Low Carb & Atkins Diet

Amber_Baby · Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 4:10 pm Post subject: Comments on Todays Menu Please?

I am on day 3 of Induction:

Breakfast: 2 sticks of celery (2g), one peperami (0.6g)

Lunch: Tuna with mayo (0.2g), 1/2 cup lettuce (2g), 3" stick of cucumber(1g), few slices of red onion (2g), black pepper

Snack: 1/2 chicken breast

Dinner: Gammon steak, fried egg (0.6g), mushrooms (2g), broccoli (2g)

Snack: Cheese string (Trace)

Total carbs for day = Approx 13g

Is this okay?

bluehex · Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 5:40 pm Post subject:

Unless you are very petite or have very little to lose, you are eating very little - are you sure you are getting enough calories to cover your BMR?

Also, you could add a bit more veggies - you should aim for approx. 20 g carbs a day; less is NOT better.

Amber_Baby · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:15 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the advice, I'm neither petite or with little to lose so I have taken it on board and am trying to eat more as well as include more vegetables. Thanks again Very Happy

molley · Senior Member Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 841 Location: VT

are you drinking your water??

also, whatàs a peperami?

Amber_Baby · Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 2:52 pm Post subject:

Yeah I'm drinking two and a half litres of water a day and not much else ie: no coffee, fizzy etc. I don't know what that is in ounces (I'm British) but I know it's plenty. A peperami is a sugarless precooked snack sausage & it has just 0.6g of carbs in each one.

Padavali · New Member Joined: 30 Dec 2007 Posts: 9 Location: MN

I am new to this forum, I hope it is okay that I jump in and ask a few questions on this post...

First, what is the BMR?
and I thought that you didn't want to exceed 20 g carbs, and that if you could do less than that, the better? I am wrong?

I have actually not started yet, plan to start on tuesday so I am still feeling this out...

Thanks!

bluehex · Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:03 am Post subject:

No, less is not better. It should be approximately 20 g and if you are to go off mark, 22 is better than 18.

BMR stands for basal metabolic rate. It's the amount of calories your body burns by just existing - breathing, keeping warm, digestion. In other words, it's the amount you would burn if you just lie in bed all day without moving. You need to eat 200-300 calories above your BMR to lose weight. If you eat below your BMR, your body goes into energy conservation mode, a.k.a. starvation mode. If you search the forum for BMR (search link is on top of the page) you should get plenty of detailed information.

But this is not to be worried about when on Induction - on Induction your main task is to get your body into ketosis (fat burning mode) and to never be hungry. Hunger very effectively prevents weightloss. If you are worried you would pig out and eat thousands of calories - don't be. I mean, you probably WILL pig out, but it will last no more than a few days and you should let it happen. It's a way to "explain" to your body that it will not be starved and that it doesn't need to conserve the energy. After that, your appetite will subside naturally; some people have to remind themselves to eat.

The trick to the whole thing is to realize when you are no longer hungry and to stop eating right at that moment - even if there is only one bite left on your plate! The "clean your plate" thing all our mothers teach us as good manners is in fact a surefire way to kill our natural instincts which keep us from overfeeding... So, whenever you feel slightest hunger, eat a snack. At meals, always eat until completely satisfied, but not a bite beyond that point!

Good luck to you, and keep us posted on your progress!