Minimum amount of carbs a day?

  •   #1  
    Zoseph's AvatarZoseph , 07-23-2011 07:20 PM
    Today is my first day on Atkins, and I've been doing well in terms of eating only the Induction foods, but I've eaten way fewer carbs than the maximum recommended of 20. It's after 7 pm and I'm only at 14, most of which did come from veggies, which is good. I'm not hungry, but I'll eat some more if I do get hungry in the next hour or so. My question is this: Is there a minimum amount of carbs I should consume on a low carb diet?
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  •   #2  
    JerseyGyrl's AvatarJerseyGyrl , 07-24-2011 09:50 PM
    The Induction phase of Atkins is 20 net carbs a day with 12-15 of those carbs coming from veggies & salads on the acceptable foods list.
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  •   #3  
    Zoseph's AvatarZoseph , 07-25-2011 01:19 PM
    Right, I knew that, but I thought that was a limit not to be exceeded, not the exact amount of carbohydrates one needed to consume every day.
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  •   #4  
    abluvion's Avatarabluvion , 07-25-2011 02:38 PM
    When I was on induction I couldn't for the life of me get to 20g, and I ate more vegetables than Atkins advised. I didn't stress about it. With the OWL rungs as they came, I added carbs in 10g increments from my average intake while on induction. So my avg was 13g, and on the first rung of OWL I jumped to 23g. Hope that helps some. You definitely don't need to shoot for eating 20g exactly.
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  •   #5  
    one small bowl's Avatarone small bowl , 07-25-2011 05:22 PM
    No, there isn't a minimum number of carbs to eat. You can eat 0 if you consume nothing else but muscle meats and pure fats and water. Those are the only foods with no carbs. All else (even those with zero listed for one serving) have carbs. As for induction on Atkins, the recommendation for a net 20g is to allow for the veggies and cheese, eggs, etc.
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  •   #6  
    Zoseph's AvatarZoseph , 07-25-2011 11:43 PM
    Thank you! I was worried I might be undereating, but it sounds like my habits so far are fine.
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  •   #7  
    readytobea10's Avatarreadytobea10 , 07-26-2011 12:07 AM
    Hi all! i am new to Atkins also. I have about 60 pounds to lose and i have tried everything with no success. I'm starting college next month as a 42 year old Junior working on my BBA and I would love to lose 20 pounds before then. I was wondering if anyone on this thread has had this kind of success and if not what is a realistic goal if I follow induction to the letter?
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  •   #8  
    JerseyGyrl's AvatarJerseyGyrl , 07-26-2011 06:24 AM
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by readytobea10
    Hi all! i am new to Atkins also. I have about 60 pounds to lose and i have tried everything with no success. I'm starting college next month as a 42 year old Junior working on my BBA and I would love to lose 20 pounds before then. I was wondering if anyone on this thread has had this kind of success and if not what is a realistic goal if I follow induction to the letter?
    Everyone is different, so its difficult to say if you will lose 20 lbs by next month. Keep in mind your rate of weight loss depends on a lot of factors...your age, your sex (its a well known fact women lose weight slower than men), your metabolism, the amount of exercise you do, etc., etc., etc.
    Basing your goal on a number often leads to disappointment. Following the plan (be it Atkins or any other plan) the way it was written and being willing to do it for the rest of your life is the key to successful, permanant weight loss.
    All the best to you!
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  •   #9  
    JerseyGyrl's AvatarJerseyGyrl , 07-26-2011 06:28 AM
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Zoseph
    Right, I knew that, but I thought that was a limit not to be exceeded, not the exact amount of carbohydrates one needed to consume every day.
    That is correct. The emphasis should be on veggies & salads from the acceptable foods list and of course, plenty of fat.
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  •   #10  
    Zoseph's AvatarZoseph , 07-26-2011 03:29 PM
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by readytobea10
    I was wondering if anyone on this thread has had this kind of success and if not what is a realistic goal if I follow induction to the letter?
    Well this is only my 4th day doing Induction, but I've been following it exactly (but consuming about 15 grams of carbohydrates total rather than 20) and I've lost a pound a day so far. I don't know if it will continue as 1 lb a day for the rest of Induction, but 14-15 pounds over these next two weeks seems completely doable.
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