I originally posted this under a thread for a low carb bread:

I have a question regarding eating bread during induction. If your bread is not loaded with sugar and you're staying under 20 carbs..does it really matter if you eat bread? Seems to me that what matters most is eating your veggies, drinking your water, ridding yourself of your sugar/carb cravings and staying under 20 carbs. If anyone would like to comment, please do. As a side note, Country Kitchen light wheat bread is the bread I was always eating before I started this woe and I was pleased to know that it contains 6g net carbs a slice...I don't know if anyone else has this bread in their area, but it's worth trying...not a low carb bread just a bread naturally low in carbs.

I suppose my real question is what really matters? What you eat? (outside of the fact that we eat our veggies and drink tons of water while avoiding carbs) or that you stay under the maxiumum 20g of carbs per day? It becomes a little confusing. If something is naturally low carb and fits within your carb range for the day can it still be "bad" to eat?

Atkins since 1/22/03
165/160/135
Have faith and pursue that unknown end - Oliver Wendell Holmes.

GhstGrl,

The purpose of induction is to kick carb cravings, and detox the body. I think that if you want maximim benefit and health, you should do what Dr. Atkins recommends, and follow his instructions.

It makes a huge difference where our carbs come from. You are, during induction, training your body and yourself to not crave carbs, and to get the bulk of allowed carbs from healthy sources, like veggies. If you are getting nearly a third of your daily carbs from bread, you've got to be short-changing your veggie intake, right?

It's only two weeks out of your life, and an important step in your lc journey. You can add lc bread in later, but I think it's wise to trust that the good Doc knew what he was doing, and wait.

Trina

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
- Craig Claiborne

My take on this woe is that it's a wol if you do it the right way. And if you're talking about the rest of your life what's 2 weeks without bread? I didn't eat bread during induction because I figured that if I don't follow the plan as laid out by Dr. Atkins, then my point of origin is skewed and when I go to modify it to suit my own body I may end up terribly off course. The other (better?) reason is you should be filling those carb gaps with fresh veggies. I had no trouble reaching 20 net carbs a day when I was on induction. There are little carbs like cheese and eggs and cream that add up by the end of the day. This is your woe and you can do what you choose.
IMHO I don't think it's a good idea.

Rob
310/230.5/180

Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.

LOL, Rob, do I hear an echo?

Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.
And cooking done with care is an act of love.
- Craig Claiborne

If you're following Atkins, you have a list of allowed foods during induction.
If it's not on the list, you're not supposed to eat it.

Induction is about more than just trying to eat less than 20 carbs a day. There's a purpose to it. Here's what DANDR says: <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> <UL TYPE=SQUARE><LI>Efficiently switch your body from a carbohydrate-burning metabolism to a primarily fat-burning (your fat!) metabolism.
<LI>Stabilize your blood sugar and abruptly halt a myriad of symptoms indicative of unstable blood sugar, such as fatigue, mood swings, brain fog and an inability to function at your best.
<LI>Curb your cravings by stabilizing your blood sugar.
<LI>Break addictions to foods such as sugar, wheat or corn derivatives, alcohol, caffeine, grain or any other food. For people addicted to sugary, high-carb or high-glycemic foods—just as for alcoholics—moderation simply does not work.
<LI>Let you experience firsthand the metabolic advantage.
<LI>Demonstrate how much body fat you can burn, while eating liberally, even luxuriously, off the fat of the land[/list]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>



Always eat your veggies first!
LCE member since March 2002

This was my way of thinking...but the question can be confusing..especially when trying to explain it to someone else. Many thanks for your input.

Atkins since 1/22/03
165/160/135
Have faith and pursue that unknown end - Oliver Wendell Holmes.

Here's my concept of the gist of eating low carb, in as few words as I can put it:

Ingest minimal sugar, in whatever form, from whatever source.
Simple as that.

For me, that means the obvious: anything with sugar posted in the ingredients on the package label, anything which I know contains sugar (like donuts, candy, regular pop, et cetera). And then the not-so-obvious: things like starches (potatoes, rices, pastas), bread (or anything else containing white flour) and high glycemic fruits and vegetables.

The whole concept of eating low carb is to control blood insulin levels, and that cannot be done by ingesting sugar. Sure, I could stay at 20 grams of carbs per day even if I ate a handful of M&M's candy (18 grams of carbs), or half a banana (12.5 carbs), or two slices of regular bread (14 grams). But that would be counterproductive because my insulin levels would spike from the sugar they contain and I wouldn't be in ketosis, which is where I wanna be.

So, in answer to your question:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If something is naturally low carb and fits within your carb range for the day can it still be "bad" to eat?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
If it's naturally low in carbs, and not high glycemic, then I say go for it. Think about that, however. Is low carb bread or regular bread naturally low carb? Is it all natural? The only foods that I can think of that are all natural are ones from their purest source...

Just find what works for you, don't make it harder than it is, experiment with cooking and eating different foods, and make a plan that you can live with.

My two cents...

April
352/209/180
Down 143 pounds
29 to go...
http://www.geocities.com/aprilwyatt/beforeandafter

LOL Trina I didn't even reaize until just now.

Rob
310/230.5/180

Me, a skeptic? I trust you have proof.

Thanks April! You're concept of eating low carb is great. It's hard battling with those people who are staying: "you must eat bread...it's at the bottom of the food pyramid." Next time perhaps I'll just hand them my Atkins book...lol. For now..I'll just pretend not to hear them and continue on my woe.

Atkins since 1/22/03
165/160/135
Have faith and pursue that unknown end - Oliver Wendell Holmes.

After the two weeks of induction, if you need to have a piece of bread now and then, go for it, and tell those people that say "you should have bread" - that after you have had these two weeks to clear your system out of the things that you shouldn't eat, you can if you want. I have noticed that a loaf of low carb bread last me a month or more - I rarely eat it and keep it in the fridge so it doesn't go bad so fast.
I might eat 2 slices per week - and usually not together. Yesterday, I had a couple of eggs and bacon for breakfast and made them real runny so I could use a piece of toast to sop it up...Some people can't eat bread after induction, some people can't go back to any of the food they stopped eating - causes stalls, binges, etc. You will have to see what your body can tolerate. I have a package of Choc. Covered Macadamien nuts in my freezer I bought about 4 weeks ago and havn't opened yet, but if I need one, it is there.So...
YMMV, you will have to see what works best for you.

http://www.youravon.com/cnorulak

carolyn in texas
started 8/11/03
327/288/150

A side note about LC breads. Even though they are low in carbs, they still contain ingredients that have a HUGE glycemic impact. They usually have Whole Wheat listed as their first ingredient. That's a read flag for me. I've had LC bread occasionally throughout my LC journey so far. But I am finding that I just don't neeeeeeeeeeed bread anymore. I don't want to undo all the wonderful progress I've made so far. I know that the LC bread will still have a big impact on my insulin levels, regardless of their carb count.

Just my 2 cents.

Barb - 30 lbs gone FOREVER!
www.iwsgroupinc.com - website design and development


Atkins-3/14/03
174/144/135 5'2"
"A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."
Knowledge is POWER

I've decided to permanently remove wheat from my eating. Whole wheat, cracked wheat, white wheat... it's never been good for me, so I'd just as soon do without it.

The only thing I miss about bread is the way it holds a sandwich together. That part I really miss, sometimes. But the taste of low-carb bread is so atrocious that I don't feel any temptation to mess with it. The ones I've tried were terrible, and I suspect any low-carb bread that tastes good is probably suspicious and likely to kill my ketosis. So why mess with it?

**************
"Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights, even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door."

GhstGrl,

While I agree for the most part with what everyone has said so far, I wanted to point out some more information that has not been mentioned. I read in a one of Dr. Atkins' newer books (sorry I don't remember which one as it wasn't mine but a co-worker's) I did notice that the rules for induction were updated to include that no bread was allowed except for Atkins bread which has on 3 net grams of carbs (1/2 of the net carbs of any other low carb bread I've seen to date).

Also, if you go to www.atkins.com every product they sell lists which of the 4 phases of the Atkins Nutritional Approach (ANA) for which it is appropriate. Their bread does list that it is good for all 4 phases, including induction. I can now get Atkins bread at my local grocery store. It is GREAT!!! It really helps me stay on the ANA since I love bread.

Atkins since 2/2/04
205/205/135