Hi I am in day 2 of induction and all is going well. I was wondering, though, should i be including low carb meal replacement bars in my diet. I've been having 1 - 2 bars a day! The nutrition info says they are only 3 carbs each which account to only 6 of my carbs for the day ... however I heard somewhere that they have "hidden" carbs. Should I be worried about this with induction???
Also i am hearing stuff about something to test keytosis! can anyone explain what this product is and where/if it can be purchased??

Ann

Hi, Ann!

I'd say no to the low carb bars on induction for sure. They do have hidden carbs -- do a search for that on this site and you'll come up with lots of info. (Hidden carbs means there are more carbs in them than they say on the label.)

After induction, some people eat them, they make others stall, and others avoid 'em like the plague.

To be really successful on low carb, it's probably best to eat real foods -- meat, fish, cheese, eggs, veggies, butter, olive oil, some nuts -- and not try to find substitutes for the bad foods we've been eating that got us here in the first place

As for ketostix -- there's lots of info in the Atkins book about them. I've never used them, but I'm sure you can get them at a drug store.

Good luck

The low-carb bars are a vary common topic of discussion around here - always will be - and most people are shocked when they discover that most of them have as many as 25 grams of hidden carbs. But they are a different type of carb and the claim (even by Atkins) is that they have negligible impact on insulin levels. Yeah? Then why do so many people stall out on them so bad?

I would definitely forget about them during Induction and then, after you've been going for a month or two, add them in and see what the impact is on YOU. Then adjust accordingly. You will probably need to do this with a number of foods that cause different people problems such as diary, nuts, caffeine and artificial sweeteners.

As for the ketostix - another very common discussion topic. First, understand that they are NOT required - even Dr. A points that out. Most pharmacies carry them but they are usually behind the counter - only because they are a small package with high dollar value (relative to most things on the shelves) and so have a tendency to walk away.

Keep the Faith!

I have used the ketostix before. You stick them in your urine stream for a couple seconds and then check to see what color they turn to determine the amount of ketones being passed, thus showing whether you are in ketosis or not. More than anything they are used as a little "pick me up" to show you are eating properly.