Big Papa's daily eating

[Big Papa]

I'd love some feedback on my current diet.

7:30am - Low Carb Breakfast Bowl from Hardees + Water
10:00am - 3 Mozarella Cheese Stix + Water
12:30pm - Chef Salad w/ Ranch + Unsweet Tea (school cafeteria)
5:30pm - Beef Jerky + PowerAid Zero
7:00pm - Dinner (I've done grilled chicken salad, but my favorite is 3 eggs, 4 slices bacon, 4 ham slices with melted cheese on top) (this is one of the few meals I actually cook)
9:00pm - Pork Rinds and Cheese Slices (colby is my favorite) + PowerAid Zero

I've already had one poster say that my PowerAid Zero intake puts me over the 3 sweetner limit but until I quit losing, they are really quenching my sweet cravings at night.

I'm also doing a workout that is pretty intense called P90X. It is 1 hour to 1.5 hours per day.

With this diet and exercise I've gone from 314 to 308.5 in just 6 days.

Thanks in advance - Big Papa

I'd love to hear your comments and hints for a big guy who seldom cooks.

[liv]

It looked pretty good to me.
There are some things you may want to improve on
**Sweeteners - as you already say those drinks may put you over. For some this would really stall or set them back. One thing that I found is that when I cut out all sweets my cravings subsided. It is worth a try.
** Cheese limit - we are limited to a few ounces and you are clearly over. How about some hard boiled eggs for snacks? They are easy to cook and keep pretty well. Some times meat or bacon left overs can be good snacks too.
** Sodium - you eat some processed stuff - ham and jerky so you probably take in a lot of salt. That is something to think about.
** Veggies - I don't know how big your salad is or what veggies are in it but I think you may not be eating enough veggie carb. How about trying a bit of side with your supper. Do you like mushrooms or peppers? You can have them sauteed in the pan or eat them raw. Or with a dip. Can be quite yammy.
Other times you may try some celery or cucumber perhaps with your cheese and jerky snack .

Congratulations with your loss. Keep it up. I have not tried the P90X - seen the infomersial - it sure looks tough. I also have seen people on the board talking about it and saying it is one of the best work-out videos around so you're doing good.

[Big Papa]

Yeah, I'm a cheese adict. I actually eat it in place of a dessert sometimes. It has less than 1 carb per slice and the mozerella has zero.
I could get more creative with my salads and my egg dinners by throwing some veges in there. I do like mushrooms, green peppers and onions in omlets so that would work.
My salads are mainly lettuce with ham, green peppers, and cheese. I use ranch dressing that is 2 carbs per packet.
I don't remember sweeteners being as big a deal when I did Atkins several years ago. Is this 3 packets per day restriction something fairly new or something I just skipped over? It's been several years since I read the book. I should probably re-read for a refresher.
Anyway, thanks for taking time to look over it.
Big Papa

[Elizellen]

Originally Posted by Big Papa

Yeah, I'm a cheese addict. I actually eat it in place of a dessert sometimes. It has less than 1 carb per slice and the mozerella has zero.

Dr Atkins told us to count every ounce of cheese as being one net carb, and to stick to 3-4 ounces per day on induction.

I could get more creative with my salads and my egg dinners by throwing some veges in there. I do like mushrooms, green peppers and onions in omlets so that would work.

That sounds like a good plan

[redfoxglove]

I would agree that you would benefit a lot by adding more veggies.
Cooking has not always been considered fun by me, so I can understand that part.

Here's some ideas to add veggies that require no cooking. Do you like avocado? It's rich in fiber and the best kind of fat, cut in half, throw away the seed, eat half with a spoon. I usually eat mine with breakfast b/c it really, really lasts all morning. Put the other half in a baggie in the frig and have the next day. They are a little tricky to purchase at first if you've never chosen them. Pick ones that are not completely hard, that have a slight amount of give when you grasp them in your palm. Pick up several so you'll get the feel of it. Let them sit out on the counter for a day or two. You may have to cut into a few to learn how to pick and then cure them. It's worth the trouble!

Make up a couple of dips, there's lots of recipes in the recipe forum, and have on hand in the frig. Then eat with raw veggies. You can either cut them up yourself or buy them already cut up in the deli or produce section. It's cheaper to cut them yourself. But convenience adds up to success sometimes. Usually I do my cutting up and making ahead on Sunday afternoon. You might be surprised, if you try veggies and a fatty type dip in the evening, your sugar craving might just slip away quietly.

Salami sandwich: 2" rounds of salami smeared with cream cheese and a cucumber slice. I usually use 6 rounds to make 3 sandwiches, and about 1T cream cheese distributed among the 3. Cut up extra cucumber slices to go with, put all in a baggie with a piece of paper towel. Get a plastic container with lid, put in the salami sandwiches, the cut up veggies especially pepper slices, the boiled eggs, you've got a portable snack container for your pack.

Boiled eggs are one of my faves, they carry well in a backpack. I always put some slices of red or orange peppers in with my eggs, and eat them together. Peppers are as sweet as candy, once you get the sweet taste out of your mouth.

Cooked veggies, I always add sauteed veggies to my scrambled eggs. I douse the pan liberally with olive oil, throw in onion, mushroom, GARLIC, squash, tomato, stir around until almost done, throw in egg at the last minute. You could cook extra veg, remove some before throwing in the egg, and take the ones you removed with you in your pack to throw on your salad. Makes it much more interesting to eat!

Sweeteners are suspect, all of them, in my menu. I feel fortunate to have worked through the sweet taste in my mouth thing, it took a long time to completely give it up. But for long term success it's been the best choice for me. Now I hardly miss it at all. Salt became my thing. But I'm defeating it with water intake.

Just keep making small adjustments, as your health improves, nothing succeeds like success. Keep asking questions and trying out the answers. Small victories add up to big wins in this game!

[Sherri]

Hello Big Pappa,
Do you have DANDR 2002? It's the last book that Dr. A wrote and the book that we go by at this site. Here's a Sticky from the Induction Thread with some great information regarding Induction. You will find "Rules of Induction" and "What Foods can be eaten on Induction".
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.

[Big Papa]

Thanks to everyone for taking time to review my daily eating. I'll try to get some more veges in there. I appreciate the help.

Big Papa