Hi everyone! First of all this support group is fantastic! I just love it!

I am finished my induction - I started on March 14th. I have lost 7 pounds as of today.

My question is: Can I stay on the 20 grams a day? Can I start eating more vegetables now and cutting out some of the meat and eggs?

Thanks for your help

Yes, you can stay at 20 grams a day. I think the book says you can do it for 6 months.

Yes, but make sure you use PLAN or fitday.com to check you vegies carbs if you want to stick under 20. It is amazing how quickly they add up.

You are doing great and welcome to the forum, we are glad you have joined us!

I am on week 12 under 20 carbs. I'm loving it!

I definatly plan on staying under 20 carbs for quite a while since I have so much to lose. And I'm not finding it too difficult to get in lots of veggies this way either. Yesterday I had 2 cups romaine lettuce, 1 cup brocolli, and mushrooms. Definately more vegetables than I was eating before!

I stayed at about 20 for 6 mos. Don't cut down on meat and cheese and up veg, that will turn into a lowfat diet. Keep following the basic Atkins principles

You can stay at induction level carbs for as long as you want as long as you're not getting bored with your food choices.

You can stay there till within about 15 lbs from goal and then start OWL. Remember to go through all the phases of Atkins, they're very important for a successful and comfortable maintanence

I've been at that level since January and plan to stay there until goal.

Vikki

I am staying on induction till I reach goal then will probably up the carbs a wee bit...I have to admit that I guess my CCL...I don't have the patience to add 5 carbs here add 5 carbs there...pain in the butt for me..I'd just rather keep'em low and make sure I eat my veggies. That's what is important to me
Jess

With all due respect to the others in this thread, I have to disagree. There is much more to this WOE than induction, and I suggest moving on to OWL after the first two weeks.

OWL provies a lot more variety which will help keep you from cheating, and seems to allow people to stick to this diet longer. Also, assuming you stay on induction, what are you planning to do when you stall? If you are at induction levels at hit the wall, you start thinking about crash diets like meat and egg fasts... Not a healthy long term WOE. If you move to OWL you will be able to revisit induction to break any stalls.

--nw

Like I said, I am staying on induction till I reach goal weight then upping my carbs a bit. I love my veggies...also learned this weekend that I don't feel as good when I eat bad carbs. So I don't see a whole lot of cheats in my future
Also as I've had a baby recently, my life has changed so much for the better, and I am learning I've really got to take care of myself for her...the thought of crash dieting like I used to, i.e. meat fasts etc...makes me feel ill...I am not interested in that anymore. I've got to think of long term now. Being kind to my body so when I'm older, I'll be healthy..keeping up with my daughter..etc....
Jess

I've got to go with nowonder here. I did induction for three weeks and then moved onto OWL. It removed the guilt from me when I knew my salads were bigger than the recommended 2 cups. I've been steadily climbing the carb ladder in OWL and am still very much consistently losing weight (down another 2.5 pounds last week). I still wouldn't say I get tons of carbs in a day, but I don't fret when I hit 30 or more. This whole way of eating is a process. There will be a stopping point, but OWL (ongoing weight loss) is to help you add back in some varied healthy foods while still losing weight, just not at the dramatic rate of induction. Then, there's pre-maintenance, which is where you should head when you're within 10 pounds of goal. I realize using that logic, I should be in pre-maintenance as well, but I'm still climbing the carb ladder, trying to find my CCL and then I'll be in that phase -- I'm not hurrying through it... but I do intend to do all four phases to guarantee my success and retain my health.

Good luck on your personal journey.
d.

I agree with you on this one. I am sticking with what is working. after I am at or even passed my goal weight then I will start to play around a little. come to far to jump on the scale and go the wrong way. I eat very little carbs I like my veggies and that is were I get a lot of my carbs from. I just like the food I am eating.

nowonder, you are right, but I need the structure of keeping the carbs low. Yes, I have stalled, but I just find this so much easier to do with 2 small babies.

I do plan on going through all the phases once I hit goal. This is my new life and I am changed for the better.

I bet you have heard a million people say that, but I want to be the person that actually does it. I am going to maintain if I have to give up chocolate forever, and that is saying alot. LOL

You really are right, I just wish I could do it that way and have the quick results that I am having.

I am not writing this upset, please don't think I am angry, just wish I could do it like you. You are a great model for doing the plan the right way.

I also forgot to mention that some people lose better at slightly higher carb rates... so you might not be doing yourself any favors by being more restrictive than you have to be.

Hey, I'm not here to argue. I just wanted to present the reasons you might not want to stay on induction the entire time. Best of luck.

--nw

I plan on staying in the induction phase for probably about 4 weeks. I would like to be at least half way to my goal before I start adding carbs.