too little carbs?

[mayceo]

hey all! i was wondering if its bad to eat too little carbs. ive been on atkins a few times in the past and the first time i was successful and the other times i came to the conclusion that i was metabolically resistant. i even gained during induction the 3rd time around. so now, with this in mind, i have pretty much cut out the salad and veggies. ive been on induction for 9 days now (very strict, no caffeine and fake sugar) and out of the 9 days ive only had 3 days that ive eaten my salad and veggies. is this bad? the book i have says to cut it out if u think that ur M.R.

also, i have absolutely no appetite. i dont care to eat. i eat mainly because i know i should. here are the carb amounts that i have been eating since starting...

day 1====14g
day 2====6.7g
day 3====15g
day 4====6.2g
day 5====8.2g
day 6====14.8g
day 7====6.5g
day 8====5g

u can pretty much see the days that ive eaten the salad and veggies. is this a normal carb intake? also, i do have to mention that even tho im not eating much, i do have tons of energy and am taking my vitamins. would appreciate the input...thnks

[kylie]

Hi there - we might be able to offer more help if you would give us a bit more info about yourself (starting weight, goal weight, height, gender, medications, medical conditions) The veggies are an integral part of Atkins and should only be removed in very specific instances and then only temporarily. Perhaps you could post a few of your daily menus instead of just the carb totals so we can get a better idea of what you are eating each day. How much water are you drinking? What are you doing for exercise?

[mayceo]

oh, i guess that would help...lol. okay....

female
start weight 257
goal weight 157
height 5'5
no meds or medical condition

day 1----8 glasses water

1 cup of ck strips
1 hamburger pattie
5 eggs
2 leafs of lettuce
1 tbls mayo
1 tsp mustard
2 slices thin turkey
3 oz. cheese
3 turkey sausage links(breakfast links)
1/4 cup of onion
1/4 cup of bellpepper
2 button mushrooms

day 2-------8 glasses water

1/2 cup ck tenders
1 oz. cheese
2 tbls s.c.
1/2 tsp ranch powder (to make dip)
1 hamburger pattie
2 button mushrooms
chicken wings
2 baby english cucumbers
4 leafs of lettuce
1 oz. feta
2 tbls salad dressing
2 tbls red wine vinegar

day 3------8 glasses water

chicken wings
1 hamburger pattie
1/4 cup of onion
4 tbls of s.c
3 1/3 oz cheese
1/2 cup ck tender
3 eggs
3 turkey sausage links

day 4-----6 glasses water

3 sausage links
4 eggs
1/2 can tuna
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup ck tender
1 oz. cheese
2 tbls s.c.
1/2 tsp ranch powder
ck wings
1 perrier

day 5-------8 glasses water

ck wings
1/2 can tuna
1/4 cup onion
1 tbls dill relish
1/2 cup ck tender
2 oz. cheese
2 tbls s.c.
1/2 tsp ranch powder
1 boiled egg

day 6--------10 glasses water

2 boiled eggs
1/2 cup ck tender
2 oz. cheese
2 tbls. s.c.
1/2 tsp ranch powder
steak
1/2 cup cauliflower
lobster tail
ck wings
1/2 omelete ( 3 eggs, 2 mush, 1/4 cup onion)


day 7-------10 glasses water--------20 min of cardio

second half of omelet from above
steak
1/2 cup ck tender
1 oz. cheese
2 tbls s.c.
1/2 tsp ranch powder
ck wings

day 8-----9 glasses water

3 eggs
3 turkey sausage links
2 string cheese
ck wings
boiled shrimp
1 tbls mayo
1/2 tsp mustard
1 perrier

[Jace]

The simple fact is, if you're not eating your veggies you're not properly following the plan and undertaking a proper induction. If you are having problems this very well could be the source...veggies (like exercise) are non-negotiable.

~Far la bella figura!

[mayceo]

okay, ill definitely add them in and i would love to have em. i guess i was just going off the fact that my body seemed resistant in the past and dare i mention the ketostix (please dont hurt me...i know i shouldnt be relying on them). in the book, atkins says that if they dont turn to at least lavender after 5 days then to cut out the salad and then to add the salad back as soon as the LTS turns purple. i say this b/c the first time i had no problems w/the sticks and the few times i restarted i got nada.

overall, how does my menu look...is there anything that u guys see that i could change?

thanks

[kylie]

Ok - that's better First, the bit about taking out carbs if you aren't losing would be determined AFTER completing a 14 day induction. Induction does a few things - gets your body into fat-burning quickly, helps stop cravings and the blood sugar fluctuations AND gives you a lot of information about how to move foraward with the other phases of Atkins. You must do the 14 days (and do them clean) in order to learn about what to do or not do next. You can't do a day or two - weigh - determine it isn't working as written - and then start tweaking - you need to do the full 14 days as Dr. A wrote them - and while former attempts/successes/failures can sometimes be indicative of current "tries" that isn't always the case. You must judge this "time" on its own merits. The veggies in the quantities allowed during induction are unlikely to cause you any problems - it's set up that way on purpose. What will happen, though, if you don't eat your veggies - you may feed your hunger with other legal foods that are much more calorie dense and without the fiber and nutrients found in the veggies. While we are not concerned with counting calories at this stage, IT IS POSSIBLE to overeat your legal foods.

A couple of other things I noticed that might be sources of hidden carbs -
read labels very carefully - and know that 0 carbs for "a serving" doesn't mean 0 carbs for multiple servings.
watch things like the ranch powder for carbs
processed meats (sausage, cold cuts, etc.) can have hidden carbs - don't forget to look for those.
MORE WATER! 8 8 oz glasses PLUS 8 oz more for each 25 pounds you want to lose...and extra doens't hurt. The more you drink, the more you will want to drink.

OK - so all of this is to say that you really need to give the full 14 days before you figure this isn't working and I've got to change it. I wish you much success!

[kylie]

Two more things:

The part about the strips not changing after 5 days: Dr. A offers multiple suggestions but none of them include taking the veggies out completely at that point. First - he suggests that you measure to make sure you aren't overstimating quantity - then if that doesn't help or isn't the case - he suggests dropping tomatoes/onions/other higher carb allowable veggies - then he suggests making sure you aren't eating too much protien - which in excess will be converted to glucose.

and

and this is a biggie! you might not be producing enough ketones to register on the strips but if you have other signs of ketosis...from the looks of your menus as the days progressed, I could guess that your apetite IS in fact decreased and you say you have lots of energy - those are EXCELLENT signs that you are in fact in ketosis despite what a little stick says

Hang in there! You can do this!!!

[mayceo]

[QUOTE=kylie] The more you drink, the more you will want to drink.
QUOTE]

thats for sure! i was just wondering about that too. it does seem the more i drink the more thirsty i become. when i wake in the morning i feel so dehydrated. i wonder how long it takes for a persons body to fully hydrate. before starting atkins, i hardly ever drank water.


thanks for the input guys. it really helps. i did cut out the cold cuts (wont make that mistake again-was looking for no nitrates and looked right past the carbs) and have been recording the ranch powder as well. will be having a salad tonight and whooshie pie tonight! thanks again!

[kylie]

I am not certain there is a "how long" with regard to hydration - because it is an ongoing deal - you have to keep at it and your environment will also effect it. What is enough water today in Minnesota wouldn't be enough in Arizona in July . And the more you exercise, the more you will need as well. Your body will reach a point (I"ve heard it called a breakthrough point) where it no longer holds onto excess water because it is being fed an adequate amount of water - If you are prone to retaining water and you keep on drinking, you'll know pretty much when this happens. This WOE has a natural diuretic effect so that is part of why you are feeling thirsty. Drink up! Have a great night!

[mayceo]

u know, i think that i may have an older version of the book b/c ive noticed a lot of things that people have posted that isnt in my book. for example...the ketostix and salad thing is different than what ur telling me and i read posts that say to limit ur cheese intake and in my book i didnt see a limit for cheese. just a bunch of little things like that. the last copyright was 1999. is there a newer one?