New kid

[onmyweigh]

Hi there,
My name is Alice and I live near Atlanta, Ga. I'm 44 years old and the mother of 5 boys. I am very busy all the time as my youngest is 4 and my oldest is 14. I want to loose 100 pounds. This is extremely overwhelming to me, but I think about my weight all the time and I want to loose weight constantly! I did Atkins about a year ago for a month or so, and lost 15 pounds. I don't know why I didn't stick with it. My excuse is Thanksgiving, but it would've been very easy to stick with the diet then too. So many meats and vegetables that were on the plan and available! So here I go again! I want to stick with it and hoping to loose the weight in 6-9 months.

The hardest part I found before was that we stretch our budget with pasta dinners. There are 7 of us in the family and big spaghetti dinners help to save money. This of course doesn't help in loosing weight. I'm thinking I will still make the spaghetti for the rest of my family and make something that's on Induction for Atkins for myself. My husband also needs to loose at least 100 pounds though. If we could do an Atkins meal every night, that would help both of us.

I'm glad to be part of this site. I believe it's going to encourage me and help me reach my goal.

Thanks all!

[liv]

Re: New kid

Welcome to ADBB Alice.
Five boys sounds wonderful. I am happy for you but I bet they keep you busy.
I agree that it can be hard to budget on a protein/fat diet but it is not impossible. I try to find deals with neighborhood stores and feel freezers when i can find something worth buying to save money. This may take a bit research and thinking but it is worth it.
Pasta for some of us, will be very fattening, so yes if you do make it for your boys, make an alternative for you. I often eat salads and just cut out the starches if the rest of the family has any. It has worked fine for me.

[imagood1]

Re: New kid

HI and welcome back Alice!!!

There are plenty of alternatives if you look at the recipe sites --- I use zucchini noodles in place of pasta....cauliflower makes "mockafoni & cheese" as well as a great "loaded potato" tasting dish. Look particularly at this page of Linda's site: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Side Dish Recipes.

Since you were on Atkins before, check the STAC Second Time Around Club - Atkins Diet for additional support. I hope you already have the 2002 DANDR book and have read it, it is the edition we follow on this site. If not it's worth a few dollars to purchase. Get enough pure water in daily (64oz is recommended), exercise and take a non-iron multivitamin.

When our stores have chicken, hamburger, pork steak, etc on sale I buy at least 1 extra package to put in the freezer. I buy peppers on sale and cut them, put them in the freezer and eat them later in soup, chili and omelets.

I don't know if you shop at Aldi (I looked and the closest one to you is in Kennesaw) but we shop at ours here and get good deals on eggs .79 a dozen), 3 zucchini or 3 yellow squash are .99 a package, avocados are .79 each .... it really helps when I;m planning meals knowing I can get many things cheaper there. I also buy bags of chicken thighs where ever I can find them cheap. When your family is eating spaghetti you can have "zuchinni-etti". I made some sauce this summer with tomatoes out of my garden but you could use tomato sauce (watch for ones without sugar) and make your own with some green pepper, mushrooms & hamburger or ground pork. Once you figure out how to interchange foods your family eats you'll find this is very easy. My mother and husband are not on the plan but we start with the same piece of meat then I build their sides and my sides and we all have salads. When I made stuffed peppers we all eat them - even though they are "Atkins" they like them...LOL. Give your family a chance, they may like what mom is eating too!!

The recipe sites will help keep you from eating the same thing over and over -- check them out! Don't forget to eat enough vegetables (check the acceptable food list (What foods can be eaten on Induction?)(What foods can be eaten on Induction?)http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html) - 2 cups from the first list and 1 cup from the 2nd list daily.

Recipe Sites

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/menus.html (Linda’s)
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/58513-never-ending-induction-recipes.html (induction recipes)
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/58513-never-ending-induction-recipes.html# (additional induction recipes)

If you need anything we’re here to help you!! Good luck.

[blueberrylady]

Re: New kid

Welcome to the board, Alice!

What I do is make my own meatballs with parmesan cheese in place of bread or cracker crumbs and I eat them and the salad while everyone else eats spaghetti. It's very filling and I don't miss the spaghetti at all!

[sexysomeday]

Re: New kid

Or once you are in OWL, treat yourselves to pasta using Dream Fields 1 day a week. It has only 5 digestible carbs. It is a bit more expensive than just the regular pasta but it goes along way. It's a lot more filling than regular pasta because of the higher amoount of fiber.

[chinadoll]

Re: New kid

Actually, that pasta substitute may not be allowed for a long time, even on OWL. I am not familiar with it but the ingredients must be allowed on your rung for you to use it.