tips for induction
 

hey!! my name is lizzy, and i just started the atkins diet. i have been "low-fat" for the past year and have lost 60 lbs. i was recently convinced that i should do the low-carb thing by my boyfriend's parents. i was tired of never eating and when i did eat it wasn't anything good. i missed real cheese and meat the most. since i only have about 10 lbs to lose i decided that i should skip induction but this did not work out and i have actually gained weight.. this has brought me to the conclusion that induction is important.

anyway

i was wondering if anyone has any tips for induction. things that help you lose weight the fastest. in all honesty, i would like to drop weight but if the only thing that comes off is inches i will be just as excited. i work out all the time and want to tone up.

if you have any ideas let me know!!

also, i was thinking about putting a before and after picture on here but i wasnt sure since i lost the weight thru low-fat instead of low-carbing.. what do you guys think??

thanks!!

Since you only have 10 pounds to lose, it probably will not come off fast!
But give it a whirl.... at least put yourself on this WOE for life, and you might never have a severe weight problem. It is a good healthy way to eat... And it's NOT lo fat!

DO the induction, and see where it takes you. Do you have the book? If not, Buy it, or borrow it... You need it...Also read these boards, lots and lots of great info here!!
Good Luck!

One of the first pieces of advice is to drop this mindset because that's not the point of low carbing - the point is to lose weight in the healthiest way for your body and fast weight loss will just cause stress for your body.

However, some good tips are to make sure you drink plenty of water and keep away from processed low carb foods, like the bars etc., which can stall weight loss :)

Good luck, and well done for choosing a low carb woe, you'll be glad that you did :)

can the bars stall weight loss if i eat them before a step aerobics class? i sometimes eat them before i go because i know i won't be able to eat dinner until late.

If I were you, I would not skip Induction. Just my opinion. Good luck.

I think if you are serious about this woe you will give it a chance by doing the plan properly. This means starting with induction and getting rid of retained water and starting to rid your body of yeast. Then following owl and climbing the carb ladder. On induction the bars are only for when you need to eat and can't possibly get a healthy meal in. I believe in clean induction and whole foods. I am on owl and still believe in whole foods. I think it all depends on how bad you want it!

The bars (and candies) have sugar alchohols in them so if you are one of the people who's bodies metabolizes them - and does not ignore them - and you eat a bar that states 3 NET carbs with 27 sugar alchohols your body treats it as though you just ate 30 carbs.

Also, if our body is sensitive to sugar and eating a tiny amount starts cravings for more sugary things then the sugar alchohlos in the bars can have the same effect. Trust me I was addicted to the bars and candies and had to go cold turkey.

Lizzy,

Congrats on your weight loss thus far. I just want to warn that because you are already at a healthy weight for your body, the weight loss is most likely going to be extremely slow from here on out. I would recomend adding some resistance training to your exercise routine, it will help build lead muscle mass which will give your body a better shape.

if i need a snack before aerobics, what should i eat??

during the day i get atleast 50 min of cardio and 15 min of ab work


on monday nights i get an hour of weights and an hour of cardio

tuesday i get an hour of weights [the only exercise i do]

wednesday nights i get an hour of cardio and 30 min pilates

thursday weights only [60 min]

do you guys think this will help me tone up with the LC diet??

You say you are doing weights on Monday and Tuesday. ARe you doing the same exercises on both those nights? You need to give each muscle group at least 1 day in between to rest and rebuild.

As for a snack before areobics, I would go with 1/2 cup cottage cheese, an ounce of cheddar with a slice of lunch meat or something similar. Basically you are looking for a protein rich snack right here and not something loaded with carbs.

As for sugar alcohols....you won't know how your body treats them until you try them. But if you aren't losing any weight for several weeks, that would be the first thing to cut out. Plus with MANY people they will give you diahrea and bad gas. They taste good, but man do they have consequences for eating them!

If time isn't an issue I would split your workouts up more like this....... but if you can't get in 6 days of workouts, then stack some of your cardio on top of your weight training. Not as effective, but still better than not doing it at all.

Monday - Weight training
Tuesday - Cardio
Wednesday - Weight training
Thursday - Cardio
Friday - Weight Training
Saturday- Cardio

What if I do cardio 5 times a week? For example I play competitive full court basketball for 45-75 minutes mon-friday. (During my lunch break)Then I lift weights three times a week at nights. Mon abs/chest/tri Wed abs/back/bicep Fri abs/legs/shoulders

Is doing cardio 5 days straight going to cause me any problems?

also... How do I start trimming my portion sizes down. My biggest problem is that I have a HUGE appetite!!! Any helpfull hints for people who can down seven chilli cheese dogs or three big cheese burgers in a sitting?

Playing the basketball 5 days a week isn't going to hurt you. But make sure you listen to your body and take a day off when needed.

As for the eating........I know what you mean as well. Even after training myself to eat smaller portions, I can still sit down and eat a large supreme pizza like its nothing. Or my favorite order from taco bell after drinking......3 Double Decker taco supremes, 1 mexican pizza, 1 personal pan supreme pizza, 1 seveal layer burrito and a meximelt. And I wonder how I got fat? :o

My best advice on eating is to try and eat 4 or 5 smaller meals. Because at first when you start cutting back those portions, you are going to be hungry a lot.....so have more frequent feedings. Set up a schedule and plan your meals the day before. ANd once you plan them, DO NOT GO OFF THAT PLAN. If you do this for a week or two, you will find your body has adjusted and its easier than it looks. But even now there are times when I go off on a 2 or 3 day period where I have to struggle to get back on plan. Good luck.

doing cardio 5 times a week is great!

i used to do cardio 4 times a day and im still alive :p

anyway.. thanks a lot for the advice. i just got home and im starving [i dont know why] this is what i ate today will someone tell me if im on the right track?

breakfast = 2 eggs w/ cheese and bacon
lunch = sliced turkey, cheese, lettuce, and cabbage

for dinner i plan to have steak and a salad..

what dressings do you recommend during induction?

I hear you on the small meals 4-6 times a day... But I find myself eating my meal and agonizing for the next 2-3 hours until i can eat again. (especially when it is pre-made and sitting in the fridge at work calling for me) I'm sure I will be fine. I wonder if your stomach really does get used to smaller portions. If so... It would only make sense that it would help you loose weight. I hope.

Does the Atkins diet say that you can eat too much protien? Or is protien pretty much a free food. I have used the body for life diet for a while but I have never actually read the Atkins book. I have just been kind of using a low carb/body for life hybrid. Is it really worth it to go buy the book? Can I make it without it?

i called someone from atkins and asked why i was gaining weight.. he said that i wasn't getting enough carbs from vegetables and that the protein i was eating was turning into sugar of all things.. :mad:

i don't understand how this happened but i guess you really can get too much protein..

Okay--first to Backupoff: the reason you are hungry in between eating is because you are not consuming enough fat and/or protein. You also need adequate vegetables, although not high-carb. I highly recommend finding one plan and sticking with it. I think for those with hefty appetites, Atkins can be one of the very best, becaue when your body goes into ketosis, it helps to stave off hunger.

WOrd, one of the biggest reasons for not losing weight on Atkins is not eating enough food--not consuming enough calories (besides those darned bars). Set up an account at http://www.fitday.com and put in all the food you're eating in a day. On Induction, your fat intake should equal roughly 70-75% of your caloric intake. It may be a little lower than that for you, considering if you're on Induction-level carbs, you may not be able to eat that much food.

If a person eats too much protein, the extra protein does indeed turn into glucose, but it takes quite a bit of protein to do that. If you're eating two to three healthy servings of meat a day this shouldn't be a problem.

i also have the biggest sweet tooth known to man.. i crave sweets 24/7

what are some ways that you guys fight the sweet cravings during induction and even during owl??

My advice to you being so close to your goal weight is to watch your calories. It does make a difference and because you consume fat on atkins your calories will add up fast. I too have gained on atkins with a "clean" induction. I would cut the bacon in the morning and have eggs with a cup of a high fiber veggie. I too work out 5 days a week for about two hours each day. Eating my carbs (only veggies) early give me the energy I need for my work out. Dinner I do fish, chicken, or red meat (pay attention to the portion size) and a very small salad with a little olive oil. I don't always do this but It's what I try to do and works really well. And the only way to rid your sweet tooth is by staying away from it. Eat sugar free jello but sometimes that will make me just want something else sweet. And the bars won't help you lose weight. If it's the weekend and I really want a treat I'll have one but I don't lose while eating them. Get the book also and do some reserch on other low carb diets. It helps to understand how your body works and all the information is useful. Good Luck

Generally speaking, a clean Induction will help rid your body of the sweet cravings. Of course never mind that as you move on through OWL, you can add back berries and such, which gives you back a taste for sweets, LOL.

There are some really Induction-friendly recipes that are sweet and help to keep cravings for bad sweets under control. One I can think of is the Mock Danish. This sounds really weird, but it's awesome. You use one egg, 2 ozs. of cream cheese and enough Splenda to sweeten it (roughly about a teaspoon). You chop the cream cheese and mix it into the egg. You don't want the cream cheese dissolved, just sort of softened and mixed. Then microwave the mix until it's thoroughly cooked. This honestly tastes like a Danish.

My main problem is chocolate. I am a chocoholic, always have been, always will be. Since I couldn't find much chocolatey to eat on Induction, I made a drink a couple times a week which was great. It was about a cup of water with 2 tablespoons of cream, a scant teaspoon of instant coffee and a couple teaspoons of cocoa sweetened with Splenda. This actually worked better than one might expect.

thanks for the wonderful recipes!! i can't wait to try them out..

in response to janette, i decided to go on this diet so i could eat again.. what you described sounds just what i was running from [my low-fat diet] i hated it and i even started getting sick. i like eating and i guess as long as i dont gain weight, ill be okay. i guess i can survive at 120 i dunno.. i just want to tone everything i have up.. right away :D [thats why i work out so much] thanks for the advice though.. if you have any more let me know

lilacotton,

approx. how many carbs do those recipes have??