12-15 carb from veg/salad

[Dace]

Hei!

This might be a stupid question, but I still don't understand how it is possible to take 12-15 carb from veggies if I can eat only 3 cups veg/salad a day?

[Tril]

12-15 net grams carb from approved veggies is from a more recent version of the diet. The 3 cups "rule" is from the original book.

[Dace]

I began to mix salads with vegetables etc. so I'm using 12-15 carb from 3 cups, but other thing.... I just can't eat so much, so I am eating 16-18 carb a day, is it ok? Sometimes i don't feel hungry at all, do I have to eat if i don't want to?

[FlorayG]

You can't have too FEW carbs so it's OK if you don't want them. Some days I eat none at all. And yes, very important, don't force yourself to eat if you're not hungry. I found this happened to me - now I only eat 2 meals a day instead of 3 and never feel hungry. It's one of the ways this diet works - fat fills you up for much longer than do carbs so you are much less inclined to be hungry. But remember also to always eat if you ARE hungry, starving yourself causes your body to store what fat it has.

[Tril]

The vegetables provide nutrition and fiber. Both important for health. If you're not hungry and you find it difficult to eat 12ng from veggies, eat a higher carb veggie instead of the high volume, low carbs ones like lettuces. Go for the darkest veggies for the best nutrition. You asked if you "have to" eat more carbs. No, what you eat is up to you. It's always your choice. If your question meant, "Do I have to eat the 12 to 15ng on Atkins?" then the answer is yes. The vegetables (along with exercise) are not negotiable. They are the plan. It really doesn't take much to hit the 15ng mark...

Here's an example....

1 broiled tomato dusted with parmesan cheese and fresh basil with your eggs at breakfast, 4.3
1/2 cup onion sauteed in butter and garlic to top a burger at lunch, 4.6 + 0.9
1/2 cup brussel sprouts with chicken at dinner, 4.8

Total net carbs... 14.6.

[Dace]

So then that means that it doesn't matter how much cups I'm useing per day, important is 12-15 carbs from vegg/salads per day? If so, then I am happy

[GuyK]

Yes, exactly. If you go to the Atkins website (or to the top of this forum, I believe) you can find the list of induction foods. Mix and match the 12-15ng carbs from vegetables however you want.

If you find that your "digestive health" is paying a price (with constipation), then you may wish to up the fibrous, leafy-green vegetables for awhile, while increasing water intake. That will help "move things along" so to speak.

If you keep a food journal to track what you've been eating, it might be easier to figure out what is working for you and what isn't.

[Dace]

Everything is ok with me, I have lost my 5 kg, i am happy, but the thing was that 3 cups with lettuce and vegetables was too much for me, I mean portion.

[janlite]

I'm curious about accumulating foundation carbs.

In your response to Dace, you gave the example of tomato and cheese for breakfast, onions on a burger at lunch and brussels sprouts with chicken at dinner - BINGO, your 12-15 veggie NCs are used up.

I like cucumber and snap peas and red pepper and celery as options for snacks and typically (before Induction) I would have about a cup or more of healthy steamed NC dense veggies at dinner time.

On Induction, I'm finding that the veggie NCs add up too fast. Am I right in understanding that moderation in all things is better - even in Induction - and I should be having at least one good salad a day then accumulate more dense veg for variety and health across the rest of the day?