Help with the rules? Can we have beans?

[Donna59annoD]

Hello, I got the book yesturday and read the entire thing in one day. I really like the concept but have a little confusion about the eating guidelines. I am so use to doing atkins or south beach diet and their crazy guidelines and phases. SO I guess I was expecting that, and the fact that I can have gg bran crisp bread and the la factory tortillas is exciting. So here are my questions: Can we have beans? How much fruit are we allowed a day? Is there a certain amount of carbs that we can have a day? I actually enjoy eating low carb but i want to make sure I am doing your plan correct. Any help would be much appreciated! Thank you 

[suzlyn454]

Welcome to the FTS forum Donna.  I'm still kind of a newbie (only been here since July) so I'm gonna let Doug and Umpa answer most of your questions.  All I can say is this forum is the bomb...there are great recipes, videos from Doug and Umpa and best of all, member support when you need it. 

I try to eat less than the 20 carbs a day that are allowed.  15 or under a day for me works the best.  The beans I use (learned about them here) is black soy beans, very low in carbs.  You will learn how to read labels and eliminate high carb foods like pasta, rice, corn, peas etc.

You sound like me, having tried all the different ways to diet.  The thing to remember is that FTS is going to be a "lifestyle change" and I don't consider it a diet.  I love this way to eat and don't feel I have to give up a thing, unlike weight watchers, where I was constantly hungry and wanted something to eat.

Good Luck, your answers will be here shortly.
Suz

[Donna59annoD]

Thank you for the info. Pasta, peas, corn, and rice dont bother me I could go without those forever, but sometimes bread and chips are hard for me  I over do it with portions. Weight watchers was crazy bc i constantly thought about food all day and hated all the extra work. Beans will have to wait until the extra weight is gone or give the new ones a try.

[umpa]

Welcome Donna! I am umpa,dougs wife.If I can help you please ask.I have a column on the homepage called ask umpa where I can convert your favorite food to fat to skinny friendly.You may have read the book too quick.There is a huge difference between adkins and fat to skinny.The difference is we replace everything we don't take anything away.So there are no foods to add back in to gain the weight back.This is a lifestyle change.In two weeks after detox you will feel like a million bucks and your energy will go through the roof!There is also a Bakery Book.Full of breads ,pies,cookies,cakes,etc.The beans for the plan are black soy beans.To learn too cook them read the recipes on the forum you have to cook them down to soften them.They make great chili!You are allowed 20 carbs a day.You may spend them on what you like.The fruits we recommend are berries and avocado.Reread the book chapter by chapter.

[mouseissue]

Welcome to the family, Donna!!!

The science behind the FTS lifestyle is solid and reliable.
By limiting your carb intake to 20 (or less) net carbs per day, you WILL lose your excess weight... Period!

We have some wonderful bread and chip replacement recipes here on the forum and even more in the FTS bakery book.
Simply do a search from the home page of this forum and you'll see.
My favorite replacement for chips is fried cheddar cheese. It tastes WAY better than any "cheese" flavored chip!

I've reread the book at least a dozen times since I started.
Every time I do, I seem to find a new nugget of information and always feel more inspired.

You will find this forum a huge help to you along your FTS journey to your weight loss goal.
So don't be a stranger.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your FTS journey!

Tony

[Donna59annoD]

Thank you everyone for the support its so nice to meet all of you. I have a few more questions for everyone, call e the question queen lol.
1. I do a lot of races and half marathons, but everytime before a race I always hear you have to carb up. Then after the race I continue to carb up.....for several days lol. What can i eat to make sure i have enough energy?
2. Can I have cottage cheese?
3. Am I allowed to have all nuts or only almonds and walnuts?
4. My La tortilla factory tortillas have more than 2 net carbs in them, which are the best ones?
thank you so much for your help and answers.
Ps I am going to the notre dame game this weekend and I am packing lunch meats, cheese, cucumbers, nuts, and water. This way I can be prepared

[KFAITH]

Welcome Donna I am new too been here since the end of August.
I love the FTS lifestyle but been having some trouble on weekends with going back to my old ways when family is around.
This forum is everything to me, wonderful people. Umpa and Doug are awesome, to think they take the time to keep in touch with us all and be there for us is so awesome.  You can learn so very much just by reading the recipes and old posts.
So welcome and God bless you as you live the FTS way.

[suzlyn454]

Donna

I'm not sure how to answer the "carbing up" question.  Doug or Umpa would best help you there or some of our other members.

Cottage cheese is good as long as you eat the lowest carb per serving you can find.  I use Daisy cottage cheese which is 3 carbs for a 1/2 cup serving but only eat 1/4 cup at a time which drops my used carbs to 1.5 per serving.

Nuts are great but you again have to check the carbs.  Some nuts and some flavored nuts have a lot more carbs per serving.  Yesterday at Walmart I bought Mauna Loa macadamia baking pieces in the baking section (1/4 cup serving is 4 carbs less 2 carbs fiber for a net of 2 carbs).  I also bought World Table Roasted Pecans in a bag (1/4 cup serving is 3 carbs less 2 carbs fiber for a net 1 carb).  For portion control I usually bag these up into snack baggies or small condiment cups so I don't keep reaching into the bag!  You will be surprised when you measure out 1/4 cup how much you get to have.

For another snack try BBQ pork rinds, these are crispy and help replace the snack chips.  These are 0 carbs most often.  Just read your label.

I have had trouble finding low carb tortillas and Joseph's pitas.  When I do find them I buy several packages and freeze them.  Before freezing them sometimes I cut the pitas in half.  My pita net carbs are 5, so for 1/2 a pita I count 2.5 carbs. 

Be sure to check the carb counts in your lunch meats and cheeses.  Some brands vary and will have more carbs per serving that you might realize.  One brand of may be 0 for so many slices, others will <1 and others as much as 3 carbs per serving.  This is where I first look at the net carbs (plumrose brand black forest ham which is 1 carb but the serving size is 6 slices) and then look at the serving size.  I go for the lowest carb (ZERO is my favorite) and the highest serving LOL

[Donna59annoD]

I checked my lunch meat and cheese and they are fine both are 0. Although I am considering on starting this next sunday after my race. I am too nervous to do my half marathon low carb, I am gonna start wth a 5k eating low carb before i move onto the big ones. I want to be able to make it thru the two weeks without any problems. I also thought about just continuing with low carb until next friday then eating a few ore carbs on friday and sat morning. Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

[umpa]

Donna Carbing up isn't what long distance runners do.Carbs burn to quickly.They consume large amounts of   protein .Protein burns long and slow,and also helps with muscle recovery. Here at fat to skinny you don't have to go without anything,we have replacements for anything you like

[Donna59annoD]

Thank you for clearing that up for me, I have always wanted to know the right thing to do. So would it be ok to start tomorrow and not eat carbs before the race? Its not like I always feel this huge surge of energy while Im doing the race anyways. And Im a walker not a runner, so i dont need tons of carbs. I also dont want to down tons of fiber before a big race, bc I am not going to get pulled from the race because I have to keep going to the bathroom lol. I am super excited to start the FTS lifestyle. SO what type of things could I eat before the race? Its usually toast and peanut butter, a banana, or a cliff bar. But i noticed I get hungry within three miles of the 13.1 miles. I wonder if eggs would be okay to eat, maybe like hard boiled not scrambled. I think I am gonna go ahead and start tomorrow, and pack my light snacks for saturday's notre dame game. Why wait!

[umpa]

For your marathon,A good hearty breakfast.Eggs,bacon,fruit(berries) and toast.Lotsa water.You have fuel in the fat on your body too.Snacks of meat roll ups and cheese.The fat in the food will also carry you.Don't be afraid to eat,we like that here.

[Donna59annoD]

thank you bc I dont wanna wait until next sunday to start

[umpa]

Start today!Soon as you start to detox your energy level will go through the roof!You won't be able to sit down!

[mouseissue]

Start today!Soon as you start to detox your energy level will go through the roof!You won't be able to sit down!

Hi Donna!

I mentioned this to you in another thread.

When you get past "sugar detox" (about 2 weeks for most folks), your energy levels will skyrocket!
You'll also notice that the cravings for high carb junk disappearing too!