New to the Forum

[Natalie]

[HeatherRene]

HI Natalie!! :-)

[Maggie]

Welcome, Natalie.

[crystalrp]

Welcome to the forums! Hope you post often. Make yourself at home!

[Natalie]

Hi, thank you all for the welcome notes... I had trouble posting in on my first visit.

I've been watching my carbs intake for 3 weeks now (getting around 40gs per day), exercising 3 times a weeks at the gym, and lost 8 pounds so far (42 to go)... I'm very happy about that!

I often get sugar cravings, but I just do my best to control them (not mentioning the mood swings!!!)... that brings me to a question concerning fruit intake... Fruits would be a great way to content the sugar fixes...

I seems odd that something as healthy as fruits would not be allowed in a LC diet. I know they are high in carbs, but is there such a thing as good and bad carbs (like cholesterol)?

Any help on how to fulfill these cravings (aside from eating a piece of triple decker double fudge cake :-) ) would be appreciated.

Thanks

[shushanika]

From what I understand, you cut fruit, sweets, breads, etc from the diet for the first two-three weeks as a way of eliminating those cravings for sweets (which I believe are mostly because ?conditioning? or in worse cases, addiction). So you cut them out completely to get rid of the addiction. After those first weeks cravings naturally subside, or at least become easier to manage (unless you feed those cravings with processes low carb sweets, which is basically substitution one thing with another). As for the good carbs in fruit- although fruits are choke-full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, they are also full of fructose and glucose- and sugar is sugar is SUGAR no matter how it comes. When it comes to your body- it responds to those natural sugars the same way as it responds to refined sugars and corn syrup. However, you will be able to add quite a few different fruits to your diet in later stages. I cannot wait myself!

[April Rose]

are you done with induction? If so then you are ready for STRAWBERRIES - they will curb your craving for something sweet and keep you on progam.

[Doves]

Natalie - welcome aboard.
My 2 cents - if your are on Atkins (which plan are you on?) you can have berries - any type - after the first two weeks. I enjoy mine with a packet of splenda and 2 tbsp half and half - yum! If you are on another plan read the book and follow their lead on fruit.
Also, I have heard that most all nutrients you in fruit you can get in vegies. Do you take your supplement. I take a multiple and C-500, E-400 and fish oil (omega 3s) each day. The multiple and vitamin C should cover anything you lose from lack of other fruits.

Be sure to thoroughly read the book of the plan you are one. I learned so much from Dr. Atkins book.
Glad you are joining us.
Karen

[CushieButterfield]

Welcome, Natalie!

If you've got questions, people here will have the answers.

Originally Posted by Natalie

I seems odd that something as healthy as fruits would not be allowed in a LC diet. I know they are high in carbs, but is there such a thing as good and bad carbs (like cholesterol)?

Atkins says you SHOULD definitely eat fruit, he recommends berries (I'm sure others as well but the berries always stuck in my mind). I enjoy blueberries and strawberries and blackberries. I buy them frozen but be sure to read the label and see that there is nothing added, no sugar and the like. But if you get the book then you can go through and see this info. That is if you are doing Atkins. He also explains the glycemic index of foods. I think that may be what you mean by good and bad carbs. It's like how they affect your blood sugar.

I, like Doves enjoy my berries with sweetener, but I eat them with sweetener and cottage cheese nuked a little for a good treat for the sweet tooth. I do still think about candy every once in a while but it doesn't control me like before. (I use to eat a few mini candy bars a day.) When they were in season I would have a peach for a special treat.

Good luck and good health.

[KCTinter]

Welcome, Natalie!

I have a question for you. You mention you have been controlling your carb intake for 3 weeks . . . and doing about 40 carbs/day. Are you following a specific plan or just winging it? On Atkins, if you follow his induction plan for two weeks, that should pretty much get rid of the sugar cravings.

Please give us a little more information. Everyone here is very helpful!

[Goddess]

i'd like to add my welcome to the mix, natalie!

i get the idea that you're doing an "atkins-like" low-carb kind of thing, but are not following a specirfic plan?

if that's the case, first thing i would strongly encourage you to do is compare the various plans out there and pick one to start. then get the corresponding book. there are books to help you pick plans, or some great articles here at lowcarbeating.com that help you compare plans.

i suspect you haven't picked a plan because at least i'm not familiar with any low carb plan that doesn't allow fruit at some point. if it's atkins, you're talking about after the first two weeks. (and some blueberries with whipped cream and splenda is also a great way to get rid of those sweet cravings. mmmm!)

see, if you start out with a specific plan, you can use that book as a roadmap to help you understand the nuances of the plan and keep it at it's most effective. then, as time goes on, you'll probably want to tweak here and there because the one thing that's been clear to me from hanging around here: different strokes work for different folks!

however, if you start with the plan and do it "clean" to begin with, then when things feel like they aren't quite moving how you'd like, the folks around here are AMAZING at helping you pinpoint potential culprits. i've seen many a stall stopped in it's ugly tracks by the sharp forum members here!

oh yeah: congrats on your success so far, and here's to your future success as well!

[Rob]

Welcome Natalie!

Berries are the frist thing I added in after induction and now that my carb allowance is in the 40 to 55 net range I will eat 1/2 an apple a couple times a week or half a peach (in season). Buy fresh in season and frozen this time of year. My local market is selling fresh blueberries at $4.00 for 4.4 ounces. But I can get a pound of mixed berries (blue, black and straw berries) for $2.99.

[huskersfan869]

I love raspberries--bought frozen topped with a packet of splenda and about 2TBS of whilpped heavy cream--if you add about a tsp of unflavored gelatin to the whipping cream as you whip it--it stays best in the fridge without getting watery and holds its stiffness! And it doesn't affect the flavor either!

I second the suggestion by Goddess--get the book--research the plan--do it strictly for the first wto weeks to "detox" your body and remove the sugar cravings then go on. I am on Atkins and have been for about 10 months now (just over actually) and have lost 70 lbs but if I had not started with a roadmap (the book) I would not have known how to help myself to get through the many road blocks my body threw up in the path to keep from giving up the weight. I have about 30 left to get to goal and am at a stop and crawl point now. . .the pounds are coming off very slowly...but I didnt' gain them overnight either!

Congratulations on the 8 so far and keep it up--but find a plan that works for you get the book and read it cover to cover. . .do each stage and we are here to help you with questions, but I still refer back to my book at least once a week for something or another!!! Even with all the smart people here helping me and making suggestions!

[Natalie]

Thanks for the advice... I think I'm managing pretty well so far even if I'm not on any particular plan... as KCTinter said, I'm just winging it!

I will definitelly look into Atkins, since 90% of the Forum swears by it...

I really appreciate all the support, you guys are amazing. :-)