My daily non induction menu

[liv]

Originally Posted by Barbee

OK, will try that. I'm using the 1972 edition! I bought it on Amazon used because it was the one I used years ago with much success.

I'm trying to make the diet as appetizing as possible so it isn't so difficult to stay on. After a few months it can get tedius.

I like the pumpkin, cream cheese idea but don't you need a touch of sweetening?

Thank you and I'll try your suggestions.

I think following the OWL rungs is away out of tedious because you slowly try on new things and don't get stuck with the same old. Just going by from what I have learned from this board it seems the successful longtimers here all did that. Another way out of tedious is to experiment and do different things with food. I hunt for recipes all the time. I love to try to do new baking things - flax has become a love of life
As for the pumpkin and cream cheese - I do add a tad of splenda and a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg. Cinnamon is been touted as being good for metabolism - and I love the taste. So it cannot hurt.
Have you tried coconut oil? Some people think it helps metabolism too.

[redfoxglove]

Alex, I did not mean to point a finger at you with all that I had to say. Your point is valid, favorable, and well taken. Learning to have a healthy relationship to food is more than a one-trick pony. For some of us fat people it's not just an emotional eating issue. Once I learned to do all the things you mention, now I'm all about learning to have a well-rounded life, in a way that is healthy for me, which includes all of the social activities that usually revolve around food.

Certainly success in changing our relationship to food includes learning to focus attention on and derive pleasure from things other than food or tv watching or video game playing. My life is chock full of activities that I enjoy and others that I've given up because of failing energy. I did not mean to make what you said wrong. There is just so much more to the issue, for me, and I think for others. And your post is not the only one I've read on these various forums that says "find other ways to pleasure yourself than food." True enough, but let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. That's why I wish I had put my post in a more general thread.

[MsManners]

No worries Redfoxglove!

And Liv.....tell me about this pumpkin cream cheese thing please!

[Barbee]

I agree with both of you. Food should be enjoyed but not a pacifier.

My point is, if I'm eating things that don't taste good, I'm not likely to stay on the diet for long. If I am getting some enjoyment from the selection of foods, my chances of staying on are excellent.

I think my biggest failure of the diet is that I've been drinking flavored water instead of real water. The bottles says 0 calories and 0 carbs but it does contain a lot of Splenda.... I don't see how my few strawberries a day can hurt when Atkins has it on the 3rd step of the diet and that's where I am, third step. I am eating them in place of the cheesecake which has more carbs than the vitamin C rich strawberries.
I don't bake anything... my only pleasure is that I can still have "dessert" which is a few strawberries with a dab of whipped cream. It is what keeps me on the diet, really. I look forward to it. I'm not on the diet "just" to lose weight but it will become my lifestyle. I do not wish to ever go back to carbs because of the way I feel when I eat them. Awful. So if I'm going to stay on for life, then I'm going to enjoy a few of the diet perks. I won't complain anymore about the slow weight loss... as long as I'm losing and not gaining... I am happy.

[momtomany1]

Hi, Barbee, yes pumpkin will need a little sweetening. Have you ever tried stevia or xylitol? You don't mention if Splenda gives you issues, but of course the 1972 book wouldn't have mentioned that Splenda was the current recommended sweetener.

Not sure where you live, but I can recommend a replacement for your strawberries. There is a crazy looking green squash available here in the South called chayote. If you sautee' it in butter till softening, add a little cinnamon and Splenda or xylitol, you will think you have cinnamon apples. Throw a little whipping cream on it and it is divine. Very very low carb. If you eat the whole thing it is 8 carbs or so, half of that being fiber, so 4 grams of fiber. That is a better 'fiber to carb' ratio than strawberries.

This is what they look like.

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/products/chayote.jpg

Flax can add a whole new dimension to your meals as well, let me know if you want a killer cereal recipe.

[momtomany1]

We were posting at the same time.. I see you are in NY. And you mention splenda in your last post. I wonder, Buffalo NY would be a major city and still have something of an immigrant population, so chayote (mainly Hispanic food) may still be available. But it does seem as if your strawberries don't hurt ya, just presenting options!

[Barbee]

I have never seen one of those around here. I'm a yankee from Buffalo NY.

If strawberries are not "ok" why does Atkins have it on the 3rd level in the book? He doesn't even specify the amount which means endless...???

[Barbee]

I was surprised to see carrots on the low carb menu at Cracker BArrel last night. I thought they were taboo. I didn't order them.

[momtomany1]

A bunch of posts got posted while I was typing, I didn't realize you were past the berries rung as I was typing. You clarified that in the message I hadn't read yet, since I was still typing. But hey, if you ever see a chayote, try one!

Oh.. and for us (2002) berries is rung 4!

hugs

[redfoxglove]

Originally Posted by Barbee

I was surprised to see carrots on the low carb menu at Cracker BArrel last night. I thought they were taboo. I didn't order them.

Yes, carrots are rather high on the glycemic index. Something that is taught in the 2002 edition. Be an Atkineer, go by what it says in his book and largely ignore things like restaurant menus.

Apologies if my previous post seems strident.

Yes, it seems that increasing your real water intake will be a big step forward. I empathize with the pee at night thing, it's something I deal with as well. I find that drinking more water during the day, tapering off toward evening, works well. Tea or decaf tea, BTW, is a diuretic and will make me (you?) have a guaranteed night bathroom trip if taken after 4pm.

Sweeteners of any kind are suspect until proven otherwise. If you want to lose and keep losing. I've learned the hard way. Only 3 packets per day are allowed on induction, not sure if that changes once you get past the first 2 weeks, you might check in the book.

It might help to really ponder exactly what you mean when you say that a dessert i.e. strawberries and cream are the only perks of the diet. What about increased energy, decreased allergy symptoms, no more flatulence, a feeling of empowerment, being part of a community (Dr. called it a Revolution)...in accordance with what Alex said above? What about all the wonderful foods that you can explore, experiment, and eat? Just a thought...

A lifestyle change, a new way of eating, something that will sustain us through more than a 10 lb weight loss, we've got to find something more in it than a minor perk like a serving of fruit and whipped cream...IMO