Hi and Happy New Year.
I hope I am posting my questions the right way,as I am new to posting, and low carb WOE. I have some questions that I cant find the answer to in my Atkins book,and am hoping someone can help. My 1st question is, I have been doing the Atkins plan since Thursday, and at the end of each day I have not met the 20g you are allowed. I am eating salad each day, usally 2 a day and the rest of the time meat and eggs. Usually end up with about 16g of carbs. Will it hurt not to eat at least 20 g daily? The second question is, am I allowed on induction, to eat the lo-carb bars and shakes? Also, why do Atkins bars say they only have 2 grams of carbs and the nutrional label says 22 g carbs, and 10 g of fiber, which if I understood would be 12 carbs when you subtratct the fiber. Sorry so long, but any help would be appreciated

Hi!
I think the plan works best if you are getting at least 20 grams of carbs during induction. I've seen it happen often that some one limits carbs less than that and they don't lose weight. Also, as you go into OWL, you'll need to add carbs. A lot of people find that they need to add some carbs daily in order for weight loss to continue. That said, I would suggest eating some extra celery or a small salad at another time during the day to get your carbs to 20 during induction. Use fitday.com to see how many carbs you are eating.
The Atkins bars and shakes are NOT on the induction list, so no to them at this time. I admit I don't understand the whole carb count thing on the bars. I rarely ever have one! Hopefully some one else will pop by with the answer!
You'll do fine.

Hi otb,

Actually Dr A does say you can occasionally make use of "convenience food" such as bars and shakes, but only if fresh food is not available.

I would disagree with him. I think you are way better off being as prepared as you can possibly be with fresh food. The shakes I believe aren't too bad, but the bars can be a definite problem. Many, many members here have found that their weight loss stops when they eat the bars. The extra carbs (the 10 which don't seem to be accounted for) are sugar alcohols. Dr Atkins believes sugar alcohols do not affect insulin levels, but as I said, many folk here have found they do.

You'll find more info on sugar alcohols (and a lot of other info, too) in "Low Carb Tips" on the orange bar at the top of the screen.

As for the carb count, I would try to eat a few more vegies if you can. As Deb said, many people find they lose more weight when they have a few more carbs. How are you counting them? Remember to subtract the fibre from the carb count.

Do you know about www.fitday.com ? It's a free site where you can keep track of your carbs, calories, fat etc.
This thread Fitday.com How To's gives some hints on making it a bit easier to use.

All the best to you, matey.

Rosebud