Newbie needs some menu ideas, does this sound right?

[Mom0506]

First of all thank you for taking the time to review my menu. Today is my 4th day being on induction, and here is a sample of what my menus have looked like thus far. Please let me know if there are some corrections I should make to this. Also, I would love to hear some typical menus on induction that vary from mine.

Breakfast:
-2 or 3 eggs (extra large)
-3 strips of bacon

Lunch 1:
-1 or 2 hamburger patties (6-8 oz after cooked) wrapped in 2 pieces of lettuce, 1 slice of tomato, and mustard (2 tsp)
-sugar free Jello (1 individual serving)
-1 or 2 oz of cheese (american, gouda or mozzarella)

or Lunch 2:
-6oz slices of ham or turkey with 2 oz of cream cheese wrapped around 3 dill pickle spears



Dinner:
-fish(6-8 oz) or chicken breast
-2 c of salad with 3 slices of bacon, 2 boiled eggs, 1 oz cheddar cheese, and 2 tbsp of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (or 2 tbsp Olive oil and a couple dashes of red wine vinegar)
-sugar free jello

Afternoon snack:
*I sometimes have had an Atkin's Shake. The label says it's fine for induction, but I read somewhere on here that one shouldn't use them on induction? I've had 2 so far of the 4 days I've been on induction.
*I ate 5 almonds one day before I realized that nuts were not allowed on induction?

Wendy
SW257.1/CW255.4/GW155
Started induction 8/14/08

[2muchbutt]

I'm new too! Such a hard thing for me to learn how to eat differently at 58 years old! Anyway, good luck. Someone will answer and give you all kinds of good information.

[TexasTaterTot]

Hi Wendy,

I'm a newbie too. Here is a typical menu for me:

Breakfast:

2egg Scrambled w/Onion, Cooked (uncured) bacon / shredded cheddar - topped w/Salsa

Lunch:
Grilled Chicken Breast / 1-cup salad w/tomatoes, cucumber, grated pamesan topped with a vinegar and olive oil dressing

Dinner:
Small steak or Chicken Breast / 1-cup salad prepared like breakfast / steamed cauliflower w/butter and pepper

Like you, I struggle with variety. I found reading through past postings folks shared recipes and there is a webiste for Linda's Low Carb recipes that seems really populer. I've tried a couple I read about - cauliflower hash browns were pretty good and if you have a sweet tooth you can take a small amount of cream cheese, mix it with a packet of Tru Lemon or Tru Lime (found in baking section) and a packet of splenda. YUM! (You have to nuke the cheese for 10/15 seconds to soften it up for mixing.)

I keep preportioned individually wrapped cheddar cheeses and mozarella cheeses for snack emergencies and boiled eggs are a staple in my fridge. Thank goodness I love Deviled Eggs --- I'm eating quite a few of these lately.

I will see if I can find the link to the low-carb recipe site and come back and post it.

Much luck and I am looking forward to any additional posts from other folks! Variety is the spice of life!

[TexasTaterTot]

I'm baaack! LOL -- here is that link:

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

Hope that helps!

[2muchbutt]

Thanks for replying. I am feeling kinda down. The weight is just not coming down. Seems like I have been on a diet for the last 10 years. I never had to diet a day in my life until I hit my 40's and had my thyroid removed. Since then, it is a daily struggle for me. I will keep eating meat, salad, and veges and see what happens. I don't really like bread, pasta, or rice but I sure like/need sugar!!! I can go for about 2, maybe 3 weeks with no "real" sugar and then I break down and have ice cream or something. But then I am good for another 2 or 3 weeks. One thing I have noticed is that I never really feel hungry. The protein really fills me up. Anyway, enough whinning! Good luck to both of us!!!

[Lyssie]

I would cut the Atkins shake and the jello. The shake's ingredients are not on the list of acceptable foods for induction and the jello has aspartame which is not an acceptable item. If you're not losing, these could help.

Then again, I don't know what your stats are, or what your body feels like since everyone is different. Keep in mind that you've had shakes 2/4 days and you had almonds 1/4 days, so the best possibility is that you've actually had 2 days of clean induction not 4. I would also make sure that you're only eating to the point where you are content, not *full* so many of us eat beyond what we actually need to eat because something tastes good, or it's on our plate, or it's what we usually eat, etc.

Are you drinking all your water? Have you started your exercise plan?

[Mom0506]

2muchbutt, sending you cyber hugs. I totally feel your frustration. I was dx as hypothryoid in December of 2007, but I suspect I have gone undiagnosed for years, at least since 2004 when my hypo symptoms began after my first pregnancy that ended in a miscarraige. I've had the symptoms (extreme fatigue, dry skin, mental fog, dry hair, horrible insomnia, etcc...) since then but wasn't dx until I saw an endocrinologist in Dec. of 2007. I do feel better now that I'm on meds (I'm on Synthroid 125 and Cytomel 25) but my levels aren't at optimal levels yet. Losing weight is hard enough, let alone throwing a bum thyroid into the mix. Have you tested your ketones yet to see if you're in ketosis? That might be a visual help for you to stay motivated.

Lyssie, thanks for taking the time to review my menu and thanks for your thoughts. I wasn't sure on the shakes, but on the back of the shake it says they are fine for all stages of Atkin's. But if the consensus around here is to stay off the shakes, then that's what I'm going to have to do. Also, I'm royally confused on the jello too. In the Atkin's book I have, it says diet, sugar-free jello is ok, has that changed since his first book came out? The Atkin's book I have is from the mid 90's, have things changed since that one came out?

On a positive note, I weighed this morning and am down 3.2 lbs and am starting my 4th day on induction. I also bought some of the ketone strips and tested this afternoon and it was in the dark purple, "large loss of ketones" range. I hope that's a good sign?

On a negative note, I need to kick my diet pepsi addiction and I'm finding that sooo hard. I"m down to 2/day, but can't seem to get off the hooch completely. Ahhhh....

[Lyssie]

This site goes by the 2002 edition of DANDR not the earlier one and that is one of the changes.

[Sherri]

Hello Wendy,
Here's a Sticky from the Induction Thread with some great info.
I too have Hypo-Thyroidism. I've found as long as you continue to have your thyroid levels checked and your dose of medication(s) adjusted correctly that Atkins is certainly doable.
CONGRATULATIONS on the pounds gone forever. Hey, 3.5 pounds in 4 days is AWESOME! What a great start to getting healthy, healthy, healthy!
Wishing you the best of health and lite.
Sincerely, Sherri
Before you begin:

1. Read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition.
At the very least, read chapters 10 through 14. These chapters tell you how to do the diet, what to expect, and why the first 14 days are so important.

ADBB uses DANDR 2002 as its reference. Granted there are other publications by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. but we like to do the diet as it was written by Dr. Robert C. Atkins because in our collective experience Dr. Atkins' diet is more effective than Atkins Nutritionals, Inc's version.

2. See your physician.
Dr. Atkins recommended this himself. See your physician for a complete physical exam, including blood tests before beginning this or any other diet and exercise program.

Also take the Blood Sugar Symptom Test found in the book.

3. Make a commitment.
Commit yourself to giving the 14 day Induction a fair shot. If you can't commit yourself to 14 days of following rules and eating the foods listed in the acceptable foods list, this diet might not be for you.

4. Prepare your kitchen
If it's not on the list, remove it from your home. If you live with people who aren't on a low carb diet, then put your food(s) in areas separate from theirs. Also make sure you have low carb snacks available to you at all times, in case you get hungry.

5. Recruit your family and friends.
You are about to embark on a completely new lifestyle. Getting the support of your family and friends will help you through this. Be frank with them and tell them your intentions and that this is very important to you. If they have any doubts about this diet, ask them to read the book because knowledge is power.

6. Keep the Induction Rules and Foods List handy.
Make two copies of these documents: keep one on your refrigerator at home and keep the other one on your person at all times. This will save you a lot of guesswork and worry when eating out or grocery shopping.

The Rules of Induction can be found here:
What are the Rules of Induction?

The Induction Acceptable Foods List can be found here:
What foods can be eaten on Induction?

7. Read the entire label, including the ingredients.
Some foods have little carbs, but contain things like hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and sugar, which makes them unacceptable for Induction.

8. Keep a food diary
It is of utmost importance to keep track of your daily carbohydrate intake to make sure you are not exceeding 20 net carbohydrates daily.

Some people keep a notebook journal. Others like to track their progress online.

Here are some resources:
An Atkins spreadsheet:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=4570

http://www.fitday.com ---This is a free online service (registration required) that allows you to input your foods, track your exercise, etc.

Carbohydrate Counters:
http://www.atkins.com ---The Atkins site has a downloadable Carb Counter.
http://www.calorieking.com ---This site has nutritional information for most foods and beverages.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ ---This is the United States Department of Agriculture Nutrition Database.

9. Exercise
According to Dr. Atkins "exercise is non-negotiable"! So get moving. Begin according to your level of fitness. Visit the Exercise Forum.

10. Vitamin Supplements
These are also recommended by Dr. Atkins because many of us have poor nutrition and we need extra nutrients. Visit the Vita-Nutrient Forum.

11. Weigh AND Measure Yourself on Day 1

Make sure you weigh and measure yourself before you begin this diet. Contrary to what we are lead to believe, the scale isn't the best tool for measuring weight loss (fat loss). It doesn't tell you how much muscle you gained. It doesn't tell you how much water weight you gained or lost. It doesn't tell you that you will fit into that pair of jeans.

Tips for weighing:
a. Weigh yourself at the same time of day under the same conditions. You can weigh "more" after a meal or after you drink water or you can weigh "less" after you exercise or have a bowel movement. So pick a time and stick to it. Likewise, clothing can also add on "pounds". So if you choose to weigh yourself wearing clothes, make sure you are wearing the same clothing or nearly the same clothing.

b. Use the same scale. Scales differ slightly. So the scale in your doctor's office or at the gym might have you weighing more or less than the scale in your bathroom.

Tips for measuring:
a. You can measure whatever body areas you want: chest, waist, hips, thighs, upper arm, wrists and ankles. To make the measuring easier, you body landmarks like your belly button or a mole or scar, to guide your tape measure placement. For chest measurement, women can either measure under their armpits and/or under their breasts.

b. Don't "pull" on the measuring tape because that will give you a false reading (and stretch the tape). The tape should be snug, but not tight.

c. Don't suck in to make yourself smaller. Again, that will give you a false measurement.

Measuring tapes can be purchased at craft stores (the sewing section) for under $5.00. If you can't find one, you can use a piece of string. Just mark that string with a marker pen to indicate your "start" points". Or if you have an old belt, you can use that too.

Another good "measuring tool" is your clothing. Non-stretchy clothing like a dress shirt, jeans, or dress is the best thing to use. Stretchy fabric (like t-shirts or anything with spandex) will conform to your body as you shrink so you might not see the results. Try on this article of clothing periodically to see how you are losing inches.

Good luck to you on your 14 day Induction journey.

[Mom0506]

Ah ha, looks like I"ll be going to buy me the 2002 version. Thanks for that info., I didn't realize things had changed that much since then.