Hello & Help!!!

[layev]

Hi I am new here,

I woke up yesterday and went on the scales and nearly died of shock.

I have a friend who has lost alot of weight on Atkins and I have started today - no time like the present!

I weigh 203lbs and I am aiming for about 133lbs give or take.

I have a few questions if anyone could help I would be very grateful, I have studied the diet but I dont understand how much you should eat and it seems really restricted too plus everything looks so full of fat, like red meat and roasted chicken, i had boiled eggs for breakfast and plan to eat tuna fish for lunch - although i dont know what to put with it! :help:

I am defrosting chicken breast - which i only ever eat steamed and again I have no real clue what to put with it. :help: I am in the induction phase and as I work and look after my family plus walk dogs and muck out horses I am a bit short on time to prepare some of the recipes I have seen!

Any Ideas on quick meals would be excellent!
I really want to stick to this plan but fear if i can find things to eat i may crash and burn! :lol: :help:

[HalfPass]

Welcome! I have horses too.
Do you have the Atkins book(s). That will be the best way to answer a lot of your questions. You will find TONS of wonderful recipes in the recipe section of this form and lots of encouragement in general here too. Done correctly, Atkins is a very healthy diet. Contrary to myth, most people here will tell you that they eat far more veggies on Atkins that they ever had before. Add some fat to your breakfast to avoid hunger later, maybe try a cheese omelet. For lunch, make that a big salad with that Tuna. Look to the recipe section and you will find many, many ways to use that chicken breast. Drink lots of water and don't eat to little (not usual diet advice, but important for low carbing) GOOD LUCK

[Laydebleu]

If you don't currently have the book you can go to the Atkin's website and search induction and you can find the rules for induction and an acceptable food list. I recommend you put all you eat into myplan or fitday.com to help you see how many carbs you are getting. Remember during induction you should be shooting for around 20 carbs.

You can put mayo in your tuna and some celery if you like. You can put tuna on romaine lettuce leafs. You can have veggies with your chicken just watch the carb count in them.

I wish you great success in your weight loss journey.

[TyroneBill]

Hi :wave: and welcome. I'm new here also and one of the first places I visited was the recipe room, and I have to echo what Halfpass said, "there's a ton of recipes there. Good luck on your venture.

[boree]

Welcome! Good luck to you. You need to read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, it will really educate you as to low carb way of life. :)

Connie

[loserinnc]

Welcome to the forum. I wish you much success.

[bkloots]

You don't have to cook complicated recipes to do Atkins with plenty of variety. Just stick to fresh, whole foods--meats, veggies, fish--and the fats that make them delicious--salad dressing, mayo, butter. Anything grilled in a pan with butter tastes great. Put lots of veggies in a salad, throw on a little cheese, and pour on the dressing.

It takes a while to overcome the "low-fat" mentality. But try. It's the fat and protein in the program that provide energy and keep you from losing muscle tissue. YOU NEED the fat. It also keeps you from feeling hungry from one meal to the next. Go ahead and have some bacon. And cream cheese is a very versatile ingredient, too.

When I first went on Atkins, I ate lots of pork rinds, with cream cheese, or dipped in salad dressing. I know--it sounds horrifying. But pork rinds have zero carbs, and provided a helpful bridge to better eating habits for me.

[layev]

Hi everyone,

thankyou so much for the lovely warm welcome!

I have downloaded everything from atkins.com! I have been reading it, i am waiting for a book to com which i bought on amazon.

I have lots of will power that has never been my problem but ive always gone on low fat - high fibre count the horrid calories diets and because i never see any results i get really down heartened - i ride my horse at least 3 x per week plus mucking out everyday walking the 10 mins to the field and back twice per day walking the dogs and running about after my 2yr old daughter - after all this im usually not in the mood to do any more exercise so when i go on a diet even though i feel i am active nothing really ever seems to happen.

Last diet I went on was from the doctor who - with his lovely bedside manner had just diagnosed me with IBS after 2 years of return visits with an imaginary problem! Then proceeded to tell me i wouldnt live to see my daughter grow up if i didnt lose weight and soon i would be another middle aged diabetic obese woman!

I cried my heart out over that because its not as if i havnt tried!!

I was a skinny child had some puppy fat as a teen was a slim twenty something had my daughter then BANG 4 stones excess weight, this coupled with 1 year of anaemia and the IBS i felt for a long time like i wasnt well enough to diet!

So hear i go - again!

You are so right - i looked at my dinner last night (steamed chicken breast - omlet with 1oz cheese and some onion) I fried it in butter and felt MEGA GUILTY after eating it, as a rule i NEVER fry anything!!!!!

I cant get out of the conditioning for LOW FAT LOW FAT LOW FAT! thats all i can think of!

Im off out food shopping today - this should be interesting!!!!

Thanks again everyone!

[layev]

Hi I wanted to ask halfpass (dressage fan perchance???) have you come up against any resistance from other skinnier horsy people about your weight and riding horses??

I was just interested to know! Plus would love to hear all about your trusty steeds!

[bkloots]

Once you've read Dr. A's book, you'll understand the importance of both fat and protein in maintaining energy and muscle tissue. Don't skimp. There actually is (okay--I'm just telling you my experience here) what he calls a "calorie advantage." In short, you can EAT MORE and still lose weight.

After induction, explore the uses of ground flaxseed for adding fiber, flavor, and excellent oils to your menus. It's easy to use, and better than pills (IMHO) for needed fiber.

If you haven't had a full investigation of your thyroid function, that would be a good thing, too. An intuitive doctor who pays more attention to the patient than to the test results is usually the most helpful with this.

Best wishes.

[melissa G]

:wave: Hi, welcome and good luck! :)