Howdy Folks,

I'm just getting started back on Atkins after as month break and want to try the low carb bars and shakes this time.

Does anyone know if these foods will stop a person on induction from getting into Ketosis? I'm just curious because I have read so much about stalls and gains with the shakes and bars.

My thoughts are to use the bars and shakes and eat no other carbs at all to offset any hidden carbs I may be taking in. My only concern is the effect of the bars and shakes on insulin production. Any advice?

They are very high in hidden carbs. I personally wouldn't use them at all, not to mention on induction.

That is just my opinion though...

You've read it on this board over and over again about shakes and bars, but you expect a different answer this time? These items are definite no-no's on induction.



And what about salads and vegetables? They are an absolute MUST in every human's diet....even/especially ones on induction.



You are quite right to be concerned about an insulin response to shakes and bars. They really should be used only after the induction phase and then the bars should be used only sparingly ... like 1-2 per week if you must.

Protein shakes are used regularly by LCers and especially by those who are exercising/lifting vigorously and need a source of extra protein.

My advice is to go back and read Dr. Atkins' book again....cover to cover....and then follow the plan and stick with it for LIFE! If you can't stick with Atkins, then shop around and find one you can stick with!

Those bars taste disgusting, that's enough to keep me well away forever! Not to mention hidden carbs, and the fact that they seem to stall a lot of people, oh and they tend to be very expensive.

Seriouly, the two I bought were so hiddeous I threw most of the first and all of the second right into the bin. Nasty!

Cheers,

Zebidee

Hrm. I take it you will be taking some form of fiber pill or husks?

Without the veggies and salads you have no fiber in your body to speak of to help with bowel movements. Good way to ummm stop things up.

You may want to rethink your plan. Does Atkin's recommend you eat bars and shakes in place of salad and veggies? No I think not. You may want to reread that book of yours, and follow his plan exactly.

In fact he WARNS you NOT to eat processed foods. In my opinion, there is nothing more processed than those bars and shakes. Have you looked at the chemical content of those things? Hardly anything natural about those puppies.

You asked for opinions My opinion is to stay away from them not only for induction but forever.

actually, if you are a person that craves sweets as I am every once in awhile, there is no reason for why a shake or a bar should not be alowed every now and then while on induction. I mean i would not eat one everyday but if only allowed 20 carbs a day and a bar which is labled by the atkins company as 2 carbs on it says 2 carbs on it, then it is only two carbs, they would not lie to u and hide them, that is all u have to worry about.....the only downfall is that yes it may higher ur blood sugar which is why you should eat it as apart of ur last meal like as a dessert and then take in some protein, which will help to keep u from craving more carbs which would happen if u were to eat it in the early day hours. and yes u do need your fiber and so on so yes have a bar if u want one every once in awhile...just don't make a habit out of it

*shasty*

Quote:

, if you are a person that craves sweets as I am every once in awhile, there is no reason for why a shake or a bar should not be alowed every now and then while on induction.

Actually, induction is for helping you get rid of all of those cravings!! Those bars will feed them.

Quote:

a bar which is labled by the atkins company as 2 carbs on it says 2 carbs on it, then it is only two carbs, they would not lie to u and hide them, that is all u have to worry about....

Add up the fat and protein calories.. 9 for fat and 4 for protein... the left over is carbs. 4 calories for every gram!! They don't lie, or hide them, only label what is required by law... sugars and fiber.

Read the Atkins book again, they are a NO on induction

Ummm Yes they do lie. Yes they do try to hide them.

That is why the USFDA is cracking down on the labeling of diet foods. Don't be so naive thinking everything you read on a label is the God's honest truth.

The way the label laws are currently, even if a product is .9 grams of carbs per serving they can claim zero. Eat 20 items at .9 grams thinking they are zero and it throws your totals way over for a day.

On pp. 232 to 235, of DANDR, Atkins posts a suggested one week menu for induction. On day seven of that menu, he suggests a low carb shake for a snack.

This makes it pretty clear to me, in spite of all the negative comments you will read on this LC forum that an occasional shake on induction is absolutely acceptable. If it's good enough for Dr. Atkins, it ought to be good enough for this forum.

shakes are NOT bars, however. I think an infrequent bar, as TeriDoodle has suggested, is OK but it is never the ideal choice. I keep one in my car for backup if I need to eat and don't have the right foods available.

I have eaten just one so far: I took it to the movies. Once in a month is pretty infrequent.

Also, there is a distinction between protein powder shakes and the Atkins/CarbSolutions kind of Shakes. The Atkins shakes do not purport to be meal replacement whereas a good protein shake can be a meal replacement. I see many folks on here using an Atkins shake for a meal substitute. . . seems to me that using an Atkins shake for a meal substitute is going to throw the whole day's calories, fat grams, carbs, etc off.

Just my two cents. . .

Right, Isabel....an occasional bar is okay. The problem is that some people that are new to the diet and haven't learned or had the desire to experiment in the kitchen, get bored very easily with their food. Or they don't plan ahead and bring their lunches or snacks, etc. It's the newbies who end up eating way too many of these bars because they don't know about the hidden carbs, don't believe it's true ("Atkins wouldn't lie!"), they're hungry because they haven't planned and they need something quick. As a result, some easily end up eating 7-10 or more of these bars per week. I don't think you'll see anyone eating that many bars and having much success in the long run. Maybe, but I doubt it.

It may seem that we hammer that message a little too often and too strictly....but it really is neccessary in order to get it across.

Shakes are fine. I'm not sure where on this board you've seen negative comments regarding them - but I suspect it was from new members who'd just discovered 'hidden carbs' in bars and were worried/overly anxious.

The properties/ingredients in bars that make them 'dangerous' are not found in shakes. Shakes don't need that 'mouth appeal' that glycerine/Sugar Alcohols provide.

A protein supplement is just that - a supplement to a healthy protein adequate diet. The only time you should see someone cautioning against using protein shakes is when it is obvious that they had become a member's main source of protein.

Nat

Howdy VanZant!

I personally think the key to using bars and shakes come later in the Adkins diet when you have cleansed your body of sugars and the major amount of carbs. If your looking for convience then search the board for quick meals and helpful hints to start. In my opinion those shakes and bars did not taste any where near good until about 6 months into this diet! Use them when you can control and recognize a sugar craving. Only when you begin to really know your body. I think we as humans have flooded our bodies with so much junk we really don't know what we want and when we want it, we just eat it! LOL Like everyone else has suggested, just follow Induction AS IS and introduce FEW processed foods (Adkins products) later.....they taste much better then! LOL Good luck.

I know you, Nat, are the reigning expert on these forums but there are different kinds of protein shakes.

Atkins and Carb Solutions types of shakes are clearly labeled that they are NOT to be used as a meal supplement. Atkins only suggests a shake as a snack in his suggested induction menu. His shakes are a snack, not a meal.

With all the talk I read on these forums about how this is all about a new, healthy way to eat, I don't understand why someone would want to pretend a snack is a meal. I don't understand why someone who seems to genuinely understand this healthy approach to eating would have a disconnect about this. It is almost as if you are saying that sometimes it is ok to suspend belief in this WOE and ignore the guidelines and do what you want.

There ARE low carb shakes on the market that most definitely are designed to be meal supplements. Those are the shakes that should be used as meal supplements.

It is my understanding, and I am sure you'll correct me if I am wrong, that any protein shake or bar cannot be labeled a 'meal replacement' unless it meets FDA approved guidelines - equal amounts of carbs to protein. Otherwise it is a 'supplement' - call it a snack if you will. Low carb shakes do not meet this standard and cannot be considered a 'meal replacement'.

For LC eating a protein shake supplemented with adequate fat is a meal for all intent and purposes - it's just not the perfect meal. If your goal is to meet a protein requirement for whatever reason (exercise, minimum protein consumption for the day a la Protein Power) then a protein shake is a convenient and unfilling way of doing so.

The question was do protein shakes contain hidden carbs and will they stop me from being in ketosis, not what is your take on the ideal way to live out a LC WOL.

Experts get paid for their services, I'm a volunteer, just like everyone else.

Nat

Hi there,
Well here is my opinion on bars - from a former sugar aholic. The bars make me crave more sugar. And I find myself unsatisfied unless I have had the sugar. I have had only one low carb bar that I liked--- It is the carb-solutions chocolate bars, which are made with Mallitol and have about 12 carbs. But I would rather suggest a piece of unsweetened baking chocolate melted with a little butter and whipped cream and a packet of splenda. It is about 5 carbs, and pretty good.

I started eating bars after induction and it really stalled me out.
But I am not an expert. SO do what your body thinks is right, you'll find out through trial and error what responds well to your weightloss.