Greetings and happy New Year to all!

I had a burning question in regards to the now famous Induction phase for Atkins and figured I might as well ask. Simply I was on it for about 2 weeks and noticed some nice weight loss and then moved on to the more manageable maintenance phase. I have lost most of my weight but I have to admit that I felt really good during the Induction Phase -- in fact when I eventually felt I had stalled I went back to it and have remained on it. Recently I started consuming more veggies and even added some wine with my weakened meals but in actuality I have not added any starchy foods whatsoever and the basics still apply.

I have not had any cravings nor have I been tempted except maybe one meal during Christmas where as I on the verge of being "removed" from my family if I did not eat some of the crappier foods. Anyhow, been wondering if it's safe to remain on the induction phase if one feels like it and finds it’s agreeable to their personal tastes and lifestyle? I mean is it safe health wise?

I am taking all my vitamins and minerals so that is not a concern. Any ideas or stories to share?

Thanks again
Claudius

Atkins states you can stay on induction for 6 months or more. The problem is for some they get really bored.

It's also not a great idea to stay on induciton until you're goal because you don't learn you carb tolerence level, food intolerences, and so on.

If you are having cravings and starting to feel bad, you might want to examine the foods you have added. There may be a hidden source of carbs, or a food you have an intolerence too.

I did the induction for 3 months without a problem nor did i get bored. As a matter of fact i was doing the most 10 carbs a day! I would find new recipes and try them. Of course they were low carb. You can get alot of low carb recipes on the internet and i have found some really good ones. Found only a few there were... gross.. By the end of the second month i would once a week add something small. I still lost. No problem here.

I was wondering this too... does anything bad happen if you stay on Induction longer than 6 months? What if you decide to spend the rest of your life at very low carb - would you get sick?

i do not think that if you stay on it longer then 6 months it would hurt. BUT i would add a small fruit maybe once a week... make sure you are still taking your vitamins. Most people go off of it becasue they get bored. I have not. I just find new recipes and tweek old ones.. be creative!

Have fun!

I guess you could stay on induction the rest of your life, but you are supposed to be taking supplements while on it, right? I don't think it would be as healthy for your body in the long run to be depending on those supplements for vitamins and minerals that we should be getting out of natural foods.

Actually, Dr. Atkins mentioned in one of his books that because of commercial farming, etc., many veggies aren't as high in vitamins and minerals as they're supposed to be, which makes supplementation a good idea for everyone anyway.

As long as the supplements are in a form easily absorbed by your body, it shouldn't matter too much where you get them from.

I have stayed on induction since September and feel great. There are times when I go over 20 carbs in a day, but it strangely seems to help me lose more when I trick my body a bit. If I am doing the same thing all the time, I stall a bit more. Anyway, I plan on continuing to eat this way forever--incorporating some fruits soon. This is so easy to follow and I don't miss the other crap I used to eat. Take care guys!!!

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all having a good day and TGIF!! I find that I lose best staying between 20-25 carbs a day. I think that as long as you still have a bit to lose it's fine.

Krista

I've been on induction (with a slip here and there) for 9 months, of course I have almost 100 lbs to lose too.

Well I think the point is you should figure out what your bady can handle carb wise - if you are not bored and happy with your food, the once you hit premaintence you should experiment with food - 10 lbs to lose from what I remember - this woe is about being healthy AND having choices beware not to become "carb-a-phobic" once you have hit your goal then you should have an average amount of carbs per day. For some it's all or nothing, ie., AA for others moderation works well. You need to know hwat works for you....