newbie Help: Addiction/Supplementation

[adamuk]

Hi All ,

I have just joined this site (a little more can be found about me on the introduction threads) and am very new to the atkins but hope that you can help me with a few things:

Addiction/Supplementation:

I am in the induction phase but rather than jumping straight into it, im slowly easing out the sugars. How? By eating 5 small meals a day (6 if I wake up earlier) and cleaning up each meal everyday and leaving the breakfast till last. I have only breakfast to cleanup tomorrow (meaning totally sugar free etc) but had this problem -

Today when I ate during the day it was great, but by the evening I had a major major desire to eat some sugary snacks and take-away meals that my family had left in the fridge.

I am taking L-Glutamine and Chromium daily but havent been taking them for too long, so far its day 2 (had to wait for the mail order to get to me). I am also taking multi-vitamins and essential fats in liquid oil form.

The key question I have is this please :

L-Glutamine

Im confused. Dr.A says in the book to take 500mg-1000mg before every meal. I have L-G powder, where one teaspoon is a serving of 5grams. I have spoken to a nutritionist whom says that you can have upto 40grams or more L-G a day as lots of athletes/sports people do. If I took 5grams powder in water before every meal (which I havent been doing out of fear of over-doing-it) then I would probably reach 25-30grams daily. Dr.A suggests tablets of very small doseage (500mg-1000mg per tablets) indeed (which I have found from the solgar vitamin company) so which do I take? The nutritionist said stick with the powder as you're getting more for your 'buck'/'pound, but her knowledge of the atkins diet wasnt good.

Also I have read either in the book or via this forum that whenever you feel a binge or craving (as I think i did this night in question) that you should take L-G, again what would you suggest depending on the above? and how then should I take it (depending again on what you answer for the above).

Finally, L-G i was told to take on an empty stomach, ideally 30mins before food, as it is an amino-acid that would be absorbed better alone rather than competing with other amino-acids if taken with food, so how are you all taking yours and thus how should I for it to help me with this diet please, depending on whether its the powder or the tablets/capsules.


Chromium


I have at the moment 200mg capsules that I am taking 3 times a day so far (chromium picolinate). I again noticed the binge/craving still therfore should I increase more?

In the book I think Dr.A says chromium polynicotinate is far better, is that the case and thus should I change my chromium? (the nutritionist mentioned above, told me the picolinate is proven to be better absorption but the polynicotinate isnt......i got confused and unsure at this stage).

Finally I have read that taking the above supplements as I intend to, takes around a week before their benefits are noticed, is this true?


Exercise:

I unfortunately cant exercise at the moment due to some injuries I have. I had watched and atkins dvd where they had a Q&A part at the end. In it Dr.A himself says that you CAN lose weight with the induction even without exercise, is this the case please? I do intend to exercise eventually but that will be in about 3 months time and if I can lose weight by then it will certainly help with my injuries too.


Atkins Center/Centre:

Before joining this forum (which I found by sheer luck and exhaustive researching) I had tried many many times to try to locate the atkins centre in new york and the atkins research company that makes the atkins nutritional products. I failed on all accounts here, therefore do any of you have the telephone number of the atkins people so that I may speak to a human being should I need further help in the future?


I apologise in advance if I have posted these questions in the wrong area of this forum, im new here and wanted to post asap.

Thank you for your time and reading this for me, and hope I have made sense

Adam-UK

[Sherri]

Here's the deal with L-Glutamine.
Take L-glutamine (not glutamic acid). to help control "irresisable" cravings for sweets. Begin with 1 200mg capsul or tablet(I take gel capsule form) three times a day for one week. Then INCREASE the dose to 2 capsuls or tablets three times a day for one week.
After two weeks, if you feel more alert, more energetic, and have lost your craving for sweets, you can then experiment with the amount of L-glutamine you take until you find the best level for you.

This is how L-Glutamine works-
Through nutritional magic and by the use of L-glutamine, a form of glumatic acid which the brain consumes for energy, we can feed the brain and quiet its craving for sweets.
Because L-glutamine can cross the brain barrier easily, and the brain can take it and quickly convert it into glumatic acid, if you take L-glutamine in supplemental form the brain will be able to satisfy its hunger more easily.
Glumatic acid serves primarily as a fuel for the brain's operation and as a buffer against excess amonia.
The relationship of glumatic acid to glucose (blood sugar) goes beyond the brain-fuel interrelationship. Since the brain can store only a small amount of glucose, it is very dependent on the second-to-second supply of blood sugar which may explain dizziness and other nervous symptoms that accompany hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
The grey matter in the brain converts glumatic acid to a special compound that helps regulate brain cell activity. Thus, a shortage of L-glutamine in the diet, and of glumatic acid in the brain, can result in brain damage due to excess ammonia or a brain that cannot get into "high gear."
The stress of the dieting can lead some people who are not nessesarily fond of alcohol to drink a lot more than usual in an effort to control the stress level they feel.
Also, since alcohol is metabolized very quickly, it is converted to brain fuel, and during your diet your brain can feel hungry and ask for a drink. If you answer it's request and continue to do so you can do more than just wreck your diet program.
Dr. Roger Williams, along with his colleagues at Clayton Foundation for Research at the University of Texas, made the vital discovery that not only did L-glutamine protect against poisonous effects of alcohol, it also controlled or stopped completely the craving for it.
L-glutamine is a versitile amino acid that can contribute to your diet program if, on your way to your best weight level, you suffer from any of these problems described.
L-Glutamine is an excellent supplement to curb the cravings for sweetness and alcohol.

[Georgiana]

I'll let someone who knows more about vitamins answer your questions, just have a few things to comment on.

I am in the induction phase but rather than jumping straight into it, im slowly easing out the sugars.

First of all, I am sorry, but you are not in the induction phase. I don't understand why you're doing it this way. The point of induction is to get you out of the craving zone, but if you keep pumping sugar into your body this is not going to happen. I don't say you can't make it, but you should not count these days as part of your 2-week induction, nor should you be surprised for getting cravings. Whether you're eating sugars for breakfast or sugars for all other meals, the point is you *are* eating sugars and these sugars (as expected) cause cravings.

[AlaskaGirl]

Great post Sherri. I never knew that your brain really needed this. I thought I should only get it if I feel the cravings. I am currently not getting any in my vitamins (I just checked) I am ashamed that I messed up so bad. I have some old supplements in the cubboard but I will pick up some fresh tomorrow. I will also dust off my book again.

Yep you are not in induction untill you stop eating the sugars etc. You may be slowly cutting back and that is understandable but you need to go through the 2 weeks of induction by the book before moving on to the next step.

Julie

[adamuk]

Originally Posted by Sherri

Here's the deal with L-Glutamine.
Take L-glutamine (not glutamic acid).

Sherri thank you, the Glutamine Powder is Glutamine (according to the label), please can you let me know if the 5 grams of glutamine per teaspoon is a lot better than the lesser amounts you suggest per capsule.

Also, as im aiming to eat 5 meals a day, then should I take (watever doesage you and others recommend) prior to EVERY of these meals?

And should in between these meals I have a craving, then should I take l-Glutamine?

Please let me know about the chromium and other things if possible too please.

Much appreciated, many thanks to you and all the replies already, im so grateful thank YOU all

Adam-UK

[adamuk]

Originally Posted by Georgiana

I'll let someone who knows more about vitamins answer your questions, just have a few things to comment on.

First of all, I am sorry, but you are not in the induction phase.

Georgiana. thank you please let me know what your friend/associate says about the vitamins etc.

And yes you're truely right, im aiming to get into induction thank you. I today aim to clean up the final meal and yes by tomorrow will do the induction, I AIM to and Will do

Please let me know to all I asked when you can, thank you and again to all others so far

Adam-UK

[adamuk]

Originally Posted by AlaskaGirl

Yep you are not in induction untill you stop eating the sugars etc. You may be slowly cutting back and that is understandable but you need to go through the 2 weeks of induction by the book before moving on to the next step.

Julie

Julie: Thank you and glad that you as well as I learnt more about l-glutamine

Please let me know if you can add anything else to anything I asked, regarding chromium etc

Thank you

Adam-UK

[BFGarner]

Originally Posted by adamuk

Hi All ,

I have just joined this site (a little more can be found about me on the introduction threads) and am very new to the atkins but hope that you can help me with a few things:

Addiction/Supplementation:

I am in the induction phase but rather than jumping straight into it, im slowly easing out the sugars. How? By eating 5 small meals a day (6 if I wake up earlier) and cleaning up each meal everyday and leaving the breakfast till last. I have only breakfast to cleanup tomorrow (meaning totally sugar free etc) but had this problem -

Today when I ate during the day it was great, but by the evening I had a major major desire to eat some sugary snacks and take-away meals that my family had left in the fridge.

I am taking L-Glutamine and Chromium daily but havent been taking them for too long, so far its day 2 (had to wait for the mail order to get to me). I am also taking multi-vitamins and essential fats in liquid oil form.

The key question I have is this please :

L-Glutamine

Im confused. Dr.A says in the book to take 500mg-1000mg before every meal. I have L-G powder, where one teaspoon is a serving of 5grams. I have spoken to a nutritionist whom says that you can have upto 40grams or more L-G a day as lots of athletes/sports people do. If I took 5grams powder in water before every meal (which I havent been doing out of fear of over-doing-it) then I would probably reach 25-30grams daily. Dr.A suggests tablets of very small doseage (500mg-1000mg per tablets) indeed (which I have found from the solgar vitamin company) so which do I take? The nutritionist said stick with the powder as you're getting more for your 'buck'/'pound, but her knowledge of the atkins diet wasnt good.

Also I have read either in the book or via this forum that whenever you feel a binge or craving (as I think i did this night in question) that you should take L-G, again what would you suggest depending on the above? and how then should I take it (depending again on what you answer for the above).

Finally, L-G i was told to take on an empty stomach, ideally 30mins before food, as it is an amino-acid that would be absorbed better alone rather than competing with other amino-acids if taken with food, so how are you all taking yours and thus how should I for it to help me with this diet please, depending on whether its the powder or the tablets/capsules.


Chromium


I have at the moment 200mg capsules that I am taking 3 times a day so far (chromium picolinate). I again noticed the binge/craving still therfore should I increase more?

In the book I think Dr.A says chromium polynicotinate is far better, is that the case and thus should I change my chromium? (the nutritionist mentioned above, told me the picolinate is proven to be better absorption but the polynicotinate isnt......i got confused and unsure at this stage).

Finally I have read that taking the above supplements as I intend to, takes around a week before their benefits are noticed, is this true?


Exercise:

I unfortunately cant exercise at the moment due to some injuries I have. I had watched and atkins dvd where they had a Q&A part at the end. In it Dr.A himself says that you CAN lose weight with the induction even without exercise, is this the case please? I do intend to exercise eventually but that will be in about 3 months time and if I can lose weight by then it will certainly help with my injuries too.


Atkins Center/Centre:

Before joining this forum (which I found by sheer luck and exhaustive researching) I had tried many many times to try to locate the atkins centre in new york and the atkins research company that makes the atkins nutritional products. I failed on all accounts here, therefore do any of you have the telephone number of the atkins people so that I may speak to a human being should I need further help in the future?


I apologise in advance if I have posted these questions in the wrong area of this forum, im new here and wanted to post asap.

Thank you for your time and reading this for me, and hope I have made sense

Adam-UK

Anything the Atkins Center or the current Atkins website says is pretty unreliable. Here is my advice

1) Buy the book: Amazon.com: Dr. Atkins' Revised Diet Package: The Any Diet Diary and Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution 2002: Robert C. Atkins: Books

Make sure it is the 2002 edition. Paperback is cheap if you can find it.

2) Most people feel the Atkins bars/shakes actually stall people and keep them from losing weight. Luckily for me I can drink/eat them all I want and it's fine, but MOST PEOPLE have problems with them.

3) When I started back in June I was similar to you. Looking for guidance on how to do this way of life correctly. Like you I stumbled across this message board. The first thing everyone told me was go get the book. I did and since then I've read it at least 5 times and skimmed through it even more. I use the book for all of my answers. If I can't find an answer in the book, I use this website. The people are helpful, knowledgable, and most importantly they are supportive.

4) This is my final note. In regards to induction, just go full force into it. Don't try to slowly decrease your sugar, as long as you keep getting some, you'll have the cravings. Induction is hard, but by the end you don't even want sugar. And the best thing is that it works, if you do the induction, by the book you will lose. It's pretty cool.

[adamuk]

Originally Posted by BFGarner

Anything the Atkins Center or the current Atkins website says is pretty unreliable. Here is my advice

1) Buy the book: Amazon.com: Dr. Atkins' Revised Diet Package: The Any Diet Diary and Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution 2002: Robert C. Atkins: Books

.

Hi BFGarner,

Thank you, youre right as well as all the others, i will go straight into induction, just hope i can get answers to the above to combat any withdrawal symptoms lol

I have the 2002 atkins new diet revolution book, not the any diet diary though, however dont think spending extra is needed on that, i hope the amount i have spent on supplements and the book together with this forum will help.

thank you and hope from your knowledge you can please help my queries above

Adam-UK

[Georgiana]

Oops, I didn't notice the misunderstanding. Adam, sorry to have confused you, what I meant was that you should wait for someone else to answer your questions about supplements. I would suggest you post this (or link it) in the Vita Nutrient Solution/Supplements forum. It might get more attention:
Vita Nutrient Solution/Supplements - Atkins Diet