new and confused about carbs

[possysmith]

Hi
I am new to Atkins and am confused about how many carbs we are to eat on the Atkins plan. If I go by the book which suggests 2 cups of salad veg and one cup of the other higher carb veg without accounting for net carbs, I'm not sure if this is correct. If I count only the actual pure carbs without the fibre I would be eating more than the 2 cups of salad and 1 cup of other veg which is in the Atkins new diet revolution 2002. What am I supposd to to.
1/ Count all carbs from all foods by weighing but not subtracting fibre until I reach 20 g.
2/ Count all carbs by weighing all foods and subtracting the fibre which means more veg as the actual absorbable carbs aren't as much. So I count the net carbs of everything and not go over 20 g of net carbs.
3/ Go by the book and have only 2 cups of the listed salad veg, 1 cup of other veg and some extras listed like cream, avocado etc which are measured but not weighed.
If I do weigh everything, is there a certain amount of veg which I have to have or is it up to me to decide? I actually like veg, but am not sure how much to eat in the 20 g carb count.
I hope this doesn't sound too confusing, there just seems to be a discrepancy between the 2002 edition of Atkins and the net carbs idea.
Sue

[D14965]

Re: new and confused about carbs

Hi Sue

The 20g of carbs for induction includes everything you eat - not just the veges. There is a carb counter on the atkins site that you can download which is very handy. Make sure you check all the foods you eat. Some meats like bacon and deli meats have carbs. Cheese has carbs, eggs have carbs . Remember to only count the NET carbs. The three cups of salad veges ( or two salad and one of the other veges) is a rough guide. Hope this will help you!

Cheers
Donna

[possysmith]

Re: new and confused about carbs

Hi Donna

So I am allowed 20 net carb grams of any food on the induction list. I can eat as much or as little veg as I choose. What if I end up eating less carbs on some days, like 15 carbs instead of 20, is this alright?
Sue

[D14965]

Re: new and confused about carbs

Hi Sue

The 20g of carbs for induction includes everything you eat - not just the veges. There is a carb counter on the atkins site that you can download which is very handy. Make sure you check all the foods you eat. Some meats like bacon and deli meats have carbs. Cheese has carbs, eggs have carbs . Remember to only count the NET carbs. The three cups of salad veges ( or two salad and one of the other veges) is a rough guide. Hope this will help you!

Cheers
Donna

[D14965]

Re: new and confused about carbs

Oops -- accidently sent first message again. Yes that is ok -- but try to aim for 20 g . if you dont eat enough carbs your body may actually hang on to the weight thinking that you are starving ( starvation mode) The three cup guide is good to stick to as your body needs the fibre and nutrients in the veges . MAke sure you are drinking all your water ( 64 oz a day AT LEAST) your body needs the water to metabolise fat!

[possysmith]

Re: new and confused about carbs

Hi Donna
Do you try and make the 20 gram net mostly vegetables. I have been posting on the official Atkins site and they are saying that you have to eat 12-15grams net of acceptable induction veg and the rest eggs, cheese etc. They have stated that it is a rule and you won't lose weight if you don't eat the 12-15 net carbs in veg. What do you think? I noticed that you are in Geelong. I'm in Melbourne.
Sue

[D14965]

Re: new and confused about carbs

Hi Sue ---( waving from GEelong) honestly I dont really count the carbs very often . I just aim for the 3 cup rule with the veges. If I have time, i will count the Carbs , protein and calories to see that I am on track . After a few weeks of being on the program you get to know how much you need. A good rule to stick to is the ratio of calories you get from each group -- the breakdown for INduction is 65% calories from fats / 30% calories from Protein / 5% calories from veges. The higher fat content of induction decreases as you add more carbs once you are in OWL. You should find that your appetite decreases ( one of the benefits of ketosis) so you will actually be eating less than you used to. You can eat until you feel satisfied but do not stuff yourself ... learn to listen to your body
Have you Actually started on the Atkins plan ? If so have you lost weight? The body needs FAT to burn Fat ( remember - fat is your friend -- thats a hard one to get your head around at first I know!) If you eat too much protein your body will turn it to GLucose ( sugar) and you will go over your carb count without knowing it.
The figures for carbs cals and protein differ for everyone and are based on weight etc. I aimed for( in induction )- 20 grams of carbs , 195 grams of protein and 1200 calories. You dont need to be too strict with these sorts of things unless you are finding you are not losing . then its wise to asses the situation. I had a period of 4 weeks when i lost almost nothing right after induction so i did some research and re assesed things. Also my body was having a bit of adjustment time as well! THings seem to be moving now in 2 week cycles -- I lose a kilo or two -- then sit on that weight for a week or so -- then lose some more ( 10 kilos gone so far)

Let me know if you have started and what you have experienced so far -- it would be great if you could post your average menu . The general rules i stuck to in induction were this ......
Per Day..
: 3 cups of salad ( or two cups salad plus one cup ofother allowed higher carb vege)
:serving of protein at every meal ( you can leave the fat on the meat)
: no more than 3-4 ounces cheese
:no more than 3 tablespoons heavy cream
:1/2 small avocado ( not every day )
- occasionally i would have a few olives . Use Mayo with salads to keep up the fat content ( I use Kewpie Mayo -- its in the Asian aisle at the supermarket in a funny squishy bottle in a plastic wrapper -- it has not added sugar)
for variety check out other mayos -- i have a nice dijonnaise and a pesto Mayo also the paul newman Ranch dressing is good.
sometimes for my steak I make garlic butter -- mix soft butter with a crushed clove of garlic and some chopped parsley - then refrigerate -- yummy

Hope i havent bamboozled you with all this Sue ! hope it helps

let me know how you get on

Donna

[not2late]

Re: new and confused about carbs

We only count 'net carbs' on Atkins. On Induction, we eat no more than 20 net carbs daily.

According to the book, the majority of our daily carbs should be from vegetables. There are 54 vegetables on the Induction list. Some of them are very low carb (and low fiber, low nutrients) like lettuce. Some of them have relatively higher carbs ( and higher fiber and higher nutrients), like jicama and cabbage. The best way to approach the vegetables is to eat a variety of vegetables and to eat a mix of the higher carb and lower carb vegetables. That is, if you like green salads, use lettuce but also include tomato, cucumbers, sweet peppers, jicama, etc.

Weighing v. Measuring

Only water and butter have equal dry and volume measurements. Everything else has its own weight for volume. For example, 1 cup contains 8 fluid ounces. However, 1 cup of flour weighs 5 ounces. So if you weigh 8 ounces of flour, it will have a greater volume than 1 cup. This is where the older UK editions of DANDR went wrong: they did not take into account that the US volume measurements (cups and spoons) are not equal to US dry measurements (ounces/grams, pounds/kilograms).

There is a sticky thread in the 14 Day Induction Forum by soliwit that has the Induction vegetables and their weights in grams per 1 cup measurement.

[possysmith]

Re: new and confused about carbs

Hi Donna

I worked out my carb dilemma! I haven't done the induction yet properly, just experimenting. I began today. I will let you know how I go. thank you for all your help, you have been very kind.
Sue