Induction Babies

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by Bethanyblondie

I've been back on plan for two days now and feeling better. But I have a weird question...when any of you go off plan after being really strict on carbs, does your face and hands get tingly the next day? Actually, my hands get tingly and sort of tight and hard to move. It's kind of scary and I'm guessing it's a reaction to getting a dump of carbs in my system, but I'm curious what exactly causes the reaction. Insulin? Anybody else experience this?

This happened to me a few years ago when i went off of being really strict with carbs, and it lasted a few days and then eventually stopped. I'd love to know if anyone has any info on a reaction like this.

Wow! I haven't heard of these symptoms but I've read a bit about diabetic neuropathy, which is a common ailment that is related to abnormally high blood glucose levels:

Neuropathy (Nerve Damage) - American Diabetes Association

Maybe your symptoms -- which occur after you eat foods that raise your blood glucose level -- are not *damaging* your nerves, but are maybe negatively affecting your nerves...?

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by straphe

But yeah, I seem to be happy with maintaining my weight (which I am), and being so far from my goal, I need to snap out of that mindset.

I think you're actually closer to your goal that it *seems* to you right now. I started at 235 and I was in the low 170s at my last weigh-in -- even though I feel like I'm a SLOW pound loser. But a few, humble pounds each month adds up SUPER significantly! Sixty+ pounds in 9 months isn't a *miracle overnight change* but a lot of positive progress happens from just sticking to the plan and letting the changes happen.

You don't have a *ton* to lose so, if you just stick to it, then you could actually achieve your goal in months (rather than years).

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by dipsydoodle

The ham/cream cheese rollup I've seen somewhere sounds good for breakfast too!

I was making something like that toward the end of the summer, about my 4th month (or so) on the diet. The Boar's Head deli line makes a "Blazing Buffalo Chicken" deli meat, which they slice at my deli. I would take a thickly-sliced piece of Blazing Buffalo Chicken, put a thickly-sliced piece of deli Swiss cheese onto the chicken, then roll seasoned veggies inside, and eat it like a burrito. I kind of got bored with it, but it was a quick and tasty breakfast. I enjoy spice + cheese!

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by Big Stevie

I got caught out yesterday with no lunch. I ate at 2:00 which was late, and I was really hungry. I ate some Thai food at a place I had never been and it must have had something in it like MSG. (I eat Thai foods all the time without problem, i crave spicy.) I felt bad afterwards and have woke up bloated and fatigued this morning. This sucks.

But it makes me remember that I am so glad to be free of eating foods that make me feel bad and make me fat. I used to eat bad stuff daily, now it happens just by accident.

I feel like I'm being *unnecessarily* strict, but this is exactly why I go out with people and don't eat anything until I get home. I'm so SUSPICIOUS of food that I didn't prepare myself because I've read so much about how restaurants *slip* starches into totally unexpected places in order to enhance the flavor or texture.

Restaurants, and even mom & pop diners, put pancake batter into omelets to make them fluffy. Restaurants add flour to ground beef to improve the texture and to get seasoning to stick more effectively. Plain chicken breasts get soaked in liquid with maltodextrin to keep them bright and juicy. I just don't trust restaurant preparations and I don't trust servers to actually *know* what's being done to the food, even when they seem super confident.

I went to Lobsterfest with some colleagues this weekend and when I looked up the nutrition information in my tracking program, "Pure Butter" had 2g carbohydrates. There is something in that BUTTER that is anti-Atkins! I have no idea what it is or why it's in there.

Here is the info from Red Lobster's website:

100% Pure Melted Butter: Calories 350, Total Fat 38, Saturated Fat 23, Sodium 30, Carbohydrates 2, Protein 0
http://www.redlobster.com/health/nutrition/dinner.asp

[MtherGoos]

Trillex, I'm so glad I'm not alone!! I feel paranoid, but I don't trust restaurant food! It scares me that it's not pure food! I'm so glad to know I'm not alone!

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by MtherGoos

Trillex, I'm so glad I'm not alone!! I feel paranoid, but I don't trust restaurant food! It scares me that it's not pure food! I'm so glad to know I'm not alone!

You are not alone!!!

I know that a tiny *drop* of something isn't going to ruin the diet chemistry. But I don't want someone to *camouflage* feed me something that I wouldn't consciously choose for myself. It's just the principle of the thing!

I think it's shady to slip starches and sugars into foods that you would have absolutely no reason to believe would contain starch and/or sugar. I understand that they do it to increase palatability, and I know that most people don't mind, but I don't want to eat starch while I'm on Atkins. And I don't feel like I can trust restaurants or any institutional food service organization to look out for my best interests in this.

[Bethanyblondie]

Most straight alcohol has little to no carbs-it's the mixers that are the culprit!

[Bethanyblondie]

Originally Posted by Trillex

Wow! I haven't heard of these symptoms but I've read a bit about diabetic neuropathy, which is a common ailment that is related to abnormally high blood glucose levels:

Neuropathy (Nerve Damage) - American Diabetes Association

Maybe your symptoms -- which occur after you eat foods that raise your blood glucose level -- are not *damaging* your nerves, but are maybe negatively affecting your nerves...?

I know-it's really weird. My blood sugar even when not LCing has never been an issue, never got diabetes while pregnant or anything like that. So who knows why I react like that. Probably should just take the hint from my body I shouldn't go off plan for days at a time!

[straphe]

Originally Posted by Trillex

I think you're actually closer to your goal that it *seems* to you right now. I started at 235 and I was in the low 170s at my last weigh-in -- even though I feel like I'm a SLOW pound loser. But a few, humble pounds each month adds up SUPER significantly! Sixty+ pounds in 9 months isn't a *miracle overnight change* but a lot of positive progress happens from just sticking to the plan and letting the changes happen.

You don't have a *ton* to lose so, if you just stick to it, then you could actually achieve your goal in months (rather than years).

You are absolutely right, Trillex. I've lost 12 pounds in February alone, so if I stick to it, I could be at goal weight (or near enough that it don't matter) by summer.

I actually noticed that XL t-shirts have become way too big for me by now. I just got an awesome shirt from shirt.woot, and was very surprised that it doesn't fit, it's ridiculously big. So now I have a whole wardrobe of XL shirts that don't fit anymore. Gosh, this WOE truly takes a toll on my wallet.

[Big Stevie]

Originally Posted by straphe

I actually noticed that XL t-shirts have become way too big for me by now. I just got an awesome shirt from shirt.woot, and was very surprised that it doesn't fit, it's ridiculously big. So now I have a whole wardrobe of XL shirts that don't fit anymore. Gosh, this WOE truly takes a toll on my wallet.

Drop those big ones off at the charity shop and buy some new ones while you are there. Then give them back in a month or two and save the cash for the new wardrobe you will be buying in 5 or 6 months.

[DairyQueen]

Trillex i am right with you on your rant. You go out to eat -- anywhere -- and it seems that everything has sugar or flour in it. And they lie.
So a barbeque truck comes by every couple of weeks, and I've gotten it sometimes. It's really delicious barbeque. Now, i NEVER eat the red sweet sauces (although the - is it atkins that has one that is low carb? that isn't too bad) but i DO -- or DID always get the North Carolina bbq sauce- which is supposed to be a couple of kinds of vinegars, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce. But when i ask - does it have sugar? the answer is invariably yes. WHY oh WHY? it makes me crazy!
And i fear the rotisserie places for the same reasons -- either soaking the chickens in sugar water or injecting them with same -- and when i ask, if they say no, i don't trust them! it's difficult, and i try not to be obsessive about it, but still, jeesh!

[Trillex]

Hiya! It's been a month since my last weigh/measure day. Still moving forward and making progress! I lost a modest 5.5 pounds in February, but I *feel* like I look quite different from a month ago. I think my current measurements support this feeling -- this is the first month that I've lost measurable size from every point that my trainer measures. Most months, I'll lose size in some spots but not in others. This month, though, every point was smaller than it was last month (except my left wrist).

Here are this month's numbers:

Monthly Weight History
11 May: 235 pounds
11 June: 225 pounds
11 July: 215 pounds
11 August: 206.5 pounds
11 September: 198 pounds
11 October: 196.5 pounds
31 October: 189 pounds
30 November: 186.5 pounds
29 December: 181.5 pounds
31 January: 172.5 pounds
28 February (today): 167 pounds

Measured Size Loss From 11 May To Today
Ankles: Left -1.00", Right -0.75"
Calves: Left -3.25", Right -2.75"
Thighs: Left -3.75", Right -3.75"
Hips: -6.50"
Waist: -7.25"
Upper Arms: Left -1.50", Right -2.00"
Wrists: Left -0.50", Right -0.75"

I dug up some vacation photos of myself in Maui, to compare my current size to a previous size. I wasn't at my heaviest weight in these photos -- this vacation was a few years ago when I was between about 210 and 215 pounds. To aid the visual comparison, I am also including progress photos of myself from July 2012, also at 215 pounds, while wearing the same top I'm wearing in my current photos. I was planning to take photos in the same swimsuit and board shorts, but I can't find them! I think they're stored in my parents' basement in Chicago.

MAUI, FRONT VIEW (210-215 pounds)



JULY 2012, FRONT VIEW (215 pounds)



FEBRUARY 2013, FRONT VIEW (167 pounds)



MAUI, SIDE VIEW (210-215 pounds)



JULY 2012, SIDE VIEW (215 pounds)



FEBRUARY 2013, SIDE VIEW (167 pounds)



I'm amazed by how much bigger my HEAD gets in every progress photo! My head looks HUGE in my current photo!

This month was pretty standard and boring, with regard to food. Still eating induction-level carbs. I eat nuts, heavy cream, and use artificial sweeteners on Sundays but not on weekdays. I've been eating a lot of seafood for the past two months because I'm just kind of bored with meat right now. Also, I haven't been eating butter or olive oil on veggies -- the way I did during the first six or seven months -- because I'm just SO SICK OF GREASE after all these months! Luckily, I feel like Atkins is quite flexible. As my dietary tastes have changed over the months, I've been able to eat different things while still carefully following the rules.

My trainer talked to me about adding more veggies, starting next Monday. The plan is to go up to 25g carbs per day, of more induction veggies. I've been following induction as prescribed in Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution, so I've only been eating 1 cup of fibrous veggies per day plus two cups of salad veggies. So I will continue to weigh and measure, as usual, but my quantities will be limited by the carb grams instead of being limited by the daily 3-cup amount. I like veggies! So I'm comfortable with this change.

That's all for this month! Cheers!

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by Big Stevie

Drop those big ones off at the charity shop and buy some new ones while you are there. Then give them back in a month or two and save the cash for the new wardrobe you will be buying in 5 or 6 months.

That is EXACTLY what you should do, Straphe!

While I was wearing a *tight* size 14, I bought three $80 pairs of size 12 Under Armour all-weather pants because I felt like they would last me a really LONG TIME. They're slim cut, athletic pants. They were too small for me when I bought them and I felt like they were made for *skinny girls*. So I felt like I would be able to wear them all of the way to goal -- WHY would I think that?! Those pants are now too big to wear -- even over thermals AND running tights. And they're workout pants so it would be uncomfortable to wear a belt with them. I should have just bought something cheap. But they *looked* so tiny to me, at the time, I felt like it would take a miracle to ever even squeeze into them. While we're losing, I think it's difficult to conceive of how dramatically different losing just one or two clothing sizes is going to be.

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by DairyQueen

And i fear the rotisserie places for the same reasons -- either soaking the chickens in sugar water or injecting them with same -- and when i ask, if they say no, i don't trust them! it's difficult, and i try not to be obsessive about it, but still, jeesh!

I was OUTRAGED when I read about rotisserie chickens! I was eating rotisserie chicken from the deli during my first two months -- until I found out that they pump them up with sugar and starch. What?! I thought and "herbed" rotisserie chicken would be convenient and *safe* -- but it can't be trusted. To be honest, I was buying rotisserie chickens instead of roasting my own because I think they're juicier and more flavorful than the ones I make -- but I honestly had no idea that the reason they're *tastier* is because they're full stealth crap.

[3Kids4me]

Hi ladies (and gents, sorry!)

I'm thinking of joining you all here in Atkins Induction. I'm trying to decide if that's where I want to go with my eating right now. I often read this thread and you all seem so encouraging and supportive.

Trillex--can I ask about your average calories? I'm fairly active (lift with a trainer's plan 3 days/week and do interval cardio or 2-3 mile runs 2-3 days a week) and am trying to be careful to not under eat. I want to fuel those workouts well and lose fat. KWIM?

[3Kids4me]

Oh wait, I'm not a newbie to Atkins. Should have read the initial post for this group!

I've done Atkins before, but not Induction by the book for a long time. I've done a lot of Paleo eating and some nutritional ketosis from the Volek and Phinney recommendations with higher carb counts than induction.

But I want to start a clean induction tomorrow and work my way up the carb ladder properly for once. I keep yo-yoing by jumping between plans and I think induction is the best place for me to be for awhile. The rules are clear and simple and fit my life pretty well.

My only concern is not losing too much steam in my exercise at first. I work with a personal trainer for my weight training and am going to be working up to a 10k with my running.

Can a non-newbie join in?

[csrich]

WTG Steve,
I was going to wait to reintroduce myself. I was on LC abpout a yr ago and one thing led to another and then I was going to start again then the holidays then...........
You get the idea, well Sunday is my 50th and I'm about 310, I won't do my weigh in until Monday. I want to get down to 250, maybe 220.
but I understand about the stall, that is what happened to me, I stalled and even with working out 5 days a week did nothing and I lost interest.
Now I'm back.

[Big Stevie]

Welcome CRSICH, I was around 300 six months ago. I am now at 218. This program works if you work it. Stick with the 20 grams of carbs a day and you will get there. If you are stalling, there are usually reasons why. If you let folks here know what your eating, we can usually find a solution. Good luck on your journey.

Weclome 3kids4me. Yes, please join in. I will let Trillex answer you regarding her calorie intake, but it seems like most women on these boards and plus or minus 1,300. If you just eat from the induction food list and just eat until you are satisfied, you should end up in that range without even watching calories.

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

Hi ladies (and gents, sorry!)

I'm thinking of joining you all here in Atkins Induction. I'm trying to decide if that's where I want to go with my eating right now. I often read this thread and you all seem so encouraging and supportive.

Trillex--can I ask about your average calories? I'm fairly active (lift with a trainer's plan 3 days/week and do interval cardio or 2-3 mile runs 2-3 days a week) and am trying to be careful to not under eat. I want to fuel those workouts well and lose fat. KWIM?

WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME! You don't have to be a beginner to join us.
Technically, I guess I won't even be on induction when I add 5g more daily veggies starting Monday. But this is the group that has kept me going -- and who have helped me learn about the process and learn more about myself -- so I don't plan to leave Induction Babies, unless they send the cops in to arrest me and drag me away for squatting!

Big Stevie was totally right with regard to my average calories. I don't *count* calories (in that I don't shoot for a particular daily calorie range) but I weigh, measure, and log all of my food and beverages (usually just water as beverages but I still measure) so I know that my calories are almost always between 1,200 and 1,600 per day, just through eating to "satisfaction" but not being "stuffed."

On Sundays (since my second month on Atkins), I've been eating nuts and heavy cream and artificial sweeteners and I don't limit myself to the induction limit of 4 ounces of cheese on Sundays, and so my Sunday calories are usually about 2,000-2,300. I think the induction limit of 4 ounces of cheese per day is what has kept my calorie count fairly low because cheese is the only Atkins staple food that I could ever eat more than a small amount of at any given time -- there's only so much meat I can comfortably eat in one sitting. Although, to be honest with you, I have eaten (before Atkins) a 32-ounce prime rib in one sitting (on more than one occasion). But I would never eat more than a 7 or 8 ounce portion of regular steak or chicken or fish.

I've been eating a lot less butter and oil since the holidays because I got kind of burned out on fatty foods after so much time on Atkins. But I take daily fish oil supplements (standardized for EPA and DHA) so, although my daily calories have been a bit lower since New Year's (about 1,000-1,200 per day), I do get at least 30g fat per day because I track the fat in my fish oil supplements and I take 8g per day of fish oil.

I know EXACTLY what you mean about training! I LOVE IT SO FREAKIN' MUCH! My trainer is an animal and I am an absolute BEAST in the gym!

My trainer is actually a bodybuilding coach -- he's just helping me (for free) because we've been close friends since birth. His only requirement for helping me is that I consistently push myself as hard as I have seen my brothers (who are both amateur competitive bodybuilders) push themselves in training. I've been working out with him for 5 days per week since the first day I started the Atkins program. We do intense interval cardio on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (we typically do outdoor "tabata" training on Fridays). We do upper-body weight training on Tuesdays and lower-body weights on Thursdays. We use very heavy weights (relative to my size and gender) to failure. For example, my one-arm bent rows are done with 45-pound dumbbells (we started with 20-pound dumbbells).

I've been able to work out extremely hard from the very first day (I had been completely sedentary before we started) -- and I have had no weakness or low-energy. I believe I was able to stay strong and maintain consistent power because my trainer has years of experience with using ketogenic diets to personally cut bodyfat for bodybuilding competitions and he gave me sugar-free/starch-free electrolyte supplements from the first day I started, along with CoQ10.

He said that the weakness and loss of energy that people typically experience at the start of a ketogenic cycle comes (mostly) from electrolyte imbalance. Apparently, potassium is key to ATP energy production in muscle cells, it's key to muscle protein synthesis, and is key to muscle recovery. When the body drops glycogen at the beginning of a ketogenic cycle, sodium is flushed out of the system along with the water that is attached to the glycogen stores, and this sodium flush leeches potassium from the muscles. The body will eventually rebalance potassium levels on a ketogenic diet -- without taking targeted supplements -- BUT avoiding significant initial losses of potassium can help the body avoid unwanted side-effects. The CoQ10 (theoretically) also contributes to ATP energy production, but this has not been satisfactorily proven in clinical studies. I've taken the CoQ10 on my trainer's advice and, for what it's worth, my energy levels have been outstanding.

If your trainer has experience with ketogenic dieting, he should be able to help you find your appropriate electrolyte amounts. The amount you need to take is completely dependent upon your body, based on your amount of lean muscle mass and on how rapidly your body depletes muscle glycogen. I had a DEXA (dual-energy x-ray absorbtriometry) bodyfat scan before I began the diet, so my trainer had a good idea of my lean muscle mass. And he had me do fasted and post-meal blood glucose level testing daily for a whole month of *normal* eating before I started the diet. He used this test information as a baseline for the way my body manages blood glucose levels, and he used that info to *estimate* my rate of muscle glycogen depletion. Your body will immediately deplete liver glycogen at any time food (or just dietary carbohydrates) is (are) dramatically restricted. Muscle glycogen can be trickier -- mostly, muscle glycogen will be released and used to fuel muscle exertion from heavy lifting or for quick sprinting.

My *normal* blood glucose levels were "aggressively normal" -- never rising about 115 mg/dl no matter what I ate, including sugar in all forms and large quantities of simple starches. So my trainer knew that my body is extremely efficient at maintaining a steady and appropriate level of blood glucose. So he could reasonably predict my muscle glycogen release based on my training load. And he could trust my body to keep the blood glucose fuel level steady for intensive training. If my blood glucose levels had been irregular, unpredictable, or volatile -- the way that some of his bodybuilding clients' blood glucose behaves -- then he would have needed to take additional measures to be sure that I wouldn't experience a loss of power or dizziness during heavy training. But I didn't need that additional support and I have had ZERO problems in the gym. Other than occasionally wanting to strangle my trainer (some days), I have felt WONDERFUL in the gym!

In my experience, it's possible to train hard on induction-level carbs (I've been on induction-level carbs for more than 9 months) and it's possible to train hard on a very modest amount of calories. During the first few weeks -- as my body adjusted and became keto-adapted -- my trainer insisted that I eat modest, steady amounts of protein throughout the day because the body will need to convert a substantial amount of protein into glucose (to produce a sufficient fuel supply) during that adjustment period. If there isn't a steady enough stream of dietary protein, my trainer was concerned that my body would break down muscle protein to produce glucose. I am being actively supported by a couple dozen bodybuilders -- including my over-protective brothers and over-protective cousins -- so my trainer has made it a point of personal pride to try and prevent me from any significant loss of muscle mass. If I don't finish this program more buff and built than I started, he won't be able to hold his head up in any gym in the Midwest!

That's my experience -- in a really long post -- but if you have any questions or if I can help in any way, please let me know!

Cheers!
Tril

[3Kids4me]

Wow thanks for all the great info, Trillex!

When I've done Atkins in the past I was much more sedentary, so I'm trying to be thoughtful about not jumping in and crashing but keeping my workouts going. My trainer is awesome on workouts and encourages a whole foods, Paleo-leaning style of eating, I'm pretty sure she's not very familiar with a ketogenic diet. But she does trust that I know my body pretty well by now and that I'll do the research on the nutrition side of things to keep up with her workouts.

I carry quite a bit of lean mass and have managed to hold onto it well while losing my first 50-60 lbs. At 5'6" I figure my lean mass is pretty close to 120 lbs, and I'm about a size 12 when I'm 188 lbs (I'm up a bit from that right now).

Excellent info about the potassium, I've read Phinney and Volek and Peter Attia's blog so I know that sodium and magnesium are really important too. I'll add CoQ10 to my supplements.

I love the heavy weights! I'm still building back up after slacking quite a bit last fall. But it's such an awesome feeling to get stronger and more powerful WHILE getting slimmer. And I love running, most of the time, so I'm trying to build up my distance and endurance at that this spring.

May I ask what your long term goals are? Do you see yourself living a lifestyle of consistent lifting with new goals after you're at a "goal weight"? Do you think you'll stay very low carb/ketogenic for life or will you go up the ladder and find a non-ketogenic level of carbs for maintenance? Those are the kinds of questions that keep derailing me. I like more fruit and veggies in my diet and occasionally things like Greek yogurt, which is why I swing back to Paleo/Primal eating. But I love how I feel in ketosis too. (And the cheese) I just need to stay there for awhile and add the other things back in when I'm much closer to goal. Your plan for keeping some of the low carb "treat" foods for Sunday seems really smart.

Thanks again for the tips for how to keep energy up as I start induction and hit the gym.

[3Kids4me]

Bit of a quick intro from me, since I didn't post one earlier and you all are kind enough to let me hang out here.

I'm 36.5, creeping up on 37. I'm actually a mother of 4, not sure when I made this Low Carb Friends account, I guess it was sometime between baby 3 and 4 (which was a 4 year gap) and I was trying to lose the baby weight. I tried for many years to lose weight, starting in high school. And was never particularly thin from childhood on. I gained and gained with 4 close pregnancies and some other life stresses.

In May 2010, I decided to finally make a Monday start stick. And I had some very upsetting family things going on at that time and completely lost my appetite for about a month. That was a pretty good kick off for my weight loss. I've done low carb and Atkins in the past, so that was what I gravitated toward and keep coming back to. So I lost about 20-30 lbs that first summer pretty easily. Then I started working with a fantastic personal trainer online (good friend of a friend). She's pushed me to do all sorts of things physically that I never imagined I could do, like run a 5k. But I still struggle to get the diet side of things consistently under control and have had times of regaining, binging, etc. in the past 2.5 years. I lost down to 188, about 60 lbs from my high weight. But have yo-yo'd up and down 10 lbs now for quite awhile. I'm done with that. I'm ready to blast through that past low weight and see my goal weight this year, hopefully sometime this summer even.

Um, what else...I stay at home with my kids and actually homeschool them too. It's a wild adventure. But most days I love it.

Thanks for letting me crash the party here.

--JM

[Trillex]

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

Excellent info about the potassium, I've read Phinney and Volek and Peter Attia's blog so I know that sodium and magnesium are really important too.

You're absolutely right! The electrolyte supplement that my trainer gave me was a comprehensive formula that had sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphates, in addition to the potassium. To effectively balance potassium, you have to address the broad spectrum of electrolyte balance. Just adding more potassium isn't sufficient -- and adding too much potassium, when sodium levels are out of balance, is dangerous and can lead to heartbeat irregularities.

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

May I ask what your long term goals are? Do you see yourself living a lifestyle of consistent lifting with new goals after you're at a "goal weight"? Do you think you'll stay very low carb/ketogenic for life or will you go up the ladder and find a non-ketogenic level of carbs for maintenance? Those are the kinds of questions that keep derailing me. I like more fruit and veggies in my diet and occasionally things like Greek yogurt, which is why I swing back to Paleo/Primal eating. But I love how I feel in ketosis too. (And the cheese) I just need to stay there for awhile and add the other things back in when I'm much closer to goal.

I'm curious about my long-term plan, too! My trainer is the person who introduced me to Atkins, and who recommended the 2002 version of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution. My trainer buddy has known me forever, so he knows what I like to eat and how I like to live. Honestly, he's been right about everything, all through this process, and everything he has done for me has truly helped to make my life better. But he doesn't tell me about my next steps until I *need* to know -- because he doesn't want to distract me from the importance of the things that I have to focus on now. It feels a bit like I'm in a bodybuilding cult, but it's working so I'm not fighting the system.

I don't actually know what long-term approach he will recommend for me. He has me moving up to the next level of the Atkins Ongoing Weight Loss ladder on Monday, by moving up to 25g daily carbohydrates of additional induction veggies. So, I guess that's the first step toward my long-term eating plan.

I honestly don't miss any of the foods that are currently off-plan, so I've been pretty content with the diet. I've always been a bit of a carnivore and cheesehead, so I don't miss fruit or milk. Considering how much ice cream I've been eating all my life -- I ate ice cream on a daily basis -- I'm surprised that I don't actually miss having it. I grew up eating Puerto Rican food -- loads of rice and peas and potatoes and tropical starches like yucca and yautia -- but I don't even miss those dishes.

Originally Posted by 3Kids4me

Your plan for keeping some of the low carb "treat" foods for Sunday seems really smart.

I wish I could take credit for this! But it wasn't my idea -- it's a standard bodybuilding approach. Almost all bodybuilding diets (except last-ditch efforts right before competition) include a "free day" in which the dieter can eat off-plan, but always according to a series of guidelines. Most bodybuilding "free days" allow the dieter to eat any type of foods he or she wants, but they are required to eat at a caloric level between maintenance and maintenance plus 10% -- usually in this range, although it varies depending on the dieter's level of bodyfat), lower levels of bodyfat are sometimes encouraged to eat as much as 25-30% over maintenance level in order to avoid thyroid and/or sympathetic nervous system down regulation, etc.

My guidelines are to stay under 20g carbs per day on Sundays, but no calorie ceiling and I eat some types of food that I don't eat on a daily basis. I like it! Because it *feels* like luxury even though it's still Atkins induction. If I ate nuts and all of that stuff on a daily basis, I think it would cause me (because of the type of person I am) to spend a lot more time thinking about food. Now, I don't think about food very much during the week. I just eat my meat and veggies, I'm happy with them, and I don't spend much time thinking about my menus or my next meal, except on Sundays.

[LuyshuZ]

everyone! It's day 3 on induction for me, and I feel so inspired by everyone's success. My starting weight is the highest I've ever been, I'm committed to change. I'm ready to start enjoying more of my life with confidence in my appearance. I'm looking forward to sharing/meeting goals and accomplishments with everyone.

[3Kids4me]

Day 1 for me! Here we go....

I went to the store and and stocked up on my veggies, bit of cheese, eggs, and some more meat (I had a well-stocked freezer already).

I've started re-reading Atkins 2002, just to get my mind in gear to doing this more by the book than I have in the past.

I'm starting at 199 lbs, but know there's plenty of water in that number. I'm hoping for a 15 lb drop for March and to get comfortably into my size 12 jeans. I think that's pretty doable for me. We'll see!

--JM

[3Kids4me]

Originally Posted by Trillex

I'm curious about my long-term plan, too! My trainer is the person who introduced me to Atkins, and who recommended the 2002 version of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution. My trainer buddy has known me forever, so he knows what I like to eat and how I like to live. Honestly, he's been right about everything, all through this process, and everything he has done for me has truly helped to make my life better. But he doesn't tell me about my next steps until I *need* to know -- because he doesn't want to distract me from the importance of the things that I have to focus on now. It feels a bit like I'm in a bodybuilding cult, but it's working so I'm not fighting the system.

I don't actually know what long-term approach he will recommend for me. He has me moving up to the next level of the Atkins Ongoing Weight Loss ladder on Monday, by moving up to 25g daily carbohydrates of additional induction veggies. So, I guess that's the first step toward my long-term eating plan.

I honestly don't miss any of the foods that are currently off-plan, so I've been pretty content with the diet. I've always been a bit of a carnivore and cheesehead, so I don't miss fruit or milk. Considering how much ice cream I've been eating all my life -- I ate ice cream on a daily basis -- I'm surprised that I don't actually miss having it. I grew up eating Puerto Rican food -- loads of rice and peas and potatoes and tropical starches like yucca and yautia -- but I don't even miss those dishes.

I think it's fantastic that you have a trainer guiding you and you can just follow the plan and take some of the mental work out of losing weight. That's why I work with a trainer for my fitness plans, I love just letting her tell me what to do and not trying to design a perfect plan on my own. So I'm turning to Dr. Atkins for my nutritional guidance for a change, just follow the plan, stick with Induction until I'm 10-15 lbs from goal, then I'll start moving up the ladder and find that carb level best for my body and lifestyle.

--JM

[straphe]

What are we thinking regarding fat bombs, people? I recently made one batch (coconut oil, almond butter, peanut butter, butter and a bit of 90% chocolate) that resulted in two bigger bombs, had one yesterday and the other one today. Kept me full for almost 5 hours, but my tummy was having some issues, don't exactly know what, I just know that it was complaining. Maybe too much fat in too little time?

[MtherGoos]

I haven't tried fat bombs yet. I'm so afraid that they'll set off a binge for me. Once I start, it's sometimes just a downhill slide!

[LauraDavis]

Hi my name is Laura ...but since i see another how bout LauraDavis and still make it friendly. Anyway today was my first day on induction. The bf is starting in the morning... little crazy since he works 1st and i work 3rd. You guys have me a little nervous with the induction flu mentions but guess i'll just work through it.

Todays food
B- mixed spring greens with tomato, cucumber, bacan crumbles, cheddar cheese and itialian dressing with 3 sliced turkey rolls with cream cheese in the middle.

L- 2 bacon and hard boiled egg wrapped in romine lettuce with a touch of mayo

D- will be Spinach Frittata with Bacon and Cheddar or Egg MockMuffin

I have been pouring over recipes and have printed out a 3" binder worth of stuff to try....we're gonna be in induction for a while. I have 100# to lose and Terry, my bf, has around 250 - 275 to lose. We are not sure where he's starting out because the scale at his doctors won't weight him so we will have to go on how his clothes fit until the scale at home will register him. oh and my starting weight is 241#.

Well anyway hi and love the thread so active...

[straphe]

Hi Laura, welcome!

I wouldn't be worried about induction flu. It's just those few days when your body switches over from burning carbs to burning fat. You might feel a bit less energetic, but it'll pass before you know it.

Keep an eye on the tomatoes, though. Those are sneaky little bastards, and can stall you, since they're relatively high in carbs and to my best knowledge they aren't exactly induction friendly. I normally have one or two cherry tomatoes with scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Good luck and keep checking in.

[straphe]

@MtherGoos, the fat bombs I made were so incredibly rich that I don't see how they could set off a binge for me. I could not eat too much of those even if my life hung in the balance. I'll make another batch today, but I think I'll leave out the peanut butter and only make it with almond butter, as the peanut butter I bought is the crappy 0 fat, 0 cal version, and doesn't taste anything like peanuts.