Very Very Newbie Needs Help Please
 

hi everone............I am very new here. I am posting this question hoping that somebody will answer. My husband and I just started the induction on the Atkins diet and I got so excited when I found this site. I have read the book, but can't figure out how many carbs are allowed per day. I am 55 and need to loose 30 pounds, easily lol........My husband is 60 and needs to loose about 35. Neither one of us is too active, sadly to say. Can someone out there please tell me how many carbs per day we are allowed?I just hope I can find this area of the site again lol.....took me 10 tries the first :confused: time :daze:

Induction allows for 20 grams of (effective) carbs a day. That means that you take the amount of carbs and subtract the fiber. Preferably, most of those should be coming from vegetables. Generally, if you stick to the rules (salads and low carb veggies, lots of fat, eat when you're hungry) you should be fine. Remember to keep cheeses under a few ounces too.

Hope that helps. The Atkins center website at www.atkinscenter.com is also a helpful tool. It will have all the rules of the steps of the plan along with a carb counter, etc.

p.s. For this page... if you subscribe to a thread (by clicking the box that says "Email Notification" below, you will be automatically e-mailed a link to it when someone posts a reply! :)

Happy low carbing!

Hi Hungryone,

You and your husband are going to love this way of eating.

A few more tips to get you started....

Be sure to register at Fitday http://www.fitday.com It's a great help in keeping track of carbs, etc, especially the ratio between fat/protein/carbs (s/b about 70/25/5).

Have you discovered "Hot Links" in the Newbie's section here?
Scads of helpful threads there on all sorts of subjects.

One more tip--do yourself a big favour and clean out your cupboards/fridge of all those high carb foods now. Give it to a skinny neighbour, whatever.

Good Luck! And Merry Christmas!

judy

thankyou so much
 

I appreciated getting your answer so quickly. I am always hungry. I ate chicken, salad, and then had some cream cheese sans cracker or bagel lol I spread it on cucumber slices. Why am I not feeling satisfied? Water is dissapearing down my gullet and I now know every washroom from here to the other end of town. NO weight loss in three days. I KNOW ...patience lol
thanks again..sorry to have bothered you.
:blush:

thanks everyone!!
 

Thankyou for your support!!! :wave: i checked out the link and will have to figure it out tomorrow, but i did sign up!! This is all very new to me. lol.............i'll get the hang of it with some help from my new friends!!! :spin:

Hi Hungry,

If you're hungry, you're probably not eating enough, especially fat. Once you remove most of the carbs from your diet, you'll be surprised how low your calories will be. When I first started recording at Fitday, after being on LC for a few weeks, I learned that my calories were usually under 1000. Not good.

Keep in mind, this is not a low calorie diet. You need to eat in order to lose--just keep your carbs at 20.

Hang in there, you'll get it in no time.

judy

I was feeling very deprived and hungry during the first few days of induction too. I kept wondering, "When is this going to go away?!" It definitely did, though and now I feel healthy as a goose eating low carb, even on days when my menu is similar to an induction day. Your body needs to be tricked into this way of eating, since you've been eating much differently for years. You WILL start to feel better.

One more thing, you should make sure to take vitamins. At the very least a multi, and I would also recommend calcium, magnesium, and potassium. (I take one with all three in it) This is especially recommended if your muscles, primarily legs, start to ache and cramp. This is due to a loss of electrolytes and these minerals will help replenish that.

okay, well good luck!

Hi there
 

I was just thinking to remember to throw out those low fat things.........like low fat salad dressings or mayo or reduced fat creamcheese etc. Fat is your friend. You will be eating full fat versions of food...forget the low fat mentality....that's what got most of us here. Another thing, forget all the bad hype eggs get. They are good for you and this diet definately includes them. Scrambled eggs with saute'd shrimp or scallops or whatever you like with ham or bacon makes a nice breakfast, or with cheese, if you perfer. Very filling, who needs toast. Anyway don't skimp on fat, embrace it, now where else would you hear that....tee hee. And Good Luck !!!


:wave:

Welcome Hungryone!! Another bit of advice I learned here is to stay off the scale!!! The first weight we lose is water weight - concentrating on this way of eating is in knowing and believing that what has worked for others will work for you and your DH.
From what my records show, I didn't notice any appreciable loss in the first 2 weeks, but as you can see from my side report, in a little over 4 months I have lost over 20#'s.
Happy lo carb eating - enjoy your holidays.
Kay

My only advice is never be hungry on this diet, if you are hungry (ie really hungry) then you are not eating enough.

If this is causing a real problem you're going to have to eat a lot of protein and fat and that will do the trick (eg eggs for breakfast - very important not to miss breakfast, and heavy duty meats with the fat eg steak etc).

The 20g limit is only intended for the induction period of two weeks.

If you are following a plan I would strongly recommend buying or borrowing the book. The reason for this is that a lot of stuff is explained in the book and its important to change your mentality to a low carb way of seeing things. Its virtually impossible to do atkins without this change in mindset ie butter is good but margarine isn't, high fat mayonnaise is usually OK but low fat mayonnaise usually isn't etc etc

the best of luck to you both ;)

Hello hungryone!
 

Congratulations on making the decision to get healthy by LCing!

It's a wonderful gift to give yourself.

A couple of things...

Induction is generally not pleasant for most folks. I was headachey and grumpy. But is does pass and things get much better. Thing is, you don't want to let those headaches, hunger or grumpiness derail you. It's REALLY important to succeed at Induction. If you don't follow it to the letter, you might as well not do it at all. And P.S. the hunger you're feeling will definately pass and cravings you may have will lessen with each day.

As for not losing weight in three days--you should not expect to see big losses so quickly. I recommend focusing on the first two weeks and eating according to plan. Check your weight after that. Even then, be realisitic about what you can expect. Then give yourself 2 more weeks and then 2 more after that. Soon you'll find that you're not really counting weeks and days. And that's as it should be. This isn't a diet you're on. You've just changed your way of eating for life.

Lots of support here in the forum, so post often and let us know how you're doing!

Donald :wave:

OFF TO START (LATE) LOL
 

Hi to all my new friends.
This morning my husband had nausia. We are both taking a multi vitamin with all sorts of goodies in it. ME? Well, I slept in till noon..couldn't get out of bed LOL OHHHHH for some uninterrupted sleep without running to the John every hour. Off I go to make some eggs in butter, fried turkey sausages no toast!! Last night i was soooooooo hungry that I sliced some cucumber and spread cream cheese on the slices. My husband says he was NOT hungry ...hmmmmmmmmmmm. I must say that I am really surprised at all the help we are getting on here. What a blessing everyone is. THANKS!!! AND HAPPY HOLLIDAYS TO YOU ALL!!! :Party:

XMAS PARTY GOODIES
 

Would you believe I just got back from an x mas party and didn't touch a thing except for some cheese and a bit of salmon???????? glory be!!!!!!!!!! I survived without wine, pastry or crackers!!!!!!!!!!! :thup:

:cheer:
Now wasn't that a cinch?

p.s: I've been famished today(PMS I think,can't wait till that stops), but usually I am not hungry on this WOE. As a matter of fact I have been inducting for 3 weeks, and I will go on a few more, since I am SO resistant to wt loss(and I need some carbs, just under 20 is good). Hope you feel better about this!

Yipee! Good going! And I'll bet you had a wonderfull time, even without the crakers and pastries! :)

Good for you!!! You're off to a GREAT start! :D

Something I always remind myself about LC'ing...

when you can have real butter, full fat sour cream, fresh chives, real chopped bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese...
WHO NEEDS THE POTATO???

Put all that on some cauliflour and enjoy!!
It's all about choices and making it work!!

(Watch the portions...its all legal, but it all "counts" too!)

:wave:

Re: OFF TO START (LATE) LOL
 

Hi Hungry,

Remember to eat something when you take your multivitamin, your husband may have been experiancing B complex quesiness.

But it also could be his system adjusting to the new WOE, I've not had that problem but I have heard others complain about the adjustment..... It will ususally go away within 3 days of induction.

Good luck to you both and stick with it, don't expect instant miricles!

Carl

canadian major problem
 

Thanks for the cheers everybody. I am not counting carbs, but am just not eating what you are not supposed to eat on induction. In canada, there is very little one can buy for the diet. I saw the atkins bars and they have 20 carbs in one bar..........enough for an entire day!!!! one bar?????? jeeeeez. I won't order the atkins products over the site because it would cost an arm and a leg with the exchange and the shipping. NO desserts like shakes or other goodies. :( And also, can someone please tell me if you have to follow the diet page by page, or if you can't get something, can you eat tomorrows dinner today, or yesterdays breakfast for dinner? :confused: YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrows dinner today
 

Well, pretty much so you can eat whatever low carb food you want when you want it but remember it's the carb count that matters! So not more than 20 grams of carbs, and eat until satated.
Generally with the high fat aspect of this WOE you shoud start to feel more and more satisfied, if you are hungry, eat something high in protien/fat. Snack on something but stay away from carbs.

I'm surprized about your info on the Atkins bars, mine are only 2-4 grams of carbs.... but yeah, they are pricey that's for sure!

I ate a lot on my 1st induction, breakfast was like:

6 eggs fried
6 bacon

As the week progressed my quantity went down and down, I was no longer hungry! :D By the end of induction I was eating 2 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon!

So don't worry too much about quantity at 1st your body will start to change and you will be surprized at the change in your feeling of hunger. I was a traditional dieter years ago, and was worried about the aspect of eating as much as I wanted to until satisfied, but it works.

Carl
I mean, calories do count, but it's just a little differnt with low carbing.

fat fat fat
 

Yes, thanks...i know what you mean. I am always worried about calories. This morning i made myself am omlette with mushrooms, cheese and sprinkled bacon bits into it. Also sliced tomatoes as a side. I still miss the bread lol. Now, about an hour later, i am hungry again!!!going to have some shrimp fried in butter and garlic lol. yummmmmmmmm. :thup: i think i am pretty safe if i stay away from all bread, potatoes, rice, CHOCOLATE, ICE CREAM,PASTRY..........arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Yes! I think you've got it!
 

It's especially important during induction, personally during my induction I wouldn't have been eating tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, Cucumbers. It justs adds up too fast. Of course I am very carb sensitive, so I just can't take it! :confused:
But if you aren't counting carbs, then you must know what each food contains carbs (right?) to be able to stay away from them! It's way too easy to over do them and blow your induction!

I started useing FitDay to calcualte my calories and carbs..... I was underestimating by about 1/3, and I've been doing this by the seat of my pants off and on for 5 years! I started at 326 and am now down to 215......

If I had used something like FitDay 5 years ago I may have been at my goal weight by now! :eek:

So anyway watch the carbs! It's the only thing!

Carl

ps, that shrimp sounds yum!

ice dancer
 

You are doing great!!! I am just not so possitive in what i am doing lol............I seem to be in charge here for not only my weight, but my husbands lol..........I went to the fit page and fooled aroung there for a bit trying to figure things on that site out,......I believe I started a journal???? open to the public? hmmmmmmm hope i did it right.It seems so strange to me to be eating fried foods , shrimp and eggs.....I/ve been told to stay away from those methods and foods for so long that i feel guilty eating. My husbands nausea is gone, but I feel very tired and out of sorts.........I read in the atkins book that this will pass. :bash:
but this cute little cartoon shows how i feel at the moment. can you look at my joural and help?

journal
 

Hi again,

Well I'm new to the FitDay site myself and don't know how to see your Journal with out a link to it.....?

I have a Journal here on this site that is in the "My low carb journal / low carb boot camp section under H to J, maybe you could transfer it there and that would keep it all here.... I use the other site mainly for myself for the calorie counter and carb counter and to track my weight and stuff.

Just remember, if eating fried foods, no breading! Yes this is different from what we were taught, but just remember what we were taught got us to were we are today!

Carl

Congratulations on your decision to start LCing. I was very irritable and hungry the first few days, but when my body adjusted, I felt great! My advice is to drinks lots of water and try to exercise. Even if you start by going for a 15 minute walk and gradually increase your time and distance. I was used to doing a lot of cardio and weights. I still continue to do that but have also added yoga and pilates to my workouts which make me feel wonderful.

Exercising will help you lose pounds easier and help to tone up your body.

Good Luck.
Jan

Another tip: pork rinds have zero carbs so, if you want to bread anything, crushed up pork rinds to the trick for breading!

At least once a week my DH will make either fish or chicken "breaded" with crushed pork rinds. It gives the food the fried "crunch" that you need sometimes! :D

Also, stay away from the low carb bars during induction - besides the fact that they have hidden carbs in them, they can trigger a craving and that is what you want to get rid of during induction.

Good luck hungryone! You will always have support here!

RUNNING TO GET RINDS
 

SEE JANE RUN SEE JANE JUMP SEE JANE EAT PORK RINDS LOL
Same goes for wannabethin lol getting some asap. need crunch bad!!! Ate some lox and creamcheese in lettuce leaves for breakfast with two hard boiled eggs........
When does the darn weight start coming off? I have a pair of pants that I use to measure any meansurement difference. More dependable than a tape measure lol.............nothing yet....and my scale hasn't dropped an ounce.

We add some paramsian cheese to the crushed up pork rinds as a coating - yummm - fried chicken!

I want results NOW!
 

Hey Hungryone,

Just exactly how long have you been in induction???

It does vary from person to person, guys seem quicker than gals, Some are more carb sensitive than others, and Ya gotta make sure you aren't eating hidden uncounted carb to be in induction, otherwise you could be waiting forever! :confused:

So an average of a week to see some results is pretty normal, I am very carb sensitive and will see a change in as little as 3 days!

But others take longer, it depends.....



Carl

Hi Hungryone-

Just wanted to give you some realistic expectations of weightloss here so you may feel better....

Usually people lose 10% of their goal to lose in the first two induction weeks. So you want to lose 35 lbs - you can usually expect to lose 3.5 lbs in two weeks. Note: these are average numbers.

Then approx...5% of the remaining weight to lose each week after...

Another thing is that you really want to weigh yourself at the same time everyday (that you weigh yourself) and before food and water too. Think about it 6oz of water weighs 6oz...

Also, measure yourself. Low carb plans really show in this area. We lose inches often faster then losing lbs so get excited, your way of eating has changed and your body will follow!

thanks everyone
 

I have been on Induction for 7 days now. I love the idea of the pork rinds amd parm. cheese for the chicken. I wonder how many carbs that adds to each piece of chicken, though????????? :confused: At one point in my life, I follwed Cr. Bernstiens diet......high protien, low carbs and went right down to a size 10 and weighed 126!!!!!!!! in four months. I lost a lot faster on that diet, for sure. ...and i never felt grumpy . Can this be the wrong plan for me?