I am trying to go low carb.. advice..?

I know to cut out the obvious, breads, pasta, potato, rice, etc

But I know normal foods have carbs in them, I can't avoid that.

How much carb is a lot of carb???

For example, my tomato soup today at lunch had 24g of carbs ... is this a lot? not a lot? I have NO CLUE!!! (ps, the soup is fat free )

Is there an estimate for how many carbs to eat a day, etc?

The key is to have carbohydrates, protein and fat in every meal. You now have to watch your ratio. 24 grams is ok for carbs. But don't just eat that soup. Have some protein as well. If your protein is fat free too, then I would have a hand full of nuts soon after.

I would have 10-15gr of carbs for a snack portion, and 15-24 for a 'lunch' or dinner' sized meal. It really depends on what else you are eating.

well with that I had a small can of tuna in water, with a small spoonful of light mayo (5g fat).

this is so hard for me, I have never dieted before.. always ate what I wanted, but when I quit smoking my metabolism slowed WAY down!!

I am learning to pay attention to my food for the first time.

I eat low carb... tomatoes and carrots and onions have more carbs than other veggies- so I would stay away from them for now... or eat them in moderation- things that I eat are and always have on hand:


hard boiled eggs
egg salad
tuna salad
chicken salad (all home made- and I eat with regular mayo or light mayo- not fat free- that stuff is rank)

Cantelope (these fruits do not have as much sugar and therefore do not spike your insulin as much)
Watermelon
Strawberries
Blueberries

hard cheeses- but eat in moderation

string beans
asparagus
broccoli

all sorts of protein...

High Fiber Wasa Crackers

- here's a tip- to get accurate effective carb count subtract amount of fiber from carbs- these are the net effective carbs.

I would suggest visting the Atkins website:
www.atkinscenter.com. It will let you know all you need to know about low carb.
p.s. I work for Atkins! So if you have any questions after visting the site FM me and let me know. I will be glad to help in any way.

Sassyz I sent you a FM

My FH and I have been doing Atkins since Feb and FH has lost 44lbs and I've lost 30. It is the easiest diet out there.

The Atkins website is amazing, it seems like such a helpful and caring organization. I bet you love you job soon2bmrs2004.

I love all of the Atkins products, the cereal flakes are really good!

Marcia