Confused about certain foods...

[Amethyste]

Hello all

My name is Amethyste and I have started the Atkins 5 days ago. I have about 55 pounds to loose ( I am about 185 ) and I can stick pretty much to anything I put my mind onto, so I hope i'll lose the weight without too much fuss

I watch/read all my labels before I put anything in my mouth... But some people say that cheese and cream have carbs and you should count 1 gram per ounce/serving. The cheeses and the cream I have in my fridge say "0" carbs. Should I still be careful about them cause I looooooooooove my coffee with my cream and a 1 sachet of splenda in the morning and I eat string cheese often actually...

Also, is there a way to know you entered Ketosis without getting those Ketostix? i have this cotton mouth feeling and my breath errrr... no so pleasant lol... Any advice would be appreciated!

-= Amethyste =-

[Georgiana]

I'm not sure about the products you have, but when the carbs are below 1, they usually count it as 0. Anyway, you're allowed to eat 3-4 oz of cheese daily (i.e. 3-4 slices), so these make for 4 g of carbs at most (gouda, tilsit, camembert are lower carb than swiss cheese for example).

I don't use ketostix neither, so I would say it works without them too as long as you're very careful what you eat. As far as I know, the breath is a sign you're in ketosis, and so is the metallic (cotton-like as you call it) taste in the mouth.

[Bettestress]

Originally Posted by Amethyste

Hello all


Also, is there a way to know you entered Ketosis without getting those Ketostix? i have this cotton mouth feeling and my breath errrr... no so pleasant lol... Any advice would be appreciated!

-= Amethyste =-

A lot of people say just do the diet and don't obsess over it, and see what the scale does, and your measurements. Dr A says the average person stores about 48 hours of carbs, so if you stick to the diet you can expect to be in ketosis on day three.

[HellOnWheels]

Originally Posted by Amethyste

I watch/read all my labels before I put anything in my mouth... But some people say that cheese and cream have carbs and you should count 1 gram per ounce/serving. The cheeses and the cream I have in my fridge say "0" carbs. Should I still be careful about them cause I looooooooooove my coffee with my cream and a 1 sachet of splenda in the morning and I eat string cheese often actually...

I just stumbled onto this problem myself, and Julirama723 gave me some great information on "hidden" carbs. Follow the link below for the goods:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...95&postcount=5

Hope this helps!

PS - we're advised to count 1 carb per packet of artificial sweetner, too... FYI.

[Bettestress]

Oop forgot to mention:

Hidden carb calculator

If you really want to keep a tight watch on it.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by Amethyste

Hello all

My name is Amethyste and I have started the Atkins 5 days ago. I have about 55 pounds to loose ( I am about 185 ) and I can stick pretty much to anything I put my mind onto, so I hope i'll lose the weight without too much fuss

I watch/read all my labels before I put anything in my mouth... But some people say that cheese and cream have carbs and you should count 1 gram per ounce/serving. The cheeses and the cream I have in my fridge say "0" carbs. Should I still be careful about them cause I looooooooooove my coffee with my cream and a 1 sachet of splenda in the morning and I eat string cheese often actually...

Also, is there a way to know you entered Ketosis without getting those Ketostix? i have this cotton mouth feeling and my breath errrr... no so pleasant lol... Any advice would be appreciated!

-= Amethyste =-

Hi and welcome.

First off, don't go by what "some people" say. Go by what Dr. Atkins wrote in the book. There is a TON of misinformation about how to do Atkins. I've read everything on this board from lettuce is the only veggie you can eat to you can only eat meat. So go by what Dr. Atkins wrote.

Dr. Atkins says that 1 ounce of cheese = 1 net carb. Philadelphia Brand cream cheese is 1 carb per ounce. Store brands range anywhere from 2-3 carbs per ounce.

Heavy cream has anywhere from 0.4 to 0.9 carbs per serving. Due to the labeling laws in the US they are allowed to round up the number or "round down". Read the labels: if you see that your heavy cream contains "monoglycerides", "diglycerides", "stabilizers", start counting that 1 net carb per serving.

1 packet of Splenda contains something like 0.8 or 0.9 carbs. While Splenda itself is carb-less, the bulking agents used in the packets are not. So count each packet as 1 net carb. Also do not exceed 3 servings of an artifically sweetened food per day.