Hello again newbie Shan here.. I have been in induction for only a little over a week. I feel absolutely wonderful and have lost 7lbs so far. I was wondering how long can a person safely stay in induction? I am comfortable eating this way and not in the least do I feel deprived.

Atkins says that a person can stay on Induction as long as they feel well.

However, there are some points to think about. If you stay at 20 grams of carbs, your body will get used to that and become very efficient at operating at that carb level. Should your loss slow or even stop, you have nowhere to go. If you increase the carbs as recommended in On-going Weight Loss (5 grams per week), then if you stall, you can decrease the carbs or go right back to Induction to get it started again.

By increasing as in the book, you also will find your own carb level at which you lose, and to which you will return later if you should gain a few pounds back.

Some people actually lose BETTER at a higher carb level. This is why many people do better on Protein Power Plan or Carb Addicts. It takes experimentation to learn which level is best for you.

Compared to many people here (look at my stats) you don't have a huge amount to lose. That means you are closer to your goal than I am. The last 10 - 20 pounds come off slowly and that isn't bad. You get that time to really become accustomed to eating low carb and changing your metabolism.

So consider following the advice in the book first. We are all impatient and want to lose quickly but it isn't always the best idea.

Thanks for the input I appreciate it. I stepped on scales and was up a lb today and have done nothing differently. I am going to make a point to only weigh in weekly. It is hard to decide what to do .. to add more carbs or not . I'm going to get out my atkins book and look into it more. Thanks for replying again.

Remember also that you may gain temporary water weight just before your period. PMS is less of a problem on LC, but some of the effects (like water retention) are still there.

Eating salty foods may cause a temporary water gain - usually a few days later. keep drinking the water and eating according to your plan and you should shed the water pounds soon.