I am confused. In Dr. Atkins book he says you can stay in Induction after the two weeks. But I have heard it is better to go on to OWL.

What do all of you think??

Let me take a quote from Atkins for Life (hardcover edition) p. 4.

This is Dr. Atkins speaking:

"In the weight-loss phases of Atkins, your objective will be to eat as many "good" carbs as you can handle and to cut out virtually all "bad" carbs."
(emphasis mine)

The question is not "CAN" you stay on induction, patti.
The question is why would you want to if you don't have to?

There are SOME people who seem to be so resistant to losing that they need to stay at induction levels. But in my experience this is very few. Most people do better - and certainly you have more choices - if you find your ACE (the number of carbs you can eat each day and maintain) and then stay just below that!

I interviewed Dr. Trager, the Chairman of the Atkins Physicians Committe, for an article I did for Low Carb Living Magainze. (The article was called, "Beyond Carbphobia", and is available in its entirely on their website http://www.lclmag.com if you complete a free registration.) Anyway, Dr. Trager said to me, why WOULDN'T you add as many carbs as you can back into your diet?

was his statement to me.

So there's nothing to be confused about. Most people do NOT have to stay at induction levels for the whole time they are losing. Only if you must, should you.

And, if you're that resistant, I would check with your doctor and make sure there is nothing else going on physically, just to be sure.

I hope this helps you!

LCandrea

LCandrea: AWESOME reply.

i thought if i stayed on induction i would lose weight faster and *easier* but all it did was make me fall off the low carb wagon and binge. i figured since i had so much weight to lose (113 pounds) that this was the way i should go. it worked for 40 pounds but it didnt work long term.
THIS time, when induction is over for me, i will gradually add 5 carbs a week like im s'posed to and do things the RIGHT way!

__________________
~~funkynut

started: 1/8/04
263/223/150 (5'6)
223/223/210 ~ halloween challenge
223/223/205 ~ thanksgiving challenge

Funky, you make an important point here.

The sooner you start to diversify your diet, the longer you have (prior to getting to your goal) to explore all the various foods out there that "work" for you. With a varied diet, there's less boredom and less chance of binging. But beyond that, if you have a limited induction style diet right to goal, you miss the chance to learn how to eat for the rest of your life. There's an important educational component to OWL.

__________________

Thanks so much for the advice. I am so glad you are all here for us newbies!!!!!

I personally never lost weight unless I followed Induction - so I kept my carbs at 20 all the way to goal. Once there, I added 5 carbs or so a week until I reached my "limit": approximately 80-110 carbs. The weight has been off for almost 3 years!

EXACTLY whut i planned to do when i started back in january!! however, i couldnt hold to it..... :(

when i read how lc worked for u it kinda makes me wonder if u needed to *suffer* with so few carbs all that time when u can have so many now to maintain ur weight. im sure exercise comes in to play and all tho. isnt it amazing how we can personalize our own owl to make lc living juss right for us??!?!

__________________
~~funkynut

started: 1/8/04
263/223/150 (5'6)
223/223/210 ~ halloween challenge
223/223/205 ~ thanksgiving challenge

I think staying on Induction is also one of those YMMV type things. I have heard of people having to stay on induction for a long time just to lose weight 'cuz if they increased their carbs, they couldn't lose...and then, others like me, hit a stall after being on induction for a long time and the only way it was broken was by upping the carbs...I think everyone's different in this area as well...just like some people lose a lot on induction, some lose very little on induction...you know, YMMV...

SugarFreeSheila, I'm just curious...after you hit goal and started increasing your carb intake, did you see any weight gain in the beginning or were you still able to maintain or did you still lose? I've never heard of it being done that way. I find it very interesting...and if it works for you, that's what counts...

Like someone said, it's a matter of finding your own groove...

Sheyla
186/124.4/105