I've decided to LowCarb instead of Atkins, but I'm curious as to why Atkins limits cheese to 4oz/day. Is it because of the carbs in cheese which he doesn't have you count in your veggie carbs or is there some other reason.

Now about fitday. I just ate Extra-sharp cheddar and I can't find anything close in the database. Cheeses vary a lot. Also having trouble finding ounces as units for cheese. How weird is that???? I think I will add a custom food, but feel like I need to learn more about cheese and Low Carb.

Hi Zuli!

I don't think Dr. Atkins says precisely why cheese is limited to 3 or 4 ounces a day on induction, but here are my thoughts on it. Cheese does have some carbs; most hard cheeses should be counted as 1 gram per ounce, so more than 4 ounces a day starts eating into your veggie allowance. Soft cheeses such as farmer's cheese or cottage cheese have more carbs and are not allowed on induction. Processed cheese (such as american processed cheese food and cheese spreads) are not allowed at all; again because they are much higher in carbs and often have sugar added. I think Velveeta has something like 3 grams of carb per ounce. Cheese also has a high sodium content and could cause you to retain water. Dairy is also a staller for some people. Too much cheese can also cause constipation. Having said all that, if you can eat more than 4 ounces of cheese a day and not stall, go for it. As with most foods, YMMV.