I just finished Atkins Induction. I lost 4 pounds in 14 days...not what I had hoped for, but I'll take it.

I just went to Fitday.com to enter my daily intake, and I was shocked by the %Fat. Don't worry, I'm getting plenty of calories!

I'm doing Atkins, but I'm not against trying a hybrid LC method, if needed. For you guys who are having success, my question is what ratios of Fat/Protein/Carbs do you strive for each day and/or each meal?

My average current ratio with about 2200 calories/day looks like this:

68.5% Fat : 30% Protein : 1.5% Carbs

Should I make some adjustments? Lower my calories? Lower the fat?

-Jamie

your fat intake is perfect. Your carbs are only 12 grams, tho--have another big old salad, or two cups of cauliflower. The nutrients you get are wonderful in those LC veggies.

There are a number of old posts floating about on why fat is not unhealthy to eat (in the absence of high carb levels). I'd suggest you begin by reading the Science article on the history of the "fat is bad for you" myth.

I only get about 8 grams of carbs (33 calories from carbs) and would agree that this is not enough. I don't think it's so much that you need the carbs themselves but that you need the nutrients that about 20 g of those particular vegetables provide.

Try to always get the 2 cups of salad veggies plus 1 cup of the other veggies from his lists - modified appropriately as you come off Induction.

Also, your four pounds in about right. Most people lose about 10% of what they need to lose sometime between the second week mark and the one month mark.

Hi Jamie,

Congratulations on your loss; 4 pounds is great for someone your size. When you see that some of us lose large amounts in the first couple weeks, notice that we have much more to lose to begin with. As for your food intake, I agree with Raz -- the balance of fat/protein is perfect. You do need some more carbs in order to replenish glycogen in your muscles though.

Speaking of muscles, exercise is part of the Atkins program (and every other LC program). Now that you're off induction, you should have enough energy to get a bit of exercise. Come visit the exercise subforum for ideas on getting started if you haven't already.

Allison

After reading about this in the forum and surfing a bit I understand the importance of maintaining high calories and the fat/protein ratio. What I wonder is

1. As we lose weight, when should we adjust our minimum caloric intake to reflect our new weight? every 10 lbs lost drop 100 calories, or every 50 pounds reduce 200? Should we at all?
(I am not weighing in on a regular basis, but prefer to use measurements so I haven't a clue as to how I will do my adjustments. )

2. How does the 70-80%Fat ratio change as we add carbs into our diet for OWL? Do the carbs replace Fat calories or Protien calories or a bit of both?

I keep looking at the overall balance of my meals, trying and mostly succeeding at not overloading any one meal with carbs or protein, or fat. I have stuck to the Atkins Induction very closely, and am looking forward to adding a new serving of veg. as I find it difficult to get enough carbs if I don't have a snack. Geesh, imagine forcing yourself to go have a snack!

great questions, kellcin. Yes, for optimal weigh loss, as you lose weight, slightly lower your calories...the thing is, most people also start moving a lot more as they lose, too! So that would mean, raise your calories back up to fuel the exercise. The net result is that many people tend to stay at about the same caloric level throughout--and through maintenance as well.

For those who start at the heavier weights, a decrease in calories is more likely. Unless they're blessed with an amazing metabolic rate, they won't be able to continue eating 3500 calories per day forever.

carb calories, as they increase, really won't amount to much, but most folks here would advise keeping up the protein so scaling back on fat. But if you add even 20 grams of carbs for OWL, that's the same caloric content as only 9 grams of fat...and I don't think anybody cuts it quite than fine.

So we have a consensus then? LC Rules of Thumb...

Ongoing Weight Loss Ratios : 70% Fat/ 30% Protein/ <1% Carbs

Daily Calories : 10 - 12x body weight

Water Intake : Minimum of 64 oz plus 8 oz for every 25 pounds of weight loss desired

Exercise Required : Yes, of course

Minimum Nutritional Supplements : A daily multi-vitamin and a dose of Metamucil (or other high fiber supplement)


I'm sure there are exceptions in certain situations (like stalls), but is this a good recipe for longterm success?

-Jamie

Thanks for the answers Razzle, I consider this forum to be required reading.
I know if I get really confused over something Low carb I can always ask....

Jamie, almost.

If you ate 2000 calories each day, you'd want at least 80 calories to come from 20 g carbs, for (thank heavens for calculators! lol) 4% of caloric intake coming from carbs. So more like 70% fat, 5% carbs, 25% protein. plus or minus 5 or even 10% on the fat and protein will do you no harm--no reason to get upset if one day you take in 160 g of protein, in other words.

I honestly lose better on 45 g carbs than I do on 20 (go figger), and I probably don't eat quite enough calories (er, those who can, do...and those who can't, mentor.) So this week, my breakdown was 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs, though some of those carbs were fiber and thus indigestible. I'm sure that made everything clear as mud for ya.

So remember, 20 carb minimum--and as you move through OWL, do raise it slightly (by increasing veggie intake) every couple weeks.

I've been keeping to 4% carbs, 26% protein and 70% fat. Started out at 2000 calories, dropped to 1800, and recently hit a stall and lowered that to 1750 (to reflect weight loss -- still eating 10 times body weight).

I've been on this WOE almost 5 months and have lost 10-12 pounds (it can't make up its mind this month). I don't mind the slowness of the weight loss, I figure that's a plus in the long run. But I'm still eating 20g (or less) of carbs per day, and reading Razzle's post I'm wondering if I would do better with more carbs, not less?

Coquina

Way to go, girl! While your carb. may be a bit on the low side, everyone is an individual. I am part of a weight management program ( for myself) and today the dieticians informed us some of us very carb. sensitive people really have to cut back on carbs. -- however, my goal is not just to lose weight, but to find a plan that I can live with the rest of my life, so I know low carb. living will be a lifestyle choice for me. I personally find I have to layoff the carbs.,but there are others in the program with me that do fine on larger amounts. The dieticians reminded us that everyone is an individual, and what works for one person will not necessarily work for the next. Good luck with your continued success; just listen to what your body tells you it feels good with, but if you find you are feeling too dizzy or spacey, yu might need to up your carbs a bit. If you are still not having any success, perhaps find an open-minded dietician to direct you.

Hi ..
I'm one of those people that are very very sensative to carbs...
I have a super metabolism and found that all the "regular" diets never worked, and finally my doctor came up with my diet -- which isn't AS strict as the LC WOE's I've read around here, but is based on the LC WOL ... and finally after years and years of trying different things... I thought "okay, we'll try again!!" and low and behold the pounds started coming off, and I was absolutely beside myself when I left the X sizes... not to mention how good it made me feel...

As far as I'm concerned... I can sacrafice my obsession on pasta, rice and bread... (and a few others) ... for the way that I've been feeling this last 1.5 years... I haven't seen my doctor since my last physical... and I used to see him at least 4 times a year for some kind of ailment...

LCing is DEFINATLY THE WAY TO GO!!!!

Sally

coquina, the only way to find that out is to experiment. Some people get dramatic results from raising carbs. In adding carbs, add mostly veggies, maybe some berries. My very unscientific opinion is that anything we try, we should give a trial of 2-4 weeks. If, after 3 weeks of upping your carbs, your loss rate hasn't changed, that's not the answer. All of this tweaking (food elimination, carb levels, protein vs fat levels) that long-termers do takes a lot of time, at 2-4 weeks per experiment. Newbies don't need to start fiddling (especially if they are losing 1-2 pounds per week on average). The most useful rule is, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Jamie, Dont get discouraged!! Do you drink alot of water???? I go above and beyond the 8-8oz. I really feel this has played a big role in my success!! Keep that system flushed Keep a bottle of water with you at all times. It has really helped with hunger, tremendously!! Not that your takin into much! And, I do try to stop eating after 6 or 7p.m. everynight. Good Luck!! Just a few more tips, I dont know whether you exercise, but this may help kick your metabolism into gear!! It helped my dad? And I ONLY eat enough to satisfy!!, i try not to indulge because "i am aloud to" ha ha. Good Luck. Keep me posted!