I know that Atkins recommends berries (ie stawberry and blueberries) any many people say no to watermelon but okay to other melons. I looked on fitday and the carb count minus fiber content for strawberries is acutally higher per ounce than canteloupe, Honeydew, and even watermelon. So...
Do you think these three can be safely added to diet if portion controlled?

I ate a ton of watermelon two days last week and I lost weight one the third day. I don't think watermelon could hurt, but people are different and react differently to foods, you might just have to check and see how you will react to it.

I know what you mean about fitday. According to Atkins for Life, 3 small plums have 10 grams of carbs. When I put in only 1 plum on fitday, it shows it having over 8 grams.

Fitday confuses me.

So how many carbs do cantelope and watermelon have according to fitday (minus fiber)?

Carbs/oz fiber/oz
Cantaloupe 1.17 .112
Watermelon 1.08 .075
HoneyDew 1.19 .078
strawberries 1.98 .621

Each person is different so you will need to see what works for you. I enjoy berries and melon including watermelon. I think that one reason some steer away from the watermelon is that it is higher on the glycemic index so could affect your blood sugar a little faster. In DANDR 1/4 cup of watermelon is listed at 2.6 carbs. As you mentioned, portion control is often the key. Good luck adding your fruit. For me, the fruit has caused no problems, cravings or stalls.

Marie

Hmm good to know.

In DANDR

Phase 2 fruits are:
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup raspberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1/4 cup cantaloupe or honeydew

Juices:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup tomato juice

In pre-maint you are said to add:

Fruit:
1/2 apple,
12 cherries
1 peach
12 grapes
1 cup strawberries
1/2 grapefruit
3/4 cup cantaloupe
1 kiwi
1 cup watermelon
1/2 cup fruit cocktail, canned in water
1 plum
1/3 cup banana
1 quava
1/3 mango

So there are the facts from Atkins himself. Really anyone says atkins says you can only have berries really needs to read the book again cause they are wrong. You are also supposed to add back lentils, kidney beans, black beans, navy beans, lima beans, northern beans, chickpeas, fava beans, pinto beans, brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole wheat cereal, barley and spinach pasta are all listed too. So many people act like you are never supposed to touch a bean or grain or fruit aside from berries again if you are doing atkins but you are supposed to try and add all these things back one at a time.

I appreciate the flame suggesting that I have not read the book but alas I have and the question remains why is one cup of watermelon okay for maintainance and not for owl if the carbs are the same and the GI is so close?

In fact as much as his way has helped lose considerable weight. There are times in the book (DANDR) when one thing is stated in a chapter and then disputed in the next. I admit I tend to be a very critical reader and perhaps it was just due to editing but I pose my questions get an impression, not chastised for not reading the book.

fracture, I agree that often why certain foods get put in certain stages seem a little strange. Another good example is spinach on induction being put in the 1 cup a day catagory instead of the 2 cups a day salad since it is so low in carbs. Back to your original question on watermelon. Atkins when he discusses carbohydrates brings up that when rating a food he not only looks at its carb count and glycemic index but also its nutrient value and concentration of antioxidants per serving. It doesn't specifically say that is why watermelon got pushed off to later but it is why he says berries are first. More bang for your buck is the reference used. Hope this is helpful. Again, personal experience, I had no problem adding watermelon back in during OWL. It caused no cravings or stall, but everyone is different. Best of luck.

Marie

If that was aimed at me, I wasn't meaning it to be a flame in the least towards you. I just have seen more people told on this board stuff that in no way is even part of the book. It's great people share personal experience but some people sell their own personal experience as the voice of god. In your origional post it said, "some people say" so I assumed you had read one of the many posts suggesting something other than what Atkins says. That was where my statement was coming from.

Jenn

Whoops I meant this quote.. hit the wrong one by accident.

Jenn

Sorry I was a little short tempered. There are certainly things in the book that seem not to make sense and so I was looking for some other insight. Thanks.

It has to do with the glycemic index, as well as the nutritional value. Berries have alot of nutrition on a small serving. Melons are very high GI, meaning they rush to your blood stream faster, causing a larger insulin spike. There is also the matter of fiber. Fruits that are higher in fiber help to slow the absorbtion of carbs into the blood stream.

Check out Artciles on the Atkins web site dealing with the importanc eof the glycemic index. Also you might want ot pick up a copy of Atkins for Life. While it is mostly geared to maintanance, it does have easy to read tables listing what foods to eat often, in moderation, and on rare occasions. Fruits are split up in these tables so you can see which are the best bet.