Out of bounds!

[HellOnWheels]

The bad news: this morning, after doing some in-depth study on hidden carbs, I started scrutinizing my meal journal and discovered that I've actually been eating upwards of 35g of carbs a day since I started more than a week ago.


The [bittersweet] good news: even with that being the case, I've been in ketosis since Day 3 and I'm losing weight!

It makes sense. My ketostix have read "moderate" since I started testing last week but -- overachiever that I am -- I wondered why I wasn't producing more ketones if I wasn't going over 20g of carbs. Guess now I know...

Good to know I'm not as carb-intolerant as I feared... but just the same, I'm thinking I should probably re-start (or at least extend) my Induction so I get a minimum two weeks' worth of 'clean' induction. Or do I need to, now that I've established my body can still burn fat at this level?

Any advice on the matter would be deeply appreciated!

[Grant]

I'm curious what sort of hidden carbs you found. MIght be a good warning for those that were in your predicament. Care to share?

[Elizellen]

Congratulations on those pounds lost

Had you decided when to move to OWL before you found out about the extra carbs?

If you had intended to stay on induction for longer anyway, just drop down to the 20 carbs by avoiding those hidden carbs.

If you had intended to start climbing the OWL ladder, then move to the veggies rung and aim for 25 net carbs.

[HellOnWheels]

I feel silly admitting it, but in hopes that it'll save someone else the frustration of learning this the hard way ...

Cheddar cheese, heavy cream and eggs are three things I've leaned on heavily for breakfasts and lunches, and as 'approved' proteins for induction, I assumed they only contained trace carbs if any -- after all, all their packages read zero carbs per serving -- and wouldn't impact my count more than any of the other approved protein sources. When someone else's "hidden carbs" post caught my eye, I opened it expecting to see things I already knew about: salad dressings, processed foods, et cetera. When I saw eggs, cheese and cream listed on it, my heart sank, and I uttered a brief, emphatic word unfit for publication.


I'm only eleven days into my induction, and although it sounds like I could get away with going straight into the first rung of OWL, I know from experience that it's always easier to lay a solid foundation at the start than to try repairing a faulty one that's been built upon. So I think a do-over is in order.

[julirama723]

What amounts were you eating of these foods? We must count carbs in cheese, eggs, cream, special category foods, shellfish, organ meats, etc.

You're allowed 3-4 oz. cheese (aged cheese and cream cheese) during induction. This equals 3-4g carbs. You're allowed up to 2 tbsp heavy cream each day as a special category food. This equals 1g carbs. Eggs may be eaten liberally on induction. Each contains .6g, rounding up to 1g for safety purposes. So let's say you're eating 6 eggs a day, which is a pretty huge amount. This is 6g carbs (or about 4g actual carbs).

Figuring all servings are used, 4g + 1g + 4g = 9g

The rest of your carbs come from veggies, usually 12-15.

My question is, were you eating too many servings of allowed foods?

I would continue with induction without starting over, watching portion and serving sizes, and move to OWL immediately following, increasing your carbs up to 25.

[HellOnWheels]

Yep, sounds like I was going over on allowed foods... again, it's what I get for making assumptions about things being okay because their labels said "zero carbs". That said... a question about eggs:

Aren't we advised to eat eggs liberally?

Some days I've had them for breakfast and lunch ( since they're so much more affordable than meat, and I'm trying to keep my wallet from losing as much weight as I do ) -- putting me anywhere from three to six or even seven eggs per day. So considering they're what I'm using in lieu of meat as my primary source of protein for one or more meals a day, is that still "a pretty huge amount"? I [now] realize I'll need to adjust my carb count accordingly if I'm going to continue using them, but is there some other inherent danger to eating that many eggs?

[julirama723]

Liberally means until satisfied. I don't think there's any danger at all! If you look at the "breakdown" of an egg, it's the PERFECT food, Atkins percentage-wise.

I, too, love to eat eggs as a protein source. Somedays I'll eat eggs for breakfast, and eat them again for dinner. They're very versatile.

[Elizellen]

Julie is right, as long as you are not overeating but eating till no longer hungry, there is no set down limit on eggs. Dr Atkins felt no-one could 'pig out' on eggs as they contain so much fat they are more satisfying than the same amount of potato crisps (chips)!!

7 eggs in one day at 0.6 carbs each makes 4.2 carbs, so leaving you plenty of room to get 'most' of your carbs from vegetables on induction if you choose other ones than plain old 'chewy water' aka lettuce.

And if you are in to looking at the ratios of fat/protein/carbs the ratio for eggs is 62/34/3 so not a bad choice percentage-wise!

[SunnySmile501]

It makes sense. My ketostix have read "moderate" since I started testing last week but -- overachiever that I am -- I wondered why I wasn't producing more ketones if I wasn't going over 20g of carbs. Guess now I know...

Since no one else mentioned it, either you are in ketosis or you're not. Kinda like either you're pregnant or you're not. The dark purple means you are dehydrated. A trace is all you need to see to know that you are in ketosis. Some people don't turn them any color, even when they are pouring off the weight (I'm one of them).

Sunny!