please help im new to atkins

[trysohard]

hi im debbie im 19years old female, uk my current weight is 160pounds and my target weight is 123pounds im not an expert on atkins so maybe someone could help me out do u need to count carbs and if so how do u do it is it just like calories u look for carbs per 100g? also im on a very tight budget here is my shopping list any hints tips or ideas will be very much appriciated as im desperate iv got so self concious i struggle to even step foot out of the door i know this may make me sound vain i appologise but its a real problem for me i hope to meet some nice ppl here as i dont think there are that many left.

shopping list for 1 week

tuna
sugar free jelly
chicken
crab meat
beef,pork,ham,bacon ill prob only get ham slices and 1 pack bacon.
eggs
fish
chedar cheese
cream cheese? is this ok if its not diet?
lettuce 2cups per day
mushrooms
decaffe coffe
cream
nuts

sorry about the state of the writing please reply soon thank you
xdebbie

[Elizellen]

Hi Debbie Welcome to

Yes we can use the info off the packages to see how many carbs a food has. We are lucky in UK because all products are rated 'per 100 grams or mililitres' unlike in USA where they say 'per serving' and who has only 3 pork scratchings or a teaspoonful of mayo at a time!?!?

Have you got the book Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution published 2002/2003? (we call it DANDR here) If so there is a chart showing typical carb counts which you can use - but if you have the manufacturer/packer's label go by their numbers.

There are several threads on this board about doing Atkins on a budget with many hints that might help. Here are links to a few of them.
Need an idea for a budget menu
Atkins on a budget
The Frugal Kitchen

Your shopping list looks fine on the whole except for a few items:

sugar free jelly - you will do better if for at least the first 2 weeks of induction you try not to eat too much sweet stuff. If you can you will starve your sugar monster by not feeding it, and find it much easier later on. If you feel the 'munchies' eat a high-fat snack instead.

ham,bacon ill prob only get ham slices and 1 pack bacon - chack the labels as some are cured with sugar. If possible look for nitrate-free but it is hard to find.

cream cheese? - go for full-fat cream cheese, not the diet stuff. I buy Waitrose own brand which has half the carbs of Philly!

lettuce 2cups per day - try not to just get iceberg as it is virtually chewy water with little nutrients. Go for the darker varieties.

nuts - not on induction!! Nuts are for the third rung of OWL

You seem to have a good grasp of the basics, but might benefit from reading the FAQ forum here - especially the ones on induction foods.

I wont wish you luck - if you follow the rules you don't need it!! I look forward to seeing your 14-day results

[trysohard]

oh no iv gone wrong already! i had 2 eggs and 1cherry tomatoe for breakfast and pint of water and iv just had about 12cashew nuts as a 4pm snack have i ruined it already? i plan to have pork skratchings and sugar free jelly with 5tea spoons of double cream and maybe a dacaffe coffe as this helps with hunger how does this sound have i gone wrong?????????? ps im also 5.5

[Elsie150]

2 cups of lettuce a day is not a salad. You need more stuff in there. Better to switch to romaine for better nutrients if you can. Add some cucumber and some tomato, some chives, etc. PLUS you need another cup of other vegies on top of that!!!

I think you are limited on your cream in induction..also limited on cheese and Splenda. Ditch the nuts and the sugar free jelly.

Read the stickies in this forum. There is a list you can print out of what exactly you can have in induction. Read the FAQ's forum also. Buy the book..this is important or you are just cheating yourself and not getting the whole benefit of this way of eating.

go to www.fitday.com and start tracking your food. It will let you know how many carbs you are consuming.

You may want to consider no coffee during induction. It stalls some people but there are lots of others that it does not stall. I cut it out due to the fact that I would have had to add cream and Splenda to it.

Again..I want to stress the importance of buying the book and reading it to increase your success!!

[higgies]

Hey, and welcome to !!

The others have already given you some very good advice. PLease do read the book as it will certainly give you a lot of information and the reasoning behind why there are certain things allowed and some not.

As a guide, here's an example of one of my days on induction. Of course, for your size and stuff you might want to reduce some of the quantities...

Breakfast:
3 eggs, scrambled
1 oz. cheese
4 slices bacon

Lunch:
2 cups romaine lettuce
.5 cup cucmber
6 oz. grilled chicken
2 Tbsp. Caesar/Ranch dressing

Snack:
4 slices salami/pepperoni
1 oz. Cheddar cheese

Dinner:
10 oz. Steak
.5 cup broccoli/zucchini

I have never eaten more healthy than I do now. I'm never hungry and have lots of energy. One major tip...don't be hungry...if you are hungry, then eat some legal foods for a snack. Good luck and keep us updated!!

[tabekat]

Welcome to the ADBB. Lots of good friends and helpful advice here.

First of all, it is ok to make mistakes while you are learning. Everyone does. So don't let one mistake interfere with your adaption to the lifestyle. Your focus is to learn to eat so healthfully and abundantly that you never go hungry and your body is never forced to hang onto fat stores at all.

It is just as important while doing induction that you eat enough healthy food to satisfy your appetite, as it is to cut out the high carb foods that force your body to store fat.

Eat liberal amounts of fish, meat, eggs, 3 cups of veggies everyday, and you can have 4 ounces of cheese also. Eat enough healthy food that you aren't hungry. there is never a reason to be hungry on atkins.

Never skip meals and don't try to substitute something insubstantial for a meal.

If you try to be low fat and low carb at the same time you will fail. Focus only on the carbs.

During induction you need to be ruthless about counting your carbs. You want to keep it around 20, no more, no less.

You don't think there are many nice people in the world? Aww...Deb, nice people are everywhere and you are one of them. Have faith in Atkins. Stick to Atkins faithfully and you will soon finding yourself feeling very differently about yourself and the whole world. Welcome and good luck!

[trysohard]

thank you for all the help i do have the atkins book but the old one for breakfast today i had prawns with 1tbs of mayo and chicken fillet lettuce and tomatoes with 2oz of cheese melted over chicken and pork rinds and sf jelly and cream also decaffe coffe im sorry iv cut out the nuts but if i cant have the sf jelly then i doubt id last 1 day
also is it normal to feel aching all over headaches and genrally just run down the first few days? im also struggling to drink even a pint i feel full all the time like if i swallow something ill throw up hmm sorry dont mean to be disgusting im gunna stick with this this is my 2nd day i have stayed the same weight wise but i look sooo much smaller already can anyone explain this?

thanks all for you help i wish u all the best of luck too!

[trysohard]

i started off at 11st 5pound im now 11st 6.8 is it nowmal to put on weight the first few days and lose quite a bit after about a week iv heard this on other forums im quite worried as i dont want to go on a diet thats making me heavier. god im so mad with myself!

[higgies]

It is completely normal to feel terrible for the first couple days. It's the Induction Flu and it WILL pass....just hang in there!!!

[Peytonn]

how many carbs in the sugar free jelly?