I have the protein part down pat, but what is the recommended amount of carbs and calories per day ???

I'm with you I got the protein (65-80g) thing down to what is reccommended and the calories (600) but the carb thing is still kinda a mystery...I just stay away from them...but I know we need a few to keep our energy level stable...

I have been looking online and it seems to me that the breakdown of "recommended" is:

Calories 600-800 calories/day

Protein 65-80 grams/day

40 g carbohydrates/day

30 gm Fat/day

Water not with food ! 64oz/day

Someone please let me know if this is about accurate .... thanks

Danielle, that sounds pretty accurate, although some people are more carb-tolerant than others. I don't worry too much about my carbs and tend to get more than 40 a day. While I don't necessarily try to keep my carbs low, I would say in general that both my carbs and fat grams stay below about 50 per day, my calories are between 900-1100 day, and I try to get at least 75 grams of protein. I'm 8 months out.

Danielle, that sounds pretty accurate, although some people are more carb-tolerant than others. I don't worry too much about my carbs and tend to get more than 40 a day. While I don't necessarily try to keep my carbs low, I would say in general that both my carbs and fat grams stay below about 50 per day, my calories are between 900-1100 day, and I try to get at least 75 grams of Protein. I'm 8 months out.

And, you have lost lots of weight so I like your guidelines -

I know carbs are suppose to be under 50!

Thank you Indymom. I am struggling with what to eat everyday. I don't have a routine for eating and I return to work tomorrow...I'm a little worried....any advice for packing ;lunches ?

Sorry I've had a crazy week! When I take my lunch (remember I'm 8 months out) I usually take about 3 oz of meat Protein (usually leftover chicken breast); 1 oz 2% cheese chunks; and then I have some "filler" like sliced cucumbers, a few wheat thins or cheez-its, maybe some fruit. I also will take leftovers if it's something that is easy to reheat like chili, taco meat, etc. One of my favorites is leftover taco meat with shredded cheese, reduced-fat sour cream, salsa, etc. (with sometimes a few tortilla chips).

If I buy lunch at work I do a very small salad from the salad bar and load it with protein like hard-boiled egg (I try to get mostly egg-white and less yolk), shredded chicken or diced ham, sometimes a bit of bacon if I'm feeling a little decadent. The only thing that sucks is the dressing choices because I like homemade vinaigrette dressings and the salad bar dressings are generally terrible. I might do a drizzle of ranch or italian.

Carbs vary by person, though! It's very personal and your best bet is to find a guideline and as you continue to progress add more in until you hit that point where you realize it causes a slowdown or a stall. Surprisingly, contrary to what I believed prior to surgery, the more carbs I added into my diet the better I felt and it had ZERO effect on my loss. I lost at the same slow rate the entire time.

I suggest NOT shaving carbs down to the bare minimum unless you find it's necessary for your body. I say this because in maintenance, you NEED carbs again. Slowly introducing them throughout the losing phase is easier than learning it all on the fly while also trying to maintain!

I started out with low, low carbs but by the end could comfortably eat about 60-70 grams per day and still see the same losses on the scale. In maintenance I'm eating 120+ grams a day and easily maintaining.

Low carbing makes many of us irritable and tired. I think it also adds to that feeling of deprivation that causes two issues: one, sneak snacking and two, the expectation that since we're denying ourselves, we'll see results on the scale every single day.

Just my two cents, but I recommend starting in the 40-50 range and upping it slowly until you find what works best for YOU.

~Cheri

I agree 100% with Cheri.

I have days now that I sometimes hit 100+ carbs - and I'm not in maintenance yet. It doesn't happen too often, but also doesn't seem to be impacting my weight loss. I'm still losing 1-2 lbs/week which I am thrilled with . . . it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Does anyone know the max. sodium content you want in a day?

I go by the sodium recommendations on My Fitness Pal (but sometimes I go over). I notice generally that if I exceed my sodium recommendations for more than a day or two in a row (and if I don't drink enough water) it reflects negatively on my weight loss.

Carbs vary by person, though! It's very personal and your best bet is to find a guideline and as you continue to progress add more in until you hit that point where you realize it causes a slowdown or a stall. Surprisingly, contrary to what I believed prior to surgery, the more carbs I added into my diet the better I felt and it had ZERO effect on my loss. I lost at the same slow rate the entire time.

Cheri is right on this one. My NUT is recommending to me a 2:1 ratio of Proteins to carbs at the minimum to help keep my energy levels up. I can tell you right now that when I was doing the no carbs I felt like poop and I was cranky. Not a fun person to be around. Now that I'm getting in some carbs I am feeling better even though my energy levels are still pretty low. Also, I'm still losing so I can't complain.

How are you all reacting to grains? Brown rice? Quinoa? Barley? Etc?

How are you all reacting to grains? Brown rice? Quinoa? Barley? Etc?

The only grains I've managed to consume is wheat bread and at six weeks out I don't have much of a problem with it as long as it's toasted. I've been trying to get my carbs through fruits and veggies instead.

For those that are interested, on the official Atkins website they have a comprehensive food list indicating full nutritional information including Carbs/Fiber/Net Carbs that can be used for meal planning. I find this to be helpful in meal planning and of course their regular guidelines are on the last pages for each stage. I never thought I might have to use this info as a basis for contined weight loss, but I could tell that with the higher carbs, MY body was losing very slowly or stalling out. So whatever resources are there for me to use, it can only help me. Right now I'm trying to stay between 40-50 grams of carbs to see if that helps my weight loss. I see the NUT next Monday and will ask if I also need to increase calories. I'm losing slowly at 800 calories/ 80-90 grams of protein, 64+oz of fluids.