[quote=fredmugs]Atkins Bars are sweetened with Maltitol. [/quote] While it seems most of the Atkins bars I have in my pantry do indeed have maltitol in them, I have found 2 that do not....Advantage Caramel Fudge Brownie Bar and DayBreak Apple Crisp Bar. Just FYI for anyone trying to avoid that particular sweetener.

Even if there's information on the database for an item, you always have the option to create your own entry as if it were a "new item." You can then set up the Nutrition Facts any way you want....just be sure you check the box that you do NOT want to share the entry with the database. Then, whenever you use the product, you'll have access to it, exactly the way you want it.

[quote=shmiller]One day is not a failure. One meal is not a failure. One bite: not a failure. Each time you put a food in your hands, it's an opportunity to choose. [/quote] I love these statements because they are absolutely true. As to the OP: Declining a dining invitation in the early stage of this journey is not the end of the world! You can ALWAYS go out with friends, coworkers, or family at a later point, when you're comfortable making the appropriate choices at a restaurant. Sometimes, at ANY point in the journey, being faced with temptations is just more than we can handle right then, so the best choice is to decline the invitation. I, too, LOVE pizza. I made a conscious choice when I began, to allow myself a pizza at an event about 10 months away - IF I stayed on plan until then. Was it difficult? At times, yes. But I made that "date" far enough in the future that it likely wouldn't pull me completely off plan at that time. Now, however, I actually enjoy a low-carb pizza as much as one with a typical crust PLUS I know exactly what ingredients have been used to make it. Atkins is a plan that you need to work consistently for best results. Stay the course; believe that you are worth this effort. Good luck.

[quote=eKatherine]Isn't it true that the Atkins diet suggests to dieters that is it not necessary to control your calorie intake as long as you keep your carbs on target?[/quote] "The New Atkins for a New You" references calories in a couple of sections, beginning with the "How Are You Doing" section of the "Welcome to Phase 1, Induction" portion. On p. 107, the book states,"Although you don't have to count calories on Atkins, if you're overdoing the protein and fat, you may be taking in too many calories. We know we said that you don't have to count calories on Atkins, and the vast majority of people don't, but you may need a reality check." Later in the book, on page 129, in "Moving to Phase 2, Ongoing Weight Loss," one of the possible actions to breaking through a plateau is to "do a reality check on your caloric intake." So, even in the most recent Atkins book, the possibility of needing to reduce calories is written about, although it's definitely not the first option recommended. I eventually got to the same point that BuffyBear writes about and had to decrease calories. That said, however, it was the LAST thing I decided to alter and that came about only after about 2 years of successfully doing low-carb.

Diana, I think a lot of us have been there.....feeling deprived and seeing no result on the scale. Atkins is not about deprivation. Different foods, yes, but not deprivation. If you look at some of the sample menus either in the book or over on the Atkins site, you won't see any that are so seriously low in calories. Reducing calories to such a low level is counterproductive to losing on Atkins. Your body need appropriate fuel...yes, even to lose weight! I'd encourage you, as the other posters did, to continue logging all your food, join up on a group or two, and please....review the basics of the Atkins program (again, either in the book or over on the Atkins site) to see how much better (and how much more) you could be eating - and STILL lose weight! Hang in there and good luck.

Congrat's on hanging in there! Cravings "should" subside fairly early in Induction, for the most part. Of course, we'll all have the occasional craving from time to time, even well along in the journey, but they should be manageable. And, yes, there are some nice alternatives for pancakes/waffles later on in the journey! But for now, if you're getting your foundation veggies in, there really isn't a whole lot of extra room to play with and still make the 20 net carb target. For now, take a look back at your daily foods. Sometimes a craving is just the body's way of telling you you're not eating enough. That can happen if your calories are too low and/or you're missing your 12-15 net carbs of veggies. Also....some folks are more sensitive to artificial sweeteners, including the sugar alcohols in such products like the Atkins bars. In those cases, it can seem to set you up for wanting ANYTHING sweet! That's why Induction limits your sweeteners to 3 packets (or their equivalent). Good luck....you've got a solid week already gone by, so things should begin to come a bit easier for you.

FS does not remove sugar alcohols to compute net carbs. There are a couple of ways to handle the SAs, each with their own pros and cons. Rksoup mentioned reducing total carbs by the amount of the SAs. That's one method. Your fiber and net carbs will be correct, but your TOTAL carbs will be understated. At some point in your journey, even if you're using net carbs, TOTAL carbs - TRUE TOTAL carbs - could become important to you. Another method adds the SAs to the fiber count, which IS subtracted to get net carbs. In that method, both total and net carbs will be correct, but fiber will be overstated. But fiber can be important for some people to track. You will also see some entries that simply put the amount of net carbs in as both the total carb amount and the net carb amount, and showing no fiber. In the midst of all this, there's often a tug-of-war between people changing the database, first one way and then the other. What shows up one way in your food log ends up totally different the next time you eat that food! From my own point of view, I simply create my own custom food entry (NOT shared with the database) for every product I use that has SAs. The entry is set up the way I want my SAs to be handled PLUS I know that it will be the way I want it to be, each and every time I input it into my diary.

Karabeth's got it right....do your own custom entry the way YOU want it to show, and do not share with the database. I've got a whole slew of custom, non-shared entries....basically anything with sugar alcohols in them.

I would not do any directed exercise at this point (the contrarian viewpoint, I know). In one of the Volek & Phinney books, they indicate that there's actually some evidence that exercising at higher weights results in a slowing of resting metabolism! At heavier weights, doing a lot of exercise also creates a lot of collateral damage on your joints, perhaps even your muscles. That damage increases inflammation....NOT what you want to do. I realize this flies in the face of Biggest Loser....you can make your own judgment. Wait until you've lost a reasonable amount of weight and slowly begin a moderate exercise program....more for your sense of well-being and heart health, than for weight loss. In the meantime, if you feel up to it, you can always park further from stores, maybe take a stair or two, but go easy. As you drop weight, you'll actually feel like you want to move more and that's your key to doing so! All of my weight has been lost walking, primarily. While I walk 3+ miles now, I began at just a mile or so, 2-3x/week, and that was after Induction. Good luck!

The Taubes book is excellent, but unlike Monika, I found it difficult to get through in spots. A second (or third) reading of certain sections did help, though. Great info! I think that nearly every WOE has certain points that I could agree with. But, for me, it's a matter of finding the WOE, in its entirety, that I feel I could stick with long-term, as well as a WOE that is solidly researched and helps combat the various health issues that all of us seem to fight these days.

While many Atkins bars are labeled as appropriate for Phase 1, Induction, they should be viewed as emergency foods, IMO. The overall load of sugar alcohols can make them problematic. The few days I looked at in your food diary showed 2 bars on each of those days and it looked as if you didn't have so many in your first week. The other issue to be aware of (because it caused me a MAJOR problem) is the Redi-Wip. If you have a sensitive food scale, try weighing out 1 serving of the stuff.....it's hard to do and it's not very much at all! If you're not really, really careful, you can add lots of calories and lots of carbs without realizing it.....I know because I did that. All in all, the more you can stick to real foods....fresh foods....and nothing processed.....the better you'll do. You can always test your results with the processed stuff at a later point, when your weight loss is nice and steady and you have a better feel for how Atkins is working for you this time around. As far as the vitamins are concerned, I don't think it makes any difference on one's weight loss, but that's just an opinion. I've taken many multi's and continue to do so, but I don't think the brand makes a difference. I suspect that any difference you're seeing in results is a matter of being older (happens to the best of us) and any changes you've made in how you're doing this WOE....then vs. now. Stay the course. And consider dropping those bars, at least for now. Good luck.

The Fourth of July is the perfect holiday to "go through" when you're early in your journey. I think it's a whole lot easier than some other holidays (not that you can't get through those others, they're just a bit more difficult). Anyway, plain shredded beef or chicken, hamburgers and cheeseburgers (without buns), deviled eggs, and raw celery and cauliflower with ranch dressing are just some examples of great foods that fit in nicely with BOTH Atkins and a BBQ theme. If you're the one hosting, you can look for a low-carb BBQ sauce or you can search for some recipes for the same in either the Atkins books or online. Oh....and let's not forget regular salad. There's no reason you can't get through a BBQ and still stay on your eating plan. Good luck and enjoy the event!

Another problem with the Atkins bars during Induction is that it's actually very hard to fit them into the parameters of Induction. If you're truly getting 12-15 net carbs of foundation veggies, that only leaves you 5-8 net carbs left. Sure, a 2 net carb bar "seems" to fit in there, but there are lots of cheeses, processed meats and egg items that have a carb, or partial carb, here or there, and before you know it, those 5-8 net carbs are used up and you're right up against that 20 net carb target - NOT INCLUDING the Atkins bar! Even if you're working the 2010 version of Atkins with its focus on net carbs, you may find, later in your journey, that you also need to keep an eye on TOTAL carbs....and, of course, just about any Atkins bar, and even other low-carb products, typically pack a huge punch in the TOTAL carb department. I typically did not have a problem using 1 bar - in OWL - as long as it was one that had low total and net carbs, as well as having a lower sugar alcohol total. The bar I used most often was 12 TC, 3 NC and just 4 sugar alcohols. Much beyond that did not work for me at that time. Good luck.

There's no problem weighing yourself however often you'd like, as long as your entire day's mood doesn't get unduly affected. If your mood gets too affected, you could find yourself reaching for off-plan foods to comfort yourself....or to celebrate! Weighing more often - however you want to define it - serves to keep you on track and can help you get to know your own body rhythms (how many pounds do I typically fluctuate throughout the day, do I bounce up the day after a loss and if so, by how much, how does TOM affect me, etc.).

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Whoa.....stop. Take a deep breath. First off, if you are still on Atkins, as your profile indicates, bacon and sausage with zero carbs are both OK to use. Yes, there are concerns with nitrites/nitrates and possible hidden carbs, but, for now, I wouldn't worry about that. Nor would I be concerned about plain coffee having a minimal amount of carbs. Let's face it, none of us gained lots of weight just by drinking plain coffee! Where are you getting your information on Atkins foods? There's a lot of info out on the various websites that, while intended to be helpful, just provide confusion when you're starting out. In your early stages (Induction), either the 2010 Atkins book, "A New Atkins for a New You" or the tutorials over on the Atkins site should be your guide. Know the information there like your own name! Keep referring back to those 2 sources and use them to plan your menus. Begin to log your foods here on site....every day, every meal, every food. It may seem daunting at first, but it will help you in AMAZING ways, PLUS, if you do have a problem along the way (everyone does), we can take a look to see what's really going on. With respect to whether or not this weight loss journey is worth the effort....only YOU can answer that. You might consider making a list of the real reasons you considered embarking on this weight loss journey....the REAL reasons, not why you think you OUGHT to lose, but why you really WANT to lose. Good luck and welcome to the site.

Marcia, Tlegerski is right about the fat looking a bit low....but that's just 1 day. Definitely log all your foods, every day, every meal, and we'll begin to see if anything needs a tweak or two. Assuming you're doing the 2010 version of Atkins, and not an earlier version, remember to get about 4-6 oz. of protein at each meal and 12-15 net carbs in foundation veggies. Trying to keep NC even lower than 20 (for Induction) is not necessarily better! And don't forget the water! Frankly, I think it's great that you've lost 10 pounds in about 4 weeks! We can't duplicate what we did when we were younger....or the last time we did Atkins.....just have to go with what's happening THIS time and work with our bodies. Hang in there....it CAN be done!

One way to find out if this is the cause of your "plateau" is to stop drinking them for a week and see what happens. Some people can handle artificial sweeteners....some can't. And, sometimes it seems to depend on which artificial sweetener it is. Lots of reasons to not have aspartame, but that's a whole separate issue for you to consider.

Darn those guys! They ALWAYS lose more quickly and easily than us gals. As hard as it can be, never compare your results with those of a guy. As a diabetic, I'm guessing you're on some type of prescription medication??? There are those on this site who can probably address exactly how various medications can impact one's weight loss journey, but I know that medications, in general, can make it more difficult to lose weight. More difficult? Yes. Impossible? No. You've just come onto this site, so my advice would be to keep logging your foods here, every day, every meal, every food. That will give us all a chance to look and see what's going on. Oftentimes, we can spot a problem once we see several days' worth of food logs. Be sure you're getting adequate protein and fat and keeping your net carbs around 20 (for Induction). Your foundation veggies should account for about 12-15 of those net carbs. Be sure you're drinking your water daily (divide your weight in half, as a number, and try to drink that many ounces daily). Are you following the 2010 Atkins book or an earlier version? Or....have you done the tutorials over on the Atkins site for Induction/Phase 1? Are there any areas where you had specific questions? I'm sure once you get several days of food logs posted, we'll have some ideas to get you going. And....who knows? By then, you might not need any help!;)

[quote=monika135]you need to have your setting on NET CARBS and then carefully select the options when you search. I have found most of the bars with the sugar alcohol added as fiber to give a true Net count.[/quote] Absolutely follow Monika's advice. Be careful when you select the food to enter!! Watch your entries each and every time you enter it, as people can often get in a tug-of-war over the handling of sugar alcohols, changing the database first one way, and then another. While there are entries that combine the SAs with the fiber so that BOTH total and net carbs are correct (but fiber is overstated), there are also other entries that show reduced TOTAL carbs with correct fiber. This latter method still gives you the correct NET carbs but can vastly understate the TOTAL carbs....and TOTAL carbs can become important to you in certain circumstances, even though one primarily focuses on net carbs. I always set up my own custom food entry, that I do not share with the database, for any product that contains SAs, setting it up the way I want (adding the SAs to the fiber count). That way I don't have to worry about "my" product getting caught up in that tug-of-war.