BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Low Carb Very important question to me - need advice

I've been in the induction phase of Atkins for 7 weeks. I guess I have a pretty high metabolic resistance because I've only lost 11 pounds and haven't lost anything in the last three weeks. I've recently stopped taking hormones (7 weeks ago), betablockers, and Zoloft. My only exercise is the treadmill 20 minutes about five days a week. I am working on going longer. I have a very sedentary job. In case yeast is a problem (how do you really know if you have a yeast problem?)I've been taking L-Carnatine to help with that. I got Ketostix about a week ago and according to those I am not in Ketosis. One morning, it did appear to be trace. I am really having a problem wanting someething sweet. I have been having an ounce or two of cream cheese with a little bit of Spenda. In the book, the New Diet Revolution, Dr. Atkins says to limit artificial sweetners to 3 packets a day. I have done this, using Splenda. I found Blue Bunny Carb Freedom (butter pecan) only 2 net carbs per bar. Oh, so good!!! My question is this, I'm still trying to stay in the 20-25 carb per day range. Do you think I can treat myself to one of these a day now? They taste so good, it seems it can't be good for my diet, or would it have too much artificial sweetner and ruin my diet? I can't use the Ketostyx as a guide. I want to think that as long as I stay in my 20-25 carb range, I can eat whatever I want. How much Splenda is too much? It says on the package that the ingredients in the Blue Bunny Carb Freedome does not raise blood sugar. Or at this stage is it still all forbidden? Most of my carbs are from fresh vegetables, but I do want some sweet treats now. Please someone with experience give me some advice. Soon. Thank you.

From past experience, the sooner you start back on the sweet stuff, the harder it is to stay on the strict path. If you are trying to do the fast weigh loss and want to stay on phase one - it will be very difficult if you start adding in little bits of sweets - even if they are artificially sweetened.

Also, be sure to watch the dairy products on ice cream products. It says "net carbs" - but anything that has milk in it is going to be higher than say a sugar free popsicle (I've never really liked the way they do the "net carbs" vs. "total carbs" - it seems like cheating to me)

Actually the TOTAL CARBS are Fiber, sugar and starch. sugar and starch raise your blood sugar levels simple sugar like candy raises your blood sugar levels fast and then drop it (watch your kids on a sugar high energetic at first then cranky and sleepy may have headache= sugar high) starches are like bread and pasta potatoes and corn they take longer to metabolize so they raise your blood sugar levels slower and stay up longer. fiber your body cant digest at all or very little so it doesnt effect you blood levels. sugar Alcohols are different and effect people differently. milk is lactose which is a sugar classified as a simple sugar diabetics drink milk or organ jucuic to raise blood levels when we are hypo... so the net carbs is the total carbs- fiber and sometimes sugar alcohols which most peoples blood sugars are not effected by. does that make sense? <img src="/images/graemlins/wall.gif" alt="" />

also most products that say sugar free mean just that SUGAR FREE not carb free they still have flour and carbs!!! most carb free products are either naturaly carb free (salad dressing) or they had a high fat content (ice cream cookies) most fat free things have high sugar content (salad dressing) and if they are fat AND carb free they taste horrid!!! there was a study somewhere about all the unnatrual thing that we eat linking magor health issues to chemicaly based food. but i for got who did the study.sorry

FreeBubbles is quite correct in that you have to always read what you are eating. Companies put all sorts of wild claims on their products. If you read the actual details you will find out the truth. Someone might say sugar free but then there is so much junk in there that it ends up being really bad for you.

It's not true that you can eat "anything" on a low carb diet. The whole purpose of a low carb diet is to eat as HEALTHILY as you can - lots of veggies, lots of grilled meat and fish, and avoid all sugar. The main purpose of low carb is to avoid sugar and avoid junk food. If what you do is eat 800 pounds of junk food that is "low carb", you are going to end up very sick.

You're supposed to be eating fresh salmon, fresh tuna, grilled chicken, lots of broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, drinking lots of water, taking your vitamins. That is how you lose weight and get healthy <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

And you SHOULD have health Carbs too whole grain has lots of fiber which helps you feel full and curbes your munches!!! the trick is finding a balance and not going over 8-11 carbs a day and i know that sounds like a lot but 15 grams of carb = 1 serving = 1 slice of bread or a 1/2 cup of corn or rice or a small potato as a diabetic i try to stay away from fruit juice (which have more sugar then cokes) and instant potatos. whole grain pasta and bread are great because i can eat less and feel full too. and i love pickles and lemons and limes they are sugar free-carb free and wonderful!!! (well they are health except the salt i put on them!!)
i am trying to lose weight and i have cut back on my diet sodas and i lose about 2 pounds a week with out doing anything special just a thought!!

I have low carbed a long time. I am not still trying to lose weight. I was eating Blue Bunny, Sweet Freedom Ice Cream bars (90 calories, low carb). They gave me really bad cravings, way more than I thought they should. I finally decided to research all the ingredients. One of the ingredients was maltodextrin. Anyway, I found out through researching it on the web that it is a supposed complex carbohydrate. I also found out it is a major ingredient in products to help rebuild after a workout. So I really think that was what was causing my problem. I switched to Blue Bunny Sweet Freedom fudge bars (45 calories each, and no maltodexin0. They aren't as good, but they don't react in my body like I just ate something sugary! I saw the ones you are talking about in the store. They sound good, but I won't even try those. They definitely sound too sinful! I am sure they would set off cravings for me and make me want to have more than just one!

Wow, that's a doozy of a question!

The simple answer would be, if the bar doesn't cause you cravings and it satisfies your urges for something sweet, go for it.

The complicated answer... well, you might want to rethink a 7 week induction. I don't remember Dr. Atkins ever saying that if 2 weeks of induction is good 7 would be better. I also think that dropping your meds at the same time you began the lifestyle might not have been that great of a choice. A huge part of Atkins involves detective work. You start off with a blank slate. As you introduce foods, you measure their impact and see if they're right for you. By dropping your meds at the same time, you've skewed the experiment. You have no idea if the diet isn't working or the change in chemistry is effecting your weight. Don't get me wrong, I hugely applaud your desire to lose weight and become less chemically dependent, I just think the two together at the same time complicates things a bit.

As far as where to go from here... I'd chalk your less than stellar induction up to weight gain from dropping the meds and move on to owl. Atkins never intended his WOE to be a perpetual induction. A lot of people, after running out of steam with extended inductions, start losing again after going into owl.

As far as sugar alcohols goes, this is where Atkins Nutritionals and I part. I believe that the act of allowing them on induction and deducting them from carb counts comes from a completely monetary perspective and has no foundation whatsoever in health/weight loss. For this reason I'm an old school previous version DANDR adherent. I recommend the same. Count the sugar alcohols, either in whole or in part, but definitely count them. And don't eat them on induction either. Which is fine for you, because, after today, you're taking my advice and going on OWL <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

That's a great term, Scott - "blank slate". That's exactly what induction is doing. You are removing all potential allergens from your system. As you age, you develop allergies without even noticing it. For example, I got a larger and larger pouch and figured it was aging. But when I cut out all allergens during induction, the pouch went away. When I added milk back in, I immediately bloated - and realized that I'd developed an allergy to milk.

I have to disagree on sugar alcohols <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> They're not carbs. They're polyols. Many people don't digest them at all - they just slide through the system without any effect. Yes, some people react to them - but some people react to peanuts too. Those individual reactions are always ones that individuals need to track, which is again a purpose of induction.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14505.asp

*Looking around* Did I refer to SAs as carbs? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> You're 100% correct, they're polyols.

As far as 'many people' not digesting them at all... I have to, respectfully, disagree <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Although I don't agree with him all of the time, Mendosa, along with the study he's quoting, has it right when it comes to net carbs. Responses to SAs are, indeed, extremely individual, but the lion's share of responses falls closer to these figures rather than the 'negligible impact' Atkins Nutritionals so conveniently touts. In other words, with the exception of erythritol, for many people, sugar alcohols DO digest AND have a tangible glycemic impact. At least that's been the experience I've had and the people I've come in contact with.