for Christie; Atkins

[Guest guest]

hi Christie,

do you think i could include raw kefir and yogurt in an Atkins program or

do you think they have too much lactose to work?

i don't think raw milk can be consumed doing Atkins. which is fine by

me since i can't tolerate it anyway.

but i don't know how much lactose remains in kefir and yogurt. maybe too

much to do Atkins?

thanks.

laura

Every single time I got hungry, I would eat, usually some raw cheese. A

friend doing Atkins taught me that trick. Even when I " wanted " something

else, the cheese settled the cravings right down. Atkins is not about

being

hungry, it's about NOT being hungry, that's a large part of what makes it

different!

Christie

[Guest guest]

>> do you think i could include raw kefir and yogurt in an Atkins program or

do you think they have too much lactose to work? <<

They aren't able to be included in the earliest stages, but can be added

back in later as you near or reach goal weight. Atkins has a thing called

the " Carbohydrate Ladder " that you use to add various foods back in as you

get closer to your goal.

What you can add back in all depends on your own individual metabolism and

how many grams of carbohydrate you can consume without triggering cravings

and stalling weight loss, or re-gaining weight. Atkins spells out in great

detail how to calculate this number for yourself individually. Many men and

some women, especially young, active women, can maintain their weight, or

even lose, eating 100-150 grams of carbs a day (not just ANY carbs, but

" allowed " carbs - no " whites " etc, and not counting fiber), while some find

they will stop losing if they get anywhere near 50 or even lower. I myself

lose best if I stay between 30-35 grams of carbs a day (not counting fiber).

I don't know what my maintenance level will be.

So there is no one size fits all answer to this, as Atkins is a highly

individualized plan. You would start on induction, which lasts two weeks and

is very controlled and not at all indvidualized, but then you'd go onto what

is called " Ongoing Weight Loss, " and that is when you would start adding

foods back in, following the " Carbohydrate Ladder, " and see what level of

carbs you would need to stay at to lose weight, and which foods you could or

could not include in your diet. It is during this phase that I think the

real value of Atkins for those of us who have suffered from damaged

metabolisms and eating disorders really is apparent, because WE have to do

this calculation, WE have to see what works for us, WE have to learn how we

react to certain foods and ways of eating, and then WE have to continue

adapting as our bodies and metabolisms change and heal.

The plan gives you an outline and rules to follow to figure this out, so

you're not just tossed into the river to see if you can swim, but the

ultimate responsibility is ours. And I really like that. It teaches you how

to eat, how to add foods and carbs, how to be patient and aware.... all

things we need to know for the rest of our lives! There are many ways to

lose weight, but what happens once you get to your goal if you didn't learn

how to eat and to understand your own body on your way to that goal?

Christie

[Guest guest]

>> What counts as " fiber " and thus is free? <<

I don't quite understand this question. Fiber is fiber... nothing " counts

as " fiber, it just is.

For example, a cup of green beans has 9.8 grams of carbohydrate, of which 4

grams are fiber, so when determining your carb level, you'd count it as 5.8

grams of carbohydrate.

I eat around 20-25 grams of fiber a day in addition to the 30-35 grams of

carbohydrate I eat.

Christie

[Guest guest]

***...i don't know how much lactose remains in kefir and yogurt. maybe too

much to do Atkins?***

Even if you don't know how much is in it, you can test for yourself if it works

for you. When you get to the bit where you start increasing the levels of carbs

(5 grams at a time) to find what level you can get up to and keep losing weight,

then add the kefir and yoghurt for a while and see if they are a problem. If

they aren't, great. If you find they cause you to stop losing or even gain,

maybe there's something else you're having by then that isn't as healthy that

could be replaced by them and thereby keep you under your threshold.

Cheers,

Tas'.

[Guest guest]

....What counts as " fiber " and thus is free?...

Fibre (fiber) is an undigestible form of carb. It is highest in the skin of a

vegetable or grain, so veggies that haven't been peeled and wholemeal/wholegrain

products have lots of fibre, whereas white flour, peeled potatoes, etc., don't.

On packaged foods, look at the nutrition panel. It should have a figure for

carbs (it might say 'total carbs') and one for fibre. In the US, you subtract

the figure for fibre from the carb figure to find out the amount of effective

carbs. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand it has already been done - the carb

figure is actually total carbs minus the fibre.

Cheers,

Tas'.

[Guest guest]

Tas, good answer. i'm going to keep this post. thanks.

laura

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 15:10:33 +1000 " "

<sand8013@...> writes:

***...i don't know how much lactose remains in kefir and yogurt. maybe

too

much to do Atkins?***

Even if you don't know how much is in it, you can test for yourself if it

works for you. When you get to the bit where you start increasing the

levels of carbs (5 grams at a time) to find what level you can get up to

and keep losing weight, then add the kefir and yoghurt for a while and

see if they are a problem. If they aren't, great. If you find they cause

you to stop losing or even gain, maybe there's something else you're

having by then that isn't as healthy that could be replaced by them and

thereby keep you under your threshold.

Cheers,

Tas'.