So how are my Atkins/Low Carb Friends doing?!

19 years ago

Let's get an update on how everyone is doing on Atkins. We're still plugging along, did a bit of back-sliding over the holiday weekend but are back on track this week. I've lost 9-11 pounds so far and Mr. Cheater (aka my hubby) has lost 15-17 pounds.

Last night I made low carb lasagna - used hamburger meat, low carb lasagna noodles, low carb pasta sauce, tons of mushrooms, onion, garlic and cheese. It was very tasty. I also made chicken fettucine alfredo for the kids, which Mr. Cheater indulged in. I was quite satisfied with the lasagna.

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Comments (23)

kim_okla
19 years ago
I'm stuck. I haven't lost a pound in 3 weeks. I've lost 30 and was going for 40.

My next big goal was 37 pounds because that's the size dog food I buy. I know how much that bag weighs when I throw it over my shoulder.
urlee
19 years ago
Hi,
I am the "no weigher" 'til I am down pretty much to where I will not be disappointed.

I am happy to say I took in ONE whole inch, the pair of "pants" that I once had to hold in my tummy to zip up and had to unzip when sitting at the computer to feel comfortable.
I am now sitting with them zipped up and comfortable at my computer as I type this.
What a wonderful feeling!
That in it's self "outweighs" the fun of eating the wrong foods. "lol"
~Urlee~
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I'll try to give you some answers from my experiences with both the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet. Some people, maybe you, maybe not, but definitely me, have a low tolerance for high carb foods, such as pasta, white rice, potatoes, breads, sweets, and even things like fruit juice. If I eat some of those, my blood sugar spikes and I want to eat more and more of these foods - therefore, weight gain. If I eat a small portion of whole wheat bread and a small portion of the whole fruit (with fiber - not just the juice) the body has to work longer and harder to digest the "good" carbs and my blood sugar doesn't spike high. Atkins has you eat enough meat, eggs, salads, and lower carb vegetables to fill you up and make you feel satiated while keeping the carb count to 20-30 grams per day, which is very low. On this plan I felt great and had plenty of energy and lost 22 lbs. in 2 months, but couldn't maintain that strict way of eating. South Beach emphasizes the "good" carb foods like, whole wheat products, brown rice, beans, and less saturated fat in meats, butter, and cheese. I've lost 11 lbs. in 6 weeks doing the SB diet and feel that it is a healthier way of eating that I can stay on forever. SB does get a little confusing at times; they have updates where they add foods that previously were not on their list of foods to enjoy; some foods they promote are hard to find in all areas or are expensive. For myself, I'm sort of combining the elements of Atkins and SB. I make my own Whole wheat bread, stay away from lots of processed foods, and those chemically toxic bottles of Diet Coke/Pepsi/Mt.Dew/etc. - sorry, but I had to say it! I do put real butter on my morning toast but don't have any butter the rest of the day. I use olive or safflower oil in cooking. I start each day with 1 or 2 eggs with turkey bacon or my homemade lean sausage and I have a cup or two of coffee each day. I usually have a small portion of fruit during the day, but not eaten all at once. I take nuts and cheese for my snacks and keep dinner to a protein and salad or vegetable. I try to drink a lot of water each day and have just discovered that I like Crystal Lite diet drink mix - but I add more water than is called for as I like them weaker. And I don't drink it exclusively all day. My job provides me way more walking and physical activity than I want. I'm also dealing with menopause - which I thought I was completely through - arrrggghhhh! But I'm not on hormones and don't plan to be. When I used to eat too much of a high carb food like potatoes, I would feel like a big couch potato - no energy at all. When I stick to protein and vegetables, I feel better and have more energy. It just takes a while to get completely away from our old eating habits. I've said I'm going to post a big sign at home and at my office that says "REMEMBER HOW GOOD LOW CARB FEELS!" Hah! You might want to do some internet searching and read up on low carb diets in general and Atkins and South Beach in particular. This seems to be more than just a fad now - companies are investing in making low carb products, fast food restaurants are adding low carb menus and....Krispy Kreme doughnut stock has recently gone down!! LOL! If you have other questions, I'll be glad to answer if I can. Teresa
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teresa_nc7
19 years ago
After a stall in week 3, I lost another 2 lbs. for a total of 8, since May 10. Slow going but sticking with it even though I couldn't resist the Poppycock while in the mountains on a quilting retreat with friends.

We fixed the "Fauxtatoes" this weekend to have with our steak and green beans. A really good cauliflower casserole with cream cheese, a dollop of mayo (or Miracle Whip), a pat of butter, garlic, s&p, grated cheddar on the top, 350 for 30 minutes. We used fresh cauliflower steamed until done, then mashed it up and added the other stuff. Yummy!
Teresa
Marcia Thornley
19 years ago
21 lbs., but now in a stall. I had to go to the lab today for blood work so I'll see how the numbers are. Treated myself to a grilled chicken sandwich on a real bun today! Getting back to basics again tomorrow and will see if I can get things moving again.
magic_arizona
19 years ago
How is the low carb Pasta? It looks awful in the package.
janetwilson
Original Author
19 years ago
We tried that low carb penne pasta with the low carb alfredo sauce and it was just plain nasty! I was a little hesitant to try anything else but we love lasagna at my house - I used the no-bake recipe on the box and it tasted just fine. It's not quite the same as real lasagna but it was pretty good!
janet_ks
19 years ago
Hi y'all,

I checked in on another thread the other day and I'm afraid I'm still stalled out. No loss for a week now and I'm hoping it's just PMS related, but we'll see how things go this weekend.

I did find a grocery store with low carb wraps...they're not great, but when you compare 4 carbs to 20 or 30 with the regular ones, they're definitely worth it.

Where's Candy -- haven't seen her post in a while??

Hope everybody has a good, low carb weekend!!

Janet
toomuchglass
19 years ago
Hello everybody ! I am on the Atkins and have lost 25 lbs. so far. Nice to meet everyone !
urlee
19 years ago
Hi "Toomuchglass",
I am happy for you. Keep it up.

I was wondering if any of you have trouble with constipation on this diet and what to do to prevent it?
~Urlee~
kim_okla
19 years ago
Urlee I got very sick. Went to the doc bloated, chilled, sick all over. Had abdominal x-rays and basically I was constipated. I had to drink the stuff you'd drink before a colonoscopy. Not the gallon of Go Lightly but something like that.

One thing I don't do is drink the water, I hate it. That would probably help a lot.
urlee
19 years ago
Thanks Kim for the info. Sorry to hear you got sick.
What are you doing now to prevent it?
janetwilson
Original Author
19 years ago
Water is very important on Atkins. I like it icey cold over ice with lemon or lime and a straw (I'm not picky!).

Still stalled out at 10 pounds but not exercising at all - I know that's the reason I haven't lost more!!!
kim_okla
19 years ago
I really tried to drink water, I do some but I know not enough. People told me to get some kind of Fibercon pills but I didn't (causes gas in the beginning, like I need more gas). I don't do well with a lot of salad since gall bladder removal. At least if it happens again I'll know what it is and how to fix it.

I broke the stall and lost my one pound for the week. Nine pounds from goal.
toomuchglass
19 years ago
I was stopped up really bad in the beginning - found out it was from eating too much meat . Once I balanced my diet out with veggies -- and water - I'm ok.
UGH ! I sure was miserable in the beginning !
janet_ks
19 years ago
I haven't had trouble with this (and I'm definitely one who needs to drink more water!!), but I eat a lot of lettuce and, for me, that counter balances the increased meat.
urlee
19 years ago
Thank you all for your replies.
I used to be ok 'til recently it seems that I am not going every day like I used to and have to squeeze so hard compared to before. It may be that I changed to monterey jack cheese and haven't been eating lettuce etc. as much.
I did shred up a bunch of cabbage and ate some slaw last night so I did have a better BM this morning.
I will have to experiment to see what helps me. I also have a hard time trying to drink 8 glasses of water. Lucky to get 3 in for the day.
teresa_nc7
19 years ago
Good morning, gang!
This week was week 4 on the South Beach diet and I am holding at 8 lbs. lost. Not as well as I had hoped, but I'm going to stick with it. When I did the Atkins plan two years ago I lost 11 lbs. the first month and 11 lbs. the second month - but couldn't stick with it beyond that. I have added a slice of homemade whole wheat toast and one serving of fruit to my regular low carb eating plan for the day. I try not to have either of those at my evening meal, but keep to protein and vegetable or salad.

No elimination problems here, and I have found I have more gas when I stray off the plan than when I follow it closely. Am leaving out cottage cheese and V-8 juice as they may contribute to my stall. Ditto too many sugar free items, although I tried the Crystal Light raspberry lemonade this week and consider it my "soda pop" treat - I make it weak and like it that way, plus, I'm getting some "flavored" water in my system.

I needed to use up some carrots in the fridge, so I made my marinated spice carrots last night subbing Splenda packets to taste for the 1/2 cup sugar. I know carrots are higher in carbs, but I just don't waste food. Am going to make a marinated vegetable recipe today and sub the Splenda for the sugar again. It has been very hot here, and these cold veggies will hit the spot.

One thing I am trying to learn is to listen to my body. It will tell me what fuels me or what makes me sluggish. I have some stress on the job and quite a bit of physical activity for my age (at least I think so!) and I am trying to balance this with eating healthy and trying to lose weight. In other words, I'm trying to take care of myself for myself! This is sometimes hard for women to do because we have been the caretaker of others for so many years. Many times I have to decline activities after work because I'm just too tired - something other people don't understand. But I listen to my body and try to do what it needs.

Sorry for rambling on like this, but I hope y'all here will understand as maybe you are in a similar place in your life.

Stay focused and enjoy your weekend.
Teresa
Tikanas2
19 years ago
Hi! Having just discovered this forum i thought I'd put my 2 cents in...

I am doing a "good carb" food plan. I refuse to call it low carb as I eat PLENTY of carbs, just those that are low on the glycemic index. Upon review, it looks a lot like the South Beach approach. I do watch my portions though and the amounts seem to fall within Weight Watcher size servings. ( My friend is on Weight Watchers and we compared notes).

I am doing pretty well on this plan. No real cravings, no binges etc. I drink plenty of plain seltzer water and find that I like it MUCH better than the diet cokes I used to drink. I have no trouble meeting my H20 quota and no problem with constipation. Heaven help me when I have PMS though!! ha ha! THEN I get RAVENOUS!

I am glad to have found this forum. Everybody needs a...
D--t (I never say that word...) Buddy.

Tikanas : )
DesertNewbie
19 years ago
I usually spend most of my time in other forums, but have found that I NEED to spend some energy here. I am looking for a diet that will be a life change. I tried Atkins a few months back, while I lost 20 pounds in the first 6 weeks, I gained it right back. When I was younger, weight was never an issue, but since having my youngest child (I was 30) the weight seems to cling on and be much harder to get off. My doctor suggested Weight Watchers, but it seems so regimented. I am just not that organized and keeping up with the points sounds confusing. Having lost quite well eating low carb, I'm thinking my body likes that idea, however I don't think it's something I can do for the rest of my life. I like Tikanas idea of doing the South Beach within the parameters of the Weight Watcher program but I don't have any information on either diet. Should I buy the South Beach book? Should I join Weight Watchers?
sugar_fl
19 years ago
I have thought of trying the South Beach diet but a little afraid to. I had a bladder infection the end of May & it left me with Neuropathy :( I wonder if I start with the 2nd part will it be safe for me? I know I won't lose as fast but would it work & more important be safe? Would it be better to start with week 1 & just add a little carbs. How many carbs are U allowed on SB? It is harder for me to cook as I now have to cook for just me :( Cooking for 1 isn't easy & I'm afraid I'll gain back what I have lost. The medicine for the Neuropathy said one side affect was gaining weight & craving sweets. If I can have chrystle light & diet jello I think I can handle that. I love the new Orange Sunrise. If it counts for water I have no problem there either. I can weaken it down some too. I am under a LOT of stress right now with several problems.. serious problems.
Any advise would sure be appreciated.
teresa_nc7
19 years ago
Sugar,
With the South Beach diet you do not count carbs but choose from a foods list that has healthy choices. I have chosen to keep white potatoes, white rice, white flour, sugar and most other sweeteners out of my diet. By sticking to a diet of (mostly) low fat meats, a wide variety of vegetables, one or two small servings of fruit daily and one serving of whole wheat bread with breakfast, I have managed to lose 14 lbs. in a little over two months. These changes in my way of eating are healthy and are changes that I can maintain for life, I hope.

I understand how stress can affect your eating habits, but focusing on your good health is good for you and might take your mind off your problems for a time. I found years ago that it was impossible to be depressed if I was doing aerobics or walking in the fresh air.

Crystal Light and Sugar Free Jello are allowable treats on South Beach. You need to read the book or at least check out some web sites that give you the information you need to change your eating habits.

I'm not an expert, but I will be glad to try to answer any questions you might have. This forum has been a good source of info and support for me.

Teresa
kim_okla
19 years ago
9 months later and 2 pounds from goal. :-)
sugar_fl
19 years ago
Teresa I have now read some. I saw somewhere where they said to start on phase 2 if U were uncertain of your kidneys & ketones (sp). I think I'll do that. I wish I had found a little more of a guideline on how much to eat. In weight watchers I think meat is limited to 4 oz.

So how are my Atkins/Low Carb Friends doing?!

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