Newcomer with a question

[pussycat]

Hello everyone. I am intersted in following the basic principles of the Atkins diet as I have put on weight recently and I can't seem to understand why. The problem I find with the induction process is that it is rather restrictive. What do you eat for breakfast when you are used to toast? Do you find mot eating fruit or pasta/rice difficult? Do you not get really hungry? Can you eat as many begetables as you like? Any quidance would be welcome! Thanks! Catherine

[AFwife]

Welcome aboard.

Check out this thread to meal ideas.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2

It will give you meals you can have for Induction.

I only felt hungry if I didn't eat enough and once I got the hang of it, I wasn't ever hungry again.

After the first couple of weeks, you don't even miss the pasta and rice any more.

Hang in there.

[Kristine]

Hi. :wave:

When it comes to weight loss, I believe in the saying, "you can have anything you want, but you can't have everything you want." There will always be restrictions, no matter which type of plan you choose.

It's funny that you mention breakfast, because I've been a low carber for over two years now, and I have almost the same thing for breakfast every day, and it's all induction friendly! :lol: My breakfasts are a combination of eggs, sausage, bacon, cheese, and/or 1/2 an avocado. It's been two years and I'm not bored yet! :)

I rarely miss those other foods. When I go back and taste them now, they just seem so... I don't know, empty. Plain. It's the toppings that make pasta good, and I can have rich, full-fat pasta sauces on vegetables now. Far better nutrition than pasta. :thup:

If you're concerned about the restrictiveness, bear in mind that (a) you don't have to do induction, and (b) you could choose a plan other than Atkins. Induction is mainly for those who want fast results, and who really want to break the sweets addiction. You would probably do fine starting out with the next phase, which includes a wider variety of veggies, nuts, and some fruit. Or, you could check out this page (http://www.lowcarb.ca/atkins-diet-and-low-carb-plans/), which has a blurb written about most of the common plans, and see if another plan might suit you better.

To answer your other questions, yes, you can pretty much have as many low carb veggies as you like, within your number of carbs for the day. It's hard to get too many vegetables. No, you shouldn't be hungry. Protein and fat fill you up and keep you full. Your blood sugar remains stable, so no more 'sugar rushes' or 'bottoming out'. Hunger for me, now, is a very mild sensation.

Good luck; feel free to ask any more questions. :cool:

[pussycat]

Just a quick thanks to all of you who have responded to my question. I have decided that the induction plan is not for me, however I will follow the basic principles and see where it leads me. I live in Australia and the concept is still relatively new here and Atkins prodcucts, which I was looking for for on the run breakfast ideas, are way too expensive. I have bought the book however and look forward to reading it. Thanks again for responding to my email, I can see this is a very supportive environment, whatever your goals are.
Catherine