Hello everyone
I am overweight and have decided to chose the Atkins for life approach to get rid of the weight. I have read the book DADR (not yet fully, but cover to cover up to the review stage after the induction) I am going to be honest. I am really, really confused
Because of the fact that I am only 17 I still live at home with both parents, three older brothers and a younger sister - how on earth can i buy all the foods needed to keep up this change.
Also could you all give me some induction stage meals please, but some that are extremely quick and easy to make.
Furthermore can i stay on induction longer then two weeks, i have a lot of weight to shift.

I want to do this properly, however I really do want to see a difference - the whole concept seems scary.
Thank you in advance for your answers

Yes you can stay on induction for more than 2 weeks, although you may hear differing opinions. Make sure you take the potassium and magnesium as recommended.

As far as food with a family. On the one hand this is great practice for when you are a mom and feeding a family. That is my biggest challenge, feeding everyone else without cheating.

On the other, it will take some effort on your part. It will help if you can get your mom onboard. Also if you volunteer to cook some nights then you can control the menu somewhat.

Otherwise, just skip the carbs and add green veggies. Make the family meal into something you can eat.

Quick meals?

Eggs for breakfast. Hard boiled is easiest (tasty with butter).

Leftover chicken or rotissere chicken with salad for lunch.

That's the easiest way to go.

And remember low carb is for life. You will always have to watch the carbs. Don't do this for quick weight loss, but as a lifestyle.

F

I stayed on induction for a little over six weeks when I started with no problems. I currently keep my carbs at less than forty grams per day (closer to thirty most times).

Hard boiled eggs are good with mayo too. Roast beef from the deli - make roll-ups with lettuce as the wrapper. Hard cheeses for a snack - just remember to limit the amount according to induction rules.


One last thing: Fat is your friend. Butter, mayo, olive oil - enjoy them on your food.

Thanks. I will definetly try my hardest to stick to this by the book.

Do you have any more recipies for me - as i have heard that eating too little and too little fat is actually the worst thing to do!

The recipe forums are here . You can also find a lot of induction friendly recipes on Linda's recipe site . And finally, Bowulf, the Atkins Diet Geek , has quite a few videos on Youtube demonstrating Atkins friendly recipes and answering questions about Atkins.

Thank you ever so much for all of your help. Can i just ask - when you began atkins, how difficult did you find it to grasp? Also how much weight did you lose and how quickly?

I did a modified version of Atkins (eating salads and chicken for two meals a day) several years ago when I was a nursing home resident. Over the four years I lived in the institution, I lost 137lbs. This past February, I started doing Atkins properly, by the book. In my first two weeks, I lost a total of 20lbs, mostly water weight. My total lost since I started is - well, you can see it in my signature.

But don't take this as typical of what you might lose on the plan. Everyone is different, which you'll discover as you read through the posts here, and we all lose at a different pace. The other thing to understand is sometimes your scale won't register any weight loss but you'll find that your clothes start to fit better or looser - you might be losing inches even though the scale doesn't move much or at all. So don't be discouraged if things seem to move slow or not at all.

I didn't have much trouble during induction - you will read that some people experienced the "induction flu" (this will be explained in your book) as their bodies started to de-tox from the carb-y things they used to eat and adapt to the new way of eating. I never experienced any of the flu symptoms. What I did experience was a decrease in my cravings for things like bread and pasta and sugary stuff.

I don't find it hard to do the diet, but then I have control of my kitchen and you probably are not in that position. Trying to get your mother on board with this and maybe cooking some of the meals for the family, as suggested above, might work for you. Also, you will find a lot of support from the people here.

Molly let me try to explain it in an easy manner..Carbs are like Gasoline..They burn very quickly and give you lots of energy...Fat is like Diesel fuel...it burns slower and cleaner,it allows a diesel engine to run for miles and miles,because it is a cleaner burning fuel...Our bodies can burn either carbs or fat for fuel,but it does so much better using fat for fuel..It is the primary means of energy and nutrition...Digesting large amounts of carbs,takes a toll on the body over time...Our liver has to process them and it creates a load on our adrenal glands to process all the glucose...Eventually it just becomes too much,and the only thing to do is store it as fat in our cells..Once we reduce the carbs we eat,and replace it with protein and fat,our body will start to release these stored reserves for energy and you will start to lose the fat!!Everyone has stressed the importance to you of eating enough good fats(Olive oil,coconut oil,avocados,butter)because if you eat too much protein,the liver will use it for fuel,instead of fat,and stall your weight loss..Fialka gave you some great suggestions!! Read as much as you can!! Be informed...This way when you talk to your family,you will have some answers for their questions..Good luck with this!!

Good luck to you, Molly. Just remember while its good to stick to the book, follow all the rules, etc.. they might not all apply to you. Now please understand Im not suggesting you don't listen to them, but everyone is different.

You have to find your balance.

Since 1/10 i've lost about 150 pounds. I eat meat, eggs, fish.. Little to no carbs. I can't even smell anything with carbs or I stall or gain it back. My wife on the otherhand can have 2 pieces of bread per day and still lose.

Keep your eye on the prize but keep your goals small. You can totally do it once you find your happy medium.

Good luck to you! This place is great for support

Welcome Molly! I'm glad your doing this now at 17. I hope your parents see the importance of this. If meals are difficult, just keep it simple with meat, fats and veggies (lowcarb of course). Skip the buns, breads, pasta, and potatoes. Munch on dill pickles, cucumbers, celery, etc. I love recipes with HWC (heavy whipping cream), but only when you can have it, and not too much. I like to make sauces with it on my meats, especially chicken. You can do this. We're rooting for you! I average around 6-8 lbs a month after induction was over (2 weeks for me). Everyone is different and stalls do occur and are normal. Use your clothes as a measuring tool when the scale is not moving. You're usually still shrinking if you eating on plan. Then you get a big whoosh! Best wishes! Check out the recipe section on thios forum. It's a friend, too.

Donna

I really appreciate all of your helpful comments. I am really going to give this my all. I am so concerned however, that I will just not shed any weight, and will not be able to work out the reasons why. What i am concerned about doing, is either over eating fats, or similarly under eating (as i have heard this is the last thing i should be doing)

Would i be able to post a days or preferably weeks worth of food, and could anyone help to see what i need to change or keep with it?

Thank you ever so much, it means the world to me

Yes.. Please post menus! And welcome!

You have a more youthful metabolism than many of us; and you probably haven't challenged your metabolism through years of unsuccessful attempts that only put more weight on. Even if you've done this; you can't possibly have done it for as long as I have

There's very few people for which this doesn't work at all; I doubt you are one of them. Be confident!

aha this made me laugh :') thanks. And Lstump i will definitely post what i have been eating so i can see weather or not i am going wrong.
By the way, i continued reading the book today, and found a weeks worth of induction (the induction menu) I think it is called. Shall i go for this? Did any of you decided to begin with this particular menu?

Thank you again in advance for your answers (: x

If Atkins is what you're trying to do, then yes, you should definitely start with that menu. A word of advice:
Stay away from the Atkins or other "low carb" bars, shakes, desserts, etc. that you buy prepackaged. They are marketed as Induction friendly, but they have ingredients in them that are NOT Induction friendly (so how can they be??), they also tend to stall some people out.
Also, because you are in a home with other people (and I know it's hard at your age, but I lost 40 pounds when I was 17 living at home.. It's possible!), don't be as strict on yourself. I ate a lot of salads when I was living at home, took things that I enjoyed eating high carb and just eliminated the bread (tacos, fajitas, lasagna with eggplant instead of noodles, etc.) and shopped for deals. It helps if you have your own car and a job and it's a GREAT learning experience for the future!!