does anybody know what the recomended ammount per day is??

how close are you to getting it??

do you supplement or get your fiber from food sources??

I think the daily recommendation for fiber is in the neighborhood of 20-25g. I have NEVER averaged this while doing any low-carb plan. Unless using massive LC products (those containing mucho soy and flax), it is very hard to do, even while eating tons of veggies, nuts, and some fruit. I have always made a concious attempt to eat at least 10g per day, 15g being even better. Ocassionally, it will be a bit higher, but I haven't found that I am any more regular the higher I go. Actually, there was a short amount of time where I was consuming flax and soy-based products, where I became incredibly constipated, despite the large amount of fiber I was eating. Now, this is only my personal opinion, but I believe that the recommendation for fiber is based on people eating a relatively "normal" plan (including lots of grains, trying to get them to choose whole grains), and not as applicable to LC. Just my own thoughts, though.

I have never taken any kind of supplementation for fiber, b/c I do not want to become dependant upon it. I just try to eat as many veggie as possible!

I use metamucil sugar free, 2 times a day, and some salad thats about it, i am regular.

I think the recommendation by whatever government agency or what not is 25 grams of fiber a day. In my opinion, that's one of the few things they really have right!

Fiber isn't just for regularity. It's also important for increasing weightloss...not just 'cause you feel fuller but it actually helps in the metabolic burning of fat.

I focus on getting at least 30 grams of fiber a day. When I was doing Body RX, I was getting easily 45 or more a day...but that had a higher carb limit.

How do I do it on Protein Power? it's not that easy.
I do eat an Atkins bar a day. Unfortunately, I don't believe in the "only 2 grams of carbs" on the label. The label says 22 grams of carbs; 11 grams of fiber. I consider that 11 grams of carbs. But you can't beat the fiber count! So I use it.
I found low carb tortillas that I eat daily. Again, 11 grams of fiber.
I eat a ton of broccoli, salad, and green beans a day.
I found tasty sugar-free Fiber suppliments - taste like orange - chewable - and 2 tablets is 4 grams of fiber.
There are ways to do it without risking your low carb dieting.
And I think it is extremely valuable.

-- Loretta Pioch

Trader Joes has the most wonderful high-fiber cranberry bran cup cakes. They are by the Zen bakery. 22 grams of carbs but 13 grams of fiber. 9 effective carbs. (4 or 5 grams of protein, too, I think.)

Since I am on Protein Power maintenance (not Atkins), the 9 grams are easy to accommodate--leaving room for 40-50 grams of carbs from veggies, milk, and fruit. These cakes are moist and sweet. I keep them in my freezer.

Note: These are the cranberry fiber "cakes" NOT the cranberry muffins (which are low in fiber and high in carbs).

great ideas everybody. thanks!! i have been trying the "bread" and "cereal" products to help me get my fiber. i don't know if i am eating too much of that stuff though and not enough "real" food...

I think as long as you're regular and you're getting plenty of veggies and fruit, you're fine.

I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to fiber. Obviously, some is good, but I don't believe more is better. A lot of assumptions have been made based on the intake of lots of fruit, vegetables and whole grains. But is it the fiber or the other phytonutrients? I remember reading about a study that compared fiber supplements to fruit/veggies and the results in the fiber group were so bad, they had to cut the study short. I have to go to work now, but I'll try to find the reference for that later.

(Edit: ) A-ha! I didn't find that study reference, but I found a nice blurb by Doreen T.

thanks kristine, interesting thread.

Ok...Now I'm really curious! I'm going to have to look this up more thoroughly. Before baby #3, I was following BodyRX (and am still applying what I learned from it while I'm low carbing). Dr. Connelly explains the FAT BURNING power of fiber. It's not just about regularity or some random number or about colon cancer. Here's what the good doc had to say in various places in his book:

"Fiber is another important nutrient that has all but vanished from our food supply. Chances are, you are not getting enough fiber, and because of that, your metabolism is suffering. Fiber burns fat. And protein and fiber together are the most powerful fat-burning food combination there is."

"If we don't overwhelm the body with glucose-producing foods, the body turns to other fuel sources. One is fatty acids released by our fat cells. In addition, the body burns short-chain fatty acids made from fiber fermented in your intestinal tract. Notably, the burning of fatty acids from fiber stimulates the release of even more fat from fat cells. Cuasing your rate of fat burning to snow ball dramatically. This is the power of fiber, and that's why I want you to eat so much of it."

"While eating more protein will get you in fat-burning mode, eating more fiber will help keep you there. [...] When fiber is digested, it is fermented in the gut and converted into short-chain fatty acids, which can be burned for fuel. The burning of fatty acids from fiber sends a signal to your fat cells telling them to release fat, which your body uses for fuel. The fiber in food also creates a sensation of feeling full, so you feel more satisfied after eating it. The winning combination of fiber and protein is what kept our cavemen ancestors lean and strong, and it performs the same magic for us.
Unfortunately, fiber has been removed from the modern food supply. Over the past fifty years, modern agriculture has stripped every last bit of fiber our of most of the bread, rice, and cereals sold in grocery stores. Getting rid of fiber is great for manufacturers, because it increases the shelf life of their products, but it is deadly for us. Incredibly, if you want to buy bread with a significant amount of fiber, you have to buy a special loaf to which the fiber has been added back!"

Again, this is one source - so I am now curious what else I can find about this online.

-- Loretta Pioch

I was just looking into "Body Rx" and noticed your posts on it. How did it work for you and why did you stop? I'm planning to read the book this weekend, but I definitely want to stick with lower-carb than he recommends (at least most of the time; his plan seems similar to the carb-ups that have been recommended to me).

Did you find his plan really helped your metabolism? What did you like or not like about it?

Thanks in advance!