Hi, just started induction on Monday. My question is: can you stay on induction for longer than two weeks?? My plan was to remain on it until I'd lost a majority of my weight(which is alot). Is it okay to do that? Or is there a reason to go off induction and start the increased carb weekly plan after the two weeks? Some posts I've read mentioned stopping after 2 weeks. Just wondering. Thanks Ellen

Hi there,

Well I have been on the induction phase for about 2 months now and I still feel great. The main reason that there is for increasing your carbs is that some people start to get bored with just meat and salad etc etc.

I have started adding some of the Atkins bars just in the last few weeks and having some low carb chocolate as a treat. I don't know of any health reasons why you can't stay on induction as long as you like.

Cheers

Jennifer

Thanks Jennifer. I plan to stay on it as long as I can. I really want to get this weight off! Good Luck to you Ellen

The Atkins Diet book says you can stay on the induction phase for longer than 14 days. I'm only a beginner however my two friends who "brought" me to Atkins have been on induction for 2 months & love it. Hope this helps. viv

Hi Geel,

I've read where one can certainly stay on Induction for longer than 2 weeks. Dr. Atkins himself on Donahue recommended to people with considerable weight to lose should stay on Induction for longer than 2 weeks.

In my view, there is a caveat though. It all depends on what your side effects are when on Induction. For some people, they feel little to none; but, for others--like myself--I experienced some headaches, fatigue, trouble sleeping, and general listelessness during excercise.

Obviously, if you're one of those who feel very little side effects, then you'll most likely find it infinitely easier than someone like me to try and adhere to Induction for longer than 2 weeks.

Personally, I can't wait until the 2 weeks are up. I have 7 days left, and have already begun looking forward to having some kind of fruits.

Best of luck,

Frederick

As everyone has already told you, you can do it for longer than 14 days. However, my experience is that I am losing just as quickly by adding carbs. Perhaps I am one of the lucky ones, but I am up to 40 a day and lost 3.5 lbs last week. Granted, I need to lose a small child, but it is possible to ENJOY what you are eating and still lose weight.

Personally, if you are going to up it, I would eat the carbs in real foods and try to avoid the bars and such. I usually eat fruit with breakfast (melon, berries, or kiwi), and then have LOTS of veggies with my other meals. I do eat KETO cereal once in a while (the hot blueberry and cream is just awesome), and I tried one Atkins bar, which was nasty! I was just at the health food store and they had made mini muffins with the atkins banana nut muffin mix and they were heavenly. But I didn't buy the mix because I knew I would eat the whole thing! Maybe for a special occasion I will make them!!!

Anyhow, sorry for rambling. My bottom line advice would be do what feels good. If you are tired, add more carbs. If you feel great, don't fix something that isn't broken. As a million people have said, this is for life, and you can spend your life feeling yucky!

Amy

Geel,

While this board is awesome and you have gotten great advice, it might be worth asking on the Triple Digits Club board also. I know there are some people who post there who have been on induction for months and might be able to give you some more insight!

Just wanted to give you that option!

Amy

PS--I love the Atkins board too--no one yell at me!!!!

Ditto to what everyone else said. I am new to this diet but have spent a lot of time reading at this forum. Lots of people have stayed on induction longer than 2 weeks. I can understand wanting to stay on induction as long as possible when you are seeing a fast loss. Other people seem to continue to lose quickly as they follow the steps to re-introduce carbs. It seems that there are many things that can stall or slow a person down and that you must find out what works for you. The most common problems (causing a slower weight loss I mean) seem to be - Atkins products, a sensitivity to cheese or dairy products, and alcohol. It seems that the closer you keep it to induction the better, meaning that when you do have carbs, its best to get them from leafy vegetables rather than grains.

Like everyone else has said, of course you can stay on induction for more than two weeks, and if you're happy on it you may well want to do so. But here's another thought on why you might want to consider going to OWL well before you've lost all, or even most of your weight.

Losing quickly is wonderful, and if you take a look at my stats you can see that I have a LONG way to go and plenty of reason to want to get there soon as I can. But as the good doctor says many, many times - this isn't a crash diet designed to give you a quick fix so you can get back to a "normal" eating pattern. If this is going to work, it's going to have to be your normal eating pattern at some level or another, and that level is individual to your body.

Induction works, and the results can be very gratifying, but it's not inteneded to be a lifetime WOE. OWL is a learning process that's designed to lead you toward a WOE that you can maintain for life. If you do it the way the good doctor suggests - first adding vegetables, then cheese, nuts, berries, etc. - you'll be improving your nutrition, as well as getting more variety in your diet and learning the skills you will need to live a controlled carb life in a high carb world. It takes time and a certain amount of experimentation to find out how this will work for your body. If your weight loss slows too much, you can always cut back a level or two. But Atkins is adamant about the need to go through all four stages of the plan if you want to succeed for the long run.

All that being said, though, you know your body best. Best of luck, and I hope this didn't sound too pushy.

--Ruth

Frederick, if you're still in the very first week of Induction, it's no wonder you feel bad! All those troubles you list will go away over time. Symptoms of withdrawal from heavy carbs can be quite troublesome. But, once you're over withdrawal, the benefits begin adding up.