Dark Purple on the strips but..

[fatmomma]

got a question. I just started on the message board like 20 minutes ago.. and i was first just glancing at all the wonderful messages to help with my atkins plan. BUT..(always a but) I started reading a post that said balsamic vinegar wasnt allowed. NOOOO!!!!! This is my 3rd day on the plan, by the end of the first day i was in slight ketosis, moderate the second, dark this morning...but i eat 2 huge salads (10 by 10 square cake pan, 2 inches deep) each day consisting of chicken breast and 1 small tomatoe with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar. I also had about 3 each day of the sugar free "stofers" pecan carmel turtles. (I need someone to walk beside me and slap my hand when i reach for the chocolate..lol.

Guess my question is this...if I am eating the BV and the chocolate, how is it that i reach dark ketosis so soon? Its honestly doesnt make sense to me. I wanna continue my salads...i crave them...thats a daily thing for me there even before the atkins plan, but in the long run if its gonna screw me up, then i guess i will have to change that..yes? no?

[OzLover]

First I need to ask you if you have a copy of Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution~2002 version? (aka DANDR) Both of the items in question are not on the Induction allowed food list.
Balsamic Vinegar contains sugar & thus has 2.3 carbs per 1 Tbsp
The chocolate I have no info on other than I know it is full of sugar alcohols which cause stalls for many people.
Here are a few links to help you out. I would read all the sticky notes in the Induction forum for more info & definately get the book if you don't already have it. Good luck

Atkins Low Carb Dieting - FAQ's - Atkins Diet

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...induction.html (What are the Rules of Induction?)

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...induction.html (What foods can be eaten on Induction?)

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-alcohols.html (What are Sugar Alcohols?)

[deerfu39]

You did very good finding this board! There are a lot of good folks here to help with your journey. It has become one of my favorite places on the web. Ditto what OzLover said. Pay close attention these girls here know their stuff[and guys]. My keto strips will read darker if I get below 100 oz. of water per day. I don't even mess with them anymore and concentrate on sticking to the plan. Welcome home and get ready to lose.....Robby

[chinadoll]

The sticks don't guarantee weight loss. Not drinking enough darkens them (although the color means nothing as long as there is some color you are fine). Also you could be in ketosis and have brilliant purple color, but you might be eating 5000 calories in protein and fat daily and gaining weight like no tomorrow.

Ditch the turtles. Part of this process is to retrain you not to want sweets. If you keep eating sweets substitutes, you will never break the desire for them. With the balsamic vinegar, it's true that it isn't allowed. Having said that, I used balsamic vinegar during induction because I didn't have many choices in China. I suffered no consequences from doing so but I used one Tbsp whisked with 2-3 Tbsp olive oil. By whisking it, you distribute the flavor better so you need far less. I don't advise going against the book, but I was OK and did it as wisely as I could given I had few alternatives.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by fatmomma

got a question. I just started on the message board like 20 minutes ago.. and i was first just glancing at all the wonderful messages to help with my atkins plan. BUT..(always a but) I started reading a post that said balsamic vinegar wasnt allowed. NOOOO!!!!! This is my 3rd day on the plan, by the end of the first day i was in slight ketosis, moderate the second, dark this morning...but i eat 2 huge salads (10 by 10 square cake pan, 2 inches deep) each day consisting of chicken breast and 1 small tomatoe with olive oil and balsalmic vinegar. I also had about 3 each day of the sugar free "stofers" pecan carmel turtles. (I need someone to walk beside me and slap my hand when i reach for the chocolate..lol.

Guess my question is this...if I am eating the BV and the chocolate, how is it that i reach dark ketosis so soon? Its honestly doesnt make sense to me. I wanna continue my salads...i crave them...thats a daily thing for me there even before the atkins plan, but in the long run if its gonna screw me up, then i guess i will have to change that..yes? no?

You need to get a copy of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution 2002 edition and read it cover to cover.

Balsamic vinegar contains added sugar. This is because the real balsamic vinegar is very expensive to make (takes up to 12 years.) So the manufacturers doctor the vinegar to mimic the real stuff by adding sugars and/or fruit juices.

How "huge" are these salads? While vegetables are allowed during Induction Phase, they are limited in terms of portion size. According to the book, we are allowed 3 cups of vegetables daily. Tomatoes are not considered salad vegetables due to their glycemic index.

Pecans and other nuts are not allowed during Induction.

The color of the stix don't mean a thing in reality. It's like the pregnancy sticks: you are either pregnant or you are not pregnant, you aren't "alittle pregnant" or "alot pregnant".

[fatmomma]

ummm...i must have read the wrong version of the book, for i remember Dr. Atkins saying the darker the better on the ketosis strips. Guess thats changed.. . i will get a newer version..lol. Thank you all for your responses, i appreciate it very much>

[not2late]

Originally Posted by fatmomma

ummm...i must have read the wrong version of the book, for i remember Dr. Atkins saying the darker the better on the ketosis strips. Guess thats changed.. . i will get a newer version..lol. Thank you all for your responses, i appreciate it very much>

Dr. Atkins wrote the darker the color, the more ketones you are excreting, but then he follows it up with the fact that some people don't turn the stix color at all because they aren't producing enough ketones to register on the stix. What he doesn't say is that the stix measure only one kind of ketone and that ketone can switch to a form that we breath out. And even those forms (urine and breath) comprise only about 20% of the total ketones produced by the body. In his earlier books he says that they used to measure this breath ketone at the Atkins Center because it was more reliable that the ketostix. But since the ketostix are more available at the pharmacy than a breath analyzer, he recommended the stix for home use. Also at the time of those earlier books, testing ketones in the blood wasn't available in hospitals or clinics.

[chinadoll]

Megs, thanks for the clarification on the balsamic vinegar. I actually have the real thing so maybe that's why it didnt bother me. Now I know not to use the supermarket stuff when I run out.

[imagood1]

welcome to Atkins -- ditto what the ladies said -- get the 2002 DANDR edition - make sure you understandinduction and are eating only foods on the acceptable food list. If it's not on the list it doesn't go in your mouth. You are doing yourself no good by continuing to feed your sweet tooth so throw the Turtles down the garbage disposal so you won't be tempted to go get them out of the trash later tonight! Learn the portions and get a scale to weigh everything you eat. This isn't something you can do "your way" -- to make it work you have to follow it the way it's written.

Go to www.fitday.com and start a daily journal of what you eat - it will help you keep track of your food plus you can enter your measurement, moods and journal how you are doing. Make sure to deduct the fiber from the food and count only "net carbs" - you can have 20 net carbs daily.

Drink a minimum of 64 ounces PURE water, nothing added except ice. More is better but make sure you get the minimum in. The shakes and bars marketed with the Atkins name on them are off limits because they are made with non-induction friendly ingredients. What exercise plan are you doing? Dr Atkins said exercise is mandatory so find something and get started today.

Good luck - once you read the book you will understand what you are doing. Here are recipe links so you can look for induction meals (make sure you are in the induction friendly area of each site).

Recipe Sites
http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/menus.html
(Never ending induction recipes)http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/58513-never-ending-induction-recipes.html
(Induction Recipe Basics--More recipes added)http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/6807-induction-recipe-basics-more-recipes-added.html
http://www.sugarfreesheila.com/RecipesPage.html

[not2late]

Originally Posted by chinadoll

Megs, thanks for the clarification on the balsamic vinegar. I actually have the real thing so maybe that's why it didnt bother me. Now I know not to use the supermarket stuff when I run out.

Lucky you! One of these days, I'll break into my "mad money" and buy a bottle of real balsamic vinegar.