I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

[Sridge]

I was going to make an introduction topic in the appropriate section, but then I realized I had many questions, so I thought I'd just mosey right on over to this area and introduce myself, and get my questions answered at the same time! ^_^

Anyway, Hi! *waves*

Basically, here's my story, condensed:

I'm a male, 5'9", 22 years old, and about 300lbs. I'm tired of living the way I do. Being out of shape not only limits my ability to do everyday things, it also makes me extremely self conscious about my appearance.

I want this to change. I wanna be able to go somewhere and not worry about putting on baggy enough clothes so that I'm not TOO repugnant. I want to feel confident around girls, and most importantly I want to live past my 30's.

So I discovered the Atkins Diet, and I want to commit to it. I know it will be hard at first but, nothing worth getting in life is easy.

Ok, this story is getting dangerously close to being un-condensed. Heh. Anyway... Below are some questions I have. I would be extremely grateful to anyone who can answer them:

1. I know the Induction Phase lasts 2 weeks and limits your total carb intake to 20g. What I'd like to know is, what if you wind up being UNDER 20g a couple days(or heck, all of the days)? Will that affect anything for better or worse?

2. Homemade foods... I was thinking of starting to make my own homemade peanut butter with my food processor. The ingredients would basically be peanuts, peanut oil, and salt. How would I know how many carbs are in a single serving of it, and how much a single serving should be? And this question goes for all homemde food, as well.

3. Exercise... I work 5 days a week in a bakery(I know, that's going to be ****), and it's actually pretty physical work. Lifting heavy boxes, running back and forth to the freezer to get product out, etc. You work up a good sweat doing it. My question is: will that be enough? Like, if I can't get any days to work out(run, do crunches, etc), will it suffice?

How important is exercising on the Atkins Diet? Of course exercising is important in and of itself, but if I were to not be able to do it, would I still wind up losing weight?

And here's a hypothical for you.... If I were to not exercise at ALL while on the Atkins Diet, would I still see weight loss as long as I'm at or under the recommended carb intake? Keep in mind I'd still be continuing my regular lifestyle. Work 5 days a week, come home, play with my nephew, and sleep. Rinse, repeat.

Phew! I think that's all the questions I have for now. I look forward to continuing to be a part of this community, and hope I can help other people as I'm hoping people will help me. It's been a long 22 years, but I'm finally ready to get healthy.

[EverLosing]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Okay, first of all, welcome to Glad you found us!!

1. I have a sneaking suspicion what you're really asking here is, "What if I take in 10 grams per day? Will I lose faster?" Am I right? NOT a good idea. The truth is aiming for 20 per day is what you need to do. The majority of your carbs should come from veggies. Do remember there are carbs in mayo, slight amounts in meats, eggs have carbs, salad dressing has carbs, each packet of splenda has 1 carb. Carbs are hidden in everything!! Aim for 20. Your body needs them, I promise!

2. Homemade peanut butter sounds wonderful. You can't have it!! YET! It's allowed on OWL (ongoing weight loss) Rung 3. That's the nut rung and if you want to succeed, I certainly suggest you follow the rungs in the proper order as Dr. Atkins designed it.

You can set up a free account at FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. I highly recommend you go ahead and do this right now at the beginning of your journey. You can record your weight goals, activity level, keep a weight journal, food journal. It will break down all your fat, protein, carb ratios for you. It also breaks down your nutritional info. I use fitday for figuring up carbs for recipes also. That will work for you.

3. You probably don't want to know my real answer here. It's totally honest, so don't be offended. I also have a physically demanding job. I probably walk 5-7 miles per day and lift more than you'd think any girl could. Guess what? I did that when I was fat too! My theory is this...if your activity level is limited to the activity level that got you where you are, obviously, it isn't enough! I'm a single mom, I work fulltime, I take care of my mother and now and then, my grandparents, I clean and maintain this house inside and out by myself, have 2 big dogs who require maintenance every few hours as well and somehow, any way I can, I manage to find time for exercise. I could sit here and tell you it's optional, but to recover your health, would you really believe that deep down, or would you just want to believe it? I won't go off on a rant about the benefits of exercising. We all know what they are. It's worth it, every bit of it. There is time for what we make time for. Yes, you'll realize a metabolic advantage without it but you won't lose weight as quickly, you won't be replacing fat with lean muscle and when your body does shrink down, it won't look as good. I look at it like this--if I'm going to dive into this way of living, I'm not going to just take a sip and keep my fingers crossed. I'm going to drink it in and use every advantage I can to achieve the most I can. I just reread those lines about not working out at ALL and then you said keep in mind you'd still be continuing your regular lifestyle. I know you meant activity level, but remember the limitation of that combined with your diet is exactly what brought you here. Kick it up a notch...or 3! It will change your world, your health, your outlook, your results. You won't regret it, I promise!!

[Sridge]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Okay, first of all, welcome to Glad you found us!!

1. I have a sneaking suspicion what you're really asking here is, "What if I take in 10 grams per day? Will I lose faster?" Am I right? NOT a good idea. The truth is aiming for 20 per day is what you need to do. The majority of your carbs should come from veggies. Do remember there are carbs in mayo, slight amounts in meats, eggs have carbs, salad dressing has carbs, each packet of splenda has 1 carb. Carbs are hidden in everything!! Aim for 20. Your body needs them, I promise!

2. Homemade peanut butter sounds wonderful. You can't have it!! YET! It's allowed on OWL (ongoing weight loss) Rung 3. That's the nut rung and if you want to succeed, I certainly suggest you follow the rungs in the proper order as Dr. Atkins designed it.

You can set up a free account at FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal. I highly recommend you go ahead and do this right now at the beginning of your journey. You can record your weight goals, activity level, keep a weight journal, food journal. It will break down all your fat, protein, carb ratios for you. It also breaks down your nutritional info. I use fitday for figuring up carbs for recipes also. That will work for you.

3. You probably don't want to know my real answer here. It's totally honest, so don't be offended. I also have a physically demanding job. I probably walk 5-7 miles per day and lift more than you'd think any girl could. Guess what? I did that when I was fat too! My theory is this...if your activity level is limited to the activity level that got you where you are, obviously, it isn't enough! I'm a single mom, I work fulltime, I take care of my mother and now and then, my grandparents, I clean and maintain this house inside and out by myself, have 2 big dogs who require maintenance every few hours as well and somehow, any way I can, I manage to find time for exercise. I could sit here and tell you it's optional, but to recover your health, would you really believe that deep down, or would you just want to believe it? I won't go off on a rant about the benefits of exercising. We all know what they are. It's worth it, every bit of it. There is time for what we make time for. Yes, you'll realize a metabolic advantage without it but you won't lose weight as quickly, you won't be replacing fat with lean muscle and when your body does shrink down, it won't look as good. I look at it like this--if I'm going to dive into this way of living, I'm not going to just take a sip and keep my fingers crossed. I'm going to drink it in and use every advantage I can to achieve the most I can. I just reread those lines about not working out at ALL and then you said keep in mind you'd still be continuing your regular lifestyle. I know you meant activity level, but remember the limitation of that combined with your diet is exactly what brought you here. Kick it up a notch...or 3! It will change your world, your health, your outlook, your results. You won't regret it, I promise!!

This is EXACTLY why I came here. I knew people would help me in my journey and give good advice. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to me!

I have more questions, but they will have to wait until tomorrow as I have to be off to work right now. But, one quick one whilst I have a sec.

What if I'm not fond of veggies? The only veggies I eat are carrots and celery. Would it be ok to just go with them?

Well, that's it for today. Thank you again, EverLosing. I will definitely sign up for that site and use it thoroughly.

[EverLosing]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

You are soooooooooo welcome!! I'm glad you want the truth. There are many people who come here not wanting the whole truth. The problem with that is, they're not wearing a sign around their necks that tell us we should lie to them and make them feel better!! And if they were wearing that sign, we couldn't see it anyway!!!

No carrots yet. That's a long way off for you! We're going to get you eating veggies. It's way less negotiable than exercise!! You've got to have them both!! Celery. Hmmm. What about salad? Cucumbers aren't bad. I used to eat celery and cucumber slices every single day. I took ranch dressing to dip them in, to work. You know what? That just makes them taste like ranch dressing!! It's good! There are so many veggie options. I used pumpkin daily. It's not offensive, tastes great, easy to prepare, keeps me regular, tastes like pumpkin pie and helps me sneak in veggie servings, fat and carbs. You can also have green beans. Do NOT be one of those guys who teaches those around you Atkins is a meat and cheese diet. That's not the case. You will incorporate veggies or you will not succeed and we're NOT havin' that!!!

[kibskix]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

1. You can be under 20, just not over 20. I'm almost never AT 20 (at least when you factor in fiber)

2. Like ev said, no peanuts just yet! But after induction if you wanted to I suppose you could try, and be sure to let us know what happens!

3.Unfortunately I look at it the way ev does. excersize to me counts as whatever you do outside of work. But if you have a strenuous job, I dont think you need to try to absolutely kill yourself working out.

4. you -would- probably still lose weight if you didn't work out. However, you lose faster working out, and your body will tighten up as you do. So you can lose weight without working out and look deflated, or you can work out and not have all that floppyness lol. For example, I had a bad case of post induction stall syndrome, I stalled out and actually gained 4lb in about my 3rd week with no cheats. So as an experiment i spent 1 week working out 2 hours a day. 4-5 of those days, I lost a pound a day. (btw i dont endorse working out that hard right off the bat, i burned myself out because i wasn't in good enough shape to be doing that much) when i'm not working out, I average between 0 and .5lbs a day, it all just depends, but if I DO lose .5 a day, its never 2 days in a row.

I haven't been working out much if at all lately on doc's orders for a staph infection. i was on antibiotics and all that jazz, and i only lost 5 pounds that month. i -finally- broke through it this morning with a 1.2 pound drop overnight, and i fully credit that to my work out yesterday which was the first in a good while.

[not2late]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Exercise is defined as anything above your normal activity level. So lifting those huge sacks of flour and sugar is a part of your "normal" activity. You need to do something in addition to that for it to be "exercise".

As for the veggies...there are over 50 veggies on the Induction Acceptable Foods List: about 20 on the "salad" list and 30 on the "other" list. Surely you can find something you can eat on them.

[imagood1]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Before you go any further you need to get the book. We go by the 2002 Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution (DANDR) edition - you have the questions you are askin because you haven't read the book. You can't bake something without knowing the ingredients so how can you follow the plan without knowing the "ingredients" necsessary to be successful? Once you read the book you will fully understand the plan and will be successful at it -- as long as you follow the plan the way it is written. – If you can’t find one locally www.half.com and www.Amazon.com have them pretty inexpensively - mine with shipping was about $5.00 -- it is a great tool to have.

Drink at least 64 ounces of pure water daily - more is better but MINIMUM 64 ounces -- nothing added but ice. Your job may be strenuous but your body is use to that activity, so you need to do something to shake it up.

Atkins bars and shakes are NOT acceptable during induction (not until maintenance) – they are made with non-induction ingredients and cause stalling in many people. Just remember - if it’s not on the acceptable food list – it doesn’t go in your mouth!

Check the recipe sites to find ways of getting veggies and other good foods into your body daily. You can eat out if you know how everything is prepared (no gravies, potatoes etc), make sure you get enough "good fats" each day - they will help keep you full and keep cravings at bay.

Recipe Sites
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/menus.html
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/58513-never-ending-induction-recipes.html
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/6807-induction-recipe-basics-more-recipes-added.html
http://www.sugarfreesheila.com/RecipesPage.html

Also check out the challenge area - join a few...it will help keep you accountableto yourself and you'll meet great people at the same time. Start a journal to get your feelings out and onto paper -- you will feel much better once they are out of your head. Good luck!

[Sridge]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Thank you all for the help and kind words. It's good to see everyone here is willing to make helpful suggestions, rather then just being snooty or mean.

I have two more questions so far. The first one is, can I get a direct link to the book on Amazon? I'm searching right now, but there's so many different books with the Atkins name on it, It's making me dizzy, heh.

And the second is about vitamins. What vitamins would you folks recommend to take while on the Atkins diet? Suggest anything and everything. The store I work in which houses the bakery, has a beefy Pharmacy with all kinds of vitamins and supplements.

To be completely honest, I'm reading over topics on this forum and trying to take in all the info I can but I'm feeling overwhelmed currently. I guess I thought like a lot of people, that this diet is an instant cure and you would shed pounds and pounds a day. But I'm actually happy to see it's much more involved then that. Those kinds of diets NEVER work.

Anyway, I'll continue reading over the forum and take in all the info I can! Any particular topics anyone would like to suggest?

[Slapshot]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

The first one is, can I get a direct link to the book on Amazon? I'm searching right now, but there's so many different books with the Atkins name on it, It's making me dizzy, heh.

Amazon.com: Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, Revised Edition: Robert C. Atkins: Books

or

Half.com / Books / Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution

[msanjelpie]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Paperback edition:

Half.com / paperback books / Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution

[msanjelpie]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

3. Exercise... I work 5 days a week in a bakery (I know, that's going to be ****), and it's actually pretty physical work. Lifting heavy boxes, running back and forth to the freezer to get product out, etc. You work up a good sweat doing it. My question is: will that be enough? Like, if I can't get any days to work out (run, do crunches, etc), will it suffice?

How important is exercising on the Atkins Diet? Of course exercising is important in and of itself, but if I were to not be able to do it, would I still wind up losing weight?

And here's a hypothical for you.... If I were to not exercise at ALL while on the Atkins Diet, would I still see weight loss as long as I'm at or under the recommended carb intake? Keep in mind I'd still be continuing my regular lifestyle. Work 5 days a week, come home, play with my nephew, and sleep. Rinse, repeat.

If you were not to exercise at all, you would still lose weight. Especially since you have already built up a base of muscles doing what you do each day...

However, this diet is all about burning fat/calories and you can do that a lot easier by combining it with aerobic exercise... (walking, running, biking) for at least 45 minutes straight. Gets your heart working and we want to build up that muscle too! You don't have to do it every single day, but the more you can squeeze it in as time goes by, the better you will end up feeling overall, (and looking)... I would start out by doing it on your days off for sure - and going from there...

[msanjelpie]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

What vitamins would you folks recommend to take while on the Atkins diet? Suggest anything and everything. The store I work in which houses the bakery, has a beefy Pharmacy with all kinds of vitamins and supplements.

Any particular topics anyone would like to suggest?

Any multivitamin for MEN that does not have iron will work great... I take One-A-Day Mens 50+ Advantage because I like the percentages of the different elements in the formula...

Start by reading all of the stickies at the top of this forum and the induction forum... Make sure to read as many of the FAQ threads as you can squeeze in... that will cover the basics...

[Slapshot]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Paperback edition:

Half.com / paperback books / Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution

OOps. Meant to post that one....thanks for the correction...

[Sherri]

Re: I'm new to Atkins, and I have some questions.

Hello Sridge,
Welcome to ADBB and to Atkins!
You certainly have chosen the healthiest lifestyle there is.
To keep track of your Net carb intake you can go to www.fitday.com and plug your food in there. It will help you keep track of your ratios of 65% Fat, 30% Protein and 5% Net Carbs is what your intake should be for Induction.
It's a good idea to try to keep your Net Carbs at 20. If you're under, just make sure that when you move to OWL that your Carb intake is 5 more grams from what you were getting in at on Induction. For instance, if you were getting in 15 Net Carbs the majority time of being on Induction, then you should be getting in 20 Carbs for OWL Rung 1 Veggies. Just 5 more grams from Induction.
As far as exercise, it's part of the 3 legged stool of Atkins that Dr. Atkins explains as "Not Negotiable" It's important to exercise, even if it's walking, then build from that. Also, the other two "Must" (legs) are, supplements and WOE (way of eating). Those three are what will get you to Optimal Health.
Supplements, a great multi, without iron, is Centrum Silver for men.
I take a multi vitamin, Omega fish oil supplement, Olive leaf Extract and L-Carnitine. If you start having cravings as in sweet cravings, a great supplement to take is L-glutamine. This will take those cravings away and I have found to be very benificial in my journey being a sweet addict that I am. If you're interested in L-Glutamine I can give you more information on it as well.
WOE (way of eating) It is important to have DANDR 2002 and follow it to the T. It's all I had when having my success with weightloss. I followed Induction by the book and then Extended Induction for four months. After that I started moving up the Rungs, slow and steady, losing 100 pounds in 10 months. Keeping DANDR close and referring to it often.
Yes, if it's one thing that Atkins will teach you, is to how to cook healthy. Fresh is best! When shopping at your grocers, you will notice that everything in the perimeter of the store is where all the healthiest fresh food is. Fresh veggies (even frozen), organics, meats, and dairy. The inner isles are where the fast food is (processed food) there is where you really need to pay attention to reading food lables for ingrediants. But most importantly, to read them on everything that is packaged. Manufacturers like to sneak in hidden sugars, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) being a popular one. Sugar comes in many forms. If you would like a list, I can get that to you.
Plan, plan, plan! Clean out your pantry, and if possible, just keep Atkins friendly food in your house. If you share kitchen duties with someone, make sure you have your very own area for your food. It will help you from getting into pitfalls on your plan.
Plan your meals and shop for food for a week, or even better, 2 weeks at a time. This will save you alot of times and temptation from going off plan. Prepare meals in advance. Some quick grabs. I always like to clean and prep vegggies and keep them stored for easy to get to snacks and meals. Boil up a dozen of eggs to keep handy. Make up some tuna salad or egg salad for lettuce wraps. I always have some sort of protein cooked and ready to grab for meals. Also, olives are a great snack and we're allowed 10-20 a day. These will also keep your fat ratios up along with avacados (1/2 a day). Great MUFAS (monounsaturated fats), so healthy for you.
Water, Water, Water will flush your system and keep you well hydrated. Nothing replaces water. So healthy for your kidneys as well. So make sure to get your H2O in.
One last thing....peanut butter, peanuts are not allowed until Rung 6 Legumes. It is recognized as a legume and can not be added in untill then. All other nuts are allowed on Rung 3 Nuts and Seeds. Be careful on the nut rung and make sure you use portion control. Their easy to eat more if you don't portion them out.
Hope that helps.
Wishing you much success in the healthiest weightloss journey there is. You will learn so much about you own metabolism. As you re-introduce foods back into your woe, you will find what foods you are intollerable or tollerable to. It certainly is a learning journey. No two peoples journies are the same. So keep in mind that you are Unique and so Worth the effort you put into yourself!
Wishing you the best of health and lite.
Sincerely, Sherri
P.S Make sure to read all the Stickies on the top of the 14 Day Induction Thread. These will help guide you untill you get your hands on DANDR.