Location: NW New Jersey But, My Heart's In Pittsburgh!! GO STEELERS & PENGUINS!!!
Posts: 3,060
S/C/G: 245/143/145
ATKINS Induction Basics
I've noticed several newbies to the low carb forum asking questions about ATKINS Induction so, I've taken the liberty to write up some basics
1. BEFORE embarking on the Atkins lifeplan, read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (2002 & prior versions).
2. Visit your Dr. for a physical & bloodwork before beginning any diet & exercise program. Dr. Atkins recommended this in the book.
3. Commit yourself. Induction is 14 days (however, it can be followed longer as Dr. Atkins mentions in the book). If you read the book & you realize you aren't going to commit yourself to eating this way...perhaps Atkins is not the plan for you.
4. Set up your kitchen for success. Simply put, if its not on the Induction foods list, keep it out of your home! Keep "legal" snacks readily available at all times to avoid grabbing no-no items.
5. Make your family & friends aware of your commitment to becoming healthy. If they are receptive, encourage them to read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.
6. Keep the foods list & the Induction rules handy. Print out 2 copies, keep 1 with you at all times, the other on your fridge at home.http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkin...eptable-foods/ http://www.atkins.com/articles/atkin...-of-induction/
7. Read food labels carefully. While a food may appear to be low in carbs, it can contain sugar & hydrogenated oils (trans fat). Neither are acceptable for Induction.
8. Keep a food journal. There are several good ones available on line free of charge.
9. Get some exercise! Get out and take a walk around the block, its great exercise and most people can do this. Dr. Atkins himself said exercise is not negotiable.
10. Take your vitamins. Dr. Atkins recommends a good daily mutli-vitamin without Iron.
11. Measure & weigh yourself on day 1. Continue to do this once a week and keep a record of your progress.
12. Drink plenty of water. Water means water, it does not mean tea, coffee, diet soda's, Crystal Light etc. Ideally, you should be drinking 8 (8 oz) glasses of water a day.
Induction on ATKINS means you eat only the foods on the acceptable foods list. Dispite the labeling Atkins Nutritionals has on the Atkins bars & shakes...they are NOT appropriate for Induction. Dr. Atkins created those products for emergencies.
Sugar-free candy, ice cream bars, puddings, Dreamfields pasta, etc., etc., etc. are not acceptable when doing Induction. The entire purpose of Induction is to rid your body of bad carbs & sugar addiction to prepare it to become a fat burning machine. Real, whole foods like meats, veggies, salads, eggs & cheese (all in the quanities recommended in the book) are the foundation of doing Atkins correctly.
While on the Induction phase, you should be eating 20 NET carbs (total carbs with fiber deducted) per day. 12-15 of those 20 carbs need to be coming from veggies & salad on the acceptable foods list.
Be mindful of artificial sweeteners. These affect everyone differently. It is not unusual for them to be the cause of stalled weight loss. Dr. Atkins recommends Sucralose (Splenda), limited to 3 packets per day.
Avoid diet soda...particularly any containing caffeine & sweetened with aspartame. The book also states avoiding coffee...many don't agree with this...its a YMMV (your mileage may vary) issue.
Its important to have Induction friendly snacks on hand at all times. Hard boiled eggs, deviled eggs, tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, cut up veggies dipped in full fat ranch dressing, the list is endless.
Make meals interesting! Try low carb recipes. One of the best sites on the net for low carb recipes is: http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/recipes.html All the Induction friendly ones are marked with an *
This is a lifestyle change! Once you've lost the weight, you can maintain it if you treat it as such.
You CAN do this!! Congratulations on changing your life!!!
Last edited by JerseyGyrl; 03-26-2008 at 10:39 AM.
Location: NW New Jersey But, My Heart's In Pittsburgh!! GO STEELERS & PENGUINS!!!
Posts: 3,060
S/C/G: 245/143/145
Quote:
Originally Posted by sylvia78
JerseyGyrl, this was a great idea!
Thanks for being an inspiration for everyone following Atkins.
Thank you Sylvia
I'm here to share my personal experience about Atkins since I believe it truly saved my life! It makes me feel good to be able to encourage & inspire others who are serious about making Atkins a way of life for them. I truly believe in this plan and all its benefits & rewards when its done as the book instructs
Thanks again for your kind words. It feels good to be appreciated here!
ATKINS Induction Basics
