I have been on induction for almost two weeks now and I have been visiting this forum each day and I think I may be doing this wrong. I didn't realize that calories, fat, and what you eat other than meats and veggies is so important. I don't understand how to get it so I am eating the right amount of everything that I need. I want to get the best of the benefits of this WOE. Can someone please help me figure this out? I usually only eat a couple of eggs for breakfast and sometimes some sausage. A small chef salad for lunch w/ some ham and turkey and cheese w/ranch, and maybe some meat for dinner. I don't think I am eating enough and especially not of the right foods. I don't mean to sound stupid but it confuses me. I would really appreciate the help.

I'm still fairly new to all of this too, but the one thing that has helped me the most is fitday.com. It shows you the value of everything you're eating, and lets you make some intelligent choices. The eggs, cheese and meat are the mainstay during induction, but veggies are really important. Choosing the right amount and type is important too, because many contain quite a few carbs.

Have you visited www.fitday.com ? It is a free site where you can input your food and amounts for the day and it will give you nutirional information (carbs,calories,fat,fiber,etc)

It is a great tool for planning out a menu - plus it really has taught me how to just get a "feel" for the foods I eat. So it makes it much easier for me now that it taught me the basics. I only go there now on occasion when I need a check up on my menus. Recently I found out that I was eating a tad to many calories (2400), but I was losing - so I decided to keep it up to see what happened.

But just glancing at what you wrote down, doesn't seem like you are getting enough veggies (fiber)

SueJ,

Great minds think alike... even if I type slower than you!

There seem to be two different groups of people on this forum: people who track everything/most of what they eat on places like fitday and worry about their percentages, total calories, etc. and people who have a somewhat more relaxed attitude and eat when they are hungry while watching the carbs. The people who track are somewhat more vocal because it takes more energy to track what you eat and there is just a lot more to think about/talk about.

You need to do what works for you. I've lost about 50 pounds without ever logging on to fitday and with no idea of how many calories I eat in a day or what percentage of my diet is from fat. The think I like about this woe is that I don't have to worry about those things -- I just keep an eye on my carbs, eat whenever I am hungry, stop eating when I am full, and make sure to eat at least three meals a day with protein in all three meals and vegetables in two of them. I drink water regularly through-out the day, but I don't track how much I am drinking. For the first time in decades, I can simply enjoy eating without feeling guilty and without worrying about the composition of everything I am eating. However, if I hit a stall I may well start doing some tracking on fitday.

If you are losing weight doing what you are doing AND if you feel good (energetic, happy, etc.), why change what you are doing? I agree that you need to make sure you get at least three servings of vegetables a day and you need to make sure you eat three decent meals a day. Beyond that, many of us who are over-weight need to spend less time focusing on what we eat, not more time.

However, if you are not losing doing what you are doing, or are feeling poorly, then you might want to try the other tactic -- tracking what you eat on fitday.

Thanks Liz for adding additional insight. I think the real benefit of tracking on fitday is in the beginning of a low carb diet, many decisions about what foods to eat may be wrong. What we "think" is low carb, may in fact not be.

Once you're really into this, and have a good idea of what foods you can fill up on, tracking your intake shouldn't be necessary. I found that some of my choices were less than ideal.

Example, thinking that all cheese is acceptable, would be a major mistake. Some brands of cottage cheese, have up to 10 grams of carbs per one cup serving. That's half of your carb allowance for a full day on induction.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Sue for that clarification. When I started this woe of eating I spent a lot of time studying both carbohydrate and glycemic index tables and sometimes I forget about that. I have now internalized most of that information, so I know what I can eat and what I cannot eat. I also always read the label when buying new foods and make decisions based on the number of carbs in the food.

However, I honestly don't see the point of tracking percentage of fat and calories, UNLESS you are having a problem with either rate of weight loss or the way you feel. I don't remember reading anything in Atkin's book that recommends doing all that additional tracking. Atkins specifically says not to think about calories as long as you eat three good meals a day. I think that for me, doing all that tracking would help feed the obsession I sometimes have with food and eating. I'm trying to get past that obsession and I don't want to do anything that would encourage it. However, I know that tracking everything works well for some other people.

Halaina, also remember that 5 pounds in two weeks is a pretty good start, and it will only continue. I have had an awful time from April through November trying to fight the same 10 pound loss up and down. I realized that portion size - not the foods themselves - was my problem.

Eat your veggies in butter, because the fat content is important on this WOE.

Drink 14 tons of water every day -- never be without your water bottle!

Take good supplements in the morning with your breakfast.

Processed meats for me seemed to be a problem, maybe because of the sodium (retains water)...but more likely because I'd eat 4 or 5 slices of bacon while the other 3 were cooking...then I'd put them on my plate with a large omelet!

Now, I scramble two eggs, don't bother with the cheese...and with my coffee, that's enough to start the day.

Snacks were a big problem for me...I ate nuts, salami and cheese, celery and cream cheese....Now I can't tell you the last snack I had. Don't even need them.

When you get the hang of it - over weeks, not days -- you'll see results. Don't get hung up on the scale either...most of them lie about what's really happening in your body. It's going through LOTS of changes, not just fat loss.

Hang in there...you're doing fine.

Back to Liz...

I don't actually track anything BUT carbs on fitday. I find it's fun to see the number of calories you can eat and still be on Atkins.

Fitday is there for every dieter, not just low carbers, so it provides a useful tracking for all of your concerns. Atkins definitely says to not worry about calories.

I am with you on the confusion part. The intrigue of Atkins was not tracking calories, fat, etc..
Eating things that we are allowed to eat on this and looking at calories intake is a pretty scary thought!

But the bottom line is...whatever works for each person