By Nina Nethery
www.LoCarbDiner.com
Most people are astounded by how much weight they lose during the first two weeks of their low carbohydrate diet, but a few people discover that they are “metabolically resistant.” Usually, these are the folks who have struggled all their lives to control their weight and have gone through numerous rounds of losing and regaining weight. Here are some tips for overcoming a weight loss stall.
Learn to read food labels. Carry a paperback Carbohydrate Counter with you and look up everything you are tempted to eat. Always check food labels for corn syrup, white flour, honey, molasses, maltose, dextrose, fructose and lactose – all of which are forms of sugar. Shop only the perimeter of your grocery store where you normally find the unprocessed foods such as meats, cheese and vegetables.
Watch for hidden carbs. Remember that “0 carbs” often really means “less than 1 carb.” The FDA allows food manufacturers to report anything under 1 gram of carbohydrate as 0; so to be more accurate, count everything as 1 carb! For example, each packet of sugar-free sweetener should be counted as 1 gram, even though the package reports 0 grams.
Pay close attention to serving sizes. For example, a container of 20 sugar-free mints might designate a serving size of 2 mints and then report 0 carbs per serving! If you eat all 20 mints at once, you are probably eating closer to 10 grams of carbs – a foolish way to consume about half of your daily limit when you are working so hard to lose weight!
When eating in restaurants, ask for a side salad or extra veggies in place of potatoes. Be wary of ketchup, barbeque sauce, teriyaki sauce, cole slaw and salad dressings; the restaurant varieties almost always contain sugar. Avoid fried foods and cream soups – not so much because of the fat and calories, but because of the flour and sugar! Resist the croutons and other tempting bread products. If you struggle with your willpower, ask the waitperson not to serve them to your table. Every time you cheat with “just a taste,” count the nibble as at least 1 carb!
If your weight loss has stalled, avoid the following foods that can sometimes interfere with metabolism: caffeine, aspartame, beer, wine, hard liquor, sugar-free candies sweetened with sugar alcohols such as maltitol, cheese, nuts, fruit, and fruit juices. (You should be able to have all of these in moderation later on.)
Keep protein bars with you at all times – in your desk drawer, briefcase, glove compartment, jacket pocket, handbag, and back pack.Delicious high protein low carb bars are perfect meal replacements and in-between meal snacks.
Note: Much of the information for this article came from the Atkins Center website, www.Atkins.com. Please visit this site for more information. LoCarbDiner.com is a certified Atkins Retail store.
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