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I have just started doing the "Low Carb" diet at the first of the year. I don't have a scale, but I am around 250lbs and I need to lose at least 10-15lbs as quickly as possilbe, anyway I would like to get down to at least 175 if not 150lbs. I am wondering what is "induction"? I have heard of it but don't know. Do I need to be starving myself or what? Please email me at ********with any tips. I also want to know if I am eating right. Yesterday I had no breakfast(which I normally don't if I do its an Atkins shake). For lunch I had some small steaks & small portion of spinach(4 carbs), for dinner we had salmon and small salad with small amount of vinegar/oil dressing(Newmans Own which has 1Carb per 2TBSP). Then today I had no breakfast again and for lunch I had a bag of Carb Solutions chips(3 carbs) and made a salad with the same dressing and put a can of tuna on it(which Im told has 0 carbs) this salad was wonderful to me. Then for drinks I've had water or flavored water with 0 carbs. Does this sound like I am eating right?? I am thinking that maybe I will only have 2 of these salads every day and if Im hungry in between have a Carb Solutions or Atkins shake or bar or chips or something....does this sound good do you think? I liked the salad alot so won't have a problem eating it lol, anyway sorry to go on & on just want to know if Im doing this right and what the Induction is and if I need to be doing something different with it? Thank you so much for your time Hope some of you read this!

Well first off you have come to a great place to get info, however, you MUST read the book!!! Failing that go to the Atkins site and you can read the basics of his plan, but as soon as you can.
Some one may pop in here and give you some exact links.

Good luck, Kathy

I don' thave money for the book, but have looked at the site, and I never really found a defenition of what it was(Atkins.com) but thanks, I will try to find a book from someone that doesn't need it anymore maybe, thanks!

Welcome to the forum, jojokicks!

On Atkins.com there is a specific part that explains induction in full. Go here http://atkins.com/howto/phase1.html specifically for a bunch of links to other articles on induction as well as here http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-325810.html for the rules of induction. And here http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html for the acceptable foods on induction. To do it properly you should have those foods listed and none others, for two weeks only. Also you can always get the book out of your public library, that is what I did since I really couldn't afford it at one time either. Ebay also sells them for pretty cheap if you look around.

On a true induction the shakes, chips and bars are not allowed. They stall a lot of people even out of induction as well but it all depends on how your body reacts. I would encourage you to eat veggies instead of going for the bars. Veggies are GOOOOOOD for you. The salad you made is great and yummy so if you really like it, eat up!

Good luck and DRINK YOUR WATER, nothing is better than water!

actually you are starving yourself and not doing yourself any favors by skipping breakfast. I missed lunch today by accident, was busy cleaning and just forgot, but I had eaten breakfast late at 11 and had a huge one- 3 egg omlet with bacon, mushroom, onion, green pepper, and chedder cheese. Usually for lunch I have salad with tomato, cheese, hard boiled egg, a meat of some type, and dressing, then for dinner tonight I had 8 oz of almond flour coated chicken strips deep fried in canola oil and 1/2 c of broccoli with 1/4c cheddar and butter. Usually I don't eat cheese for dinner but since I skipped lunch I only ended up eating my alotted 3oz.

My best suggestion is to read the book, go to the website and browse around here for a lot of your answers if you can't get your hands on the book. Actually I learned more here than I did reading the book. These are actual people doing it at this time, not someone writing a book. These people on here are supportive and realistic and most are JUST LIKE ME!! with the same problems with craves and cheats.

One more thing if you can't afford the book, cut out the expensive Adkin's products and save that money towards getting the book. Those things are expensive and aren't that good for you (and IMHO aren't that good period). I do keep some around for when I absolutly don't have anything else, but the natural stuff is 10x better for you and will speed your weight loss by many times over.

I am only able to get the Atkins items because I am on foodstamps and they are considered food so its covered just so you know lol I wouldn't pay that much out of pocket for them. I checked our library and all of our Atkins or Low Carb are checked out or on reserve, anyway thank you all for the tips, I will just have to try to stick to my tuna & egg salads

Especially on a budget, the chips, shakes and bars are the least efficient way to eat, IMO.

I usually buy up meat on sale, as well as cheese, eggs, tuna, chicken (particularly drumsticks and thighs..usually well under a dollar a pound) frozen veggies are good, like broccoli and cauliflower to go with your salads.

Honestly, you don't seem to be eating nearly enough, and while it may work for now, you'll likely hit a snag down the road a bit.

Definitely check out that site that I gave you links for as well as this one since you will get so much knowledge here. From the recipes to the "tips of the trade' they all come free. Good luck to you

I agree, eat more REAL food, don't skip breakfast, make sure you are eating enough. If you get too hungry you will start eating "whatever" whether it's good for you or not.


Honestly, doesn't an omelette sound better than a stupid shake? Won't a piece of chicken fill you up better than a bar? And, around here at least, I can get two chicken legs for the same price as a bar. Better value.

Definitely agreed! Around here, I can get a whole pack of chicken thighs (containing 6) for the same price as one of those bars. Definitely a much better value.



jojokicks...do your body and your budget a favor and ditch the "frankenfoods" like the chips and bars and stick with real foods. Remember...meats and veggies would be considered "food" for food stamps as well and will provide your body with far more flavor, vitamins, minerals and other important things that your body needs than bars and chips. Salads are good, but to get a decent amount of nutrient value from them (other than fiber), they should be dark greens such as spinach or romaine and not iceburg lettuce. There are a lot of other vegetables that you are allowed to have on induction as well that would give you a greater nutritional punch than plain lettuce as well. Definitely check out the links provided above; I think you'll find them very helpful, but you might also want to put your name in at the library to hold the next available copy of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and read it as soon as it becomes available.
If you're hungry between meals, try snacking on things like chicken legs or hard boiled eggs or raw veggies dipped in mayonnaise or salad dressing (like ranch or bleu cheese) instead of chips; they'll satisfy your hunger much better and are much better for you.
One more thing...please don't make a habit of skipping breakfast. Eating breakfast gets your metabolism going for the day and skipping it slows your metabolism down which will also slow down your weight loss.
Good luck!

Just wanted to pop in and say--please don't think anybody is picking on you!!!!! We ALL just want to help, answer your questions and make sure you're healthy!! There are a lot of people around that don't follow Atkins properly, it ends up not working for them, and then the plan is blamed! It really does work!

You've chosen a great plan and you have the determination and willpower, so stick with it and try to take what everybody says in a positive light, because that's how it's meant to be taken!

Keep checking out the forum, browse everywhere, search all over and read, read, read! Definitely check out the Atkins site more, too! You will be glad you did! Plus, if you haven't already, start a journal and tell us about yourself and how everything's going!

Nicole