I'd also like to suggest that you plan for those times you're too busy to do all that planning. Where can you go and buy a LC meal on the run? I go to In&Out burger and get a cheese burger and diet soda but have the cheeseburger wrapped in lettuce.

Almost any burger joint will do that for you.

There's also the rotisserie chickens man super markets have. I wouldn't worry too much about a bit of carb they add to them. Sometimes I think people worry about minute things and then get overwhelmed and eat something entirely inappropriate.

Any time you fall off, you've got to ask yourself how to fix it. If the answer is: try harder, you've learned nothing about yourself in the process. You need concrete answers like:

I should take a different route in the grocery store so I don't pass this display.

Don't eat the first potato chip and then the 99th one is much easier to resist. Bring a veggie dip tray to the party for yourself (and to share).

Have a square of 85% chocolate instead of an entire milk chocolate bar.

So a quick question...in the past when doing low-carb eating, I had enjoyed a sugar free jello Cup nearly every day. Are there any thoughts about this whether it affects weight loss or not? I didn't have any issues of it triggering sugar cravings. There also seems to be different opinions about artificial sweeteners and how they can affect weight loss. This go around I will not be including any diet coke on a regular basis unless it's just totally a treat. I'll be working hard enough getting my 160 oz of water down every day lol

Only because I just heard Dr Westman say that SF jello are great to use, enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, and add some whipped cream while you're at it, go for it.

[QUOTE=JEY100]Only because I just heard Dr Westman say that SF jello are great to use, enough to satisfy your sweet tooth, and add some whipped cream while you're at it, go for it. [/QUOTE

Oops...never mind

Look what I ordered this morning! Should be here Thur. I'll get my Schwan order next week, Wed 20th (I'll be eating primarily Schwan's food. I started a thread about this but apparently it got deleted because someone felt it was advertising) so I will officially start the following Monday 1/25!

Attached Images

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Awesome, That's it, and a top quality version to boot. I grew up around the Stanley Tools plants, knew many employees... sure that will Work well and last forever. Can see it filled with hearty beef stews, chilis, etc. to keep your LC plan on track.

I have a lot of stupid little silly questions but I don't feel it's worthy enough to start a whole new thread about them so I hope that's okay if I ask them here. I'm in the process of lining up my menu and looking at the exact foods I will buy. One of the items is called roasted chicken bites. They are a non breaded chicken bite that has some seasoning already on it. In the ingredients it shows "less than 2% of sugar.' I don't know if that is used for flavoring or preservatives or what but is it something that I should be concerned about? Modified corn starch, carrageenan, maltodextrin are also some of the other ingredients. The carb content is .5 grams per 3 ounce serving.

I'd avoid the commercial chicken bites and make my own, but that's just me, I don't trust Big Food. Food companies get away with so much evil...even just listing "natural flavorings" in the ingredients can harbor things like sugar and MSG...my daughter calls these collectively "beaver butts." It's how they hide the real truth. Like I said, I don't trust Big Food. They have THEIR bottom line in mind, not yours.

I like that you are getting your ducks in a row, or beaver butts as it were, ahead of time. Read up. Much to learn. A lot of what is wrong with you/me/us is not our fault, but what they are doing to our food.

Here's a fun blog, brought to you by the always sardonic Tom McNaughton and chock-full of no-nonsense information with a healthy dose of witty nonsense mixed in. http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/about/ If you haven't seen Fat Head the movie, I think it's available on Netflix. Very worthwhile.

Also Fed Up. I think you have to pay a couple bucks to watch it, but see the trailer and decide for yourself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCUbvOwwfWM

And stay away from beaver butt! Bad juju!

Uno mas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cpdb78pWl4
You can download Michael Moss's book, Salt, Sugar, Fat for free (PDF). You just have to look for it. Real eye-opener.

Hey everyone I posted this elsewhere but didn't get an answer so thought I would try here. Do you have to have a certain number of posts in for your profile picture shows up? I uploaded a picture and it shows up on my profile just fine but its not showing up on any threads.

I just learned this today. I had a pic on my profile as well but it wasn't showing up on my posts. On left hand side click on Avatar and then you will upload your pic to that.

Way to go on planning your lifestyle. My sons bring ginormous, and I mean huge-gantic sized lunch boxes to their 10 hour shifts. They throw their food in the night before a shift. Cut up meat, cheese, your jello (YAY), salads, cut up veggies, etc. They'll have a huge bin of cut up veggies in their fridge and just grab some for their backpacks the night before. I like your plan of a loaded breakfast and then graze on your food all day while en route. You will feel so good doing it, no matter what comes down the pike. Good luck.

Thanks Greekribs! That avatar idea worked great!

So I was thinking about laying out my menu and sharing it for ideas from people that might have some input. Would the best way to do that would be to start a journal?

You could start a journal, but then would need to direct others to read it. I've never been in the habit of reading journals except for a few folks. Ken has a great journal, and you could post there asking him and his readers to check your menu ideas.
Another way to have more input on it would be to start a new post on the Atkins forum (there are others about menu there) or Newbie questions. General advice...keep it simple to start. Can't go wrong with meat and veg like greek's sons...hot meat dish in your thermos, and veggies in a cooler, up to 4 oz cheese, then eat when hungry, stop when full.
Listen to your hunger signals, you may want a large lunch but if you are not that hungry after your long day, skip dinner or only have a light snack.

Ok...planning is going well! I thought about starting a separate thread about my meal plan, etc but after other suggestions, I'll just do it here.

This is what I have planned for meals for the first two weeks. Please, any input would be welcome. Shoot holes in it...make suggestions...whatever you want because this time....THIS TIME I WILL be successful!!!!

Along with downing 160 oz of water a day (and you know I'll be carting around a few empty gatorade bottles in my truck, lol I know...TMI) this is what I'm thinking...(a small plug because I work for Schwan's and love them - all veggies and meat will be from Schwan's) And my meals during the week (M-F) will be similar and as easy as I can make them. I'll cook the hot lunch the Sunday before, then heat up a portion each morning and put it in my brand new Stanley thermos! (Thank you Jey100)


Meals for M-F

Breakfast

3-4 eggs, different styles. A bit of shredded cheese if scrambled with "you-know-who's" roasted peppers and onions. I'll throw a bit of salsa and sour cream on them if I'm wanting it. Also 3 bacon or sausage links. Water.

Lunch M-F

This is the casserole that I will pre-cook the Sunday before. I'll heat a portion up each morning and put it in the thermos. I've decided the first week I'll make the Chicken Broccoli Bake and then the Yummy Chicken Alfredo the second week. In the thermos it goes along with some jerky to nibble on throughout the day, tons of water and a sugar free jello.

Dinner M-F

I'll have a salad and try and keep it a bit light since I won't be up for very long before heading to bed. I will probably add some veggies like brussel sprouts and maybe a few jumbo cooked shrimp. (not with the sprouts...just to munch on.)

Sat & Sun

Similar bfast as I have during the week.

Lunch will probably be the larger salad with some added meat. Oh and my jello. I like the jello. : )

Dinner - I'm planning on marinated salmon/asp spears and bone in pork chops and some other green veggie. Again, with lot's of water.

Then Sunday I'll make my lunch for the following week.

That sound ok?

That sounds fantastic. I'll be right over.
Seriously, it's got lots of variety, different types of proteins, lots of vegetables. Sounds very good. Don't be surprised if you do need a decent size supper. The beauty of low carb is you don't have to worry .. if you're hungry, you eat.