Hi there,

I have been doing ATkins for 3 weeks now and am getting very bored with the Induction phase. hehe. I'm sure all of you have been there at some point? Now, here is my dilemma. I have a modest weight loss goal - 25-35 pounds in total and have already lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks on Induction. Also, the inch loss is incredible - 4 off my hips, 2 off my waist, 1 off of each thigh, 1.5 off of each arm and 3.5 off of my ribcage. WOWEE! :jumpgreen But now I have to decide whether I should go onto the OWL Stage. Maybe you veterans can offer me some advice? I have been making the mistake of eating those LC treats on a daily basis (BAD ME!) and have now learned that they are for a treat once in awhile. What are the pros and cons of this situation I am in. I am truly bored of eating eggs and meat and cheese.

Shall I start by adding a low carb tortilla (5 g net carbs) to my daily regime and look at my weight loss at the end of the week like the book suggests? or does anyone have any other tips?

Can I eat hot dogs? Ugh. Hehe.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,
Krystyne (hockeygirl)

Definitely move on to OWL. But...this is done by adding additional low carb veggies to up your carb count. The occasional LC tortilla or bread is fine for occasional use, but the majority of your carbs should still come from veggies. If you are bored, then I would say that makes the decision pretty easy. Add some more veggies, try some nuts and berries.
...And remember, you are supposed to be eating at least 3 cups salad greens, or 2 cups salad + 1 cup lc veggies per day while on induction.

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Start Atkins 9.1.03
225/198/130ish

We started by adding pecans and strawberries to our diet. As Tara said, more LC veggies. By the way, my hubby & I only had 30 & 20 lbs to lose too & for 4 months I kept our carbs between 20-30 per day. I moved them back & forth, maybe up to 30 one day and back to maybe 20-22 for a couple of days, etc. That's worked for us. I've lost the 20 that I wanted to lose & my hubby only has 3-4 to go now. I know that approach was a little different than continually adding the 5 carbs but we didn't want to take 8-12 months (?) to lose 20-30 lbs.

I agree with Tara - move on to OWL. And, as she said, rather than relying on the low carb breads and tortillas, try adding in some nutes, or LC fruit (like berries). Also, be prepared for your weightloss to slow down - this is normal and to be expected most of the time. Just remember that this is a way of life, so make your changes slowly so that you can make them a permanent part of your lifestyle.

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Jen



179/179/120

I understand your being sick of bacon and eggs!. personally, I would start by adding 'Atkins cereal", either the almond crunch or the blueberry, plus the carb countdown milk to your diet. I wouldn't give the cereal an A+ but it is a B...lol. I also agree with pianomom that you shift your carb intake as it does help you lose, but allows you some days of more freedom.

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In the cookies of life, we are the chocolate chips.

Induction stops at two weeks. If you're three weeks into the Atkins plan, you should be into the OWL phase, which will broaden your food choices and keep you from "getting very bored". With the relatively small amount of weight you wish to lose overall, don't make the mistake of staying at Induction carb ranges for more than the two weeks.

As for the low carb treats, my opinion is that they should never be ingested. Not now, not ever. If you want to lose weight optimally, simply don't eat them. If you need a sweet treat, do it with real food such as two tablespoons of Hershey's unsweetend cocoa mixed with a drop or two of water in a bowl, heat it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, add Splenda to sweeten, add walnuts or sugar-free natural peanut butter, spread it on a low carb wrap, and it tastes almost like a Reese's cup. I mean, if you're going to eat something sweet for a "fix", eat real foods. But don't eat the low carb, pre-packaged treats.

You should be eating vegetables and lots of them, the low glycemic type. Vegetables should be your source for carbs. Eat them in abundance and in many varieties. Eat them cooked or raw, embellish them with garnishments such as sour cream or cream cheese, but eat them.

As to your query regarding hot dogs, I addressed your question here in another thread.

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April

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That's what we would do if we stopped losing weight for, say 5-6 days etc., or gain. If we upped our carbs for a day and then dropped them back down for a day or two, it would help us to start losing again. I think there were a few days once in a while that we'd go to around 33 carbs. But most of the time we'd stop around 30.

Ditto what April and the others have said. Frankly I wouldn't look to low carb products, like the tortillas, as a way to increase your carb count, only look at them as a low carb option to make a meal more interesting.

As has been said before you should be increasing your veggies first, then on to nuts and the low glycemic fruits like berries.

If no one has said it before, reread your Atkins chapters on OWL and pay close attention to the carbohydrate ladder. The carb ladder is the order that you should be reintroducing carbs.

Be aware that stalls are not unusual at the 3 week mark and also since you are not that far from your goal weight, the weight may come off rather slowly...but it will come off.

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Libby

2004 174/142/138

Begin Again 2007

164/159/142

yup... ditto what was said about the LADDER.. gotta do the ladder... that way you APPRECIATE every little thing you add...;-)

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Thanks to all who replied. You have helped me tremendously. Today I had nuts for the first time in a while. They ROCKED! I will take your suggestions about having some cocoa and splenda with peanut butter to cure a sweet hankering. Beautiful! My journey continues! Yahoo!!

Later skaters!
-Krystyne (hockeygirl)