Hello everyone!
I've been reading ever post I could find on Adkins because I'm determined to lose at least the 20 pounds or so that I've put on five years ago while I was in nursing school. Even though I'm very active, nothing has seemed to work for me to get the weight off. I hadn't tried Adkins until a short time ago, and after making various mistakes in understanding/following the Induction plan, I think I finally have it figured out.
I'd just like to make sure I have some details correct this time around, or else I will be starting Induction all over again every few days. Here's what I want to make sure of:
1) Is it wrong to strive for zero carbs during Induction, when the goal is really to just stay under 20 per day?
2) Does "eat meat liberally" really mean eat all I want or should I limit my daily meat intake?
3) Is constipation is an unavoidable side effect of Adkins since I can't use fiber supplements due to excessive bloating?
4) Does my high-stress job/life have any bearing on weight loss?
5) Since I've actually put on weight since I've started Induction, should I consider a Fat Fast? When to start it?

I must say that the answers I've read in these posts have been more information than any I've read anywhere. I was about ready to toss my Adkins book out the door and just get my lips glued shut when I came across this web site! I will certainly be indebted to anyone/everyone who offers assistance in my endeavors to "get healthy" again.

I recently started walking...at first only three miles a day and now I'm up to five miles (10,000 steps). I'll cut that back to 2-3 miles a day or every other day once I figure out an exercise program that includes Pilates and the use of some equipment at the local fitness center. Anyone have a good all-round exercise plan I might try that takes about an hour or less a day?

Thanks in advance for any replies I may receive!

1. YES! You need to eat right around 20gs a day...eat good carbs...make sure at least half come from vegetables...salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, cucumbers, radishes, and the like...also shoot for 10 in fiber...again from the vegetables.

2. Protein sources and fats are what keep you full...on induction you don't want to worry about calories or fat grams...maybe later when you are close to goal and you are not losing but in the beginning cut out the sugar and flour and processed food carbs and eat whole foods in their natural state (you can cook them of course). Meat is filling and good for you...don't worry about eating too much in the beginning.

3. It is a frequent side effect of induction...but not totally unavoidable...see my answer to #1. If you are getting fiber in the form of vegetables you can avoid a good deal of that issue altogether!

4. ONLY if you give it a reason to...this will work if you let it and if you follow the plan...

5. Are you drinking enough water? What are you eating? I haven't heard of anyone doing this right gaining on induction...you should be drinking half your body weight in ounces of water and cutting out everything else except maybe some green tea. YOu should not be eating any of hte LC frankenfoods or psudofoods...only whole, real foods in their natural state...fresh veggies are the key...lots of salad greens in lots of varieties...later seeds and nuts will give you more fiber grams too.

Walking is great and the exercise I have found perfect that I can get a good work out in under 30 minutes most days is swimming...otherwise a 30 minute workout that gets your heartrate up and works a large number of hte core muscles in oyur body will do just fine...

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Lori

232/190/130
My other journal http://www.lowcarbeating.com/bb/showthread.php?t=1130

Welcome, copnlpn2! I agree with you about this site - I've gotten a great deal of helpful guidance and advice from people on this board.

I pretty much agree with all that Lori posted above. As for eating meat liberally, I belive Dr. Atkins meant to eat until you are ~satisfied~, not stuffed. For sure, you don't want to go hungry - if you are hungry, eat a snack. Some decent induction snacks include, celery dipped in sour cream, a ham and cheese roll-up, a small handful of olives, an ounce of cheese, or a hard boiled egg. Several small meals a day are better for preventing spikes in your blood glucose levels than two large meals.

As for gaining weight during induction, the only time I can recall people having that happen was when they were eating the Atkins bars or other dubious products. Are you eating any of the Atkins bars? Those are notorious for stalling weight loss. The Atkins Nutritionals website says they are allowable during induction. Personally, I believe that is driven by the desire to increase profits rather than customer success.

Sometimes, people are eating more carbs than they think. For example, just a couple of teaspoons of basalmic vinegar can add up to 4 g carb to a dish. A big splash could be wicked! Some of the soft processed cheeses are a bit carby, too. You might want to post a few menus to see if anyone here can spot some possible trouble spots.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Welcome.

Great advice above. Hope you'll make yourself at home.

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Morning!

Well, I made several visits to "john" last night, and even though I had eaten and consumed a liter of water, the scales sthis morning say I've lost 7 pounds! I knew having my "plumbing" backed up was a large part of the weight gain. Oh, how little it takes to please me these days!

As I mentioned, I had several false starts and have since corrected the errors of my ways. I have always only eaten one meal a day by preference and that was late morning or early afternoon, depending on my 11-7 shift schedule. I'm not sure of the reason but if ate anything before 10 am, I would eat everything in site for the rest of the day - and I mean everything!

I sleep from 3 to 9 pm, so my "mornings" start when I get up at 9 pm. I still trying to determine exactly what to have before I go to work because of not being a "breakfast" eater. I take salad with some form of protein to eat around 2 am., but there're barely time for a bathroom break, let alone time to eat from then until I come home at 7:30 am. That's where some of my early mistakes came from - I was munching on a low-carb chocolate bar or some other "low-carb" food, only to learn through this board about the hidden calories.

I'm still learning and very determined. I've set an appointment for Tuesday to have my cholesterol, blood sugar (A1C), and thyroid checked. My mother has had open heart surgery, my sister has an underactive thyroid and she, along with my father and brother, were all diagnosed with diabetes within the past year. I've been so fortunate that my weight has really been my only "health" problem so far (I'm the oldest child) but I just don't want to push my luck much longer.

Yesterday I ate a can of tuna in oil with 2T mayo and 2T shredded sharp cheddar cheese. For lunch I had a hamburger (plain) with a generous cup of mixed salad greens, topped with a dressing of 2T mayo, 2 T heavy cream and acceptable spices/herbs. Supper was a fresh pork sausage patty, a cup of salad greens with the aforementioned dressing. I also drank the recommended amount of water.

I'm discovering that some veggies (cauliflower, cabbage, etc) bloat me terribly so I'm going to have to work around them. I must find good substitutes to get the roughage I need to prevent "plumbing" problems again.

I must say this morning is the best I've felt since I started on Adkins. More energy, less stressed, and "relieved", if you know what I mean.

I will continue to read these postings faithfully and will appreciate answers to questions I will have as I go along. Anything I should have changed with my menu yesterday? Thanks to all (Ill learn your names as I go along) for the help!

Cindy

more veggies...I used to have tha problem with the "cabbage" veggies too...but after 18 months on Atkins and eating them frequently...no problems now! Try cucumbers, broccoli, radishes, green beans, asperagus, zucchini, and so on...have you tried cabbages (cauliflower, cabbage-red, green etc...) raw with a bit of dip instead of cooked or cooked instead of raw? You need the fiber they offer...it takes some time for your body to get used to the increased amount of fiber you eat when you get enough veggies...on induction you need a minimum of 3 cups of veggies and even two generous cups of salad aren't enough. That will help the plumbing greatly as well...getting the necessary fiber in your diet but if you weren't a fiber eater before it takes time for your body to get used to it.

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Lori

232/190/130
My other journal http://www.lowcarbeating.com/bb/showthread.php?t=1130

Huskersfan869 - I will certainly try your suggestions about raw/cooked "gassy" veggies. I will be a dedicated Adkins fan, but even a stronger fan of fiber from now on!

I just walked to the store (until today I'd always driven the two blocks) and bought celery, radishes, romainne lettuce, broccoli, sour cream, fresh green beans, mushrooms and canned pumpkin for a dessert (Induction-friendly and supposed to be great for the plumbing) that I found on SugarFreeSheila.com. Sheila has also been very helpful to me. She and I post on the Cruise Critics board and she's aware that I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds before my next cruise on October 30. Think that's possible, knowing it's harder to lose a few pounds than a lot?

Oh, I also bought some sliced roast beef and Muenster cheese to make roll-ups to grab when I'm in a hurry (when am I not???). The label on the roast beef says it has 1 carb per pound. I bought nine slices equaling a pound so since I'm a nurse, not a mathemetician, how would I figure the carbs per slice?

Enjoy the weekend!

Cindy

Hi, Cindy. Just chiming in with a welcome, and a few advicy bits of my own.

My fiber "secret" is ground flaxseed. You can buy whole flaxseed and grind it in a coffeemill. However, I just buy Bob's Red Mill already ground. Keep it in the fridge or freezer, or it goes rancid.

A TBS of ground flaxseed sprinkled on a salad adds a bunch of fiber, and excellent omega-3 oils as well. You can add a little more as your body gets used to the extra fiber. Very good for you.

Using a tracker can help you see how you're doing nutrient-wise. There's one on this site. I use the free website Fitday.com, which also sells an inexpensive software version for your home computer. Very helpful.

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Barb L.
Atkins since Jan 2003
Maintenance as of 4/05


My Fitday Journal

bkloots - I've read about the flaxseed but wondered if it would bloat me as badly as the wheat bran did. I'll just give it a try to find out. Thanks!

I'll look at the site on this webpage and at fitday.com tomorrow. For now...I'm late, I'm late! I should have been in bed two hours ago! Thank goodness I was off work last night and got a good night's rest or else I'd be in trouble tonight. Nobody, I assure you, should have a sleepy, tired nurse taking care of their loved ones!

Thanks to all again!

Cindy

cindy-welcome! sounds like you're getting back on track. and as is par for the course, you've already gotten some excellent advice.

the only thing i would add...

1. you mention you do have the book. please do re-read it, especially the chapters on induction. it is your roadmap, and it can very easily make the difference between sucecess and struggle.

2. with your fiber, do make sure you drink lots of water when you're eating the fiber, and if you are having any kind of supp/addition/flaxseed, whatever, for the fiber, drink your water with it! if you don't drink enough water when you're taking it, it will make the problem worse instead of better. and in general, making sure you get your water in will both help with the bathroom issues and weight loss and lots of other stuff. it's good for you! it's usually reccomended to work your way up to 1/2 your body weight in oz. of water a day. a lot, but it does become easy after a while and you'll find you start craving it.

all the best to you on your journey!

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EatSmart Nutritional Scale Review

Oh, wow! contratulations on the 7-lb. weight loss!

I think any sudden increase in fiber can result in bloating and consitipation. If the gas is quite uncomfortable, try increasing roughage from vegetables or flaxseed gradually. As Goddess points out, it's really important to drink more water when you increase fiber. Once your gut gets used to the increased roughage, gas and consitipation should abate.

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~~~Teelbee
Back to GOAL!!!
start weight: 176/goal range: 137-134/now: 138
Reached goal in Aug. 2003 - 4rd year of maintenance.

Hello everyone!

Well, I went to my doctor's today and had tons of blood drawn for lab tests. Told Doc I was doing Adkins and walking 2-5 miles a day. He was pleased with the walking but his only rely to Adkins was "Hm, all that protein!" We talked awhile and I found out he really knew very little about Adkins and agreed to follow me medically as I change my eating habits and lose weight.

I did weigh 162 today so that means I've lost six pounds, not seven, but I'm happy with any weight loss! Did worry a bit about fasting for my lab work, but took along a protein-rich roll-up to eat on the way home.

I do have a question, though. How much of my daily food intake should be protein and how much in carbs? I've been using the fitday.com site but don't know exactly how much protein I should be eating. Can anyone tell me?

My 5-year-old grandson is here for a couple days, so I'm sure to expend a lot of energy! He's a great way to get exercise and lose weight at the same tme!

Cindy

i think that on Atkins the only thing you need to count are the carbs and eat until you are satisfied.

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Kelly,

Thanks for your reply. I just wondered and want to keep everything a "go" since I really feel I have a good handle on Induction "this time"!

Sure appreciate your input!

Cindy

i know what you mean, but remember you are totally changing your eating plan and if you mess up, it's ok. just pull yourself up and get back on track right away.

i'm hoping for the best for myself "this time" too, lol

i really believe we have done the best thing we could do for ourselves to be happy and healthy!

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