "other" list, since there's plenty on that list that I like, and they're tastier, more flexible and higher in nutrients.

I used fitday for the menu I posted here, and it comes up with 68% fat (133 grams), 30% protein (129 grams) and 2% carbs (17 grams). If I keep the carbs at twenty grams or below per day, can I fudge a bit and have two cups of the other vegetables, instead of having to have two cups of salad veggies, or am I shooting myself in the foot? You all have more experience than I do, and would know better than I would.

[Elizellen]

Re: Induction Menu

To be honest, Joe - you really do need to get some of the 2 cup list (salad veg) into your menus.

The 3 cups (2 from the 2-cup list and 1 from the 1-cup list) is supposed to be your baseline for veggies.
When you move to OWL and add 5 net carbs or more of the 1-cup veggies your baseline would be 2+1 cup induciton veggies plus 5 net carbs from either list, and after that you could add even more 5 net carbs of veggies if you stay on the first OWL rung for a while.

Dr Atkins envisaged us eating 5-8 cups of veg eventually as far as I recollect.

Have you tried all the 2-cup veggies to see if you can learn to like them? You dont have to eat them as salads - most of them are just as nice cooked as they are raw.

[westphalia]

Re: Induction Menu

To be honest, Joe - you really do need to get some of the 2 cup list (salad veg) into your menus.

I'm following your advice. I had a salad Wednesday made up of some lettuce and cucumbers, with an olive oil & herb dressing I concocted. It was okay. I'm just not a big salad fan, I guess. I had another two cups last night, so - so far, so good.

Thanks for the correction!

[Elizellen]

Re: Induction Menu

Good for you for eating your 2-cup veggies I think it takes a few weeks to form a habit, so you are already two days into that!!

[westphalia]

Re: Induction Menu

The veggies are going well. I sometimes use good leaf lettuce under a "taco" salad, or make a two-cup salad with some lettuce, some cucumbers, an oil-based dressing I mix up and some crumbled egg. I've limited myself to a cup of brussels sprouts or broccoli per day. I love them, but I've kept the limit.

Thanks for the help, and the correction.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Induction Menu

Nice menu Joe and kudos to you for following Elizellen's veggie tweaks. I foresee a future goalie in you!

[Elizellen]

Re: Induction Menu

Great work, Joe

Don't forget that if you start to climb the OWL ladder you can add 5 net carbs more of your brocolli

I stayed on the veg rung for several 5 net carb additions to check they wouldn't hinder my weightloss, so I can have as many of those induction veggies as I want!!

[westphalia]

Re: Induction Menu

I promised myself I'd stay on extended induction until May 1st, then start climbing up. I'd just like to put a dent in my remaining weight between now and then.

That extra cup of broccoli or brussels sprouts sure sounds good, though, and that's tough to pass up.

Thanks for all your help and encouragement. What a great board.