The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

[HairOfTheDog]

Welcome to The Hobbit Hole!

Journey to the Cross-roads
The Two Towers Edition

Come on! Come in! -if you would like to have some seedcakes and a pint and relax a while. (If it is a special occasion, we still have a few bottles of the old wineyards left!)

Our first thread ( New Zealander builds Hobbit hole ) reached 4,100 posts, and we thought that was big. Our second thread (The New Hobbit Hole ) held us for over 48,000 posts, and we loved it dearly. We talked about moving to a new thread for the last 38,000 posts, but we are really slow to muster! Finally, the time has come. Tomorrow (at 12:01 am, to be precise!) The Two Towers comes out, and we start a new chapter.

[RMDupree]

Is the Atkins diet simply a matter of avoiding complex carbs? What is a "sample" of a daily menu to follow to acheive results on that diet?

[HairOfTheDog]

There is some formula where you can't have any carbs at all for awhile and then there is some magic moment called 'keytosis' or something, and after that you can have some... I thought I could just eat a lot more protien, but apparently one has to actually read the book.

[Sam Cree]

I follow lo carb most of the time, and eat stuff with fat and don't think much about it, yet these days my blood work comes back better than ever (cholesterol, triglycerides, etc.). I think there's some real benefit.

I have read that we consume many times more sugar than we did only 50 years ago, IMO, that accounts for alot of modern obesity, and anti social behavior, for that matter.

[Sam Cree]

Just avoid starch and sugar, mostly, that's the basis. Vegetables are fine otherwise. No limit on protein.

[RMDupree]

My sister tried it and had stomach problems for days. She said that she had heard it was normal to experience that, but it was rather unpleasant. She's trying something different now.

She was pretty short-tempered when she started Atkins too, but I don't know if it had anything to do with the diet or its "side effects". I'd compare it to someone trying to quit smoking.

[ksen]

Oohh, does that mean bread is off limits?

[Lil'freeper]

Good for you! That is sooooo fantastic! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats!

[ksen]

...and taters?

[RMDupree]

What veggies are OK? I think I remember my sister saying that potatoes, carrots and corn were no-nos.

[Corin Stormhands]

That's great ecurbh! I'm thinkin' of switch over to Atkins so I can get some bacon and some red meat.

[RMDupree]

We ain't had nothing but maggoty bread for three stinkin' days!

yeeah, why can't we have some meats?

[ecurbh]

Well, for the past couple weeks, my typical daily menu has been:

Breakfast
Omelet with ham, onion, mushrooms, green peppers, and cheese
or bacon and eggs (Mmmmmm!)

Lunch
grilled meat (steak, pork, chicken, fish, etc)
veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc) usually steamed and topped with little butter and lemon juice

Dinner
mixed green salad, with tuna or grilled chicken, cheese, and olive oil and vinegar dressing

Snacks
Sliced jicama
string cheese

And to reward myself for bypassing the candy jar all day at work, I get a small cup of sugar-free ice cream made with Splenda a few times a week.

And its important to note that I am still on the first phase of the program, which is the most restrictive. As you progress, you start to add in more carbs like fruits, nuts and whole grains until you find the right carb-protein-fat balance for your body type and metabolism.

[carton253]

You start off with a 2 week induction which limits your carbs to 20 a day. The objective is to clean out your system in case you are addicted to carbs and get you into ketosis where your body is burning its fat supply instead of turning carbs into sugar for fuel. Too many carbs means too much sugar which your body turns into fat.

Induction is strict. You can only eat certain foods. Stick to it... I lost 8.5 pounds in induction.

Then the diet gets freerer as you add 5 carbs a week until you stop losing weight. This is your critical carb limit. That means any more carbs and your body starts burning carbs instead of fat.

My diet includes:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs and 3 pieces of bacon.

Lunch: A salad and a piece of prime rib, cheeseburger, chicken, etc. Or I may substitute 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes or green beans, etc.

Dinner is lighter since I get home late after school. I might have a hamburger, chicken, etc. and a salad.

For dessert, some sugar-free ice cream (depending on my carb count) or some sugar-free jello topped with whip cream.

I drink 60-80 ounces of water a day.

I may treat myself to a no-carb chocolate bar. Not too many, sugar alcohol is hard on my system.

I don't like veggies, so I am very deficient in these.

[RosieCotton]

Now, I'm still having trouble as far as Sam goes. Don't tell Rosie!

Hey! Watch it, you!

[Corin Stormhands]

My sister tried it and had stomach problems for days.

Let's just say that the Atkins diet made me rather...er..."Elrondish..."

Potatoes, carrots, any sugar producing vegetables as well as fruit are a no (at least on the first part of Atkins, I've never gone any further).

I like what I'm currently doing. I get some fruit. And I also get rice and potatoes. But no refined sugar, no salt, no flour.

[carton253]

It did the same for me, but I take psyllium tablets and the matter is cleared up.

Atkins believes that all carbs are not created equal. That's why we are very limited on sugar producting veggies.

[ecurbh]

She was pretty short-tempered when she started Atkins too, but I don't know if it had anything to do with the diet or its "side effects". I'd compare it to someone trying to quit smoking.

Sounds like maybe a food addiction. Dr. Atkins talks about those a bit in the book. For me, the hardest part is sweets. I tended to stare a bit longingly at the candy jar at work some days. But I seem to have gotten over it now for the most part. It gets easier as your body gets used to going without sugar.

[Overtaxed]

For some reason my employers don't like ebirdauction.

[RMDupree]

Not to get too personal, but did you both experience the same stomach thing my sister did? Is it a normal thing your body has to grow through due to carb withdrawals?

The menus do not look restrictive to my eyes, actually. I usually eat a very late breakfast or an early lunch (never both) and then eat a very light dinner (only if I feel hungry).

I've been told that this is the worst thing I can do, since my body will act as if I am starving and start to work against me.

[carton253]

The first three days of induction were very hard. Sometimes, I didn't recognize myself since my emotions were out of control.

But on the fourth day, I began to feel better. At the end of two weeks, I felt great.

I take supplements also. I forgot to add that to my typical diet.