I've been following Atkins for three years now (fell off the bandwagon once and am 15lbs. from goal now), and protein shakes work fine for me. You have to watch the carb intake on some designer wheys though. However, I weight train seriously and am training for my second marathon. My body uses the designer whey post workout to aid in muscle recovery. If you are into intense exercise, I would recommend them to help supplement the quick burning glycogen present in muscle tissue and aid in the restorative process. If you are rather sedentary, I would follow the advice of Brook and the like and omit whey protein until after you complete induction.

You can still lose using protein shakes, bars, etc., if you are extremely active. Otherwise, you might plateau and stall your weight loss. Like Ned, I am a believer in protein shakes, Atkins forum or not. It just depends on your body type and level of activity. It's not that I can't find anything else to eat when I'm at the grocery store, I just happen to prefer these types of supplements prior to morning hillwork or a ten mile jaunt. It's fairly hard to run a 10k with a belly full of bacon and eggs. If I'm not training, I also just LIKE them, period.

You'll notice that my body fat percentages seem skewed if it says I'm still 15lbs. away from goal. That's because most of it is muscle. I credit protein shakes with my muscle mass, density, and strength, as they allow me to run long distances, lift weights, and not suffer lossage of mass like most seriously active people do while "dieting." Of course, I use the word "dieting" flippantly, as this is a WOL, not a diet. Most gym rats know you can't "diet" and expect to increase muscle strength and definition.

Experiment with yourself--if you find you stall with the whey protein, cut it until after induction. If you continue to lose at your current stats, adjust accordingly.

Most of all, good luck!

Interesting discussion.

My position: Atkins never recommended living on protein shakes, with occasional real food a few times a week. Actually, *the exact opposite*.

On Atkins, convenience or "frankenfoods" are portrayed as an occasional indulgence, okay in moderation/when there's not a better choice available. (ie, a Atkins bar or shake is better than a twinkie if you're out and about without access to other low carb foods).

This doesn't make other plans bad or unhealthy or wrong---it just means that if you're sustaining yourself on protein shakes, you're certainly following a low carb plan, it's just not Atkin's plan.

I think many people have come to see "low carb" and "atkins" as nearly synonymous terms, since the Atkins WOE is probably the most popular/well known low carb plan.

Jen

Designer is ok, but ON tastes much better and the price is right. Met-rx (extreme choc) is also very good.

MJ

This is a question that's been on my own mind lately. I'm coming from only eating one main meal a day and one snack, to a plan that expects me to eat so much more often than I'm used to. Breakfast for me, is pretty much a no-no. I take a bunch of meds as soon as I wake up with some water and even the smell or the thought of food for the first few hours makes me nauseated. I've tried to 'break my fast' upon rising a couple of times, but it's as if my stomach just doesn't wake up when the rest of me does and it can be really hard not to have it 'bounce' leaving me running to puke in the bathroom. I've just never been a breakfast person and always done without.

But if I'm going to be needing to get fat & protein into me, at least three times a day, the only way around it I can see is to use something like a protein shake, blended with coconut oil & ice, to create a drink that I can sip on slowly via a straw.

I also cannot eat a lot too late at night, because I have another bunch of medications to take and I need them to be absorbed properly, not get lost or delayed in a system full of food. I'd be looking at my lunch being my largest meal, with something like a shake sipped slowly after taking morning meds, and a smaller meal in the evening that won't lie in my stomach for a long time taking forever to digest, and won't interfere with my evening meds.

So I'm really hoping that I can make this shake instead of breakfast thing work. I know I'm just a huge pain in the ass with my "special requirements" but my medicine regime takes precedence and always will if I want to be around on this planet for the long haul.

You are not required to eat three meals a day.

As research has advanced in the area of weight management, fewer meals or even a narrow window of eating allows many folks here to maintain, or even drop pounds......

Three squares a day may have benefits for some people, and is a good methodology to start a low carb way of eating, many will move to two meals a day.

So with that said, do what works for you.

Thanks Ms Arielle, that's a relief to hear. I was hoping to be able to work my towards a combination of Atkins with IF, because of the way my appetite just doesn't kick in until I've been awake for a good few hours. Because of my meds and the very weird sleeping habits they're connected to, I'm used to having one big meal a day and a snack later on. And I really can't risk doing anything that will make me throw up, when I need to make sure said meds get into my system. At least now I needn't worry about consuming anything upon waking. Thanks again.

Hi. I've been taking D3 supplements for years, yet a recent blood test shows I'm low on D. Wuh!? I didn't realize I need to take the supplement with food for absorption and I'd been taking my meds on rising with water, then taking an hour-long walk before my coffee. So I get the "meds rule" thing.

You mentioned using coconut oil and that can be a problem with a wonky stomach. Mine is very sensitive and doesn't tolerate the oils in drinks. I use powdered MCT oil which froths beautifully in warm drinks.

I measure my blood ketones and my goal is 1.5-3mmol/l. This is known as therapeutic ketosis. I do this because I'm old and have osteoarthritis and don't want pain.

If I have my special Bulletproof Coffee recipe, I don't have to eat for many hours. It helps keep me in deep ketosis. Here's my recipe:

1 cup black coffee
Artificial Sweetener of choice
2 tbsp salted butter
2 scoops Nutricost C8 MCT Oil Powder
Frothed to perfection, then enjoyed.

BlueVelvet....for what its worth, I dont make my teens eat breakfast in the traditional sense. Their first meal is between 10am and noon, or later.

Eat what and when it works for you.

Ah...those teenage years! I remember them well. Lol! I guess the 3 square meals with breakfast being an essential component upon rising is probably just another example of the 'received wisdom' ideas that we all have to get over and stop holding onto (like the low-cal/low-fat guff still out there being promoted by governments & health professionals! Grr.)

I use Jay Robb egg white protein powder (I can't tolerate whey) and make one shake a day in my blender. It's a great protein supplement (24g) and since I maintain an fairly intensive workout schedule, I think it has greatly helped me add muscle and strength, as well as energy. It works well with my very low carb diet. I've read things lately that suggest that most women in particular are not getting enough protein and that adding protein (modestly, not in huge amounts) can help weight loss. I can't say for sure, of course, but I'm thinking it definitely does help with weight loss. I have trouble eating a lot of meat, and the protein powder helps a lot to boost my protein intake.

I would always prefer using a protein powder type shake over the ready made shakes that might have a lot of other "stuff" in them.

I often had a protein shake for breakfast when I was working (retired now) because I could make it up and drink it on my 45 minute drive to work. I use the Jay Robb protein powder with water, ice, blueberries and a spoonful of flax seed and chia seed. Tastes pretty good and worked well for me. I keep the Jay Robb whey powder in the cabinet for times when I want a shake. I keep the vanilla and chocolate. My sister's doctor told her to add a protein shake to her day to up her protein. She is type 1 diabetic and needed more protein. I tried her shake and liked it. Don't do it everyday now but it is a meal option for those times I just want something quick.

Dr Ted Naiman's P:E Diet is all about protein to energy ratios, and powders really fit the bill if you can’t hit your protein target with whole foods. I add the protein powder to 0% fat yogurt and cottage cheese so it doubles two already optimal food sources of protein.

The last two pages of the current P:E thread has many favorite brands of protein powders recommended by members using the P:E Diet.

https://forum.lowcarber.org/showthr...2&page=19&pp=15

I eat 18 raw almonds with tea for breakfast.

Mid morning I drink a whey 'shake' which is high in protein so I put 1 tbsp of liquid MCT oil in it, plus some zero carb/calorie flavoring. I also have two 'teaspoons' of pepitas that I roasted in coconut oil. (Pepitas are supposedly good for male specific health issues.)

We have a modest lunch, which is our biggest meal of the day, it varies from day to day. This is when I take most of my vitamins.

I might have a small treat, perhaps a palm sized portion of mixed nuts or a spoon of nut butter mid afternoon, and a serving of keto ice cream before 6PM and that's it for 13 hours (except water).

I go by what I call "lazy keto". Fewer than 1800 calories and 20 carbs per day, and twice as much fat as protein. I've lost 60 pounds and kept it off for decades.

Works for me, no guarantee for anyone else.

Bob-a-rama

One of the things I dislike about the protein powders (as well as the ready made high protein drinks) is the sweet taste. Can't stand the taste.

Are there any powders out there that don't have that awful sweet taste?

I get raw grass fed whey at Amazon HERE

Only 1 ingredient, 100% pure grass-fed whey. The cows are not fed any rBGH , rBST or other artificial hormones.

It's a little harder to stir than the processed brands, but it's 100% grass-fed so it has more omega 3s and CLAs, will not bother people with an A1 milk problem, and has no sweeteners or other artificial ingredients.

A 5 pound bag makes almost 100 portions.

I add a bit of stevia to make it sweeter and some flavor extract myself.

Bob