I've had good results by following a careful Induction course. For the first two weeks I didn't have any sweeteners.

Since then, while I remain at Induction-level carbs, I have begun to add in a few treats a couple of times per week. I allow myself some strawberries with cream and 1 peanut butter cup two times a week ( PB cup recipe in the Kitchen area of this forum).

Maybe I would have had the same results if I'd had these food during my official Induction, but I suspect not. For me, a big boost was psychological, too. I used to have treats every day - chips, chocolate, whatever I wanted. So by going cold-turkey I weaned myself off of them (it wasn't hard at all). Now I'm adding them in but am learning that they're not an everyday thing. It's all part of portion control, etc.

I'm not knocking anyone who needs their sweets (I was always more of a salt-snacker -- chips, pretzels, etc) but it seems that if you're trying to break your current eating habits two weeks of "pure" eating can have great benefits and is really not a very long time.

Then once you start adding things in you'll have a better sense of what foods have what reactions in your body/weight.

You'll be amazed I think how little you miss those old favourite foods. I keep telling everyone I feel like my tastebuds have woken up from a long sleep. Everything tastes different to me now, and I'm really appreciating the natural flavours of foods.

Give yourself a chance to re-connect with "real" food again! For me, it's been one of the biggest benefits of this WOE. For once, I look forward to making dinner instead of dreading this daily chore.

Good luck to you!