Hello all,

I actually have a couple of questions:
1) is sugar free jello allowed during induction?
2) in the book it has the list of free foods that you can eat "liberally" - what exactly does that mean?
3) my friend told me that I am supposed to count every egg as 1 carb, is this correct?
4) why do I have to count splenda packets as one carb?
5) how soon should the scales start showing a weight loss?

I think that's all for now. TIA Karen

1) is sugar free jello allowed during induction?
In the Atkin's book, he does have desserts made with sugar free jello in it. So that tell me that it is ok, just watch your carb count. It is better to use your carbs during introduction on veggies.

2) in the book it has the list of free foods that you can eat "liberally" - what exactly does that mean?
"Liberally" means that yes it is free, but in small amounts.

3) my friend told me that I am supposed to count every egg as 1 carb, is this correct?
An egg actually has I think .66 grams of carb in it, that is why you should count it as 1 carb. IN the us the are allow to round the numbers, that is why an egg carton say 0 carbs on it.

4) why do I have to count splenda packets as one carb?
Same as the splenda packets, each packet is actually one carb.

5) how soon should the scales start showing a weight loss?
Depends on the person, I saw it in the first few days, water weight I am sure.

Supplemental answers:

1) Yes, it's allowed but there's a caveat: Aspartame is discouraged. Therefore it's preferable to make your own jell-o with Splenda. There's a recipe in here: Splenda Jell-o

2) Liberally doesn't mean small amounts, but liberal amounts! Frankly, Dr. Atkins wants you to eat enough meats until you're full. He was nice that way.

3) Yup, a little less than a whole carb. It's just easier to round.

4) You have to count Splenda as one carb because of fillers in it. Sucralose itself is carb free, but the dextrose and maltodextrin added as fillers have carbs. That totals to 24g carbs in one cup of granulated Splenda. That means about a half gram a granular teaspoon. The packets have slightly less carbs (less filler) but to be safe, it's good to count it as 1g. It's also safe to round this up so you don't eat too much Splenda, especially on Induction.

5) You will probably hit ketosis within a few days to a week and the scales tend to show at least that initial water loss pretty soon. Don't compare yourself to others though... but yes, most people tend to drop quickly. It depends on your age, weight, dieting history, metabolic resistence, etc.

Good luck!