I'm on day four, but the question is.......

[missdkendall]

Well, actually I have several questions. Hopefully they aren't dumb

1. I drink about a gallon of regular water a day. I was wodering if it is okay to drink the new Dasani flavored water as well? It has no carbs.

2. Do I have to eat 20 grams of carbs or can it be less? With the foods I've been eating I've been maxing out at 5 or 6...

3. Are the veggies a must? I was told you shouldn't eat fruits or veggies, but I have been reading on here today that you should...

4. On the ketone strips what does it mean if it is the color listed under small? Or, what color should it be?

5. Is it okay to eat tic tacs? They are also carb free.

Hope this isn't too much.. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

[Committed]

Hi Missy,

1. The Dasani flavored water. I'm not sure, but if it has no carbs and no sugar then it should be fine.

2. You really should be around the 20 carbs per day. And, most of them should come from allowable veggies. You can get the list of what's allowed from the book, or the stickies here. You can have up to 3 cups of salad veggies, or 2 cups of salad veggies and one other cup of allowed veggies.

3. Answered in 2.

4. I wouldn't worry too much about the color of the strips. It really doesn't matter if they are dark or light, the important thing is that you're in ketosis. Some people don't turn them any color at all and still do very well.

5. Not sure about the tic tacs. What else is on the label? If there is any kind of sugar (comes in many names) you should stay away from it.

You'll probably get several other replies, and it's good that you ask questions. There are a lot of knowledgable people here that love to help!

Again, welcome, and good luck!!

[missdkendall]

Originally Posted by Committed

Hi Missy,

1. The Dasani flavored water. I'm not sure, but if it has no carbs and no sugar then it should be fine.

2. You really should be around the 20 carbs per day. And, most of them should come from allowable veggies. You can get the list of what's allowed from the book, or the stickies here. You can have up to 3 cups of salad veggies, or 2 cups of salad veggies and one other cup of allowed veggies.

3. Answered in 2.

4. I wouldn't worry too much about the color of the strips. It really doesn't matter if they are dark or light, the important thing is that you're in ketosis. Some people don't turn them any color at all and still do very well.

5. Not sure about the tic tacs. What else is on the label? If there is any kind of sugar (comes in many names) you should stay away from it.

You'll probably get several other replies, and it's good that you ask questions. There are a lot of knowledgable people here that love to help!

Again, welcome, and good luck!!

THANKS!!!!!
On the tic tac package it has a zero by everything except calories are 1.9...
Also, how can you tell is you are in ketosis? I thought that's what the strips were for Sorry, I'm really new at this.

[Wishfire]

Hi Missy
I would suggest, when you look at labels, especially for things like gum/mints, read the ingredients...the carb content might be so small in one tic tac that they can list it as 0
you need to make sure there is no sugar (in any form) as your body could still respond to it if you eat a few of them

don't worry too much about the ketone strips....they have never EVER gone past the middle/moderate stage for me, even when i was losing 6-8lbs per week (my first induction) and i was clearly in ketosis

[missdkendall]

Originally Posted by Wishfire

Hi Missy
I would suggest, when you look at labels, especially for things like gum/mints, read the ingredients...the carb content might be so small in one tic tac that they can list it as 0
you need to make sure there is no sugar (in any form) as your body could still respond to it if you eat a few of them

don't worry too much about the ketone strips....they have never EVER gone past the middle/moderate stage for me, even when i was losing 6-8lbs per week (my first induction) and i was clearly in ketosis

Thanks, I appreciate the help. You guys are quick

[brandywine1241]

Missy, veggies are mandatory! I don't know who told you veggies and fruit are not allowed, but they are not knowledgeable about the Atkins WOE. Don't think you are limited to lettuce and celery. Try jicama - a great salad veggie. Pumpkin mixed with cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, and a little sweetener is great for a rich, decadent tasting treat. The "fried apples" recipe made with chayote squash on Linda's site (www.genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html) is wonderful also.

The FAQs forum has lots of good information including a list of allowable induction foods.

If you do not have a copy of the 2002 edition of DANDR, please get one and read it. It's almost impossible to be successful long term without underdstanding the whole program.

[missdkendall]

Originally Posted by brandywine1241

Missy, veggies are mandatory! I don't know who told you veggies and fruit are not allowed, but they are not knowledgeable about the Atkins WOE. Don't think you are limited to lettuce and celery. Try jicama - a great salad veggie. Pumpkin mixed with cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice, and a little sweetener is great for a rich, decadent tasting treat. The "fried apples" recipe made with chayote squash on Linda's site (www.genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html) is wonderful also.

The FAQs forum has lots of good information including a list of allowable induction foods.

If you do not have a copy of the 2002 edition of DANDR, please get one and read it. It's almost impossible to be successful long term without underdstanding the whole program.

Thank you so much. I will try to go out and find the book tonight.

[kate58]

This is from the Tic Tacs site:

tic tac® & tic tac® Bold! mints do contain sugar as listed in the ingredients. The amount of sugar per serving (1 mint) is less than 0.5 grams as indicated in the nutrition facts footnote. In accordance with the FDA labeling requirements the nutrition facts panel states that there are 0 grams of sugar per serving.


So, the reason they can say 0 carbs is because there is so little per tic tac. But do you eat one tic tac? Ever?

This is from Wikipedia:

Per 100g - Energy 1658 KJ (390 Kcal), Protein 0g, Carbohydrate 97.5g, Fat 0g.
They contain:

Sugar, Fructose, Rice Starch, Dextrin, Stabilizer (Gum Arabic), Flavorings, Glazing Agent (Carnauba wax), Filling Agent (Magnesium stearate).

So, 100 g of tic tacs has 97.5g of carbs, all sugar. Basically they are entirely sugar with a little bit of other stuff that mostly isn't allowed either.

So tic tacs are DEFINITELY a NO.

[missdkendall]

Originally Posted by kate58

This is from the Tic Tacs site:

tic tac® & tic tac® Bold! mints do contain sugar as listed in the ingredients. The amount of sugar per serving (1 mint) is less than 0.5 grams as indicated in the nutrition facts footnote. In accordance with the FDA labeling requirements the nutrition facts panel states that there are 0 grams of sugar per serving.


So, the reason they can say 0 carbs is because there is so little per tic tac. But do you eat one tic tac? Ever?

This is from Wikipedia:

Per 100g - Energy 1658 KJ (390 Kcal), Protein 0g, Carbohydrate 97.5g, Fat 0g.
IngredientsSugar, Fructose, Rice Starch, Dextrin, Stabilizer (Gum Arabic), Flavorings, Glazing Agent (Carnauba wax), Filling Agent (Magnesium stearate).

So, 100 g of tic tacs has 97.5g of carbs, all sugar. Basically they are entirely sugar with a little bit of other stuff.

So tic tacs are DEFINITELY a NO.

WOW!!! What a great help!!! THank you soooo much!

[Porcelain]

See, something can have up to 0.9 grams of carb per serving and legally be labeled zero carbs because it doesn't total '1' Some products even tamper with their serving size so they can claim zero carbs. As far as the Dasani water, what is it sweetened with? Read the ingredients and make sure they are allowed on Atkins. Aspertame is not allowed. Splenda is but only 3 a day.