Question:
My Doctor has instructed me to go on the Atkins diet for the 2 weeks preop.

In order to reduce the size of my liver, my Dr has told me to go on the Atkins diet,prior to surgery. I know little about it. Can someone please tell me the basics? What do I eat?    — Leslie E. (posted on January 30, 2003)

January 30, 2003
Leslie~ On the Atkin's diet you can eat meat, eggs and cheese. I think you can have an occasional salad or vegetable but it's mainly meat, eggs and cheese because these have little or no carbs. Kehli
   — Kehli 1.

January 30, 2003
Leslie, here is the link for the Atkins Nutritional Center: http://atkinscenter.com/howto/phase1.html. Don't forget to eat your veggies! Good luck!
   — LionGirl2k

January 30, 2003
Eat protein. The Atkins diet is high in fat and protein,no carbs.
   — barbara A.

January 30, 2003
Leslie: I tried the Atkins diet last year. There are four phases to it. You will most likely be on induction for all the weight you want to lost. In this phase, you will be eating mostly all protein - eggs, all meat, poultry, fish, some cheeses (as they are not "unlimited"). You can have 3 cups a day of salad and/or vegetables. Some vegetables (like tomatoes) are limited. The best part of Atkins is that you can cook with butter and oil, and use regular salad dressings (not low-fat). Their website, as mentioned by previous posters, has all the info you should need. I lost 10 pounds in about 10 days, and then it slowed, but I did lost 18 pounds in about a month, which is a lot more than I'd ever lost on any of my other dieting attempts. After the first 3-4 days, during which I had a monster headache from carb withdrawal, it was not hard to follow. And it DOES help to kill carb cravings. Also, you don't really have to measure portions, except for your veggies, so if you're real hungry at breakfast, it's OK to have a nice 3-egg omelet with a little cheese, and some bacon or sausage, or even a little steak. I would usually eat a grilled chicken salad for lunch, and use protein items for snacks. Dinner was usually salad or cooked veggies, with as much meat, fish, chicken or turkey that I wanted. Also, I bought some of their protein bars for an evening snack if I felt I needed something before bedtime. It wasn't bad, but I must say I did get tired of no carbs (as in bread, potatoes, etc.). Good luck to you in your diet attempts and with your WLS.
   — Carlita

February 3, 2003
Just eat any meats, green veggies like lettuce, asparagus, greenbeans, broccli and cabbage. You can hook them up with butter and spices for taste and cheese. No peas or corn - they have tons of carbs. I did it before and lived on eggs bacon and meat. I made hamburger patties a lot with cheese slices on it. Salads are good to eat if at a restaurant but limit you salad dressing. Just look at all the food labels when grocery shopping. Keep your carbs low to none! 2 weeks won't be bad. Caffeine withdrawals are the worst part. And to get something to munch on I lived on peanuts and tic tacs as my "snack" foods. Oh and drink lots of crystal light. There are some good flavors........the pink lemonade is great! Good luck!
   — Lisa E.