Quote:
Originally Posted by shabutter587  I do know that I am consuming to much artificial sugar, but I LOVE black tea with cream and splenda. It's the only thing that makes me feel like I'm not missing anything. |
I also loved lasagna before Atkins and yes, I did miss pasta and starchy vegetables in the first day of Induction. But one of the purposes of Induction is to "break addictions to foods such as sugar [...]" (DANDR, Chapter 11, p. 122). So instead of feeding your addictions so that you feel like you're "not missing anything", you should work on breaking them. This means going as far as eliminating Splenda and other artificial sweeteners during Induction, because "for people addicted to sugary, high-carb or high-glycemic foods -- just as for alcoholics -- moderation simply does not work" (DANDR, Chapter 11, p.122).
Don't forget that it's not only Splenda that counts towards your sweetener intake, but everything that is sweetened (e.g. Coke Zero, Atkins products).
As the others have said, aspartame is not allowed on Atkins as it may stall your weight loss.
Atkins shakes stall many people and most of them contain ingredients not allowed on Induction. While it is true that convenience foods are mentioned in DANDR, the book also says that we should only have them in case no "legal" food from the list of foods acceptable during Induction is available. This may happen a few times in a year (e.g. your flight is canceled and you can't find any "legal" food at the airport), but those who eat them during Induction almost always do it because 1) they are too lazy to prepare a good meal or 2) they think of the Atkins bars/shakes as desserts. None of these attitudes will help one learn healthier dietary and lifestyle habits, which is what Atkins is all about.
Pepperoni. Just because it says 0 carbs on the box, it doesn't mean they are "legal" -- manufacturers are allowed to write 0 if a product has <0.5 g of carbohydrate. You must check the list of ingredients and make sure there is nothing there not allowed during Induction.