20g/day = cups of veggies? Huh?
 

Ok, so this is somewhere I'm not clear:

On Atkins induction, I can have 3 total cups of vegetables from the allowed list, of course. I always get my 3 cups, but all that doesn't add up to 20g per day. How the hell else am I supposed to get 20g per carbs a day, if not by vegetables and "variety foods" (olives, avocados, etc)??

I'm stalling right now and wondering if it's because I usually get around 14g per day or less (going by the online Atkins carb counter). But I have all along and can't see why this would affect me now. I want to add some carbs and see if that breaks the stall... but I guess I need to get some clarification on the above question first.

Would adding another cup of veggies be a good way to "add carbs" and possibly break my stall?

thanks for your advice ahead of time!

= Meagan

You get the rest of the carbs from the other things you eat-
cream= about 1g/tbsp
cheese= about 1g/oz
meats with fillers in them like sausage are 1-2g/ 2oz
splenda= about 1g/packet
mayo= .1g/tbsp
tea and coffee have tiny amounts of carbs in them, too

But... according to almost all of the carb counters I've seen, cheese is not 1g per oz. 2 tbsp of shredded monterey jack is only .2g!

I eat sausages here and there and no splenda except diet rites (only I've been told they have liquid splend that has 0 carbs).

I don't drink coffee, and every so often a decaff iced tea (lipton, brewed myself).

I have eaten maybe a total of 8 tbsp heavy cream so far with this WOE (in 4 weeks). So I don't think I'm getting all the carbs.

I eat olives and marinated artichoke hearts regularly... but still... I never get to 20g per day! The only time I got close was when I ate 2 locarb tortillas with a lamb feta and spinach sausage!

Hmm...

= Meagan

Salad dressings usually have some carbs too? And different veggies have varying amounts of carbs. Some of the higher carb allowed ones are turnip, kale, cauliflower....

Adding in a few nuts is a pleasant and healthy way to push up your carb count. Most nuts are about 8g per 100g - so three oz's would give youi about 7g of carbs.
Robert

I don't do salad dressings, except for an all-natural which has 2g per tbsp. But I usually just season my salads with feta cheese and pepper.

I had some salted almonds last week but I'm trying to cut out anything "new" that I had thart week since my losses kind of slowed. I realize it may just be a body recup, but I'm being on the safe side anyway. :D

these are the veggies I eat:

* Romaine lettuce
* Spinach
* zucchini
* tomato
* spare amts of green & white onion
* celery

Wow, I'm boring! lol

I always count up everything I eat when I get home from work, before I cook dinner. Even after dinner I never make the 20g mark or anywhere near.

Any other suggestions to bump up carb intake? I'm considering maybe adding some berries, but technically I want to be on the induction stage. I'm not ready for the slow losses of OWL just yet. ;)

thanks,
Meagan

Hi Meagan,

If you're not one for the extras like coffee, cream, etc, you will definitely have carbs leftover to spend. I'm like that, too.

Eating more veggies is an excellent way to get in more carbs. Dr. Atkins said there is no real advantage to keeping carbs super low. So go ahead and eat another cup or two of veggies to get your totals up. You may just find your losses speed up again.

I'm just starting week nine, but I remain at Induction level carbs, going up to 25 g on the odd day or two. In about week 4 I started adding in a few nuts and some berries. I also added in yogurt (you can do a search for info on this - if you get plain yogurt with active cultures the cultures (probiotic bacteria) eat the lactose (sugars) thereby reducing carb count significantly). This has made a difference to my breakfasts as I was getting sick of eggs. Now I can have yogurt with berries or a protein shake with berries and yogurt mixed. So good.

I haven't found any of these items slow me - in moderate amounts. I try to limit the yogurt to 3 or 4 times a week, sticking with the regular bacon/eggs on the other days. Nuts I limit to one ounce per day, occasionally two. These are a trigger food for some, so be careful if you find it hard to stop at a few. Sunflower seeds are another good snack I've added.

Try a wider variety of veggies, too. In my opinion, it's really important not to get bored on this WOE to help stave off the cheats. There are lots of super vegetables.

The recipe thread has good tips. Try the roasted cauliflower or the mock mashed potatoes, also with cauliflower. Kale is yummy. Roasted cabbage is good with bacon or kielbasa.

Salads can be loaded with goodies like celery, red pepper, radishes, cucumber, onion, etc. Spinach salads are also great, topped with chicken, crumbled Italian sausage, cheese, sauteed mushrooms, etc.

Broccoli is a fave too. There are so many! Experiment and have fun with your food.

Good luck!

I sure the heck hope so. I really wondered if having averages under 15g per day could be affecting me. Hell I even ate a no-no meal and dessert last Friday night and the scale STILL didn't budge. I'm almost wondering if i'm at one of those weights my body liked for a long time and it wants to stay here. lol

I really want to add some fruits but I am afraid the sugar might either make me crave or stall. What fruits would be best to start out with (in small portions)? I'm DREAMING of strawberries and whipped cream (from heavy cream, of course!).



I have been meaning to, but honestly I am nowhere near sick of the veggies I eat. I LOVE my veggies. It's the best part of my meals! I guess this may be attributed to the fact that I was NOT a veggie (other than potatoes of course) prior to this WOL. However I will pick up different kinds every now and then. Hell, I NEVER ate zucchini before this WOE, so it a sense it is all new to me! :thup:

I'll be honest and say that I've not even been tempted to cheat. I don't miss my old WOE, but I've noticed it's not as fun/easy when I'm not losing steadily. :rolleyes:

Thanks!

= Meagan

In Dr. Atkins book.. he suggests you add carbs using the carbo ladder. (p174 in DANDR). Each level adds about 5 grams. The levels in order are: Vegetables, Dairy, Nuts and Seeds, Fruits and Juices. Some examples of the first rung are: 3/4 cup cooked spinach, 1 medium tomato, 2/3 cup summer squash. Level two is: 5 oz mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup cottage cheese Level three is: 1ounce of nuts, Level four is: 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup rasberries, 1/2 cup strawberries, etc. etc.
If you are not getting your 20 grams I dont think it would be considered going out of Induction to add in one of these items to boost you up closer to 20grams a day. I feel personally that you need to get as close to 20 as you can. Your body does need some carbs and much of your needed nutrition is coming from them.
Good luck!!

Meagan's Dilemma
 

Meagan --

I'd suggest this as a simple way to up your carbs: try steamed whole artichokes, with a dipping sauce made of mayo and crushed garlic. A whole artichoke including leaves is about 6g carb, takes a nice long time to eat, and is still a vegetable. If you do fruit, the lowest-carb are strawberries and raspberries. Raspberries aren't particularly sweet in any case, so perhaps less likely to start cravings?

Could water intake, or lack thereof, possibly be a culprit? Evidently if you don't drink enough, your body doesn't "wash out" the weight!

Hi Meagan,

I added strawberries first, 2 times per week. I ate them with devon cream to help minimize the impact. They did not give me any cravings.

Now, I'm eating mainly raspberries with my protein shakes. Still no cravings.

I ate .5 to 1 cup of strawberries and am currently eating about 20 raspberries in my protein shakes, about 3-4 x per week.

The only thing that has set off my cravings so far is aspartame and eating dinner too late.

Glad you're enjoying your veggies! I tend to eat one or two things a lot also until I'm sick of them and then I move on to something new.

Don't be afraid to try new things - I really think it helps keep us motivated. You'll never know how your body reacts until you try.

I definitely notice longer pauses around weights I've been before. Your body fights your efforts to get past previous weights I think. 200 lbs was one for me, as was 192 for some reason.

I seem to be moving downward at a faster pace again even though my calories have been creeping up to 2000 on a few days and carbs a little higher at around 25, 3 or so days a week.

Its so frustrating to get a handle on patterns as they constantly change. I think all you can do is stick to the program and hope for the best! Definitely try getting up around 20 - may just give you the nudge you need.

Good luck!

Also meant to add, I seem to lose best on days I drink 3 cups of green tea. I don't count this in my carbs. The label lists it as .6 per cup. I know I should count it but I always forget and it doesn't seem to harm me. On the contrary, it helps -- probably mainly to help regulate fluids.

And do drink LOTS of water.

just a note: there's carbs in eggs, too, and seasonings so you could check those on fitday.com to see if that boosts your carbs at all.
I have a problem with carbs, too. I rarely get above 15.

Some veggies to try:
cucumber, daikon (use in place of potatoes), red/yellow/green/orange peppers, cabbage (cabbage rolls minus the rice), sugar snap peas (don't let the name put you off ;) ), broccoli, cauliflower.

Spinach is great added to your romaine salad--loads more nutrients than lettuce, too.

Good luck!
N.

Sorry, do you know another word for 'daikon'. I've never heard of it.
Robert

Hmmm sugar snap peas! I didn't know we could have those. As for raw spinach, I hate it. Funny how I like it cooked! I also hate eggs which is probably what keeps my daily carb levels so low. Atkins probably expected folks to eat 3-5 eggs per day and I don't. I eat 2 hard-boiled ones every couple of weeks or so. I eat broccoli, but aren't a fan of cauliflower or cabbage or peppers. It's not that I don't try to have variety... it's just that I really don't like a lot of common vegetables. :D

I will definitely go for the sugar snap peas, though!

= meagan