6 cups iceberg salad mix = 18 carbs.

[SusanQsan]

My husband is on induction. One of the salad types we buy is a bagged mix that is primarily iceberg with a very small amount of radish shreds and carrot shreds. This is the only kind of salad he will eat, and he and I are both aware that iceberg has zero nutritional value.

My husband is a big guy (not obese, but could stand to lose a few, and tall with a wide, big frame), and has a big appetite.

The back of the salad bag says that 2 cups = 3 carbs. So he, of course, is wondering why he is limited to either 3 cups which would be 4.5 g of carbs, or 2 cups of this salad plus a cup of another induction-approved veggie.

I had no answer for him (other than "I'm sorry, honey, but that's what's in the book" - meaning DANDR of course). I don't know, but it doesn't make sense to me either. What do you think?

Why can't he, for example, use his 20g's of carbs on 5 cups of salad, and then get the rest of his nutrition from protein and fat? It's like an Atkins-contradiction. We are allowed to eat 20 grams , but can only have 3 cups of salad which is 4.5 grams. We'd have to eat a lot of eggs and cheese and ranch dressing every day to make up the 15.5 carb grams difference.

It doesn't make sense to me or hubby why we are limited to 3 cups of salad on induction, when we are supposed to eat 20 grams a day.

Any opinions you can give me would be helpful, since hubby is planning on chowing down a good 5 cups today. Thanks!

[xamier]

Hi:
I am by no means an expert, but I believe the reason one is limited for the first two weeks is that induction is meant to cleanse all of the toxins and junk we have been eating out of our bodies and get one firmly into Ketosis.

You also have to remember that a few carbs here and there add up quickly. How many carbs are in the salad dressing? You could try adding eggs, nuts, a little cheese to the salad. Be sure to keep track of all the small carb amounts coffee, eggs,cheese etc often have a carb or two.

If you DH has done his two weeks of induction, maybe he should move into OWL.

[Moochiecat]

Firstly, I think it won't be a surprise to you to hear me lecture about the importance of eating a variety of vegetables. Tell him to think of it from a nutritional point of view. Iceberg is chewy water...it's really not contributing anything to his body. He's severely limiting himself when it comes to nutrients and fiber...if the point of doing Atkins is to get slimmer and healthier, then he's compromising his chances of success on the health end of it all. Why does he want to do that to himself?
And fiber...fiber is our friend and helps combat constipation. He may very well find that eating some higher fiber veggies will fill him up a bit more so he doesn't feel so hungry!
If he ate a variety that included some higher carb veggies it would up his carb count as well.
Time for him to be a big boy and eat his veggies! lol


Re: three cups veggies - Induction is a time when we learn how to eat again. Portion control is key right now and we need to learn how to listen to our stomachs and get back into tune with our bodies after being out of touch for so long.

For the first two weeks, stick to Induction as per DANDR. It's a proven plan that works...don't mess with it.
The first rung of OWL is 5 carbs more veggies a day anyway, so he could move onto that. Remember the idea is to introduce a variety of veggies so you know what effect they have on you. It's not just 'shovel those veggies down the chute'.

Reread the chapter on Understanding the Importance of Insulin so that you both know what the effects of 'carb-loading' a lot of veggies at one time can do. In the later rungs, when we are closer to goal, we'll be eating much more in the way of veggies, but we'll have learned a lot by then. Right now, when we are new at it, it's best to stay close to the limits to avoid blood sugar spikes.

Also, some folks, after their two week Induction is over, choose to go into Extended Induction...and some choose to do a Modified Induction. This is when they keep to the 20 carbs a day, but they pick and choose what they want to spend their carbs on.

Bear in mind that doing the book as written works. Doing the plan your own way may or may not work, and theres the danger of veering off into the land of the unknown.

[lawyerchick]

I'm by no means an expert either, but a couple of thoughts jumped to mind. First, your husband really does need to explore a variety of veggies before deciding just to eat lettuce. The nutrients in the veggies are extremely important to this WOE and that's why we need to try different things. Broccoli, cauliflower, spaghetti squash, green peppers, turnips, brussel sprouts, green beans, asparagus, etc. are all wonderful and a great way of getting your 20 carbs during induction. They can be prepared a bunch of different ways, and with all the butter, cream, and cheese a person could want. I never really liked veggies until I started preparing them the Atkins way. Now I rarely eat salads cause there are so many other good things to eat.

Second, regarding the 3 cups a day limit during induction, that's directed toward getting people to stop bad habits, more than total carb counts. I.e., we need to learn not to overeat ANY food, whether it's veggies, lettuce, cheese, meat, or whatever. If your husband's a big guy and eating to satisfy his appetite, not to be stuffed, then more than 3 cups of veggies seems okay, provided he stays below the 20 carbs. Many people have increased veggies above the 3 cup limit (which is the first rung of OWL anyway) without problems. Personally, I never measured anything, so I was probably above 3 cups during induction, and I'm not a tall person.

HTH,
Anna

[lawyerchick]

Moochie and I were apparently posting at the same time! Great minds think alike.

[wannabethintoo]

A clarification for those on induction. Carrots and nuts are not allowed on induction.

[Moochiecat]

lol
See? It all boils down to "Eat a wide variety of the veggies!"

[not2late]

Originally Posted by SusanQsan

My husband is on induction. One of the salad types we buy is a bagged mix that is primarily iceberg with a very small amount of radish shreds and carrot shreds. This is the only kind of salad he will eat, and he and I are both aware that iceberg has zero nutritional value.

This is a very important fact. Lettuce is not the most nutritious vegetable in the world. A well balanced diet is a nutritious diet. The goal of any weight loss program is to lose weight and remain/regain health. So eating something that is nutritionally poor is really counteracting any of the health benefits a diet can give to you.

Lettuce isn't the only vegetable on the "salad vegetable list". All of the "salad" vegetables can be cooked and you can certainly eat them cooked instead of raw. When I eat a green salad, lettuce comprises 25-30% of the total vegetables.

My husband is a big guy (not obese, but could stand to lose a few, and tall with a wide, big frame), and has a big appetite.

The back of the salad bag says that 2 cups = 3 carbs. So he, of course, is wondering why he is limited to either 3 cups which would be 4.5 g of carbs, or 2 cups of this salad plus a cup of another induction-approved veggie.

I had no answer for him (other than "I'm sorry, honey, but that's what's in the book" - meaning DANDR of course). I don't know, but it doesn't make sense to me either. What do you think?

Why can't he, for example, use his 20g's of carbs on 5 cups of salad, and then get the rest of his nutrition from protein and fat? It's like an Atkins-contradiction. We are allowed to eat 20 grams , but can only have 3 cups of salad which is 4.5 grams. We'd have to eat a lot of eggs and cheese and ranch dressing every day to make up the 15.5 carb grams difference.

It doesn't make sense to me or hubby why we are limited to 3 cups of salad on induction, when we are supposed to eat 20 grams a day.

Any opinions you can give me would be helpful, since hubby is planning on chowing down a good 5 cups today. Thanks!

The majority of your daily carbs is to be from vegetables. 1 egg has about 0.6 net carbs. We are told to count 1 ounce of cheese as 1 net carb. 1 tablespoon of heavy cream has between 0.4-0.9 net carbs. So a 2 egg cheese omelette using 2 ounces of cheese has a net carb of about 3.2. Drink 6 ounces of decaf coffee (0.8-1 net carb) with 2 tablespoons of cream (2 net carbs) and 1 packet of Splenda (1 net carb) with that omelette, your net carb count for the entire meal is about 7.3 net carbs.

Prepared salad dressings vary in their carb count. Furthermore, the carb count listed on the bottle is only accurate for the serving size listed. Therefore the most accurate way to measure the dressing is to use standard cooking measuring spoons. Many of us "eyeball" the two tablespoons and as a result our 2 tablespoons might really be 4 tablespoons.

The last thing is portion size. Many of us have been overeating our entire lives and have no idea what a "normal" portion size is. If we don't learn how to eat "normally" while we are losing weight, then when (and if) we reach our weight goal, we most likely will regain that weight. I was reading an article on the "Black Widow" recently. She's a 100 pound woman who participates in eating contests like the Annual Coney Island hotdog contest. This last week, she won a grilled cheese eating contest by downing more than 20 grilled cheese sandwiches. How does she do it? She admits that she has to keep her stomach big enough to accomodate that amount of food, so between contests she drinks 2 liters of diet soda with her dinner. What's the harm in that? Well, our stomachs have things called "stretch receptors". These "stretch receptors" are responsible for telling your brain that your stomach is reaching capacity and to stop eating. These receptors don't fire off the stop eating signal until your stomach has been stretched to a certain degree. Therefore if we don't learn to eat "normal" portions, our stomachs will stay as large as it has been. Which might make maintaining weight a bigger challenge than it already is.

The USDA defines 1 serving of vegetables as 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked. Depending on how you divide your Atkins Induction vegetables, you will eat 3 or 5 servings of vegetables a day. Dr. Atkins devised his diet so you have a variety of foods to choose from and get the most nutrition from those foods. This is why Atkins is a "quality" diet, not a "quantity" diet.

You might say, "I can take multivitamins to make up for the nutrients instead of eating cabbage." Well, yes and no. The good thing about multivitamins is that they contain certain amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. The drawbackof multivitamins is that they contain certain amounts of certain vitamins and minerals. Those vitamin tablets do not contain a full complement of vitamins and minerals your body needs---that's why they are "supplements" and not "replacements". And that's why there are many kinds of multivitamin formulations on the market.

And as Xamier wrote, the next weight loss phase of Atkins is the On-Going Weight Loss Phase. The first thing added is 5 net carbs of the induction vegetables. Induction is only 14 days long.

[2big4mysize]

tell your husband Dr Atkins in his last televion interview brfore he died discussed why induction was so Strick with a caller and he said it is ONLY 14 days you have the rest of your life( he said 70 yrs) for eating other things.

A little Atkins plan back ground before 2002 the plan said in rule 5 you could use a carb counter and eat any 20 carbs you wanted . BUT in dealing with his patients and the folk calling and writing it became appearent that was not workoinng as folk made horrible food choices and got into trouble not only nutritionaly but with portion contriol from cravings so he did away with allowing anything and said from these lists pick 3 cups. He could have said pickj all 20 carbs and folk would have screamed about all the veggies they HAD to eat on Atkins. Instead he said eat 3 cups of these and make the majority of your carbs be from these lists but you can have 20 and eat other things with carbs like eggs cheese herbs and spices and salad dressing. Nice guy wasn't he.

Since your hubby is a fellow it the 14 day cause Dr Atkins said so doesn't work use the HOUSE of Atkins eating reasoning. He is the builder, the owner, and the contractor. he wants the best quality materials to build that house to last him a life time. He has a list of possible buliding materials. He can chose poor inferior quatliy low nutriant materials ( veggies) or he can test out higher quality high nutrient materials ( veggies) to include in the mix he pours for his foundation that is going to support his HOUSE of Atkins eating for his life time.
the vitamins and minerals in the different veggies will greatly assit him in being healthy and in losing those pounds so he isn't a hugh fellow any more. Our cels that make chemical A needed to make chemicals B-H can't make it with out the correct vits and minerals so chemicals B-H don't get mane then enzymes and hormoners and antibodies and carrier molecults and new cells and tissue repair don't happen. As you can see for want a a vit or mineral his body is totallyour of kilter and as the old poem goes for want of a nail the kingdom was lost.

Happy low carbing.

[fawn]

Vegetables are your intenstinal wash cloth! And after all, DH is getting his carbs in water if you really break it down. Now that just doesn't seem fair does it?

In order to have a healthy colon, one must eat 25-35 gr. of fiber a day. Tell it to him like this (It usually gets ones attention)

"the average person today can have up to 15lbs. of waste in their colons"

ooohhhh nasty visual!