How do I eat 20 net carbs a day?

[amazon1]

I'm on my second day. Do you have to eat 20 net carbs? Or rather can I eat them? I don't get this. Everything I'm eating has no net carbs. 3 cups of lettuce with homemade vinaigrette - I think 0 carbs? Then I can't eat any more fruit or vegetables, right? I'm eating egg salad, fish, meat, chicken which all have almost no carbs. Should I eat something forbidden for the extra 15 or so carbs?

[IrishIrish]

Trust me when I say that if you depend on only lettuce for veggies, you are going to cheat in no time. We can not live my lettuce alone. Here is a list of the Acceptable Food List for Induction. It isn't just about lettuce. There are other veggies and Dr. Atkins purpose in giving us variety is to help teach us how to eat.

Try a tool like fitday.com and you will find that some of the foods you are consuming have some carbs. If you are eating eggs, there are fractional carbs at a minimum. If you are eating mayo, it is the same, usually. Depending on the type of fish, there may be carbs. And if you read the book, DANDR 2002, you will understand that fruits aren't allowed on induction. If you are consuming sweetners, you can't discount the carbs in those, either.


Acceptable Foods

These are the foods you may eat liberally during Induction:
all fish, all fowl, all shellfish, all meat, all eggs

*Oysters and mussels are higher in carbs than other shellfish, so limit them to four ounces per day.

**Processed meats, such as ham, bacon, pepperoni, salami, hot dogs and other luncheon meats and some fish may be cured with added sugar and will contribute carbs. Try to avoid meat and fish products cured with nitrates, which are known carcinogens. Also beware of products that are not exclusively meat, fish or fowl, such as imitation fish, meatloaf and breaded foods. Finally, do not consume more than four ounces of organ meats a day.

OTHER FOODS THAT ARE ACCEPTABLE DURING INDUCTION

Cheese
You can consume three to four ounces daily of the following full-fat, firm, soft and semi-soft aged cheeses*, including:

cheddar
cow, sheep and goat cheese
cream cheese
Gouda
mozzarella
Roquefort and other blue cheeses
Swiss
*All cheeses have some carbohydrate content. The quantity you eat should be governed by that knowledge. The rule of thumb is to count 1 ounce of cheese as equivalent to 1 gram of carbohydrate. Note that cottage cheese, farmer's cheese and other fresh cheeses are not permitted during Induction. No "diet" cheese, cheese spreads or whey cheeses are permitted. Individuals with known yeast symptoms, dairy allergy or cheese intolerance must avoid cheese. Imitation cheese products are not allowed, except for soy or rice cheese but check the carbohydrate content.

Vegetables
You can have two to three cups per day of:

alfalfa sprouts
daikon
mushrooms
arugula
endive
parsley
bok choy
escarole
peppers
celery
fennel
radicchio
chicory
jicama
radishes
chives
lettuce
romaine lettuce
cucumber
moche
sorrel
These salad vegetables are high in phytonutrients and provide a good source of fiber.

Other Vegetables
You can have one cup per day of these veggies if salad does not exceed two cups. The following vegetables are slightly higher in carbohydrate content than the salad vegetables:

artichoke
celery root
pumpkin
artichoke hearts
rhubarb
asparagus
chard
sauerkraut
bamboo shoots
collard greens
scallions
dandelion
snow peas
bean sprouts
dandelion greens
spaghetti squash
beet greens
eggplant
spinach
broccoli
hearts of palm
string or wax beans
broccoli rabe
kale
summer squash
brussels
kohlrabi
tomato
bean sprouts
leeks
turnips
cabbage
okra
water chestnuts
cauliflower
onion
zucchini
If a vegetable, such as spinach or tomato, cooks down significantly, it must be measured raw so as not to underestimate its carb count.

Salad Garnishes

crumbled crisp bacon
grated cheese
minced hard-boiled egg
sauted mushrooms
sour cream

Spices
All spices to taste, but make sure none contain added sugar.

Herbs
basil
garlic
rosemary
cayenne pepper
ginger
sage
cilantro
oregano
tarragon
dill
pepper
thyme
For salad dressing, use oil and vinegar (but not balsamic vinegar, which contains sugar) or lemon juice and herbs and spices. Prepared salad dressings without added sugar and no more than two carbs per tablespoon serving are also fine.

Acceptable Fats and Oils
Many fats, especially certain oils, are essential to good nutrition. Olive oil is particularly valuable. All other vegetable oils are allowed, the best being canola, walnut, soybean, grapeseed, sesame, sunflower and safflower oils, especially if they are labeled "cold-pressed" or "expeller-pressed." Do not cook polyunsaturated oils, such as corn, soybean and sunflower oil, at high temperatures or allow to brown or smoke.

Butter is allowed. Margarine should be avoided, not because of its carbohydrate content, but because it is usually made of trans fats (hydrogenated oils), which are a serious health hazard. (Some nonhydrogenated margarines are available in health-food stores.)

You don't have to remove the skin and fat from meat or fowl. Salmon and other cold-water fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Remember that trying to do a low-fat version of the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM will interfere with fat burning and derail your weight loss.

Artificial Sweeteners
You must determine which artificial sweeteners agree with you, but the following are allowed: sucralose (marketed as Splenda), saccharin, cyclamate and acesulfame-K. Natural sweeteners ending in the suffix "-ose," such as maltose, fructose, etc., should be avoided. However, certain sugar alcohols, such as maltitol, do not affect blood sugar and are acceptable.

Saccharin has been extensively studied, and harmful effects were produced in the lab when fed to rats only in extremely high doses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has removed saccharin from its list of carcinogens, basing its decision upon a thorough review of the medical literature and the National Institute of Science's statement that there is "no clear association between saccharin and human cancer." It can be safely consumed in moderation, meaning no more than three packets a day. Saccharin is marketed as Sweet'n Low.

We discourage the use of aspartame (marketed as NutraSweet and Equal) because of clinical observations that it slows weight loss in certain individuals. The FDA has approved the herb stevia for use only as a supplement, not as a sweetener.

The Atkins preference, however, is sucralose (Splenda), the only sweetener made from sugar. Sucralose is safe, noncaloric and does not raise blood sugar. It has been used in Canada for years, and the FDA recently approved it after reviewing more than 100 studies conducted over the past 20 years. Note that each packet of sugar substitute contains about 1 gram of carbohydrate, so don't forget to include the amount in your daily totals.

Acceptable Beverages
Be sure to drink a minimum of eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day, including:

Filtered water
Mineral water
Spring water
Tap water
Additionally, you can have the following:

Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label)
Club soda
Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three tablespoons a day; note carbohydrate content)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea*
Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs
Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame)
Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added)
Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three tablespoons
*Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases.

Special Category Foods
To add variety, each day you can also eat 10 to 20 olives, half a small avocado, an ounce of sour cream or three ounces of unsweetened heavy cream, as well as two to three tablespoons of lemon juice or lime juice. But be aware that these foods occasionally slow down weight loss in some people, and may need to be avoided in the first two weeks. If you seem to be losing slowly, moderate your intake of these foods.

Convenience Foods
Although it is important that you eat primarily unprocessed foods, some controlled carb food products can come in handy when you are unable to find appropriate food, can't take time for a meal or need a quick snack. More and more companies are creating healthy food products that can be eaten during the Induction phase of Atkins. Just remember two things:

Not all convenience food products are the same, so check labels and carbohydrate content.
While any of these foods can make doing Atkins easier, don't overdo it. Remember, you must always follow The Rules of Induction.

[amazon1]

Thanks for getting back to me. Yes, I have that list. But if I eat 2 cups of lettuce, then I can only eat 1 more cup of asparagus for example, right? I don't think this is going to add up to 20 net carbs.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by amazon1

Thanks for getting back to me. Yes, I have that list. But if I eat 2 cups of lettuce, then I can only eat 1 more cup of asparagus for example, right? I don't think this is going to add up to 20 net carbs.

It doesn't necessarily need to add up to 20 carbs. But you should choose nutritious vegetables. There are more nutritious vegetables than lettuce on the list of salad vegetables. Furthermore, you need to be getting most of your net carbohydrates from vegetables. As Irish said, eggs have carbs, cream has carbs, spices have carbs, cheese has carbs. So don't make the wrong assumption that your carbs are coming from vegetables alone.

If you post a menu, including quantities for everything you eat, we could make some suggestions starting from there.

[not2late]

Also, we follow Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution 2002 edition here. In it, Dr. Atkins writes that we eat no more than 20 net carbs daily.

This differs greatly from the Atkins Diet on atkins.com---which has moves farther and farther away from the basic principles everytime they introduce a new "low carb food".

[amazon1]

This is what I ate yesterday:

3 cups lettuce with about 3 tbs (probably less) homemade vinaigrette - 0 carbs?
1/2 pound Whole Foods egg salad - container says 2 net carbs
1/2 lb. filet sole with about 2 tbs garlic mayonnaise - 0 carbs?
1 duck leg - 0 carbs
1 cup almond milk with liquid stevia - 1 carb (at most?)

That's 3 net carbs. I'm using Atkins 2002. I think he says you must have at least 2 cups of lettuce and at most 1 cup of other vegetables like broccoli. If I substitute 1 cup of steamed broccoli for 1 cup of greens that still only gives me 4.4 net carbs. I also ate about 4 raspberries yesterday before I realized I couldn't eat any fruit at all.
No fruit, no nuts, right?

I don't eat dairy products so I can't have cream or cheese.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by amazon1

This is what I ate yesterday:

3 cups lettuce with about 3 tbs (probably less) homemade vinaigrette - 0 carbs?
1/2 pound Whole Foods egg salad - container says 2 net carbs
1/2 lb. filet sole with about 2 tbs garlic mayonnaise - 0 carbs?
1 duck leg - 0 carbs
1 cup almond milk with liquid stevia - 1 carb (at most?)

Almond milk is made from almonds, so it is not allowed during Induction. Nuts are an OWL Rung 3 addition (and addiction for some, so be careful when time will come to add them back).

That's 3 net carbs. I'm using Atkins 2002. I think he says you must have at least 2 cups of lettuce and at most 1 cup of other vegetables like broccoli. If I substitute 1 cup of steamed broccoli for 1 cup of greens that still only gives me 4.4 net carbs. I also ate about 4 raspberries yesterday before I realized I couldn't eat any fruit at all.
No fruit, no nuts, right?

I don't eat dairy products so I can't have cream or cheese.

That's right, no fruits and no nuts during Induction. Berries can be added back in OWL Rung 4 and other fruits in OWL Rung 7.

Can you please get your DANDR 2002 and tell me where it's written that "you must have at least 2 cups of lettuce"? This is what my book says (Ch. 11):

3. Eat no more than 20 grams a day of carbohydrate, most of which must come in the form of salad greens and other vegetables. You can eat approximately three cups---loosely packed---of salad, or two cups of salad plus one cup of other vegetables (see list of acceptable vegetables on pages 125-126).

The list on pp. 125-126 was posted above by IrishIrish, in case you can't find it in the book.

[Georgiana]

PS: Forgot to say that lettuce, mayo and garlic have carbs. In DANDR 2002, there is a carbohydrate counter that you can use.


ETA: If you prefer doing things online, you can use FitDay to enter your daily menus or you can check nutritional values in the USDA database (can also be downloaded on your computer, if you are a Windows or Mac user).

[blueberrylady]

Try adding cucumbers and radishes to your salad. Salad isn't just lettuce. You need to eat a variety of foods or you will cheat in the end. You are making this too hard but hang in there because once you get the foods right, you will have no trouble getting 20 net carbs. And you will love it, trust me! good luck!

[amazon1]

If it says 3 cups of loosely packed salad greens or 2 cups of salad greens and 1 cup of other vegetables doesn't that mean you must have 2 cups of salad and at most 1 cup of vegetables? It doesn't really matter I'll still be way below 20 grams of net carbs. If I add 2.4 grams for the lettuce and 3 grams for the mayo and vinegar I'm still at 8.4. What is everyone else eating to get to 20?