I am going to begin the Atkins Induction tomorrow, and I needed a little advice. I bought Dr. Atkins' New Diet Cookbook, and there were some suggested menus for Induction. It looks like a lot of food to me... way more than I am used to. Do I need to eat it all to be successful? Also, can I substitute any meat dish for the suggested seafood dishes as long as the carb count is the same or do I need to make sure that all of the ingredients are on the induction list?

Thanks,

Hi There and welcome! For daily caloric intake, you need to eat at least 10 to 12x your body weight. So for you, that would be 1700-2000 calories a day, and that is at LEAST. As long as you stick to the foods on the induction list and count your carbs, you can switch around the menu any way you like! and drink your water!

-Shelly

Hi Lisa!

No, you don't have to eat seafood; the menus are only suggestions to give you an idea of what a daily menu would look like, not law. What IS law (low carb-wise), is the allowed foods list, at least on induction. Now, if you can find meats and veggies that are not on that list that are low carb without added sugar, nitrates or starches, I'd say go ahead and eat them but I think the list is pretty comprehensive as far as allowed foods go. I know it looks like a lot of food, but you should really do your best to eat it. You don't want your body to start thinking there is a famine going on because your calories are too low and shut down your metabolism to hold onto those fat stores. 10-12x your body weight in calories is the minimum and 60-70% of those calories should come from fats like butter and olive oil. Happy low carbing!