Also, once you're done with Induction (or even on Induction, I guess), you can get a very inexpensive source of protein from soy. Tofu is much, much cheaper than meat and relatively low in carbs (2 g per 4 oz. serving). Unsweetened soy butter has only 1 carb per 2 tbs. serving, is cheaper than unsweetened peanut butter, and goes great on a high-fiber, low carb cracker. Even the soy burgers that are sold in some health food stores are relatively cheap (certainly cheaper than meat) and fairly low in carbs.

But just a note of warning: Don't eat too much soy and certainly don't take soy supplements. Not clear yet what the phytoestrogen in soy does (or doesn't do). IMHO, moderation is called for.

Good luck with this! I've found low carbing much less expensive than the wretched sweet snacks I used to crave.

Please, let me clarify something about my original post...I did not mean to lead people to think that the Jenny Craig plan was CHEAPER...it certainly wasn't cheaper.

What I tried to say is that I lost WAY MORE POUNDS doing JC compared to Atkins, and I wondered why?

After 6 weeks, I have only lost 12 pounds. At the same 6-week period on JC, I had probably lost 26 pounds or so. And, that one seemed easier for me, because there was no thought to it, since you ate their pre-packaged food.

I'm not trying to say that JC was better in any way, I'm just saying that for me personally, the Atkins plan is so much SLOWER to see results, and I'm having a hard time not getting depressed over the results (or lack thereof) to date.

And, when you are used to cooking some french fries and corn-dogs for the family for dinner (quick AND cheap!), switching over to cooking steak and fresh veggies IS more expensive!!

i find all my atkins stuff and low carb either at the healthfood or the grocery store.
i dont really see it at being more expensive pretty much the same when you figure all the money you save not buying chips and bad stuff like that and eating out at fast food.
i think it evens itself out.
i try to buy the mean that is redtaged that way i put it in the freezer for when i going to eat it.
and really a packet of something like porkchops is about the same price as a frozen dinner in most cases.

blemay i know someone who has lost alot of wieght on jenny craig in fact she now works for them..lol
protein is not for everybody i would also choose a diet that gave me the best results and thats great that you have lost so much on jenny craig.
keep up the great job!

I am a true believer that slower weight loss leads to success in keeping it off. I have dropped lots of weight in a short amount of time, yet put it right back on (plus more) when I quit following the diet.

Try not to set yourself up to be disappointed. A reasonable expectation of loss is an AVERAGE of about 1 lb. a week.

This WOE is one that I can live with for the rest of my life.

You don't have to cook steak. There are plenty of meat/fish/chicken options. And veggies from the local farmers are very reasonable.

You can spend as much or as little as you want to on this WOE. My basic shopping list does not consist of low carb tortillas, mixes, syrups etc. I purchase butter, olive oil, vegetables, cream, meats and my grocery list isn't any higher than before. Now, I will buy low carb items once a month and I have a budget of about $30.00 that I will spend on them. We no longer buy beer and hubby buys fewer chips so I believe the grocery price is balanced.


Black57

Could you tell me where you buy your LeCarb ice cream? I hear so much about it, but cannot find it.
Thanks,
SandraDee

Our grocery bill is about the same as before because of the reasons already stated - basically not buying all the carby stuff and shopping for the sales. One thing I have noticed, though, is it takes us less time to do the shopping because we're just going around the outer isles in the store. No need to look for cereals and chips and stuff - just meat, dairy and veggies. Pretty cool in my book! I'm always looking to save some time. . . .

Someone mentioned earlier about it taking more time to cook and clean up than before. That was a real bummer to us, too. One thing we've done to try to help with that is we make up a lot of stuff and store or freeze it. I'll cook 10 or more hamburgers at a time, make some "chili", or even cook steaks then freeze in bags or containers. They all do well reheated in the microwave on low power. Last night we scrambled a dozen eggs for breakfasts this week (can reheat and put on cheese, sour cream, guacomole, salsa, etc.). We just keep those in the fridge. Good luck and hang in there!

Hmmm....yes I agree that the food can be more expensive if you get extras like the drinks and bars. Like Mammoth says: if you stick to the weekly specials your grocery bill should be about the same. I indulge myself and buy shrimp when it is on sale and chicken breasts. All of the carb processed foods can be had for cheap because there is nothing nutritionally sound in them and they have mega-crops of the stuff.

I spent a lot in the beginning because I bought a lot of the goodies (subsequently can't having them because all of them contain dairy which I am allergic to).

A thought: You lost more on Jenny Craig? But here you are trying another diet plan because Jenny Craig didn't work longterm. I've seen more longterm success with Atkins than I have with any other diet plan.
The ONLY person I knew that suceeded at Weight Watchers was my sister at age 13 but I think her decision was based on sheer will because she was teased terribly for being *chubby* as a kid. Didn't know anyone that succeeded longterm on Jenny Craig.

Try to keep your eye on the longterm goal of weight loss and control over yourself and your diet. That is REALLY why you are doing it - in the hopes of keeping it off forever. I like this WOE and I didn't even think of myself as a vegie and meat person before I started. I just *FEEL* better eating these good foods If I spend $40 more a week in groceries maybe that's because I should have been doing that all along and not causing my body and mind so much misery. Yup, food is expensive alright!

Pre-Induction I gave the majority of my food away because I was coming off of WW and everything was carb loaded so my first Atkins-friendly shopping trip was a bit expensive. However, no I really want for nothing. I have 2 great low-carb dressings and a ton of meats and I buy my veggies twice a week. All in all my bill on ANA is lower than when I was on WW because I am not buying all of that expensive processed crap.

My grocery bill's gone up, but primarily because my gf, who would benefit from LC, refuses to, and eats all sort of carbage. So, we have two separate stashes of food. Still, as we've all said, protein is more expensive than carbs.

One cheap snack I make for myself is Heroin Wings (From Dana Carpender's 500 Low-Carb Recipes; I can't list the recipe here due to copyright infringement issues). A batch of 50 wing pieces, with the wings bought from Costco, lasts us 7-10 days, and gets me two of my major macronutrients (protein and fat) in one fell swoop.

1. Buy the meat that's on sale in bulk quantities and freeze what you won't use within a day or two. It should be fine in freezer for up to 3 months.
2. Buy the generic or store brand of canned veggies or chicken broth or heavy cream etc. since they are much cheaper and essentially the same as the name brand.
3. If your grocery store has coupon books, pick one up and browse through quickyl before starting shopping. Sometimes they have great deals on produce.
4. Buy heads of lettuce or spinach instead of pre-cut, pre-bagged. Much cheaper and lettuce is really not hard to chop up!
5. This varies but shop on a Monday or Tuesday as there are usually lots of specials due to fewer people shopping on these days - guess they figure they won't lose a bunch of money doing it those days.
6. Buy some of your veggies frozen. Bigger bags of frozen cauliflower or broccoli or green beans with no sauce added to it can sometimes be cheaper and will last longer than fresh produce.

When I first started I was at $190/week for myself. Now I am at $125/week for a family of four. Once a month I splurge on a LC treat such as Atkins icecream or cookies, but mostly stick to sf jello or berries with some whipped cream. The one thing I do get every other week is the LC tortillas but that's because my local store carries them. I skip the shakes and bars mostly.

When I first started I spent a ton of money on LC products to have in the house, just in case I had cravings. It was a huge waste. I have found that I have very few cravings, and most things have been touched once, if at all. About the only thing I buy regularly now is eggs, yogurt, soy milk, salad/produce, and meat if it is on sale. My bottles of oil last forever, as do the jars of nut butter, so I rarely have to rebuy them. The LC bars I have lost almost all taste for, and my son ate all the Zone ones I was saving for later I have KETO pudding, potatoes, Atkins shake and bake mixes ect, and they don't get touched. I also have Atkins BBQ sauce and katchup, which are both good, but not when you may have candidia. When winter hits I will probably use the thickner I bought and the soy flour, but that's not for a while yet.

Moral, don't buy a ton of LC products unless it's something you will actuly use alot. If there is one food you really love and want to have around, hide it. For some reason my non LC family finds all my LC foods more appitizing. I've stopped buying them non LC items except for a multigrain bread and fruit because they would steal all my food and the carby sugery things would mold. My son still gets his fruit and his once a day treat (Usualy a splenda sweetened icecream bar) and my SO buys his carby things at work for lunch break. It saves alot of time, money and energy not cooking seperate meals for everyone.

Hasn't really changed much for me instead of spending tons of money on boxed meals and quick dinners, and $7 frozen pizzas, I now have to spend sometimes $2 for a freaking Atkins bar and $5 for a bottle of Keto Ketchup.

One solution for the expensive tortilla shells is to pool your orders with other low carbers you know. I just placed an order for 13 packs of small tortillas and 5 packs of burrito size. This will be divided among my growing group of low carbing friends and family. We order about every other week or so, and with such large order a mere $5 shipping is barely noticeable.