I've been holding out on you. There's a wonderful new change to the Atkins' diet since I first tried it nearly 10 years ago!
It's called "net carbs." Basically, what Atkins decided/discovered/whatever before he died recently, was that you could get by with 20g of NET carbs per day.
What's a "net" carb? Any carb your body wants to absorb and use. What does NOT count? (i.e. you get a free pass on, don't have to count it towards your 20g/day, you get to cheat a bit) In a word. God's Fiber.
Yep, fiber, much misaligned for its gastrointestinal workings, this is actually your friend.
So, if you pick up any Atkins' bars or products, you'll see "net carbs" which means that if there's 5 total carbs and there are 3 grams of Fiber, then the Net Carbs total is 2, so you only have to count 2 towards your 20g that day!
There's another derivation to "Net Carbs" designed for the men on this diet — alcohol. Now with beer, you're still hosed, unless you're willing to puke up Michelob Ultra the next morning. Better yet, try Coors' Aspen Edge, it's actually decent, much better than Coors Light if that's a proper sentence.
However, the secret is to go with liquor that has decently low carbs (I did this a bit my first Atkins' go around in 1997, before Atkins "Okayed" it). Scotch, whiskey, diet-coke and Jack, that type of stuff is low carb, and if you drink good scotch straight up you'll drink slowly, trust me. So, that's a way to get around that problem. Problem? I don't have a problem... :-)
Atkins' recommends, during the induction phase, no caffeine (fuck that, ahem) and limited alcohol (that's up to you). I ignored both with no problem results, although I did switch to wine after a while and found that could reduce my weight loss, finding 1 glass of dry red to be okay at night.
Here's the comment on these things, which seems to fit, from a
low-carb F.A.Q. I saw online.
Still, less alcohol means less calories and less carbs so it means greater weight loss. So there. Feel free to skip a few drinks perhaps. Worked for me.
Finally, let me point out that at places like Carl's Jr. you can now get a big lettuce-wrapped burger for the low-carb lifestyle. How cool is that? I hate fast food, but dang that's convenient. Perhaps try Subway's low-carb wraps. I haven't, but they could be good!
Another carb cheat used by low-carb food makers: Maltitol, sucralose and all these strange sugar things that aren't sugar. They don't count, but look at the label to tell you which ones. It's not natural I tell ya, not natural at all.
One final "new find" for this diet: low-carb tortillas. In the 5-7g net carb range per tortilla, I can
And a note about that 20g of carbs limit in the induction phase forcing the body into ketosis and weight loss.
Ultimately, it depends on each person's reaction to the low carbs, but Atkins' book basically says that some people could probably get away with 30 carbs, whereas some others have to go as low as 10g or less per day to get that weight-loss trigger started. I found that 20 per day for me worked well, but you'll have to take it as it goes and see how strict you need to be. Start ultra strict and take it from there.
My Atkins' Tip Series
Atkins Diary I: why
Atkins Diary II: the menu
Atkins Diary III: Diet Secrets
Atkins Diary IV: More Secrets!
Atkins Diary V: Cartoon
Atkins Diary VI: Mental Game
Atkins Diary VII: The Lighter side (humor)
Vitamin Supplements
Atkins Diary VIII: Final Tips
Atkins: Followup
By the way, it's now March 2005... and I've kept off the weight, so that's good. As I've said, I usually just need a jumpstart back into better eating and exercise habits and Atkins did exactly what I'd hoped.
Posted by BilFish at August 10, 2004 07:05 AM