You are introducing yourself to a new world of eating when you start with the Atkins diet, and it is more evident when you are in a supermarket and foods like macaroni, cheese, pasta and bread are not included in your shopping list and feel totally strange when you are shopping first time. But in the long run and practice you feel as easy as you used to when you shopped with the previous lists of things.
Your actual shopping begins when you look out for help from the internet and Atkins books. A list of the recipes for the week deciding each meal, is to be prepared before you reach the store and be sure to buy low-carb snacks for the break time between the meals
Also keep in mind the changes to be made in the meals for the other members in your family as it is not an easy task to prepare two different meals for you and others always. So the best way is to prepare a main meat dish for the meal for the whole family and add with a side dish of carbohydrate for the others. Like if you plan to eat meatloaf you can make an addition of half a potato for the other members.
So, when the plan for the whole week is chalked off you visit the store and purchase your protein foods first, although it may sound easy and makes you feel that it is not going to create a difference, it will surely and once the basket is filled with the acceptable foods you will not find space for more.
Have a good idea of where meat can be purchased in family sized packs to avoid spending more and buy them in large quantities as they can also be cooked fully so that it is available readily when you require it. Foods like ground beef, chicken pieces, small steaks and also seafood can be purchased in lot.
If you can resist Cheese, it can also be taken in bulk like large bricks, but be sure to go through the labels before you pick them up. But be careful to have some fiber diet (salad or raw vegetables) too along with cheese. A quick snack between meals is to have large blocks of your favorite cheeses.
It is a good idea to keep walking on the outer edges of the store as they have the fresh foods, if you recollect the grocery shop in your neighborhood the deli, the meat are mostly on the sides of the store and the packaged items in the passage and this is a very important aspect if you are in the beginning phase of the Atkins diet as in the induction phase you have to avoid all packaged foods even if they are the low carb ones. You can try with the low-carb foods when you start adding more carbohydrate grams to your limit each day.
The next important aspect is to inspect the labels clearly as it may have hidden sugars though it states low carb. It is better to have a good research work done at the store to avoid carrying home foods that may lead to weight gain.
It takes some time to get used to Atkins diet as you will going through the sections of the shop with which you are not acquainted and buying stuffs that you have never tried or cooked earlier. But slowly with good planning and commitment your shopping becomes easy and especially if you have a prepared list in hand and shop on the outer aisles of the store you will find that you have become a skilled low carb shopper.