beverages-about to start induction

[lowcarbsweetie]

what else besides water may I drink on induction? Im a coffee and diet soda addict. i do not know what else i can drink to substitute these two things. i need to drink something a little sweet or i will not make it. any suggestions?

[Georgiana]

Re: beverages-about to start induction

what else besides water may I drink on induction?

Are you familiar with the Acceptable Foods List?

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html

i need to drink something a little sweet or i will not make it

What about liquid sucralose?

Joking aside, you don't "need" to drink anything sweet. On the contrary, not drinking sweet stuff is the way to break your addiction to sweet drinks.

Im a coffee and diet soda addict.

If you are a caffeine addict, gradually giving up caffeine might be better than quitting cold turkey.

For headaches, you may use OTC painkillers.

[whereami]

Re: beverages-about to start induction

It is always better to break your addictions in induction but I haven't been able to let go of coffee.

There are a lot of people that drink coffee and still make it. Like for me, coffee doesn't cause any cravings and I now make it in a way thats induction safe. What I mean is I got used to drinking it black with half a pack of stevia. This has worked for me. Those are the only things that I drink - water and coffee.

But again i must stress that its better to break your addictions and if you do keep drinking coffee and you find that its causing you cravings, then you might have to force yourself to break the habit.

Hope this helps.

[lowcarbsweetie]

Re: beverages-about to start induction

what about teas? i drink more black and green tea then i do coffee. i drink black and green tea lemonades. i am looking for something that is atkins friendly for that. maybe after induction?

[Suzanne_H]

Re: beverages-about to start induction

I drank coffee thru induction and did ok, though I hear some don't. I think I was ok with it because I never looked to coffee for my sweet fix. I just take mine straight out the bean or with cream, never sweetened. Teas are fine as well, also in the acceptable foods list. Just be sure to count your carbs as every little carb counts. I used to guzzle coffee but today I just have one or two cups a day.

As to the diet sodas, on induction I had to let them go in order to break my sweet tooth. I know we're allowed 3 sweeteners per day, but I didn't do sweeteners at all so that I could get over the cravings quicker. It passed in a couple days surprizingly. Today I may have a soda once in a while, but it makes me belch so much and doesn't quench thirst like good ole' H20. Really the chemicals and carbon dioxide aren't good for us...

One thing I discovered was flavored waters. I like to put a splash of lemon in my water or splash of lime, just careful as there's a splash and there's a SPLASH hehe Seems the flavored Dasani flavored waters are pretty tasty, too, just be sure to count the sweeteners toward your 3/day. I have students who like the SmartWater and told me it's calorie-free... but I haven't tried that yet.

I think the main thing is to keep an open mind to new experiences and developing new habits. We were conditioned to have the tastes we prefer today, and these can be unlearned and retrained at any age.

[bizzlekitty]

Re: beverages-about to start induction

Really truly, try and break the coffee and diet soda (and sweet) habit through induction if you can, at least the soda since most sodas have aspartame which you should avoid (known staller).

For coffee, it's more about the caffeine habit. As others have said, some can drink it and not have any issues, others can't. It might be best to error on the side of caution and give it up for Induction and see how you do. Induction is also about stopping addictions, including to sweets, that's why people try and do without it.

I had a 6+ can a day soda habit for decades. I gave it up for induction, but every now and then, I fall off the wagon and start drinking it again. And what I discovered is it keeps me from drinking enough water. Now, I might have a soda once a month if that.

I drink mostly tea now with the occasional coffee (decaf). But water always comes first. I might have a cup (mug) or two of tea a day.

If you decide to give it up, you may want to cut down gradually, or if you're brave, give it up with Induction and get the 2-3 days of Induction flu and caffeine withdrawal over with.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: beverages-about to start induction

>>i need to drink something a little sweet or i will not make it.>>

Need is different from "want".

Your body NEEDS water ... your "addiction" wants "something a little sweet".

I used to think I couldn't live without chocolate ... or that a life without chocolate wouldn't be worth living. Turned out I was wrong.

>>what about teas? i drink more black and green tea>>

They're not water. They also act as a diuretic, so for every 8 ounces of tea, you need an extra 8 ounces of water.

Try this: drink all your water (try for 1/2 your current body weight in ounces of water) ... then have the tea!

[michelley]

Re: beverages-about to start induction

Listen to Georgianna & the others, beat the sweet addiction. That's my intent for 2010. It seems so hard to give up sweet, but for me it leads to cravings.

But.. if you really want something approved, I occassionally drink Diet RC Rasberry soda. It's non-caffiene, made with Splenda & tastes really good.

But really one sweet for me leads to another, so I don't plan to buy anymore. Although I'm afraid to make it a resolution, I'm not ready to let go!!