Just wanted to share that I hit my 20lbs mark today...17 days on plan!

As much as I trust the book, I like learning from personal accounts better. My goal is to lose 45lbs and now I have 25lbs left. From experience, when should I come off the induction phase? I'm enjoying induction, but want to ensure I do everything correctly. I'm tempted to stay on and enjoy this rapid weight-loss, but don't want to do it incorrectly.

Thanks again for stories/suggestions...

I am staying on induction for an extended period because I have so much more to lose. Although it will be nice to know I have that extra 5g for those days when you feel like having something extra. Most people only do the 14 days because they can't stand induction but I have found it to be extremely easy.

Congratulations, Jason! That's wonderful! You are doing so great! How are you feeling? I hope you are feeling better now.

Some people like to stay on the induction until they get to within ten pounds or so of their ideal weight, because they don't mind the induction menu and they like the rapid weight loss. Others prefer to move up the rungs of the carb ladder step by step until they arrive at their ideal weight and begin the maintenance phase. I guess whichever way you'd like to go would be perfectly okay as long as you still are feeling healthy and not feeling too deprived.

Honey, that's great that you aren't finding this diet too hard to do! I don't know if you are like me this way, but I hate being hungry, so I never liked the high-carb diets because my insulin would go crazy and I'd be so hungry all the time. And if I'm hungry enough long enough, then I'm going to eat, that's all there is to it. So I sure like this WOE because it seems to be the only thing that really keeps my appetite down to manageable levels.

Lori--thanks! Its great when I get positive feedback. Since I haven't lost enormous amounts I worry I am not doing things correctly yet I am not gaining and all desire to snack has vanished. So I guess I have to trust in the process and let time do its thing.

Jason--forgive me not giving you a proper at-a-boy. Nicely done!

Thanks!

Lori, I'm feeling great...I rarely crave carbs and my clothes are loosening up quickly. I'll probably stick with induction for at least 4 weeks. I have no urge to up the carbs yet. Actually, I'm probably not getting enough carbs most days. I don't know if that can cause issues or not.

Congratulations again, Jason! You're doing a smash up job on this weight loss of yours.

Well, after my 2 week induction, I have lost 7lbs (yay!) and was thinking of moving right into Owl. I have gone into the first Rung for a few days -- not long enough to really tell if my weight loss has been negatively affected by the extra veggie carbs -- but honestly, I'm finding it hard to add the extras in.

I've decided that starting today, I'm going to do Re-Induction! I think I would still like to lose a little faster before I Owl it.

Good luck this week! Keep us posted.

Well, it looks like i hit my stall...only lost 1lb in past 3 days, which is definitely slower than the pace I've been losing since starting. I am in no way worried and have absolutely no reason to be disappointed by the slowing down. Tomorrow morning will be my 3-week mark...we'll see my total then.

I am having a couple issues to deal with though. My wife is on WW and she is getting extremely tired of chicken, steak and pork chops...lol. I guess I'll just have to check out some of the links provided and get creative because I do a lot of the cooking. For me to succeed means keeping the wife happy! I'm sure you ladies can relate...lol.

Is there an alternative to Metamucil? I have two versions...one is orange flavor with about 8g of carbs, so I avoid that one. The other I have is unflavored and has 3.6g of carbs per teaspoon, which is the one I am take occasionally. I don't want to take it 3-4 times a day as recommended because that will eat up over half of my daily carb allowance.

I also realized last night that I'm supposed to be using butter, not margerine. Where I'm from, margerine is butter...lol. I never clued in that there was a difference. Hopefully I didn't clog myself up too bad...at least it's Becel.

- a slow down in the weight loss is to be expected, while our bodies regulate themselves after the initial induction period weight loss so 1-2 lbs/wk is a good thing (although, sometimes I hope for more )

- about weight watchers - yep. a totally different diet AND way of thinking, seriously! I did it, lost the weight, got the key chains & then gained it all back plus some, b/c I "rebelled" from always counting calories, fat grams & points - basically making the food behave! Good luck balancing the 2 diets!

- sorry, can't help yah with the fibre supplements - I find eating my greens every meal does the trick AND drinking my water!

- enjoy the real butter! remember a serving size is 1 Tbsp

/cheryl

Hey Jason....would taking a daily stool softener help? Like Senokot that is all natural? I'm not sure if there are carbs in it or not... I don't blame you for not wanting Metamucil to take up your carb count bleh!

Dr. Atkins mentioned in the book psyllium husks, course wheat bran or flaxseed meal. The psyllium husks should be mixed in water. The bran can be sprinkled over your veggies and the meal can be mixed into a shake. Although its derived from grain, course bran is pure fiber and therefore it contributes 0 to your carb count (from the book)

One of the beauty's of Atkins is butter....glorious butter!!!
http://www.westonaprice.org/Why-Butter-Is-Better.html

Its pretty normal to have a post induction stall. Keep to the plan and you will get back to losing once your body readjusts. Hang in there!

Mmmm....butter....its good for ya!

Hi Jason.

I've stayed on induction the entire time....the ONLY variation being the addition of a handful of almonds for breakfast several times a week.
I am NOT a breakfast person so decided a small handful of almonds was better than just my usual 2 cups of coffee (which I still have, of course). But like Kim, I would have a great deal of difficulty with portion control and this is why I only use almonds. While I love pistachios and cashews, I'm not exactly madly in love with almonds....so I limit it to them.

Nuts can also be a good option if you're out somewhere and hungry and need to find something Atkins-friendly. You can usually find a small bag of nuts, even if you're limited to just snack machines. All convenience stores have them too. Just limit it to one small bag.

I also think I will have to do what Kim is doing to maintain my weight loss when I get there......keep the net carb count low, regardless. From past experience, throwing caution to the winds regarding carbs was always a bad idea when I maintained the last time. I always ended up back on induction to remedy the results of this. As far as the rungs go, because I find induction so easy for me (I happen to love all the allowed foods on it).....I plan to treat the fruits, etc....as the treats I will deserve for reaching goal....but within my allowed carb restriction. I like the plan Kim wrote up there....sounds like a great plan to me.
So basically.....reaching goal will NOT be when I can finally go off this "diet". I will continue with this WOE but reaching goal will allow me some foods I've not had for a long time...but within my daily carb allowance. THAT will be my reward. Strawberries, here I come! Soon, hopefully.

Back in the early 90's, when I had to cook for a whole family, what I would do was to make things that I could make several versions of to suit everyone but still stay within my own program. For instance, make chicken stir-fry (without any sort of sugar) but not have the rice everyone else was having. Make chicken salad but not put it on the bread the others were having. Make chicken/veggie soup, set aside some for me, and then add the noodles for the rest of the family....etc. Make the same basic meal, but a different version for me.....something along those lines....using the same basic ingredients but either adding or leaving out certain ones that the rest of the family might or might not have.
I might even make spaghetti but then when I made the browned hamburger meat for the sauce, set some aside for me and use that to make some sort of meal...add some cheese or add it to salad greens/veggies, etc.

It's too bad (though not sure if you even get this channel in Canada) but on the Food Network a few years ago, they had this chef/cook whose wife and children had lost weight (he had also lost quite a bit of weight himself) and he prepared and cooked all sorts of low-carb meals.

But it's amazing how creative you can be...not only with meal planning...but also with figuring out what sorts of things you can find when you're not home and need to find something you can eat. And there are a whole lot of things you can eat out there, if you really think about it.

deena

Jason, congrats on the continued weight loss - and I'm certain that with perseverance you'll break the stall (in my view 3 days isn't NEAR enough to call it a plateau! You're too impatient! -- and I'm a slow loser).

Like I said I don't consider myself an Atkins adherent, just very low carb and overlapping a lot w Atkins, and I don't really force myself to eat if I'm not hungry. I find that coffee or tea with cream in the morning is enough to get me to early afternoon most of the time no problem. But I only do that if I'm certain I can get a good healthy low carb lunch. If lunch is riskier (if I'm eating out or on the run) I eat breakfast (usually 2 eggs cooked in butter) just so I know I have more of a cushion during the day. I rarely get hungry between meals now, but if I do I try to honor it, but I'm also trying to learn to be more attentive to how I feel about eating & not just eat by the clock.

honeybjones : Hang in there. I'm a slow loser too. If I compared myself to others I'd have given up a long time ago. Instead I've just stuck with it and lived it as a lifestyle I can live in maintenance (forever and ever) and let the weight come off at the pace it's willing to come off. Slow weight loss knocked 30 pounds off my body in 2009. If I get 20 off this year I'll be satisfied. More would be nice, of course, but I'm learning to be more realistic. Since my goal is to be actively managing my weigh all this year, and all next year (and probably after that too) it doesn't really matter when the pounds fall off if I'm committed to the lifestyle for the forseeable future.

Thanks again for sharing info! I sneak 1/2 a dozen almonds (2g net carbs per 1/4 cup) once or twice a day as needed. I picked up psyllium husks to try out. Lastly, it was a short stall...I lost 3lbs over weekend. I am now down 25lbs in 3 1/2 weeks...loving it!

I do have a couple more questions (should I start new thread?) for you. First, this is the first place I lived where pork rinds are nowhere to be found...any alternative? For snacking and breading for chicken.

Last, I keep reading negatives about butter and margerine and how bad both are for arteries and heart. My guess is that the benefits of not being 50-70lbs overweight has to outweigh the downside of butter useage. Any thoughts on this? Thanks!!