Is there any "fool-proof" way to just know the amount of carbs being used without measuring every single ingredient? How is this possible if you're eating out? For example, how much cheese is being used in an omelette, how much lettuce or tuna is going in the salad, etc. I would imagine the longer one is watching their carbs, the easier it would be to just automatically know, by looking at what they have, as to how many carbs they've got, right?

I'm just afraid when I begin (1/6/03), I may be getting too much or not enough carbs, depending on if I measured correctly!!

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Hiya pjl,

Well obviously it's not possible to estimate exactly absolutely everything you eat if you are eating out.

I think if you only eat out occasionally, and you simply avoid the "bad guys," sugar and starches, you'll be okay. Remember that there are no carbs in protein foods like tuna, and very, very little in cheese. There's approximately 1 carb per egg.

When it comes to lettuce, you can actually eat a huge amount for very few carbs indeed. The other salad vegies vary. Once you get started, you'll have more of an idea.

Do you know about www.fitday.com ? It's a free site where you can keep track of your carbs, calories, fat etc.
This thread Fitday.com How To's gives some hints on making it a bit easier to use.

Cheers, matey.

Rosebud

My suggestion comes from the friend who got me started with Atkins.

When you're eating out, it's supposed to be a low-stress, special event. So, do your best to avoid carbs, but don't worry about it overly much. And, if you think you've overdone the carbs with that meal, try to go as low-carb as possible for the rest of the day.

Induction is a time for learning, so go ahead and weigh (if you've got a scale) and measure, because the skills you learn now will become ingrained and it will become second nature.

Once you know a 1" chunk of cheese is 1 oz, and is equal to 1/4" grated, it will be easy to eat cheese. Sometimes you'll get a bit more and other times a bit less.

Also, it's good to measure for awhile after you've done the plan awhile (learned this in Weight Watchers) because our servings tend to increase in size, or actually just creep up bigger.

I weighed out 100g of lettuce once, it was a large Corelle bowl size (perfect for a large salad). It's not anything close to 2 cups only, more like 5. I consider lettuce a freebie, but am more careful with other veggies.

I measure out butter, since it's right on the wrapper. I still am not good as guestimating meat, but I don't worry about it.

But learning to measure isn't a bad thing, so don't let it freak you out. Learning proper serving sizes is necessary.

Thank you all for your wonderful advice!! My husband and I are looking forward to our new way of eating!!

Pam