Okay, VERY bare bones of Low Carbing - cut out sugar, wheat, potatoes and rice. There's a helluvalot more to it than that, but if you're at the point of asking "how much sugar is allowed" then, um, the answer is - none. Pretty much. Certainly when you're starting to reprogram your metabolism away from being carb-dependent and get it into fat-burning instead. (Much much further down the road you get to introduce a lot of things back into your eating plan, but to start with, you're supposed to crank up the proteins and fats and cut out carbs as much as you possibly can.)
With Atkins, you start out limiting yourself to 20 grams of carbs a day - and those carbs come in the form of green leafy vegetables. (Even fruit is a no-no in the first two weeks, consisting as it does of mostly water and sugar; however, thereafter you can reintroduce berries and melons if you like.) After the initial 2 weeks you can gradually increase your carb intake, but it's still supposed to stay pretty low - exactly what level of carbs YOUR body can process whilst still losing weight will vary from individual to individual.
Sarae, you need to buy or borrow Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution, or else The South Beach Diet to understand what Low Carbing is about, how it works and what it consists of - and then you can make informed choices about how you want to tackle it yourself. (And I do think that Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories is well worth reading too.)
...But trying to do Low Carb by guesswork is going to be a pain in the *** for you, love!
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Very well said Faye!
Sara, the purpose of Induction is to "bust sugar & other food addictions". Basically, Induction is meats, veggies, salads, eggs, cheese. Real, whole, unprocessed foods.
At best, all those "low carb treats"....the dreamfields pasta, the lc tortilla's, the "sugar-free" candies, should all be avoided until you are well into the maintenance phase of Atkins and even then, they should only be an occasional indulgence.
I agree with Faye, reading Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution is a must BEFORE attempting to do Atkins. Understand how & why this way of eating works. Taubes book Good Calories, Bad Calories is also an excellent read on the low carb lifestyle
Thank guys. I have read the book. I just need someone to tell me this food or that food is ok. Dr. Atkins list many foods but he doesn't list them all. My book says absolutely no peas while the website says I can have them in moderation. I just want to do it right.
Location: NW New Jersey But, My Heart's In Pittsburgh!! GO STEELERS & PENGUINS!!!
Posts: 3,060
S/C/G: 245/143/145
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarae878
Thank guys. I have read the book. I just need someone to tell me this food or that food is ok. Dr. Atkins list many foods but he doesn't list them all. My book says absolutely no peas while the website says I can have them in moderation. I just want to do it right.
First rule of Atkins....DO NOT GO BY THE ATKINS WEBSITE!! For that matter, I would not bother with any of the newer Atkins books either. Anything prior to the good Dr's death is what you need to be concentrating on....anything after, in my honest opinion, is useless. Its "Atkins Nutritionals" and their quest to make $$$. Contrary to what they are preaching on that site about Atkins bars & shakes being "appropriate for Induction"...Dr. Atkins NEVER said that! Read your book and you will see, Dr. Atkins said those items were meant for emergencies when low carb foods were not available. As for peas...they are a starchy veggie that contains sugar and need to be avoided until the Pre-Maintenance phase of Atkins.
Last edited by JerseyGyrl; 02-27-2008 at 10:53 AM.
Sugar Question
