Do you have to actually count carbs?

[newlife33]

I'm on induction, day 5. So far I'm feeling pretty good. I haven't weighed myself yet, but my clothes seem to be fitting better. I did atkins once about 7 years ago and lost 20lbs in 2 months. I never counted carbs. I just followed the advice from the book about what to eat. I'm doing that again this time around. Seems like if you sit around all the time trying to count carbs it could get exhausting. I just measure my 2 cups of greens, and my 1 cup of other veggies and eat pleanty of meats, fish, eggs, cheese, butter, and oil. I'm not eating the bars or shakes or any other specialty items. So do you think it's a bad idea to not count?

[not2late]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

I'm on induction, day 5. So far I'm feeling pretty good. I haven't weighed myself yet, but my clothes seem to be fitting better. I did atkins once about 7 years ago and lost 20lbs in 2 months. I never counted carbs. I just followed the advice from the book about what to eat. I'm doing that again this time around. Seems like if you sit around all the time trying to count carbs it could get exhausting. I just measure my 2 cups of greens, and my 1 cup of other veggies and eat pleanty of meats, fish, eggs, cheese, butter, and oil. I'm not eating the bars or shakes or any other specialty items. So do you think it's a bad idea to not count?

The way Dr. Atkins wrote the Induction Phase in the book, it's possible to not count carbs---provided you really follow the book, word for word, and don't veer from it (or do something weird like eating 3 dozen eggs or 3 cups of tomatoes or a half bottle of salad dressing because there is only 1 carb per serving and half a bottle has 8 carbs).

However, Induction Phase isn't the entire Atkins Diet. And if you don't count carbs during OWL or Pre-Maintenance Phase, you might find Atkins will be difficult and frustrating. So it's always better to get used to counting carbs, that way by the time you get to OWL, Pre-Maintenance and Maintenance Phases, it won't be burdensome: it will be a habit.

Believe me, I wasn't too crazy about counting anything when I began my Atkins. But counting carbs isn't as bad as counting calories.

[newlife33]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I guess I should get into the habit of counting if i want to keep the weight off in the long run. I'll start this weekend. I was browsing the site earlier and i know I saw a link to a post that had like 7 pages of foods with all the info about them. Can you or someone direct me to that again. I can't seem to find it. I'm hoping that will help me figure out my carbs for veggies. Thanks!

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

Here's a source that you should become familiar with:

https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

You can download it to your computer here:

Nutrient Data Products and Services

That will help you with carb counts of everything ... not just vegetables.

Also, there's a list in the back of your DANDR (2002).

[not2late]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

I think you are referring to the "OWL Power of 5 List. " in the OWL Forum. The problem with that list is that every food has its unique number of carbs per cup. So for Induction Phase, it isn't very useful.

What I did during my Induction was to look up the foods on the Induction Acceptable Foods List that I like to eat and look up their carbs on either the USDA website or in a carb counter book, like the one by Corrine Netzer. Then I just jotted the net carbs next to the foods on my copy of the List. I track my carbs/foods using a pencil, a notebook and a carb counter.

Other folks are more tech savvy than I and use websites like fitday.com to track their carbs.

[newlife33]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

Thanks for the information! I think i'll go look for a copy of that carb counter book. I like computers but when it comes to counting, I'd rather keep a notepad journal too. Thanks so much!

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

You can look things up on the computer and still keep a notepad journal!

[stephinextremis]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

I love Fitday, but I also use a notebook or my BlackBerry and a little carb counter book sometimes, especially when I'm away from home. I think I got my "Dr. Atkins' Carbohydrate Gram Counter" (it's a tiny paperback book) at a used bookstore for $0.50, so that may be a good idea for you!

Stephanie

[poobears1972]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

If you keep a pretty simple eating list from now on I think you can do this without tracking carbs, even into later owl rungs. But if you add a lot of new foods, recipes etc then you have to track or you'll easily get way up there in your carb count without realizing it.

[stephinextremis]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

And that's true...I tend to eat a lot of the same things, and have been doing this for a while. If someone asked me in the middle of a day how many carbs I've had, I could probably get close. But I still feel the need to keep on top of it!

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

The problem with not keeping a record is ... how many net carbs did you eat last week?

Most problems don't start "yesterday" ... so tracking becomes pretty important when you're problem solving.

[2big4mysize]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

tracking during 14 day induction if you measure can be done mentallyas not to exceed, but once you get going in the other phases and want to change up your menu it is good to know how many you are having cause having been having say 6 cups of veggies a handful of nuts, a full fat greek yogurt cup, and a cup of berries doesn't translate well to 6 cups of beans with those nuts, yogurt cup, and berries.

[newlife33]

Re: Do you have to actually count carbs?

Thanks everyone! It's nice to get so much feedback! I can see this being a great resource for me! Hope you all have a great weekend.