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Atkins Diet News

Oct 14, 2008

new to atkins need advice
Author
Message
isureamtrying
New Member
Joined: 08 Jul 2008
Posts: 2
Tue Jul 08, 2008 2: 24 pm    Post subject: new to atkins need advice
I am new to the Atkins diet but I am trying hard. I have been on the induction phase for 16 days ( I realize that it should be 10 days ) and have gone from 224. 8 to 213. 0 this morning. I have been eating steaks ( big ones ) and chiefly chicken.
My basic diet is
Break 3 eggs fried in butter
Decafe coffee
Lunchone can of tuna with real mayo
Decaf tea
Dinnersteak or chicken
Salad no dressing½ genius tomato and 6 romaine leafs
For snacks only the last few days I eat one cup of fresh strawberries and also drink a cup of decaf tea
I try to drink 6 8 glasses of water a day
While I look at my weight chart I feel good but I note two things in the past 3 days. One I seen to have a headache and second and of greater import is that last night I had muscle cramps in my leg severe enough to wake me up ( had to get out of stave and move around at 3 am )
This concerns me painfully I jar if I am overdoing it or conceivably not adhesive to the proper diets advice in the book.
I would like to add that in addition to the 16 vitamins I take every day for the last 25 years ( approved by my Doctor ) I added the following per Atkins book
Chromium picolinate 500 mg one a day
L - carnitine 500mg one per day
L - glutamine 1000mg morning / evening meal
Your thought and comments would be incredibly appreciated before I start the next phase [ / icon_surprised. gif] [ / icon_surprised. gif] [ / icon_smile. gif]
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Longitude: Wisconsin
Tue Jul 08, 2008 2: 40 pm    Post subject:
Firstly, you can stay on induction for as long as you want. The first time I did atkins, when I lost from 315 lb to 185 lb, I was on induction for something like 7 months.
I ' m feeling rather hardass today so I don ' t think I will be cutting slack so let ' s start in on the menu with no further delay.
Breakfast -
3 Eggs fried in butter, all well and good.
Decaf Coffee - Mixed with anything? Discrepant somewhat acceptable.
Lunch - Tuna with Real Mayo - Also fine
Decaf Tea - May have hidden carbs, mixed with anything?
Dinner - Steak or Chicken - Considerably acceptable.
Salad - Acceptable. The Tomato is not allowed on induction period. This is a formulaic diet, it works only if followed in the manner it ' s designed. You must cache the tomato now.
The fresh strawberries are not allowed on induction. Suppress the Strawberries.
The cramps are most likely the returns of the tea and coffee twin with inadequate water amounts. You are not dying, nor are you " overdoing things " You are positively safe in the situation you are in, believe me when I say there are people who have taken the diet to a much enhanced extreme than you are doing it and walked out alive.
That being said, void the tomato and the strawberries, review your book for some further info, and watch the pounds come off. The book will clarify where you are in terms of how extreme you are doing the diet..
I am getting the sense that you are worried you are overdoing it. I " know someone " who went on the diet by eating 125 calories every 2 hours, plus 400 calories for dinner, for a grand total of 7 carbs and only 875 calories, plus supplements. That distinct performed 3 hours a day of high level aerobic and anaerobic exercise in the gym every day, with no days off for rest. He was unscathed. Your situation is not life threatening, or even unhealthy. You may want to look into some spinach, some asparagus or other vegetables...
I know that Green Giant makes these great broccoli and cheese 60 second microwave little dishes.... 60 calories, 3 carbs.
http: / / www. generalmills. com / corporate / brands / brand. aspx? catID=20908&groupID=19440#23354
check those out, there are more than i remembered.
The diet works by convincing your body to consume its fat instead of glucose. If you displace it in the way its scientifically designed, it turns your body into a fat burning machine. If you put sugars in like the tomato and the strawberry in the beginning, it will tidily not do that.
Sorry, I feel like a tough love day. I ' m sure someone like Tril will mash my post up some.
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1325
Direction: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Tue Jul 08, 2008 3: 18 pm    Post subject:
LOL Kyp... not many people have EVER said that about me. [ / icon_eek. gif] The only ( and I mean ONLY ) compellation I ' ve ever had in life is Sarge.
So, since you ' re in a tough love mood, let me just say that tomatoes ARE on the induction list of vegetables. They ' re on the " other, slightly higher carb " list. Hereare the veggies we can eat:
" Vegetables
You should eat 12 - 15 net carbs a day of vegetables. These salad vegetables are high in phytonutrients and proffer a good source of fiber:
alfalfa sprouts
daikon
mushrooms
arugula
endive
parsley
bok choy
escarole
peppers
celery
fennel
radicchio
chicory
jicama
radishes
chives
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
mâche
sorrel
Other Vegetables
Within the 12 - 15 net carb daily vegetable requirement, these vegetables are slightly higher in carbohydrate content than the salad vegetables listed greater, but they also outfit important nutrients and add variety to your daily food intake:
artichoke
celery root
pumpkin
artichoke hearts
objection
asparagus
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
scallions
dandelion
snow peas
bean sprouts
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash
beet greens
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or grow beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
Brussels sprouts
kohlrabi
tomato
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion
zucchini
If a vegetable, such as spinach or tomato, cooks down significantly, it must be measured raw so as not to underrate its carb count. "
I know you cut your teeth on the older folktale... but this is how it ' s written in the newest news and probably why you said " no tomatoes ".
I play ball on the strawberries. NO fruit or berries on induction!
As for the cramping... I had that, too. I ' ve been taking extra potassium and it ' s helped a lot. I used to eat a banana a day to keep them away ( they seem to scuttle in my family from my dad ' s side ).
I don ' t think you ' re over - doing anything, either. That kind of weight loss is fairly common the first week or so. It will slow down. The headaches are completely normal... if you were using non - decaf coffee and tea before induction, it could be caffeine withdrawal. Those are killer headaches. You may also be dehydrated... even with 6 to 8 glasses of water. If you were drinking soda, juice and milk before induction, that ' s liquid you ' re not getting now. AND, it ' s just a common side effect of changing your diet in general... especially when you protuberance to a low carb diet. Your body is going through a metabolic change as you force it to use fatty acids to make ketones for your energy source instead of using carbohydrates to make glucose. It ' s much easier for your body to make and use glucose... and the knob doesn ' t always come easy. Also, your liver has to start make glucose from protein for the cells in your body that can only use glucose for energy. It ' s not surprising that we don ' t feel absolutely " right " as these processes get up to speed. There are even some enzymes that we need to start competent... which aren ' t necessary on a carb based diet... so until that gets going we ' re feeling off, too. Give your body time to change to this new way of functioning.
My advice to you would be to start reading everything you can find on " how to follow Atkins ". Start with the FAQ section here. You seem to have some misinformation about some pretty basic stuff ( length of induction and eating strawberries ).
Oh... and before I forget... use a honorable amount of full fat, low or no carb dressing on your salad. The LAST thing you want to try to do is eat low carb AND low fat.
Tril
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Longitude: Wisconsin
Tue Jul 08, 2008 3: 34 pm    Post subject:
As far as potassium goes, farm raised chicken has a ton of potassium. I have a unprincipled feeling they implicate it in with the antibiotics and other stuff but hey, that ' s not my problem.
So I get a valid amount of my potassium from my chicken, and my spinach. I don ' t do any cramping and if anyone was gonna cramp from atkins it would be me, so it may very well be a potassium / magnesium deficiency.
Most supplements skimp on the potassium, watch out for that.
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Wisconsin
Tue Jul 08, 2008 3: 48 pm    Post subject:
Ok double checking on my potassium intake it looks to be roughly 1200 mg... which is something like 33 percent of the daily amount recommended.
I need more potassium... me thinks.
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1325
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Tue Jul 08, 2008 4: 18 pm    Post subject:
Just a little fyi, they don ' t inject chickens. If they ' re getting antibiotics it ' s in their feed. A friend of mine raises chickens... she told me it ' s in the chick pellets, but not in the chicken feed. Her dh thought he was giving her hens a " treat " when he gave them the leftover chick food. She looked it up and although the eggs were " safe " she threw them out for several days ( the time it takes for the antibiotic to be metabolized ).
It always surprises me the number of people who gasp and sputter when they find out feed stock is given antibiotics... like it ' s poisonous or something. These are same people who take their kids to the DR and insist on medication ( antibiotics ) for a viral infection. [ / icon_rolleyes. gif] LOL
On Atkins ( or if you don ' t happen to like veggies ) we don ' t get as much potassium because it ' s a mineral from the ground. Plants take it up through the roots and we eat the plant. If you ' re not eating veggies, you ' re not getting as much minerals.
Here ' s a list of high potassium foods... not much on there that we eat!
http: / / www. weightlossforall. com / potassium - rich - food. htm
I found this interesting:
" Natural plant foods are usually high sources of potassium compared to many processed foods which are often low in potassium but high in sodium. The best potassium rich food sources must be high in potassium but low in sodium because sodium makes the body hold water. This can mean up to 5 pounds of extra weight can be easily gained simply due to high sodium ( often due to salt ) foods.
Processing often reduces the content of potassium in foods. Cooking foods in large amounts of water will also reduce its high potassium levels. Eating the skins of fruits and vegetables when possible will help gain the most from potassium rich foods. "
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1325
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Tue Jul 08, 2008 4: 22 pm    Post subject:
Here ' s another list http: / / www. buzzle. com / articles / potassium - rich - foods - list - of - foods - high - in - potassium. html
Other than her comment about " carnivore diets " it ' s ok.
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Wisconsin
Tue Jul 08, 2008 4: 41 pm    Post subject:
Also, the more sodium you take in, the more potassium you need.
It ' s a counterbalancing thing.
The sodium and potassium interact to fire the electrical impulses in your body.
Mine appears to be out of whack and I ' m gonna fix it today.
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1325
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Tue Jul 08, 2008 11: 20 pm    Post subject:
I think calcium plays a part a well... isn ' t it true that if you take calcium WITH potassium you can ' t absord it as well??
Need to learn more on this... [ / icon_smile. gif]
Tril
isureamtrying
New Member
Joined: 08 Jul 2008
Posts: 2
Sat Jul 12, 2008 1: 06 pm    Post subject: Advice most appreciated
Hi all and thank you for your help, it was most informative and it made me read a lot more material and as my Dad always told me "a little knowledge is bad" and that's what I have.
I faxed my Doctor and I will be taking all my blood work on Tuesday which will give me a base line to restart from. ( Should have done this before I started but I am trying and learning also ). When his nurse called I got the impression that my Dr. feels like I am only going through the motions but that is not true. I hope to continue my quest to change my dietary habits and sustain them.
Oh the strawberries cost 7 dollars and change so being cost effective I made a special Atkins waiver and they are now gone—No more strawberries.
I have added one Banana a day and have increased my potassium and got a salt substitute that is primarily potassium dictated. I also picked up the JOLLY green giant broccoli and cheese and about 4 others thank you KypDurron
I must say that I eat most of everything but as I peruse the list of vegetables suggested I realize that is not true, but there are enough alternative that I do have some choices
My cramping may because of the change in diet only have it severe for 2 nights and now it seems to have gone ( I hope ) but as you suggested I have been increased my potassium etc. thanks SARGE. [ / icon_smile. gif]
My weight has leveled off at 213 but a few days it went up a few pounds but that may have been due to the fruit
My current plans are to stay on this phase for a few more weeks and then reevaluate where I am and set a new course or continue with this.
Again than you all and as my sign on says I SURE AM TRYING.
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Sat Jul 12, 2008 2: 24 pm    Post subject:
Please re - read the Acceptable Foods list... Banana is one of the worst things you could have on Atkins - sugary AND starchy at the same time. Even in Maintenance, you could have proably, like, one a week. Definitely NOT one every day on Induction...
Make sure you don ' t eat anything that is not on the Acceptable foods list. It ' s not a " suggested " list, it ' s a " those are the only things you are allowed to eat " list.
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Wisconsin
Sat Jul 12, 2008 7: 14 pm    Post subject:
Yeah... banana is a No NO.. not a no no, a NO NO.
treacletart
New Member
Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 27
Location: England
Sun Jul 13, 2008 10: 06 am    Post subject:
you seem very confused about what you can ' t and can eat. Simply read the FAQ page on this website if you cannot get hold of the book. You cannot eat ANY fruit on induction.
Kyp - you don ' t mind what happens to the chickens you eat? You wouldn ' t mind eating a chicken injected with antibiotics or something else? Personally I am extremely choosy about the chickens I eat. At the very least they must be free range and preferably organic. I prefer my chicken to have flavour and to have had a decent life. The thought of a battery farmed chicken disgusts me.
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Wisconsin
Sun Jul 13, 2008 1: 41 pm    Post subject:
I eat about 4 lbs of chicken a week. Ive tried the 8. 99 per lb organic chicken, and the Cub Foods regular 2. 99 chicken. Cub Foods is a good grocery store in my town, and their chicken breast has more nutrients, is better, leaner, and has less fat and gristle on it, and the breasts are bigger.
As far as I can tell, the organic chicken has never tasted better than regular chicken, and frequently tastes worse.
The argument as I understand it has nothing to do with TASTE, but that giving the chickens the medicines makes children or people resistant to meds and other things. I don ' t have that problem, so I prefer not to spend 4 times as much money for a inferior product.
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1325
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Sun Jul 13, 2008 1: 58 pm    Post subject:
I also said something about chicken... and no, I ' m not picky about the chicken I eat, either, because I don ' t think there ' s anything wrong with the chicken being produced in our country for human consumption. Hormones can NOT be used on any poultry or pigs in the US ( by law ) so I don ' t worry about that. Antibiotics are injected into the egg the day before they hatch ( chickens intended to be processed for human consumption )... by the time they are sent to slaughter at 42 - 56 days of age, the antibiotic ( not one used by humans, btw, unless you buy Tyson chicken ) is no longer at a level to be concerned about. Meat is tested for levels of antibiotics and rejected if found to be over the ppm limit ( as low as 0. 1 ppm ).
I don ' t feel any differently about a chicken bred to be my dinner than I do about a tomato grown to be part of my salad. A decent life? I don ' t care, quite honestly... whether it ' s in a chicken barn or a barnyard. It ' s food to me. The chickens don ' t know the difference.
Tril
treacletart
New Member
Joined: 26 Jun 2008
Posts: 27
Location: England
Mon Jul 14, 2008 8: 03 am    Post subject:
I beg to differ but that is your opinion
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1325
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Mon Jul 14, 2008 11: 30 am    Post subject:
I probably have that opinion because I ' m also a hunter and I fish. I prefer to harvest my own meat ( or what my dh and sons get ), but in the absense of that happening I gladly buy what others have raised for that purpose. We will also buy a half pig or half beef from local farmers once in awhile... but only if my freezer is low on game meat.
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Wisconsin
Mon Jul 14, 2008 1: 59 pm    Post subject:
The non organic chicken at my grocery is yummy, and that ' s all I know.
to put it simply, I ' m not going to pay more so the chicken that was slaughtered so that I could eat its flesh had a better life, because I could simply just not give a rats butt, lol.
I mean the chicken is dead either way. In both the organic nicely raised chicken and the regular ole chickens life, at the end, someone whacks its head off, guts it, and chops its body up into little bits to be cooked and eaten by people.
Either way, we murdered the thing to eat it, i figure that burns up any karma bank that gets built up by being nice to it.
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1325
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Mon Jul 14, 2008 2: 40 pm    Post subject:
Kyp... [ / icon_lol. gif]
KypDurron
Senior Member
Joined: 30 Jun 2008
Posts: 427
Location: Wisconsin
Mon Jul 14, 2008 4: 03 pm    Post subject:
By the way, ive been calling around to every dairy within 100 miles, trying to find a super high fat content, even less carbohydrate level heavy cream.
So far by masquerading as a small town bakery, I have been able to procure 1 / 2 gallon jars of 44 % heavy cream... it ' s yummy.
I put a little syrup in it and its like a milkshake, it kicks butt. Of course next month if I like it im supposed to buy a 150 gallon lot of it... but oh well, that ' s next month. Right now I have yummy custom made cream goodness.

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