Basic questions from a Newbie about carb counting

[Everhopefull]

Hi all
Please forgive the basic questions but I'm keen to understand the diet as my Atkins book is late arriving and I can't wait to get started

I've read about the carb counting but am still a little confused
These questions obviously relate to the induction phase, which I'll probably extend to 4 weeks as I have alot of weight to lose.

1. When working out my daily carb allowance using the cups of induction-friendly veggies, how do I incorporate additional carbs from cream, eggs, cheese?
For example, if I was planning a meal with cheese and cream, would I need to deduct some veggies to keep the carbs within the daily allowed limit?

2. I can get very hungry, especially after a hard time at the gym and am worried about not being able to eat enough to satisfy me, so can I eat unlimited fresh cooked meats and eggs?

3. Finally, for now , there's an awful lot of fat in this diet - is it safe to be eating so much butter and cheese while on the Atkins? I'll probably be subbing olive oil instead of butter anyways.

I think that's it for now but I wanted to add, I've been trying some of the recipes here too and they are amazing - we had mock mashed potatoes made with cauliflower with parmesan chicken tonight and it was a huge hit!

Thanks
EH

[kate58]

Re: Basic questions from a Newbie about carb counting

1. For keeping track of your carbs www.fitday.com is invaluable - and the discipline of keeping an account of all I eat is something I have found extremely useful.

You are allowed 20g of carbs on induction. If you eat all the allowed veg it is unlikely to add up to more than 10-12 carbs, so you will have plenty to spare without cutting back on veg - the veg is not negotiable.

One thing to bear in mind, because you are in the UK, is the way carbs are counted. You will see frequent mention here and elsewhere of Net Carbs - defined basically as total carbs minus fibre. This is because on US food labeling fibre is counted in the total carb count. However in the UK this is NOT the case, so the carb count you see on a packet IS the Net Carb content.

2. One thing you will find once you are a few days into induction is that you won't be hungry. I know this sounds unlikely, but in the early stages of the WOE the main problem is remembering to eat, not feeling hungry. So don't worry about that.

3. Forget pretty much everything you have heard about fat. Most of it is unproven, a lot of it is nonsense. You'll learn a lot more about that as you read the book, but the main thing, especially in the early stages, is not to fear fat at all, just make sure you get enough of it.

I know that sounds counter intuitive, but it isn't really. As you will see.

[Everhopefull]

Re: Basic questions from a Newbie about carb counting

Thanks for your quick reply Kate.
I tend to work late into the early hours, usually till about 3am (meeting deadlines for reports etc) and am currently on my 3rd day of induction. You're right, I wasn't hungry the first 2 days, just felt sick with headaches so I had a nap which helped.
I assumed that about the carb counts on UK labels too so I stayed within those limits to be safe.
We had dinner about 4 hours ago and I know I'm going to be up for a few more hours at least. I'm starting to get hungry again and pre Atkins, I'd be making toast to get rid of the hunger pains. As I can't do that now, I need safe alternatives.

EH