Okay, this might be a dumb question *sorry!* BUT I am beginning Induction on New Years Day and I plan on following the strict by the book rules for induction for atleast two weeks but I get bored easily and enjoy a variety in my diet so my plans are to (after the first 2 weeks) stay at the 20g of carbs per day limit but add some LC products like LC bread and bake mix (for fried chicken!) to offer a little more variety. Is this still induction or is it OWL even though I am not upping my carb intake? Do you think my weightloss rate will be greatly affected by the addition of the LC products even if I stay at 20g or less???
I have about 105lbs to lose!

If you adding items beyond the "approved" induction list, then you are moving into OWL. I have been LC for about five months, and continued around 20-25g per day but added more veggies and nuts. I am still seeing about three pounds per week loss; so you should be okay as long as you monitor your carb intake.
I wouldn't recommend too much/frequent intake of the LC bread or bake mix though. I only eat a slice of the bread about once a week..Of course, I'm really, really militant about what I eat. I don't want to do anything to slow down my loss

Good luck!

sarah

Why don't you try induction for two weeks and see how you feel after that? You may be surprised to find that your cravings for bread, bake mix, etc. go away.

A lot of people stay around 20 to 25 grams of carbohydrates for a while, but expand the list of foods they eat to include things not on the induction list. The most common things to add -- and probably the healthiest -- are more vegetables and lowcarb fruit (berries, some melon). Some people also add nuts. I've never tried the lowcarb bread -- I'm not all that fond of bread myself so I don't miss it most of the time -- but I have seen quite a few people post that eating it regularly slows or stalls their weight loss. Other people seem to eat it with no problems. It may be difficult to eat enough vegetables if you are eating low carb bread and bake mix regularly while sticking to 20 grams of carbs.

I would really advise you to focus right now on doing those two weeks of induction correctly and worry about what comes after that when the two weeks are over.

yes..if you add in stuff it's no longer induction and your weight loss will be slower. I say I am in induction though and I am not really either I guess becuase some days I eat 2 cups of veggies....and if I am having a weak moment I might pop an almond. Definately stay tru to the letter for 2 weeks though it'll help you a lot and it very well could make you want to stay there...its very easy to figure out what to eat when it's from a short list...lol

My advice would be to definitely stick to strict induction especially that first two weeks. You may find that after seeing the relative ease of losing that you will really not want to mess with a good thing. Focus on the positive things. Bread is such a small thing to give up when thinking about how much good you are going to do for your body without it.

You may want to see how your progress goes after induction before you decide to eat the carby stuff. If you are a fast loser, then it may not be a problem. But if you turn out to be a turtle for whatever reason, you may want to prolong induction.

Thanks SO much for all the input - I am hoping that my cravings for bread WILL go away after a bit b/c that is my biggest problem. I am not a sweets addict, just a bread addict!!! I am going to take the advice though and just go with the strict induction for 2 weeks and then see how I feel from there!!! Thanks again so much!!

Instead of focusing on what you can't have focus on the great tasting stuff you can have. Your tastes will change and you will be surprised. I was a bread addict. I did my 2 weeks strick induction and then did a modified OWL adding back the first and third rungs, but kept my carb level at 20 net carbs for the first 6 months. I thought I really wanted low carb bread even to the point I ask for it for Christmas. I got 6 loaves moved to full OWL and darned if I didn't really want the bread once I could have it. I still have 5.5 loaves in the freezer. The not being able to have something was the only reason I found I wanted it. Now that I have the full range of the carb ladder and can have every food group things I thought I could never do without I don't want. If I'd known then what I know now I'd be at goal now.
Happy low carbing

Amdevelish,

I agree with everyone here that you should observe the first two weeks of induction very strictly. Then, as you get past the two week mark, you can make decisions on what you really what to do. Your cravings WILL change substantially in ways you can't imagine right now.

Let me tell you a little about how I have made such decisions. This may not work for everyone, but it certainly has been beneficial for me. I got the ketone test strips and started testing early. I found them to be relatively inexpensive at my local health food store. As soon as I found I was in ketosis, I started monitoring regularly. I still stick to 20 grams of carbs a day, but I've changed my diet a small amount over the course of doing low-carb:

I had a low carb cookie that a co-worker baked for me
I stopped removing tomatoes and onions from salads, and allowed myself more than two or three cups of salad greens
I had the occasional low-carb bar when I found myself without meal options
I ate more than 4 ounces of cheese a few times
I ate nuts in very small quantities

I consider myself to be in a bit of a modified induction. I am not interested in eating more carbs right now. I'm just making the plan fit me, while maintaining ketosis.

I would never want to place too much emphasis on the ketone testing strips. I know there are lots of people who lose weight successfully and simply don't produce enough ketones to register on the strips. That shouldn't be discouraging. But for me....I love the confirmation that I'm still on track. Watching the scale number come down and seeing the ketone strips stay purple has allowed me to move into "modified induction" with terrific success. If the strips ever stop turning purple, I know I need to induce ketosis again and figure out what went wrong.

I've not been adding low-carb breads, pastas, or anything like that. I simply haven't wanted it. But I think you could use the same approach to add very small amounts of such things after you are done with a strict two-week induction. I would wait until you see how you feel though. You will be surprised at how little you miss starchy and sweet carbs.

Good luck!!!! I'll check in on your journal!

Matthew

Thanks so Much for the advice Imber!! This new WOE is definitely going to be a challenge for me , mainly my schedule. I work in the medical field and you don't always get those 30 min breaks that the law requires So I was hoping maybe a LC sandwhich would again be an option for a quick bite to eat on a busy night!! I know this board is going to be so wonderful!!! Thanks for the advice!!!

-Amber

From experience here, it's very hard to add those new foods and maintain the carbs at 20 grams, without shortchanging yourself of the basics you NEED to be eating.

Good options for bites to eat on the run include small cut-up pieces of cheese, cheese and meat roll-ups (either plain or rolled up in a leaf of lettuce, roast beef from supermarket delis has never caused me any problems -- I don't think it has added sugars the way ham often does), hard boiled eggs, nuts (once you are past induction, but watch the quantitities), and celery sticks with peanut butter inside (again, past induction). For emergencies, you might want to keep an Atkins bar in your purse. I can't stand them, but some people like them and they are easily portable. I have a friend who travels about half the year for work and is following Atkins. She never goes anywhere without a couple of emergency bars.

Once you get away from the mindset that sandwiches are the only thing you can eat on the run, it's easy to find alternatives.

LOL thanks Liz!!! You know I think its going to be harder for me to change my WOE psychologically then it will be to actually PHYSICALLY do it. I have to work on that!! Sandwiches have ALWAYS been my solution to a busy night but I know you are right and I will begin to try other options!! Thanks so much for the friendly input!!

- Amber

Hi Amber!

Everyone has so many good suggestions ... I thought I'd point you to some good induction friendly recipes for fried chicken!

{You'll quickly note that pork rinds are a common addition}

Kentucky Fried Chicken
Chicken Tenders
Crispy Baked Chicken

Not fried chicken per se, but a good idea for breading ... using Parmesan Cheese

Parmesan Chicken on a bed of alfredo sauce

Good luck! Check out the recipe section here, it's a gold mine of good ideas.

Thanks so Much for those recipes!! They are going up on my recipe board in the kitchen!!!!! (How hard it was for me to take down my fav old family recipes but I felt as though it would be too temtping to see them everyday) That KFC sounds soooo goood