Hi all! First time Atkins follower from England, UK

[CherryBea]

Morning all... well, it's 9.20 am here at least

I'm new to atkins as of yesterday and new to the forums as of 9.15am. I'm 24, Female and probably over the other side of the pond for alot of people, so please be kind when I say I don't understand quarts or cups or that certain foods over here are quite hard to obtain from the local supermarket without trading in your right leg. Sometimes even the left!

I've started Atkins as I need a consistent weightloss plan that works, and as I can see when it's done properly, it most certainly does.

If anyone has any good tips or advice to beat the induction cravings or any very simple meal/menu plans to help me get through the two weeks while I'm at work (I work full time 45hr week, 8am-5pm so it's hard to really have anything complex) I would love you forever and who knows, maybe even give you a hug!

x Bea

[Elizellen]

Re: Hi all! First time Atkins follower from England, UK

Hi Bea

Welcome to our international ADBB family

If you cannot get on with the idea of using 'cups' as a way of measuring your vegetable you can weigh them instead. There is a thread in the FAQ's that lists the weight of a cup of most of the induction vegetables.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/77559-weight-vegetables-per-cup-measure.html

Or you can look out for a set of measuring cups - most of the large supermarkets sell them along with measuring spoons as well as most cookery specialist shops.

I ma not sure which foods you feel will be hard to find over here - the only veg from the list I have never been able to get is jicama, and spaghetti squash is only available about 2 weeks in the year, but most of the others are easily found.

Some names are different
eggplant = aubergine
zucchini = courgettes
summer squash = vegetable marrow
argula = rocket
but you can google for a photo of any that you don't recognise to see if we have a different name for it.

One tip I would say worked for me is to print out a copy of the allowed foods list - there is a wallet sized one on this board - to have with you when preparing/planning menus.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-extended-induction/75440-handy-wallet-sized-list-induction-approved-foods.html

[Elizellen]

Re: Hi all! First time Atkins follower from England, UK

If anyone has any good tips or advice to beat the induction cravings or any very simple meal/menu plans to help me get through the two weeks while I'm at work

Here is a copy of a post I made a while ago which might help you plan

I can list some of the foods I ate on induction - but you might not like or have the ingredients, so try to work out something similar, using it as a guide.

I havent mentioned quantities but bear in mind the cheese 'allowance' of 3-4 ounces and that we can have up to 3 cups of vegetables from the 2 lists.

Also that we ought to be getting 'most' of our carbs from our veggies, so choose those with more carbs than plain old lettuce unless you dont intend to eat cheese, eggs or cream which all have carbs!!

Breakfast:
Meat & cream cheese rollups plus some cherry tomatoes
Slices of red pepper rolled in meat and gouda cheese slices
A slice or two of crustless quiche made from eggs/cheese/cream/cooked meat/cooked veg (recipe in the recipes database linked in my signature)
Revolution Rolls (recipe in the 14 day induction forum) spread with butter and Marmite (yeast extract spread)

Lunch(usually at a local cafe):
Eggs, bacon & mushrooms plus tomatoes if I havent had them for breakfast
Roast Chicken (skin on) with broccolli/green beans/cauliflower - with a pat of butter melted over them
Pork chops with similar veg or a salad/mayo
Green salad with chopped pieces of chicken & bacon thrown over it plus mayo

Supper:
Crustless quiche as for breakfast but with a side salad of red peppers/mushrooms/chopped celery + mayo
Cauliflower in a rich cheese sauce (melt 2 ounces of grated cheese, one fluid ounce of cream and 1/2 ounce of cream cheese together)
Chicken curry served over caulirice (grated raw cauliflower microwaved till softish)
Hamburger 'pie' with some salad stuff
Chicken drumsticks with mashed turnips/butter

Snacks if needed:
Meat/cheese rollups
Celery stuffed with cream cheese or pate
Chopped celery in mayo - sometimes with added psyllium husk if I felt the need for more fibre
Piece of quiche
Hard boiled eggs - mix mayo and mustard/paprika etc into the yolks to make devilled eggs if you like them more spicy
Leftover anything (I always cooked more than the one meal's worth of most dishes to make sure there were leftovers available).

Always plan in advance so you have food available when you feel hungry so you won't be tempted to eat off-plan because you have nothing suitable ready to grab.

I hope this helps and gives you some idea of what can be done - but adapt it to your own taste - don't eat something you don't like just because I have listed it here

Happy lowcarbing

[CherryBea]

Re: Hi all! First time Atkins follower from England, UK

Thanks very much! That's amazing!

I purchased a set of 'cups' a while ago so hopefully they will be the same cup sizes as in the US and I can be safely on my way

[Elizellen]

Re: Hi all! First time Atkins follower from England, UK

A 'cup' holds 8 US fluid ounces/8.33 UK fluid ounces/237 mls

If you have a measuring jug you could fill the 1 cup measure with water then tip it into the jug to see how many mls it holds to be sure.

BTW here is some free software which does a lot of conversions for you
Convert for Windows | Josh Madison

[blueberrylady]

Re: Hi all! First time Atkins follower from England, UK

Welcome to the board, Bea!

I hope you soon get the hang of the different measurements and are on your way to a slimmer, healthier you!