How would you do Atkins if...

[ShannonM]

...you didn't cook meals in your home, had absolutely no say in what foods were purchased or prepared (though you are allowed to store limited grocery items in the fridge/freezer), and could only use the kitchen to prepare Atkins-legal food during "off" hours (e.g., not mealtimes)?

I don't want to go into the details because they're too depressing. I do want practical, workable, and cheap ways to handle the contraints I live under. I lost 65 pounds in the exact same circumstances a couple of years ago, so I know it can be done. The trouble is that worsening life circumstances and my old emotional-eating demons got the best of me and left me with twenty extra pounds and (even more damaging) no memory of what inspired me to lose weight the first time. The reason I mention this is because after months of resisting the ever-present chocolate, candy, bread, sodas, pasta, etc. at home, I gradually started eating whatever carb junk I could get my hands on.

The typical advice from forum members is to get rid of the carb crap and have a chat with family members about being more supportive. I cannot stress strongly enough that these are not options for me. We are financially dependent on these people and they've made it clear that it's their way or the highway. (We'd prefer the highway, but can't afford it just yet.) At any rate, the temptations aren't going anywhere.

So I would love advice, suggestions, words of wisdom, food ideas, motivational thoughts...anything except a lecture about how I should think about what I really want. I've already thought about it, which is why I'm asking these questions. I'm willing to pay the price, but will clearly need some new approaches here so I don't go back to scarfing half an XXL bag of peanut M&Ms every day just because it's there.

[not2late]

If there is absolutely no way to negotiate with your captors, then you will have to do your best.

Look at the foods they supply. See if anything there can be Atkins friendly. And when I mean Atkins friendly, I mean Atkins Induction friendly and Atkins OWL Phase friendly.

Make a list of these foods and post it on the forum and we'll see what kind of meals we can carve out for you.

[dreamof145]

It would help if you could list the items that they purchase to eat so we could have some items to evaluate. I buy a lot of tuna. I love it and it can be made into salads or tuna burgers. I also make a lot of chicken. I buy it in the family bags frozen. I bake it, fry it, broil it or even make soup out of it. If you have eggs, you can make a variety of meals with them. I make egg noodles, egg omelette shells and put veggies or hamburger inside and fold it over as a taco. These are just a few ideas, they are inexpensive and easy to make. What are the other items which are available and we can come up with some ideas for you.

[ttdriver]

THINK: Protein, fat, fiber. Nothing else.

Betty

[not2late]

I have to sign off for tonight. But please list the foods you are being given.

We'll try to help you out as much as possible.

[PaulaMM]

Wow, it sounds like a really tough situation. I hope you're able to find yourself out of that enviroment soon. You've said you are financially dependent but I'm assuming you do have some money at your disposal.

Tuna and eggs are cheap,take up little room and can be used to make all kinds of quick and easy meals. Buy 2 cartons of eggs at a time, boil one carton and store them in their original container. Just be sure to mark one of the cartons so you don't end up with any nasty suprises.LOL

Keep an eye on the grocery circulars for specials on meats, cheese, and veggies and stock up as much as you are allowed space. Ground beef, ground turkey and pork steak can often be found on sale for cheap.


I don't understand why your Atkins friendly food can't be cooked along with the usual family meal. I hope it's for reasons other than what I'm reading into it, cuz' it sounds somewhat hostile. If you think it would help, try not to designate everything you buy as just your food. Could you try offering to cook a meal for everyone and just so happen to make it Atkins friendly? (oops, how did that happen? heheh) Kill'em with kindness, ya know.

I hope things ease up for you.

Paula

[ShannonM]

Wow, that was fast. Thank you all so much for such prompt replies.

Here's a list of what I generally purchase (it's necessarily limited by space availability and by monetary constraints):

Tuna and eggs - the mainstays of my induction because they're cheap and space-saving.

Dairy - heavy cream, butter, sour cream, cheddar cheese

Mayo and olive oil

Fresh veggies - tomato and romaine lettuce; occasionally some spaghetti squash.

Frozen veggies - broccoli, cauliflower, turnip greens

Chicken or ground beef - I can get these from Costco but will probably have to alternate those since they take up a lot of room.

I have a pretty good selection of my own spices plus misc. stuff like vinegar.

I think there's enough here to work with if I keep things simple, which I have to do anyway since I'm on induction. I do have to mind the space issue - can't cook too much ahead of time because there won't be room to store it.

As far as what the owner of the home (hereinafter "Draconia") usually purchases and prepares for dinner, a typical week consists of the following: fish sticks; butter noodles; baked beans; meatballs (prepared with bread crumbs and sugary tomato sauces); spaghetti; pizza; baked salmon (rarely, because she doesn't like it); a roast of some kind; canned veggies like green beans; corn; and lima beans. Prepackaged salads three or four times a week, so those are good.

As far as Atkins legality, I find I have to avoid about 90% of what Draconia cooks. But I have to be careful with that because the cook can get offended. I have cooked dinner from time to time just to help out, but the rule is that I must cook exactly what Draconia wants in exactly the way she wants it. No deviation is permitted. She is dead-set on those carbs and that's that. Sometimes when I cook I can manage to prepare an Atkins-legal meal for myself at the same time.

Of course, the above doesn't include the constant influx of every kind of junk food under the sun, always purchased in Costco-size bags or boxes.

And yes, there is some hostility, stemming from other reasons besides food.

[abstractillusions]

i realize you have monetary issues, but have you thought maybe since you may be in this situation for a bit, about investing in a small college size fridge for your room or maybe an out of the way area in the house? that way you may be able to cook up more stuff like meats beef and chicken and and store them for the week for easy meals and readily accessible treats in your fridge and bring them out when you get to use the kitchen to make your meals. And solve your problem of being able to cook things up prior and store them.

There is an option that may even get draconia realizing you can't eat her food without offending her, ask your doctor to write a note and give it to her.

i think you have done wonderful dropping from almsot 200 down to 150 - you are obviously doing something right. You DO have the can do attitude you are just being confronted with a situation that needs options for you. It sounds like you have enough stress in the situation, try not to let this way of eating become another for you.

i hope your situation works out for the better soon.

[ShannonM]

There's no place to put a small fridge. She happens to have two refrigerators, which is why I have as much space as I do. (Which is fine as long as I don't buy or cook too much food at once.)

As far as a doctor's note...her husband was diagnosed with type II diabetes a year and a half ago. She told him - I heard it myself - that his disease was his problem and that she would not alter any of her eating, purchasing, or cooking habits for him because she didn't see why she should have to be deprived of the foods she likes. She had a brief stint of buying him low-carb bread and using Splenda in desserts, but she doesn't even really do those things anymore. So I don't think she'd be too sympathetic to my case - I no longer have PCOS and insulin resistance and my fasting blood sugar tests normally.

[changing]

I so feel for you!!!

For a while, (the first time I did Atkins in 2003) I spent 50% of my nights at my boyfriend's "apartment," really just a glorified bedroom hanging off his parents' house. Separate bathroom but no kitchen or fridge. I had something like 80 cans of tuna in his bedroom dresser (that he didn't use), and I asked his parents if I could keep a jar of full-fat mayo in their fridge (they were eating the low-fat kind). So 50% of the time, I literally ate nothing but tuna and mayo -- yeah, it's not glamorous, and it's not "by the book" as far the newest edition of the Atkins Diet is concerned (it's more like Atkins '72, if anything), but it did the trick. Eventually, they bought me a jar of dill pickle slices to throw into my tuna salad. I think they were amused by the whole thing. They were nice people though (they're now actually my inlaws).

Good luck with your situation. Some people are real killjoys, huh?