I did IP for 3 months and lost 30 pounds, loved it but could NOT afford it anymore. I have been on a 7 week break that was supposed to be 2 weeks and am ready to start up low-carb dieting again, this time on Atkins.

I have not read ANY books - I am just going by Internet research, so bare with me!

One of the hardest parts of Ideal Protein for me was eating 4 cups of "select veggies" a day. So now on Atkins, seeing as I have to eat 12-15 carbs of veggies a day, I am already a little worried as that seems like a lot. Then I had this thought in my head, and realized I sound crazy trying to start a diet and "manipulate" things. But maybe I'm not manipulating?

Green beans are one of my fav. veggies. I also see they are one of the highest carb count veggie on the list. Tomatoes also. Sooo what if I just stick to eating primarily high carb count veggies to make sure I get all my veggie carbs in? Is that technically cheating/manipulating?

I'm just worried that if I try incorporating a variety of veggies, or eating salad everyday, I will not eat enough veggie carbs. What are your thoughts on this?

12-15 carbs of veg for the day isn't really a lot... if you are wondering what the carb count etc of your veggie choices are go to nutritiondata.self.com and plug them in. You might have to switch up your veg for a while because the more you cheat on carbs, the less likely your diet (IP or Atkins) will work. I like the IP because it also focuses on lower fat protein choices which Atkins did not. A healthier way to start. You can do it with other low carb products instead of the actual IP products. I like the Curves protein bars as they are high in protein but one of the lowest in carbs for a tasty chewy treat. Yogurt Berry Bliss and Double Chocolate Craze - don't buy the 'snack bar' get the meal bar. I also switch it up with Vega One Tropic Tango Protein smoothie powder - it's vegan, very low in sugars, has 15 g protein and only 90 cal. I also try to use a lot of eggs & whites if possible. They are cheap, low fat, and great protein sources.

If you get on the IP threads there are a lot of people doing it themselves using alternative products and everyone is a great help.

Liana

My challenge on strict low carb is always not OVEREATING the veggies, so I'm not sure I can really help.

Green beans are a good choice, as are tomatoes. Different Atkins plans (from different editions of the book) have some variations in veggies - from very little at all (1972) to a real requirement (NANY).

If you're just planning to do internet research and make your own rules anyway, I'd say pick something you can live with. If you decide now or later to follow a plan, you can always adjust.

The only thing is that I'd caution you to keep to the limits on how much cheese and cream you allow yourself, and avoid the bars, shakes and other processed foods. If most of your carbs come from stuff like that you probably won't feel very good, and you might not lose well.

Thank you both! Last night I was cutting up veggies to bring to work as snacks and the amt. of celery I cut, which was a good snack amount, was only 2 carbs. It kind of freaked me out thinking how many of those amounts I'd need to eat of veggies in order to get the 12-18 veggie carbs, which is when I noticed that other veggies do have higher carbs. I typically ONLY eat veggies at dinner time and surprisingly, I think eating the additional veggies is a harder adjustment than cutting out carbs! lol