How many Carbs should I have to start out the Atkins Diet per day... and any good tips??

Thanks,
Carbo newbi

First, you really need to get the Atkins Book or at least go to the Atkins Website and read up on the diet plan.

Your first 2 weeks is called the Induction Period and this is the strictist period. There are foods you can eat...and you can't eat. 20 carbs per day is allowed. That's 20 NET carbs. Carbs minus fiber.

A good site to keep track of your foods is FITDAY.COM

Once you complete the 2 week Induction Phase, you go to OWL. This is when you introduce more alloweable foods - peanut butter, nuts, low-carb speciality foods but during this phase you must learn what your CCL level is. This CCL level is the level that you continue to lose weight at...once you go over your CCL than you stop losing weight. Everyone has a different CCL level (mine is 30).

WATER WATER WATER...must drink water...this should be your primary beverage during this time. 64 oz plus 8 oz for every 10 lbs you need to lose.

No alcohol during the induction period and when you go to OWL...occassional beer, dry wine or distilled liquors are OK but this can slow your weight-loss down considerably so it is adviseable to only drink on rare occassions.

Exercise...yes, you can lose weight without exercising but exercise speeds things up and gets you in the state of KETOSIS (fat burning mode) faster.

Thank you how do I figure out my CCL? and I have the Atkins Box with recipes etc. and his tapes? and Ketosis stage. Also is it 8oz. of water for every 10 lbs I wanna lose daily?

Carbo Newbi

Its 64 oz PLUS 8 oz for every 10 lbs you want to lose...every day...24/7.

As for the CCL...that happens AFTER induction...you up your carbs by 5 for a few days, if you continue to lose, you go up another 5 until you stop or you test the lightest on the test sticks (good tool to use in the beginning). When the sticks turn very light you can go down 5 carbs. I will tell you that unless you are very active, your CCL is probably going to be between 20-30 - - that seems to be the average.

Thanks for your help!

I can't stress enough how much I wish I had read the Atkins book before starting Induction. Someone had suggested I get my cholesterol checked and I thought it was because they thought it would go up after Atkins. Actually Dr. Atkins recommends that as well so you can track how it goes down. There are other tests as well you should get before you start. I HIGHLY RECCOMMEND you read the book first.