Ok so I want to lose 68 pounds in 14 pounds. Induction means no coffee at all? I average about 2 cups/day in the morning, along with that tasty Ham Omelette! Will it really get in the way of me losing weight if I continue drinking my daily blend?

And if i go 6 days without having more than 20grams of carbs in a day, and then have more than 2o on the 7th day, a treat, will that ruin my week's worth of work?

Are books on this Diet really helpful?

Some people will not give up their coffee and have done great. some find they need to. I wouldn't give it up if you really want it until you find you need to.

The real goal of the 20gm induction is to detox your system,which helps a lot in getting rid of cravings. I, myself, find a 'treat' is very hard to get over. I just want more. If you don't have that problem - havnig a treat once in a while may slow you down. If you can accept that , then it is your choice.

Book is very, very much helpful. It answers your questions, it gets you in the frame of mind, it inspires you.
Get the Atkins book. No question.

__________________
Mary Kay 1/1/04 - 232
5/19/08 (5/23/08) - sw226/(cw222)/mg210/fg160

District Hoser,
Welcome!:jump:

My first recommendation is that you pick up the book for your choice of low carb program. It is like practicing a new religion and not reading the "bible" persay. Since you used the term Induction you may mean South Beach or Atkins? Which program have you decided to start?

I have found that treat is cheating myself, because like Mary Kay referred to the subject; I have to say that when you do the first 14 days of Induction, your body is detoxifing all of the junk it has been storing for too long. 2ndly your body is virtually turning into a "fat burning machine" going over those 20 carbs is going to slow that process down. Take advantage of those Induction days, they are some of the best days for your body and for weightloss. The more you have to lose the more that you lose. Water water water...I can't say that enough, that is the key to dropping weight; a rehydrated body responds better not only the detox but, bloating deminishes, sleeping is better, the bennies are endless.
I don't drink anything but water most of the time. I don't do caffeine, it doesn't agree with me. The reason that they say to nix the coffee is that it acts as a stimulate in the body and therefore your body response to it as if it were sugar. We want to keep the sugar levels to a bare mininum.

hang in there you can do it, remember the reward is feeling, looking good and losing weight. It is worth it.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

__________________
"Summer of PQ"
19 pounds down....
Atkins

I've been eating low carb for the past 5 weeks and have lost 10 lb so far. I still allow myself 2 cups of coffee in the mornings when I go to work. I need something to help me with my 45 minute drive to work at 5:45 am!

I switched to decaf, hoping it would end my interminable stall, but it did not help; however, I feel tremendously better without the caffeine.

Each person's metabolism is different. The first time I did low carb, I lost fine drinking lots of regular coffee every day. Today I limit my coffee to mornings only, and drink green or white tea the rest of the day, in addition to my water.

Treats are usually not worth it. They can set you back for a few days, or cause you to binge on illegal foods. Treats should be for special occasions only, in my opinion.

__________________
Nita

howdy, h.

as folks have said, the coffee is an individual thing. most of the coffee drinkers i know on lc didn't have to give it up to see results, so i'd see how things work out for you. i still drink mine. just make sure it doesn't take the place of your water, which is a HUGE helper in the rate of losses.

and i think i told you already in the other thread- get that book, man! get that book.

on the "treat" question...you can't really "bank" carbs, at least not as a habit and expect to continue losing. there are going to be times when you eat more carbs than others, sure. and yes, if i know that's coming up, i will moderate my carb intake around that time in anticipation. but it has to be infrequent or you get a raging case of the "carb creeps" where you end up eating more carbs than you're really even registering.

the extra carbs won't undo all your work, no, but the offplan eating can cause problems, depending on exactly what and how much it is. i'll explain.

especially if we're talking sugar, for many, many folks, that starts the whole craving cycle again. for some people, extra carby foods starts them craving carbs and leaves them ravenously hungry. at best, if you eat many more carbs than you have been, you may find yourself feeling bloating, retaining water, and in general feeling like crap the next day, as in a carb hangover. and if you eat a lot of carbs after eating lc for a while, it can knock you out of ketosis (fat-burning mode), which is what gives you those energy surges, the reduced appetite, and the dragon breath. it may take a day to three to get back there. so for many, eating offplan just isn't worth it. at any rate, whatever you do, don't go nuts with it.

and besides: i alway encouarge people to start thinking of non-food treats anyway! one of my fav. treats for eating well and losing some weight is getting a new outfit.

good luck and peace out.

__________________


Fat Baggage- Is Yours Packed?

All depends on the individual. I never gave up coffee and I've been fine.

I never gave up coffee, either. In fact, Atkins turned me into a coffee lover! And I drank regular all along. The dh and I just switched to Simply Smooth, though, because of less acidity for his sake.

People seem to say they stall on coffee, but this is just my opinion - if they are not drinking it black, then I don't think it's the coffee. I believe it's the cream they are putting in it that is causing the stall - not the coffee itself. Why? Because sometimes, if you are just eyeing the cream, then you are putting more than you think in it. 1 flat tablespoon of cream is a lot less than people think it is.

I worry about the coffee too. I one of those who doesn't drink it black. I have 1/2 a packet of splenda and sugar free creamer. I also know I don't eyeball an accurate tablespoon, so I'm feeling pretty sure that I'm getting more carbs there than I'm actually counting. And today I'm so bloated and show 3 more lbs on the scale than yesterday. I'm wondering if pms symptoms can cause that much difference?

AK, I bought some "sugar free" creamer that actually has corn syrup in it. I use it only as a backup when I don't have any real cream, and just can't face black coffee.

PMS can surely cause you to have a big gain. Water retention can really pack on the pounds, but soon it will be gone. Make sure you drink plenty of water during this time, it will help tremendously. (I personally take taurine for water retention. I read it in a newsletter that Dr. Atkins wrote. He used it instead of diuretics for his patients with congestive heart issues.)

__________________
Nita

I used to use sugar free creamer until I saw that it had corn syrup in it. Can't stand corn syrup!

I use the Splenda Flavor packets in mine. There is no need for creamer using these (for me, anyway) And one packet lasts me through about 3 cups of coffee.

Yes, it's normal to bloat and gain during TOM. Just remember to drink a ton of water. When I know TOM is getting ready to come around, I significantly increase my protein intake. It keeps me from bloating and craving starchy, sugary foods.