Even though I'm ten months post op, my sleeve is still pretty restricting.  I'm having difficulty eating the quantity of induction vegetables required, even cooked and soft.  Can I substitute non-starchy vegetables which are higher in carbs to get in my 20grms of carbs a day?  What a terrible problem (Lol)!!

Hey there Paul!  Happy New Year!

The Atkins induction phase does not require much in the way of vegetables -- maybe two, three modest servings from this list.   Keep in mind that you may have condiments that might have some carbs.  Here is the "Acceptable Foods" list from the Atkins site:

What You Can Eat in this Phase

Most fish, poultry and meat don't contain carbs so you can feel free to enjoy them, but be sure you're also getting your 12 to 15 grams of net carbs in vegetables as well.

All fish including:

• Flounder
• Herring
• Salmon
• Sardines
• Sole
• Tuna
• Trout

All fowl including:

• Cornish hen
• Chicken
• Duck
• Goose
• Pheasant
• Quail
• Turkey

All shellfish including:

• Clams
• Crabmeat
• Mussels*
• Oysters*
• Shrimp
• Squid

*Oysters and mussels are higher in carbs so limit to about 4 ounces per day.

All meat including:

• Bacon*
• Beef
• Ham*
• Lamb
• Pork
• Veal
• Venison

Some processed meat, bacon, and ham is cured with sugar, which will add to the carb count. Also steer clear of cold cuts and other meats with added nitrates.

Eggs are one of nature's most nutritious creations. That’s why eggs are a staple breakfast in the Atkins Nutritional Approach.

Feel free to get creative with your eggs: Add mushrooms and onions, or even green pepper. Top the dish off with feta cheese or add basil, oregano and other herbs.

Eggs in any style, including:

• Deviled
• Fried
• Hard-boiled
• Omelets
• Poached
• Scrambled
• Soft-boiled

Keep in mind that cheese does contain carbs, about 1 gram per ounce. You may have about 3 to 4 ounces of cheese per day. An ounce is about the size of an individually wrapped slice of American cheese or a 1" cube.

Cheese including:

Type	Serving Size	Grams of net carbs
Blue cheeses	1 oz	0.7
Cheddar	1 oz	0.0
Cow, sheep and goat	1 oz	0.3
Cream cheese	1 oz	0.8
Feta	1 oz	1.2
Gouda	1 oz	0.6
Mozzarella	1 oz	0.6
Parmesan	1 tbs	0.2
Swiss	1 oz	1.0

Vegetables:

You should be eating approximately 12 to 15 grams of net carbs per day in the form of vegetables, which is equivalent to several cups depending on the actual carb content of the veggies you select.

1 cup is roughly the size of a baseball. Measure the following salad vegetables raw.

Vegetable	Serving Size/Prep	grams of net carbs
Alfalfa sprouts	1 cup/raw	0.4
Arugula	½ cup/raw	0.2
Bok choy	1 cup/raw	0.8
Celery	1 stalk	0.8
Chicory greens	½ cup/raw	0.6
Chives	1 tablespoon	0.1
Cucumber	½ cup	1.0
Daikon	½ cup	1.0
Endive	½ cup	0.0
Escarole	½ cup	0.0
Fennel	1 cup	3.6
Jicama	½ cup	2.5
Iceberg lettuce	½ cup	0.1
Mushrooms	½ cup	1.2
Parsley	1 tablespoon	0.1
Peppers	½ cup/raw	2.3
Radicchio	½ cup/raw	0.7
Radishes	10/raw	0.9
Romaine lettuce	½ cup	0.2

 

The following vegetables are slightly higher in carbs than the salad vegetables listed above. They also provide important nutrients and add variety to your daily foods. Make sure you stay within the 12-15 grams of net carbs. Unless otherwise noted, measure these veggies after you cook them.

Vegetable	Serving Size/ Prep	Net Carbs
Artichoke	¼ of medium	4.0
Asparagus	6 spears	2.4
Artichoke hearts	1 canned	1.0
Avocadoes	1 whole (raw)	3.5
Bamboo shoots	1 cup canned	1.1
Broccoli	½ cup	1.6
Broccoli raw	½ cup	1.0
Broccoli rabe	½ cup	1.3
Broccoflower	½ cup	1.4
Brussels sprouts	¼ cup	2.4
Cabbage	½ cup (raw)	2.0
Cauliflower	½ cup (raw)	1.0
Swiss chard	½ cup	1.8
Collard greens	½ cup	4.2
Eggplant	½ cup	1.8
Hearts of palm	1 heart	0.7
Kale	½ cup	2.4
Kohlrabi	½ cup	4.6
Leeks	¼ cup	1.7
Okra	½ cup	2.4
Olives green	5	2.5
Olives black	5	0.7
Onion	¼ cup (raw)	2.8
Pumpkin	¼ cup	2.4
Rhubarb	½ cup (unsweetened)	1.7
Sauerkraut	½ cup (drained)	1.2
Peas	½ cup with pods	3.4
Spaghetti squash	½ cup	2.0
Spinach	½ cup (raw)	0.2
Summer squash	½ cup	2.0
Tomato	1 (raw)	4.3
Turnips	½ cup	2.2
Water chestnuts	½ cup (canned)	6.9
Zucchini	½ cup	2.0

Salad Garnishes
Crumbled bacon	3 slices	0.0
Hard-boiled egg	1 egg	0.0
Grated cheeses	(see above carb counts)
Sautéed mushrooms	½ cup	1.0
Sour cream	2 tbs	1.2
Herbs and Spices (make sure they contain no added sugar)
Basil	1 tbs	0.0
Cayenne pepper	1 tbs	0.0
Cilantro	1 tbs	0.0
Dill	1 tbs	0.0
Garlic	1 clove	0.9
Ginger	1 tbs sliced root	0.8
Oregano	1 tbs	0.0
Pepper	1 tbs	0.0
Rosemary	1 tbs	0.0
Sage	1 tbs	0.0
Tarragon	1 tbs	0.0
Salad Dressings - Any prepared salad dressing with no added sugar and no more then 2 grams of net carbs per serving (1-2 tablespoons) is acceptable. Or make your own.
Blue cheese	2 tbs	2.3
Caesar	2 tbs	0.5
Italian	2 tbs	3.0
Lemon juice	2 tbs	2.8
Oil and vinegar	2 tbs	1.0
Ranch	2 tbs	1.4

Happy New Year!

I'm not able to eat the quantities of these vegetables to get in 12-15 grms of carbo because of my vsg restriction.  Can I eat higher carb vegetables, such as pulses, to get the required level of carbs during induction?

Can you get down vegetable soup?  Or vegetable juice?  Don't know the products available where you are, but here we have V-8 juice, and that has veggie carbs in it.

(I had to look up pulse vegetables and I'm still not sure what they are.)

Sorry, I don't like veg juice although that might be a good answer.  Pulses are things like black-eyed beans, broad beans, butter beans, lentils, split peas etc.

I don't think you HAVE to eat 20 g of carbs a day, just 20 or less. I often only get in 10-15 g.

Thanks.  My doctor doesn't want me to go under 40 grms of carbs.  However he's a vegetarian who doesn't believe in Atkins!  I may very well stick to very few carbs during induction and build them up slowly as I get used to the bulkiness of vegetables.