Is it just down to the aspartame

[cookiecate]

This is not my first time eating the Atkins way. I am a binge eater and being able to control my eating is great. My problem is that I have rather a lot of weight to lose and so far I don't seem to be having much luck.

After being on induciton for 14 days I lost nothing. After a further week I still have lost nothing.

For my breakfast I am eating 2 rashers of back bacon, sliced mushrooms and two medium eggs fried in oil and butter.

Lunch, now this could be a problem as I rarely eat lunch if I do it is meat with salad.

Dinner is meat with salad usually chinese cabbage, peppers, cucumber with a oil/vinegar dressing or mayo (like coleslaw)

Dessert is Jelly and extra thick cream.

Recently I have been eating peanuts they are 8.0g carbs per 100g of which 4.5 is sugar but they are 10.1g of fibre so I assume they are ok.

During the day I drink decaffe coffee with cream or Squash which contains 0.3g of carbs. It is sweetened with aspartame but it is the only way that I can manage to get down a good amount of water.

That's it really I can't think of anything else that I have which may mess things up. Oh sometimes if I am a little peckish I have some cream cheese, I suppose that could be classed as lunch with may be a hard boiled egg or a little cheese, I never eat more than 2oz of cheese.

Maybe someone can tell me where I am going wrong. My husband eats virtually the same only he uses sweetners in his coffee has managed to lose 6lbs. I know we are all different BUT............

[Georgiana]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Lunch, now this could be a problem as I rarely eat lunch if I do it is meat with salad.

Meat and salad is good. Add some fat to them, e.g. in the form of a dressing.

Dessert is Jelly and extra thick cream.

Does the "Jelly" have aspartame? Dr. Atkins observed aspartame can cause a stall in weight loss for some people, which is why aspartame is not among the sweeteners allowed on Atkins. I actually gain weight when I consume aspartame.

Recently I have been eating peanuts they are 8.0g carbs per 100g of which 4.5 is sugar but they are 10.1g of fibre so I assume they are ok.

Are you in OWL Rung 2, as your profile says? Peanuts are only allowed in OWL Rung 3 and even then you should only eat 1 oz every other day to see if they affect your weight loss.

During the day I drink decaffe coffee with cream or Squash which contains 0.3g of carbs. It is sweetened with aspartame but it is the only way that I can manage to get down a good amount of water.

You'll have to retrain your brain. It's work and maybe not easy for everyone, but if you want to lose weight and be healthier, it can be done.

Also, what is your fat intake (the percentage)? What foods did you add in OWL Rung 1 and OWL Rung 2? What is your current carb level? Are you exercising? How much pure water are you drinking?

[liv]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Yes you have to cut out the sugar substitutes. Sounded like way too much there. And only plain water counts as water. So no matter how much sweetened stuff you drink, you still HAVE to do the at least 64 plain water. Start practicing you can do it. There are worse things than plain water in this world.

As G said . Way too much nuts. You can maybe eat 26 peanuts when you are on rung 3. And that is IT.

[imagood1]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

if you have problems with "real water" you can float a lemon or lime slice on the top -- cup 1/2 lemon or lime and float them in a gallon of water -- it gives your water just a little flavor, hopefully enough you can get it down. I agree it sounds like you are using too many sweetners - 3 packets per day is the limit.

I never drank water before starting Atkins. The first day I decided and got it through my head that I had to drink it so I got a large (30 oz) jug from a hospital stay - it has a lid and straw. I fill that thing up 5 times a day - for 150 ounces of water - nothing added. If you tell yourself you can do it you will be able to. No excuses - do it!

Good luck

[cookiecate]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Thank you all. Tomorrow I will check out my fat intake. I don't drink any plain water and because of my arthritis I don't really excersise just lawn mowing, walking on the beach with the dog. We have just got an excersise bike which is specially made so I don't put lots of strain on my knees that will make a big difference.

[liv]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

We are doing a special diet that take your body into ketosis. This is why you need your water. Exercise has nothing to do with it. Try it Good for you.
Good job on checking the fat intake.

[cookiecate]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Thank you so much for your input. Now today I have eaten well, I have had no aspartame, I have drunk about 80oz of water WATER pure stuff. According to FitDay My diet has consisted of 78% fat 15%protein and 7% carbohydrate. How am I doing so far please?

It is a strange thing but I don't mind the water so much. I am drinking it straight from a tap 8oz glasses at a time. I feel strangely thirsty, I wonder have I been dehydrated all this time.?

[liv]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Hallo. Look at you go. That is great. I think that is a good start to you day. You may want a bit more protein to keep you full. But it looks good. The water will really help (and cutting out the illegal stuff of course) Way to work it!!!

[cookiecate]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Thanks liv, I am pretty serious about this way of eating and just couldn't understand why I was not losing any weight. I might eat a little cream cheese tonight or some hard boiled eggs.

I am very grateful to you for pointing out the error of my ways and I intend to keep up the good work.

[Bristolbabepa]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Question about water- flavored waters with 0 carbs are fine areont they? reading my aqaufina lable and it looks to me like it should be fine.

[cookiecate]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

So at the end of the day I have managed an enormous amount of plain water, no peanuts, no aspartame and I feel quite happy with my day. The water was not the problem I thought it would be and for now it is nice and cold from the tap.

I have eaten 79% fat
14% Protein and 6% carbs in fact I have eaten 19g carbs. FitDay has made me realise that there is an awful lot of carbs in cream, even my freshly ground decaffe coffee has a certain amount of carbs in it.

I am glad that you can see that I have taken everything you said on board. I am not a person who asks for help and then ignores it because it doesn't quite fit in with what I wanted.

[JulieB]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Glad to hear its working out for you cookie - I was never a fan of plain water either, but now I crave it! I would never have believed it I hope all of the advice you got here works for you

[Tumtum]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Thank you so much for your input. Now today I have eaten well, I have had no aspartame, I have drunk about 80oz of water WATER pure stuff. According to FitDay My diet has consisted of 78% fat 15%protein and 7% carbohydrate. How am I doing so far please?

It is a strange thing but I don't mind the water so much. I am drinking it straight from a tap 8oz glasses at a time. I feel strangely thirsty, I wonder have I been dehydrated all this time.?

Hiya..
It sounds like you are doing fabulously.. Well done for persevering.
PS - you need to up your carbs though.. 7grams is too low. you need to get as close to 20grams as possible. To low carbs will prevent weight loss.

[chinadoll]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

And do eat lunch of some kind--don't go over 5 hours without eating at least a mini meal. Great job on the water. You will find that you are thirsty more often if you drink water.

[chinadoll]

Re: Is it just down to the aspartame

Bristol, maybe maybe not. They can say 0 even if it up to 1/2 g per serving and if you drink several bottles during the day it can add up to 7-10 carbs easy. The plan says pure water and the best thing is PURE water. Nothing added. It is also about retraining your tastes.