a question about cheese on induction
 

Hey everyone,
I'm currently on Induction and I'm a little confused as to why I've been reading that cheese causes weight loss to stall? The cheese that I buy (muenster,monteray jack) says either 0 gram of carbs or >1 gram. I"m wondering why cheese is not a great choice. I understand that some american cheese contains milk in it, but I'm very confused as to why all that other cheese should be eaten in small moderation? If thats the case, I need to lay off the cheese I guess. I prob eat about 6 oz a day and Im on Induction. Im guessing this is probably too much? Thanks so much for reading my post you guys!

Love,
Brittany

Hi Brittany

Cheese is allowed during induction--4 oz or less per day. Personally, I didn't have any problems with it during induction--but had to cut back later due to stalling.

Everyone is different, and most of us find we have to make modifications as we go. Best of luck.

I think most people who have blamed the cheese for the slower weight lose or none at all, have over done it with the daily amounts.
Stick close to the 4 oz and you'll be fine, it's good calcuim.

Kathy

Same with nuts. It's so easy to over-do it and eat tons of both cheese and nuts. That's the reason they're not recommended for Induction, in my opinion. I've read that in earlier versions of Dr. Atkins' book, nuts were allowed during Induction. He probably found that many people over-did it and it was interfering with weight loss, so he took it out.

A lot of people, when starting LC eating for the first time, seem to rely on cheese. I know I did. Now (several years into this WOL), I eat cheese occasionally, and never much at a time.

You tastes will change. If the 6 ounces a day isn't interfering with your progress, go ahead and eat it. If you're not losing as quickly as you'd like (and be realistic here -- no more than 1 to 2 pounds a week is about what you should expect after Induction), drop the cheese for a while and see if it makes a difference.

The reason that I see is because of yeast, that is what would cause a stall and why you would cut out things like mushrooms, cheese, and sour cream, etc. Here's a link to some informaiton about it:

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/11/28-709329.html

"However, if you do have a yeast overgrowth, there is another category of food that you will need to avoid: yeast- and mold-containing foods. This includes cheese (except for mozzarella and cream cheese), vinegar, soy sauce and other fermented condiments, plus mushrooms, sauerkraut, sour cream, peanuts, cashews and pistachios (all nuts are subject to mold, but these last two often contain the greatest amount). The list also includes smoked or cured foods, yeast-containing vitamins (make sure the label says they are yeast-free) and wine, beer and spirits."

"It is important to remember that yeast overgrowth stresses the immune system, undermining your total health. When it comes to weight loss, a yeast overgrowth in combination with mold sensitivity may lead to a suppressed metabolism. This may deplete your body of the energy it takes to burn fat. Of course, there may well be other causes that have not yet been identified. Researchers and doctors still don't fully understand what candida overgrowth does to the human body."

Wow, Thanks so much for all the info. you guys. I really appreciate you taking the time to answer me with all this wonderful information! Thanks a bunch! I'll reduce my cheese to about 4oz. and see how that goes!
Love,
Brittany

I found this interesting on another post. I never really thought about it. So some of the cheese I'm eating in one serving might have 0.9 grams of carbs and manufacturers may list 0 grams of carbs on the package label. I guess I need to be careful because labels are sneaky!
Love,
Brittany


“Labels tell Lies!”

"Welcome to the real world of "labels tell lies". In the US – but not in Canada - manufacturers are permitted to list a food as zero carbs if the count for a "normal" serving is less than 1, even if it's 0.9! For example, a "normal" serving of heavy cream is considered to be 1 Tbsp (15 ml or ½ fl. oz) they will list it as 0 because the count is less than 1. Truthfully, it's not a big deal if you're ONLY using one single Tbsp, but if you're using several Tbsp, and maybe also using the cream in recipes, those partial grams of carb can add up over the course of a day.

Cheese is another food that often has less than one gram of carb per 1 oz serving, but the label will say zero. If you eat 3 or 4 ounces, that can add up. The same goes for coffee.

This is unfortunate, because a lot of folks think they're only eating 20g carbs ... because they honestly believe these foods contain zero carbs and eat way more than one "normal" serving."

Here is a carbs counter:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

this should tell you exactly how much is in the type you are eating. You could also sign up for www.fitday.com and look it up there, they sometimes even have specific brands, such as Kraft.