A true dilemma: Cheating? or Creativity?

[razz]

Hmmmn. I was just advised by a wise woman that soy milk is not induction-friendly. (i had said in a post that I used a couple of tbsp. in my protein shake, yesterday.) For that matter, GNC protein shakes, at 1g/scoop aren't on the induction list either, but I've been substituting them (with water and that 2tbsp. trick) for Atkins-in-a-can.

So, are these improvisations "cheating" or true-to-induction / creative?

I know we are "by the book," here, and that's a big reason I belong to the ADBB board. But is "common sense" truly dangerous? In this case, two tbsps of "cream" is permitted, per the book, and the soy milk I use only has 1gm/cup! (It's not Silk.) That's less than cream at 6g/cup.

This is a very serious question for me. I do want to follow the guidelines and I do want to succeed. I do NOT want to "cheat."

If I'm being very carb-count conscious, drinking water and doing my minimum 12g of veggies... does it really matter what the other 8 carbs are?

For instance, this morning I had two eggs and cream cheese, but instead of adding onions/bacon/and maybe avocado, I did the mock danish recipe and added two tsp vanilla extract (.5g each) and two Splenda and nutmeg/cinnamon. It was like breakfast flan. And I didn't have carb cravings after. It was hours ago, and I'm still full. Sweet rather than salt made me happy.

I don't think vanilla extract is on the induction list. I have just thought to myself that it's OK to rigorously follow the spirit of this thing.

[Tom]

How many Carbs? Are you going over your carb count?

Regards,
Tom

Originally Posted by razz

Hmmmn. I was just advised by a wise woman that soy milk is not induction-friendly. (i had said in a post that I used a couple of tbsp. in my protein shake, yesterday.) For that matter, GNC protein shakes, at 1g/scoop aren't on the induction list either, but I've been substituting them (with water and that 2tbsp. trick) for Atkins-in-a-can.

So, are these improvisations "cheating" or true-to-induction / creative?

I know we are "by the book," here, and that's a big reason I belong to the ADBB board. But is "common sense" truly dangerous? In this case, two tbsps of "cream" is permitted, per the book, and the soy milk I use only has 1gm/cup! (It's not Silk.) That's less than cream at 6g/cup.

This is a very serious question for me. I do want to follow the guidelines and I do want to succeed. I do NOT want to "cheat."

If I'm being very carb-count conscious, drinking water and doing my minimum 12g of veggies... does it really matter what the other 8 carbs are?

For instance, this morning I had two eggs and cream cheese, but instead of adding onions/bacon/and maybe avocado, I did the mock danish recipe and added two tsp vanilla extract (.5g each) and two Splenda and nutmeg/cinnamon. It was like breakfast flan. And I didn't have carb cravings after. It was hours ago, and I'm still full. Sweet rather than salt made me happy.

I don't think vanilla extract is on the induction list. I have just thought to myself that it's OK to rigorously follow the spirit of this thing.

[liv]

I think your breakfast is fine. (Just count the carbs in your vanilla and your splenda - and remember only three sweeteners a day (There usually are sweeteners in protein shakes))
But the soy and the protein shakes are another matter. Even if things are low in carbs they may be high glycemic and therefore affect our bloodsugar. We use the OWL ladder to carefully try out foods to see how we may react to them. On induction we stay with food that are very low glycemic.
It really sounds like you are the kind of person that should start moving up the rungs as soon as your two weeks are over so you can start experiment some. But clean induction is good to eliminate cravings and to get your body adjusted.

[razz]

Thanks, Tom and Liv.
Tom: I think I'm staying real close to 20 or maybe under. Liv: I will probably need to stay on extended induction. I take some prescriptions well-known to slow the whole process down.

I sent my question out there thinking someone would need to jump down my throat with both army boots. Glad I'm not getting that response, so far! Thanks for your thoughts... I do want to be careful. And Liv; I'll recheck the protein shakes. I'm pretty sure I did what I usually do which is just subtract fiber from total carbs rather than taking a retail company's promise for it!

Until we talk again!

razz

[Elsie150]

Interested in what others say.

Here's what I can help you with..As far as the soy...technically that is a nut and not allowed until the nut rung. If you want to be totally legal with the milk thing you can always use the heavy cream with some added water.

BTW..I love mock danish.

[liv]

Originally Posted by Elsie150

Interested in what others say.

Here's what I can help you with..As far as the soy...technically that is a nut and not allowed until the nut rung. If you want to be totally legal with the milk thing you can always use the heavy cream with some added water.

BTW..I love mock danish.

Soy is a legume so it has to wait to Rung 6.

[Elsie150]

You are right Liv...I was thinking soy nuts...so thought it was the nut rung...which btw is not rung 4...it is rung 3. My bad!!

[ValidRouge]

Here are my thoughts.

One of the things about Atkins and it's induction phase is that it really can be considered an elimination diet. The induction phase is where you cut a lot of foods out of your diet. If it was just a matter of 20 carbs, then the plan would have said limit 20 carbs. Because Dr. Atkins specifies the TYPES of carbohydrates, it makes sense that there is a reason for it.

One of the reasons, and for me it has become one of the MOST IMPORTANT reasons, is that by eliminating food groups from our diet and then add them back in slowly and in a prescribed order (and amount) that we then have the ability to investigate which foods we might have intolerance to. It is NOT only about weight loss. As you make your diet spartan and then add these foods back, you are going to be able for the first time in your life to determine which foods cause blood sugar instability, bowel problems, swelling, heart burn/indigestion. I was AMAZED at what certain foods will do to my body and MY SANITY. Weight loss, while VERY important to me, has become secondary to my physical and emotional health.

I hope that every member of this board gets the opportunity to feel that way. To be healthy, and to be free of cravings and blood sugar swings, food allergies , etc.

[misplaced southerner]

well said joy. there is a "science" behind what dr. atkins is doing here. the elimination of so many things that affect our bodies is extremely important. so, it is also important to follow VERY CAREFULLY "climbing the rungs." we all react differently to different things. you won't discover your "trigger foods" or those things that cause adverse reactions unless you start "clean" and go from there.

and, for what it is worth, while i do understand what you were thinking with the substitutions, and i am NOT making accusations (please understand) i know how easy it becomes to say "well THIS time i will switch this for that" and before you know it, you are doing something that might vaguely resemble atkins but is really not the real deal. it happens (happened) to lots of us!

the bottom line.....get "clean" and go from there. you have a great attitude about atkins. i know you will be successful. for two weeks, follow it TO THE LETTER. you will be amazed at what happens to your body. joy is SO RIGHT...it is SO MUCH MORE THAN WEIGHT LOSS.

please keep us posted on any changes you make and...i wanna hear about your success!

[eclectikat]

Originally Posted by razz

Hmmmn... Sweet rather than salt made me happy.

My only thought Razz is that one of the things that happened for me on induction and extended induction is that I broke my desire for sweet... and for salt. I was never a carb junkie in terms of sweets, I prefered the salty... but it got to the point that I needed one to balance the other... I would eat salty and need the sweet coke, that is how I was addicted.

I think to be " creative" as you say to satiate your need for sweet may not serve you well in the long run. I needed a long break from the sweet/salty thing and was satiated by the foods outlined in the induction list.
I think you need to overcome that desire for SWEET. I found it interesting that you said that the sweet rather than salty made you "happy". Are you an emotional eater by any chance?

I used food to make me happy. I don't any more. I use it as fuel. I use my exersize to make me happy now... that may sound glib and untrue, but I kid you not... getting my shoes on for my hike is a great feeling. The old me of almost 300lbs can hardly believe the new me of 240ish and diminishing, but thats the truth.

Personally I would use the soy milk. but I would monitor closely my ketosis and make sure that using the soy was not impeding my losses.
I also used a shake initially. I am not a morning eater. and I found it SOOO difficult initially. My logic was that I need to get in the habit of consuming calories as soon as I get up so I will want to eat earlier in the day.. that I would want to eat lunch and dinner. Before doing atkins, and the biggest reason for my obesity I would get up in the morning and not eat until 2-4pm sometimes later... making it sometimes that I was going without food for 10 hours and then I would eat dinner and be compelled to eat another 2 times and almost always went to bed RIGHT after eating. MY metabolism had totally shut down for me...
LONG STORY... I am sorry, but my point is that I was creative initially to get myself to adapt to this way of life. I am not sure I could have stuck it out till now without being creative.

I am sorry not to have a "pure-ist" Atkins attitude and approach, but I am not too far off and I am behaving my way to sucessful weight loss. 57lbs and 30 plus inches gone and counting!!!!

sorry for the ramble...

Kathy