Tagged As: Atkins Diet Problem
Question:
Hi, I'm intrigued by the Atkins diet, but I don't really grasp competely what kind of a hypothetical daily free menu is OK and what would be going overboard. The following hypothetical menu might sound ridiculous. I don't know if I could eat all of it even if I were really hungry. But, would there be any drawbacks to it? Breakfast: --a large omelette (real eggs) with plenty of ground sausage and full-fat cheese (like you might get at Bob Evans) --4 or 5 strips of bacon --4 or 5 tablespoons of Smucker's peanut butter (no sugar, just peanuts and salt) --3 cups of skim milk Lunch: --3 Burger King Whoppers with everything (including cheese and plenty of mayonaisse, but no buns, of course) --A large order of onion rings (I assume French fries are out because of the potato starch) --a diet soft drink Dinner: --A medium Pizza Hut sized pizza with extra cheese, pepperoni, and sausage. (without eating the crust) --3 slices of WHOLE-wheat bread --3 cups of skim milk Snacks/desserts to eat during the day: --Full fat cream cheese (heck, for the sake of discussion, let's say half a package) mixed with Splenda, or another calorie-free sweetner --Sugar-free strawberry jam --Planters roasted, salted mixed nuts (I don't know how many, maybe 1/2 of one of their standard cannisters) As for fruits and vegetables, I'm guessing as long as they are fresh and non-starchy (like potatoes) there are no limits unless you eat a crate of grapes or something. 4 other questions (assume I'm a 5 ft 11 male in pretty good health): 1. What are the limits on the grams of carbs you can eat from WHOLE grain bread and pasta? 2. What are the limits on sugar-free dairy products (like milk and sugar-free ice-cream)? 3. Wouldn't a diet like the one above (even with portion sizes reduced) cause my cholesterol to skyrocket? 4. Suppose I'm at a *healthy weight*, but I want to enjoy some real sweets (like a candy bar, some cookies, some ice cream, or cake) that have white flour and sugar. On the day I want to indulge, can I make it a point to **severely** restrict ALL other forms of carbs UNTIL I have the cookies? Assuming I don't go over my limit of carb grams for that day, what would the drawback be? How often, if ever could I indulge like this? Thanks for your time!
Answer:
Don't know where you came up with your choices because they are all over the board. Please read a book on the subject. If you do Atkins diet you will have to start with induction for two weeks and that means NO fruits, bread, milk or cream cheese and other processed soft cheeses--not to mentioned battered onion rings!! It must be kept at 20 carbs a day. After that initiation period to get your body burning its own fat, you start adding carbs 5 grams at a time to find the level of carbs you can eat to still lose weight. That's when you can start adding small amounts of fruits like strawberries, blueberries or up your intake of vegetables. But most important...DO SOME RESEARCH. Read as much as you can. Then, post a hypothetical menu and we'll see how much you learned! This WOE is an ongoing process and you shouldn't jump into it with expectations that are sure to fail because you 'think' something sounds 'low carb'. Looking at your menu, I'd expect you to probably gain quite a few pounds. But if you want to know WHY...read the books! Good luck!
Add to favorites