Anyone have any meal plan examples & some questions..

[ADreamComeTrue]

Hello everyone! I am starting the Atkins diet soon, I have the book and I am currently reading. I have read Chapter 11 but am still questionable about some things. I need to understand it a little bit more I guess you could say.
Here are some other questions I have, if you guys don't mind me asking. I am just making sure I have this down pat before I start so I don't make no mistakes and feel bad about it later on.

-I am only allowed 20 cards per day in Induction phase, right?

-I cannot eat breads, sugars, sweets, or basicaly anything starchy or full of carbs, right?

-How many carbs does one meal need to have in it?

-I'm not a big steak eater, is it okay for me to eat mostly chicken, fish & bacon (bacon as long as it has no added sugar)?

-Do I need to take a multi-vitamin per day?

-I brew Lipton tea every night with one cup of splenda added and put it in the fridge so I can drink it the next day, is this okay to drink on Atkins? Or do I need to just give that up completely and drink water instead?

-How is the Atkins carbs added up? I ask this because in the back of the book where the recipes are it says at the bottom of each one ex. "Total carbs per serving: 6 g (count only 4.5 digestable carbs when doing Atkins). How would I know how many "digestable" carbs are in something?

-Do you have snacks between breakfast & lunch, and between lunch & dinner? If so, what kind of snacks is a good choice?

I guess it's just the basics, I am one that can read a whole paragraph and have my mind on something else so maybe that is why I am not getting it that much. Thank you for taking time to read this! I will be going grocery shopping next week and need some ideas on what to buy (like some prepared foods). I am more of a simple, fast eater because I stay busy a lot and don't have that much time to cook.
Good luck to you all that are losing weight and Congratulations on the ones that have!!

-Christie

[Georgiana]

Re: Anyone have any meal plan examples & some questions..

-I am only allowed 20 cards per day in Induction phase, right?

20 NET carbs. Yes.

-I cannot eat breads, sugars, sweets, or basicaly anything starchy or full of carbs, right?

Yes. And you only eat foods from the Acceptable Foods List.

-How many carbs does one meal need to have in it?

It will vary. There is no lower or upper limit on net carbs per meal. Better to spread your carbs throughout the day though.

-I'm not a big steak eater, is it okay for me to eat mostly chicken, fish & bacon (bacon as long as it has no added sugar)?

Yes. Make sure you add some fat to poultry and fish though. Atkins is a high fat diet, not high protein.

-Do I need to take a multi-vitamin per day?

It's best to take a daily multivitamin without iron.

-I brew Lipton tea every night with one cup of splenda added and put it in the fridge so I can drink it the next day, is this okay to drink on Atkins? Or do I need to just give that up completely and drink water instead?

A cup of Splenda??? Sweeteners are limited to 3 packets daily.

And tea does not count as water. You need to drink a minimum of 64 oz of water. Most people do best drinking more than this.

-How is the Atkins carbs added up? I ask this because in the back of the book where the recipes are it says at the bottom of each one ex. "Total carbs per serving: 6 g (count only 4.5 digestable carbs when doing Atkins). How would I know how many "digestable" carbs are in something?

Digestible carbs are net carbs. You calculate net carbs by subtracting dietary fiber from total carbs.

You can track your carbs in FitDay, for example: FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal

-Do you have snacks between breakfast & lunch, and between lunch & dinner? If so, what kind of snacks is a good choice?

You can have snacks if you want. Avoid mindless snacking though.

Anything from the Acceptable Foods List is a good snack.

need some ideas on what to buy (like some prepared foods)

Better to prepare your own food than buy prepared food. And always read the ingredients!

I am more of a simple, fast eater because I stay busy a lot and don't have that much time to cook.

Cooking a meal only needs to take 15-30 minutes.

You can check Linda's website for recipe ideas: Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes - Home

[ADreamComeTrue]

Re: Anyone have any meal plan examples & some questions..

Thank you so very much! I think I am going to type all the foods on the acceptable foods list and print them out to stick on the fridge; That way I know exactly what to eat with out searching through the book every time. Thank you again!

[chinadoll]

Re: Anyone have any meal plan examples & some questions..

Try this link instead and print it out. Welcome to ADBB

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/main-atkins-diet-forum/3286-free-wallet-sized-food-list-print-new-improved.html

[Georgiana]

Re: Anyone have any meal plan examples & some questions..

Thanks for posting the link, Jill!

Christie, you might want to keep a copy in your wallet too. It could come in handy when you go shopping.

[Skeptika23]

Re: Anyone have any meal plan examples & some questions..

I don't have a lot of time to cook during the week, so do what I do - on the weekend, take some time, menu plan for the week, and pre-prepare what you can, so you can just take it and go during the week.

For a snack, I like green cabbage - I'm a crunchy-salty lover, and while it's not very salty, it's very satisfyingly crunchy. 5 oz of green cabbage is about 3.8 net carbs. It's also great to use veggies to snack because it keeps that ratio of veggie carbs to other carbs high - you want the majority of your carbs to come from veggies. I try not to "waste" my allotment of carbs on a lot of splenda, or gum, or things like that - I try to keep my carbs in the veggie arena... so I can say "yay, I have some carbs left, it's Cheese Crisps http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/cheese_crisp.html time (within the 3-4 oz allotment of course)!


Welcome!

[ADreamComeTrue]

Re: Anyone have any meal plan examples & some questions..

Thank you so much chinadoll for the link (that is very neat!) & thanks for the welcome.

Skeptika23- I am also a crunchy-salty lover, and that is a great idea to use your carbs on veggies because it is more healthy that way also! Thank you! & thanks for that website also! I will have to try those.