Alcohol...

[Quenton]

Hi, I'm starting the 14 day plan (well I'm on about day 5), anyways I'm wondering if this little bit of Brandy (about 1 oz, first time having anything alcoholic in those 5 days) I'm having now is alright to have. I know it also makes your body produce ketones/acetones to ingest the alcohol, but was wondering if that could mean that it puts off ketosis.

Also, I've noticed I've been getting hungry for some reason on a few odd days, even though I've had nothing but water and meat for the 5 days. Is that normal?

[Sera]

Hi Effew, first of all welcome.
Now, you should stay away from alcohol, especially during induction, as it has carbs as well or can have. From what I understand some people still have their glass of wine and do fine but I suggest you do a clean induction to get right into doing it the proper way
the other point is, you say you had nothing but water and meat in the last 5 days, have you had any veggies at all?
Veggies are a big and important part of this WOE and you should really stick to the plan.
I think you being hungry is connected to you not eating veggies (if that's true) as you have basically gotten no carbs at all if you were living on meat and water only.
If you don't have the book, check out the allowed veggies list here on the forums to get an idea of what you can have.

I wish you good luck with your weightloss.

[Quenton]

Alright, thanks, I think I'll start eating a simple salad per day (oil/vinegar dressing).

Alright, no more Brandy after this. I think I read that hard liquor has next to no carbs, but I guess the alcohol can make you stall in weightloss for a bit.

[Sera]

hehe, could be, I'm no expert on alcohol
anyway, have a look at this topic:
What foods can be eaten on Induction?

shows you all the stuff you can eat, there's a lot more than just salad if you like variation.
just make sure you eat enough veggies and don't go too low on the carbs (I find 20 is quite OK).

[*Emma*]

You need to be eating far more than just a salad, your putting yourself into danger if you dont get yourself some nutrients!

You need to read the book and follow it, to a tee!

you need to be eating fats too fat is 65% of your diet! i strongly suggest you read the book before going much further in the WOE.

[six footer]

Welcome, I'm new too. Brandy has a TON of sugar in it. That's why it's so sweet and good. Check the carb count. The book Atkins Essentials (2004) says wine & vodka are your best choices, but only after the first 2 weeks. The New Diet Revolution (2002) "ladder" approach puts alcohol off a lot longer. The problem is, alcohol is metabolized in your system first ... it goes right into the bloodstream directly from the stomach, does't even go through the digestive process, hits your cells, and burns for energy while all your fat cells are sitting there all plump, never getting called on to give up the juice. Best to go with the flow and follow the rules. And veggies -- try broccoli or zucchini with butter, cheese & heavy cream. It's lovely. You need your micronutrients to stay healthy.

[higgies]

Actually, I was trying to find nutrition information on brandy because I thought it had tons of sugar too, but in fact it is in the sam boat as Vodka, rum, etc. It supposedly has zero carbs.

Now, I am an expert on alcohol... Not really, but I have enough experience to know the effects. I would strongly encourage you to stay away from alcohol during the two weeks of induction. If you drink the liquors that have zero carbs it will not knock you out of ketosis, but put it on pause. Your body will burn the alcohol first and then go back to burning the fat.

I've been known to enjoy a drink or two (no comments please) and I do notice that my weight loss or whatever it is I'm doing at the time stays completely still or I gain during those periods. If you do drink, I highly recommend doing some good exercise the next day to burn it off.

[six footer]

Bro, you are one humungous hottie! Wheeee-w! Congrats on your fantastic transformation. How do I look at your myspace blog? You've got it set to private.

An adoring admirer,
Kate

[higgies]

Well, if you have a MySpace profile then add me as a friend. Thanks for the compliment!

[Lamby-pie]

I had a few drinks in pre-maintenance.
What I remember most is the dehydration that kept me up all night chugging water, leading to bloat, and then came the MUNCHIES for two days, making it 100% harder to stick to plan! I wanted to eat everything carby in the house!

The last time I had a drink, I gained six pounds back.