Thought I'd post what I do, in case it's of use to you. There aren't many posters in the Atkins forum here.

My WOE: 20 carbs a day, sometimes it's it's 15, sometimes 25. I try to keep it at 20 or less.

Some of the things I eat are not on Induction, such as a few berries, and more high fat dairy, and some nuts/nut butters. Also, my meals have high fat, low protein ratios as in the Modified Fat Fast. I control my weight by controlling how many grams of fat I eat per day. I keep the carb and protein grams constant.

My intention is to keep this plan, unless I get too thin or don't lose the couple of vanity pounds I'm working on.

I visit other forums which have more posts about eating low carb. There are quite a few who eat very few carbs, and have kept this WOE for years.

I like the way I feel eating this way. It works well for me.

No artificial sweeteners. The only packaged foods I use are things such as canned tuna, Rotel, instant decaf coffee, Knox gelatine, cream cheese.

I don't eat lunch meats or ham. (Too much junk in them.)

Sending you all best wishes.

I plan to be on Induction, or close to it, for A LONG time as well. I'm shooting for Thanksgiving (of course that's just a goal that I might adjust later). I do have a lot to lose, and I do best while on Induction. I hope to get the ball started on Induction for the next few months, and then start integrating other carbs in, slowly.

For me, if I add fruit in my diet too son, I know I'll break. I miss grapes and oranges so bad. I know that is where I'm going to have to be careful in the furture. But, I wont worry about it for awhile.

Luckie, hang in here with us. Focus on what you CAN eat. I'm grateful for butter, mayonnaise, cheese, red meat, veggies, and real salad dressing. Have you checked Linda's Low Carb Recipes and Menus for some delicious ideas? And the Low Carb Forum, Recipes site?

Sugar-free jello when you're jonesing for fruit...being thin is better than being fruity...LOL

I do best with my carbs at 20 or a smidgen lower, and also stay away from the fruit. Tomatoes or fresh lemon juice in cool or hot water help keep away the desire for sweets for me.

Sandyfanny, thanks for the reminder to focus on the scrumptious things on the list of things to eat.

I whipped some cream the other day and put in some Knox gelatin powder to make it stay stiff. A spoon of that is a nice treat.

Sending you all best wishes.

Sandyfanny, thank you for your very kind words. I'm sending you a big smile!

I have a question for you long-term-Induction ladies. I have read in various places over the years that dairy products can disturb hormone balances. I have been experimenting with cooking my eggs in beef fat or bacon fat, and not eating any dairy at all for breakfast. I find there is something quite steady about eating breakfast this way and am often expanding this no-dairy to lunch, too. I save my allotment of high-fat dairy for supper, as I currently find it helps me sleep well.

Are you finding that not eating dairy or very little diary is balancing something for you?

Dairy or no dairy is always a big topic in the world of low carb. Dr. Atkins' recommendation of eating very little dairy and making it high fat fits in with balancing the hormones. Hormones control storage of fat, along with all their other activities.

Wishing you all a lovely morning.

Hi Silverlife,

I've been yakking all over the place about cutting way back on cheese this past week and the great weight loss results. So, I'm thinking that dairy may not be my best friend.

This past week I limited hard cheese to about 1/2 cup spread over five days, cut out the cream cheese (and the ricotta which I shouldn't have eaten at all), and limited my dairy to heavy cream in my morning two cups of coffee, the dairy in commercial ranch dressing (approximately 4-5 T. per day), and the heavy cream in whipped cream I used generously over sugar-free jello for dessert.

I lost four pounds this week, some of the results are due to eliminating the large amounts of cheese (hard and soft) I was eating. Thanks for all the good ideas and suggestions. You really think about this business of balancing our bodies, and it's helping me a lot.

Very happy for your BIG loss this week, Sandy!

Sandyfanny, congratulations! That's wonderful. Thank you for your kind thoughts. They are heartwarming.