my obstacles

[PinkBikini]

Hi everyone.

I'm a 28 y.o female
Start weight 3 days ago: 128
Current wt: 125
Goal wt: 100-110 (when I feel ok)

My obstacles thus far have been working up to induction by carb cutting. I take in so many carbs/day that I have had trouble eliminating them completely and have to settle for cutting them down each day by a hundred or so.

My anticipated obstacles are
1) Daily work lunches
2) Headaches and lack of energy

I started working out last week and started carb cutting a few days ago. I've lost 3 lbs this week and have lots of energy. Im sure I'm nowhere near "ketosis" because I eat way too many carbs but I do have a lot more energy and my appetite is already curbed significantly from where it was even a few days ago when I felt hungry all the time.

Work is hard. I'm a nurse in an intensive care unit. People bring in goodies everyday. It will be a challenge not to nibble. But the bigger challenge is my lunch. Hubby and I brown bag it. Sandwich with meat and cheese, yogurt and fruit, crackers or chips, coke, and cookies for dessert. And now I'm supposed to cut out all carbs leaving me... some meat and cheese in my lunchbox. Uh oh! I need new ideas for a variety of munchies I can include in there (i like variety) and a coke substitute. I can do without the coke but afraid to part with the caffeine since I work nights and don't want to lose my alertness for the safety of my patients!

Headaches and lack of energy sort of dovetail with work. If I had a week off I guess I could stay home and get through induction for a few days by toughing it out and sleeping if necessary. But at work I need to be alert. I can't be tired or mentally foggy... any suggestions to combat this during induction from someone who was in a similar situation? I'm anticipating these will be problems as I withdraw from caffeine.

I looked up breakfast blend from starbucks and it says it has 0 carbs. Is that true? Could I fudge induction a little and take a cup of that to work in case I need it to get through my nights?

Thanks for helping me overcome my obstacles. I'm very afraid I'll be unsatisfed with work lunches....

[Tack Candy]

Hi,

If you ask me, cold turkey is the way to go. I know you will likely face Induction Flu but it is over in 48 hrs. or less. It is your body detoxing from all those carbs. If you are anything like me (and probably lots of others on this board) you are a carb addict. Letting yourself have them is like letting an alcoholic have a drink. It only makes giving them up harder.

I can promise you that once you have eliminated them from your diet you will feel so much better. You WILL have more energy than you can imagine. You will feel better about yourself. You will gain power over food - food will no longer rule, YOU will. It is an amazing process. BUT you need to follow the plan as Dr. Atkins wrote it. It isn't for everybody but if you give it 2 weeks following induction strictly I'll bet you will agree with me.

I wish you the best of luck. Don't get me wrong. It takes work and isn't always easy. There are stalls and bumps and challenges along the way. All the people who join this board have gone through them all and are great about support and encouragement. Visit often. You'll be glad you did.

[Tack Candy]

Oh, and please read the book if you haven't already. I noticed you didn't mention veggies and veggies are a VERY important component to this contrary to popular belief. I have found a new love for them. Instead of a sandwich, lose the bread. Instead of yogurt and fruit, have veggies and dip.

As far as sweet treats for your lunch, there are atkins friendly ones. Check the recipe forum but I think you'll find your sweet tooth disappears after awhile (which is truely a blessing). My lunches that I take to work look like GOURMET food. My husband even gets jealous!!!!!

[PinkBikini]

I have the book and have read it. I have been eating peppers with my cream cheese, alfalfa sprouts with my meat and cheese, spinach with my scrambled eggs, and I'm considering a bag of spinach to use with chicken slices and tuna salads as a "sandwich wrap" and some celery and cucumbers for next week to eat with dips with my lunches. We have zucchini as well which I'm planning to have with trout. The foods I have at home I can do but it's what I can eat at work for variety that I'm fearing...

Today I have not cheated yet. I am going to take my coffee tonight just in case but will try to stick to water as much as possible and will only have 1 cup if necessary. For dinner I'm planning on a small tuna salad with mayo, half an avocado, bell pepper chunks with cream cheese, and roast beef deli meat with no carbs.

It's been a rough road slowly cutting out milk, ice cream and cutting down soda to 1/day over the last year but I feel I'm better prepared to start this now. Thanks for the suggestions and support.

[guekjian]

I also brownbag it for lunches and my favorite thing is caesar salad with some cooked chicken , or salmon, mixed in. I bring myself cubes of cheese for my snack...just an ounce can satisfy you! not so bad for your daily totals!

[PinkBikini]

Thanks, I hadn't considered cubed cheese. Great idea! My lunch was perfect last night. I actually ate it as 2 separate snacks because I wasn't hungry during lunch and couldn't possibly eat but then I got shaky and jittery at 6 a.m. so I went in the back, sat down and finished the rest of lunch.