hi all,
I am much better today, I went to the gym and did the elliptical thing and then ate a great dinner! I think when I excercise I feel more in control.. so now i am back on track. Thanks for all the support... I am taking everyones advice and just ignoring everything and feeling good and healthy. Oh, thanks Pattie for some great words of advice about Germans! I am going to check out the davinci syrup thing tomorrow, but what is the best use of this? for cooking or? anyone have a good recipe?
lots of hugs,
judi

Judi...so glad to hear you are feeling better. This crappy weather we have had for the last week is passing and it is beautiful and sunny again, so my mood is improving too.

Had a nice night out with the girls last night. There were ten of us and nobody even SUSPECTED I was eating differently. It was great. I passed on the MOUNDS of potatos dropped in bowls all along the 3 tables were were using and also on the yummy looking rolls with garlic butter. But, they did look tasy. However, I focused on my meal. I had garlic in butter.....asked for a steak with garlic and butte ron the side....of course they were OUT! So, instead, I had a fish "cauldron"...sort of a fish stew with TONS of big chunchks of fish. I pulled it out of the tomatoy sauce and ate JUST the fish. And, beleive it or not, they had SUGAR FREE ICE CREAM on the dessert menu! So, I had it. It came with banans and grapes...I had one cheat..I ate two grapes. But, the rest stayed in the nice little ice cream dish. I am very pleased I jumped that hurdle!!! YIPPIE!

So, Judi...the Davici syrups...you can use them in "ziplock ice cream"...found in the recipe pages....in coffee for a treat (mmm...coffee and hazlenut or kahlua, or vanilla or....). You an use some flavors on shaved ice for a snow cone. I have also seen people whip cream with splenda and then use the syrups to flavor it..My fav being the one made with caramel and then nuts sprinkled on top...kinda like a sundae! Oh..I am hungry now. hehe You can look up the recipes here or on Atkins site. Do a search for "davinci syrups" and you should find plenty. They also have recipes on davinci...not low carb, but you can adjust the accordingly???

Yesterday I was watching my favorite show on BBC...Ready, Steady, Cook! (WHY OH WHY DO I TORTUE MYSELF ON INDUCTION??). One of the chefs commented on how he'd lost a "stone and a half..I think around 21 pounds) on Atkins..and how it was 'brilliant'. I thought it was amusing...Had to share it.

OK...I wrote a cuter message earlier...and while sending the server went offline so I lost it. This will have to suffice. Hugs guys!

Char

HI Char & Judi
So sorry I have not been back to this thread..havebeen busy at home and with German lessons..damn.
Judi I am so glad you are feeling better.Sometimes you just need to take a few steps back and look at the whole picture. It never as bad as it seems.
Char I love your idea about getting a LC store going and I will support and even help ..but Have not a clue how to do this. Getting anything LC here is near impossible grrrrr But I get the feeling here if it is not a European idea most peopl do not want to have anything to do with it or even admt that maybe the idea or concept really work(just so many Pig Headed people here).
One of my favoirte treat right now is dipping Pork Rinds in Da Vinci syrup..a no carb treat and oh so yummy.
Do you two have any info on any LC foods available here? I can not find any kind of candy here that is LC,but maybe that is better for me
I will get back here more frequently .. lets see what we can do.

Pattie

Hello guys. I have been online for brief moments the last few days, but haven't been posting much either. This cold has really zapped my energy....especially because of the coughing. Thank God I have Chinese Herbs here so I at least didn't get a stuffy nose!!!

I am SURe there is some interest in Atkins here. I know it might be in the beginning stages, but it HAS to catch on...don;t you think??? I am thinking about starting a Co-Op. IE: Have only a limited selection of items to choose from...then, take orders and once I have enough for a bulk (readISCOUNT) price, I can order. Then we can split the shipping costs. Maybe if this catches on, I can generate enough orders to get a profit, expand selection and eventually turn the Co-op into an online store front. It's just an idea...but SOMEONE has to do SOMETHING! lol

I am going to talk to some people next week and see if I can generate ANY interest. You guys know anyone intersted in Atkins???

OK....so, by now, everyone knows I have a new puppy (A Boxer) named Bailey. He is REALLY keeping me BUSY. It's like having a baby...they eat, they sleep, they poop and pee. I can't IMAGINE what I was thinking when we decided to do this! lol But, he IS cute and cuddly.

How's everyone else out there????

Charlotte

hi guys,
i have not been around since i am quite sick, I have Lupus SLE and have been very sick and have been avoiding the computer, but will post tomorrow.....

hugs to all,
judi

Hi Judi - Hello All,
I'm so sorry you aren't feeling well Judi. My prayers are with you for a speedy recovery.
To All - Judi contacted me to let me know of my fellow European LCers. To introduce myself, I'm originally from Texas (who knows? Judi and I could have been neighbors). My husband and I are currently stationed in Stuttgart with the US military. We've been here for...almost a year now - WOW...time sure does fly! But I actually met my beloved in 1997 when we were both stationed in Spangdahlem, Germany.
So anyways, I'm taking a Speech class and I had to give a persuasive speech. Of course, I chose LCing as my topic and lo 'n' behold - what did I discover while doing my research you ask? well I discovered some research that stated that LCing as been popular in Germany over the last 30 years. Which of course led me to wonder where all the LC products are? and like Judi, I can't help but notice how thin all the Germans are. You rarely see an overweight German. And I suppose that may have something to do with the fact that if you are overweight (like myself, but not for long) then you tend to get looks of disgust from the Germans. I guess if I was native, these looks of disgust would have dissuaded me from ever becoming overweight in the first place.
But anyways, where are the LC products? I actually found a health food store here, but the prices were outrageous!! can't afford it. And unfortunately my German isn't good enough to read the labels anyways.
So is LCing big in Germany just because they eat lunch meat and cheese for breakfast?
Anyhow, I'm glad to know I have support from this side of the globe now.

Cameron

Hello!!

I'm American but my family is from Stein. I didn't realize how much I was raised with a Dutch eating habits until I visited my family with my friend this year. She's from Alabama and just stared at the food I must have gained 6 lbs in a week on the food. I will definately pass your website to my relatives and try to get some more word of mouth going!! Good luck!

You Dutchy's are EVERYWHERE! lol I wrote a woman in Canada from thsi forum...got a note back from her...last name Van der Broek! I thik the world is being secretly infiltrated! lol I have to be careful about using my bad Dutch cursewords! lol I always tought they sounded less unpleasant than English ones! lol

Judi: Sorry to hear you are sick. I know about Lupus and how terribly it's consequences can be. I hope today brings you some relief. You know, alternative medicines have a lot of therapies for Lupus. Perhaps you might look around there. Germany is really progressive in this area.... If I can be of assistance, I certainly will. I also know that acupuncture can have some benefits for certain symptoms you may be experiencing. (I am an acupuncturist, remember?)

OK...now the dog has found a piece of glass...I have NO idea where...so I have to go chase him before he swallows it. I will write more later...

Char

hi all,

Well it is rainy,cold and so yucky here. This weather makes my knee and all my other joints ache so badly, but I decided not to give in and went to the gym. I struggled to do 45 min. on the elliptical and felt a little better. I then went upstairs to change and what do I see. There is this thin German woman who has finished working out and she is eating an entire packet of cake and a huge bottle of juice!!!! Now, if I even look at cake I gain a kilo, and this woman is inhaling it! How do they do it? Oh well... I hope everyone is doing well and having a great lc day. I have been Totally off the lc woe but am jumping in 100% (started today) i am also going to lay off the schlagsahne (cream) to see if it helps, since I just read that a cup has 800 calories, I shudder to think exactly how much I was eating per day. I have been more on a maintenance mode but really want to get my body fat percentage down and be healthier and fitter.. that is my goal, if I get some weight off in the bargain it will be great.
i am off to call the landlord..Again, since they have not turned on the heat in the building and I am sitting in front of the computer dressed in sweatpants, tshirt, fleece sweatshirt and a scarf.

hugs,
Judi

BTW anyone know how many carbs is in a Bratwurst( kind they sell in the imbisses?)

I have NO idea how many carbs are in that......Don;t you love how labeling laws haven't reached Europe yet. I guess that is because nobody thinks about what they put in their mouths here. lol Oh well....

Don't worry so much about fat if you are keeping carbs low...You should be ok.

I am sorry to hear you have had such a hard time recently and are feeling so discouraged. It happens to the best of us. Just keep trudging along. You will get there. Look h ow far you have come...and, you had the major setback of breaking your toe.

I am glad you are back with us....I haven't been around much this week, thanks to this horrible chest cold. But, I am hoping by Sunday I will be all better. Plus, this new puppy is keeping me BUSY! lol. I could lose a kilo a day just chasing behind him! lol

I am sending good vibes your way and hoping today will find you happier and more motivated.

By the way, ther eis a new European Low Carbers Forum...follow the threads below to find it..... It'd be nice to have us all togehter....

> Main Low-Carb Diets Forums & Support > Countdowns, Buddies & Challenges > Welcome All European Low Carbers

Char

Oy, y'all!
Judi van den Broek here...and hello again, Char.

I've been wildly busy so haven't been able to commune lately, but popped in for a quick read and have a couple of pointers for you and you and you that MAY be helpful.

The Atkins (or Protein Power or whatever) book?
Try www.amazon.nl (for The Netherlands) and www.amazon.de (for Deutsche Republic or however it's spelled ) ---

and I set up a low carb co-op originally, the first online, in Canada for exactly the same reasons y'all have except there were a LOT fewer products available ANYWHERE then. And it's still running but is pretty well now an online store with inventory. Hard work but do-able. Start with one product line, get the wholesale buying info, get the customs info (if you're importing or 'exporting'), build a basic webpage and set up a simple email address for orders only, guestimate shipping (local post office webpage to start), collect pre-paid orders complete with shipping address & postal code) and then order cases. Expand from there. Basically. Hope this helps?

A quick note. Low Carbing does NOT depend on manufactured products, those are TREATS only. It depends on high-quality proteins and fats, and low carb or non-starchy vegetables, with lower carb berries and fruits for later on in the process. MODERATE but not LOW calories (i.e., watch out for cheese, cream and, eventually, nuts: the downfall of many a low carber with their DENSE calorie and fat counts). Take it from me, starting in 1998...

Again, hope this all helps?

There should be a dedicated small following in Europe somewhere, because of the most EXCELLENT book (yes, Dr. Atkins wasn't the only one chasing this theory):

Life Without Bread: How a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Can Save Your Life
by Christian B. Allan, Wolfgang Lutz (this link is from www.amazon.com)

Now this is the fairly recently translated North American version, the original is in German, the title might be ? Leben Ohne Brot, by Dr. Wolfgang Lutz.

Hope this is useful info...

I found this www.virtualmum.co.uk - looks to be angled towards Dutch based expats, few yummy recipes think alot are translations from othr sites, but it's a nice base to help with the lo-carb stuff in NL

hi there!
There is a good website about Atkins - in Dutch - and they have started with selling Atkins stuff. it's at www.atkinsdieet.nl,
I will go to the forum and ask Eddy - the list owner - if he can't set up a special category for English speaking Atkinsers in the Netherlands and otherwise I could start a special mailinglist for y'all.
I am translating dr Atkins' books for a Dutch publisher and they should be in the shops in February, and I am sure that there will be en enormous increase in the availability of Atkins' and general low carb stuff then.
Any specific questions, give me a shout!
willeke at dutchtran.com

SPECIAL MAILING LIST
I have created a special mailinglist for English speaking Atkins follwers in the Netherlands and invited Dutch people who speak English well, so they can give you a hand when needed.
write an email to atkins_netherlands-subscribe at yahoogroups.com to subscribe!

see you there
Willeke