Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

[valkyrieh]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

Thanks to all of you for the answers!

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

>>I don't know yet. This is my first day.>>

A good time to start counting then!

[Georgiana]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

I imagine this was a holdover from a prior version of the plan ('72? can anyone confirm)

No, it wasn't in the 1972 plan. I don't have the 1992 and 1999 copies of DANDR with me... but in one of them (I think it was 1992) it said 3 cups of salad vegetables, or 2 cups of salad vegetables and 2/3 cup of cooked vegetables.

[liv]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

We limit vegetables because they have carbs.
I think it is important to start to think about limitation on carbs from the very beginning of the diet. I am not hung up in the cup rule either but not everybody can lose weight eating a lot of carbs. I am one of the people who fall out of ketosis before I hit 20 carbs.

[Shrew2u]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

We limit vegetables because they have carbs.

Eggs don't have carbs?

(stop the presses - we'll need a quick press release)

[liv]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

Ok
So the rule is less than 20 carbs - most of those carbs have to come from veggies - that means we limit eggs too.
Hope that helps

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

Here's an idea of how other people get their vegetables:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/adbb-semi-annual-challenges/82432-6th-semiannual-veggie-challenge.html

[IrishIrish]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

It is also important to note that the Induction phase is only one two week phase of Atkins. It is intended to teach us something about eating, nutrition and how we use foods and be aware. Phase two, OWL, is intended to show us how various foods trigger cravings, affect weight loss, etc..

The point of Atkins is not to restrict your veggies forever. It is about moderation with all foods, eating healthy fats, learning about healthy carbs and being able to sustain this way of eating as a way of life.

[not2late]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

I eat a whole lot more than just lettuce. And the lettuce I eat is highly nutritious--it's mixed greens which includes several different varieties of highly nutritious greens. I am accustomed to eating a mixed green salad every day *in addition to* other vegetables.

good for you! Most of the salad mixes I see contain different varieties of lettuce--red leaf, green leaf, baby romaine, etc.---and all of those lettuces have the same nutritional profile as regular lettuce. So if you are eating salad mixes that contain the higher nutrient greens like kale or Swiss chard, then that is vastly more nutritious and contains more fiber than lettuce mixes.

What I am really asking is why should we limit our total veggie intake to only 3 cups if we are not exceeding 20 g of carbs?

Because if you choose your vegetables wisely, it is possible to eat about 10-15 net carbs of veggies, leaving you with 5 to 10 net carbs for things like eggs, cheese, sweeteners, cream, etc.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Is it *necessary* to eat 20 g of carbs a day?

Mixed greens, or field greens (mesclun) according to the Dr. Atkins New Carbohydrate Carb Counter book is 0.5 net carbs per 1/2 cup.

Boston/Bibb lettuce is 0.4 net carbs per cup.