Atkins portions ?

[bigsis1970]

Ok so I went into the Atkins website just to look it over ( i am currently on the 6 week body make over program ) and see if it was something I might want to try .. I do not see any portion sizes at all in the Induction part other then limiting the carb to under 20 g ( which I can't seem to figure out how to do that either ) and 2-3 cups of veggies --- how many eggs , how much meat ??? can you have mayo or miracle whip w/ the tuna they like you to eat ?? Sorry it just didn't seem very clear to me - maybe I need to get a book ??
****my 6 week body make over plan now consists of 2oz protein and 1/2 c fruit for Breakfast and Am snack - 2oz protein, 1/2 c carb and 1 c veggie for Lunch - 2oz protein 1/2 c carb for Pm snack - dinner = same as lunch and then a bedtime snack of 1/2c fruit. ( I have a protein shake w/ fruit for breakfast - 2 egg whites and fruit for Am snack - chicken , rice and cut veggies for lunch, pm snack - veggie and dinner is usually the same as lunch w/ a cup of hot veggies too ) *****
so it looks like you can eat omlets every day of the week w/ cheese and veggies and for lunch you can have a big salad w/ grilled chicken and dressing ( w/o sugar or the lost available ) and then dinner more meat, cheese and veggies ?? but no Potato, pasta, rice or bread ??
this is long I know .. Thanks for any help.. Michelle

** edited in to say this is what I am doing now - not Atkins yet **

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

Michelle, it seems like you are restricting your protein too much. While you have to count the carbs in your eggs (.6 grams each) and your protein (some have carbs, some don't), the amount that you can eat is substantial, and you won't get the appetite suppression that is so beneficial if you fail to eat enough protein AND fat.

Miracle whip is a no no..added sugar, however regular mayo (not low fat or fat free) is carb free, as is butter. Use those as your primary fat sources.

Cheese is permitted on Atkins, but you do have to watch it. My loss slows if I eat too much.

Fruit is not permitted during induction and is VERY limited throughout Atkins. Berries are your best bet, but you have to say goodbye to things like bananas, apples, oranges, and watermelons.

Good luck. Once you get past the first couple of weeks it becomes very easy to stay on plan.

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi Jen, thanks for the Mayo info. ( can't eat plain tuna ) but can you eat any size portion like a 8oz steak for dinner ?? or have a 6 egg omlet ( not that you would but... ) and you can fry in oil ? what about salt is that allowed ?

can you help with how to figure out the carbs ? say i have a granola bar with 150 calories , 50 fat calories , 6 g total fat , 3.5 g sat.fat, 85 mg sodium , 21g total carbs, 1g fiber, 13g sugar, and 2g protein ?? Thanks again

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

Well, the 21g of carbs in that granola bar is more than you are allowed to eat all day during induction, and to be honest I wouldn't eat that at all during Atkins. It's better to deprive yourself for a while until you get used to the lack of sugar. Then you'll find that you no longer want it. Anyhoo, you have to count all of the carbs in the granola bar, but the 13g of sugar is definitely something to avoid.

Portion size is really unlimited, although things like ham and sausage tend to have carbs so you need to count them. An 8 oz steak portion would definitely be allowable (you could eat a 16 oz portion if you were able to choke it down), as would the 6 egg omelet (a mere 3.6 grams of carbs, not including the veggies).

At the beginning of Atkins, I was amazed at how much I was able to eat, given that I've done the low-fat diet approach 1000 times. After a while, as your stomach shrinks, you have very little desire to overeat, and your portion sizes become smaller.

I'm staying on Atkins for life. Despite the fact that my metabolism is slow, as is my weight loss, I feel better than I have in years and the weight is coming off steadily.

 

[Kabuli1]

Michelle,

Why are considering changing to Atkins? You are having success on the plan you are on now. Is it because you think you will lose more quickly? If that is your thinking, you need to know that you will probably lose more slowly and since you've already had a good initial loss, you won't see the fabulous results that many people have during Induction. This is a problem that is addressed in the Atkins book, when you switch from a low fat diet to Atkins your loss may be much slower than it would be otherwise. Also the 6-week is a very restricted diet, I think you would rebound w/ a gain at least for a few weeks.

My experience with these two plans - I lost an average of 2.76 lbs each week on 6-week (25lbs in 9 weeks). On Atkins since the beginning of June I've lost 15 lbs in 11 - I had to take the extreme step of doing the Atkin's fat fast to lose much of that.

Why am I still with Atkins? Honestly, I considered changing back, but there are 2 reasons I don't want to do that. 1. This is a plan I can do for life - I don't want to ever have to lose weight again. 2. This is a plan my DH is happy with and has had great health benefits from already. He did the 6-wk with me and also lost 25 lbs in the same period of time. BUT he looked emaciated when we were done - now, he's not lost quite as much on Atkins (20) - but he looks great! 6-Wk, especially if you aren't doing the exercises (which were my favorite part of the diet) can cause you to lose muscle, not fat (my BF % did not go down when we were doing it, Randy's bad cholesterals went up).

I know that each of us is different, so I can only tell my story. If you want to change to Atkins, please be very realistic about it. Atkins is a wonderful program, but may not produce the miraculous results you see on this board for you because of the plan you have just been on. OTH, since 6WBM plan is high protein, low bad carbs, you probably won't have as much problem with induction as some others have had!

Portion control on Atkins - don't go hungry, but don't overeat. You can gain weight on any program if you don't control portions. Most people who have been on Atkins for a long time and have had success will tell you that you need to control how much you eat if you want to lose. Oh, and mayo - not Miracle Whip (too much sugar).

Sorry this was so long! I really wish you the best of luck and great wisdom as you make this decision!

Karyn

 

[bigsis1970]

Actually I am looking for something my daughter can do with me she is almost 10 ( in Nov ) and weights about 103 lbs and is about 4 foot 6 ( I am only 5 feet ) and it seems like w/ atkins this is something I can control what she eats better - I have been looking more into their website and see that during Induction there are pancake and muffin mixes, bread mixes for sandwiches and hamburger rolls and some pasta ( for phase 2 ) as well as cookie and cake mixes for our sweet tooth . We might have trouble with the no fruit thing but its something we can work through. I am doing better with the 6 week body makeover then I did with WW and am not expecting to lose tons

 

[Kabuli1]

Why don't you look at the South Beach Diet and the Zone as well. The Zone especially is a more balanced approach and might be easier for your daughter and would be an easier transition for you, actually, you could probably stay on the 6-Wk while she does the Zone, or the Protein Power plan. I felt when I was looking at them that the closest to the 6-wk was Protein Power, I picked up the book The 30 Day Diet Solution - it seemd to be the easiest to follow. Check it out.

Your daughter is pretty young! Does anyone have experience with Induction like on Atkins or South Beach with this age? Both the Zone and Protein Power are low carb plans that don't have induction periods. The Zone is the hardest to make sense of! Check out the books from your library!

The only other caution I would have is that at 10 your daughter is developing - physcally and emotionally - and you really need to be careful to make sound choices for her. Did her MD suggest she lose weight and what approach you should use?

One more thing you said in your last post "during Induction there are pancake and muffin mixes, bread mixes for sandwiches and hamburger rolls and some pasta ( for phase 2 ) as well as cookie and cake mixes for our sweet tooth"! The purpose of Atkins is to get us away from our dependence on these kinds of carbs - it's nice that they have mixes and all that, but it would be better if you use your low-carbing to wean yourself away from the kinds of foods that are so addictive.

Sorry, I guess I'm acting like a "big sis" - and all this is just my opinion - I'm sure you will hear from others as well.

Karyn

 

[bigsis1970]

Please Act like that ( cause that is why I posted ! ) Actually the Dr said its Ok but I know she is already feeling self concious ( sp ) about herself - she has friends who are both bigger and littler then her - ( and it doesn't help when her brother - and step brothers - call her chubby or fatty ) I guess I should go to the Lib. and check out to see if there are any book on helping kids get their weight under control before I make any plan changes . thanks for all the input .. I guess I should just make and effort to Cut the Fat/Carb/Sugar intake at home - making harder to fill up school lunch boxes . I am off to the book store and will see what I can find over the weekend . Really thanks for the help . Michelle

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Hi Michelle - missed you this wknd? Were you there?

Back to your original question - I use fitday.com daily. It definately helps breakdown the carbs, fat & protein. Pajammatam used it every day also when she was faithfully following Atkins. Have you given it a try yet?

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi Barb , No I didn't make it to the campground ! kids wanted the Ocean so we went to Pine Point in Scarboro ( Maine ) . I was looking forward to coming up but that was nixed.. I am going to continue with my 6 week body make over program but will be hitting the book store soon to read up on the other programs - I need to find some way to help out my DD so I am hoping maybe there will be a children's version out there .. however School is starting next Thursday so snacking will be cut right out ! take care Michelle

 

[webray]

The atkins book is very clear about portion sizes...atkins is very easy to follow!

 

[bigsis1970]

Thanks webray ! I will take a look at it over the weekend

 

[DixieDreamer]

You really must read the book to be successful. The reason is not only the lists of what is allowed etc... but the theory behind why this works. If you do not understand why - you cannot make good choices when presented with options.

I love eating low carb and am a huge advocate for it. I also feel strongly that you cannot be successful long term unless you invest in yourself by doing a bit of homework.