Have not been able to find in my Atkins information the formulas regarding carbs minus fiber etc. Also, when I'm in the sight a darling little angel occassionally passes thru. What does this mean?

The general idea is that if you are on the Protein Power Plan, you can subtract the fibre grams from the total carbohydrate count because they are indigestible (but very important for your health.)

People on the Atkins plan do not do this, especially during induction, which is probably why you can't find the info.

That's why I was so surprised when I was reading Atkins' New Diet Revolution yesterday and found this statement on page 285 in the Permanent Slimness chapter: "Fibre is good for your digestive system and a legitimate deduction from your carbohydrate totals." No where else in the book is this mentioned. Believe me, I searched!

Hi,

That darling little angel is the "whoosh fairy". Sometimes LC folks hit a stall or plateau while following their program, then all of a sudden 5-10 lbs will drop off with no warning. That is a whoosh fairy visit. I *LOVE* the whoosh fairy, the second time she visited me, 10 lbs vanished after no change on the scales for 5 weeks. If you haven't lost in a while, I hope she visits soon!

Have a great weekend folks! Ruth

Having just discovered the benefits and great taste of flax seed I was happy to receive the following info from the Flax Council of Canada. We were thrilled because it meant the muffins that we enjoyed so much did not have as many carbs as I originally calculated.
Since we are following Atkins diet does that mean we have to count all carbs?
I was also wondering about the flying angel. Being a dental hygienist I thought maybe it was the tooth fairy. Hope she works. Having 10 lbs to go I have been in a major stall of about 3 months


Dear Sharon,
Your question about flaxseed was referred to me by the Flax Council of Canada. I am a registered dietitian who writes articles for the Council.

Glad to hear that you are enjoying the great taste of flax! To answer your question, flaxseed contains very little available carbohydrate. Most of the carbohydrate in flax is in the form of dietary fibre. For example, on a 100 g basis, flaxseed provides 29 grams of total carbohydrate, of which 28 grams are total dietary fibre. Thus, only about 3% of the total carbohydrate in flaxseed is "available" carbohydrate (e.g., simple sugars like glucose and starch). This is a very small amount and will not contribute appreciably to your carbohydrate intake.

I hope this information is useful to you.
Best wishes,
Diane

Ok let me get this right. On that little info thing on the back of all our food, if it says "Carb=10" and then below that "fiber=3" then I should count it as 7 carbs and not 10 carbs?

Tina

Carbs minus fiber is your ECC (effective carb count)....but....be careful because that does not necessarily take hidden carbs into account. If you are on this diet for "sugar" reasons then ECC works for you because the hidden carbs do not affect your sugar level. Otherwise, you need to watch out for them.

By "sugar reasons" do you mean diabetis? In that case, no. This started out as a fad diet that I would quit after a couple of weeks of suffering. Gradualy it became a diet that I would tolerate for a few months, but as of now it has become a way of life that I think I can stick with (LOL was that too much info for ya?). I am still trying to lose a few pounds. I'm a little confused on this "hidden carb" thing you talked about too...what's that? I read the Atkins book but to be honest I don't understand why I have to stick with any certain "plan" I mean if they all work and they are all LC diets does it make a difference?

Thanks for your time,
Tina

BTW I noted in another post that you are looking for members in your area...are you in Washington state or Washington DC?

Not always. Sometimes the manufacturer does the subtracting for you, so you have to be careful. You can use Wa'il's handy-dandy Hidden Carb Detector for the most accurate count ... http://www.lowcarb.ca/low-carb-tools/hidden_carbs.html . However when you're in the grocery store, and the kids are screaming they gotta pee Mom, a quick rule is to multiply the number of protein grams by 4, and fat grams by 9 ... add those two numbers together, and subtract from the total calories listed on the label. The remainder is the number of calories provided by the carbs. Divide by 4 to get the grams of carbs. If the number you get is the same as the number of carb grams they've listed, then they've already subtracted the fiber ... if the number you get is smaller, then you would subtract the fiber from the total carbs listed.

Doreen

Tina: Not just diabetes. I had become insulin resistant which is why I am on this diet.

I am in Washington State - east side. I would sure like to hear from others around here. So far it's just Jenyphur and me.

There is a great hidden carbs information in the tips section. See above in the red.

I don't think that you absolutely have to stick to a certain plan as long as you follow the gist of it. Most people do I suppose because it gives them necessary guidelines.
(just my opinion)
Donna

Doreen honey I hardly have time to look at the back of the package more or less add, subtract and divide anything LOL and to be honest even if I did have the time I'm not much of a math person.

So this is what I have been doing. They get 5 junk food litems at the start of the hellish expedenture and each time I pull a clump of hair out (my head or theirs) I take a junk food away. This gives me just enough time to look at the back of each package and see what it says under "carb" and "sugar" count. I only buy stuff that has less that 15g in the carb section and 0 in the sugar section. When I get home I read what the serving size is for the product. Is this ok? Or am I going to need to find a babysitter and a calculator and do it your way?

Thanks you are always at my resuce!
Tina

ROFL snort

You could always hire a babysitter and run away from home .....

Seriously, your system sounds fine. If you're ever in doubt, do use the Hidden Carb tool that I gave the link for above. All you have to do is type in the numbers given on the label, then Go. It'll calculate for you .... and at the bottom you'll see where it says "Difference by weight" ... if it's zero, then the subtracting has already been done for you. If you get a negative number, then you should subtract the grams of fiber. If you get a postive number, then beware ... the product contains hidden carbs that have not been declared on the label (this is most likely to happen with the lowcarb protein bars, and sugar-free treats and candies ...... in most "real" food the carbs are accounted for)

Doreen

I tried that, but they just tracked me down and drug me back kicking and screaming

Why are they hiding cabs in the first place? What are they afraid of? Why can't they just come up with an easy "list" that everyone understands? My mom is on some diet where she has to add and subtract calories from fat and the fat can't be a certain percent higher than the calorie or something, it's so confusing.....I told her she ought to try this LC a try and apparently she did years ago but it was called "Stillmans Protein diet" and her doctor said that people had died from it and she had to stop?

Anyway, I'm rambeling on again. My point is that the government ought to get on the LC band wagon and just say on the product "this is a Low Carb product, yes Tina you may purchase and eat this" It seems to me they spend to much space on how much fat the product contains...and realy who cares about fat?

OK I'l shut up now, and I'll use Wa'il calculator thingy when in doubt.