Alcohol - vodka and slimline tonic

[canibe]

Just a query - and I do have the book and have ordered the American version which probably has the answer - I'm on Induction and have extended it - went out for a meal and managed to keep to the plan but had a few vodka and slimline tonics which I enjoyed (I usually go for wine or Tia Maria) will this have knocked me out of the plan or will it be ok - just wondering whether to expect the flu again in about five or six days! Thanks- is there something better I could have chosen besides water?

[Super Duper Matt]

I am on induction but ocassionally I cheat with hard liquor and let me tell you, its a sure way to stall weightloss. Sometimes I gain 5 or 6 pounds of water weight and it takes 4 or 5 days to loose it all. For me, its definatly not worth the hastle. This isnt the answer to your query, sorry.

[not2late]

Extending Induction means you are still following the Induction Rules and eating off the Induction Acceptable Foods list. So, alcohol isn't allowed on extended Induction.

Alcohol is allowed during OWL, so if you want to make alcohol a part of your daily Atkins, consider moving to OWL.

[canibe]

Thanks

[boonie stomper]

I've run into this question myself (several times) and fortunately stayed in ketosis. Here's my newbie guess for you (I don't yet have my book - it's in the mail) Figure out how your carbs for the day add up, plus total the calories. Next, figure your energy expenditure. If your answers are under 20 carbs and a calorie deficit, you will still be in ketosis and won't get "flu"! I'd say also if you're drinking, and those numbers are borderline, do some extra exercise to lessen the "flu" chance. If it's too late for that, a brief fast may shorten the duration to get back to normal.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by boonie stomper

I've run into this question myself (several times) and fortunately stayed in ketosis. Here's my newbie guess for you (I don't yet have my book - it's in the mail) Figure out how your carbs for the day add up, plus total the calories. Next, figure your energy expenditure. If your answers are under 20 carbs and a calorie deficit, you will still be in ketosis and won't get "flu"! I'd say also if you're drinking, and those numbers are borderline, do some extra exercise to lessen the "flu" chance. If it's too late for that, a brief fast may shorten the duration to get back to normal.

Yes, it's possible to stay in ketosis and have alcohol---the folks in OWL Phase who drink alcohol are proof to that. But Induction phase is the time to get your body into ketosis, so why sabotage your efforts to do that? Also, Dr. Atkins said that people with a high metabolic resistance to weight loss may benefit from staying on Induction longer than 14 days in order to correct their metabolic imbalances. So why do something that can set back correcting those metabolic imbalances during Induction?

The other thing is the ketostix...The ketostix only measure one kind of ketone body: acetoacetic acid. When alcohol is metabolized by our livers, one of the by-products is acetic acid. That acetic acid is passed out through the urine and can cause a false positive for those ketostix.

So, Induction isn't the only weight loss phase of Induction. If you want to introduce alcohol into your diet, wait until OWL that way you won't risk messing up your ketotic state and you won't risk uncorrecting any metabolic imbalances you've corrected.