Read an Excerpt
Introduction
Are You What You Eat?
You've counted calories; you've counted fat--but
nothing has worked. And now I tell you to count carbohydrate
grams--you may ask, "why?"
I bet that most of you reading this already know
the answer. My best selling book, Dr. Atkins' New Diet
Revolution, describes the diet's four phases, and the
medical and clinical research behind them. Thousands
of people are trying the diet for the first time or coming
back to the only diet that worked for them. They don't
worry about fat grams or calories because they have
discovered the real culprit in weight gain: the carbohydrate.
Carbohydrates Versus Calories and Fat
As Americans have followed calorie-counting and low-fat
diets faithfully, they have become fatter. And not by just
a few pounds. Twenty million more people are obese
today than a decade ago. Every man and woman
is ten pounds, on average, heavier. And for children, the
situation is even worse. Their obesity rates have doubled
during the last ten years. Obviously, counting calories
and fat grams has not worked.
But these statistics are not surprising to me. Along
with our weight, our carbohydrate consumption has
gone way up, too--by 50 grams a day! In my experience,
treating thousands of patients, I have found that as
many as 90 percent of those who are overweight have a
metabolic disorder, not an eating disorder. Once their
metabolism changes, their bodies adjust automatically
to a new method of burning fat. And there is a scientific
tool to alter this metabolic pattern: following the low-carbohydrate,
high-protein diet.
Being overweight--especially to a significant degree--often
represents the identifiable metabolic disorder
called hyperinsulinism. When carbohydrates are consumed,
insulin floods the bloodstream, but the body is
incapable of utilizing it efficiently. You are left with excess
insulin, otherwise known as the fat-producing hormone.
This reaction can be bypassed by decreasing the carbohydrate
intake.
On the Atkins diet, carbohydrates are restricted to a
point at which your own fat is burned as the primary
source of energy. With the absence of carbohydrates to fuel
the body, a signal is sent out to release fat mobilizers.
This burning of stored fat is a natural mechanism of our
bodies. And, if you need to lose weight, restricting carbohydrates
is the easiest, most hunger-free form of dieting.
Add Up the Carbs, Subtract
the Weight
Most of us are unfamiliar with the carbohydrate content
of most foods. We need to re-train our way of thinking
about foods and become aware that carbohydrates can
be found in unlikely places. Because understanding the
carbohydrate content of foods is a difficult task, I have
created this Carbohydrate Gram Counter as a tool for low-carbohydrate
dieting. It will be of immediate help in two
important ways.
First, success on the Atkins diet is dependent on accurately
counting the total carbohydrate grams consumed
each day. You should plan meals and snacks, monitoring
the carbohydrate grams you consume. To do this with
ease, even when dining out, you'll need a handy and
thorough reference guide.
Secondly, the Federal government has established food
labeling laws making it easier to find out carbohydrate
grams of a food. But it can still be difficult to ascertain
the actual carbohydrate gram count of everything you
eat. The count listed on packages is for "serving sizes,"
which may be only a minute part of the whole product
and can, therefore, be misleading. Also, you may find a
label stating "less than one gram" of carbohydrates--but
remember, it may contain as high as 0.99 of a
gram. When added up, these counts can lead you astray,
especially in the Induction Phase of the diet when
carbohydrates are most restricted.
Remember that we have included foods in this book
that are not recommended on the Atkins diet. We have
even included some of the worst carbohydrate culprits,
so you can compare your previous diet to a low-carbohydrate diet.
To ensure that you always have an accurate account
of the carbohydrates you consume, you need a precise
Carbohydrate Gram Counter. It is for you that I have
created this user-friendly tool as an assistant to your
dieting success.
--Robert C. Atkins, M.D.
New York
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
Take this book with you to your grocery store, or use it
to make out your shopping list in advance. Plan your
daily or weekly menu by adding up all the carbohydrate
grams in the foods you plan to eat.
Pick foods with low carbohydrate counts.
High-carbohydrate foods often are made with refined
sugars or starches, which should be avoided. Try to pick
natural foods.
Find low-carbohydrate foods you love for your everyday
eating, and also find the treats you can allow yourself
on a Premaintenance or Lifetime Maintenance Diet.
Fat and protein grams are listed for reference, but on
your low-carb diet, it's the carbohydrate grams that are
most important to count.
Consult your doctor when undertaking serious dieting.
The advice in this book is not intended to be a substitute
for the advice of your personal physician.
For delicious, easy-to-use recipes, plus a summary of
Dr. Atkins' diet plan, see Dr. Atkins' New Diet Cookbook. For
the entire Atkins diet plan, refer to Dr. Atkins' New Diet
Revolution.
RESTRICTING CARBOHYDRATES
ON THE ATKINS DIET
On the 14-day Induction diet, no more than 20 grams
a day are allowed.
While on the Ongoing Weight Loss diet, increase your
daily carbohydrate consumption by 5 grams every week
until you stop losing weight. You have reached your
Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (the maximum
number of carb grams you can eat and still lose weight).
Eat below this level of carb grams until you have come to
within five or ten pounds of your ideal weight.
When starting the Pre-Maintenance diet, you can
add another 10 grams a day, or give yourself a 20 gram
carbohydrate treat two or three times a week. But be
careful--you should continue to lose weight at a very
slow rate.
Your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Maintenance
(the maximum number of carb grams you can eat without
gaining weight) on the Maintenance diet will be tailored
to your own metabolism. Most people's will be
between 40 and 90 grams a day, but people with high
metabolic resistance may find their maintenance level as
low as 25 grams. To maintain your ideal weight, keep
eating at this level of carb grams.
Dr. ATKINS'
NEW
Carbohydrate
Gram Counter
Chapter One
ABBREVIATIONS
AND SYMBOLS
C = cup
dia. = diameter
fl. oz. = fluid ounce
gr = gram
lb. = pound
lg. = large
med. = medium
oz. = ounce
pkt. = packet
sm. = small
sq. = square
t = teaspoon
T = tablespoon
w/ = with
w/o = without
" = inch
< = less than
Dashes [--] denote lack of reliable data for a constituent
believed to be present in a measurable amount.
Nutritive values in parentheses denote estimated
values usually from another form of the food or from a
similar food.
BEANS AND LEGUMES
(Cooked)
Food (Serving) Carbo/gr Protein/gr Fat/gr
Bean dip, Master Choice:
black bean (2T) 6.0 (2.0) 1.0
pinto (2T) 5.0 1.0 1.0
Beans and franks,
canned (1C) 32.1 19.4 18.1
Beans and rice: See Rice
and Beans in Pasta
and Rice
Beans w/pork and
tomato sauce,
canned (1C) 48.5 15.6 6.6
Beans w/tomato sauce,
canned (1C) 58.7 16.1 1.3
Chickpeas or garbanzos (1C) 122.0 41.0 9.6
Chili, canned:
con carne w/beans (1C) 31.1 19.1 15.6
turkey w/beans (1C) 25.0 19.0 3.0
vegetarian w/beans (1C) 38.0 12.0 (12.0)
Cowpeas or black-eyed
peas (1C) 29.9 13.4 1.3
Falafel (1/2 C) 42.0 15.0 4.0
Great Northern (1C) 38.2 14.0 1.1
Hummus tahini (2T) 5.0 2.0 3.0
Lentil pilaf, Near East
dry mix (2 oz.) 37.0 10.0 4.0
Lentils (1C) 38.6 15.6 trace
Lima (1C) 33.7 12.9 0.9
Pea or Navy (1C) 40.3 14.8 1.1
Peas, split (1C) 41.6 16.0 0.6
Pinto (1C) 38.0 14.0 0.8
Red kidney (1C) 39.6 14.4 0.9
Refried beans,
Old El Paso (1/2 C) 17.0 6.0 2.0
Soybeans (1C) 19.4 19.8 10.3
Tofu or soybean curd
(2" cube) 2.9 9.4 5.0