Hi again,

When a particular diet is hot with the populace or when some food item is declared a miraculous preventative for some disease, you can be sure the prices rise. It sure seemed like everyone had jumped on the Atkins band wagon the last time I was on it and meat was so expensive. (Then of course came the rise in gas prices affecting food prices...) Lamb chops? You must be kidding with even a tiny lamb roast going for $20. I don't want to spend a ton of money on meat--so what do you cost conscious gurus stock up on to avoid breaking the bank? AND--how often can I substitute tofu as the protein? Can I get better results with fish or white meat chicken with olive oil as the fat as opposed to ingesting saturated fats in red meats and pork products? I do love bacon and sausage-but is it at all necessary to have saturated fats for this diet to work optimally? What about combining calorie counting with Atkins food choices? Better results or not?

Next--do you find that the jump into the water approach to Low-Carb or the stick your toe into the water bit by bit (like gradual weaning off caffeine) before officially being on the program works best? I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and start tomorrow and get what I need from the store as I require it or go another week cutting my caffeine again from 50/50 to 75/25 decaf/caf. I have to do this low carb--high bp and diabetes runs in my family--younger brother was just diagnosed with early type 2 before Thanksgiving.

Oh, and don't hate me, but I just hate the acronym WOE. Oh, woe is me, is what i think of first! And WOL? I went AWOL from that! Guess I'll have to come up with one I can write without cringing.

Hello, Sue.

On prices, I try to comparison shop, stock up when the deals are good, and make good use of my big freezer. While meat can add up quickly, I find that it's certainly not any more expensive overall than when I was eating fast food several times a week and buying lots of sugary snacks, which are pricey as well (in MANY ways).

I can't help with your Tofu question; I tried that stuff once and hated it, so I've never paid attention much past that.

I would not be worrying about getting better results right now one food vs. another; for one thing, it's very individual. What works best for someone else may not be the same for you. There is some experienmentation required along the way. And the other reason I'd suggest you not worry about that right now is that the sooner you change your mindset from Speed Demon to Happy Camper, the better off you'll be. I'd rather see someone pick what they LIKE the most that works for their eating plan than what they think will bring the quickest results. The idea being this is a lifetime thing, so it needs to be something you can live with, y'kno? However, I know fast results are fun results, and the typically quick results are one of the perks of low-carb. The best advice I can give you, though, if you want optimal results is to buy the book if you don't have a copy and follow the plan closely for a while before you start improvising much.

Calorie-counting is usually not necesary, especially in the beginning, although you may find a few exceptions to that. Heavy cream and cream cheese, for example, can cause problems for me if I'm not careful. They are very calorie dense. I do advise people to avoid carb bars and other pre-made convienience foods, as they are the source of more mysterious stalls than anything else I've seen. The more natural, the better you generally are.

As far as the best way to start, the way that's easiest for you to do is the best. The one that makes you feel best and that you feel the most positive about is the best. You know? The first time I lc'd, I jumped in both feet. The second time, I took a while to ramp off sugar. (That helped me avoid the "Induction Flu" symptoms that time, which was a big benefit to me.) I didn't every drop caffiene, and seem to be one of the fortunate ones that can use it without issue.

I don't think people will take your dislike of the term "woe" as a personal affront. I think it's cheesy myself, but sometimes use it because it captures the idea of a change of lifestyle instead of a quick-fix crash diet. which is integral to the whole process.

Good luck to you. Peace out.

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Suji, you can do this way of eating using less expensive cuts of meat, you could cut out all red meat, if you chose to, you could eat all fish if you wanted to. As long as you have a good source of protein that is zero or very low carb, you'll be fine. Be careful with the processed meats, though, as they are usually filled with sugars (why would anyone put corn syrup in meat????) and fillers, and have nitrates. You certainly don't need to eat a lot of saturated fat, but you do need some fats, as long as they are good sources, like olive oil and coconut oil.

Many here count calories as well as carbs. I didn't when I was younger, I didn't need to in order to lose weight, but now it is almost impossible for me to lose without taking the calories into consideration. It's a royal pain in the you-know-what, but I'm learning to do it, and it does help.

I'm a jump-right-in person. If I tried to go on low-carb gradually, I'd still be just sticking my toe in the water. It's better for me to just jump in and get swimming!

Goddess has given you some really good advice. Listen to her, she's a great success in this, and knows what she's talking about.

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Nita

Welcome Sue, you have asked a lot of questions. I do not type fast, so it will take me a while to respond. First, there is nothing necessarily wrong with saturated fats. The one type of fat you should avoit is the transfat. However, if you prefer chicken and fish to beef and pork, then go for it. As for cost conscious low carb tips, I only buy meat when it is on sale. If it is a particularly good price, I will stock up. One of the best investments I made when I started eating low carb was to purchase a small chest freezer. For the last 3 weeks, the meat prices have not been particularly good, so except for the Thanksgiving turkey, I have not bought any meat in 3 weeks. I just use what I have in the freezer and plan my menus around what I have. My meal planning always starts on Wednesday with the food advertisements. I see what is on sale, at a good price, and plan my menus for the next week accordingly. That is one thing I have found, I must plan my meals to stay on plan. I have lots of recipes that I enjoy that use ground meat which I will buy for between $.79 and $.99 a pound for ground turkey and between $.99 and $1.39 a pound for ground beef. I never buy pork sausage if it is more than $.99 a pound. For example, the recipes I make using ground meat include zucchini lasagna, deep dish pizza quiche, chile rellenos casserole, spaghetti and meatballs, the ubiquitious hamburger patty. I also use a lot of chicken. I buy whole chicken when it is $.49 a pound or better. I buy 10 pound bags of chicken legs for between $.19 and $.29 a pound. The chicken legs I will bake and then strip the meat and freeze it in 2 cup portions which I will then use in various recipes from stir frys to chicken burritos in a l/c tortilla. I will buy chicken breast when it is between $.79 and $.99 a pound and fix it in various ways from plain oven fried chicken breast to chicken breast flattened and stuffed with cheese and sausage, then rolled and baked, served with a low carb marinara sauce and l/c pasta. When salmon is on sale, I will poach salmon fillets and serve it with shiritaki noodles in an easy alfredo sauce. I will also buy canned salmon when it is on sale and make salmon croquettes. In short, I have different recipes for various types of meat, fish and poultry and just use what is on sale. It really keeps the cost down.

Eating low carb does not have to be expensive. It can be if you want. If you don't have a choice in grocery stores, then that will limit your choices. However, the principle of buying what is on sale will help you even in that situation.

As for how you get started, Goddess has given you good advice. Remember you are not in a race. If you are to be successful long term, you must adopt habits that will make this lifestyle enjoyable for you so that you will stay with it. Everyone has to find what is right and works for them. Good luck.

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Henry