Day 1

[burnzone]

...after a long stretch of reading about the Atkins diet , thinking about the Atkins diet...I started today, by going to the grocery store and paying strict attention to all the labels, trying to get low carb stuff....I posted a while back how I'm not a salad eater, and how it will be strange adjusting for a guy who's virtually lived on fast food lol, but now think adjusting might not be that bad...just now, I had a can of chicken breast in water (0 carbs) and cut up 1 stalk of celery....I've been told by a friend who lost quite a bit of weight on Atkins, to try eating several smaller meals a day , rather than my usual all out assault twice a day...I've also filled two 2 litre plastic pop bottles with water to try to gauge how much water I drink (trying to drink two of those a day!)...one question...the Atkins book says to try to stay around 20 grams of carbs thru induction...what if your under that number a bit?..also, I've been thinking of adding a multi-vitamin like Centra...good idea? Next meal will probably be pan fried brautwerst and cabbage...for snacking ,I bought a bag of porkrinds and some sugar free jello....my friend said he never really did a specific daily number crunch, just tried to stick to low carb meals...(he lost 50 pounds over 4 months!, but his wife who is oriental knows all sorts of dishes and veggies that happen to be low carb)...so anyway, I'm off and so far so good!..

[adukart]

Yes a multivitamin is a good idea, I here alot of good about Centrum Silver. The reason you would go with Silver is because there is no iron in it, you don't want iron in it. I wouldn't be concerned if you are a little low on carbs but you don't want to be too low.

[E-Lo]

why no iron?

[adukart]

There is probably someone more educated than me to answer this so hopefully they do. But from what I know it's because you are getting plenty in the meat you eat and the vegies, and this is definately something you do not want to overdose on.

Oh yeah and in DANDR it says that you should take a daily multivitamin without iron, doesn't say why but it does say that.

[livingintn]

Well, I just want to say congratulations for making the decision to go LC and welcome to the "club" :yay:

As to your question on if it's ok to stay under 20g, the answer is yes it's ok, but from what I understand it's better to hover around 20. Eating under 20g is not gonna make you lose weight quicker. Actually, from what I understand you'll lose the same amount if you eat 10g as you will if you eat 20, so you may as well go ahead and try to get the full allowed amount. Plus, if you're eating your recommended amount of veggies (2c salad and 1c other veggies, or 3c salad) then you'll be getting to 20. And the bottom line is, you should be eating your veggies!

Good luck in your weight loss!

[gilibel]

Hi burnzone! :)
Looks like you're in for a good, prepaired start! Just make sure you read all about the Rules of Induction at the www.atkins.com site incl. Acceptable foods page thoroughly, if you haven't got the DANDR book yet.

Adding to the multivitamin pill you also need a good calcium & magnesium supplement. The Induction regimen, especially, and the high water intake will flush out these minerals from your body and you need to replace them or you can get nasty leg cramps. A potassium supplement might also be a good idea.

Be careful with bratwurst and other sausages. I don't know what the one you bought contains, but sausages and other prepaired luncheon meats often contain sugar and flour. The best sausages are often the hardest one, like rock hard salamis etc.

Best of luck with your new WOE.

Oh, and check out www.fitday.com - the best tool there is - free as well - to track your daily intake of carbs, fat and vitaminerals!

Cheers! :wave:

/gil

[burnzone]

thanks for all the encouragement!....I just now fried up some cabbage, green peppers, yellow peppers and onions, spicing it with italian spice and seasoned salt, pepper and cut up 2 italian sausage links into bite sizes and added a side dill pickle...delicious....I dunno the cumulative carb total of the meal , but it was good! I drank only water (I've drank a little over two litres so far today)...for desert , I whipped up a pack of sugar free cherry jello that should be good and set in the fridge in another hour...

[adukart]

Oh and by the way if you use the search feature and search for iron in the supplements and nurtients section you should find a bunch of information about iron.

[sam59]

My two cents on the no iron issue....well there is a side effect of this way of eating, especially at the beginning. We call it the "big C" around here. Constipation. In most cases, the increase in meat and green veggies in your daily diet will give you all the iron you need, but as a supplement, it can be constipating. I avoid it like the plague.....lol.

If you do run into that problem, incorporate psyllium husk or flax seeds into your daily routine. It helps.


Sam

[Maurice]

He great thread folks. Welcome aboard Burnzone. This WOL is working for me and it cna for you. BTW, the last few night I have had leg craps and I now know why. Will get a good calcium & magnesium supplement . This forum is jsut great for info and don't be shy to ask questions. Thanks gilibel for that insight. Yes the big "C" I also used the flax seed and lots of spinage, which helped. Anyway. Welcome.

[gilibel]

Hi there Maurice!
Yes, this forum is marvellous. I have learnt so many things here (and learnt to question many things too, since I'm one of these nerds who love to dig into details on things until I get the whole picture, incl. searching all over the web and consulting my doc on all "insignificant" matters until I get a good answer.)

So glad if I could be of some help. Hope your leg cramps disappear soon. It's not a game having those - I was afflicted with serious cramps in my right calf the first two weeks of Induction until I got my cal/mag/potass intake straightened out. Woke up every morning with it, not a good start of the day...

It's especially magnesium that helps effectively, so you might want to "OD" them for a few days. Normally no side effects are reported. Try 400-600mg for a week and then ease back to 300-400mg.

Best of luck. :wave:

/gil

[Maurice]

Thanks for the feedback gilibel. The cramps were there most of the last week, but never the full charlie horse type. This morning the cramps or tightness was there but not as bad as the previous few days. But thanks for the directions, and I will head out soon looking for good cal/mag/potass supplements.... Hey you are making great progress on this WOL! Good for you! For me, being under 200lbs, has been a goal for the last few years, but until this plan or WOL, never really in sight.

Appreciated,

[synn]

Not to freak anyone out, but Centrum is one of the worst vitamins you can take. It does not fully digest and the ingredients that hold it together are disgusting.

Make sure you read the labels before you buy a supplement, many have added sugar and other chemicals.

[gilibel]

Hello again Maurice!
Thanks, yes I've been successful, and after a 5-6 week stall (self-inflicted due to binging on too many almonds=kcals&carbs) I now seem to lose again. :) Your result is great! Keep on doing what you're doing. :D

Have a nice weekend!

/gil

[Maurice]

Thanks, same to you. I am writing a major paper due on Monday Evening..lots of fun..