The New Atkins Made Easy (30 page)
Read The New Atkins Made Easy Online
Authors: Colette Heimowitz
â¢Â Flavour Creations sugar-free coffee flavoring tablets; flavour
creations.com
â¢Â Genisoy low-carb soy chips, crisps, and soy nuts;
genisoy.com
â¢Â Hallman's Bear Creek sugar-free BBQ sauces;
hallmansbearcreek.com
â¢Â Healthy Joy Bakes flaxseed bread with 1 gram Net Carbs per slice;
healthyjoybakes.com
â¢Â Junior's no-sugar-added cheesecake;
juniorscheesecake.com
â¢Â King's Cupboard sugar-free dark chocolate sauce and hot cocoa mix;
kingscupboard.com
â¢Â Kitchen Table Bakers all-cheese crisps;
kitchentablebakers.com
â¢Â Kozy Shack no-sugar-added puddings;
kozyshack.com
â¢Â La Nouba sugar-free preserves, marshmallows, and a chocolate hazelnut spread that tastes like Nutella, all made in Belgium; lanouba.be
â¢Â LC Foods low-carb, sugar-free, gluten-free crackers, breads, frosting mixes, preserves, sweeteners, and thickeners
;
holdthecarbs.com
â¢Â MiRico low-carb breads, bagels, buns, and tortillas;
miricobreads.com
â¢Â Rhythm Superfoods kale chips;
rhythmsuperfoods.com
â¢Â Smucker's fruit jam, jelly and fruit preserves, dessert toppings, and syrups made without added sugar; smuckers.com/sensibly_ sweet/product_list
â¢Â So Delicious almond, coconut, and soy milk unsweetened and sugar-free beverages, creamers, yogurt, and frozen desserts;
sodeliciousdairyfree.com
â¢Â Steel's Gourmet Foods sugar-free sweeteners, syrups, and dessert sauces;
steelsgourmet.com
â¢Â Trinity Hill Farms no-sugar-added sauces, salad dressings, and condiments;
trinityhillfarms.com
â¢Â True Lemon no-carb citrus-flavored beverage mixes;
truelemon.com
â¢Â Walden Farms no-sugar-added preserves, spreads, syrups, salad dressings;
waldenfarms.com
â¢Â Wink dairy-free and no-sugar-added frozen desserts;
winkfrozendesserts.com
THE SCOOP ON SUGAR: NATURAL, BUT STILL SUGAR
Mother Nature produces honey, maple syrup, molasses, and agave syrup, which all boast traces of antioxidants, but all of these still deliver a dense dose of carbs, as you can see below.
PRODUCT | AMOUNT | NET CARBS |
Table sugar | 1 tablespoon | 12.6g |
Agave nectar | 1 ounce | 20g |
Honey | 1 tablespoon | 17g |
Molasses | 1 tablespoon | 15g |
Maple syrup | 1 tablespoon | 15g |
Everyone loves chocolate, but most chocolate treats are sugar bombs. Instead, opt for substitutes for old favorites and you'll slash your sugar and carb intake. Put some of these products to the taste test.
HAVE THIS | INSTEAD OF THAT | QUANTITY | DIFFERENCE IN NET CARBS |
Atkins Day Break Creamy Chocolate Shake | Chocolate Ice Cream Shake | 11 oz | 75g |
Atkins Endulge Caramel Nut Chew | Snickers | 1 bar | 30g |
Atkins Endulge Chocolate Caramel Mousse | Milky Way | 1 bar | 34g |
Breyer's Carb Smart Chocolate Ice Cream | Breyer's Chocolate Ice Cream | 1 | 12g |
Canfield's Diet Chocolate Fudge Soda | Yoo-Hoo | 12 ounces | 51g |
La Nouba Chocolate Hazelnut Spread | Nutella | 1 tablespoon | 9g |
Q.
Do I have to rewash prewashed greens?
A.
These veggies are a great convenience, but it's still a good idea to rinse and give them a whirl in a salad spinner. Greens usually stay crisp for up to five days when placed in a resealable plastic bag with a damp paper towel.
Q.
I know I shouldn't eat them, but I still crave the crunch and saltiness of pretzels and chips. What do you recommend instead?
A.
Actually, there are several alternatives. Rather than buying salted nuts or seeds, you could lightly sprinkle them with salt to moderate the inclination to keep eating them. Air-popped popcorn sprinkled
with Parmesan cheese or a bit of seasoned salt is fine in moderation in later phases of Atkins. Low-carb soy and veggie chips may also satisfy you. You can also find bagged kale chips, often flavored with grated cheese, which supply the crunch without the carbs. Finally, pork rinds are a fallback if you're still in the early phases of Atkins.
Q.
Now that I'm maintaining my weight, can I have ice cream?
A.
An occasional
1
/
2
cup of ice cream is not going to make you balloon up, but it may be hard to have just a small serving. A better approach is to explore ice creams made without added sugar, including some by Breyer's, Dreyer's, and Edy's. Other frozen low-carb treats include fudge pops, fruit bars, sherbet, and coconut-milk- or tofu-based frozen treats, also minus added sugar. Wink frozen desserts are sugar and lactose free and come in flavors such as Cinnamon Bun, Cocoa Dough, and Iced Latte, with a single gram of Net Carbs per
1
/
2
cup.
Now that you know how easy it is to put a low-carb meal on the table, it's time to learn how to make dining out just as simple and pleasurable. As you'll see in the next chapter, as long as you're prepared and know which questions to ask, you should be able to pick and choose from just about any menu, whether it's a Greek diner, fast-food chain, family dining spot, or fine restaurant. But first I want to introduce you to Joe Z., a tae kwon do champion and trainer who had nonetheless let himself become obese. More than 200 pounds lighter after adopting the Atkins Diet, Joe has rediscovered his self-esteem and found his mission in life: to inspire others to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
I
.âââAvoid products with nitrates
II
.âââAdd leftover chicken or pork to make a main dish.
SUCCESS STORY
FROM DENIAL TO ACCOUNTABILITY
VITAL STATS
Daily Net Carb intake: 60 grams
Age: 52
Height: 6'2"
Before weight: 440 pounds
After weight: 232 pounds
Weight lost: 208 pounds
Imagine tipping the scale at 440 pounds while teaching tae kwon do in your own school! Six years ago Sacramento, California, resident Joe Z. was living a life full of such contradictions. He was also suffering constant back and knee pain and taking Motrin and Vicodin, along with cortisone injections, to try to alleviate it. And by the way, that weight is an estimate, since Joe couldn't find a scale that went that high! What is a fact is that he's now almost half the size he was. Let's hear it from Joe.
I was in complete denial. I grew up in a Latino family eating lots of beans, rice, and tortillas. I had been a jock in high school, playing on the football, tennis, and wrestling teams. I was always a big guy, and somehow I convinced myself that my 56-inch waist wasn't that different from its former 36 inches. When I was teaching a class, I'd look in the mirror and see a thin person. Then in 2007 I was watching a video of the tae kwon do world championship and I saw someone familiar on an escalator in front of one of my students. I suddenly realized that huge old guy was me!
I had been so unhappy and depressed that all I wanted to do was hide and eat. When I wasn't working, I'd barricade myself in the bedroom with snack food and watch television, which certainly didn't help my marriage. I often asked myself, “How could I have gotten so out of shape?” Of course, my eating habits were terrible. I'd either skip breakfast or hit the drive-through for fast food. Lunch was two entrées and two sets of sides, followed by an afternoon snack and an energy drink. I'd drink sugary sodas all day and then go by a fast-food place on the way home for dinner.
I could no longer do the simple kicks to demonstrate techniques to my students. At night, I snored like a freight train. After glimpsing myself on that video, I finally decided to take control of my life. Previously, I'd tried fen-phen, Weight Watchers, Medifast, and Nutrisystem, among others. I'd lose 50 pounds, feel good, and then gain back 70 pounds. I started my weight-loss journey on January 1, 2008, as part of a New Year's resolution after reading the Atkins books.
I stayed in Induction for about six months, during which my youngest daughter, who was then a senior in high school, was my Atkins buddy. During this time, my marriage fell apart, but I stayed with Atkins for two and a half years, ultimately losing 220 pounds.
Six years later I continue to avoid sugar, pasta, grains, white potatoes, and soda. I drink tea without sweetener. If I eat fast food, it's a burger without a bun. When I go to a restaurant I have a salad with chicken or meat and bring my own dressing. I love to cook, and everything I make is low in carbs. My portions are about the size of my fist. Speaking of fists, when I look at my hands today, I don't recognize them. Even my formerly wide feet are now thin. I had no idea how good it could feel to be pain free and fit into clothes I thought I could never wear. And with my blood pressure at 110/68, my doctor says I'm a new man.
But those aren't even the biggest changes. As the weight came off, my self-esteem improved. My goal has changed from losing weight to becoming as healthy as possible. I've run my first 5-kilometer race and I'm in a weight-training program. Ironically, now that I'm trying to build muscle I welcome the 12 pounds I've added! I only wish I'd started weight training earlier to improve muscle tone and help firm up my excess flesh. There are two other huge changes in my life. My second wife, who is a triathlete, was one of my former students. We met when I was plenty big, and when I got down to about 270 pounds, she asked me out! I've also embarked on a new career as a massage therapist.
In addition to my daughter, my success influenced my boss's mother to go on the Atkins program. My hope is to inspire other obese people to reach their weight-loss goals. I'm very active on Facebook. Parents of students and former students often ask for advice on how to eat and cook. I meet regularly with a group of overweight people to talk and work out together. One of the things I tell them is that at some point you have to look in the mirror and say, “I'm the one doing this to myself.”
MAKE IT EASY
Don't get obsessed with a certain number. And don't panic when you hit a plateau. I sometimes lost no weight for three weeks at a time. â
J.Z
.
DINE OUT WITH EASE
N
ow that you know that Atkins-style eating is no more complicated or time-consuming than putting together other meals, you'll be happy to hear that eating out is just as easy. Much of the advice on how to stay on Atkins on your own turf also applies to dining out. Ditto for meals eaten in the workplace, whether at a company event, in the employee cafeteria, or at your desk. Even when you're on a plane or in a hotel, it's perfectly possible to enjoy an Atkins-friendly meal. To stay in control of just about any food-related situation, it's just a matter of mental preparation and mastering a few techniques.
Just as it's essential to have the right foods in your kitchen so you aren't blindsided when mealtime rolls around, planning ahead can be your salvation when it comes to meals in the outside world. Let's look at how that applies to eating in a restaurant, whether it's a white-tablecloth place or a coffee shop.
