One of the first things I learned about the Atkins diet was that it was going to require me to make drastic changes to how I was currently eating. I decided that the best thing to do would be to do some research about what I could eat, and how much I would need of those foods, before heading to the grocery store. Being organized made things a whole lot easier.
A unique thing about the Atkins diet is that you need to count carbs instead of calories. This was new to me. Previous to starting this diet I was someone who pretty much lived on carbs. It wasn’t unusual for me to grab two or three cookies after getting out of bed in the morning. I had a tendency to eat toast when my allergies were causing me to feel sick to my stomach. A plate of pasta was a common dinner for both me and my husband. All of these habits were about to change.
I decided to wait to start Atkins until right before it was time for my husband and I to go grocery shopping. It was more convenient to buy the foods that I would need in order to try this diet when we were out of food and had to do some shopping anyway. This also allowed me to easily reduce the amount of foods in the house that I would not be able to eat for a while. It was a good way to remove some potential temptations before I ever reached the point where I was having a strong desire for those kinds of foods.
The first part of the Atkins diet is called the Induction Phase. You are supposed to stay under 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. My husband and generally shop for enough foods to last us about a week. Therefore, I had to find out what foods, and how much of them, I needed in order to stay on this diet for a week.
Many of the foods that were acceptable to eat for a person who is in the Induction Phase are fresh vegetables, and fresh meats. Stocking up too much could cause you to buy more food than you can, (or maybe should), be eating in a week’s time. You may not be able to get to the food before it goes bad if you buy too much at once.
My husband and I sat down and made a list of foods that I would need based on the meal and snack suggestions I found on the Atkins website. Some things, like eggs and lettuce, we already had. We also found a few meals that he wanted to try with me, even though he is not doing the Atkins diet. He just thought it sounded good. For those meals, we planned on getting a bit more food that I might otherwise have, so there would be enough for two people to eat. I also made a note to take a look at the Atkins shakes and granola bars, to see if I wanted to try them.
Image by Gabriela Pinto on Flickr