Yet another newbie

[ronnie114]

Good morning all. I found your board about a week ago while I was searching for info on the Atkins diet. I was just been kind of sitting in the corner reading for a while. Have to say it is nice to see such a friendly and supportive group of people.
I had been on the Atkins diet in the past and had lost 15 lbs. Then my weightloss stopped dead in its tracks and no matter what I did, I couldn't make it budge. (wish I had the tips and encouragement y'all provide to see me through!) I switched over to weightwatchers and lost the rest of my weight, but the whole program ended up being a total pain in the a$$. Since I was able to maintain my weight without all of the meetings etc. I stopped going and got on with my life. That was great until I had to have surgery and packed on about 15 lbs. Of course there was an extra 5 lbs that I have been bouncing up and down with on top of that 15. Ugh.
I finally said, "Enough! The Atkins diet worked in the past. (though I did end up with muscle fatigue while working out) Let's try it again."
I started this past Friday, so today is a one week mark for me. So far I am down 6 1/2 lbs. According to the ketosticks, I am in ketosis.

Great things that have been happening:
1. Hey I lost 6 1/2 lbs!!
2. Energy levels up! (no more need for an afternoon nap. )
3. My face and tummy are no longer bloated.
4. Still able to do my excercise. (I work out 4 days a week with a trainer plus 45 min of cardio 5 days a week.)
5. I am sleeping MUCH better.
6. Headaches (an almost daily occurance) have been pretty much absent this past week.

Not so great things that have been happening:
1. pretty bad runs. (I had my gallbladder out 10 years ago and since then "things" have never been right and I think that the added fat in my diet is doing a number on me.)
2. my face keeps flushing after meals.
3. I miss my chewing gum. (aspartame)

Hardest things to give up?
Diet coke and chewing gum.

sorry to have written a novel here.

[Desertthorn]

Re: Yet another newbie

Welcome, Ronnie, glad you found us, joined and posted. We love novels and we love seeing how well folks do. You will be one of our superstars in no time.

[ronnie114]

Re: Yet another newbie

Gah! Can I say that today was a very difficult day to get through. Being Catholic, I don't eat meat on Fridays during Lent. Also being Catholic and being forced to eat fish every Friday, I have an extreme hatred of cooked fish. I do love Sushi (well now I guess it will be Sashimi that I am eating. :P ) but cook it and there is no way I am even going to stay in the same room with it.
So, today was a hard day to get my protein in without going over on my cheese allowance. Also just how many eggs are we allowed in a day? Is it ok to remove the egg yolk? Is it even necessary? (I looked through the other forums, but couldn't really find an answer) Anyway, long and short of it... it was a tough day to stick to my induction diet. I managed to do it, but darn it was hard without allowing meat in. Any suggestions for next Friday?

[Laurenfra]

Re: Yet another newbie

Yes you can eat all the eggs you want but you should count them as 1 carb. Tuna is also acceptable. I would eat more cheese on friday(that is just my personal opinion) The recipe thread has a great pizza you could do meatless. What about tofu?

I am glad you found us.

[ronnie114]

Re: Yet another newbie

I am a weird one. I actually love tofu and I in the past my usual Friday Lent meal would be a stirfry with tofu, but I didn't see it on the induction food list so I didn't even think to make it. LOL Maybe by next year I can fall back on that plan.

[hey_nelson]

Re: Yet another newbie

Hi Ronnie and welcome to ADBB. Catholic here too and a fish lover, cooked or raw. Try Mexican Civiche... shredded raw white fish, cilantro, diced jalepeno chili, and a bit or minced tomato, then the kicker, add lemon or lime juice, it naturally cooks the fish adds flavor and that little bit you use, quarter cup, will do a whole bunch of fish. I love it. Congrats on your weight loss.

[hey_nelson]

Re: Yet another newbie

Here is a ceviche recipe I found also

Ceviche Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minutes to prepare, 6 hours to let sit.

The first time I made ceviche, I was amazed. I could actually see the lemon and lime juice turning the color of the fish from translucent pink to opaque white. The acid from the limes and lemons change the structure of the proteins in the fish, essentially "cooking" the fish without using heat. I love ceviche rolled up in a freshly cooked, still warm corn tortilla with lettuce and salsa.

2 lbs of firm, fresh red snapper fillets, cut into 1/2 inch pieces, completely deboned
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice I would use one or the other
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 purple onion, finely diced Limit this becasue of carbs
1 cup of fresh peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes Limit this becasue of carbs
1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
2 teaspoons of salt
dash of ground oregano
dash of Tabasco or a few grains of cayenne pepper Cilantro
Avocado


In a non-reactive casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, place the fish, onion, tomatoes, chili, salt, Tabasco, and oregano. Cover with lime and lemon juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for an hour, then stir, making sure more of the fish gets exposed to the acidic lime and lemon juices. Let sit for at least 6 hours, giving time for the flavors to blend.

Serve with chopped cilantro and slices of avocado with heated tortillas for ceviche tacos or with tortilla chips.

Optional: Can use shrimp and or scallops as a substitute for some of the fish. Can use a firm cod in place of the red snapper.

[hey_nelson]

Re: Yet another newbie

Eeek, don't use the tortilla chips... try pork rinds instead

[ronnie114]

Re: Yet another newbie

Hey there Nelson. Thanks! That looks like something I could really enjoy. Does it work with any kind of fish? It also reminds me of something I lived on while in Hawaii. Tuna made into Poké. Next Friday isn't going to be as hard as this past one was. )

[Austlyn]

Re: Yet another newbie

Welcome Those are the hardest things for me to give up to , I tell everyone I have a severe addiction to those. You will make but do not be like me I think i can handle 1 peice of chewing gum or a diet coke and then it all gets away from me.

[hey_nelson]

Re: Yet another newbie

Ronnie, good luck.

[ronnie114]

Re: Yet another newbie

Welcome Those are the hardest things for me to give up to , I tell everyone I have a severe addiction to those. You will make but do not be like me I think i can handle 1 peice of chewing gum or a diet coke and then it all gets away from me.

the diet coke I am learing to live without, but the gum is kinda killing me. The craving for it I should say. I am the type of person that chews gum a ton. lol oral fixation? The diet coke has been bumped to the side, cause of all the water I have been drinking! Does the need to pee ever slow down as you get used to all the water?!

More good things that I have noticed:

1. my teeth don't get that fuzzy feeling to them during the day. Nice and smooth now from brushing to brushing!
2. my skin has not been as dry as it was before I started the Atkins.
3. I am fitting back into my smaller clothes already!!!!!!!!! (I was running around like an idiot pulling out "skinny clothes" all evening and trying them all on. )

One not so nice thing:
I have been soooo much colder! I can deal with it by throwing on more layers of clothing, so I am NOT going to let that complaint stop me from doing the diet. Is the cold from the diet, or is it from losing some of my "insulation"?