Are vienna sausages allowed on the Atkins Diet (a.k.a. Atkins Nutritional Approach)?
Yes. They do have high sodium so keep that in mind though. Drink extra water to flush it out.
Is using mayonnaise as a condiment ok?
Yes, as long as it has no sugar.
In the induction phase, drinks using the artificial sweetener aspartame are not allowed. What kind of diet drinks can I drink then?
Dr. Robert Atkins agrees with many nutritionists that aspartame inhibits ketosis. Definitely try to stay away during induction. So as far as the induction period goes, id advise to stay away. You might also want to limit caffeine as well. Keep in mind aspartame affects people differently so some people can have aspartame without any problems. Your best bet for diet drinks are those made with Splenda. Diet Rite is a good choice.
Here are some comments by Atkins diet practitioners on the low carb forum:
“I have one can a day of caffeine-free diet coke. It hasn’t hindered my weight loss at all, nor does it cause craving or anything like that.”
“I drink at least 3 or 4 cans of diet coke/pepsi every day and I have done so since I started Atkins. It has never affected my weight loss. Diet drinks stall lots of people. Others (like me!) can drinks lots without a problem. My advice would be to try drinking some and see what happens. Also, make sure it doesn’t cause cravings for sweet things!”
In the induction phase, is it ok to drink vodka (vodka has zero carbs) mixed with Diet Coke?
First off, alcohol prevents your body from losing weight until all the alcohol is burned off. Second, remember that Diet Coke has aspartame and may stall ketosis or actually bump you out of ketosis!
Here are some low carb forum comments:
“I think this is ok, but limit yourself to just 1 or at most 2 drinks to avoid doing any real damage.”
“NO alcohol allowed in induction whatsoever, no exceptions. The reason is that alcohol is used as fuel for your body even before carbs are, and they will stall weight loss. Alcohol in moderation later on in atkins is ok, but it can still stall you. BTW if following atkins by the book, you can never have diet coke because of the aspartame, and the caffeine (you can reintroduce some caffeine after induction). However everybody has different reactions to aspartame, so YMMV with that. Also diet coke contains citric acid which is another known staller for many people.”
“If you know you are going to drink alcohol, then diet coke and vodka is one of the better ones. The big problem is that while on induction, you will be more sensitive to the affects of the alcohol, so limit your intake and avoid the bar food.”
“Alcohol is a big no-no during induction. Do you really want to cheat yourself out of a clean induction? I’m betting not. Are you willing to give up a pound or 2 lost or even more for those drinks? After induction alcohol is ok but should be very limited. I love a diet vanilla coke and vodka. But I wouldn’t bother if I was on induction.”
“I happen to like vodka and diet coke (esp. smirnoff raspberry vodka – no, it doesn’t have added sugars – only flavored rums do) I would try and avoid it during Induction, but if you absolutely can’t this is a good route to go – just don’t expect to lose anything drastic tomorrow, k?”
“According to Atkins, alcohol does NOT throw you out of ketosis. Your body simply burns the alcohol before any other energy source. Once the alcohol is all burned off, you are still in ketosis and will burn fat.”
“Citrus Vodka and Club Soda a much better drink. (There’s no carbs in flavored Vodka or any hard alcohol except spiced rum.)”
“I drink vodka and water anywhere from 1 – 4x per week. More if I’m on a business trip. Be careful when you ask for club soda. A lot of times the bartender will give you tonic water which DOES have carbs. They do this all the time. Thats why I just drink it with straight water now and a wedge of lime. I was successfully on Atkins for three years before I had a series of surgeries and the vodka never stalled me then either.”
“According to drinksmixer, all Absolut flavors have zero carbs. And according to Calorie King, Malibu run has zero carbs, but Captain Morgan’s Parrot Bay (both are coconut rum) has 12.4g carbs per shot. So make sure you’re really specific if you’re going to coconut rum route!”
“I have drunken vodka thru all my up and downs in weight, and even more of it when i was at my thinnest (going out clubbing and on the town, etc.) and I simply don’t believe it caused me to gain weight. Beer is another story. I wouldn’t fear the vodka. Doesn’t even give me a bad hangover, when compared to other alcohols.”
Can I drink wine?
Make sure you’re counting the wine carbs! Other than that, keep it in moderation and you’re fine.
Low carb dieter forum tips and tricks:
“I have a glass of dry red wine for dinner. Protein Power encourages a glass of dry wine, especially red, daily. They say that it helps the to improve insulin resistance. This is thought to be the reason why diabetes is so low among the French. Atkins does allow wine in the Ongoing Weight Loss phase. Just count the carbs (about 4g per glass).”
“I have always drank a couple of glasses of wine a day.I really haven’t seen much of a difference in my weight. Make sure you drink all your water daily because it can dehydrate you. My dry red wine has 2 net carbs per glass.”
“I have to admit I have been on atkins for nearly 3 years and I ALWAYS HAVE WINE(at least 1to two glasses. Being of Italian descent it is a must.”
“Personally I have been having 2-3 glasses of red wine (sometimes white which I think is lower in carbs), ever since I finished induction (11mths ago). Of course I can’t tell if my weight loss would have been faster without it, all I know is that I continued to lose the weight and I felt happy because I wasn’t depriving myself of the pleasure of my nightly red wines ! (from 210 to 153)”
“Count the carbs in wine as 1-1.5 per ounce.”
What is the carb content of the various types of milk and cream?
Heavy / Whipping Cream: 6.6 grams of carbohydrates per cup or 0.4 grams per Tablespoon (15 milliliters)
Light cream / Table Cream / Coffee Cream: It has 8.8g carbs per cup or 0.5g per Tbsp (15 ml). 18% fat.
Half and Half: 10.4g carbs per cup or 0.7g per Tbsp (15 ml)
Evaporated Milk: 25.3g carbs per cup, or 1.6g per Tbsp (15 ml)
Evaporated Milk (2%): 29g carbs per cup, or 1.8g per Tbsp
Condensed Milk (Sweetened): 166.5g carbs per cup or 10.5g per Tbsp
How can I make homemade mayonnaise?
Makes 1 3/4 cups
1 egg + 2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1-1/2 cups blend of olive oil and cold pressed canola oil
Put first six ingredients in blender. Cover and blend for a few seconds. Uncover and add oil slowly and gradually while the motor is running. Blend until very thick and smooth.
Big huge props to lowcarber forums and the great contributers there! Thanks for being such an amazing resource!
For more information: Low Glycemic Index Diet Breakthrough
Does splenda count as carbs? When reading the Splenda website it says the body doesn’t recognize Splenda as a sugar or carb and it simply moves thru the body unaffecting blood sugar. So do the individual packets count as one carb each? Thats what I have read on other websites and thats what I have been doing. I drink a cup of decaf every morning and I use 2 packets of Splenda, i have been counting that as 2 carbs.
I am interested in trying atkins, but am not sure quite where to begin. Thank you for the good artical.
I was looking for dvr related tips, this was good – bookmarked your site!
Atkins Diet have helped me a lot to maintain a very good physique. My mom is also on an Atkins Diet. “
Low Carb diet is really the best diet if you want to reduce weight and also to maintain a healthy body.~`:
i read somewhere on the internet that long term consumption of Aspartame is not really good for the health. ~`*
I have been using your vanilla shake for about 4 years ( about 2 cartons a week) as lunch or a snack and have been very pleased with it. However your “new and improved” drink is neither to me. Taste is about the same but not the consistancy: pours in globs rather than the smooth stream of the older variety. I switched to a protein powder from another company last week. Please bring back the old!!!