Question regard OWL Rung 1

[pamelainaustin]

Well, today was the first day for me to add 5 net carbs veggies to what I was having on induction. I looked back in my induction log and I usually had about 5-6 net carbs from veggies on most days. Usually 3 cups salad veggies, reduced to 2 cups a few days with 1 cup green beans or broccoli. Total net carbs usually fell at about 16-17 and I did count the DaVinci syrup as 1 carb per tablespoon so I was usually at 18 or 19.

Today, I ate 2 1/2 cups salad veggies and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti squash. This gave me 13 net veggie carbs and 22 net carbs total. Is this too much? I may having a major brain freeze but I think the extra cup of squash was about 6 net carbs.

This is worse than calculating medication doses

Pam

[Einy]

Pamela, you are doing great.. If I understand you correctly, you had only total 22 carbs/day in which 13 were derived from veggies. Yea?

[*Emma*]

You werent really eating enough veggie carbs on induction, but i spose you were within the rules, induction should be mostly veggies about 12-14 net veggie carbs

So yeah, you're fine as you are now on OWL. good job

[not2late]

Originally Posted by pamelainaustin

Well, today was the first day for me to add 5 net carbs veggies to what I was having on induction. I looked back in my induction log and I usually had about 5-6 net carbs from veggies on most days. Usually 3 cups salad veggies, reduced to 2 cups a few days with 1 cup green beans or broccoli. Total net carbs usually fell at about 16-17 and I did count the DaVinci syrup as 1 carb per tablespoon so I was usually at 18 or 19.

Today, I ate 2 1/2 cups salad veggies and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti squash. This gave me 13 net veggie carbs and 22 net carbs total. Is this too much? I may having a major brain freeze but I think the extra cup of squash was about 6 net carbs.

This is worse than calculating medication doses

Pam

The 3 cups of Induction veggies becomes your minimum daily vegetable intake for the rest of your Atkins. As during Induction, that 3 cup minimum is either 2 cups of the "salad" veggies + 1 cup of the "other" veggies or 3 cups "salad" veggies.

During Rung 1 OWL, you add 5 net carbs of any Induction veggie to your menu. Therefore your veggie intake would look like this:

3 cups Induction veggies (2 cups "salad" + 1 cup "other" OR 3 cups "salad")
5 net carbs of any Induction veggie

You had 2 1/2 cups of "salad" and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti squash. 1/2 cup cooked spaghetti squash is about 5 net carbs, according to the USDA Nutrient Database (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/).

So the break down of your menu is this:

Minimum daily vegetable intake:
2 1/2 cups "salad"
1 cup spaghetti squash
Total = 3 1/2 cups <----this is 1/2 cup over the 3 cups limit, but it isn't anything to freak out about.

OWL Rung 1 veggie:
1/2 cup spaghetti squash
Total = approximately 5 net carbs

Also, about the number of veggie carbs in our diet....Dr. Atkins wrote that the majority of our carbs should be from vegetables. For example, if you were eating 10 net carbs daily during Induction, at least 6 of those net carbs should have been from vegetables. All too often, people become afraid of vegetable carbs, but don't mind eating the carbs from eggs, cheese, cream, deli meats, artificial sweeteners etc. This is the wrong way to think!!!!!! Vegetable/fruit/nut/legume/grain carbs are more healthful than artificial sweetener carbs or the added sugar carbs from processed meats. Don't be afraid of good carbs!

[pamelainaustin]

Gee thanks everyone--makes it a bit clearer now.

Emma, I did think my net veggie carbs on induction was pretty low but I stayed with the 3 cup total and that is how they came out.

So, basically, I just need to eat my induction plan with additional veggies totalling 5 carbs. I have really been missing tomatoes so that is good.

BTW, this was my first time to enjoy spaghetti squash--really yummy!!

Pam

[not2late]

Originally Posted by pamelainaustin

So, basically, I just need to eat my induction plan with additional veggies totalling 5 carbs.

Yep. That's all there is to Rung 1 OWL and to the rest of OWL for the most part.

Be aware, though, that if the food is "new" to you. "New" meaning you haven't eaten it on your Atkins, then you have to add that "new" food back slowly.

For example, if you didn't eat tomatoes during Induction, then you add 5 net carbs of tomatoes every other day for a week and see what happens to your weight loss OR take the blood sugar instability test in the book. If the "new" food interferes with your weight loss and/or you start experiencing any of the blood sugar instability symptoms listed in the book, then you drop that "new" food from your menu and proceed on.

I've noticed that many OWLers only use their weight loss to see if a food is "bad" for their bodies. Don't make that mistake. Be sure to go through the blood sugar symptom test because those symptoms seem to be a better and faster indicator of a problem food than the weight loss.