Pinkbikini

As for me I survived my conference feeding me...

Of course I wasn't allowed any of the breakfast treats except for the coffee :) A beautiful fresh fruit platter that I'll eventually be able to enjoy and some chocolate and fruit danishes and baked goods which I've never enjoyed fortunately so there was no temptation there. Thank goodness there were no bagels- that's a definite weakness for me.

Then I had lunch to contend with-- soda's no good, ravioli pasta salad isn't alright, chips aren't allowed, cookies and cake are off limits... uh oh... Ok, where's the green salad? Finally I dumped out the insides of 4 wraps, smothered some mayo on top, and ate contently all while drinking my water liberally!

It is sooooooo hard to refuse work food sometimes, esp when everyone around you is watching and eating and encouraging you to "try some." My next big challenge is our first weekend getaway this weekend... we're visiting family and will go out to many meals. I'm hoping to do well and stay on plan!

Have a great day tomorrow everyone!

Lorven,

Now that you've read the books you really need to dig into the induction chapter and reread some of it over and over occasionally. I've reread several chapters of my book at least 3 times in the the last month. It's helpful to use www.fitday.com or a similar program to help ensure that you're not getting too much of any particular energy source (I believe the aim is for 70-75% fat, 30% protein and a very minimal percent, I'm usually below 5% or so of carbs even on Owl Rung 1 at this time). But too much protein is not a good thing and your family is right about that. The plan is not to eat as much meat and cheese as you can consume. And not enough carbs is not good either (we need some to help process those fats among other things).

I am still refining my diet trying to ensure that we have plenty of the good stuff (vit a, c, e, calcium, potassium, etc) to make sure I don't end up with a heart attack or something. IT's definitely been a crash course in healthy nutrition and I'm a nurse with a lot of training from school! But the good news is you can screw up for a weeks and not be eating "perfectly" and still lose weight. As I get better at this I learn more and more and my menus get better and better.

The things I have founds most helpful include:

-Planning menus, and daily carb counts, a week in advance to make sure I get my recommended veggies, my dairy allowance, etc in each day

-Shopping

-Eating basically the same things/day so you get good at carb counts- like making a big batch of taco salad and subdividing it into 5 lunch portions for the week to take to work (you add carbs up 1 time and then simply plug in the numbers later on)

Welcome. Good luck.

Thank you for sharing the pumpkin soup recipe!

I wanted to let everyone know that I have been faithful to working out 1 hour day and doing some new abdominal work and faithful to my eating despite work challenges (they're force feeding me, well trying to forcefeed me carbs at my conference this week) and I have stayed strong and already lost 2.5 lbs since Sunday!

That's a big jump for me considering I've been losing an average of 1-1.5 lbs/week for the last few weeks since induction finished.

I'm soooo excited! Stay strong everyone. Have a great rest of the week.

Has anyone had trouble adding "balsamic vinegar" in their diet? I know in "New Diet Rev, 2002 edition" Atkins says no because it has sugar and is generally high in carbs. Mine is 2 carbs/tbl and does have sugar. This week I read a cookbook by Atkins and wife veronica that said "balsamic vinegar, in small amts is ok" So I added a tsp here and tbl there to liven up that yucky jicama and add some punch to my feta, spinach, and bacon salads!

But today I had the worst, most awful cravings for SWEETS! I've been having them once/week, usually on Wed... but today instead of nibbling hubby's cake or getting an ice cream I took a shower and went to bed early to fight the craving. Woke up without the cravings fortunately! Visited Barnes and Nobles to try a new book I've been meaning to read for awhile.

All in all, an enjoyable, sugar-free DAY!

**Please tell me if anyone has had trouble with balsamic bringing cravings**

I'm down 12 pounds total... this weekend I'm getting a manicure/pedicure reward with my girlfriend. I'm trying some new cauliflower recipes next week. I will share with everyone if they turn out well!

Our Farmer's market has lotsa fresh veggies in season right now. Since Kreeb asked, I thought I'd post a recipe from Atkins that incorporates fresh zucchini and my favorite, goat cheese, that makes a great party food or appetizer!

Preheat broiler or fire up the grill

Brush zucchini logs (cut lengthwise into half inch slices) with oil and broil or grill 2-3 min/side

Allow to cool

Spread each slice with 1.5 tsp goat cheese, 1 tsp chopped tomato and 1 tsp chopped parsley

Roll zucchini up like a jelly roll and secure with toothpick

Hello All!

The carb count I have for jicama is 2.5 net carbs for each 1/2 cup raw.

I love avocadoes! I like my avocado either mashed with a tbl of mayo or chopped up haphazardly with salt and pepper or sliced into thin wedges and eaten very delicately with a little salt.

My favorite pre-Atkins sandwich (which I used to eat ever so rarely d/t the high fat content) was mayo, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato on sourdough bread. When I get to maintenance I'm going to find some sort of bread I can substitute happily for sourdough and I am going to town at least once/week!

And as for my lactose intolerance, I can't swig down glasses of milk comfortably (good for Atkins) but I can eat cheeses in moderate amounts. Since I started Atkins weeks ago I've had no constipation, tummy aches, gassiness... I'm sure cutting out sodas has made a big difference but I have to wonder what other wheat allergies or gluten allergies I may have had as well which irritated my intestines and made me sensitive to the lactose. To feel so much better in just a few weeks has been a real blessing!

Enjoy the rest of the week all!

PinkB

My jicama experience thus far...

They're also known as "mexican potatoes" in my grocery store. I tried eating them raw. Let me tell ya, they definitely need peeling. And theyre ok, but not so good. IT really is very much like a potato. I would like to try mashing it with sour cream and cheese in a couple days (on a day when I'm not having my 1/2 avocado) and see if it works out.

In the meantime I can fry them in butter (after peeling) and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper for a tasty side dish to steak or chicken. I'm glad I tried it.

We made up some hardboiled eggs for easy egg salad lunches at work this week, got some spinach (since I ran out of lettuce), and got some goat cheese *my very favorite cheese since I think I'm lactose intolerant* for a few special treats this week.

Just finished induction. Going to extend it for a few more weeks since I was so sick (I'm pretty sure we had a cold the last couple weeks) but I have my voice back, I'm only coughing occasionally and I'm going to be ok to exercise in a few days again. I do plan to take it easy the first couple days back though. Being sick sucked!

I am going to try jicama this week. Never had it before. Plan to cut it up into strips and try it a couple ways. Is there an induction friendly way to fry it... like maybe in olive oil on the stove or something? I don't want to make a mess of this. Also going to try a new asian beef recipe out for a change this week. Other than that the rest of the food will stay the same and hopefully the scale and tape measurer will continue to move.

8 pounds down...15 or so to go...

Kreeb,

I thought of you when I was rereading Atkins this morning and found a section on dining out. The items that stuck out at an Italian restaurant including chicken piccata, any sort of fish with sauces that don't include flour, and even some shellfish was recommended (like seafood salad or scallops).

I don't personally like a lot of shellfish but I could definitely find some chicken or probably a fish I could eat. Just watch the sauces. More detail in the books. Just thought of you when I got to the "eating out" section. So far we've only gone out to a steakhouse so it hasn't been a huge challenge for me to find something on the menu!

Hi all,

I'm on week 2 of induction. Planning to drop 25 lbs or so before our honeymoon cruise this December! Enjoying married life so far except that my husband can (and does) eat anything he wants without weight gain and I'm entering a period of life where I need exercise and some control over eating to maintain a healthy weight. I've lost 7 lbs since we started working out (walking 30min-2hrs/day depending on how we're feeling, weather, etc) and since I've been on induction this week. Unfortunately we got colds and haven't been able to exercise too much the last few days. I feel so sick and have been taking ibuprofen every 6 hours to control my sore throat and achy body. I've also gained back my 8th pound of loss in the 3 days since we stopped working out which signaled hitting my first "goal" weight and a purchase of a selection of da vinci sugar free syrups- cannot wait for them to arrive!

I'm getting a little bored with the induction foods (been eating them 13 days even though I've only been under 20 carbs/day for 9 days since it took some days to get out all the cookies, soda, starches from my diet entirely) and I'm glad I only have to eat them one more week. I can't wait to reread my OWL chapter in preparation for beginning the next phase of Atkins next Saturday! Hooray-- more food choices!

Look forward to losing before cruising with Atkins and maintaining on my cruise and thereafter ;) and possibly converting my husband with the exception of a little pasta, rice, or potatoes on the side of his low-carb meals that I'm making!

Does it matter if you're married and your BC bears your maiden name while your DL has your married name? Do you need to bring a marriage certificate when you cruise as well???

We're going to cruise in December this year and not sure when we'll be going intl. again...so we're procrastinating on passports and hoping to get away with BC and DL alone this year ;)