I can't believe I have already lost 4lbs. I didn't think I had lost any until I stepped on the scale. Couple questions, I've been following induction very carefully but, I do occasionally have a diet soda. Not very often, and not even one a day most days. Could that potentially hurt my weight loss? Also, how long is it I guess safe to stay on induction? I know you can stay on it longer than the 2 weeks, but I'm not sure what the maximum time is, if there is one. Thanks!


Mar

Hiya
The diet sodas are a Your Mileage May Vary thing. Some people can drink them, some can't - you just gotta experiment.
It's safe to stay on induction pretty much as long as you like, but personally I found it better to move to OWL after a month or so - I kept the carb levels down at 20-30g but introduced more variety - some nuts and seeds, etc. Just helps prevent boredom

Good luck, and congrats on your start!
Steven

Woo hoo! On the poundage lost! Keep up the good work!

Congrats on the pounds lost!! Just for some additional info on induction length-I have been on 20g for just over 4 weeks, because I have a lot of weight that I want/need to lose. You might not need to do it for quite so long-what with only 30 pounds to lose.

I've been on induction since January 5th and its' fine with me, I'm toying with the idea of going on OWL but not seriously yet since right now I find induction to be very easy and I have quite a few more pounds to loose.

Oh and I discovered today that people who stay in induction after two weeks can add one ounce of nuts to their daily diet (From "The Atkin Essentials")

I suppose it varies from person to person. After reading the board, I read some people continue to lose large amounts of weight after extending the two week induction. Others I read, slow down even if they are following the 20 carb a day. My advice is go with what you are comfortable with and don't get burned out!

Hi Mar!
Congrats to your loss!

As for Induction, I think Dr. Atkins said you can stay up to 6 months at least, if you feel like it. However, there is an issue of getting "oversensitive" to carbs for some people, meaning if they stay on too low an intake for too long, any raise in carbs might cause weightgain. So, for the sake of weaning your metabolism, maybe try some kind of OWL "rungs" after a while.

I stayed on Induction carb levels (17-23g carbs) for about 3 months, but gradually introduced more OWL-type foods. As for nuts etc, it seems to be highly individual how they effect your weightloss. Some people stall (or experience a weightloss slowdown) on nuts, some don't. Some people stall on cheese, some don't. Etc. You get the picture. So, whenever you're ready to introduce new foodles into your menue, take one a week (the way OWL is prescribed in DANDR or at the atkins.com site) so that you will be able to monitor if that particular food has any negative effects on your weightloss or not. If you add more in at a time, it will be harder to evaluate what caused any (potential) problem.

Best of luck!

gilibel- Hi, sorry to threadjack, but I was wondering about the concept of adapting to a low level of carbs and becoming "oversensitive". I think that's what has happened to me after staying on induction levels til goal, and now as I add 5 gm a week (veggies first), I feel like I am ballooning and I get headaches and retain water like mad. It's water weight, isn't it? Or am I really spiking my insulin so much that I instantly gain fat, even though these are "good carbs"? I am so so very bloated today after upping my carbs by 5.

Hi believe!
That one is hard for me to answer. Maybe Lisa or Tofi or another long termer might have some better input. However I'll try my best.

If you feel bloated it might be that you suddenly introduced more fiber rich veggies. Fibers ARE great, however they could cause bloat if you're not used to that level.

I personally don't think your added 5g carbs from veggies would spike your insulin so that you'd start gaining fat. Veggies in general have a low GI. I'd think it would be faster carbs (carbs with a higher GI) that would cause problems for "oversensitive" lowcarbers.

So I think it's fiber bloat. Try upping your water even more and move around as much as poss to help it go away. Have you maybe added some more salty foods lately? Those could account for the water retention. The headaches I don't know where to find the cause for. Any other new foods, spices etc you've added? Any other recent change in your lifestyle (added exercise w/o proper kcal intake etc.) Laxed with your water intake? Do you take any supplements?

Hope you feel better soon.

/gil

Hi gilibel- thanks for replying! I guess it could be due to fiber bloat, but the edema is not just in one area. I am bloated all over. My face is swollen and puffy and my arms, legs, everything. I haven't been doing anything differently except upping the carbs. I have the sinking feeling that I really have adapted to superlow carbs (my induction was usually around 10-15) and now everytime I try to up them, I will have to endure painful bloating or worse, gaining fat. I'm likening this effect to when people restrict their calories so much that when they try to up their calories, they gain b/c their metabolisms are so slow. While I'm definitely okay with my calories, I guess my carbs had been too low and now I've messed up my metabolism? Thanks for your input anyhow.

Mar- congrats on your loss! Although you don't have to move out of induction after the 2 wk period, you don't have all that much to lose, so if you want more variety you could move on to OWL. Or if you want, you can stay at induction levels and add some OWL foods. Good luck!

believe,
From your description it still doesn't sound like added fatmass to me. It sounds like water retention or food allergy. Maybe you should go see your doctor for a checkup? I hope someone else comes along with some good advice for you. Best of luck, dear.

Thanks for your replies gilibel. I think maybe it was fiber overload (spinach or cabbage being the culprit) as I am upping my carbs with high-fiber veggies. I am very sensitive to yeasty foods (dairy, vinegar, mushrooms, and nuts) and made sure I didn't have any yesterday, so I'm guessing it was the extra fiber.