B4 it's too late, please review my menu...

[wgiag]

Ive just begun and I don't want to start on the wrong foot.

Breakfast:
4 eggs
3 slices cheese (1 carb listed each)
butter/evoo

Lunch:
8oz tuna or chicken salad with mayo
cup of mesclun mix

Dinner: (Here's what I had the last 3 nights)
Sunday:
6 hot dogs (1 carb listed each)
12oz rib steak
1.5 cup mixed mesclun
1/2 avacado
evoo
mayo

Monday:
1LB skirt steak
4 sausages (less than 1 carb each)
4 eggs fried
1 cup mesclun
1/2 avacado
evoo
mayo

Tues:
6 eggs fried
1 cup baby spinach
8oz salami (0 carbs listed)
4 chicken bottoms (I was really hungry...)

I drink about 2 liters of water per day, along with about 3 quarts of crystal light ice tea.

I need to lose 100 pounds

Please advise....

Thanks

[liv]

You're doing good.
Here are some things that you may want to think about
*hotdogs with carbs can be a problem. The carbs is from sugar or flour and some of will not lose with these (and they are illegal)
* sausages and like with hotdogs these have sugars and fillers and can be problematic
* salami - very salty and does have carbs (even if they are not listed) and as with th other processed meats best kept to a minimum.
* A big NO-No on the crystal light. This is aspartame and it is not a legal sweetener. Drinking sweet stuff is not a good idea. Try to cut that out and just drink Plenty of plain water.

I hope that helps. I thought it looked pretty good. Great on those greens but don't be afraid to try other veggies too.

[wgiag]

so eventhough my total carb count is not more than 20, i should still avoid carbs that come from hotdogs?

[liv]

Yes is the short answer. This is not just about "carbs" It depends on what food the carb from. Some carbs (from sugar, four, rice starches) make our bloodsugar go crazy and we avoid them (like the plague, well almost ) Others like those from veggies (on the allowed lists) will not have this kind of effect.

Also. Atkins says that most of our carbs should come from vegetables. But most of your carbs look to come from processed meats and cheese. Don't forget that eggs have carbs too.

[kibskix]

its not -just- about carbs, it where those carbs come from. if all we needed to do was eat less than 30 carbs, i'd be throwing in kitkats left and right on days my carbs are low. carbs from fillers like sugar and flour are to be avoided, even if its in a hot dog. this is why you have to read the package. i bought fish the other day and didnt notice till i got home it was processed with skim milk, whey, and other stupid things. thats what i get for getting pre-seasoned fish.

p.s. 3 cups of veggies a day, not 1! avoid processed food and dont overdo the cheese!

[wgiag]

gotcha.

as far as aspartame, is there any ice tea mix that has an allowed sweetner?

[imagood1]

plain ice tea from bags is allowed -- either boil water and add them until the tea is strong enough and put it in the fidge or get a gallon jug and put water in and bags - let steep until it's strong enough then put in the fridge.

you should drink at least 64 ounces of pure water -- more is better some people say drink half your weight in water....I started at 217 and from day 1 I have drank 150 oz of pure water a day....I have a cup of decaf coffee first thing in the morning and start off on the water. Occasionally I have a cup of hot tea or glass of ice tea at night but I focus on getting enough water in first.

Here is the "usual" I send to newbies because it's what helped me most when I first started....read what it says at the bottom about water. Good luck.

The Rules of Induction can be found here:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6782 (What are the Rules of Induction?)
The Induction Acceptable Foods List can be found here:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6781 (What foods can be eaten on Induction?)


Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Daily Menus
Sugar Free Sheila's Atkins Low Carb Induction Friendly Recipes!
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...n-recipes.html (Never ending induction recipes)
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...pes-added.html (Induction Recipe Basics--More recipes added)

This is from the "Read before you start" thread in the Induction area

Be sure to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day, including:
Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water

Additionally (after your 64 ounces daily), you can have the following:

Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three tablespoons a day; note carb content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs (may cause a stall in weight loss)
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three tablespoons

*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases.

also one of the wise ladies on this site who is a success story here wrote this to me on my first day on Atkins...words I treasure and re-read often:

SunnySmile writes:

Carb addiction is as real as drug and alcohol addiction. Your body will fight you hard for a few days to get it's fix. If you eat plenty of fat and moderate protein, you'll get into ketosis faster and that will nip the carb cravings in the bud. After you get into ketosis, you will have very little appetite. These first few days, keep fatty snacks around

Cheese
Cream Cheese stuffed celery
A hunk of chicken dipped in mayo
Boiled or deviled eggs

to munch on frequently. I didn't like meat much at all at the beginning, but love it now.

You do know that Atkins is high fat, not high protein? If you add real butter, olive oil and mayonnaise to your meals, you don't have to eat a lot of meat.

Eggs are the perfect protein and they are good with butter or mayo in egg salad or deviled eggs. Avocado is filling and has good fats. You are allowed half per day on induction.

Be sure to drink lots of water to flush out the nasties from your body. You will be detoxing in a big way.

[wgiag]

great idea with the t-bags! any sweetener that is allowed (sweet-n-low, equal, any new stuff out now)?

[niko772]

You can use Splenda but I prefer Stevia

[wgiag]

Any reason Stevia is better?