involves something you ' re addicted to, sadly I must give you that never-never advice. But if you are sure that your desire for a favorite food is for the sake of pleasure and not out of addiction, I guess I must allow you to try it and find out. It ' s better you have a small portion of that beloved food and feel satisfied than deprive yourself and later-in a moment of weakness-experience a full-scale blow out. Just keep your portion small, count the carbs in your daily tally and watch like a hawk to see if eating this food causes cravings or the return of other symptoms that vanished while doing Atkins.( Important: This kind of experimentation is not allowed during Induction.)
Outside Your Home
Actually, doing Atkins is easy in most circumstances. On weekends, in restaurants, on the job, when you travel a lot-unless someone imprisons you in a candy store-you really have nothing to worry about. Of course, the program is not completely adaptable to dinner parties given by people with fixed ideas about what everyone should eat. You ' ll need a little ingenious diplomacy to get you out of that situation. Let ' s examine possible scenarios one by one.
At work, you ' ll need to apply large doses of common sense. The coffee and Danish cart that circulates midmorning and mid-afternoon smells so good! The bagels on the conference room table at the weekly staff meeting look so yummy. But not if you ' ve had a three-cheese and mushroom omelette for breakfast and a filling lunch. Your resistance is at its greatest when you ' re satiated. Does the cafeteria or nearby luncheonette serve suitable food? Check it out, because if it doesn ' t, you ' d better start brown-bagging it. Bring along some finger food-chicken drumsticks, hardboiled or deviled eggs, slices of ham, cheese and steamed shrimp to have with your green salad.
Controlled carb followers will usually find restaurants to be much more friend than foe. They stay in business because of their ability to make food taste great and supply good service. However, fast food restaurants pose special challenges( see " Make Fast Food Friendly " on pages 254-255). Most main courses qualify as Atkins-acceptable. The trick is not to be seduced by all the extras. If it ' s at all possible, know what you ' re going to order before you walk in. And don ' t go for the carbohydrate extras just because they ' re right in front of you. You could safely eat all your weekly meals in a restaurant, as long as you become familiar with the possibilities of the menu and be alert for hidden pitfalls.
If the eating establishment is one you patronize often, talk to the waiter or the maitre d ' and make it crystal clear that you ' re on a plan that permits no sugar in any manner, shape or form. This way you can root out " hidden " sugar in salad dressings or even in such prepared dishes as tuna fish salad. Sometimes fruit juices are used in cooking as a sugar substitute, which are equally unacceptable.
Go right down the menu and make sure your appetizer, main course and salad all qualify as controlled carb. Avoid sauces, breading and flour as a thickener. Such carbohydrate ingredients can be hidden in surprising places. There may be flour or grain in your hamburgers, or breadcrumbs in your crab cakes. Be alert. Otherwise, one meal can destroy your weight loss program for the day and set it back for the week.
Finally, engage the server with all the determination and finesse you can muster, and tell him or her what you can ' t have in your food. Don ' t hesitate to inquire firmly and insistently about what is in a particular dish. Very few waiters are offended if you make it clear how important this is to you. After all, you ' re the one who ' s going to tip him at the end of the meal. I ' ve been
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