does smoking affect induction?
what about caffeine free coke?

On my first time with Atkins 4 years ago I still smoked about a pack a day - it didn't seem to effect me any, I lost about 30lbs in 3 months.

My guess on the caffeine free soda is that the caffeine free is good, but most sodas are sweetened with asparteme, which should be avoided.

Diet drinks also have sodium and citric acid .... neither of which help with weight loss!

It is best to have water, of course. I would limit diet drinks to a max of one per day, if you MUST have them

Another member asked recently about smoking and effect on LC. Basically, while your weight loss will not be adversely affected by smoking, there will be metabolic problems due to nicotine, which will have long term effects on maintaining when you begin to eat higher carbs. Namely, smoking increases insulin resistance, and depletes the body's magnesium stores, among the other known health problems.

You might want to check out this thread in our Kick Nicotine Club forum, for some members' experiences with smoking vs. quitting with LC.

Doreen