I've been on induction for about six weeks and have lost about 8
pounds, so I'm moderately encouraged but not enough to move on to
OWL yet. However, I'd like to vary my diet a little more while keeping
within my limit of 20 carbs a day by eating a some foods that are not
allowed in induction--blueberries, jello, steak sauce, etc. Will I still
remain in ketosis, or will I really be in OWL? Does everybody really
follow the induction food list religiously or is just about the carb limit?

Considering that you only had 25 pounds to lose, I think 8 pounds in the first two weeks is GREAT! Congratulations!!!

I lost 9 pounds in the first two weeks, but I had 45 (well really more like 55 or 50 but my goal is modest) pounds to lose.

What I have done is to remain at about 20 NET effective carbs per day (after subtracting fiber grams). This turns out to be quite a bit more food than you are getting if you follow the induction rules in the Atkins book.

To make it work, you have to start to count your carbs and fiber grams. The easiest way to do this is by using fitday.com. Have you tried that yet? I would highly recommend it.

I still would totally avoid refined carbs of any kind and starchy vegetables even if you can figure out a way to include them and still stay at about 20 net grams. You will find you can include just about all the non-starchy vegies you want, plus some low-carb fruits such as berries.

I have lost 6 pounds in the last month on this regime, which is the rate I expect. I don't know if I am in ketosis since I don't use ketostix. I had some dry mouth yesterday so I suspect I am. I don't really care as long as I am steadily losing weight.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, I do use Fitday and find it mostly helpful, although I have to customize quite a bit. But to clarify--I lost 8 pounds in more like 4 weeks, since I've been on induction for 6 weeks and plateaued at about 4 (okay, there was a bit of cheating, I admit). Anyway, I'm trying to get back on track and be realistic about just how self-controlled I can be at the same time. I would like to occasionally have Carbolite frozen yogurt and chocolate bars, as well as Atkins protein bars just to break up the monotony.

But I started out with 100+ pounds to lose. From what I have read on these forums, it is ok to branch out of induction after two weeks. But you have to branch out in effective LC ways. Steak sauce has sugar, for example. There are lots of ways to create marinades and sauces for your steak w/o sugar. If you need a sweet sauce for your steak, add some splenda. Have you discovered mayo and a variety of mustards (read labels, a few have sugar)? I never liked mustard but it is on induction and mixed with mayo it can become all kinds of things. Also, look at hot sauces. Tabasco has no carbs. I am in love with Louisiana Hot Sauce, much cheaper than Tabasco and a bit mellower. I have used it as steak sauce.

Some of the things you said you want to put back in your diet at not quite LC. Read more. Take a good look at the recipe forums. Now that I am paying so much attention to my food, I cook a lot more than ever in my life and I have much, much more variety than EVER.

Seconding what has already been said. You want to follow the basic tenets of Induction - getting about 20 carbs of GOOD carbs - veggies and such - on most days. If you really want to stick to only 20g, then if you have berries or some other carb only do so every few days so that on most days you are getting your 20 carbs from veggies. I'd recommend letting yourself vary between 20g and 30g a day and see how that goes.

One thing to keep in mind - no matter what you do there is a GOOD chance that you will not lose any weight or might even gain weight over the next couple of weeks. This is normal for lots of people, especially if they lose a lot on Induction (and you did - about 1/3 of what you want to lose!). So it might be difficult to tell if increasing your carbs (or holding them steady, for that matter) had any effect.

Above all, be patient and persistent and you will get there before you know it.

Keep the Faith!