could someone double check my menu

[only4d]

So far, I've received advice about reducing the cream and/or cheese, and eliminating the flax cereal unless necessary for constipation (which hasn't troubled me, even before the cereal). Also, up the water and exercise.

During induction, I only lost 2 pounds. The up side is that I feel a TON better and can concentrate throughout the day, instead of peter out around 3 or 3:30 p.m.

Here's a link to my journal where I posted a sample day.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/viewtopic.php?p=621935#621935

Thanks for your time! :wave

Oh, and I'm re-starting with my fitday today, too --- I've been slacking plugging food in.

Thanks!

[Moochiecat]

The advice you've been given is really good :yes
You don't need to eliminate the flax, just reduce it down a little bit...and remember it's very important to drink lots of water when you eat it so that it keeps that fiber moving through you.

I'd suggest starting out with a more substantial breakfast than the flax as well. Protein combined with fat is always best, which makes eggs a perfect food. Or you could have your rollups, or leftovers, or whatever floats your boat, but this will get your metabolism going in the morning. That might make a difference in your weight loss.

Spread those veggies out through the day instead of having them all at dinner as well...and watch the carb count on the cherry tomatos.

Water...well, I can't drink water at work, because I can't be away from what I'm doing every 20 minutes..lol...so I drink as much as I can before work, and then after work my big 32oz water bottle is glued to my hand so I get my 64+ ounces down. Drink when you can, as best you can.

I see that you are in Fitday, and that you understand the protein/fat/carb ratio thing...that's great! Just keep tweaking, and don't panic if the ratios are out a bit here and there...it happens, and it usually will average out to the right numbers if you're following the Rules.

[only4d]

Thanks for you reply!

Re. fitday, I DO have questions, actually! lol

Okay, according to my weight, if I eat 10x my weight in calories, that's around 2900. So 65% of that as fat is 1885 caloires or about 210 grams. 35% of that as protein is 1015 calories or about 254 grams.

First quesiton:

If I eat 5% of those calories as carbs, that would be about 36 grams, which is definitely over the 20 for induction. Do I stick with the 20, or should I slowly move up to 36, until the weight starts coming off, and then adjust accordingly?

Second qeustion:

I have trouble eating all the protein (fat is no problem). I find when I DO eat it all, I actually feel really great, but I can't seem to do it 2 days in a row. Does this make any sense? Is there something I'm missing? Should I eat so much every day?

The menu I posted really was typical, and I think it is not proportionally sound, according to the above numbers. Any thoughts??

Thanks!

[Moochiecat]

Too....many...numbers.... :yikes

lol

I would suggest focussing more on staying true to the Rules of Induction and eating correctly from the Acceptable Foods list, than worrying about where your calories are coming from. Go by the 65%fat/30%protein/5%carbs, and let the calories fall where they may for a few days, don't stress over what comes from what. Calories are to be considered, you need to know the optimum range to take in

http://www.room42.com/nutrition/basal.shtml

but Atkins is more about the carbs, and those ratios. See how the numbers go for a while, and then make adjustments accordingly, adding or omitting foods to get where you need to be.

Remember the ratio's don't have to be perfect every day...a little bobbling around is ok as long as you aren't high, or low, too many days in a row.

I hope that helps!
Its great to see someone who is very interested in doing this all so correctly but be careful not to overcomplicate it so that it becomes frustrating, ok? I found that by just following the Rules and eating from the Acceptable Foods list, my ratios and calories just fell into place and I didn't have to think too hard about it all...which is good, because hard thinking hurts my brain...lol :geek

[2big4mysize]

right now you want to make one change to your plan. If you are going back to induction then you want to eat only what is on the lists and skip those speical catagory foods like avacados and cream as you are having trouble losing.

Forget about that 2900 cals too, those basal numbers assume you are a normal healthy person with now lower then average muscles to fats ratios. Use the Katch McArdle forumla to calculate youe needed cals based on your lean body mass. Most super heavy weights find they need less then the BMR calculators tell them they need.
Eat only enough food to satisfy your hunger at the time you are eating and do your daily exercise program. That should cause you to change your body mass to add more lean muscle tissue while decreasing your stored body fat which will asssit you in burning more cals.

the amount of fiber in your flax cereal is keeping you normal providing large amounts of the healthy omega3 EFAs too so you don't need to cut that out entirely but you might want to cut it back to 1-2 T.

[only4d]

Thanks, 2big --- I was thinking the calories were too high for me. Last fall, I was losing weight, but not eating especially low carb (though no sugar and minimal white flour). So I did a practice sample menu from last fall, and saw I was eating between 1300 and 1600 calories. But I remember being hungry a lot of the time, which was probably the high carb I was eating. I'll check out the Katch McArdle formula and see where it is.

Thanks for your input, and Moochie!

:wave