Atkins Diet: Is Eating Out possible while on low carb?

[reeltroutstudio]

Great suggestions, Kent! We have Carl's Jr. here (West Coast, Northwest) which serves all their burgers as 'low carb' (sans buns) - I do remove the red onion (carbs and sharp taste), but often get the bacon cheese six dollar burger, lettuce wrapped - an easy meal for on the go!

[bowulf]

@reeltroutstudio Exactly... The options are almost endless for what to eat out and still eat well for the low carber. While I wish more restaurants would cater to the low carber or make their low carb options as cost effective as their high carb ones, finding an option is usually not a problem. Hardee's and Carl Jr. should be commended for promoting theirs.

My local BK due to many of my coworkers and my ordering without a bun has instituted a low carb option on their cash register.

[hdyhhfdg]

Lets say you want to get fried chicken wings at a Chinese buffet. How would you know what oil it was fried in??? What if it was fried in corn oil?? That's not allowed is it??

[bowulf]

@hdyhhfdg It's typically not what the chicken is fried in that you need to be concerned about. It is the breading of the fried chicken, and I am pretty safe to say any fried chicken at a restaurant will be coated in starches in flour. Corn and other oils are allowed.

[hdyhhfdg]

@bowulf I always saw the skin not coated at chinese restaurants ... it's just deep fried. But if you're sure that it's coated I'll take your word on it! lol

[kim24may]

can u give me some low carb salad dressing suggestions,i like to eat salad but im not sure if the salad dressing i like is ok for the atkins.i use olive garden italian dressing

[bowulf]

Almost any Caesar Dressing is legal... Hidden Valley Ranch is safe too. Kraft Ranch has got higher carb recently, so looking for alternative brands, like Mrs Clark, are better.

[redneck500]

O man, you make me so hungry rite now, that I think I am going to go to the mongolian grill for lunch and have them cook up mean and veggies for me for lunch!!

[PGMEagle]

Or if I do go to a pizza place I usually get a house salid and ask for a cup of mayo to put on top makes for a good meal

[PGMEagle]

I ususally get Wendys burgers and ask for no ketchup. I have been told that there meat is fresh and not processed.

[bowulf]

Great approach - Wendy's is good food and should be 100% ground beef. I am definitely not a fast food snob, and there is nothing wrong with a double stack with cheese (the cheese might be processed "cheese food" so watch out for that on Induction). Great plan!

[alkiller1992]

Hey kent got a little problem since i went back to school my caffeteria sucks and it's just full of carbs and sandwiches and the only healthy thing in the caf is fruits which i can't eat, so for the pass week i don't eat there which is really bad since i don't have breakfast so i'm really hungry all day at school which is even worse. my mom told me she would pack me something to eat, But what should i take, can i have litle carotes? or pls give me an idea, something that will last me the day THX

[bowulf]

Carrots are for starchy vegetables rungs of OWL. Salads are one loaded with meats and cheese and salad dressing. I really like cold chicken fajita breast salads. Wraps are another easy to transport meals.

[SuccessXS]

i think it happend twice for my wife and once for me so far and today is the first day in three that ive lost weight, for my wife the last stall was almost a week, but we will watch your vids none the less that u suggested thanks much.

ben and patty

[Slim4Iife]

Wondering which state do u live. We got 3 Brazilian steak houses in Colorado and I loved it. They are really perfect for atkins plan :)

COngrats on the success.

Cheers,

Mari

[bowulf]

Iowa, the closest one is a 3 hr drive to Kansas City that I keep suggesting we do. Another great option we are missing is El Pollo Loco in this state. Their food is much healthier than the Grilled KFC chicken and tastier too, and every time we go to California where they are almost as numerous as Starbucks.

Thanks!

[SuccessXS]

bo, me and my wife seem to be on a plateau, our diet is pretty strict, not even vegatables, its been 9weeks, im 30 lbs less, but have seem to have stopped loseing, is there a way to jump start my system back to burning fat, by the way, im still in moderate ketosis, and do feel a bit tighter even tho the scale has stopped dropping. thanks much

[bowulf]

How long has this plateau been going on? If less than 2 weeks I would not be too concerned yet. My weight loss did the whole start and stop thing. If longer than 2 weeks, you might want to watch my "why am I not losing" and "what do about a stall" videos.

[ANGIEfromAtoZ]

whataburger triple meat triple cheese no bun its beautiful

[bowulf]

Now you are making me hungry...

[ANGIEfromAtoZ]

love the vid 5 stars from me kent

[chuckabuckmoore]

hey kent, I am continuing on induction.  i am on day 20th. you have been a true inspiration. My question for today is: Do you have an explanation why on Atkins my acid reflux has stop? Usually, when I use to eat, I would have to wait a couple of hours to nap or go to bed, but on Atkins I can eat my dinner, and I do not have to worry about the reflux, even when I sleep on my stomach.

[bowulf]

No firm reasoning, but you aren't alone. There are at least two studies showing Atkins Diet helps GERD and acid reflux sufferers.

"One small study, published by Dr. W.S. Yancy Jr. in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, analyzed five case studies of GERD sufferers who chose to go on a low-carb diet. All five patients experienced resolution of their symptoms within one week. They suggested that the new diet may have affected hormones related to the acid production process"

[bundleHastings]

every time I start on Atkins induction, I cave in and eat chocolate due to terrible cravings. Have you any hope for me Kent?

[bowulf]

Dr. A recommends L-Glutamine and Chromium Picollinate for cravings, and have a watch on my temptation and cravings video for other ways to combat them.

[MissJanieHere]

great video! i have found it easy to eat low carb on the town too... its just learning to speak up and ask to have the food prepared like we can eat them. I have not had any bad experience in asking.

[gothicprincess52]

i make the atkins low carb rolls and take them with me and put my burger in that. if you beat in 8 oz of creme cheese in the egg yolks, the rolls hold together well. then i get mayo and mustard and the lettuce a little tomatoe onion and pickles. sometimes cheese. i also could use the low carb ketchup that has 1 gram per tablespoon, but i am not that much of a kechup fan. its heinz reduced sugar ketchup at the grocery store. i use it to make shrimp cocktail sause and 1000 island dressing

[bowulf]

More good ideas -- I usually don't think far enough ahead to carry the extras with me, but on vacation with eating out every meal, I do buy the Heinz one carb ketchup.

Thanks for watching!

[gothicprincess52]

condiments and bread were always a big thing for me to do without. so i made up many of my own. i am not shy about bringing them with me to a restaurant anymore. i make my own bbq sause too and take it for ribs and pulled pork etc. i always take my own real melted butter to the crab legs buffet. i do not like the oily fake butter they serve. if they look at you funny, like you said, just make reference to a medical condition and no more probs. keep up the vids kent. you really inspire.

[marnao122]

When my sister and I go to Jack n the Box, we order the jumbo patties with no bun and they only charge us for the patties. 75 cents each. Cheese is usually extra so I just bring my own.

[bowulf]

That is a good tip.

McDonald's will do the same thing for sausage patties as well, which makes breakfast (albeit with some 1 carb per patty) much cheaper too. I don't have a JitB near me to try it, but now I wish I did.

[ShrinkingTonyG]

wings were definitely a eating out must for me when I ate meat lol

I used to go to Bonanzas buffet...I'd even sneak some home with me hehehe

and Kent, I wanted to say, I loved how much fun you looked like you had in the tagged video, you were really yourself :)

[bowulf]

I could imagine buffalo parmesan-coated vegetables (say cucumber or cauliflower) being almost as good.

It was fun to make a video where I didn't think I would be judged as harshly on as those that I attempt to have actual content, but if you read the more recent comments, you know how well that turned out. :-D

[deckertone]

Week 3, down 2.6 lbs. !! Kent, what was your avg loss per week..did you "settle" into a normal loss??

[bowulf]

I lost on average 4.3 pounds per week for the first ~30 weeks, and then it settled down to the 1.5 to 2.5 pounds per week after that. I had a lot to lose though.

[Phazon77]

One other thing with restaurants is I find using the phrase "I can't have sugar" to be effective when denying things like bread or sauces.

Most people automatically assume you have an insulin related disease and hop to meet your demands without any further hesitation or sideways look.

[bowulf]

I only had to get visibly upset with a server was the one who brought me regular soda two times before I got the mistake when I was in Boston. I said what if I was diabetic. I shouldn't have to explain myself, but if that gives people license to speak their minds or ask for the meal as they want it, I am all for it.

Thanks for watching and providing another tip.

[ChroniclesofaFATGIRL]

I Think those Bunnies look pretty Tasty and Dr.Atkins Approved!!!:)

[bowulf]

I tell you what. You come for dinner, and I'll find some OTHER rabbits to cook up for supper while we admire and befriend the pet rabbits. :-D

[120togo]

haha! I love that "I'm not a food snob!" I'm not a food snob either! I'll eat pretty much anything! :D Ohhhhh!! Do you have a bunny? That looks like a black and white little bunny rabbit! <3

[bowulf]

Yep we have 2 house rabbits - a lop eared and a Dutch rabbit... They're my buddies, but not as much as my American Eskimo dog.

Thanks for watching, Dusty!

[angeleyes3124]

*WARNING* KFC's "Grilled Chicken" has MSG in it.

Thank you for the always wonderful info!

-Jen

[bowulf]

Very true... I do try to limit it.

[FindingKristy]

Great info for everyone, Thanks for your comment on the blog, it really helped! <3

[bowulf]

Just wanted to let you know you aren't alone in the anger business. There was a bunch of MIT researchers that actually posted on it, but the problem with them they never prolonged their study to see if the problem (lower Serotonin) or the angst went away.

[trboh]

Great ideas for dealing with eating out. I really agree with your comments at the end.  What anyone else is eating is none of our business. Yo can have your own personal thoughts but keep them that way. That is a hard lesson to learn but a valuable one. Everyone has their own journey to take and a good example is the best thing we can do to help someone else along the way.

[bowulf]

I know too well the temptation to just say "you know there is hope" or "this doesn't need to be your way," but I know for most how it would go. We really just need to let them see the light for themselves and have the information waiting for them when they do. I know my reaction when others come along and try to shove their beliefs to me -- lately vegans -- and know it doesn't work for me.

Time will tell on all of us, and living well like you said is the best we can do.

[Phazon77]

Also a decent tip for hamburgers is prepare low carb buns/bread at home first and then bring them with you to the restaurant.

[bowulf]

That is a good tip. I have thought about bringing my Heinz LC ketchup with me as well more than once too.

[Bonnie90505]

I could live off of meat salads

I ate Burger King whopper ..no bun, no ketchup/sauce, just mayo, mustard/lettuce/pickle/tiny bit of onion and double cheese...so good..I eat the topping off of pizza too,it is really easy for me now....after a 1 month of doing low carb, I don't have any problems with choices, but I rather cook at home, on my new grill and maybe go out to eat twice a month.

bread is easy for me to give up, I am amazed how I could transition over with no cravings.

Good info

[bowulf]

I hear you about eating at home. My wife has made the comment that we eat so well at home there's no point in going out. That's one of the reasons paying $15-20 for a steak house steak when my local butcher charges $5-9 for a similar cut seems ridiculous. That's good to hear about the cravings. I dealt with them a bunch longer, but my diet was really bad beforehand.

[Jackitreborn]

I love the KFC grilled chicken now!!!

Just take off the skin since it's the part that has the marinate~*

and also Sizzler's a great choice~*!!

I go either KFC or Sizzler when I am lazy and want to have a low carb meal

[bowulf]

Yeah, the KFC marinade does have a bunch of perhaps less than legal stuff like maltodextrin, but I agree grilled chicken like Pollo Loco (haven't tried KFC yet) is fantastic. Thanks for the comment.

[junkinthetrunkk]

great info as usual! Thanks Kent

~Amber

[bowulf]

Always great to know you are around, and you are welcome.