Still in induction phase and a few newbie questions...

[my911cab]

I started Atkins Induction on September 5th weighing in at 259. As of this morning October 3 I weigh 238 and feel fantastic. My mini goal is to be 208 by the first week of November. My goal weight is 195ish. So far the diet has been pretty easy. Ok for my questions:

- I am never, hungry. I literally have to remind myself to eat and find myself eating only once a day. Either lunch or dinner.
This can't be good? right...

- I am terrified to introduce anything sweet at this point and I have been staying way below the 20 grams of carbs limit just eating meat, fish, poultry, cheese and maybe once or twice a week a plain salad with oil and vinegar. Bad?

- I was taking one Men's multi vitamin a day and I just up'd it to two in the morning. Any problems with that?

- My plan is to stay on induction until I get to my goal weight and I have been loosing almost exactly 1 pound each day. I know I'm not supposed to weigh in daily but I am so fascinated by this diet I can't help it.

- I bought Keotisis strips at Walmart and check my levels every day and they are always black/purple. Is this too much? I drink 4 to 5 quarts of water a day.

- My OWL plan is once I get to my goal weight to switch over to Weight Watchers (banned topic?) My thought is according to WW I can have up to 30 pts a day and maintain my goal weight. Anyone else have success doing this?

- I should add I have been jog/walking 3 miles a day almost every day since starting this diet.

Any feedback would be welcome and appreciated!
Thanks

Andrew

[Sherri]

Hi Andrew,
Unfortunately you're not doing Atkins at all. Do you have DANDR 2002 and have you read it? That is what we go by here. It's important to follow the program correctly IF you're going to do Atkins.
You're right, it's not good to eat just once a day. Dr. Atkins writes that is important to go no longer than 6 waking hours without eating.
Very important to get your required 2 cups salad veggies and 1 cup other veggies in EVERYDAY. Page 125-126 DANDR.
You're not getting in enough fiber! You should be consuming most of your carb count from veggies when doing Atkins.
It certainly is your " OWL PLAN", and "Andrew's Weightloss Plan"if you're going to switch over to WW for OWL. Because it certainly isn't the Atkins Plan.
Here's a Sticky from the Induction Thread with important information on how to do the "ATKINS PLAN" Correctly for Induction. Valuable information there.
Great job on the water intake and exercise!!!!!!
Sincerely, Sherri



Before you begin:

1. Read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition.
At the very least, read chapters 10 through 14. These chapters tell you how to do the diet, what to expect, and why the first 14 days are so important.

ADBB uses DANDR 2002 as its reference. Granted there are other publications by Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. but we like to do the diet as it was written by Dr. Robert C. Atkins because in our collective experience Dr. Atkins' diet is more effective than Atkins Nutritionals, Inc's version.

2. See your physician.
Dr. Atkins recommended this himself. See your physician for a complete physical exam, including blood tests before beginning this or any other diet and exercise program.

Also take the Blood Sugar Symptom Test found in the book.

3. Make a commitment.
Commit yourself to giving the 14 day Induction a fair shot. If you can't commit yourself to 14 days of following rules and eating the foods listed in the acceptable foods list, this diet might not be for you.

4. Prepare your kitchen
If it's not on the list, remove it from your home. If you live with people who aren't on a low carb diet, then put your food(s) in areas separate from theirs. Also make sure you have low carb snacks available to you at all times, in case you get hungry.

5. Recruit your family and friends.
You are about to embark on a completely new lifestyle. Getting the support of your family and friends will help you through this. Be frank with them and tell them your intentions and that this is very important to you. If they have any doubts about this diet, ask them to read the book because knowledge is power.

6. Keep the Induction Rules and Foods List handy.
Make two copies of these documents: keep one on your refrigerator at home and keep the other one on your person at all times. This will save you a lot of guesswork and worry when eating out or grocery shopping.

The Rules of Induction can be found here:
What are the Rules of Induction?

The Induction Acceptable Foods List can be found here:
What foods can be eaten on Induction?

7. Read the entire label, including the ingredients.
Some foods have little carbs, but contain things like hydrogenated oils (trans fats) and sugar, which makes them unacceptable for Induction.

8. Keep a food diary
It is of utmost importance to keep track of your daily carbohydrate intake to make sure you are not exceeding 20 net carbohydrates daily.

Some people keep a notebook journal. Others like to track their progress online.

Here are some resources:
An Atkins spreadsheet:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=4570

http://www.fitday.com ---This is a free online service (registration required) that allows you to input your foods, track your exercise, etc.

Carbohydrate Counters:
http://www.atkins.com ---The Atkins site has a downloadable Carb Counter.
http://www.calorieking.com ---This site has nutritional information for most foods and beverages.
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ ---This is the United States Department of Agriculture Nutrition Database.

9. Exercise
According to Dr. Atkins "exercise is non-negotiable"! So get moving. Begin according to your level of fitness. Visit the Exercise Forum.

10. Vitamin Supplements
These are also recommended by Dr. Atkins because many of us have poor nutrition and we need extra nutrients. Visit the Vita-Nutrient Forum.

11. Weigh AND Measure Yourself on Day 1

Make sure you weigh and measure yourself before you begin this diet. Contrary to what we are lead to believe, the scale isn't the best tool for measuring weight loss (fat loss). It doesn't tell you how much muscle you gained. It doesn't tell you how much water weight you gained or lost. It doesn't tell you that you will fit into that pair of jeans.

Tips for weighing:
a. Weigh yourself at the same time of day under the same conditions. You can weigh "more" after a meal or after you drink water or you can weigh "less" after you exercise or have a bowel movement. So pick a time and stick to it. Likewise, clothing can also add on "pounds". So if you choose to weigh yourself wearing clothes, make sure you are wearing the same clothing or nearly the same clothing.

b. Use the same scale. Scales differ slightly. So the scale in your doctor's office or at the gym might have you weighing more or less than the scale in your bathroom.

Tips for measuring:
a. You can measure whatever body areas you want: chest, waist, hips, thighs, upper arm, wrists and ankles. To make the measuring easier, you body landmarks like your belly button or a mole or scar, to guide your tape measure placement. For chest measurement, women can either measure under their armpits and/or under their breasts.

b. Don't "pull" on the measuring tape because that will give you a false reading (and stretch the tape). The tape should be snug, but not tight.

c. Don't suck in to make yourself smaller. Again, that will give you a false measurement.

Measuring tapes can be purchased at craft stores (the sewing section) for under $5.00. If you can't find one, you can use a piece of string. Just mark that string with a marker pen to indicate your "start" points". Or if you have an old belt, you can use that too.

Another good "measuring tool" is your clothing. Non-stretchy clothing like a dress shirt, jeans, or dress is the best thing to use. Stretchy fabric (like t-shirts or anything with spandex) will conform to your body as you shrink so you might not see the results. Try on this article of clothing periodically to see how you are losing inches.

Good luck to you on your 14 day Induction journey.

[my911cab]

Sherri,

Thanks for the input. I do have the book and have read it. I guess I just find myself thrilled not be be starving all of the time and I hate the thought of forcing myself to eat. I agree on the vegetables. I guess I should try to add more broccoli and salads to the mix. What is "normal" weightloss on Atkins? I am psyched with my current 1 pound a day and would hate to see that change.

Andrew

[not2late]

OWL phase stands for On-going Weight Loss Phase, which means you're still losing weight. So OWL can't be a weight maintenance plan, because weight maintenance means you're maintaining your weight, not losing it.

Plenty of people ignore OWL phase for a variety of reasons: they think it's a hassle to do, they think they'll stop losing weight, they think once they get to their goal weight everything will be sunshine and rainbows and they'll never have to worry about gaining weight again. Usually, they are the people who get to goal then show up here about a year later saying that they fell off Atkins and regained all their weight back plus more.

OWL phase is important because we learn how our bodies react to different foods, while we continue losing weight.

By-passing OWL is like learning how to fly a plane but not learning how to land it.

[LaceyLooWho]

There is no normal on Atkins... everyone is different. I lose about 2.5 pounds a week and follow the plan and book religiously. Men tend to lose faster than women so that is also working for you. 1 pound a day is really fast, I honestly think you should eat more veggies. Try to remember this isnt a race and its not a quick fix weight loss program. Atkins is intended as a way of life and eating forever

[my911cab]

I do plan on adding more vegs and more exercise. My thought was to get to my goal weight or as close as I can ultimate goal is 185 but if I got to 210 I would be a-ok and then go on WW. I was on WW before and did fairly well on with their points program its just the weight came off soooooooo slow. 1-1.5 pounds a week was consider fantastic by their standard of measure. It was painfully slow. The flip side was I could pretty much eat any foods I craved as long as I counted the points.

[billbazz]

I agree with the other's

You need to decide if this is going to be your way of life!
This plan was developed to ease you into a lifetime of good health and well being.
everyone is different..as you add new foods to your diet, you will ( the first time for many!) know which foods,as well as how many good carbs your body can or cannot handle.

It's a commitment that should be made from the day you finished reading the book and decided to start induction.
I am now approaching 4 months---I have had weeks were I gained!
I have had "weeks" go by with only 2 0z losts
I stayed the coarse, like you I excercise, I felt like I was force feeding myself at times also. I have discovered veggie's (and so will you!) some new, some rediscovered! As you climb the rungs you will never fall into
the "boredom with the food choices" theme of most diets.
I am now on rung 7
All the Best!