How long should I stay on Induction?
 

I'm on day 6 and I have lost 7lbs (I can't believe it!). I'm going to complete the two weeks of Induction, but should I continue after that? I had planned to do it for a month, but now I'm wondering if that's a good idea.

What have the rest of you done?

Thanks...Moira

Just to let you know that you can stay on the induction for as long as your body can stand it. If you have a considerable amount of weight to lose, you can stay on longer. They only ask you to stay on for a MINIMUM of 2 weeks. I have stayed on it for a month because I really didn't want to change what was working.

You can stay on induction longer than 2 weeks.. I stayed on induction for the 2 weeks but then added a few nuts or extra vegie or a serving of fruit... But still managed to stay around 20-25 carbs a day for a while.. thenmoved up some a little at a time.. to slow the weightloss down.. This is my second time now on induction.. Being I went on a vacation in august and mother in law served doughnuts and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and carbs at dinner time.. But wasnt going to say nothing because i havent seen her in a few years.. But when i got home i found it hard to break that carb habit again.. But said hey get back on wagonand start again and let it roll... I plan on staying on induction this time for about a month or 2 depending on how i feel and then move up the ladder again till i hit my top level of carbs i can intake and still loose...

Tammy

I thought I would stay on induction until I went down one size but found 20 carbs relatively easy to do. I remained there until (forgiving the sins of the holidays) for two sizes.

I'm up to between 20-30 carbs a day now.

I stayed on induction for about the first month and then I decided to relax a little bit. Once I got in the habit of only having 20 carbs a day it was kind of a natural number to stay around. Now (almost 2 months later) I just try to keep my carbs between about 20-40. During the holidays they were probably closer to 40, but I ate more nuts and relish tray foods to try to compensate for all of the goodies that everyone else was eating.

So to answer your question.... I think that staying near induction is just fine. Besides, it is all about what works for you. If you do stay on induction don't forget to drink alot of water to keep you flushed out.

Keep up the good work!!

You can stay on induction for longer than the two weeks, but there are a few things to consider. First...many people find that they actually lose better when they increase their carbs a bit. Second...what will you do if you hit a stall or plateau? Drop to 15 grams of carb? 10? If you stay at 20 grams for a long period of time, you won't have anywhere to retreat to if you hit a stall.
Having said that, Dr. Atkins does say that you can safely stay on induction for longer than the two weeks (safely meaning that it won't cause you any physical harm), especially if you have a great deal of weight to lose but the point of low carbing is to not only lose the weight but to also learn how to keep it off for a lifetime. If you stay at induction levels until you get to your goal or close to your goal, you really won't have any idea how you should be eating to keep the weight off.
Ongoing weight loss (OWL) is where you practice and tinker and tweak until you figure out what your maxiumum level of carbs for losing is. Once you figure that out, you'll also have a pretty good idea what your maximum level of carbs for maintaining will be too. You also get the benefit of greater variety.
It's an individual decision, but if it were me I wouldn't stay on induction too much past the required 2 weeks.

I have stayed around 20 - 25 carbs for over a year now, it just feels natural to me (the odd weekend I increased due to some wine - which stalled me to no end). I now don't really even think about what to eat, it's just natural to me, hence, way of life now. As long as your body can tolerate the low carbs, you can stay there indefinately.

Vikki

Thanks!
 

Thanks for all your input. For some reason I wasn't able to access the site yesterday, so sorry for the delay.

After losing 4 lbs. in 2 days I was a little afraid of what I was doing. I'm going to stop weighing myself everyday! I keep telling myself I'm only doing this one day at a time, so I'll wait until the two weeks is up before I think too much on this again.

It's great to hear what everyone else is doing, thanks!

Moira

Hi Moira,

I am in the middle of my second week of induction, and I have been weighing everyday too. I lost 4 pounds the first two days, but it has now slowed a bit. I have approximately 50 pounds to lose, so I have decided to stay on induction for longer than the minimum two weeks. I'm satisfied and feel good, so why change it.

It sounds like you're doing great!

Diana

Diana,

Thanks for your reply. I start my second week today. :)

My weight loss has slowed down, but I feel pretty good. It's actually nice not to walk around stuffed and bloated. The hunger things is weird, though. I'm used to being shakey and light-headed when I'm hungry, now it's a feeling I'm just not familar with. Hopefully I'll get more used to this WOE as time goes by.

Thanks for the encouragement :wave:

I stayed on Induction for about 9 months, though I slowly eased up on the initial food restrictions. Now, I'm trying to stay under 30/day and most times find that I have trouble reaching 30. There are a couple of days/week that are exceptions and, on those two days, I sometimes exceed 30. Yet, overall, my weight loss continues on a fairly regular basis. There may come a point when I have to be more strict with myself, but things are fine atm.

What you'll find is the drastic "7 pounds" or so you lose in the first few days is all water. During ketosis you lose a lot of water retention so if you think that's all fat you've lost, it's not.

I have not seen a significant difference between the induction diet and the OWL part. What is the difference?

well I think all us former yo yo dieters know that the first few pounds on any wt loss plan is primarily wayer loss but WHO CARES. It is LOSS and not gain!!! Yippey Yahooey!. I still haven't weighed but my husband did and since Monday he has lost about 7 pounds. He had already lost 40 from his illness.

Having started with Protein Power - which starts at 30 grams - and initially losing about 50 pounds in 6 months I think that restricting your carbs to 20 or less a day is unduly cruel.

I've seen so many people swing through here who are afraid of onions, tomatoes, spices, and other things that can make cooking and eating an ongoing pleasure.

Whatever you do, keep looking at this WOE as an abundant way of eating where carb-anoia won't get in the way of letting you enjoy a perfectly vine-ripened tomato or a fragrant, juicy summer strawberry.

Karen