No carb desserts or low carb desserts

As some of you are aware, I have been doing the Atkins's thing for several months. I have lost considerable weight, however I must admit it is boring and I miss great things like Krispy Kreme, Ice cream, cake and pies. No sugar, grains, potatoes and like food are allowed. Is there a whipped cream with splenda on the market.

Is there other options available?

I would appreciate your thoughts.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I have been doing a low-carb diet as well for a couple months and have gone from 195 to 175 - it does work. However, I still fit in my favorite desserts and foods at least once a weekor more. Sort of like a cheat day.

Whipped cream actually has NO carbs in it and my favorite dessert was Sugar-free Jell-O with some Readywhip sprayed all over it. I've done lots of low carb junk food research and basically allow my self SMALL desserts that are more cream based or peanut based:

Payday bars: half the carbs of a normal chocolate bar
Snickers Peanut Brittle: even better than Paydays, but might not be found everywhere
Peanut Brittle in general: good, but the problem is that it comes in huge bags/boxes that I can't help but eat the whole thing, so I stay away from it.
Cheesecake: Pound for pound pretty low carb, but still has a decent bit of sugar in it.
Planters peanuts and almonds: decent treat with low carbs. Once I lost the weight I've moved into honey roasted :-)
Beef Jerky: great very low-carb treat - even the ones that are half cheese.
Coffee: regular coffee, and Borders Books now has a sugar-free Milano Mocha that's pretty good (Splenda)
Peanut Butter: a couple finger's worth every once in a while.
Fill celery with cream cheese: decent
Diet Soda: I consider this a dessert even though most people do not. Makes me feel like I'm getting a treat in a way...

I've never tried the Atkin's dessert products, and have a feeling that they probably don't taste as good as the real thing. Too expensive. I just stay away from pastries, grains, and sugar candy. I used to love a big bag of popcorn, Twizzlers , and a large Mello Yellow at the movies, but now I just buy a small bag of Snickers poppables and a Diet Coke instead. Replacing volume and carbs with small amounts of high fat candy (albiet a little sugar in there too) seems to be my general motto.

I have to say though that NOTHING beats the true < 20 g carb per day diet for real weight loss which is what I followed for three weeks and the sugar free jello and ready-whip are about the only NO carb desserts. I worked out 30 minutes a day only (hard) 4 days a week and drink a decent bit of coffee. The cheesecake and peanuts are low carb, but to really kick in the weight loss you can't eat'em. For some reason I can eat that stuff now with not much of an affect, but if I went back to lots of bread, cereal, popcorn, and cake I'd be doomed...

Atkins works?

Hmm... I can't offer any suggestions to you because I lost 90lbs on a diet based on the complete opposite principles:

High complex carb, high fibre, lotsa fruit and veg, low on the meat (or even getting rid of the meat most days), cut out fat and sugar, small portions and once-a-week fast. To keep my cravings in check, I'd have one day a week where I can eat anything I want.

And I've kept the weight off and kept my size more or less the same (occasionally put on and lose weight) for six years even though I've gone back to eating normally (i.e. a balanced diet with some sweet treats or occasional high fat dishes). So carbs aren't really the enemy--it's the type of carbs you eat.

I guess different diets suit different body types and people.

Hi Sundancer, There is a new store,in the shopping center near Chili's on Kingston Pike, next to Henig Furs, that sells Low Carb stuff. Desserts, Chocolates, Mixes, you name it, they just opened. The second one in TN. The first one is in Memphis.

ToddH:
Thanks and I will be there today.

I have found that Walmart, CVS and most all other stores are carrying low carb stuff. The problem is that if you are trying to stay below 20 carbs a day, generally all you get is a sniff

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Dessert never was a problem when I was on Atkins. Chocolate was if I didn't watch it, and then peanut butter and corn chips(which I binged on incessantly when I broke the diet) I usually liked berries with cream, even buying them off-season. The cheesecake is good, if you make some ersatz low carb chocolate sauce to go with it,thickened with xanthan gum, or Thick-not-thin starch. Baked goods are almost impossible on Atkins, the texture is usually all wrong. Usually too eggy, or too tough. I personally didn't like the idea of replacing one set of processed foods with another. Be carefull Sundancer. I was on Atkins for 5 years, went from 270, to 190 and then lost control and binged back to 280. Got gallstones and kidney stones, not from Atkins,per say, but from the drastic change in diet back to more normal. You may want to read the book Potatoes Not Prozac, which details why we need some carbs,not alot,( you may have to play with your carb balance) to regulate serotonin levels, and what triggers us to binge when we don't get them( which explains why I was so driven to break my diet.) I was very good at cooking the food too. There wasn't a recipe I didn't try. I just finally got bored with the monotony, and couldn't stomach another rib-eye( and thats saying something!). I have since stopped all dieting, overcame my urge to diet,lost to 260(more inches than lbs) and stopped putting my life on hold till I could lose weight. Got real tired of playing "change your shape, change your life". Just seems everyone judges a gay fat man by different standards. Good luck if you continue on Atkins, it does work if you can stay on it. I actually got to visit the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine in NYC back in 2000. I didn't get to meet the doctor though. It was real eerie hearing he had fallen outside the office, since I had been there.

ToddH: The only dessert I really miss is Krispy Kreme. I pass by their factory on Kingston Pike every morning at 6:30AM when they are cooking those pesky devils and the olafactory effect is overwhelming. I have not stopped yet. It is all I can do to pass it by.

Since you seem to know a lot about the Atkins thing, do you know how you can change to a low fat diet without gaining the weight back? You are right about it getting super boring.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Have you tried making desserts from agar-agar (seaweed based jello) and coconut milk? That's a lot of fat and protein in those!

Jellybeans: I had never heard of agar-agar. I have used sugar free Jello along with sugar free whipped cream.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, there are a bunch of low carb desserts and treats available through the Atkins website. The cheesecakes look very good. Wal-Mart is carrying some low carb candies including Hershey's products.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

Jellybeans: I had never heard of agar-agar. I have used sugar free Jello along with sugar free whipped cream.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Agar agar is available in the form of strands or powder from good Asian supermarkets. In Asia, we don't really eat jello. Instead, we use agar-agar the way you guys use jello. Best part about it is that it is completely vegan and sugar-free!

You can make a cheesecake using Splenda. Make the crust with 1/3 crushed Atkins cookies, 1/3 butter and 1/3 macadamia nuts whorled together in the food processor then pressed into the pan. I haven't done this myself, but it's worth a shot.

Has anyone tried Atkins Endulge ice cream products?

quote:

Originally posted by dte3672

Has anyone tried Atkins Endulge ice cream products?

I have and I really like them. I especially like the Peanut Butter Swirl bar.

quote:

Originally posted by CheeseWit

quote:

Originally posted by dte3672

Has anyone tried Atkins Endulge ice cream products?

I have and I really like them. I especially like the Peanut Butter Swirl bar.

They are good, but I have found the carb count to be not too much better than Breyer's Vanilla, ie. with no cookie dough, swirl, fudge or other flavours.

Just wanted to let Smiles know that while there are very few carbs in whipping cream, (yes, there are some natural carbs in there) there is actually corn syrup and sugar in Reddi-Whip and all the carbs that go with them. The reason the label reads <1 gm carb per serving is because the serving size is only 2 tablespoons. I don't think I've ever seen anyone squirt whipped cream from a can in a 2-tablespoon portion.

When my sister visited me recently, she made a low carb cheese cake with splenda. It was excellent !! I could hardly tell the difference.

quote:

Originally posted by smiles

I've done lots of low carb junk food research and basically allow my self SMALL desserts that are more cream based or peanut based:

Payday bars: half the carbs of a normal chocolate bar
Snickers Peanut Brittle: even better than Paydays, but might not be found everywhere
Cheesecake: Pound for pound pretty low carb, but still has a decent bit of sugar in it.
Planters peanuts and almonds: decent treat with low carbs. Once I lost the weight I've moved into honey roasted :-)
Diet Soda: I consider this a dessert even though most people do not. Makes me feel like I'm getting a treat in a way...

Low Carb Dieter's Desert ideas...
I offer these deserts at the Lucky Cafe located at Marin JCC on N. San Pedro Point Rd taking the Civic Center exit off Hwy 101 in San Rafael, Marin Co., CA, USA.
I also offer Extra Healthy Diet Menu free of salt, refined carbs, and hydrogenated (trans) fats, such as Chicken over lettice for $3.
Hours 5-8:30 pm.

Wild Walker

Thanks for the tip on Jell-o, Smiles.

Almonds are even better than peanuts for a person on Atkins. There are only 5 grams of carbohydrate in a handful, and 3 of those grams are insoluble fiber.

I also have been on and off Atkins. For whipped cream, I know this sounds simple, but... use real whipping cream, or heavy cream and whip it with your electric beaters. Add splenda. I use heavy cream in my coffee along with splenda every day. It sure "perks" up the coffee. Best of luck.

I highly reccommend Carbolite products. They can be hard to find at the store but I order them from their website. My favs are the carmel pecan clusters, chocolate peanut butter bars and the jelly beans. The chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies are also pretty damn tasty. The downside is the havoc they create once they are inside me. I have gotten so sick that I have had to leave work! But if you have a serious sweet tooth like me sometimes a little misery is worth it!

quote:

Originally posted by marberthenad

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<div style="border: 1px #999999 solid; background-color: #DCDCDC; padding: 4px;">Originally posted by CheeseWit

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<div style="border: 1px #999999 solid; background-color: #DCDCDC; padding: 4px;">Originally posted by dte3672

Has anyone tried Atkins Endulge ice cream products?

I have and I really like them. I especially like the Peanut Butter Swirl bar.


They are good, but I have found the carb count to be not too much better than Breyer's Vanilla, ie. with no cookie dough, swirl, fudge or other flavours.


And now I'll answer my own post to say that Breyer's now has low-carb ice cream. 4g per serving. (The problem is limiting youself to one ....) Posted a photo in the other forum on low-carbs. Haven't yet found a retailer who sells it.