Do you measure everything?

[Mutantmom]

Hi, I'm not new to lowcarbing, not new to Atkins, just have never in about 10 years moved from induction in OWL. I've just been afraid. So I've taken off and put on the same 60+ lbs for years now.

Ok, I'm determined to move on this time, I'm on day 10 (but think I will do extended induction because I have over 100lbs to lose). I have dropped 6 lbs since beginning on March 6th.

As I get closer to the 14th day, I am beginning to realize that I don't really know what my net carb count is. Do I have to plug into fitday everything that enters my mouth? I average 2 pieces of meat daily (about 4-6oz each) 4 string cheese strips, 2 cups of iceberg lettuce with olive oil and red wine vinegar and an Atkins shake for breakfast. I am drinking 96oz of water daily and 32 ounces of green tea. I've stuck with this now for 11 days. I also workout about 5 days a week (no weights yet) which consists of stationary bike (resistance set at 10 and treadmill). I get in at least 5 miles each day I work out.

Really my amounts are guesses, I've not measured a single thing.

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Do you measure everything?

>>just have never in about 10 years moved from induction in OWL. I've just been afraid. So I've taken off and put on the same 60+ lbs for years now.>>

At least you realize that repeating that pattern is likely to produce the same results!

>> I'm on day 10 (but think I will do extended induction because I have over 100lbs to lose).>>

How long are you going to "extend"? Why do you think that's a better idea that doing Ongoing Weight Loss ... which is where you're supposed to lost most of your weight?

>>I am beginning to realize that I don't really know what my net carb count is.>>

Time to learn then!

You don't have to use Fitday ... you can keep a paper journal (I used a notebook), but it is important to have a net carb count ... it's quite important on OWL.

>>I average 2 pieces of meat daily (about 4-6oz each) 4 string cheese strips, 2 cups of iceberg lettuce with olive oil and red wine vinegar and an Atkins shake for breakfast. I am drinking 96oz of water daily and 32 ounces of green tea.>>

How many net carbs is that?

I can say this ... it's not very much food ... I would be absolutely starving.

A shake isn't breakfast ... they shouldn't be meal replacements.

Is 96 ounces of water 1/2 your current body weight of water? Also, green tea has carbs, and it's not water ... and you should drink an extra 8 ounces of water for every 8 ounces of tea/coffee.

>> Really my amounts are guesses, >>

With my best Dr. Phil voice, "How's that workin' for you"?

[2big4mysize]

Re: Do you measure everything?

for your atkins to work in the real world and as you progress knowing how many net carbs you are consuming is a must cause all it takes to stop your weight loss is one gram more then your CCLL and poof no more shrinking going on.

Knowing what your limit is can allow you to explore more of the foods from the OWl rungs even if they are on a rung needed more 5 net additions then your body will tolerate. say you know your limit is 45 which would be induction 20 plus 5 more 5 net additions which would put you at rung 5. But you want to try some of those low carb tortilla and need to be on a higher rung.

you could remove some of your already earned rung foods and then test the tortillas in a 5 net increments and see if you can tolerate them.
if you didn't know your limit was 45 and you ate those soy ones on rung 6 and had 50 net grams you'd think those tortillas caused your gain instead of the carbs above your body's limit causing it.

And once you have tested the upper rungs within your tolerence levels and know what foods you can and can't tolerate you can plan eating out and having different ethnic meals with in your carb buget much easier too.

We must to stay goalies stay with in our net carb limits but that doesn't mean we can't shift our food choices within that limit.

happy low carbing.

COngrats om the great job getting your exercise going. remeber as you shrink you will need to either increase your intensity or duration inorder to get the same calorie burn from your workouts cause as we get lighter we need les energfy to do the exact same things.

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

Well actually that is working quite well for me, I've lost 6lbs in 11 days thank you.

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

2bigformysize, thank you for the information. I did not think about the intensity of my workouts in that way, I've just started HITT which keeps you challenging yourself, so the intensity always goes up...I would like to know if you qualify shrinking (but not seeing the scale move) as getting lighter? Should I take any loss as a sign of losing and thus increase the intensity?

I just finished reading The New Atkins, the New You it gives quantities in induction (ie. 6 cups of lettuce, or 17ounces of protein) so that is what I've been going by, keeping my numbers within those ranges.

Do you count everything or just your net carbs? I read somewhere online that the ratio should be fat 65%, carbs 5% and proten 30% other than using fitday, is there an easy way to keep track of this without counting every morsel that enters the mouth...I really hate counting that way.

Thanks!
mutantmom

[2big4mysize]

Re: Do you measure everything?

2bigformysize, thank you for the information. I did not think about the intensity of my workouts in that way, I've just started HITT which keeps you challenging yourself, so the intensity always goes up...I would like to know if you qualify shrinking (but not seeing the scale move) as getting lighter? Should I take any loss as a sign of losing and thus increase the intensity more?

I just finished reading The New Atkins, the New You it gives quantities in induction (ie. 6 cups of lettuce, or 17ounces of protein) so that is what I've been going by, keeping my numbers within those ranges.

Do you count everything or just your net carbs? I read somewhere online that the ratio should be fat 65%, carbs 5% and proten 30% other than using fitday, is there an easy way to keep track of this without counting every morsel that enters the mouth...I really hate counting that way.

Thanks!
mutantmom

HIIT will increase your workout load for you as you say cause as you get in better condition you either got to go faster or crank up the incline on the treadmill to reach your target heart rate. I loved it.

The new atkins info can be confusing cause they are actually targeting a carb number not counting cups of veggies. Based on what one picks as their induction veggies from the lists of legal foods one could if they picked lettuce eat a mountain to get to that 12 net carbs cause it is around .2 for a cup. Of course the authors are trying to send everybody messages saying pick the higher carb ones and different colors and textures for your veggies not just leaf lettuce so you get a balance of vits and minerals form them too, but that message gets lost when places like NY Times do a story on the new atkins.

Protein limits have a huge range too as for somebody 5'4" it varies from 72-140 grams of protein a day.
the new book recomends one use a 4-6 ounces serving of a protein food and see if it satisfies hunger. and if one adds up 3 meals worth one could think the max level is 12-18 ounces of protein but it isn't.

Here on ABDD we are currewntly using the 2002 book as our rules ofr following atkins

Protein amounts are not limited as such other then to say don't eat too much.
Calling Dr Atkins medical center back in 2002 too much was defined as more then 30% of my total cals eatten. they also said we should use 4-6 ounce servings as guides and not more then 37 ounces a day during induction. if we were still hungry after a meal then we should increase our protein intake by an ounce until we didn't have after meal hunger.

I told them I was 313 and they said you will need more then so I used the 30% protein 65% fats and carbs under 20 to feed myself. I kept notes and focused on the ratios at first to get a handle on how much fat that was but then just focused on the carbs for counting. My initial cals were around 4000 a day and I lost a lot of weight.

after a few months my intake had dropped down into the 2000s on hugry days and less then 1000 on nonhungry days and I was still losing. After a few months of practice I could measure my carbs and if I plugged my eatten foods into fiday i was spot on with the ratios.

When I moved to OWL my fat % slowly lowered as my grams of carbs went up. My cals would fluctuate too based on if I was hungry or not but since I was an exercise addict the total eatten wasn't an issue. I was shocked that my net grams of carbs was so high when I finally discovered my CCLL or NET ( depending on what book you use) was 115 net.

I quickly discovered my CCLL was exercise dependant as when i had knee surgery it had to drop back to 45 net until I was allowed to workout again.

Just s every weight loss plan has its own rules and reasons why counting carbs is Dr Atkins method to control our hunger and food intake cause he believed that fats and proteins were self limiting causae they were so saieting.
needless to say he never met some of our members who could eat a whole platter of hotwings and look for dessert too, so those limits in the new book act as an artifical braking mechanism for voereaters to reighn in their consumption of legal foods.

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

I don't have the 2002 book, I will look for it, I can probably get it on Amazon.

So, I'm a little confused now. But I'm sure that will clear up once I get my hands on the new book, I will search the library also.

I'm 5' 7.5" and weight 280 as of this AM my goal is 165 (I will adjust when I get there).

According to this book one should stay in induction for an extended period because I have so much to lose, is that the thought in the 2002 book? What is the title?

According to the book I just finished reading, based on my height and weight I should consume 17ounces of protein daily (which is why I've kept it so low).

I'm still not understanding if you measure everything? Do you just measure the carby things or everything?

thanks!
mutantmom

[2big4mysize]

Re: Do you measure everything?

Yes in DANDR Dr Atkins says we can stay on extended induction if we have significant weight to lose for longer periods of time as it does in the new book

how did you figure 17 ounces of protein? the amounts are given in grams of protein range for a given height. what is your range from the table in the book?

and that is grams of actual protein not grams of food. the protein content of 17 ounces of chicken breasts will not be the same as for 17 ounces of hamburger. nor 17 ounces of white fish.

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

Yes, the ounces of protein is from the table in the book, I read somewhere that what fits within your palm is 4-6 ounces, so I keep it that size, sliced thinly. I do have a digital scale, I have all the trappings of dieting in my kitchen, I hated WW because I had to weigh everything...got sick and tired of it. But you still have not answered if you only count net carbs or if you count proteins and fats a well. Do you measure everything you eat or just the veggies?

Thanks
mutantmom

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

i work on a campus, I am heading to the library now to get the DANDR.

be right back

mutantmom

[2big4mysize]

Re: Do you measure everything?

Yes, the ounces of protein is from the table in the book, I read somewhere that what fits within your palm is 4-6 ounces, so I keep it that size, sliced thinly. I do have a digital scale, I have all the trappings of dieting in my kitchen, I hated WW because I had to weigh everything...got sick and tired of it. But you still have not answered if you only count net carbs or if you count proteins and fats a well. Do you measure everything you eat or just the veggies?

Thanks
mutantmom

deck of playing cards should be 4 ounces of a protein food other then raw eggs.

I measured everything when I started but after a few weeks I knew close to normal what everything was as far as fats and proteins so I just measured my carb foods sticking with induction veggies and an ounce of nuts for my extended induction. COuld you look in your book at how much protein somebody 5'7.5" should be eating cause 17 ounces of food isn't it.

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

17oz is just the amount of protein I should eat daily, I should also have 6 cups of lettuce, 4 ounces of cheese, it states we should use olive oil (it goes over the different kinds of oils) we should have 1 cup of the non-salad veggies (which I always forget to do...I did have string beans once this past week) and goes over fluid intake. etc. I'm sorry if I made it sound like it was telling me to only eat 17oz of food...that is 17oz of protein (meats) for my height.

I have the DANDR and will start reading it now.

thanks,
mutantmom

[2big4mysize]

Re: Do you measure everything?

17oz is just the amount of protein I should eat daily, I should also have 6 cups of lettuce, 4 ounces of cheese, it states we should use olive oil (it goes over the different kinds of oils) we should have 1 cup of the non-salad veggies (which I always forget to do...I did have string beans once this past week) and goes over fluid intake. etc. I'm sorry if I made it sound like it was telling me to only eat 17oz of food...that is 17oz of protein (meats) for my height.

I have the DANDR and will start reading it now.

thanks,
mutantmom

isn't that supposed to be 12-15 net grams of induction veggies which can be up to 6-10 cups based on which ones you pick? I know in the discussion topic folk listed all the veggies that are in DANDR chapter 11 as being in that acceptable list of veggies for the new Atkins book with the 2-3 cup list as being unlimited to get those net carbs and the other veggie list as a 2 cup serving size insted of the one cup in DANDR

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

Hello again. I actually have the book with me today so I'm not trying to remember what it said. The following is directly from The New Atkisn for a New You;

Ok, for a 5'8" woman one should eat 17ounces of protein per day or 78-162grams.

"You will consume 20grams of Net Carbs each day, which will come primarily from foundation vegetables" (it goes on to list the foundation vegetables and acceptable meats, noncaloric sweeteners, low-carb convenience foods, condiments, herbs and spices, beverages and what's off limits.

So 17ounces of proten and 20g of Net carbs daily...no precentages but it does not tell you exactly how much fat you should consume, it does have a section on fats and oils (p89) but does not once tell you how much you should have.

I'm only on chapter 4 of the DANDR so I've not gotten to the actual diet yet, I hope to get there today.

mutantmom

[Mutantmom]

Re: Do you measure everything?

Does this look right?

Today I've had the following:

4 cups of lettuce, iceberg 3.9 net carbs
2 paks Tofu Shirataki Angel Hair Noodles 4.0 net carbs
2 tbsp Olive Oil 0.0 net carbs
1tbsp Vinegar 0.4 net carbs
Atkins Milk Chocolate Delight Shake 2.0 net carbs
2.2 oz yellow peppers 3.3 net carbs
2 tbsp butter 0.0 net carbs
2 mozzarella String cheese 0.36 net carbs

For a total of 13.96 net carbs
23.7 g protein
63.2 g fat
744 calories

So far so good, I am counting everything (though this net carbs stuff is WAY too much work) if I keep my menus the same until I get to my first minigoal (264) I will be able to add with no problems.

Does this look good to you guys?

Thanks
mutantmom