The most important part?
 

I am new to this.

Induction seems fairly easy after the fog wears off... That took about a week. I lost 10 pounds in about 10 days so far.

I hear about others hitting plateaus after the first week, or not realizing they should not eat apples or peanuts during induction. Or thinking they could cheat on the carbs a little here and there (and then wondering whey it was not working and why the grogg fogg was not going away....) But I won't be having those issues. Still, I want to keep it simple. I want to do the plan, but I don't want to carry a journal or obsess about the counts.

So my questions are,

• What are the 5 most important part of doing Atkins?
• And what are the top 5 mistakes people make with this diet?

I mean, if you messed up the water and did not drink enough would that wreck your results?

Or if you did not get the fat percentage in your diet high enough would that do it?

I like the protien part. I eat as much meat as I want, and I keep cheese to 4 ounces and salad to 3 cups or so. Not really eating a lot of other fat.

atkins
 

I'll try to answer your question as best I can, even though I'm still relatively new here...

What are the 5 most important things in doing Atkins?

1) Follow the rules outlined by Atkins book! (commandments)
2) Do not fall unto temptation
3) Thou shall count carbs
4) Thou shall drink plenty of water
5) Thou shall exercise and not be a couch potato

What are the TOP 5 mistakes when doing Atkins?

1) People try Atkins using their friends "second hand" advice.. oops!
2) People don't know there's carbs in most everything you eat.
3) People don't measure food portions.
4) People don't like to drink water. They try tea, juice, etc. NO, NO, NO!
5) People get cravings and fall of "ye old wagon".. lol

The hardest part about Atkins is following the rules. Read his book and follow it to the letter. :agree:

Good luck!

DONT'S
1. No cheating, it can set you back days and days (by knocking you out of ketosis) - not even 1 M&M during induction
2. Don't weigh everyday (I don't follow this rule but it's a pretty popular one)
3. Don't panic when week 3's losses aren't as big as weeks 1 & 2. You should plan to lose 10% of your target loss in weeks 1 & 2 and then 5% per month afterward.
4. Don't forget about exercise. Lots of great stuff on the forums here.
5. No nuts till after induction.

DO's
1. Get enough calories, and fat. Fat should be 70% of your calories.
2. Eat your allowed veggies and supplement with psyllium husks to avoid the dreaded "undelivered mail"
3. Count hidden carbs such as those in sweetener packs and items with <1g of carb.
4. Measure yourself with a tape measure so that when you're not seeing scale progress you can still see shrinkage
5. Pursue new recipes and try something new several times per week to avoid boredom

Thanx Cool and lost.

The recipes in our Atkins Recipe book are awesome.

Cannot see how anybody could get bored or hungry on this diet!

another thing
 

.... is if you wait starts to stall a bit dont be discouraged its you body's way of getting used to eating the new way. I'm on week and stuck on a certain weight which goes up and down 2 lbs everyday :cry: . I am just remembering last time i did the diet I lost 30lbs in 3 months, drank diet pepsi all day long, no water, drank coffee still, and didnt workout one bit lol. and lost inches like mad. they had to take IN my bridesmaid dress!!!!! but this time around no suck luck, I dring like 90oz of water and workout!!! OMG but I'm giving up!!!!!

see ya
Devil :devil:

god I cant type
 

sorry guys,

I meant I'm on week 5! bad night!! lol

again
 

LOL LOL i just read what I typed I mean I'M NOT GIVING UP!!!! lol HOLY GOD

Devil:

With this WOE, unlike the low calorie way you did before, your body is likely rebuilding protein like mad, protein you LOST during all that previous lowcal, lowprotein dieting you did before. So while it seems slower, two things are happening: internal musculature is being rebuilt AND fat lost. This is MUCH more healthy for you than "starvation".

PS - you can edit your old posts to fix things that are wrong, so you don't have to re-post corrections. Look for the little "edit/delete" icon. It works great! :)

it is definately slower for me this time...i've been on atkins for 2 months and have lost 12 pounds...the first time i lost 17 in 2 weeks...but i am seeing results in different ways...my cholestoral has dropped significantly, i am losing inches. and i have more energy...fortunately, i've not been plagued with light headedness, fatigue, constipation or tremendous cravings...i drink water all day long, read and count carbs, and try to exercise, although i never exercise daily. :nono: i know i should, but i just can't seem to get the energy i need for that daily...but i am an old fart, too! :bash:

thanx
 

thanks you guys for your replys...that helps, I know its going through some changes, so I'm waiting it out! Last time my body dramatically changed 2 months in the diet. So patience I guess is a virtue lol.
devil

Moral of the Story?
 

Hey Dev...

Sounds like the moral of the story is DON'T STOP once you start because it might be harder next time???

Sounds like the workout is adding muscle about as fast as you lose fat?

Do you measure inches? People say they don't lose inches and pounds at the same time. Maybe you are losing inches?

hey
 

hello, ya I guess it gets harder and harder last time wasnt the only time i've tried it you dont even wanna know how many times I have dont it 2 months here, 3 months there its pathetic lol. I must have lost inches cause I took my jeans off without undoing them but since then(about 2-3 weeks ago) I havent noticed anything else, The tape measure is the same. I have no idea whats going on ??!

talk to u later :yay:

i can definately tell a difference in my clothes...i have a pair of jeans that i fit into tonight, and wouldn't you know it was too dang hot to wear them!! :cry:

oh well...i'm still waiting on those low riders to fit...that means my weight will be back to where i can show off that tattoo i have above my belly button! WooHoo! :dazzle:

funny u say that
 

I have a belly button ring that I havent been able to show off in years!!!! cant wait. I have shown it one other time in the last 8 years, since then nothing!!!!! you will get in those jeans in no time! and I will show my belly!

later
devil

I am new here, but not new to lowcarb....

What are the 5 most important things in doing Atkins?

1. Drink enough water. Drink MORE than you think you need. If you drink anything that is dehydrating (like coffee or alcohol) make sure to drink extra water to make up for it. The same for exercise, hot weather or anything that makes you sweat.

2. Take a multivitamin/mineral supplement daily, especially on induction. Some people may find they need potassium, calcium or magnesium supplements also, and particularly if they are drinking plenty of water as there is a tendency for these minerals to be flushed out of the body. ANYONE on a weight loss diet is deliberately restricting the body's intake of nutrients below what is needed for maintenance. Supplements compensate for this.

3. Move into the OWL portion of the diet after Induction is over. Spend the additional carbs on veggies. Eventually you will even be able to eat some fruit again. :)

4. Read up on low-carb as much as you can. The more you understand, the more successful you will be over the long term.

5. Move more. It doesn't have to be a lot more at first, but do something. Stalls are less likely if you exercise.

What are the TOP 5 mistakes?

1. Over-relying on the scale as an indicator of fat loss. Much better to rely on measurements, or even better, on clothes. Measurements can lie if you don't take them in precisely the same locations every time. Clothes never lie. (They didn't lie when you were gaining the weight, and they won't lie now that you're losing it.)

2. All-or-nothing thinking about cheats. You WILL cheat at some point. Everyone does. It is important to understand what will happen when you cheat on a low carb diet. Expect to gain several pounds of WATER weight in the day or two following the cheat. It is only water and it will go away if you stay on-plan. Don't use a cheat and the corresponding water gain to proclaim, "I've blown it," and give up.

3. Getting discouraged when weight loss is not as rapid as it is during the first two weeks. Much of what you lose during the first 2 weeks of Atkins is WATER. After that the weight loss may settle down to a pound or two a week, as with any other diet. One to two pounds per week is about the maximum amount of fat your body can rid itself of safely. (Extremely large people do tend to lose faster than this for a while, until they reach a more "normal" weight range.)

4. Calorie mistakes.
a) Not eating ENOUGH calories. Many people find that ketosis suppresses their appetite. That is probably the biggest reason I can stick to low-carb when I could never stick to other weight loss regimes. I don't get hungry very often, and when I sit down to a meal I'm invariably surprised to find I'm getting full on very little food. I started watching calories to make sure I was eating enough.

b) Thinking calories don't count at all. At some point most of us will have to watch calories to make sure we're not getting too MANY. This usually happens as we get closer to goal.

5. Gorging on LC "fake" foods and LC desserts. These can cause stalls, either because of hidden carbs (glycerine and the like), or because of very high calories (cheesecake and the like).

Emily