breakfast review

[marier4him]

Hi,

Would somebody please review my breakfast this morning for OWL rung 1? Also, I just found Fitday this morning. Does that program measure for net carbs or just carbs?

2 large eggs
1 egg white
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup raw spinach
1/2 cup Roma tomato

I scrambled those ingredients in a pan. Nothing more, nothing less. Fitday says my percents were 60/30/11, which is funny since that comes to 101, lol.

Thanks,

[not2late]

Re: breakfast review

It looks okay. But why the egg white?

[marier4him]

Re: breakfast review

Lol, I was plugging food into Fitday for the first time and I was trying to get the percentages to what I thought they should be.

I have and will continue to have an extremely busy day today. Therefore cooking much is out of the question. So, after bowling 3 games after breakfast (PE class at school, I'm an old returning college student). I came home and had 2 more eggs plus the egg yolk I had left out of breakfast.

I also had more spinach and tomatoes and butter. My percentages now are 63/26/10. I have had 522 calories, 37.1 g fat, 14.4 carbs, and 35 protein.

I plan on finishing the day around 1300 calories with percentages around 60/30/10 with carbs around 20 g as I was around 15 on Induction.

I am drinking the 64 oz of water as well.

Thanks for any advice.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: breakfast review

>>I was trying to get the percentages to what I thought they should be.>>

Don't worry about the % so much as the total picture. The % can be handy if one is problem solving, but they are not what Atkins is about.

1300 calories may not be enough for you, and 64 ounces of water might be enough water.

According to DANDR, we count the carbs (net, that is).

%s don't figure at all in DANDR.

[not2late]

Re: breakfast review

The percentages don't work for OWL. They might work for Induction, but OWL is a totally different thing. So don't go by the percentages, otherwise you'll be eating more fat just to keep that carb percentage around 5-10%. And even for OWL, 10% carb might be too high.

Your best bet is to figure out what veggies you are going to eat for that day. Make sure you still are doing the 3 cups Induction veg but add 5 net carbs of any Induction veg for your OWL Rung 1 serving.

Don't make the mistake of thinking "Okay, I ate 15 net carbs of veggies on Induction, so on OWL Rung 1 I have to eat 20 net carbs and I can eat them in whatever amounts." There are 3 purposes of OWL: 1. lose weight, 2. Find your CCLL and 3. Learn how your body reacts and tolerates food. The Induction veggies have as much potential to derail you as the Grains or Fruit. 2Big can't eat celery without having food cravings. I can't eat any dish that combines eggplant and tomatoes without the same thing happening. So add these foods in methodically---it'll save you alot of grief in the end.

And most of all, feed your hunger. As we become smaller people, our appetites typically match our body size. Someone who weighs 190 pounds might not need the same amount of food he needed when he weighed in at 250. So feed your hunger. Your body isn't stupid and it won't let you starve. I and others notice that some days the appetite is greater than other days. And that's totally okay because your energy requirements vary from day to day. For example, I did alot of yard work yesterday and my appetite reflected it. Today, I was at the office doing alot of paper work and my appetite is alot less than it was yesterday.

[marier4him]

Re: breakfast review

Not2late,

Thanks for that detailed reply. I have noticed that my appetite definitely fluctuates and I have been trying to feed my hunger. I have been eating protein when I'm hungry and not eating if I'm not hungry. For the first time in my life, I actually trust my appetite.

So, if I understand you correctly, I should be planning my daily food intake around my Induction veggies, right? And then I should trust my body for the protein and fat? Does Fitday count net carbs? Also, I tend to enjoy lower fat food, so if I'm not watching percentages, how can I be sure I'm getting enough fat? In other words, given my own choice, I would choose chicken, and all seafood over red meat any day, not because of fat, but because I prefer those foods.

Thanks again,

[not2late]

Re: breakfast review

Not2late,

Thanks for that detailed reply. I have noticed that my appetite definitely fluctuates and I have been trying to feed my hunger. I have been eating protein when I'm hungry and not eating if I'm not hungry. For the first time in my life, I actually trust my appetite.

It's a wonderful feeling isn't it? Especially if you are used to counting calories, the freedom that you have just following your appetite must be liberating. It's kind of sad that we are born with the knowledge of following our appetites (babies only drink/eat the amount of food they need to do their baby activities), and we "outgrow" or "outlearn" that skill. But the good thing is that we can relearn that skill.

If you snack or if you aren't particularly hungry and it's near that "6 hour" mark, then eat something that combines fat and protein. Fat is energy dense and ketosis is based on the fat to protein/carb ratio. So it's important for us to include a bit of fat in everything we eat.

So, if I understand you correctly, I should be planning my daily food intake around my Induction veggies, right?

Right figure out what veggies you will eat for the day. That 3 cup Induction limit is your minimum veggie intake. Then add 5 net carbs for your OWL 1. Then add whatever meat, cheese, etc. to your menu. It sounds counterintuitive to plan your meals around veggies when you are doing a low carb diet. But if you ever followed a low fat diet, you essentially planned your meals around the small amount of fat you were able to have.

And then I should trust my body for the protein and fat?

You should trust your body for the total amount of food that you eat. Splitting your meals into smaller meals or even condensing them into soups or casseroles help get those OWL portions into you. For example, let's say you are on the grains rung and you want to add 5 net carbs of whole wheat flour. Most people think "That's a puny amount! I can't do a THING with 5 net carbs of flour!!!!!!!" But if you use that flour as an ingredient, say to thicken a gravy or to coat pieces of meat, that 5 net carbs of flour can be incorporated. You have to get creative during OWL. I found that pureeing veggies and adding them to sauces or to omelettes or having them as soup, helped get those carbs in without feeling like I've just eaten a farm.

Does Fitday count net carbs?

Fitday gives you TOTAL carbs. But you can have it calculate the fiber grams so you can calculate the net carbs yourself.

Also, I tend to enjoy lower fat food, so if I'm not watching percentages, how can I be sure I'm getting enough fat? In other words, given my own choice, I would choose chicken, and all seafood over red meat any day, not because of fat, but because I prefer those foods.

I'm not a big red meat eater. And my menu is filled with chicken, turkey, pork (yes, pork is considered a lean meat because they've bred hogs to be less fat in the last 30-40 years), and seafood. What I do is add fat or choose the fattier cuts of those lean meats. For example, eating the dark meat of chicken or turkey, eating the more marbled pork cuts (though they are hard to find), and eating the higher fat seafood like salmon. Adding fat is easy to do. Add a tablespoon of an herb flavored butter or olive oil to top off a piece of roast chicken or roast turkey or pork chops. That adds a "gourmet" feel to your meal (and these things are super-easy to make, so you can have a lemon-thyme butter/oil for seafood, a mixed herb butter/oil for chicken/turkey, etc.) It takes very little added fat--1 to 2 tablespoons---to make a meal greater than 50% fat by calories. It scares folks sometimes because they think they have to drink a bottle of olive oil or eat a pound of butter everyday in order to eat high fat. But a tablespoon of olive oil as a salad dressing a tablespoon of butter brushed on roast chicken is about all you need to make that meal "high fat".

[Happy2BThin4Me]

Re: breakfast review

. It scares folks sometimes because they think they have to drink a bottle of olive oil or eat a pound of butter everyday in order to eat high fat. But a tablespoon of olive oil as a salad dressing a tablespoon of butter brushed on roast chicken is about all you need to make that meal "high fat".

It's funny, I have had that same exact freak-out. Am I getting enough fat??? Then I remember all the fats that I add to my foods just for cooking that I wouldn't have before and realize that I am okay. I calculate all my food info online (I use sparkpeople's food tracker and track fiber and subtract to get my net carbs) and it gives me a chart with my %'s and my carbs are usually around 5-6% and fat closer to 65-70% so I realized after that, not to worry so much. My body and tastes were taking care of the fat thing for me. However I also only eat red meat once or twice a week and have pork, chicken, and fish most of the time. I love tuna or salmon salad over a salad! My skin has never been clearer or more "glowy" than now and I have actually gotten compliments on it lately! How cool is that??? I love that I get to eat all the luxurious fats that I couldn't before.

-Michelle