Count calories or not?

[miller98b]

I am getting mixed information on the Atkins diet. I was pretty sure that we did not have to count calories on atkins as long as we maintain 20 carbs or less per day......anyone know the answer? I lost 7 pounds in 9 days, but this weekend I ate a lot, all no-carb, and I ganied five pounds back! Did not cheat and even exercised twice. I don't get it.....Please Help!

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Count calories or not?

>> I ate a lot, all no-carb,>>

Atkins isn't a "no carb" way of eating.

Exactly what did you eat that was "no carb"?

>>I was pretty sure that we did not have to count calories on atkins as long as we maintain 20 carbs or less per day>>

What does Dr. Atkins say in the book?

And it's 20 NET carbs ... and less isn't likely to help you, long term.

[mission to lose]

Re: Count calories or not?

Can you tell us what you ate and the amounts?
Are you drinking your water?
Maybe we can help you.
Did you eat till you were full or stuffed?
..depending what you ate, you could be holding water...
Are you reading the Atkins book?

Feel free to ask a lot of ?????'s if you are not sure of things.

Read the Book

Dr. Atkins in Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 ed.


Some links to read (not meant to take the place of reading the book):

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/77558-atkins-diet-induction-faqs.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html

Atkins Low Carb Dieting - FAQ's - Atkins Diet

[jcapulet]

Re: Count calories or not?

I was pretty sure that we did not have to count calories on atkins as long as we maintain 20 carbs or less per day......

That only applies to the 14-day induction.

Btw, eating a carb-free diet will not make you lose weight any faster. It took a while to get there, and it will take time for it to melt away.

[JulieB]

Re: Count calories or not?

You don't have to count calories as long as you follow ALL of the rules of induction/OWL. Eat only until you are satisfied, not "full" or "stuffed" is one of those rules.

[msanjelpie]

Re: Count calories or not?

According to the calorie calculator - based upon your height, weight and age, you should be around 2300 calories per day for weight loss... If you find yourself going over that a lot and not losing, that could be one of the reasons...

[miller98b]

Re: Count calories or not?

Thank you for the thoughful inquiries.......

1. I read the book ten years ago and have absolutely no time to read it again. I thought I remembered most of it, but mayeb not

2. For breakfast I ate 4 scrambled eggs with two slice of cheese. No coffee, just water. Lunch was a taco salad with browned beef, iceberg lettuce, some cheese and some sour cream. The cheese and sour crem were limited. Snack was a no-carb beef jerky and some turkey and cheese roll-ups. Dinner was a monster......5 pieces of dark meet grilled chicken marinated in basil and olive oil and lemon and garlic and parsley.

3. The next day, my breakfast and lunch and snack were almost exactly the same, but for dinner I had a very large porterhouse and asparagus.

4. I never really watched the calories on the diet, because I thought it didn't really matter all that much and it had never been a problem when I did the diet previously. Maybe it is my age starting to catch up wth me and my metabolism slowing down.

5. Does Anyone find that salt really bothers the Atkins diet?

Thanks for any help you can provide......by the way.....water is all I drink. No beer, no liquor, no coffee and no sodas.

[liv]

Re: Count calories or not?

We follow the 2002 book on this board. I really suggest you familiarize yourself with the diet. Health is too important to put on the back burner. You only have one body and if that one gives in well you know....

So if you were following 2002 - your menu does not have enough vegetable carbs. But it is really good that you are concentrating on drinking only water and avoiding sweet stuff. I would be careful with jerky - probably sugars in the list of ingredients. And if serving sizes are small the company can say zero carb legally but the actual fact will not be zero carb. It is the same for a lot of other products. So always read the list of ingredients.

Cheese is limited to 4 oz.

In my opinion calories are not going to matter much in the beginning of the diet. Restricting carbs will take care of your appetite and adjust things to what is natural for you.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Count calories or not?

>> 1. I read the book ten years ago and >>

Then you didn't read the 2002 version of the book.

>>have absolutely no time to read it again.>>

How unfortunate.

If you can't find time to educate yourself on this way of eating, then how do you expect to succeed?

Do you have time to read:

https://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6782-what-rules-induction.html

https://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-low-carb-dieting-faqs/6781-what-foods-can-eaten-induction.html

Ways to find time to read:

get up earlier; read in the bathroom; read instead of watching tv; stay up later for 15 minutes....

[msanjelpie]

Re: Count calories or not?

Salt can cause water rentention. However if your daily intake of salt doesn't change from day to day then you would always be retaining a certain amount of water and your weight loss should progress at a consistant rate regardless.

However, if you don't normally add salt to your food and you all of a sudden eat a bag of pork rinds for instance, then you might notice a gain because of the salt...

[ThinSoon]

Re: Count calories or not?

I do notice that calories will count for me at times. If I over eat, even if its legal, it will show up on the scale. Water intake is big, you'll notice a difference if you don't get it in.

If you don't have time to re-read the book right now, there are quite a few threads that are "stickys" that will help you out in the meantime. Try to maybe read the induction portion on your lunch hours or something!

Lots of good advice here!

You can do this!

Tracey

[celesteazul]

Re: Count calories or not?

You don't have to count calories as long as you follow ALL of the rules of induction/OWL. Eat only until you are satisfied, not "full" or "stuffed" is one of those rules.

Exactly as Julie stated,

I had a problem for some time when I was in induction because I would have all of the induction friendly foods but too many helpings of them.
For example the atkins cheese cake I would eat almost the whole pie, so things like that and over eating. When I started eating smaller portions till I was satisfied and not hungry but not stuffed is when I started to lose pounds.

[Georgiana]

Re: Count calories or not?

1. I read the book ten years ago and have absolutely no time to read it again.

It's not very good if you can't find time to read the 2002 edition of DANDR.

You might want to look into this: Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution - New Updated Edition - Robert C. Atkins, M.D.

Not the same as actually reading it, in my opinion, but better than doing it from memory... as you can see.

Or you could get the book and read it in the bathroom... you know...

[miller98b]

Re: Count calories or not?

1. I have just been told that I am going on a week-long business trip next week, so I ordered the book and I will read it on the plane. Look, I am trying. This is not a sarcastic remark at al.....But will I really learn a lot from the book that I don't get from the internet or the boards?

2. I have been using a lot of salt now that I think about it. Whenever I eat steak or eggs, which is now all the time, I realize I use a lot of salt. We will see what happens in a week or two.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SPENT THEIR TIME TRYING TO HELP ME WITH MY ISSUES.

[Georgiana]

Re: Count calories or not?

will I really learn a lot from the book that I don't get from the internet or the boards?

Yes. In my experience, reading the book is essential to success.

Besides, not everything you read online is correct. I mean, even Atkins.com can't get the Acceptable Foods List right... and you'd think that's a reliable source, eh?

The information in the sticky threads at ADBB is based on DANDR 2002 and is reliable (I'm not saying this just because I'm a moderator here ).

That being said, thinking you'll be successful in the long term by simply reading the sticky threads is like expecting to get a good grade in all your exams by only reading CliffsNotes.