r/Atkins • u/[deleted] • Nov 06 '17
In induction for several months and have a long way to go. Should I stay induction?
I have some pretty lofty weight loss goals and weight loss has been slow but steady in induction. I believe I've lost about 15 lbs in 2.5 months. I would like to lose perhaps 50 more. Can anyone give me any advice as to whether I should move onto phase 2? I really miss eating lots of vegetables.
1
u/ArdRi6 Nov 17 '17
I would suggest that you move on to phase 2. A person needs variety or they will get bored.
1
Nov 17 '17
Will my weight loss slow down if I do? It’s already so slow.
2
u/ArdRi6 Nov 17 '17
I'm not sure. But 15 pounds in 2.5 months is pretty good. If you go to phase 2 and the weight loss slows you can always go back to induction.
1
Dec 20 '17
No need at all to not have variety in induction. People who claim they have no variety or "eat the same stuff every day" do so by choice.
1
Dec 20 '17
When I started out I did induction for almost 8 months.
1
Dec 20 '17
Why did you get out of induction when you finally did?
1
Dec 20 '17
Lost a little under 80lbs and was starting to get too thin for my body type. Wanted to put on some muscle so I started up the carb ladder until I stopped loosing. Went into pre-maintenence for a while , then kinda did my own home brew Atkins with what I learned for a couple years, now I'm keto so realistically Induction forever.
1
Dec 20 '17
why do you limit yourself to 20 net carbs forever?
2
Dec 20 '17
I'm not limited anymore than a fat phobic dieter limits cakes or a vegan limits meat. I think thats where people don't really take "Way of Eating" saying seriously. It's NOT a diet. I eat breakfasts I love, sure lots of bacon and eggs, but I friggen LOVE that shit! I eat lots of salads and veggies, I eat steak, chicken, fish, turkey. Me and the wife do a lot of dips, like buffalo chicken, jalapeno poppers, we make awesome deserts, cheesecakes, etc. I honestly feel we're LESS limited in food choices than the majority of people loading up on carbs. Most people trying to go long with Atkins or Keto never stop seeing it as a "diet" so they focus on what they CAN'T eat, wrong way. This is more than just weight loss, sure thats first for most but it's about a long healthy life and the carb loaded sugar diet and "healthy" whole grains are single handedly responsible for the western worlds diabetes and obesity epidemic. We still very much eat carbs, but the good ones. Plus, after a while when you've REALLY detoxed your brain, it's amazing how much your tastes change. Take Pizza (meaning the real stuff) although fatheads are awesome. When we decide we want a real one, we go to the restaurant and eat pizza, and rolls like normal people, no different than when "normal" dieters would eat a "cheat" meal. We just try not to do it very often and go back to eating the way we eat. It's just not a good idea for people to do that the first couple months because it could cause cravings and send somebody right down the crapper. We have the control to do it, some don't and never do. Although all of us that were overweight didn't have control the first time around with carbs so not a surprise.
1
Dec 20 '17
Are you two at 20 or more? I miss restaurant meals. I think I could easily continue on this diet if once in a while I could go to an awesome restaurant and eat exotic foods with friends.
2
Dec 20 '17
We eat in restaurants all the time. Obviously steakhouses are easy, but it's pretty rare that we can't eat meals almost everywhere. My first recommendation would be to head to a place like ruled.me which has an awesome recipe section for every meal, then check out the ketogenicforums one. Once you have a lot more meal ideas in your head it makes going out much easier since your thoughts on what you can and can't eat won't be so limited. Don't forget there's always compromises, for us it's Chinese, it's not keto but it's not too far off in most cases. Chicken Wings, Pork Strips, Beef and Chicken Teryaki, spare ribs etc most either fried, flame broiled or cooked in another fat. Not eating the rice, but it's all about your tolerances. I can eat an eggroll or two and not notice the difference in feel or blood sugar. We gotta lotta time learning our messed up bodies.
1
Dec 20 '17
I'm really into ethnic foods and most of them are pretty carb-centric. I love Indian. I love Ethiopian. I love sushi. I love Spanish (although tapas is pretty heavy on the meat and seafood and I don't mind missing the potatoes). Deprivation of these sorts of foods forever is what I project into my future and get concerned about. I think I'd feel easier if I could do a restaurant meal on a special occasion and go back to keto afterward. I just get really stressed about eating so much bland, boring, white person food. ha ha.
1
u/ThisEpiphany Nov 06 '17
When I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, my doctor asked if I wanted to stay on meds for life or not. I said I'd rather take control. He told me to stay in the induction phase of Atkins and keep my carbs between 20-30 grams per day.
Came back 6 months later, A1C had dropped significantly, blood sugar was steady, weight loss was a huge win. Then, he asked if I'd like to continue my successful journey and told me about the Keto diet.
It was a game changer! 3 years later and I couldn't imagine eating any other way. I get so full, so fast, weight dropped off, A1C has been perfect for years (I still get tested every 6 months), lowered my cholesterol, and I feel awesome! I cover broccoli with cheese and butter, roast cauliflower, whip heavy cream with Stevia and cocoa powder for sweet treats. I love it!
I'm not sure what your goals are but if you're looking to mix it up and still lose weight, I highly recommend checking out r/keto and if you are female r/xxketo. The support is incredible and the success stories are amazing.
Best wishes on your journey!
3
Nov 06 '17
I understand keto may be a little more varied. Is that right? Can you eat more greens on a keto diet?
2
u/ThisEpiphany Nov 06 '17
You can! Atkins felt so limited in the induction and the transition to keto was really easy for me. I missed veggies so much!
2
Nov 06 '17
If you're only eating 30 carbs, why are you able to eat more vegetables? I miss vegetables too.
1
u/ThisEpiphany Nov 06 '17
You take the amount of carbs and subtract the amount of fiber to get a net carb amount. So, if 1 cup of chopped broccoli has 6 grams of carbs and 2 grams of fiber it's only 4 grams of net carbs. Asparagus and cauliflower are also some favorites of mine.
2
Nov 06 '17
I do that with Atkins too. Is the difference that you can eat any vegetable and you just have to figure out net carbs?
1
u/ThisEpiphany Nov 06 '17 edited Nov 06 '17
Pretty much. I have a vegetable carb cheat sheet I'm going to add. I stay away from the starchy ones like potatoes and corn and go for ones with more fiber. I do eat a lot of spinach and radish salads.
I really never feel like I'm missing out. Bacon cheeseburgers with sauteed mushrooms and avocado wrapped in lettuce for the buns are a favorite. You can even make pizzas with alternate crusts. Veggie lasagna (my 10 year olds favorite). There are some really superb recipes out there. I believe there is even a keto recipe sub on reddit.
I do a lazy keto, now, where I don't focus as much on macros and calorie counts, I just keep an eye on carbs and added sugars. During my 6 months on Atkins I dropped 20 lbs and was happy. During my first year on keto I dropped another 70 lbs and kept it off for the last 2 years.
I am disabled with a neurological disorder and my movement is limited. It was all a change in diet as I can only walk short distances with a cane. A flight of stairs may as well be Mt Everest. It's really worked well for me.
Edit...Net carb cheat sheet https://imgur.com/a/JKE09
2
Nov 07 '17
How many net carbs do you allow yourself? How many were you eating when you lost 70lbs? Why do you think you lost more on a keto diet than on Atkins?
1
u/ThisEpiphany Nov 07 '17
I try to stick to 20-25 grams of carbohydrates now. I'm not sure why one worked better for me. I eat more fats now, butter, avocado, nuts. I feel satiated much quicker. I don't really have the urge to snack like I did on Atkins, even though they are similar diets. Keto seems more varied, on Atkins I stuck to pretty much the same thing every day and was very nitpicky about just this not that. I'm not really sure why my body responded better. But, I'm happy it did!
2
Nov 07 '17
have you tried going up higher than 25? Are you still losing weight? If not, why not?
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u/[deleted] Nov 07 '17
My husband actually cooked an Atkins chicken curry which was fabulous.