Howdy!!

[sooziebee]

Hello everyone,

Just a newbie wanting to say "hi". I am on my 4th day of Induction and the fact that I made it this far is AMAZING!! I am feeling much more disciplined now, and the results I've seen (just fit into 1 size smaller jeans!) help a ton. I have a couple of questions. Any help is mucho appreciated!

1. What exactly does Aspartame do to the Atkins diet? I was told I could have Sugar-free Jello, but now I realize I can't :-(

2. Has anyone drank alcohol (the stuff that is allegedly "carb-free") during the Induction period and not seen a stall in their results? Not that it is a priority to me, but I do enjoy my vodka and sodas from time to time.

Thanks for any help you can offer, and it's great to have a place to chat!

Sooz

[sallyseachange]

Hi Sooziebee and welcome to ADBB! Glad you're on board!

Aspartame is strongly discouraged by Dr Atkins mainly for health reasons. It's plain bad for you. It also stalls some people. As for the sugar free jello.... I don't know what other jellos you have over there (I live across the pond) so can't really suggest anything else. I'm sure someone else will be able to point you in the right direction. Over here I can't get any low carb jellos but I make my own with gelatin, hot water and Da Vinci syrups. It's really good. I love it with a bit of cream....

Re carb free alcoholic drinks... I'd avoid them. You really want to do the cleanest induction possible so that, based on your induction losses, you'll be able to estimate your CCLL (critical carb level for losing) better when you get to OWL (ongoing weight loss). That's quite important. Also... are the drinks alcohol free too? Or just carb free? (that may be a dumb question!). You shouldn't have alcohol until you reach the alcohol rung of OWL.

Keep us posted as to your progress!

[sooziebee]

Thanx Sally! I will definately check out making my own jello. I was on the recipe thread forever looking at all of the goodies. I'm not much of a chef, but I'll give it a go! Also, no the drinks I mentioned prior are not alcohol free--I am usually a vodka gal. However I decided that you are right--I want this to be as clean of an induction as possible! Today I'm 5 days in today and have lost about 6 lbs already! Its amazing. However, my Ketostix aren't showing that much in color. I haven't drank alcohol, and I've been under 20 carbs everyday, drinking a ton of water, and exercising. Could it be because I'm eating relatively low fat foods? Fill me in on what u or anyone else may think!

Thanx again,
Sooz

[sillygirl]

Hey Sooz, welcome to the board. Regarding your post above, this is definitely not a low fat way of eating (WOE). The fat you eat (without having the carbs) is what will help you get into ketosis and therefore lose weight. In fact, when people say they have cravings, we suggest upping the fat. It might be helpful to you to purchase a copy of the 2002 DANDR. In addition, read around the induction forum and FAQ's for how this WOE works in scientific terms. While we don't stricktly stick to this, your percentages should be 30% protein, 60-65% fat and 5-8% carbs.

Also, check out www.fitday.com, which is a place where you can log your foods eaten each day and it will tell you calories, fat, protein and carb percentages.

[dreamof145]

Hi Sooziebee! Welcome. So happy you've joined us. Get active in the ADBB, make friends and have fun. We're all here to help each other. Best wishes.

[sooziebee]

Thanks Sillygirl and Dream. In regards to my fat intake, what you said makes a lot of sense. Though I have had some cravings for sweets, my major craving has been for fatty foods. So, today I'm borrowing my mom's DANDR book and hitting the meat and cheese aisles. Now instead of giving into carbs, my focus is going to be on PORTION CONTROL. That's always been an issue with me, but I think the past 5 days of Induction will help with that. I am not nearly as hungry as I was the first couple of days, and I'm staying busy so that helps with the boredom eating--another issue of mine ;-) I also use Fitday.com, I started the first day of Induction after seeing someone mention it on here, and it has been super helpful. I'll see how it goes, and keep everyone updated. Thanks for the info and words of encouragement. You guys rock!

Sooz

[sallyseachange]

Originally Posted by sooziebee

Thanx Sally! I will definately check out making my own jello. I was on the recipe thread forever looking at all of the goodies. I'm not much of a chef, but I'll give it a go! Also, no the drinks I mentioned prior are not alcohol free--I am usually a vodka gal. However I decided that you are right--I want this to be as clean of an induction as possible! Today I'm 5 days in today and have lost about 6 lbs already! Its amazing. However, my Ketostix aren't showing that much in color. I haven't drank alcohol, and I've been under 20 carbs everyday, drinking a ton of water, and exercising. Could it be because I'm eating relatively low fat foods? Fill me in on what u or anyone else may think!

Thanx again,
Sooz

Hey that's great! Six pounds gone! Well done!
I know what you mean about the alcohol being hard to drop! I'm a wine gal (living in Italy it's hard not to be!) and it was not easy at first...but it's so worth sticking with it! You can re-introduce the vodka in OWL.

Don't worry about the colour of the stix... light purple is fine and means you're well hydrated. Many people get to goal without ever seeing the stix change colour.

EDIT

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