Hello, BigJim back from the land of denial!

[bigjim66]

Greetings all, and welcome to the 2008 Holidays. I wish to salute all who have lost weight on Atkins! I have been living with some unsustainable life priorities... working myself to death, exercising only occasionally and then out of guilt, and watching the calendar go by without remembering what happened the month before. Even my wife commented on how much she missed me. I talked to God about it, and asked him to make magic happen. He has done it before in our lives.

I played football and basketball in school, and once resembled a bald hulk (from the TV series, not the movie). I am one of those former sports guys who now look more like a fan with a beer belly. I doubt I would want to put in three hours per day at the gym to get that back, but I want to regain some semblence of that. OK, OK, I miss the approving looks and gestures, too... It's not just the girls who like to get those!

Changes have been made to my priorities, to live Atkins and make it happen, while keeping my fiscal responsibilities. That means sacrificing some comfort for now and increasing my personal discipline, but I think that is part of the deal for everyone. I see type-2 diabetes threatening my body, so I have to act.

For awhile, I dropped most other priorities in favor of work, due to financial strains. Now I am out of that pit, and can address my health.

Got a gym membership for my wife and I. Even if she doesn't feel like going, I am. Am re-reading the book this weekend. Am weeding out the carb-addiction foods from the pantry. Am re-discovering protein shakes! I had almost forgotten how filling they can be.

This is a request for input from all: I have stomach problems when I eat most veggies (either top end or other end). My #1 problem day-to-day is not exercise or the kinds of food I pack for lunch, but in hunger. I realize this is part of the carb addiction. What, from your experience, is an Atkins-friendly food that I can chow down on to keep my stomach content? If my stomach is not content, the rest of me is .

I wish to express to you the shameless need in me to check out your progress and hear your support. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

[hopejoy]

Hi bigjim,
My tummy hurts too with all these veggies. What helps is taking probiotics and getting fiber in the form of psyllium or flax.

As far as food to eat to help keep you from getting hungry, here's a few of my favorites:
lettuce wraps with chichen salad, tuna salad, scrambled eggs and salsa, ground beef cheese and salsa for 'faux tacos' etc...
casseroles from lindas web site that I can easily microwave...
faux rice made from calflower, since it's scredded already it's easier to digest and you can use it to make faux mashed potatoes, faux fried potatoes with eggs for breakfast, as a base for a pizza crust, etc...

You will need to explore some of the food threads that have already been going on for a while. Try to get your wife involved to assist you in making some of these fabulous recipes. To do this long term I find that I have to keep mixing it up and trying new things.

Good luck you can do this!
liz

[soonernort75]

I guess a welcome back is in order to you as well.

[Razzle39]

Hey Jim
Deviled eggs are my cookies. I love them. They have just enough calories for one half an egg to satisfy you until your next planned meal. When I needed to pack something on the road i took sliced roast beef rolled up with a smidge of Dukes sugar free Mayo in the center. ( smells beter than deviled eggs) LOL I am a cream cheese person but I heard cream cheese can have hidden sugar.
My husband is in the same boat as you. He was all athletic and then turned into a fan and saw a picture of himself from the side and freaked.....but he still wont change his ways. Chicken wings, chips and Beer in front of the TV during highlighted games <sigh> You give me hope.

[Skeptika23]

Hiya, bigjim!

What you should see as you progress into induction is that the hunger pangs will reduce dramatically over time.

I can vouch for this, it's totally true for me. My old pre-Atkins typical high carb low fat diet calories consumed was 1800/day and I was starving most of the time vs. today's 1200-1500/day and not feeling like I'm going to knock down little old ladies to get to the FOOD.

As for snacks - cheese is my favorite non-veggie snack. Cube it up, premeasure it, stay under the limits for induction, and you should be good to go. You'll find it more satisfying than you think.

Also - try the 10-12 olives/day. Also good and handy and yummy and usually satisfies my "man, I have the munchies" feeling.

[bigjim66]

soonernort75,
Thank you.

hopejoy,
I will order the Probiotics next week, I read good things about them. The faux fried potatoes with eggs suggestion is especially attractive, since I am a huge breakfast lover.

Razzle39,
Looks like wings and I are going to become bosom buddies! Any advice on buying them at Costco, etc, as far as brands to beware of, or is it enough to just stay away from the sauces?

Skeptika23,
Hi, yes I remember the hunger decreasing after induction, but I am not real fun to be around when I am hungry, so maybe there is a special vacation resort somewhere that people can go for the first few weeks of induction. Induction Ranch? Sounds like a salad dressing. Reminds me of an idea for a beard ranch, where guys can go to start a beard without looking like winos in public.

Thanks for your replies!