hi and welcome Carol --- I'm Carole with an "e"!! I'm glad you have decided to use Dr. Atkins plan. We use the 2002 Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution (DANDR) and follow it to the letter....no shakes and bars allowed. Drink at least 64 ounces of pure water daily (nothing but ice added to that 64 ounces) and exercise is mandatory from day 1. If you don't have a copy of the book
www.half.com and
www.amazon.com have inexpensive copies.
We have several recipe sites that will help make your journey much tastier -- check them out. Read around the forum and start a journal to help track your progress. There are plenty of specialty forums which might interest you -- hope you post often. The monthly challenges has just started and I'm sure you would be able to join them still - it's a great way to be accountable to yourself and meet new people.
Good luck to you.
Rules of Induction: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6782 Induction Acceptable Foods List: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=6781 Recipe Sites http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/menus.html (Never ending induction recipes)http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/58513-never-ending-induction-recipes.html (Induction Recipe Basics--More recipes added)http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/6807-induction-recipe-basics-more-recipes-added.html http://www.sugarfreesheila.com/RecipesPage.html This is from the "Read before you start" thread in the 14 day Induction area: Drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day, including: Filtered water Mineral water Spring water Tap water After your 64 ounces daily you can have the following: Clear broth/bouillon (not all brands; read the label) Club soda Cream, heavy or light (limit to two to three Tablespoons a day; note carb content) Decaffeinated coffee or tea* Diet soda made with sucralose (Splenda); be sure to count the carbs (may cause a stall in weight loss) Essence-flavored seltzer (must say "no calories" and should not contain aspartame) Herb tea (without barley or any fruit sugar added) Lemon juice or lime juice (note that each contains 2.8 grams carbohydrate per ounce); limit to two to three Tablespoons *Excessive caffeine may cause unstable blood sugar and should be avoided by those who suspect they are caffeine dependent. Everyone should try to avoid caffeine. Grain beverages (coffee substitutes) are not allowed. Alcoholic beverages are also not permitted during Induction; those low in carbohydrates are an option, in moderation, in later phases