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Hi all! I am new here and very excited to be a part of this nice goup of people. Everybody seems so helpful and friendly. I hope I can help out once I get more experienced with this low-carb thing.

My good friend, my mom, and I all started a modified Induction on Wednesday the 16th of this week...my dad thinks I am crazy as I only have 10 pounds to lose, as do my friend and mom, but we all want to look good in our bikinis this summer!!! Anyhow, I personally have done Induction KIND OF (kind of meaning I am having 25-30 grams a day of carbs instead of 20g, and I am still having caffeine and occasional alcohol). It has been very hard as I have a major sugar tooth, and not mention, I am an emotional eater and when teaching stresses me out, I normally grab chocolate or soda to deal with the stress.

I am nervous about the weekend being here, and going out to eat and staying discilplined...last night I had a diet coke and rum, (I know, the aspartame and alcohol are no-no's), and also a chicken salad and I dipped my bites into a little ranch dressing (very little). I THINK I still only had about 30 G of carbs...I THINK...can someone clarify this? All day I had:
Eggs and ham(0g)
A half a bag of pork rinds (5 g)
Half a large cucumber(?3g)
A Carls Jr. low-carb burger(6g)
A hard-boiled egg(0g)
4 grams of carbs from a Diet Rite(1g), the diet coke(1g) and 2 packets of Splenda(2g)
The chicken salad with Ranch I mentioned above(??maybe 10 g?? with the lettuce and ranch)
**And THEN, I was BAD, 2 grams of carbs from a miniature LC ice cream bar with 5 grams of carbs total...2 G fiber, 1 sugar and 1 sugar alcohol (so 1g, right?).
***Does that sound like about 30 grams altogether, guys?

Two more questions:
1) I have lost 5 pounds already since Wednesday. This is mostly water weight, right? Encouraging but it's like, how can this be? Could it be that I normally have 200-200 grams of carbs a day and going to 25-30 is so drastic?
2) Can I have low-carb products right now, for example, the chocolate bars that have net 2 grams of carbs (with sugar alcohols), etc? IE was that little ice cream bar I had last night bad? Or should I totally keep those out of the picture until my 14 days are up?

Thanks so much for reading!!!
Lisa (iluvgavman) - Gavin is my 2 year old son

Hi and welcome to the forum!! I am new here too, I just started atkins on 3/3. In my opinion, induction works best when you just eat the whole natural foods on the induction list. I have heard of people with very little to lose, like yourself, starting with a later phase and not going all the way down to 20g a day but, I would get some other opinions. I have done induction very strictly and am pleased with the results I got. It sounds like you are getting success from the cut you have already made in carbs. I think alot of people on the forum will agree that if you do plan on doing induction, you have to stay away from all the LC treats for the first two weeks at least. Not just because you will go over your carb limit but, induction also helps you to lose all cravings and gives you alot more control of your appetite if you follow it exactly. I am not sure about your totals, have you tried fitday yet?? It is the best!!
Whether you decide to do a strict induction or not, just make sure you drink TONS of water and space small meals 3-4 hrs apart...I think both of these things are really important.
Good luck to you and your mom!! Nice to have you on the forum

Hi Amie,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I like the picture of you and your kitty cat. How can I add a picture of my hubby, son and I?

OK, you are RIGHT! That is why I felt so guilty when I ate half of that LC ice cream bar...I kept shoving it down my hubby's throat so I got only half at most, but still, it was bad. Oh and then I woke up in the middle of the night STARVING, so I ate a few olives and a piece of cheese and went back to bed.

So you started on 3/3? That is great. Are you still on Induction? Also, I used fitday to lose the extra pounds I had on me when after I had my son in 2002, but I heard that now it costs $ to use...is that true?

Also, did I post my weight right? I am now 139, I was 144, and I want to be 130.

Thanks and talk to you soon!
Lisa

Lisa...
To put your picture in your posts go to the green profile button near the top of the screen and choose avatar-custom avatar. Your weight stats are in the right order.
I am staying on induction until my weigh in on 3/31. I have added a few nuts but, I am staying at 20 grams of carbs til then. I finished my first two weeks squeeky clean with just the allowed foods and then I slipped up a little bit and drank a white russian and bought some LC ice cream. All of a sudden I was craving everything sweet. So, I decided not to move on just yet. And next time I will stay away from all of those extras. Some people don't have any trouble with LC products, they effect people differently.
Next time just think....you could eat the ice cream and wake up in the middle of the night hungry(and probably for more ice cream) OR you could have a nice low carb snack a while before bed and you wouldn't be hungry at all because the protein and fat are much more filling and keep your body busy longer with digestion.

Amie...

You are absolutely correct in what you say but I have been cheating a lot with LC foods such as fudge bars (bliss on a stick) and Endulge products (crunchy heaven) and I am on day #8 and I've lost 9 pounds. I eat something like this once daily and sometimes twice. I also drink diet soda such as Diet Coke.

The only mistake I think I have made is that yesterday I had a low carb wrap (deli sandwich with a tortilla vs. bread) and I had never tried that brand of tortilla before. I was starving for the rest of the day. I woke up at 3am wanting food and NOW! I also went from Moderate in my ketosis to just a trace. I suspect the carb count is higher vs. what Safeway (grocery store that sells the wraps) claim.

With all that said I think I am probably one of the lucky ones, at least so far. The LC Chocolate products don't seem to bother me in the least. That may well change but until it does I'm going to stick with it, it's working.

Hello and welcome to yah. Whenever I hear of someone doing Atkins just to lose a few pounds I try to remind them that this should be a way of life. What do you plan to do after you reach your goal? Don't go back to your old way of eating or you will run into problems. Begin learning about maintenance.

You might want to do a clean induction just so that you can truly purge yourself from carbs. This really helps to greatly reduce the craving for carbs since you said that you have a huge sweet tooth. Many of us who have been doing this for a while will also tell you that they do not desire the same degree of sweetness to enjoy sweet foods. For example, I like sweetening sour cream with splenda and serving it on my berries. I offered some to my SIL ( not a low carber ) and she said that it was not sweet enough.

If you really want good results and a change in eating habits, please try the clean induction and get all your veggies ...otherwise, welcome to our group

hello everyone....i am riddled with guilt. i ahve been on induction 4 days now and have been doing sooo good...until last night i got up and was transported to the fridge and a bread and cheeze sandwich was handed to me by my sleeping body-haha...arghhh. how can i make up for this??thanks. also i am in costa rica and there is no such thing at the stores for low carb so i have been just eating meats, eggs or cheese, and a little salad with lemon..is this okay

Hello Mac,
I've been doing induction carbs for 2 1/2 months and love it. Dont worry about not having the low carb stores, In my opinion its probably better because the low carb marketed food is very decieving and really can only do harm to you. At least you wont be tempted as much when you see the latest, new low carb ice cream flavor! (I try to hide my eyes from all of it when I go shopping!) =) I've stayed away from all of the "fake" foods and I stick to meats, fish, cheese, and lots and lots of veggies. Dont be afraid to eat all the good low carb veggies. I eat tons of cauliflower and its super low in carbs (1.8 carb per cup) and super low in calories! Broccolli, spinach, cabbage, all this stuff is super good. As long as you stay within the 20 grams a day of carbs, you'll be fine for induction. You dont have much to lose so it will come off a lil slower than some people on the forum that have much more to lose. My advice, what I do at least, is keep my calories moderate, not too high or low and eat lots of veggies! This has been what has worked for me. Welcome to the forum! and dont worry about the mess up..after induction or down the road you might want to try out the low carb-wheat bread thats out there. Ive had it once before and loved it. Once I reach my goal I plan to go on maintenance and also add in such foods as the bread. Its really up to you, just eat it in moderation and In my opinion I think you'll be fine! =)
Brittany

Be really careful about rum. Some types of it can have up to 7g carbs per oz. The bacardi 151 is a safe bet. If you do a search you will find threads on here tha tlist the carb count of bacardi and captain rums.