Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

[Papa Deuce]

This is a spinoff of my own thread, but I think this might help more people than that thread... including me.

My wife told me this morning that she wants to join me in "doing Atkins". I know for a fact she will not read the book, as I have been with her for 12 years and in all that time I think that she has read ONE book from cover to cover, and that is only because she needed to for her job.

I also admit that I can be a bit hard to take when trying to teach someone anything. I get frustrated and overbearing far too easily.

And, today, she came home from Walmart with about $20 worth of Atkins bars and shakes.

So, one idea I came up with is to print out a list of induction friendly and unfriendly items and post it on the fridge. Another idea I came up with is for me to prepare much of her food in advance for her. If she has to cook for herself more than once or twice a week, I know she will give up.... no big deal as I have the time to cook.

Can you help me with some more ideas?

Thank you.

[OzLover]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Great idea to print out the list of acceptable foods & cooking for her. Maybe print some of the sticky notes from the FAQ forum & give them to her to read or e-mail the links to her.

Good luck Papa!

[mitzimarie]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

So, one idea I came up with is to print out a list of induction friendly and unfriendly items and post it on the fridge. Another idea I came up with is for me to prepare much of her food in advance for her. If she has to cook for herself more than once or twice a week, I know she will give up.... no big deal as I have the time to cook.

Can you help me with some more ideas?

Thank you.

Prepare the food in advance for her? Can I come live with you???? Can I, huh, can I?

Wow, Papa - you ROCK! If someone would do that for me, I KNOW that it would be a huge help and motivator.

I'm sure you know of Linda's website, but in case you don't, here's the link: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

Here is a list of acceptable foods that you can post, for when she needs to come up with something on her own:


Acceptable Foods

These are the foods you may eat liberally during Induction:
all fish, all fowl, all shellfish, all meat, all eggs

*Oysters and mussels are higher in carbs than other shellfish, so limit them to four ounces per day.

**Processed meats, such as ham, bacon, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs and other luncheon meats and some fish may be cured with added sugar and will contribute carbs. Try to avoid meat and fish products cured with nitrates, which are known carcinogens. Also beware of products that are not exclusively meat, fish or fowl, such as imitation fish, meatloaf and breaded foods. Finally, do not consume more than four ounces of organ meats a day.

OTHER FOODS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE DURING INDUCTION

Cheese
You can consume three to four ounces daily of the following full-fat, firm, soft and semi-soft aged cheeses*, including:

cheddar
cow, sheep and goat cheese
cream cheese
Gouda
mozzarella
Roquefort and other blue cheeses
Swiss
*All cheeses have some carbohydrate content. The quantity you eat should be governed by that knowledge. The rule of thumb is to count 1 ounce of cheese as equivalent to 1 gram of carbohydrate. Note that cottage cheese, farmer's cheese and other fresh cheeses are not permitted during Induction. No "diet" cheese, cheese spreads or whey cheeses are permitted. Individuals with known yeast symptoms, dairy allergy or cheese intolerance must avoid cheese. Imitation cheese products are not allowed, except for soy or rice cheese but check the carbohydrate content.

Vegetables
You can have two to three cups per day of:

alfalfa sprouts
daikon
mushrooms
arugula
endive
parsley
bok choy
escarole
peppers
celery
fennel
radicchio
chicory
jicama
radishes
chives
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
moche
sorrel
These salad vegetables are high in phytonutrients and provide a good source of fiber.

Other Vegetables
You can have one cup per day of these veggies if salad does not exceed two cups. The following vegetables are slightly higher in carbohydrate content than the salad vegetables:

artichoke
celery root
pumpkin
artichoke hearts
rhubarb
asparagus
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
scallions
dandelion
snow peas
bean sprouts
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash
beet greens
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or wax beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
brussels
kohlrabi
tomato
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion
zucchini
If a vegetable, such as spinach or tomato, cooks down significantly, it must be measured raw so as not to underestimate its carb count.

Salad Garnishes

crumbled crisp bacon
grated cheese
minced hard-boiled egg
sauted mushrooms
sour cream

Spices
All spices to taste, but make sure none contain added sugar.

Herbs
basil
garlic
rosemary
cayenne pepper
ginger
sage
cilantro
oregano
tarragon
dill
pepper
thyme
For salad dressing, use oil and vinegar (but not balsamic vinegar, which contains sugar) or lemon juice and herbs and spices. Prepared salad dressings without added sugar and no more than two carbs per tablespoon serving are also fine.

Acceptable Fats and Oils
Many fats, especially certain oils, are essential to good nutrition. Olive oil is particularly valuable. All other vegetable oils are allowed, the best being canola, walnut, soybean, grapeseed, sesame, sunflower and safflower oils, especially if they are labeled "cold-pressed" or "expeller-pressed." Do not cook polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, soybean and sunflower oil, at high temperatures or allow to brown or smoke.

Butter is allowed. Margarine should be avoided, not because of its carbohydrate content, but because it is usually made of trans fats (hydrogenated oils), which are a serious health hazard. (Some nonhydrogenated margarines are available in health-food stores.)

You don't have to remove the skin and fat from meat or fowl. Salmon and other cold-water fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Remember that trying to do a low-fat version of the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM will interfere with fat burning and derail your weight loss.

Artificial Sweeteners
You must determine which artificial sweeteners agree with you, but the following are allowed: sucralose (marketed as Splenda), saccharin, cyclamate and acesulfame-K. Natural sweeteners ending in the suffix "-ose," such as maltose, fructose, etc., should be avoided. However, certain sugar alcohols, such as maltitol, do not affect blood sugar and are acceptable.

Saccharin has been extensively studied, and harmful effects were produced in the lab when fed to rats only in extremely high doses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed saccharin from its list of carcinogens, basing its decision upon a thorough review of the medical literature and the National Institute of Science's statement that there is "no clear association between saccharin and human cancer." It can be safely consumed in moderation, meaning no more than three packets a day. Saccharin is marketed as Sweet'n Low.

We discourage the use of aspartame (marketed as NutraSweet and Equal) because of clinical observations that it slows weight loss in certain individuals. The FDA has approved the herb stevia for use only as a supplement, not as a sweetener.

The Atkins preference, however, is sucralose (Splenda), the only sweetener made from sugar. Sucralose is safe, noncaloric and does not raise blood sugar. It has been used in Canada for years, and the FDA recently approved it after reviewing more than 100 studies conducted over the past 20 years. Note that each packet of sugar substitute contains about 1 gram of carbohydrate, so don't forget to include the amount in your daily totals.

Acceptable Beverages
Be sure to drink a minimum of eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, including:

Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water
Additionally, you can have the following:

Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three tablespoons a day; note carbohydrate content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three tablespoons
*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases.

Special Category Foods
To add variety, each day you can also eat 10 to 20 olives, half a small avocado, an ounce of sour cream or three ounces of unsweetened heavy cream, as well as two to three tablespoons of lemon juice or lime juice. But be aware that these foods occasionally slow down weight loss in some people, and may need to be avoided in the first two weeks. If you seem to be losing slowly, moderate your intake of these foods.

[Papa Deuce]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Prepare the food in advance for her? Can I come live with you???? Can I, huh, can I?

Wow, Papa - you ROCK! If someone would do that for me, I KNOW that it would be a huge help and motivator.

Sure... can you babysit my twins once in a while?

[mitzimarie]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Sure... can you babysit my twins once in a while?

D'oh!

Touche

[Zarabelle]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Hi PD

That's great news that your wife would like to join you.

If you can prepare her food then that would be fantastic and will save her from making mistakes. She will then get used to what she can and can't have.

I would say to drop a couple of points to her each day and then over a week or two, you should be able to teach her a lot about Atkins - she may even decide to read the odd chapter now and again - especially when the pounds start to drop off

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Hasn't read but one book in the last 12 years? For real? I seldom go more than 12 hours without reading a book.

You can help her do it right. How much does she need to lose? Since you do a lot of the cooking, it should make meals at home easier if you both eat the same thing.

Maybe you should set a day aside to cook and grill up a mess of food, so it will be ready to warm up.

[Papa Deuce]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Hasn't read but one book in the last 12 years? For real? I seldom go more than 12 hours without reading a book.

You can help her do it right. How much does she need to lose? Since you do a lot of the cooking, it should make meals at home easier if you both eat the same thing.

Maybe you should set a day aside to cook and grill up a mess of food, so it will be ready to warm up.

Yep... 12 years. The only time my wife gets to read is at night before bed, adn LITERALLY, if she starts to read she will fall asleep in less than ONE MINUTE. So, she has given up trying to read.... See, when she gets home from work at 7PM, our daughters are all over her until they go to bed at 9PM - 9:30PM.... My wife gets into bed at 10PM, and gets up at 6PM.

Well, I can only guess what she weighs. I have never asked her, nor I have I peeked when she is on the scale. I married her and love her no matter her weight.

She could probably lose 50 pounds or so.

I don't mind doing the cooking at all, but my wife greew up in a family that never ate leftovers, ever, even though they were somewhat low income.... her dad would throw leftovers away.... somewhere while growing up she decided that for the most part, she doesn't eat leftovers... So, whatever I make would have to be REALLY good and fresh tasting as a leftover....

She is the exact opposite of me..... I'll eat something that is 3 weeks old if it still looks and smells ok! And I have never been sick after eating leftovers.

[not2late]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Never eats leftovers??????? Some foods taste better "leftover" like stews and casseroles!

Anyhow, I don't like eating leftovers that are in the same form as the original. For example, if I roast a pork loin, I don't like eating warmed up roasted pork loin all week. So what I do is re-make the leftover. So that roasted pork loin becames a shredded barbecued pork thing or chili. Leftover chicken becomes a chicken cake (think crabcake but with chicken instead. I have a recipe for it in my blog.)

But as the others said, print out copies of the Induction Acceptable Foods list and the Rules of Induction. Put a copy on the fridge, and put a copy in her purse so she can refer to it when she's away from home.

Put her on an exercise program too---for example, have a family walk on weekends and encourage her to do exercise on work breaks etc.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Leftover chicken becomes a chicken cake (think crabcake but with chicken instead. I have a recipe for it in my blog.)

That's an incredible idea! I love crab cakes and salmon cakes, but never thought of using cooked chicken! I'm so picky about where my crab and salmon come from, it's too expensive to have often.

[not2late]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Sunny, one day I was looking at some leftover roast chicken breast (that was alittle overcooked.) And I thought, why can't I make a crabcake out of this using chicken instead of crab. I did and it was great! It works with leftover turkey, canned tuna, etc.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

Sunny, one day I was looking at some leftover roast chicken breast (that was alittle overcooked.) And I thought, why can't I make a crabcake out of this using chicken instead of crab. I did and it was great! It works with leftover turkey, canned tuna, etc.

I made it last night, using my crabcake recipe, and it was awesome beyond words! Thanks for the suggestion.

[not2late]

Re: Need suggestions on how to help someone "do Atkins"....

I made it last night, using my crabcake recipe, and it was awesome beyond words! Thanks for the suggestion.

You'd never think it was leftover chicken, would you? I like serving it with a bit of Dijon mustard mixed into mayonnaise or lemon juice mixed into mayo.

I've done the same thing with leftover baked or grilled salmon too for a fishcake that makes you think about fishcakes in a whole new light.