Hi, Val,

Thanks for the question.

The order I'm trying was picked (partly) because of the freak-em-out effect it might have on the leptin-sprite in my body. After a fat fast, (remember, it's not just 90 percent fat, it's only 1000 calories a day) -- well, I'd suppose that sprite would think -- "Sheesh! Rations are short and greasy. Time to give the starvation dial a turn or two."

So, if the point of a switch is to confuse the leptin-sprite, I can't think of anything better suited to do this than a blast of calories in all their nuitritional variety -- protein, fat, and carbs-wonderful-carbs in quantities of a few hundred grams a dose.

If I'm correct (and who knows about that?? Is personifying a metabolic process bizarre, or what?), then going back on induction is a further slight-of-hand maneuver: keep the grub chugging down the gut, but yank the carbs and up the fat. If the Leptin-sprite is as stupid as I hope he is, he'll see gross calories and food-mass and overlook the fact that the carbs are gone.

As to being a shock to the body, a couple of things to say ...

1. So far, no sweat. Last night, when I posted the post above, I did so while waiting for that double-pepperoni jalapeño pizza to be delivered to my door. I ate four slices and felt almost uncomfortably "full," but otherwise no problems.

2. Three hours later I ate one more slice, and a big bowl of that triple vanilla ice cream. Discovered (to my dismay) that my daughter had killed the last of the Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, so I had to settle for caramel sauce. The things I suffer for this WOE! [head shaking in amazement] Still, I felt fine, and I slept like a baby, where during the fat fast, I was waking up at 0500 wanting to power down my 200 calories of oil, though the feeding time was 0600.

So far, then, I experience no ill side effects. I'll check my blood glucose tonight before heading to bed. I expect it to be elevated since by that time I will have gone to a movie and eaten a large bag of popcorn. In a few moments, I'll finish off that pizza for lunch -- three lovely slices lying in their congealed greasiness in the fridge even as I type this. Yum! Cold Pizza! It's not just for breakfast any more!!

Otherwise, I like your idea -- five day FF, two-day carbing (really one and a half days), then five days of induction. It's almost two weeks for an entire cycle, and I might have to up the FF and induction one day each, to satisfy the calendar-obsessive sprite within me.

By the way, does anyone else on Atkins ever notice signs of multiple-personality disorder?

Homesar