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How to Carb Count?

M

myagi007

Member
Messages
18
Hi all,

Probably a really easy question to answer but I just want to be sure I'm doing this right. I'm trying to low carb and don't want to accidentally start eating more fat as well as more carbs (recipe for disaster me thinks).

Anyway I think I can work out the carb content of packaged stuff like humous, hams, cereals etc. However let's say I'm cooking and using fresh ingredients so if I'm making creamy cauliflower mash for example. Do I have to measure the amount of Cauliflower I'm using and do I measure it at the raw value or cooked and boiled? I'm using the site below to measure it.

http://www.carbohydrate-counter.org/veg ... er&fg=1100

So which would be the correct carb figure:
Per 100g Serving Size Per Serving
Cauliflower, cooked, boiled, drained, with salt 4.11g flowerets 2.22g
Cauliflower, raw 5.30g floweret 0.69g

Do I really need to weigh my food once I cook it? At the moment I'm aiming to try and eat less than 20 carbs per day and today I've had the following:
B/fast Greek Yoghurt with handful of blueberries
Lunch Salad (lettuce, cherry tomatoes (maybe4 or 5), cucumber, red onion) with Chicken pieces
Hannas Homemade burgers off the LowCarb recipes on this forum with creamy cauliflour mash and 2-3 long stem broccoli pieces and a few green beans (5-8)
I think this is all less than 20g of carbs but is it?

Thanks
Myagi
 
I do my carb counting the lazy way - I use myfitnesspal.com. It does allow for home cooked food as well in it's database. I like the fact that you can see at a glance the breakdown of what you have consumed for the day. I do ignore the carbs it "suggests" for my intake each day as it tends to be more than I can tolerate but it does give a good overall indication.
 
hi Myagi

if i am counting and cooking with fresh ingredients i would weigh and calculate them raw. it is less messy!
 
We calculate everything raw. Be careful some packets give grams of carbs as cooked weights not raw.
 

Me too! I do check against my little gem carb counter now and then to make sure it is the same. One thing I have noticed is that fresh fruit and veg is done on the American system, so you have to deduct the fibre from the carbs. Very easy to do.
 

Have another look at Viv's Modified Atkins Diet and the list of allowed vegetables on there. Cauliflower is allowed, as are broccoli and green beans, and you don't have to count carbs or calories or anything, as long as you stick to no more than 14oz salads and 14oz other veg in a day.

I haven't looked at Hana's recipe for burgers but I doubt if it has many carbs in it!

The whole point of Atkins' Induction Phase is that the counting has been done for you - if you stick to those foods you are on 25g carb per day. It's only when you up your carb intake than you need to start weighing and counting. That's when you need to think about your fat intake too. On the basic diet, just don't worry about fat, as long as it's natural and good quality.

My 'modifications' were the small amounts of cereal, crispbread and oatcakes, to make it easier for my brother. All carbs!

The diet without the crispbread etc is for 25g carb per day. If you want to stick to 20g, eat a few less veg. Check those in a carb counter book - if I remember rightly it's the tomatos and onions that have the most carbs - still very small quantities - but they're included because they have valuable vitamins etc.

Don't worry! you'll be fine.

Viv 8)
 
Hi Viv,

Just so I'm sure I understand I can eat up to 14oz salads and 14oz other vegetables (in the list on Vivs modified atkins diet)?

A quick question but my doctor has also prescribed me an Astorvastatin, has anyone ever done this diet whilst taking a statin to reduce Cholesteral / Triglicerides?

On a seperate note I downloaded the myfitnesspal app to my iphone a while ago but never got round to using it, tried it today and it gave a pretty good reading of what I was eating carb content etc so will maybe use that when I start needing to count. It's definitely easier to measure raw veg lol

Thanks

Myagi
 
Hi Myagi

Yes, you can eat that amount of veg from the list on the Modified Atkins post. In practice it's quite hard - there's an awful lot of salad in 14 ozs :lol: . But if you go for anything that isn't on the list, check how many carbs it has. Note there are no pulses on there at this stage, not even fresh peas! They come in later, and need to be counted, but are very good to use whan you want to go to a higher carb intake.

I do eat a few carrots, but watch the carbs.

As for Atkins with statins, the only problem you might have is that your cholesterol could drop faster than expected. Not that your doctor will consider that a problem . My blood lipid profile is much better when I'm following this diet, particularly my triglycerides. Don't worry about it - as far as I know ultra-low cholesterol has no immediate side effects - no idea about long term. I know some HCPs prefer us in the 3s or even lower, but I'm quite happy with mine in the low 5s.

The only thing I would suggest is that you make sure you get your results - I get a full print-out when I'm tested (every 3 months) so I can keep an eye on how things are progressing myself. Also ask your doctor if he would kindly talk you through them so that you know what they all mean, and review your statin dose if your cholesterol drops satisfactorily.

Then let us know so we can cheer .

Viv 8)
 
Hello

I don't really count carbs; I just tend toward avoiding them as much as possible. Beige food including potato and cereals, is just about forbidden and pulses kept at low quantities. Green veg, most fruit, and tomatoes, peppers, etc in moderate quantities and fish and white meat as main protein sources. I include some cheese and small amounts of red meat, and have two boiled eggs for breakfast each day. Of course until recently eggs were a problem food but now acknowledged as good and with the current choletsreol level at 4.1they don't appear to influence that in my case.

Essentially the trick is to find what works for your system and stick with it. Low carb has been enlightening for me and has achieved everything that the medical professionals couldn't. BGL down in six months from 29 or 30 to an average of 7.2 and insulin reduced by over 50% per day. Weight reducing and new energy means that I feel well for the first time in fifteen years.

Good luck.
 
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