I am a 25 yr old female who has been overweight my entire life. At the age of 12 my parents asked out doctor to put me on a diet because I was 202 lbs.

I peaked a few yrs ago at 240 lbs and simply cutting out the really obvious junk foods I got down to 180 lbs. I plateud here for the last 1 1/2 yrs and started atkins on July 5th. I have lost about 9 lbs the first two weeks.

I want to continue to lose quickly before moving to the pre- maintenance level. I truly plan on sticking to this diet as a way of life and not just a short term thing. I always new I needed a better way to eat and now I have one I can do.

Do you guys think staying at induction for maybe even 2 mos is ok?

hi...I've been here for six months and I have seen lots of us who tries to stay under around 30 carbs a day....make sure you count your hidden carbs such as splenda 1, equal 1, cream 8 oz- 6 carbs...etc....I get on induction on and off through out the past 6 months...and am starting back on induction this week to get myself out of a stall....Good luck to you...One thing that I suggest strongly is for you to start a journal...This has been one of the best things that I ever did....Write down what your feel, why your happy, why your sad...if you were good, or if you were bad...we are all here to give you a hand...just keep yourself from the foods that are bad...Let us become your support and your friend, the friendships you make will never end...Hugs , trisha

Hi there,
I agree wholeheartedly with what Trisha says..I have been keeping my carbs at 20 or less for nearly three months now...but in a recent conversation with another low carber...she suggested that I increase them a bit more...because I am stalled and have been for about 3 weeks. She is suggesting that perhaps my body is feeling "starved" and is holding onto what it has and that makes sense to me...so I am slowly trying to add carbs back in...
Hope this helps...but I am sure there are others much more knowledgable about this way of eating who could answer better.
Good luck with whatever you decide todo

I'm in my 10th week of Induction, 40 pounds down at the end of week 9, and haven't stalled yet. I'm a 56 y.o. male (age supposedly counts against you), taking some meds (BP & Cholesterol) which are also supposed to count against losing weight.

Everyone is different. If you want to stay on Induction, and you have no health issues that make it a problem, stay with it as long as it feels good! Congratulations on your progress!

It is generally safe to stay on induction for an extended period, but if you do then have nearly 20 carbs a day. A low carb way of life does not mean a no carb way of life as this upsets the hormone balance in your body the other way.

As Dar has said often you find that your body gets used to so few carbs and may lose better at a slightly higher level. This certainly happened to me.

There is no quick fix solution. Your body will only give up its fat when it is good and ready. You do not have large amounts of weight to lose, so don't stay at 20 for to long. As you increase the carbs, if you find you gain weight then you can always cut them back again.

Every success.

Bizzy- i've been on induction for somewhere around 7 weeks, and though my weight loss has slowed, it seems to be working fine. i think two months is a perfectly acceptable time period. good luck.

I'm a 29 year old male and I have been on it for 4.5 months and no problems here, lost 60 LBS so far.. You will be fine..

Thank You Everyone. That Answers One Of My Many Questions.

Hey Geo And Racer:

I notice you guys started up around where I did. Nice to find some guys my age or size doing well on atkins. Congrats on your progress!

Appreciate your post about staying on induction longer because I am somewhere in week 3 of induction and think I will stay on it a while.

I am doing fine, losing weight, and am not hungry.

My motto? Why add carbs now?

Atkins is not a diet it is a way of life, you are right on that! congrats on your success so far

Hi dustin:

Cute Logo there, for your 4 Day Party! Yay for you!

And Yay for me too! I have now made it something like 18 days without cheating. Even held tough when the folks at work keep bring in muffins, donuts, bagels, pound cakes, bananas, and more!!!!

BTW folks, I don't intend to stay under 20 carbs/day for life...when/if I hit a "stall" (which I define as 3 or more weeks w/no weight loss or size loss), then I will try upping my carbs a bit. I'll be going on the theory that my body has decided it's in "starvation mode", and it will be up to me to let it know there is plenty of food available if needed. This worked for me some years ago, and I'm guessing (hoping) that my body chemistry hasn't *completely* changed by now.