3 cups salad a day?

[RHCPeppers]

Im new here , so sorry if this question has already been answered.
Im on day 2 of induction now (firsttime) now, I have not exceeded 20g net carbs, but i have had more than "3 loosely packed cups". If my total for the day remains below 20g, is it ok to have more salad (usually romaine or baby spinach)

Also, im finding that after what should be a very satisfying meal, i find myself full & hungry at the same time.
Breakfast: 2 eggs w/ 1/2 cup fresh spinach, 1 slice ham (0carbs) and some cheddar (0carb)---felt hungry within the hour even though i was stuffed

lunch:2cups romaine, 1 cup baby spinach, 2 slices ham, cheese, 3 radishes, 1/4 cucumber, dressing(oil&vinigar+some dried herbs-homemade)

this should be enough food. why am i hungry?!?!

Advice would be soo appreciated!
Thanks

[JulieB]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

Did you check the ingredients in your ham ... many of them are cured with sugar, which can cause cravings. Cheese has carbs in it - the numbers may be rounded down on the label, but there are carbs in all cheeses. Dr. Atkins counted 1 carb per ounce.

Spinach is on the "other veggies" list - it is limited to 1 cup/day in induction - you have exceeded it in your first 2 meals Pick up a copy of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (2002 ed) ...until then, check out the stickies at the top of the forums - they explain the rules and what you can and cannot eat. The diet works, including reducing hunger and cravings, but you do have to follow the rules to get all of the benefits!

How many calories are in the meals above? Are you sure that's enough food? Are you getting enough fat? approx 65% of your daily calories should come from fat in induction. Appetite suppression kicks in when you get into ketosis - 3-4 days on average. Don't undereat, if you are hungry, eat something!

You can add more veggies in OWL rung 1. I would suggest moving up right after your 14-day induction.

Best wishes,

[RHCPeppers]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

Julie, thanks so much for the response.

There is no sugar in my ham, i did check.
I actually do have the book. i have read it through to the end of induction.. (havent started reading about OWL yet), however, i remembered incorrectly - i thought spinach was on the salad veg list.
I have been counting cheddar as 0 carb, but counting as 1 i believe i am still under 20.

One concern i have is that i may not be getting all the calories i need. so far today, i am up to 650 cal, and my only other meal i plan to have is dinner (still dont know what... since i cant have more veg, maybe just a big pc of meat ) I just dont know how to get these extra calories without sitting down to a deepfried tbone steak (bad exaggeration).

Also you mention that you think i should go to owl right after 14 days. just wondering why you made this suggestion. at 220 pounds and 5'8", i feel like i could benefit from doing induction for about a month (or less if i feel like i may regress to my old, very unhealthy, eating habits)


Lastly. I noticed that you appear in alot of threads (btw, amazing before and after pictures) Am i posting incorrectly? it seems like my questions are not getting many views or responses, or maybe im just impatient....

[JulieB]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

It is best to spread your veggie carbs around a little more...that helps avoid blood-sugar spikes (and boring meals like deep-fried steak!)

Check out Dr. Atkins quiz for "when to move to OWL" - I think you'll see that you want to move up - you are basically doing Rung 1 of OWL when you add extra veggies!!! It is time for you to start reading those OWL chapters so that you can make an educated decision Remember, you can stay on OWL Rung 1 for a while - I did about 6 weeks (but I had three times more weight to lose too

You are definitely low on calories - induction is tough, planning at least a day's worth of meals at a time might help. I think you have some cheese allowance left? Can't really tell as you don't specify amounts. Bacon makes a nice snack

You may be a bit impatient...also, this topic has been addressed several times, I think once this week already...try using the search feature for quicker answers.

[mission to lose]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

Julie, thanks so much for the response.

There is no sugar in my ham, i did check.
I actually do have the book. i have read it through to the end of induction.. (havent started reading about OWL yet), however, i remembered incorrectly - i thought spinach was on the salad veg list.
I have been counting cheddar as 0 carb, but counting as 1 i believe i am still under 20.

One concern i have is that i may not be getting all the calories i need. so far today, i am up to 650 cal, and my only other meal i plan to have is dinner (still dont know what... since i cant have more veg, maybe just a big pc of meat ) I just dont know how to get these extra calories without sitting down to a deepfried tbone steak (bad exaggeration).

Also you mention that you think i should go to owl right after 14 days. just wondering why you made this suggestion. at 220 pounds and 5'8", i feel like i could benefit from doing induction for about a month (or less if i feel like i may regress to my old, very unhealthy, eating habits)


Lastly. I noticed that you appear in alot of threads (btw, amazing before and after pictures) Am i posting incorrectly? it seems like my questions are not getting many views or responses, or maybe im just impatient....

Why don't you print out the list of Acceptable Induction Foods from the Forum at the top. It may be handier that way instead of looking through the book, and also maybe print the Rules of Induction. Keeping them handy on your counter, desk, whatever makes them an easy reference.

[2big4mysize]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

Im new here , so sorry if this question has already been answered.
Im on day 2 of induction now (firsttime) now, I have not exceeded 20g net carbs, but i have had more than "3 loosely packed cups". If my total for the day remains below 20g, is it ok to have more salad (usually romaine or baby spinach)

Also, im finding that after what should be a very satisfying meal, i find myself full & hungry at the same time.
Breakfast: 2 eggs w/ 1/2 cup fresh spinach, 1 slice ham (0carbs) and some cheddar (0carb)---felt hungry within the hour even though i was stuffed

lunch:2cups romaine, 1 cup baby spinach, 2 slices ham, cheese, 3 radishes, 1/4 cucumber, dressing(oil&vinigar+some dried herbs-homemade)

this should be enough food. why am i hungry?!?!

Advice would be soo appreciated!
Thanks

first off atkins is about more then just 20 grams of carbs so no you should not add more veggies to your induction menu. 14 days of eating just what Dr Atkins says is important cause you learn portion control and that your wants do not need to be fulfilled and you survived. the amount of weight you shed doing the 14 days eating Dr atkins plan will tell you what your metabolic resistance is and approximate where your carb stopping limit will be so we don't want to do anything to mess that up.

Make wise choises from the lists and make sure that your 3 cups is half your daily total of carbs gram count.

As to your hunger you might be low in protein or fat. during the begining days of atkins we eat as many times as we need to to feed our hunger. As your body begins to burn more fats you will achieve the atkins appetite suppression and not be feel hungry. So if you are hungry eat more protein and fats.

That said sometimes our body mistakes thirst fr hunger so drink a glass of water and wate 20 min. if you are thirsty your hunger will go away. if you are really hungry you will still be hungry in 20 min.

[RHCPeppers]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

Thanks for the suggestions. I have def. been drinking plenty of water (even before starting this i would drink a lot). Good news i havent been getting to hungry. for lunch i almost forgot to eat within 6 hrs of my last meal.

"Make wise choises from the lists and make sure that your 3 cups is half your daily total of carbs gram count."
--Im still having a hard time finding carbs outside of the 3 cups except for cheese. I will be browsing to see if anyone else has had trouble...

[2big4mysize]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

You don't have to browse for other having that issue just get out your induction veggie list and try eatting some of the more carby ones like peppers, onions tomatoes, spaghetti squash or jicama to name a few. many low carbers actually have trouble staying under 20 when they eat some of those veggies.

[RHCPeppers]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

That is a good suggestion, i havent thought of that. But my understanding is that about half of your carbs should be from the vegetables. what about the other half? Aside from cheese, what are some other good carb sources that are induction friendly?

[2big4mysize]

Re: 3 cups salad a day?

we don't eat carbs to eat carbs

We count the carbs in our foods like cream, eggs, spices, herbs, salad dressing, cheese (one gram of each ounce) beverages like decafe teas and coffee during induction and the total has to be less then our total from our veggies and together the two totals need to be under 20

if you eat your veggies as lettuce and only have 5 grams of them then you must eat less then 5 of other foods with carbs even though you will be way under your 20 max

when we move to OWL we add 5 net grams of carbs more veggies to the induction veggies.