Carb Question
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melgirl1120
New Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2008
Posts: 16
Mon Aug 04, 2008 8: 14 pm    Post subject: Carb Question
Today is Day 1 of Induction for me [ / icon_lol. gif]
So my question is, what if I don ' t hit 20 carbs for the day??
I had 3 eggs w / cheese and 4 slices of bacon for breakfast,
since I had a tooth pulled today I am also having eggs for dinner, A 3 egg omelet w / cheese and ham for a total of 11 carbs for the day. Is that good or bad??
I would normally have lunch but didn ' t today becuz of my tooth [ / icon_confused. gif]
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1322
Footing: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Mon Aug 04, 2008 8: 53 pm    Post subject:
How do you get 11 carbs out of eggs, cheese, ham and bacon? Does the ham and bacon have sugar added???
I know there ' s about 1 / 2 carb in eggs... but you don ' t have to count those. Eggs are on the " eat liberally " protein list. Same with shrimp and lobster... you don ' t have to count that either. Your carbs should be coming from vegetables... 12 to 15 net carbs each day. Here ' s the list:
http: / / www. atkins. com / Files / AcceptableFoodsPhase1. pdf
This list includes the net carb count for all of the acceptable vegetables. Beyond these, you can have the leftover carbs ( 5 to 8 per day ) to " spend " on splenda ( 1 per parcel of the powdered stuff and splenda like honey drinks like Crystal Light ), olives, avocado, cheese ( 1 carb per oz, max 4 oz per day ), lemon / lime juice and cream OR sour cream. Also count any carbs in salad dressing and seasonings.
From the website:
" You can also have supplementary carbs – every day:
Up to 4 ounces of cheese
10 to 20 olives for a quick snack
Try 1 / 2 an avocado in your salad
An ounce of sour cream or three ounces of unsweetened cream for your coffee
Up to 3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
One to two servings of Atkins bars or shakes. Check the carton see which ones are right for Induction ( less than 5 net carbs ). "
Be careful if you bunch up to build the bars and shakes... lots of people report that they stall their weight loss. I don ' t know, I haven ' t tried them.
Don ' t torment about this stuff today. When your mouth heals, you can do it right then. In the meantime, stick with soft foods on the list.
[ / icon_smile. gif] Tril
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Locale: Warsaw, Poland
Tue Aug 05, 2008 11: 31 am    Post subject:
Tril wrote:
I know there ' s about 1 / 2 carb in eggs... but you don ' t have to count those. Eggs are on the " eat liberally " protein list. Same with shrimp and lobster... you don ' t have to count that either.
Um... No. You have to count ALL the carbs you eat. So yes, you can eat eggs liberally, but count the carbs. Same with seafood.
Tril, please don ' t present your opinions as gospel.
melgirl1120
New Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2008
Posts: 16
Tue Aug 05, 2008 1: 37 pm    Post subject:
Thanx for the help [ / icon_biggrin. gif]
Tril - Sorry I forgot to add that I had 1 cup of coffee w / 2tbsp cream and 5 splendas all for 6 carbs. Also after reading about the carbs for eggs I went to my program that added it up for me and seen that it gave me 1 carb for 3 whole eggs which was wrong I see, So I actually had 13 carbs yesterday!!
I am happy so say that repeatedly after getting out of work at 11pm I am hungry and repeatedly have a snack which would be a mini bagel or cereal and last night I wasn ' t even hungry [ / icon_biggrin. gif]
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1322
Site: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Tue Aug 05, 2008 2: 08 pm    Post subject:
Sorry blue... that IS a truth. Read the book. Read the website.
From the website, note that NOwhere does it give a carb count for eggs nor does it specifically say " count the carbs " in eggs.
" Eggs are one of essentiality ' s most nutritious creations. That's why eggs are a staple breakfast in the Atkins Nutritional Way.
Feel free to get creative with your eggs, add mushrooms and onions, or even green pepper. Top them off with feta cheese or add spices like basil and oregano.
All Eggs including:
• Deviled
• Fried
• Hard - boiled
• Omelets
• Poached
• Scrambled
• Soft - boiled "
This is momentarily followed by this on cheese ( these are all in the protein section of the list, btw ):
" Keep in mind that cheese does hold carbs, about 1 gram per once. You may have about 3 to 4 ounces of cheese per day. An ounce is about the size of an individually wrapped slice of American cheese. "
Now, let ' s look at the salad garnishes... note the egg on the list and the carb count, please, and the note to count the cheese carbs:
" Salad Garnishes
• Crumbled bacon 3 slices 0. 0 g carb
• Diced hard - boiled egg 1 egg 0. 0 g carb
• Grated cheeses ( see dominant carb counts )
• Herbs and Spices ( make sure they accommodate no added sugar ) "
Need more? Ok... DANDR page 123, #2:
" 2. Eat liberally of combinations of fat and protein in the form of poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs and red meat, as well as of pure, natural fat in the form of butter, mayonnaise, olive oil, safflower and other vegetable oils ( preferably expeller - pressed or cold - pressed ). "
This quote is from Rules of Induction in Chapter 11. Don ' t you think, if we had to count the little bit of carbs in eggs it would have said so in the rules, right in this issue? All the other " count the carbs in this " rules are there. But no mention, ever, anywhere to count the carbs in eggs.
Are there carbs in eggs? Yes. Does the program crave us to count them in our daily total? No. Same for the carbs in lobster ( 1. 2 each ) and shrimp. Note that it DOES say to limit oysters and mussels to no more than 4 oz a day. But hey, no limit on eggs! How come? Why aren ' t they in the specialty foods list of things we can have but have to count?
I acquiesce... some of the rules don ' t make sense. And if it makes you feel better to count the carbs in eggs, go for it. But since we ' re talking about the rules of the Atkins Diet, let ' s go by the book and the website. If you can quote something in one of those sources that says " count the carbs in eggs " I will stand corrected.
melgirl1120
New Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2008
Posts: 16
Tue Aug 05, 2008 2: 19 pm    Post subject:
Thanx for all the info Tril [ / icon_biggrin. gif]
I have the day off so I wil be reading alot more of the book today!! [ / icon_wink. gif]
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Locale: Warsaw, Poland
Tue Aug 05, 2008 2: 20 pm    Post subject:
Tril - I am SO not having this debate again. Carbs are there. Unless the book says specifically you DON ' T have to count them, you have to count them. You assemble not to - it ' s your choice. Don ' t present it as gospel.
The website is completely expendable these days, after the change it doesn ' t really serve as source of information.
And all the rules make sense if you THINK as you apply them. On Atkins, there is a reason for every rule, just not all of them were spelled out in the book.
Once again, I think it ' s a case of choosing between the spirit or the letter of the " law ".
For me, it ' s EOT at this point.
Last edited by bluehex on Tue Aug 05, 2008 2: 26 pm; edited 1 time in total
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1322
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Tue Aug 05, 2008 2: 26 pm    Post subject:
" And the website is completely useless these days, after the change it doesn ' t really serve as source of information. "
And this would be what? Fact or your opinion?
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Tue Aug 05, 2008 2: 29 pm    Post subject:
Have you seen the website lately? They have removed all scientific info. So you will find out Atkins is " sexy " and " fun " but the definition of ketosis is gone. FAQs are gone. Explanation of metabolic advantage is gone. Etc.
You want to find any answers there, all I can do is wish you plenty of good luck.
Tril
Senior Member
Joined: 27 May 2008
Posts: 1322
Location: ( very ) Northeastern USA
Tue Aug 05, 2008 2: 51 pm    Post subject:
Okay... I called Atkins and spoke to three different people until I got an Atkins nutritionist on the phone. The " official " answer is, " NO, you do not need to count the carbs in eggs. " The reason? She said because it ' s such a small amount and " it ( carb ) is bound to protein ". Same for the carbs in lobster ( I asked about that, too ).
Call them yourself if you don ' t want to believe me..
1 - 800 - 628 - 5467.
FAQs on website: http: / / www. atkins. com / Help. aspx
On ketosis in the FAQ:
" It ' s important to understand that your body has been running on a glucose ( sugar ) metabolism all your life. Glucose is the body ' s preferred source of fuel because it burns fast. Atkins sets up an alternative metabolic pathway for producing energy: You switch from a primarily glucose metabolism to a fat metabolism. Withdrawal occurs during the adaptation period in which that switch takes place. Until you adapt to this new fuel source, you may feel tired, have headaches or experience other symptoms.
When your body becomes accustomed to burning fat for fuel, these symptoms should go away. In the meantime, you may alleviate them by increasing your carb intake slightly. Do this by eating more vegetables such as salad greens, spinach, broccoli and string beans. Once your body adjusts and symptoms have abated, reduce your carb intake to 20 grams a day again. "
On metabolic advantage from the FAQ:
" Research has shown that on a controlled carbohydrate program, more calories are burned than on a low - fat, high - carbohydrate diet, so there is a certain metabolic advantage to the controlled carb approach. But understand that this does not give you a license to gorge. "
Anything else you can ' t find?
Tril
strnecka
New Member
Joined: 05 Aug 2008
Posts: 7
Location: Czech republic
Wed Aug 06, 2008 11: 39 am    Post subject: Re: Carb Question
[quote= " melgirl1120 " ]
So my question is, what if I don ' t hit 20 carbs for the day??
[quote]
Sorry for interuption, but could anyone answer this? I am also new in Atkins and I would like to know that too.
Please [ / icon_wink. gif] [ / icon_question. gif]
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Wed Aug 06, 2008 11: 51 am    Post subject:
There is no clear answer to this question. Even Dr Atkins ' opinon about it has evolved over time - earlier versions of the book call for much more restrictive carb levels, while the newer ones stress the importance of getting approximately 20 a day.
To try and answer to the best of my knowledge: one day - nothing happens at all. But your body needs some carbohydrates for certain functions and if you regularly stay far below 20, you are putting your body into more strain than necessary. Moreover, it is important to eat the vegetables - they provide a number of nutrients which are not available from other sources, they give you fiber and prevent constipation.
Some people eat zero carb, even for prolonged periods, and survive it. But they are putting a lot of strain on their kidneys and livers this way. They also usually complain about fatigue, lasting beyond the initial Atkins Flu, sometimes permanent fatigue.
In short words - it ' s MUCH better to eat your vegetables...
gorgehun80
New Member
Joined: 01 Aug 2008
Posts: 18
Wed Aug 06, 2008 11: 56 am    Post subject:
In response to blues comments. I totally disagree! I have just joined this website last week and beleive it delivers 100 % everthing one needs to kknow about the Atkins. If not you can post a question and it is answered usually within 24 hours by someone. Great website, great support. THankyou, Tess x
bluehex
Senior Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2003
Posts: 2663
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Wed Aug 06, 2008 12: 28 pm    Post subject:
Allright, I revisited the Atkins site and I stand corrected. Indeed, it seems to have re - gained some of its informational value. Last time I was there was a few months ago, and it was ALL marketing. Their Induction meal plan called for low - carb bread and tortillas.... nuff said. Science section and FAQs were missing. Apparently, it was work in progress.
Now, even though in my opinion it still has too much marketing and too little hard information ( too many statements of " it works, because we tell you it works " - saying " your body is a fat burning machine " is not exactly the same as a medical definition of ketosis ) it seems to be - workable. If, as you say, they also provide response, it ' s good news and I ' m not gonna complain about them again.
The usual reservation being, they still heavily push their products, which are known to stall weightloss in many people. But they ' ve been doing it for years, anyway.
And I totally loathe the " sweet sexy science " buzzline.... [ / icon_lol. gif]