How long to do induction?

[Atomicblonde]

after the birth of my first child 4 years ago, I went on atkins and lost 40lbs. But i did induction the whole time.

How long is it safe to be on induction? Is it ok to be on it the whole time?

[cleochatra]

Re: How long to do induction?

Hi, blonde! You are too cute!


You want to follow strict induction for 2 weeks. After this, you can choose to follow extended induction, OWL, or ADBB modified OWL (which tends to be a form of extended induction while climbing the rungs of the ladder).

Do you have your 2002 version of DANDR armed and ready?

[Atomicblonde]

Re: How long to do induction?

Why thanks!
I do have the book handy. I just havent talked to many people who've done induction past the 14 days...so i was wondering how safe it is...

[cleochatra]

Re: How long to do induction?

Bowulf and I are notoriuos extended inductioneers, girlfriend (I spent 7 months doing extended induction)! So, if you're looking for a buddy/support, I'm your girl!

There is also an awesome extended induction board here at ADBB that I will be looking to when I'm out of my first 2 weeks. It's awesome!

[is thin possible?]

Re: How long to do induction?

Welcome Atomicblonde! And congrats on the twins! Hope you all are doing well!

As you can see by my stats that I started out about where you are as far as weight goes. I started this WOE in Jan of 2004 and didn't follow the plan very closely but lost 35 pounds between Jan. and June of 2004. Then I hovered there until Feb of 2005 when I started working on my weight again very seriousally. From Feb. until August 1st of this year I have been on extended induction and lost 90 pounds. I found that it was worth it to me to stay on extended induction to reach my goal a little quicker. I was willing to forego the larger selection of food choices for the results. I think it is up to each individual as to what works for them. The DANDR says that it is safe to stay on extended induction for up to 6 months I believe.

The other advice I would give you is this, be sure you transition into OWL at the appropriate time. I waited to long to transition and was too close to my goal weight before I shifted gears. This has made things a little challenging.

I wish you the best! Hang in there! You can do this. Oh! And hang with us here on ADDB! There are some awesome people on this board who are willing to give of themselves to see you succeed!

Blessings and have a great day!

[Atomicblonde]

Re: How long to do induction?

Thanks girls. I would love to partner up with anyone to help me get through this. I dont mind doing induction for as long as it takes.

[Elizellen]

Re: How long to do induction?

Hi Blondie
Welcome to our family.

You can stay on induction as long as you feel happy with the restricions put on us by the list of allowed foods and the 20 net carbs allowed on induction. Extended induction means you continue to eat induction foods and quantities but just for longer!!

So if you start to feel aggreived at only being able to have the 3 cups of allowed veggies, or not being able to eat cottage cheese or yogurt or fruit or nuts etc then you should start to move on up the OWL ladder and start reintroducing the various food groups in the order laid down.

Even if you never find the induction food list restrictive and have no yearnings for the OWL rung foods you ought to be in the third stage of Atkins (premaintenance) by the time you only have 5-10 pounds to lose.

This allows you to find out what (if any) foods upset you as well as knowing how many carbs you can eat in one day and continue to lose weight.

There is a good sticky in this forum titled 'Should I stay or should I go' that anyone who decides to do a longer induction than the first mandatory 14 days should read from time to time to help decide what to do. http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=5780

[Isabeau]

Re: How long to do induction?

It is important to note that you should not stay on induction until you reach your goal weight. Big no no! It's really important to move through all the stages in order to find out your CCL, food intolerances and to set you up for lifelong maintenance and success.

[2big4mysize]

Re: How long to do induction?

yep Dr Atkins in the old book said it was safe to stay on under 20 carbs as long as you felt healthy and had weight to lose BUT he says in DANDR folk who follow all the phases of his plan are the ones who have the best success rate at keeping the weight off.
think of the phases as parts of your house of Atkins you want a strong sturdy foundation ( that would be induction) but you also need to have some timbers for the framing for the walls (that would be the rungs of OWL) and roofing trusses ( that would be premaintenamce) so you can do the finsihing work on the house ( that would be maintnenace)

Just imagine how leaky your house would be with just a foundation when you moved in at goal weight. You would try to rapidly frame and roof it and might or might not get sturdy flawless lumber like you get to inspect and accept or reject when you do OWL and premaintenance rungs of the carb ladder learning how your body reacts to those types of carbs.

SO finish your house of Atkins after you get a sturdy foundation built be it 14 days or 2-4 months and learn in that great food experiment part of Atkins what foods and food rungs you can and can't handle in a controlled setting while you still have those 5-10 pounds to lose like Dr Atkins recommends in DANDR spending 6 months slowing arriving at that final life long maintenance phase ready to move in and finish up the placc to suit your metabolism and lifestyle.

Happy low carbing.

[Atomicblonde]

Re: How long to do induction?

Haha, ok im a bit confused. So, what you are all saying is that i should stay on induction UNTIL i reach my goal weight?

Sorry, the second day without sugar has affected my brain cells they're in detox.

[Elizellen]

Re: How long to do induction?

No we are saying that you COULD if you really wanted to without damaging your health but would be more likely to have trained your appetite/tastes/eating habits to better be able to maintain your goal weight if you make sure you progress from induction through OWL and premaintenance then segue into maintenance.

[Atomicblonde]

Re: How long to do induction?

ah...ok, thanks!

[Isabeau]

Re: How long to do induction?

I'd go as far as to say NO, do not stay on induction until you reach your goal weight. In my opinion, that is not what Dr. Atkins intended. Give chapter 12 a read to see if you're ready to move on!

[is thin possible?]

Re: How long to do induction?

I think it is "OK" to stay on extended induction for several months ...if you don't get bored with your food choices and then get tempted to fall of the wagon! Then it's not worth it because if you go off the plan, then there is no chance for success. Extended Induction worked well for me because I had over 100 pounds to lose, I felt great while in that phase and was not tempted to waiver.

HOWEVER...I do agree with the others posting here that you need to make your transition through the phases of OWL and on into pre-maintenance BEFORE reaching your final goal weight. I like the illustration of those phases being the final phases of constructing your Atkins house. Good advice! I messed up and didn't transition soon enough. It ended up working out "ok" for me though. Since I didn't know what I should weigh, I just pulled a number out of the sky, which was originally 170. Now that I am there, I realize that I think my body could lose another 10 to 15 pounds. So, I am right on target and making my change into OWL successfully. (However, there has been a little bit of anxiety involved with adding in more carbs...I got really comfortable knowing exactly what to eat for those several months and adding in more choices sometimes feels like I am cheating. The array of foods are so awesome and wholesome, though.)

Anyhow...let your own personality and what you can live with be your guide on how long to stay on induction. Just make sure you make the transition before reaching your goal.

Hope you are having a wonderful week....keep up the good work!

[Kent]

Re: How long to do induction?

Like my gal Cleo says, I am / was the extended induction poster child. I did it for 12 months, and my menu still looks similar to my menu did in the beginning with more veggies and nuts. I would not recommend staying on it until the end without starting the rungs at all. Remember the rungs are there to find any hidden triggers or allergies as you add the food back into your WOE. You don't have to hit every rung just those you intend to include later. (I personally skipped a number of them as many of them just don't interest me anymore.)

Induction is indeed a safe manner of eating. The only thing I would watch out or pay attention is your exercise performance after months of doing Induction. Are you getting more sluggish, less capable, or general lack of energy? Those would be signs your body is telling you to move on sooner than you are required (last 5-10 pounds).