To count or not to count...

[Ke15i]

ok...in the book (which i havent totally finished yet!) and the website (atkins.com), it says to eat liberaly until youre satisfied of the meats, eggs, some cheeses, etc...i have been including carbs from those categories but do we need to?? just need some clarification! thanks!

[Alexa]

Re: To count or not to count...

Hi Kelly,

I got a bit confused about this too. At first I didn't count carbs at all - I just ate what was allowed in induction, plus any meat, eggs etc. But this did cause some probs for me when I moved onto OWL as I didn't have a record of how many carbs I had actually been eating so wasn't sure how to add 5g.

I personally would recommend writing down everything that you eat and it's carb value and totalling it up each day. This ensure that you know exactly where you are. So I count everything to ensure I don't go over 20g (as am re-doing induction at the mo) and also check I don't also go over the quantities of veg, salad, cheese, cream etc that is specified in induction.

Hope that makes sense!

Baarb

[Ke15i]

Re: To count or not to count...

no that does make sense! i'm glad i'm not alone with this confusion...let me give what i ate yesterday...can someone tell me if i'm counting right? i'm sure this post belongs in another forum...but its relevant to the topic =)

breakfast: one string cheese, slim fast lo carb shake(i hate them)
3 net carbs

lunch: tuna salad...salad without dressing
5 net carbs

dinner: burger patty with cheese, steak, side of brocolli and cheddar cheese
7 net carbs

snacks: string cheese, 1/4 cup peanuts(no more! i wasnt aware i cant have them during induction!), diet clear soda
4 net carb

total: 19 net carbs


is that correct? or should i not count the meats???

[ValidRouge]

Re: To count or not to count...

Oh, you ABSOLUTELY must count carbs from those items
cheese typically 1 carb per ounce (you are only allowed 3-4 oz per day anyway)
eggs (1 carb per egg)
cream (1 carb per tbspn)
sweetner (1 carb per serving, only 3 servings per day allowed)

The rest come from your 3 cups of vegetables.

[schellie]

Re: To count or not to count...

www.fitday.com is a REAL helpful tool in calculating carbs. Yes it is important to keep track of what we eat. You can eat liberally on meats, organ meats and some seafood have higher carb counts. Also cheese, 3-4 ounces as long as its not hindering your weight loss. Sweetners, if used, should be counted as 1 carb. Remember this if you are drinking diet soda. I believe this also has a 3 carb cap. You may find that when using mayo, and other things, carbs can add up. They can sneak up on you if you are not keeping track. fitday alsoo helps with percentages of carbs, fats, and proteins. here is what we aim for: 65% fat / 5% carbs / 30% protein

[schellie]

Re: To count or not to count...

Also you sould try and steer clear of the shakes on induction...any franken foods if possible. They may be easier, but may be harder on weight loss. Natural foods are best. OOOOh one more things. If you are not measuring everything, it could make a difference as well. It good to measure everything you eat!

[Ke15i]

Re: To count or not to count...

ya know, measuring food is hard for me. i hate it, cause i reeeeally want to! whats the best way at work?? and are there any tricks to estimate how much cheese is an ounce?? or what three cups of salad looks like? i suppose i could bring a measuring cup to work...that would work. but what about when i'm on the go? hmmm...oh...and i do belong to fitday, its wonderful! and i only had that shake yesterday because i had no other choice and wouldnt be eating again til 1 =)

[Adena]

Re: To count or not to count...

Kelly, it looks like you're doing your carb counts right, but I agree with schellie about staying away from the shakes. Some people find they slow them down. Best not to mess around with them while you're on induction.... if you want to experiment later, go for it. But try to stick strictly to the induction list (notice shakes aren't on there -- even those by Atkins that say they are appropriate for induction -- they aren't!) for greatest success.

Good luck to you!

[schellie]

Re: To count or not to count...

I can try and find you some links for mock danishes or muffins some people use for on the go. They can be made ahead and just warmed up for breakfast. I usually just measure ot my stuff on a food scale. but I think there are bgs of cheese that are weighed out in 1 oz things. I think I saw something in my daughters snack paper, since I think 1 oz is a standard serving. Or even string cheese may be 1 oz. Not sure though. could you premeasure things at home and take them to work? Once you get the hang of things youll be better at eyeballing measurements. Another thing Id like to mention, try and spread out your carbs for your veggies. it better having like a cup of lettuce at lunch, different veggie for supper, and maybe a cup of lettuce for a snack somewhere or something like that. sometimes you have have a spike in sugars from having all your carbs at once.

Heres the danish, seems simple to whip together.
"DANISH"
Mix 1 or 2 eggs (depending on how hungry you are, or if your having anything else with it...I usually use two)
Add 1/2 tsp of splenda
A good dash of cinnamon
1 TBS of cream cheese.....mix together (will be slightly "mealy" in texture)
Cook in Microwave, stirring once.......When it is cooked it usually stays into the form of the bowl you cook it in, so it is more like the shape of a real danish.

ICING
Slightly warm 1 TBS of Cream Cheese in MIC, then add 1/2 tsp of splenda, a drop or 2 of lemon, and cinnamon (to your taste preference)....
Mix well, and spread over "danish"......very yummy!....really tastes like one...
I often ommited the cream cheese in the egg, and used that amount in my "icing".....sometimes ya just need more icing!

[sadie147]

Re: To count or not to count...

Here is a good list of how to measure foods from http://www.exrx.net/Nutrition/FoodPortions.html:

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml)
  • about the size of the top half of your thumb
• 1 ounce (28 g)
  • approximately inch cube of cheese
  • volume of four stacked dice
  • slice of cheese is about the size of a 3 1/2 inch computer disk
  • chunk of cheese is about as thick as 2 dominoes
  • 1 handful (palm) of nuts
• 2 ounces (57 g)
  • 1 small chicken leg or thigh
  • 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or tuna
• 3 ounces (85 g)
  • serving of meat is about the size of a deck of playing cards (3 exchanges)
  • 1/2 of whole chicken breast
  • 1 medium pork chop
  • 1 small hamburger
  • unbreaded fish fillet
• 1/2 cup (118 ml)
  • fruit or vegetables can fit in the palm of your hand
  • about the volume of a tennis ball
• 1 cup (236 ml)
  • about the size of a woman's fist
  • breakfast cereal goes halfway up the side of a standard cereal bowl
  • broccoli is about the size of a light bulb
• 1 medium apple = A tennis ball

I found I weighed my food alot at first until I became used to the portion sizes, I don't have to with most things anymore.

[not2late]

Re: To count or not to count...

You count the carbs of everything that you put into your mouth. The majority of those carbs should be from the Induction vegetables.

We don't recommend shakes and bars because in our collective experience as an Atkins Board for the last 3 1/2 years, we've found that they have the tendency to stall or slow weight loss. So if you want to add these things to your diet, wait until you've completed the 14 Day Induction period.

[Ke15i]

Re: To count or not to count...

thanks for that list, sadie! that sooo helpful!

i'm not adding the shakes to my diet..i had to have it that day because there was NOTHING else. i figured that drinking that one shake and eating a string cheese was better than going over 16 hours without eating. it was the lesser of two evils