hello from Kentucky

[lyndagayle]

Just wanted to introduce myself. I just started Atkin's about a week ago. I am happy so far with the food choices. It is nice to be able to eat "good" food. My biggest obstacle it seems has been finding convenient Atkin's type foods to eat at work. I am a teacher and school food just doesn't quite cut it. Right now I am relying on the low carb drinks or an Atkin's low carb candy bar to get me through the day...but it does make me weak not having a convenient "good" meal for lunch. Any suggestions..I don't have much of a lunch break..maybe 20 minutes. What do others do to satisfy their hunger during working hours?

I've already made it through the worst part I believe. I was so tired and miserable for a week I thought that I couldn't stand it. I was fine with the food, its just that I was so weak. About 6 days in my energy finally returned and now I think I've made it through the worst. Looking forward to losing. :spin:

[momsbroke1]

:D I am also on the Atkins diet, and work. It is almost impossible for me to leave to go to lunch, so I have to bring my own "weird" food! I have made "sandwiches" of swiss cheese with either ham or some other luncheon meat between them (with mayo, also, which keeps you from being hungry". Summer sausage with cheese cubes also works great. Now that I am further into my diet (and can have a few more carbs), I am able to bring a cheese ball, along with a peice of last nights chicken. Egg salad or tuna salad is another great lunch, because the fat in the mayo keeps the hunger pangs away. Just be careful that you don't buy the grocery-store deli premade kind - they use added sweetners of some sort that drive the carb count up to about 12. Another microwaveable snack is pepperonies on a plate, covered with mozzerrela cheese - a little pizza without the crust! Be creative - there are many unusual things you can do with the foods we're allowed! :hyper:

Anna (momsbroke1~yahoo.com)

[wbahn]

I do things like:

Many of the ideas mentioned above.

Make chili before hand and put it into single serve plastic containers.

Make "Inside Out" sandwiches where I take roast chicken breasts (or pork or beef) and split it then put cheese and mayo and spinach leaves and mustard inside. Basically using the meat as the "bread"

In plastic container I put a salad without dressing - perhaps spinach leaves, shredded cheese, parmasian cheese, diced hard boiled eggs, mushrooms and such and then in another little container I keep my low-carb dressing. I open the two, pour the dressing in, close the salad container, shake it, open and eat.

Take thin sliced meat and roll it up around some cheese and nuke it for a minute or so.

Celery with cream cheese.

Deviled eggs.

Lots and lots of things you can do.

[imready]

wbahn, I love your "sandwich" idea! I'm going to have to try that! I, too, work and have to bring things in to eat. I've been making chicken and tuna salad and taking celery sticks to dip in them. Cheese and eggs have made it to work with me too. I also have a bag of pork rinds in my desk for emergencies (it is still unopened).

lyndagayle, I just ordered some of the Atkins Advantage online from the Atkins site. I'm awaiting delivery. I thought that they would be convenient when I didn't want to fuss with making something I could eat, or if I didn't have time to make something, or if the office was eating cake or something. I had one of them that I bought at a drug store (it was on sale) before I stated this WOL and it was pretty good!

I'll let you know if they're any good once I get them.

[wbahn]

Do be aware of the hidden carbs in the Advantage Bars - like 15 to 20 of them. They may or may not affect your insulin levels or create sweet cravings. Try them and keep and eye on them and be ready to pull them from your diet if they cause problems.

[lyndagayle]

Just curious...someone said that there were "hidden" carbs in the advantage bars...the ones I have used are good and they say on them that there are only 4 carbs I think...with only like 2 being the bad sugar carbs..they other 2 are fiber which is good carbs. I've used them when I was craving sugar after eating. Anyways I wanted to make sure I was reading the labels right...and wanted to know what was meant by "hidden carbs"

[Mindbreeze]

Apparently the Atkins bars contain hidden carbs, as do some other foods. If you go to the top of this page and click on the "Low Carb Tools" link, then click the hidden carb inspector and enter in the stats of the bars, it should give you the hidden carbs. I have taken them in the past and not had any ill effects as far as weight loss was concerned. After I finished my initial purchase of them however I didn't buy anymore to see if it affected me. I don't think it did since my weight loss has neither increased or decreased. Your mileage may vary.

I wish Dr. A would release a statement regarding this, as those bars are pretty decent tasting, especially the chocolate coconut!! *drool*.