I am 9 days in to my induction period and have lost 9 1/2lbs as of this morning. On my 7th day I thought I would have to drop out because my craving for fruit was so great it was all I had thought about for 2 days!!!!!! Then I looked in the morrior and said there has to be a low carb solution so I went food shopping and began to read labels I came across sugar free jello and cool whip this was like christmas to me as the cool whip ( 1 to 2 tbls)is less then 5 carbs and the jello is zero carbs. I don't know if this was okay for the first two weeks of the diet but I feel it kept me going and I did lose an addiontal two pounds after including this in my diet so it can't be to bad. Anyone else go through this?


Shirley
244/234.5shirleyann91@hotmail.com

Shirley

Many people eat the s.f. jello despite Dr. Atkins warning to avoid it. But cool whip is a definite no-no. It has real sugar and 2 tbs isn't very much. You are allowed real whipped cream made with splenda. But I understand your need to satisfy a craving that wouldn't let go. The bottom line - You lost weight.

Rob
310/232/180

Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.

Shirley,

Congrats!! 9 1/2 pounds is great!

I TOTALLY understand the craving thing. Induction is for kicking those cravings, among other things, and they can be tough. If the sf jello works for you, and aspartame doesn't give you problems, then I think you've found a solution. Don't forget; after induction, you can add some berries to your menu. That was a big day for me.

But, Rob is right about the Cool-Whip. I know what the label says, but that stuff is full of baddies like chemicals and trans-fats. Try real heavy cream, whipped with Splenda and vanilla...after you have this, the Cool-Whip will taste terrible.

A good rule of thumb is, go natural whenever possible. You won't often go wrong this way. Thin is good; thin and healthy is better. Besides, after all your hard work, you deserve the best, right?

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
- Craig Claiborne

Shirley - definitely try the homemade whipped topping - it's the greatest!! Hang in there, you'll be glad you did.

Shirley, WELCOME to LCE,

I would like to add to the cool whip thing. I believe it's made with hydrogenated oils. This is a bad thing, trans fats, which will increase your triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are bad because they are the fats that contribute to heart disease and clogged arteries among other things.

So, if you don't know how to make whipped cream, here's the simple way:

Chill a metal bowl and beaters in your freezer for a good 15-20 mins. Put your heavy whipping cream into the freezer for about 5-10 mins. You want everything REALLY cold.

Pour about 1-2 cups of heavy whipping cream into the bowl and beat for 5-10 mins until it starts to stiffen. Add a couple packets of splenda, blend that in, and you are all set. Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Here's a homemade version of Jello:

Homemade Jello

1 envelope of unflavored Gelatin
1/2 envelope of unsweetened Kool-aid, in the flavor of your choice
3/8 cup + 1 tsp. Splenda
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water

Dissolve Gelatin in boiling water thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Chill in idividual cups or in one big bowl, overnight.

A whole packet of Kool-aid is too intense, so adjust to your own taste.

Now you can make both at home and contol the sweetener AND the trans-fats.

You are off to a great start, I would hate to see you sabotage yourself with cool whip.

Barb - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!
www.iwsgroupinc.com - website design and development


Atkins-3/14/03
174/144/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

Barb!!

That homemade jello recipe looks killer! I've got to try it.

Do you have a carb count for it? If not, I'll try to figure it myself...does Kool-Aid have carbs? I don't buy it, usually, so don't have any to check the package.

I stay away from sf jello, for aspartame reasons, but now...

You rock!

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
- Craig Claiborne

Copied from www.mealsmatter.org :

Whipped cream can be satisfactorily frozen in small quantities. Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap and spoon serving-size dollops of whipped cream. Freeze uncovered until firm. Transfer the solid whipped-cream mounds to a plastic bag, seal airtight and return to the freezer for up to two weeks. Remove and use the dollops as you need them on top desserts or coffee. Defrost the cream in the refrigerator or top dessert with frozen portion and it will soften in about 5 to 10 minutes. If the cream is not sweetened, you can use it to enrich soups, sauces and other dishes.

Rob
310/232/180

Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.

I whip cream one portion at a time as I use it, in measured amounts. Otherwise I'll be eating it all the time! I do love the cream. For those of us who have to watch calories, cream is a treat at the end of the day, if there are enough calories left.

But someone who lost 9 pounds on induction probably doesn't have to worry about calories just yet. (This is my jealous face.)

Whatever you need to keep yourself on the diet long term IMO is a good thing. In the begining, I had many cravings, and was eating many of those low carb substitutes that many people here warn against. I can tell you though, after a few months my cravings really decreased, and I have greatly reduced my intake of low carb substitutes (although I still keep some around, just in case). Just wait it out, and it will get better.

Started Atkins on 9/20/03
235-->190; 150 goal

Rob, I was suprised by your comment on SF Jello. Sugar-free Jello is in the Atkins cookbook and suggested for the induction period as a dessert. Why is it a problem?

Elizabeth

HAHAHAHAHAHA!

You're right, Elizabeth. LOL! Just another one of those inexplicable things. In DANDR, Dr. A says that aspartame (nutri-sweet) is not an acceptable sweetener. Then he goes and puts a dozen SF Jello recipes in the cookbook.

I never noticed them for two reasons. The recipes in that book do not appear to have been tested and there are few there I find appealing. The other reason is that I never liked Jello much - with or without sugar, so I would never have been looking for a recipe that uses it.

At any rate, aspartame is a YMMV thing. Many people have no problems with it and others find it stalls them as Dr. A warned .... in his other book. LOL!

Maggie
5'1" ~~ Atkins since '98 (160+)
Maintaining nicely (110 +/-)
~~ Redhead until further notice!

Maggie is right.

Sometimes the info is confusing, and Dr. A's books, because the contents are updated, seem to contradict each other. The recipes are pretty lackluster, IMHO, and aren't always true to the plan. You've got to read them carefully.

Aspartame is indeed a YMMV thing. It doesn't stall me, but it seems to be a migraine trigger; so I limit it pretty carefully. That's why I was so excited about Barb's jello recipe; jello has never been a big favorite of mine, but sometimes, it hits the spot.

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
- Craig Claiborne

Trina, I can't remember what the carb count is, but I know gelatin has 0 carbs. I think the only other carbs would be from the Splenda. I don't think Kool-aid has any per se either. I will see if I have a count on pourable splenda.


......1 cup of splenda contains 24 carbs and 1 tsp. is .05. So 3/8 cup would = 9 carbs + .05. There ya go. So then figure out how many servings you would get (can't remember). The average size is 1/2 cup serving. At 2 cups of liquid that would yield 8 servings, right? I'm so tired.....too tired to do math.

Barb - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!
www.iwsgroupinc.com - website design and development


Atkins-3/14/03
174/144/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

Congrats on sticking with it! You are dong great!

Good luck all!!
Seesko


starting date 1/5/04

242/234/135

"What my mind can envision; my body can master!"

Barb,

So, basically it would be about 2.5 carbs per four servings, and with a little pouf of whipped cream from the whipper, still pretty low...

I have all the stuff to make it, except for the Kool-Aid. Yikes, another trip to the grocery store.

Thanks, Barb. With my sensitivity to aspartame, and reaction to sugar alcohols, sweet treats are hard to come by that are really low in carbs. This should do nicely.
I've been keeping a careful eye on the old "carb creep" lately; I think I'm guilty of being a bit too liberal.

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
- Craig Claiborne