Dear Newbies!

Firs of all: welcome to this forum! I'm not exactly a veteran but I hope I'm qualified enough to give you some friendly advice.
Take it as a "check-list", I surely wish I had one when I started this......

1. Read the book! Atkins, Protein Power, any other book about the plan you're about to start.
2. If you have decided to do Atkins - use www.atkinscenter.com
It's a great site with all essential info you'll need and they are really giving it away for free. List of legal foods, rules of Induction, possible effects of medications, things to be prepared for in the first days, info on how much you can lose and how soon, success stories, FAQs - it's all there.
3. Check with your doctor to rule out a possible kidney disease since people who suffer from it are NOT supposed to do the plan. A good health check before you start is good anyway: are you taking any medication which can interfere with the plan?
4. Come to this forum.... , well, I guess you have! You will find lots of great info and support here.
5. Get rid of all bad carbs you have at home or/and say to yourself those illegal foods don't exist for you anymore.
6. Do some real Atkins shopping, buy foods which are allowed on Induction. Try to pick those you really like to motivate you even more.
7. Go to fitday.com food calculator and use it to calculate what you're eating. I know I'm not Einstein and I could never calculate all this without fitday. Besides, fitday will also calculate all the nutrients in your daily food.
8. Stick to Induction rules to 100%. Doing it right the first time is a key to success.
9. Be strong to face cravings and sugar/carb withdrawal symptoms (nausea, headache, bad mood etc) Those go away after a few days if you stick to the plan.
10. WATER! Drink the amount of pure water rec. by Atkins and more. This WOE is a natural water-pill and most of the weight you'll lose in the beginning will be water. Drink in order to avoid dehydration, this will make your body reach the water balance. Also, the process of carb detox makes kidney work overtime and they really need oceans of water to get rid of the toxins.
11. Eat smaller meals 4-5 times/day. Eat even when you're not hungry. Don't skip meals. Don't be afraid of eating fat. No fat - no fatburning.
12. Eat fresh veggies from those allowed on induction: they contain fibre your body needs and the small amounts of natural sugar to supress your cravings. Believe me: even cauliflower tasted sweet to me and still does!
13. Set up realistic goals, a fair loss for first two weeks is 10%, but some medications/conditions can affect that.
14. Learn to aprecciate other benefits of lowcarbing, see a link below.
15. Refuse to be a slave to your scale! Measure your body and watch it melting. Example: I had the very same weight for 4 weeks but I've lost 4 inches in my waist only.
16. Take it easy on salt and salty foods, they make you retain water which shows on the scale.
17. Finally: give this plan at least 2 months try. Some people need a longer time before their bodies reach a balance needed.
18. Come here to post your questions.
19. Check the links below and my Fitday.
20. Have a great success!

I'm sure I've forgotten something anyway, everyone is welcome to continue my list.
If this can help just one person, it was worth it!
Welcome and good luck!
Alina
My best measure: vintage 1995 jeans!