I just wanted to get the veterans opinion on this. How long did u stay in induction? Is it safe to go longer than 2 weeks? Can staying in induction for a month cause weight gain??

I just wnat to know how you all faired when u went over the 2 week suggestion in the book. Did it help with weightloss? I am thinking of staying in induction for a month. I don't have a lot to lose and therefore will have a harder time shedding the last ten pounds. So my thinking is to stay in induction longer and try to stimulate fat burning more.

Please OFFER away your thoughts, opinions, advice , and own experiences.

Thanks

Piera

Piera...

I stayed on induction for 4 weeks. I haven't lost anything since the third week, though, so I can't say it really helped me. I'm in week five now and hoping this is just a temporary break that my body is taking to catch up from the induction loss. I think it's perfectly safe to stay on induction for much longer than the first two weeks. The danger you might run into, though, is boredom with the foods. I'm still eating between 18 and 23 carbs a day but I'm adding in nuts, more veggies, cream...stuff I couldn't have in the beginning. It's keeping it interesting and I don't feel so deprived.

Tricia

hi there- i'll share i stayed on strict induction about 3 weeks, but as i have never been a fan of red meat i was pretty anxiouse to get off of it-the flip side was the weight was comming off way to easy and i wasnt hungry so what to do- what to do-i finally decided on my own version wich worked well for me, that is i added in (on a slow but steady pace) alot of fiber to my diet, so my Net carb was still at 20 or less every day (on induction my total carb stayed 20 or less) This is just so much more palatable to me I realize not everyone can do this, and if not careful it can trigger carb cravings for me-Again, no advice here, just sharing

I have been at induction levels for a long time now between 20 - 25 carbs per day - I got bored with induction, so added nuts, berries, cream, and got into the recipe section - I'm doing well at losing as long as I keep my carbs as I said and my calories are never above 1500 - I'm so used to this WOL, it's automatic now and I love it.

Vikki

Lattegrl what kind of fiber were adding? Which foods veggies or bran? Just curious because I want to add more fiber without upping the net carbs. I like the sounds of what you did . Please share further |

Piera

Hi Piera, how are you?

About the fibre, I also noticed that it makes me feel better and I have zero cravings. Never been a big sugar consumer but I was addicted to bread, pasta and rice. No cravings there so far.
I keep it natural: broccoli has lots of fibre, after induction 2 or 3 kiwis a week are OK for me.
Avocado is wonderful, too...a real nutrient bomb, talk about all good fats , vitamins and minerals in it! And nuts. All with carb counting, of course.
I also use swedish crisp bread, very high fibre, net carbs 4g per slice, one slice a day. The brand is very well known, but not sure if you have it in Canada, it's called WASA crisp bread. Well, swedish makeup, swedish bread....maybe they are sold together somewhere?
Only sharing, this food is natural and good and works for me, you just have to find something that your body likes....
You're doing just great, girl!
Alina

I have kept my carbs at or below 20 for over a year now...my weight loss has been back and forth...the main problem for me is that I get bored with the foods I'm limited to and tend to cheat for a few days and then go back on the diet...not good, but as you can tell by me it is very possible to yo yo on Atkins...

I'm simply afraid to move on. Lately the weight loss has been amazing and I don't want it to stop!!! Dr. Atkins states it is ok to stay on induction up to 6 months but that it is very important to go through each stage and not get stuck in one...

Gail

some of my favorite foods are
cheeters crackers 6 total carbs, 5 fiber
flax o meal hot cereal 12 total carbs 10 fiber
cauliflower 5.2 /2.5
green beans 4/2
asparagus7.5/3.5
low carb tortillas 8/2
Tofu 2/.8
Text.soy protien -9/5
Homemade waffles (o.k. no speakable fiber here but lots of protien!)
i eat flax-o meal almost every day - adding a small spoon of chopped walnuts to the store brand because i like the texture better that way. here is arecipe for homemade flax-o -meal in case you cant buy it in canada
2 Tablespoons quick oats(not instant)
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 Tablespoons chopped almonds
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
place all but the flax in a dry skillet toast lightly over med heat- till it smells toasty-burns easily-
let cool- then add flax seeds keeps week - longer in the freezer
3 servings
to serve- 3 rounded Tablespoons of mix w/1/2 cup boiling water, cover w/ something and let sit about 3 min. top w/a little cream and flavor of chice- i love SF maple syrup on mine-
per serve 110 calories, 8.3 carbs, 3.3 fiber,4.7 protien
i got this recipe from another site, sorry i cant give the credit due i dont know wich one.
Alina- if i think about it it's propably not the fiber that triggers cravings - it was spending too much time on my new way of cooking/baking and oversweetening alot- i love to bake and was trying new recipes constantly. Now that i dont want that sugar taste in all my foods i really very rarely have a craving I dress up my base foods alot because like i said i like the kitchen- add a few bacon crumbles to this, a little sauce to that, a shake of seasoning here and fresh herbs here and there

Hi Piera,

In my view, I think the odds are infinitesimally miniscule that any normal healthy person could do any irreversible harm staying on Induction for pro-longed periods. Having asserted that, from my own personal experience, if you suffer the scores of unpleasant side-effects that I have—and still suffer from some even now—then I think it’s both impractical and foolhardy to adhere to Induction rules a day longer than is necessary.

In retrospect, if I had insisted staying on Induction a moment longer than the 2 weeks, I’d have given up completely. My side effects were unpleasant to the point where they were becoming debilitating and starting to manifest itself into a physical liability. Actually, I stopped Induction on day 10 rationalizing that using business days only were enough to quantify the 2 weeks.

Hopefully, you feel none of the side effects, which I experienced. If so, staying on Induction for a month or so wouldn’t be a bad idea at all. Admittedly, if I felt fine, I would most likely have opted to stay on Induction longer even if only for the instant gratification of faster weight loss.

Good luck!

I stayed on induction for five months. I added foods as if I were in ongoing weight loss (yogurt, nuts, fruit etc), but kept my daily carbs under 20, actually more like 15 most of the time. I never noticed any problems from keeping my carbs so low, but I made an effort to cook creatively and to be sure fresh vegetables always made up most of my daily carbs.

If you can do it without feeling bored, there's no reason not to. One of the success stories in the Atkins book is a woman who stayed at 20 net carb for over a year. I've gotten so used to eating this way that I'm actually having a hard time increasing carbs. I'm supposed to be at 25-30 a day but most days I'm probably still under 20.

I stayed on Induction for 9 months. I agree that it has become so automatic that I rarely go over 20 carbs, even though I am permitting myself up to 30.

I really appreciate all of your feedback. I was amazed to hear that some of you have been in induction for months!! That is quite intresting. But I don't know how I"ll feel after a month in induction. We will have to see. I am a serious gym goer and I love working out. So I don't know if I"ll fare ok if I don't up my carbs a bit. I love weight training and spinning and I work out intensely.

Fredrick I love your eloquence its always a pleasure to read your posts. Do you write a journal here? AS for the side effects you were talking about, I think I know which ones your referring to. I believe you experienced fatigue, and low energy levels for your workouts. AM I right? I know you excercise , aerobically so the very low carb induction makes intense work outs difficult. That is what scares me. I'm afraid I won't have the energy to get through my intense workouts at the gym. Did you incur this problem?? HAs anyone had to increase their carbs in order to get good feeling workouts? I previously was a personal trainer so I know how carbs play that role in fueling endurance , aerobic and even intense weight lifting. Thats why I am experimenting with atkins and induction. I was very skeptical of atkins. But I am willing to give a good try.


Piera

HI alina,
I'm doing well, how are you? I thank you for your encouragement it really does help I am allergic to wheat so I cannot have the crisp bread. I will however increase my veggie intake once I am done induction. I WILL also include flax cereal. I love lattegrl suggestion . I do have FLAX O MEAL, and I can't wait to have it. I will have to wait though till induction is complete which for me will be at the end of the month. I love the idea of having a high fibre cereal in the morning thats low in carbs and NOT WHEAT based.

AS for being CREATIVE that will be my challenge. I don't always have the time to cook fancy meals. BUt I do my best. I hardly order take out, I don't eat out alot. But when I cook it has to be quick and simple.

Piera

Hi again Piera,

Yes, I experienced both fatigue and low energy levels during my runs along with muscle soreness as well. The first two weeks were really the most difficult. Before low carbing, I had never before experienced difficulties running for 30 – 35 minutes at a time, but during Induction it was torturous—to put it mildly. My legs were dragging after the first mile and I was already gasping for air. I can only assure you that it’s possible, but be fully prepared to fight and endure through the fatigue. It’s almost as if you’re starting to workout for the very first time—at least, that’s how I felt.

In regards to working with weights at the gym, I’ve only started about a week or so ago. So far, I find weight lifting to be even more difficult than running; but, the likely reason for that is because it’s the first time I’ve ever done any kind of resistance training whatsoever and my body just needs time to acclimate to the new routine.

I’ve been sort of playing around with my net allowable carbs per day trying to find a comfort zone. As you might expect, on the days where I increase carb consumption, I do feel as if I have more energy during my runs the following day.

I understand and appreciate the general principle that just about everyone here subscribes to--strictly adhere to a written plan, which makes a lot of sense to me. However, on the other hand, I think for some of us, improvising and tinkering with our carb intake might be more ideal than following the engraved in stone add 5 net carb/week principle.

With kindest regards,

Frederick

PS: When I was about 12, my sister once stole my diary and indiscriminately showed it to all of her friends. After that catastrophe, I’ve vowed to never keep diary or journal.

In Adkins book he states it's ok to stay on induction for as much as 6 months without any problems