Learn how to get the most bang for your carb bucks!

I'm trying to stick to Induction levels still (week 4) and am enjoying finding creative ways to get a wide variety of foods and still stay at 20 carbs or less.

One quick example - I'm sure others will have great suggestions -- is to use stronger tasting foods and less of them. For instance, 1 oz of grated asiago or real parmesan (hard) grated over a salad has a lot of flavour - whereas if I use cheddar I want more -- like 3 oz! Ditto a couple of Kalamata olives chopped up in a salad carries a big flavour whallop.

I found some delicious sun-dried tomato flavoured olive oil that is excellent and adds lots of flavour with minimal carbs.

Along the same lines, don't use up all your carbs on coffee and cream, or bars and such. Choosing "real" food allows you to have more variety and more veggies. I don't know about the rest of you but there's only so much meat and eggs a person can eat, so it's important to spend your carbs wisely so you can get more veggies in. I've also begun adding in 1/2 to 1 cup of strawberries twice a week with devon cream on top. Little treats like that make you feel good without blowing your carb budget.

Experiment with lots of new foods so you don't get bored. I've discovered kale and daikon radish (yummy potato substitute) thanks to this forum not to mention mashed cauliflower casserole with cheddar and green onion. Yummy! Who needs potatoes.

Salads are fun for me, too. There's more to salad than Iceberg lettuce. Try some mixed greens, or baby spinach, with assorted toppings hot and cold. A new favourite: baby spinach leaves topped with a bit of Italian sausage, crumbled, grilled chicken, a couple thin slices of onion, 1 oz asiago or parmesan, sauteed mushrooms, red pepper -- with sun dried tomato mayo. Yummy! (Goat cheese is good too).

So be daring. I really think variety is key to being able to stick with this WOE longterm. I haven't enjoyed food this much in a long time.

Hollandaise is another great way to add flavour to veggies and meats (and leftover is great on eggs) and keep your fat up there.
I really think I'm becoming a better cook!

35. PLEASE, understand that it is impossible to gain 1, 2 or 3 pounds of fat from one day to another. I've seen lots of desperate threads here lately.
Those are water fluctuations, very common in the beginning!
Check out the roller-coaster thread here below.
Alina

Great thread!

36. Write yourself a "mission statement", or something to that effect. Why exactly are you going LC? State what you want, and then state how you plan on achieving it. Examples:

- I want to get my diabetes under control
- I want to get back down to a healthy weight
- I want to train to get fit and toned
- I want to get rid of (insert crappy carb symptoms here) and feel better

Be sure to mention all the good things you want, and all the bad things you *don't*.

There's the "why", so then write the "how:"

- I will follow (insert program here)
- I will not permit the kids or DH/DW to bring junk food into the house
- I will drink (n) ounces of water per day
- I will set aside an hour every Sunday night to prepare LC food for the week
- I will use fitday.com until I feel comfortable counting in my head, and while I'm at work, I'll jot my food intake down in a notebook
- I plan to do (resistance training, yoga, whatever) (n) times per week

...or whatever applies to you, the more specific, the better! You can rewrite it as you go along. It really works to help keep you focused, especially when you're tired and bitter, thinking, "why the heck am I doing this?" It's a good reminder.

Just subscribing to this thread...

Very good advice here... I keep checking back in for the next one or two ideas!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Alina
[B]Dear Newbies!

thANK YOU OPK i HAVE RESTRATED IT AND I havent mess up and I am trying to eat more and I was wondering I found Dr atkin food and I bought the popin lemon bread from him and it help me but! I worried if i mess it up it said 3 grams of carbs ? is thATOK TO BUY HIS FOOD AND EAT IT AND I GOT THE CANDY BAR i NEED AND WHAT NOT TO EAT AND WHEN i GO OUT TO CHINSSES FOOD BUFFET WHAT CAN i EAT? PLEASE SHANNEN

Hi there!

I'm sorry, but I can't make myself any clearer. Without repeating everything that's been said already: go to the top of this thread and read the information. Go to www.atkinscenter.com and read.
Check out my other links here below.
Good luck!
Alina

hey Nat
love the avitar pic-
any one tell you you look like kim baisinger...?
wow ! can we se the other half of this pic??
keep going
Richard

Great thread well done everyone.
With all these great minds we are sure to suceed!
Honesty goes a long way and now we are here we will all be winners!

Thanks so much for all the great advice. I'm 8 days in and believe me this is the longest I've gone without cheating (or wanting to cheat). It's reassuring to see 5lbs gone already, and makes me want to go on, but it's good to know that there seem to be alot of stalls. Without these posts, I would probably get discouraged and give up.

But now, with so much support, I know I'm going to lose this weight FINALLY!!

Thanks

Lorrie

Hola,
I have to ask this about the water:
you wrote:
10. WATER! Drink the amount of pure water rec. by Atkins and more. This WOE is a natural water-pill and most of the weight you'll lose in the beginning will be water. Drink in order to avoid dehydration, this will make your body reach the water balance. Also, the process of carb detox makes kidney work overtime and they really need oceans of water to get rid of the toxins.

how much water is a gallon a day good?

Hi Charlotte!

Look here....
I drink between 2-3 liters a day.
My measure converter just told me a gallon is about 3.8 liters, so you are doing great!
Take care!
Alina

Cbrim38-

Another rule is that you drink 64 oz + another 8 oz. for every 25 pounds overweight that you are...

~Michelle

Take your measurements from the begining right when you start!
You can loose inches even when you are not loosing pounds!

Measure-Measure-Measure!

I've just discovered this...
Great thread!
Alina