Question about "net-carbs".

[Jumbo]

Ok I briefly examined the Atkins page (this is my first day trying this diet) and it says that for two weeks I can only have 20 "net carbs" per day, which is total carbs minus fiber. Does this mean that if I had ten grams of fiber in a day I could have thirty grams of carbs that day and be following correctly?

[Jumbo]

Also I have another question. Since butter has almost no carbs, could you eat 4 sticks of butter in a day and not gain weight if thats all you ate? Or just drank oil or something? Thanks...

[KvonM]

Ok I briefly examined the Atkins page (this is my first day trying this diet) and it says that for two weeks I can only have 20 "net carbs" per day, which is total carbs minus fiber. Does this mean that if I had ten grams of fiber in a day I could have thirty grams of carbs that day and be following correctly?
ummm... if i understand what you're asking correctly, you're saying that if you take a pill or use a powder that offers 10g of fiber, you can go up to 30g of carbs during the day, right? the answer is no. what you're subtracting is the fiber in the foods themselves... the fiber in broccoli, cauliflower, avocados, etc, doesn't impact your system so the net carbs are less, and the impact on your blood glucose is less. but if you drank a glass of metamucil and then chased it with a chocolate chip cookie, one isn't going to cancel out the other.

getting extra fiber is fine... just don't use it as a replacement or an excuse to eat high-carb foods.

Also I have another question. Since butter has almost no carbs, could you eat 4 sticks of butter in a day and not gain weight if thats all you ate? Or just drank oil or something? Thanks...
um... well... technically i suppose you could, though i can't imagine why you'd want to. i mean, i like butter and all, but eating a whole pound of it... :Puke:.

read through the chapter on induction and pay careful attention to the list of legal induction foods. you're better off eating from that list and incorporating the veggies, meats, and fats than you are just eating pure fat. the "fat fast" is something entirely different.

[ElleH]

What K said...and

The spirit of induction is that you're getting your carbs and fiber from very low carb veggies to jump start your weight loss and cause your body to change from a sugar-burning one to a fat-burning one and to break carb addictions. You're allowed to eat protein and fat until you're satisfied and not stuffed. Don't over think it and don't try to make it as liberal as you possibly can without breaking the letter of the rules. This is "diet-mentality" and not what Atkins is really about. Induction was designed to be easy. Follow it as written and you'll be successful. I recommend the book and not the web version. Best wishes!

[Jumbo]

ummm... if i understand what you're asking correctly, you're saying that if you take a pill or use a powder that offers 10g of fiber, you can go up to 30g of carbs during the day, right? the answer is no. what you're subtracting is the fiber in the foods themselves... the fiber in broccoli, cauliflower, avocados, etc, doesn't impact your system so the net carbs are less, and the impact on your blood glucose is less. but if you drank a glass of metamucil and then chased it with a chocolate chip cookie, one isn't going to cancel out the other.

getting extra fiber is fine... just don't use it as a replacement or an excuse to eat high-carb foods.

Thanks for the responce, but no, that isn't what I mean because I know that the calories in fiber powder come from 100% carbs, so it just cancels itself out. Or at least 100% of the fiber calories come from carbs, and I don't think its possible to have more fiber grams than carb grams in a food item. The only reason I'm considering having fiber powder on this diet is because if I don't I imagine it will be very hard on my digestive track. What with all the extra protein and fat I'll be eating.

What I mean is this: could you technecly eat five avacado's in a day? Thats 85.7 g carbs, but also 67.3 g fiber, so I'd count it as 18.4 grams carbs, yes?


um... well... technically i suppose you could, though i can't imagine why you'd want to. i mean, i like butter and all, but eating a whole pound of it... :Puke:.

read through the chapter on induction and pay careful attention to the list of legal induction foods. you're better off eating from that list and incorporating the veggies, meats, and fats than you are just eating pure fat. the "fat fast" is something entirely different.
Thanks, I'm going to buy Atkins book as soon as I can. I just sort of decided yesterday on a whim that I should try this diet because for me personally sugar always ruins my diet and because I'd pick a fried egg over a can of soda any day. All I've seen is the website. I just figured, this guy says that its all about carbs not calories, so why would all that butter be a problem? I'm still trying to figure out how this works and weather or not its true that you can have more calories on this diet and still lose weight. I'm kind of doubtful of that, I think this still just comes down to calories.

[Jumbo]

What K said...and

The spirit of induction is that you're getting your carbs and fiber from very low carb veggies to jump start your weight loss and cause your body to change from a sugar-burning one to a fat-burning one and to break carb addictions. You're allowed to eat protein and fat until you're satisfied and not stuffed. Don't over think it and don't try to make it as liberal as you possibly can without breaking the letter of the rules. This is "diet-mentality" and not what Atkins is really about. Induction was designed to be easy. Follow it as written and you'll be successful. I recommend the book and not the web version. Best wishes!
But if I knew how to do that in the first place, why would I need to go on a diet? Hmmm....

[KvonM]

What I mean is this: could you technecly eat five avacado's in a day? Thats 85.7 g carbs, but also 67.3 g fiber, so I'd count it as 18.4 grams carbs, yes?

i suppose if you really wanted to, you could. SHOULD you do it? probably not. when you get the book, you will see that while avocados are ok on induction, they're something that dr. a reccomends you eat sparingly. elle is completely right, don't spend too much time over-analyzing what you're eating and just follow the rules as they're written.

you can certainly use butter to your heart's content, along with olive oil, flaxseed oil, or coconut oil... keep in mind that eating all butter gives you fat, yes, but you're also not getting any of the other nutrients your body needs, including protein.

You're allowed to eat protein and fat until you're satisfied and not stuffed.
But if I knew how to do that in the first place, why would I need to go on a diet? Hmmm....
simple... you listen to your body. stuffed is when you literally cannot take another bite or it will make you sick. satisfied is when you're no longer hungry, you could certainly eat more, but it would be out of boredom or just wanting to, not to quench hunger anymore. it takes a bit to learn the difference, but you'll get it. the one thing you DON'T have to worry about right now is eating tiny little portions that leave you hungry. that's one of the things that keeps me sticking to low-carbing rather than trying to do WW or any other low-fat/low-calorie plan.

[Jumbo]

i suppose if you really wanted to, you could. SHOULD you do it? probably not. when you get the book, you will see that while avocados are ok on induction, they're something that dr. a reccomends you eat sparingly. elle is completely right, don't spend too much time over-analyzing what you're eating and just follow the rules as they're written.

you can certainly use butter to your heart's content, along with olive oil, flaxseed oil, or coconut oil... keep in mind that eating all butter gives you fat, yes, but you're also not getting any of the other nutrients your body needs, including protein.


simple... you listen to your body. stuffed is when you literally cannot take another bite or it will make you sick. satisfied is when you're no longer hungry, you could certainly eat more, but it would be out of boredom or just wanting to, not to quench hunger anymore. it takes a bit to learn the difference, but you'll get it. the one thing you DON'T have to worry about right now is eating tiny little portions that leave you hungry. that's one of the things that keeps me sticking to low-carbing rather than trying to do WW or any other low-fat/low-calorie plan.
Alright, thanks you once again. I don't know why the doctor has a problem with avacados though. An ENITRE FRUIT (which is like 7 whole servings) has only 3.5 grams of netcarbs. Its packed with healthy fat, has 974.9 mg of pottasium, is low in sugar, and is one of the most nutritionally dense foods in the world. Plus they're really filling to me. Eating those could fill some of the nutritional gaps from all the other fruits you have to miss out on when you're low-carbing.

[msundi83]

just get used to eating low carb for the first few weeks. Worry about all the rest later.

To answer your question about the four sticks of butter. If you are eating more than you burn in a day (probably if you consume that much butter) than yes...your body can store fat.

[KvonM]

Alright, thanks you once again. I don't know why the doctor has a problem with avacados though. An ENITRE FRUIT (which is like 7 whole servings) has only 3.5 grams of netcarbs. Its packed with healthy fat, has 974.9 mg of pottasium, is low in sugar, and is one of the most nutritionally dense foods in the world. Plus they're really filling to me. Eating those could fill some of the nutritional gaps from all the other fruits you have to miss out on when you're low-carbing.
it's not that anyone has a problem with them... it's just a matter of having as wide a variety of foods as possible to choose from. most people get bored with a diet mentality if they're restricted too much in what they can eat. so yes, avocados are allowed. just make sure you're eating other things too. :agree:

[Jumbo]

it's not that anyone has a problem with them... it's just a matter of having as wide a variety of foods as possible to choose from. most people get bored with a diet mentality if they're restricted too much in what they can eat. so yes, avocados are allowed. just make sure you're eating other things too. :agree:
Right right, of course. This is OT, but I recommend avacado's to anyone on any diet. When I was pregnant the second time I would eat ususally 1/2 an avacado per day and I felt much better than the first time when I mostly ate junk. I think my second daughter liked what I was eating much better than my first did as well.

[Cissie_12]

I think I know what you are saying here. The answer would be yes. IF you were to eat 30 carbs then take off the fiber (considering the amount in that food equaled out to 10), then you would still be at 20 carbs. BUT of course if you were to eat 30 carbs and the content only come out to say 5 g fiber then you would have eaten a total of 25 carbs and be over.

Is that what you are asking???

[Cissie_12]

Might not be the most satisfying food to eat but I'd say if you chose to eat only avacados it would be okay. I mean, hey lots of people are eating only eggs and doing great! Isn't that still okay to do when you are on strict Adkins?

[Jumbo]

I think I know what you are saying here. The answer would be yes. IF you were to eat 30 carbs then take off the fiber (considering the amount in that food equaled out to 10), then you would still be at 20 carbs. BUT of course if you were to eat 30 carbs and the content only come out to say 5 g fiber then you would have eaten a total of 25 carbs and be over.

Is that what you are asking???
Yuppers. :)

[Cissie_12]

Thought so. Now keep in mind I don't do strict Adkins, I just do 20 or less carbs a day. Yet carbs are carbs and you can either use the fiber to give you bonus food to eat or just allow yourself to have a really low carb intake that day. For myself I just save them up for special times usually.

Good luck to you and I wish you great success in your new woe!

Cissie

[ElleH]

Jumbo, I have TOTALLY had to learn to listen to my body. It was the overeating that got me into trouble, but I am (present tense, since I'm STILL learning to do that!) actively working to learn the language of my body. If you're looking for a formula diet (xx protein, xx fat, xx carbs), Atkins isn't it. Atkins is about learning to listen to your body and enjoying food again, not being a slave to a diet. You must count carbs, but otherwise, you should just learn to speak your body's language and follow your appetite.

About once or twice a week, I eat an avocodo as my carb with my lunch. Love 'em. I believe they help you burn fat.

[Jumbo]

Woah- people are living off just eggs?! Wow. That’s kind of a ton of cholesterol. Anyways, I just meant hypothetically. Out of curiosity, can you tell me what a typical day of food for you looks like? I'm having trouble figuring out how to find even 1,000 calories worth of normal eating food that contains 20 grams carbs or less. Even all the MEAT in my fridge has carbs.

[ElleH]

Go check out my journal. I post my meals every day. Go back a few weeks and look at them. I'm trying something different since I reached my goal, but if you go back to before mid January, you'll see how I ate to lose my weight to my goal.

[Jumbo]

Jumbo, I have TOTALLY had to learn to listen to my body. It was the overeating that got me into trouble, but I am (present tense, since I'm STILL learning to do that!) actively working to learn the language of my body. If you're looking for a formula diet (xx protein, xx fat, xx carbs), Atkins isn't it. Atkins is about learning to listen to your body and enjoying food again, not being a slave to a diet. You must count carbs, but otherwise, you should just learn to speak your body's language and follow your appetite.

About once or twice a week, I eat an avocodo as my carb with my lunch. Love 'em. I believe they help you burn fat.
Atkins just the diet I'm looking for then. I think need to learn. I tried doing a 30-30-40 diet (carbs-fat-protein) and would be succesful recording it on fitday until the end of the night when my carb craving would come howling. And then it would be more of an 80-8-12 diet. So this cutting carbs thing is basically me still trying the same old thing but trying to work on my carb addiction.

[Jumbo]

Go check out my journal. I post my meals every day. Go back a few weeks and look at them. I'm trying something different since I reached my goal, but if you go back to before mid January, you'll see how I ate to lose my weight to my goal.
Muchos gracies.

[ElleH]

And then it would be more of an 80-8-12 diet

:lol: Funny! I had the same reaction when I tried the Zone.

[connie7]

Jumbo, you need to get the book and read it cover to cover. While the info here is good, you need to get the book and follow it if you plan to do Atkins. Sounds like you're just taking bits and pieces of info. You need the whole story before you commit to this -- it is a lifestyle.

[Ptrcmcc6]

Getting back to the butter question, 1 stick of butter is equal to over 800 calories. Now, I know on Atkins you are not suppose to count calories but if you are eating more calories than you can burn off........you are not going to lose any weight. A pound of butter is over 3200 calories. If I ate that.....i'd be as big as a house. Not saying that I would like to eat plain butter though.

[Elizellen]

A pound of butter is over 3200 calories. If I ate that.....i'd be as big as a house. Not saying that I would like to eat plain butter though.
In one of Dr Atkins books (cant remember which one) he talks of one patient who was having problems losing weight in spite of being in ketosis according to the keto-sticks and who turned out to have been doing just that - eating several 'sticks' of butter (4 ounces each) as snacks.

[Jumbo]

In one of Dr Atkins books (cant remember which one) he talks of one patient who was having problems losing weight in spite of being in ketosis according to the keto-sticks and who turned out to have been doing just that - eating several 'sticks' of butter (4 ounces each) as snacks.
Holy.... wow. Thats incredible. I've tried raw butter before, and the taste combined with texture is barf-worthy. Why would someone have raw butter as a snack? I can see adding a few pats to a bowl of brocolli with salt and pepper for flavor, but raw butter?

[ElleH]

That doesn't sound good to me, either, I do love butter.

I like to leave little clumps of unmelted (unsalted) butter in my sauteed shrimp with cream sauce and eat a little bit of butter with each shrimp...now that is divine!