When I was following Atkins induction, I did it strictly by the book, didn't sway one bit and I lost a great amount of weight fairly quick (felt wonderful to boot). When I started to sway, the WL stalled greatly and thats when I fell off the wagon never to return.

So, IMHO, for me, it was VERY important to follow it by the book.

Well, as of my visit to the scale this morning, it's gotten really darn important. I'm starting over, today. No more futzing around and making my own way at it--doesn't matter how much "experience" I have with low-carb, I apparently don't know how to do it by myself.

I think it's very important, because how you start it determines your weight loss. I did the induction phase by the book, I never deviated and lost 10 lbs. But doing the OGWL was a different story. I had sugar free ice cream with Splenda once a in awhile, but still lost weight, but not as much as I could have. The draw back from this is, I'm craving sweets, so this week I'm did the IP for a couple of days and I feel okay.
Oh did I mention my parents started this two weeks ago, my Mom lost 10 lbs and my Dad lost 15.
I'm in this to win!

to me its very important. Induction is the only thing that can help me get my sugar cravings under control.

Which book? I've read several of them, it keeps changing. I figure as long as I keep carbs to 20 or less, I'm "by the book". But then again I've started and stopped doing Atkins more times than I can count. Even the first time I didn't stick with it the full two weeks! A week and a half and I just got TOO deeply into ketosis, enough to make me feel sick! So I intentionally ate something carby to elevate myself a little out of ketosis.

So my "by the book" probably isn't a good example for anyone. Even without being perfect I lost 50 pounds those first 8 months.

The hard part is even getting close to "by the book" now. I don't really like the way deep ketosis feels. Probably because for me deep ketosis also always seems to be accompanied by some dehydration. I just can never drink enough water to prevent that rotten dehydrated feeling.

My husband is diabetic and with his medications couldn't do induction, because it drove his blood sugar too low, so he skipped induction altogether (after day 2 or 3). He missed out on the jump start in weight loss, that induction would have given him, but he's losing consistently, so it's worked for him.

I think the problem I've been having is I've not gone strictly by the book for induction. Had added nuts to my "diet" and I think that's why I never quite got into the weight loss mode (kept flip-flopping between junk carbs and low carb). So I think I'm the type that's going to have to go "by the book" in order to stay on the right track.

I like to go strictly by the book, the only thing I change is to sub a cooked veg for salad, as I dont always have fresh salad available, I just eat a smaller portion of a cooked veg to keep my carbs under 20gr. I seem to stall when I go over the 20-25 gram mark.

I felt fine during the ketosis stage, in fact I had a lot of energy. When I say by the book, I meant that I did what it said to do, I drank tons of water and ate salads/vegetable along with a protein for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the first stage only. But I have read in many articles about low carb diets is that you have to make sure you eat enough vegetables so you don't feel bad. As I said above when it came to the OGWL, I stuck to it, but every once in a while I'd eat splenda ice cream, drank a couple glasses of wine and beer. I'm sure it hindered my weight loss, but that's what I wanted to do.
Everybody is different how they do this diet and more power to you for losing weight if not doing by the book.
I think that's awesome!

I do not do atkins but protien Power and the similarities are so much like they are essentially the same. (I just have to use PP for a reference)

For me strict by the book is needed. and if you are that deep into ketosis then you are not drinking enough. the darkness of your strip relates only to how hydrated you are basically. (unless you have kidney disease)

the first weeks you will feel like crap as your body adjusts to burning a different fuel so stick with it!!!