Am I Doing this right??

[icandothis2010]

I started on Jan 7, 2010 so today was my 5th day, tomorrow being my 6th. I haven't weighed myself yet. Each day I eat 3 cups of veggies. Breakfast is easiest with 4 slices of bacon ( no sugar added) along with 3 eggs. Most of the time a have 1 cup of lettuce with a hard boiled egg and cucumber slice ( very few just for crunch) along with a low carb dressing for lunch along with a protien either tuna or chicken or leftover protein from the night before. A typical night consist of a protein like chicken fish turkey, beef and a cup of salad with 1/2 oz of shredded cheese (I shred) with a few bacon bits (leftover from the morning) and low carb dressing ( 1 carb for 2 tbsp the sugar is the last ingredient on the list ) i also drink atleast 70 fl oz of water daily along with a cup of decaff coffee to break the habit every morning with one pack of splenda ( I count the carb) and I have a batch of unsweetened decaff tea that i drink to have some flavor with my meals. I track all my meals with Fitday and the breakdown says anywhere from 52% - 77% fat, 5%-7% carbs, and 22%-44% protein. Am i doing the introduction right? Hopefully I am .. if not i would love pointers =) any suggestions would be wonderful!!

[Georgiana]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

Welcome!

Each day I eat 3 cups of veggies.

Are over half of your net carbs coming from vegetables?

Did you check your vitamin and mineral intakes in FitDay, to see if you are making good choices for your veggies?

52% - 77% fat, 5%-7% carbs, and 22%-44% protein.

Fat should be around 65% and protein around 30%. 44% protein is very high for Atkins. Planning your meals a few days in advance will likely help you avoid overeating protein and have appropriate intakes of vegetables and fats.

Are you taking a multivitamin without iron?

Did you start exercising?

[2big4mysize]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

yep what she said

and also are you feeding your hunger with your breakfast or just eating it all cause it is legal? the key thing to learn doing Atkins is to feed our hunger at the time we are eating and stop even if their is food on the plate room in our tummy and/or carbs in our budget. We can eat again the second we get hungry on Atkins so we don't need to tank up incase we need some fuel in the future.

[MelTin]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

I think you are doing a great job. Hopefully you will drop lots of inches and pounds.

[icandothis2010]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

i am taking a multivitamin and i am starting to exercise and ive been doing the wii fit which is a work out for me lol I am lacking by just my foods in Vitamin A, C, D, E by around 10% or less, so around 90% instead of 100%, also, Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium are all lacking... but the multi vitamin helps these right? also why do u take a multivitamin without iron? Also the day i had the 44% of protein because i had a protein shake for one of my meals which had tons of protein in it, it was low carb and s.f and really good if your on the go. Also the breakfast im used to eating a huge breakfast plus it feels me up until im satisfied and even tho its a lot of food it keeps me from craving more food during the day =)

[2big4mysize]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

you can input your vitamin as a custom food on fitday.com and then eat one each day to see how your vits and minerals are doing with it.

the no iron vit is because the healthy proteins and many of the vits have iron in them and too much iron is a dangerous medical condition Dr Atkins didn't want his followers to have. senior and men's vits usually don't have iron.
some females do not absorb iron well in their intestines so they will still need the iron containing vit. you can discuss that with your doc at your next blood work.

[JulieB]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

Also the breakfast im used to eating a huge breakfast plus it feels me up until im satisfied and even tho its a lot of food it keeps me from craving more food during the day =)

You asked, so I will answer - no, you aren't doing this part right.

Dr. Atkins says to eat until no longer hungry, not enough so that it stops you from craving more food later in the day. Overeating for any reason, including preventing later hunger, is a bad habit many of us need to break (me included, when I started this journey). I was "used to" eating WAY more than I needed, the point of this WOE is to break bad eating habits, and not continuing to do things that harm us "because we are used to it" . Eat until you are no longer hungry - then stop. If you get hungry again, eat again. That is the "right" way to do Atkins.

[icandothis2010]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

ok.. well how i found out about the vitamins was thru fit day and it says im only getting about half of my daily intake.. so should i take more or just ask my doctor? also Julie B, thank for your help, now that im on day 6 I havent really been eating that much because Im not as hungry as what i used to be. for example today i had a 2 egg omelet with 1 slice of ham and 1 oz of home shredded cheese and i was satisfied but i could of ate more but didnt .. is this right?

[JulieB]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

ok.. well how i found out about the vitamins was thru fit day and it says im only getting about half of my daily intake.. so should i take more or just ask my doctor? also Julie B, thank for your help, now that im on day 6 I havent really been eating that much because Im not as hungry as what i used to be. for example today i had a 2 egg omelet with 1 slice of ham and 1 oz of home shredded cheese and i was satisfied but i could of ate more but didnt .. is this right?

Yes, that sounds better The appetite suppression takes a few days to kick in. Just remember the rule of thumb - stop eating when no longer hungry - even if there is still food on your plate or "room in your tummy" You'll do fine!

[Georgiana]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

it says im only getting about half of my daily intake.. so should i take more or just ask my doctor?

You can alter your vitamin/mineral intakes by choosing foods more nutritious foods. This means more nutritious vegetables, complete sources of protein and healthy fats (no trans fats).

Did you check how many of your net carbs are coming from vegetables?

Is it over half of your total net carbs?

[icandothis2010]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

yes atleast 14 net carbs come from my daily choice of veggies and the other couple is from cheese, eggs, meat, and spices

[Shrew2u]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

14g net carb from 1 cup lettuce, 1 cup "salad" and a few bits of cucumbers?

I am shocked and amazed...and I'll be right back after plugging that into FitDay.

UPDATE: I got 11.1g net by cheating and using some generic "spinach salad" entry, constituents of which are presently unknown. Still shocked and amazed.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

>>yes atleast 14 net carbs come from my daily choice of veggies and the other couple is from cheese, eggs, meat, and spices>>

Can you show us exactly ... with quantities and net carbs?

Or make your Fitday public?

[icandothis2010]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

ok i just gave an example of what sometimes i eat.. around 14 net carbs daily come from veggies.. i eat salad, turnips, zuchinni, whatever i get fresh for the day =) i like to go to the market once every 2 days and get my veggies for the day so they stay fresh and i can get them super fresh =)but for example yesterday, i had 1 cup of lettuce in my salad with all of these for toppings cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, and a pinch of diced onions. Then I had 1 cup of mix greens (turnips, collards, and kale) from the can. On Fitday it say 14 total for my veggies =)

Also i dont use the fitday website. I bought the program for 20$ so i can just pull it up very quickly and enter it all in =)

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Am I Doing this right??

What's the fiber?

Remember, we count "NET" carbs (total carbs minus fiber).

And have you set the columns on your Fitday to show you net carbs?