Hi everyone well Ive been doing this wol for about 3 months and just lately I have started to add more carbs well i see that alot of people are eating berries ,well there very high in carbs strawberrys are the lowest but blackberrys are really high anyway Im just wondering are the carbs different because its natural suger?Im starting to get nervous because I really have been very much to the book and Im just know starting to do the Atkins muffins and so on just dont want to stall any advice would be greatThanks

Hi tracilynn!

Berries are a great addition, and they're relatively low in carbs, as is cantaloupe. Atkins muffins in moderation shouldn't hurt, but I took a peek at your journal, and it looks like you've had quite a few!! Having them in great quantity may cause you to stall, and in my opinion, doesn't help you get away from the carb eating mindset.

Good luck, it looks as if you've done great so far!

Hi Melissa!

I'm not sure what you consider "high" for carb counts. 1/2 cup of blackberries has 5.8 grams of carb. Are you remembering to subtract the fiber from the total carb count or perhaps using canned blackberries? Here's the carb counts from the other berries. Remember...they are allowed, but small amounts are the key.

1/2 cup Strawberries: 3.5 grams carb
1/2 cup Blueberries: 8.2 grams carb
1/2 cup Raspberries: 2.9 grams carb

Maybe you can save the blackberries and blueberries until you are a bit further into OWL, but strawberries and raspberries should be fine.

Here's the carb count for some melons:

1/2 cup cantaloupe cubes: 5.9 grams carb
1/2 cup honeydew cubes: 7.3 grams carb
1/2 cup watermelon cubes: 5.3 grams carb

HTH

Hi thank you so much for all the good information It really helps I think for rite now Ill lay off the muffins it actually made me feel like some of my control was gone so maybe Im just not ready for that yet .Thanks again

You're welcome, Traci!

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought I'd add the carb count for one more berry...CRANberries...

1/2 cup cranberries: 4 grams carb.

You can try Stevia or Splenda (or a combination of both) to sweeten them when cooking. If you use Nutrasweet, add it after the cooking is complete because Aspartame loses its sweetness when heated and if you're looking to make a cranberry mold, sugar free jello or just plain unflavored gelatin would work great.

The muffins are fine as an occasional treat, but I wouldn't recommend eating several of them a day. The newer packages give directions for making 6 muffins at a time and that's what I do.

Happy low carbing!