Atkins , backwards

[elke1007]

What a stupid title

Anyway, I was on my lunch break and decided to go out and buy myself a few pretty things , instead of eating even more.
Anyway , I started thinking (no, I didn't hurt ........ much )
Induction doesn't seem to be my kind of thing , but I do believe in the low carb woe to be the healthiest way to live. So I do want to eat a low carb diet , but induction makes it to hard to stay on it.
I'm at a good weight, I don't NEED to lose weight , but I do WANT to lose a few pounds and tone up even more.
Could it be a good idea to start a low carb "diet" that is more like the premaintenance or even maintenance phase , just to help my body adjust. And as time goes by , I could start eliminating one food at a time and eventually still follow an induction period.
If I start eating small portions instead of huge piles of brown rice , whole wheat pasta etcetera and eventually cut them out , I probably will still see results. There is no need to lose a lot of weight fast so i don't mind seeing results slower than with induction.
I would like to buy a few low carb cookbooks and not pay attention to the carb count at first , does anyone know the books by George Stella? They get some awesome reviews on Amazon.

Thnaks!

[sadie147]

Re: Atkins , backwards

If you have very little to lose there's no harm starting in the higher rungs of OWL or even premaintainance. I think it would be recommended. If you are carb addicted, especially sweets, I'd definately recommend at least trying induction first to break your cravings and get the sugars out of your system, them moving on to premaintenance.

As far as going backwards, I have no idea, I can't see that it would hurt. but i'm really curious to see what the experts think!

Oh and I love George Stella's recipes..you know you can also get some on food tv's website http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ll

[Richt]

Re: Atkins , backwards

I think you need to do the minimum of a clean 2 week induction, thus breaking your addiction completely. Your post this morning about the easter eggs is a clear indication that you are addicted to sweet stuff. Just two weeks will get you over that and the rest of your journey will be plain sailing.

Rich (trying hard to sound friendly and not over harsh).

[sadie147]

Re: Atkins , backwards

I think you need to do the minimum of a clean 2 week induction, thus breaking your addiction completely. Your post this morning about the easter eggs is a clear indication that you are addicted to sweet stuff. Just two weeks will get you over that and the rest of your journey will be plain sailing.

Rich (trying hard to sound friendly and not over harsh).

Actually I just saw that post too and I agree with Rich, you definately need a minimum of a 2 week induction to break the sweet addiction.

[Libbey77s]

Re: Atkins , backwards

We've ALL at some point had "one of those" days - which ultimately lead us to where we are now - so don't be so hard on yourself. If you are in this to be the healthiest YOU that you can be - just jump in and start again (if you're serious don't wait until "tomorrow" ... jump back in today and you'll feel so much better with yourself.

I unfortunately have ALOT of weight to lose (before starting Atkins a month ago, I was a big time "emotional eater") and I had such a craving for sweets through the first few weeks .. although some people might not agree with my approach -this is what worked for me - I altered my induction to 25 - 30 carbs a day because I used peanut butter (2 TBSP a day) to help me with my sweet tooth - I have to admit, that I didn't "lose" a lot of weight those first two weeks - I think maybe 2 or 3 lbs, but in making it through those first few weeks - I was able to get the sugar cravings out of my system and adapt completely to this way of eating - I have lost an additional 9 lbs over the last 2 weeks, and am trying to go through a "real" induction now that I am motivated and craving free.

Elisabeth

[Heidi3]

Re: Atkins , backwards

ask yourself what your goal with all this is?

if it is to change your way of eating I agree with Rich and Sadie

if you just want to eat low carb then Atkins may not be the answer

witht this as they said the first two weeks are to break the addiction and give you a boost

but the whole thing is a process of learning by going slowly and finding a new way of eating

you can hop from diet to diet picking and choosing what you want and you are more than welcome to eat anything you want

but if you are going to really do Atkins I would say start at the begining and go all the way to the end to get the full deal!!!

[sunflowergrl]

Re: Atkins , backwards

I agree with Heidi. You can't do and eat whatever you want and call it 'Atkins'. I am sorry if that seems harsh, but its true. If you just want to eat low-carb, there are many wonderful plans out there. What you can't do for sure is eat low carb and eat candy at the same time, that is not low carb. Sugar really is bad for you, but giving that up is a decission you have to make. Good luck!

[higgies]

Re: Atkins , backwards

Before I started Atkins I just cut down on things and it did make a difference. I imagine cutting down on carbs in whatever way would be a good thing for ANYONE! LOL! Like it was said before though...it won't be 'Atkins', but it'll be healthier I imagine!

[Checkers]

Re: Atkins , backwards

I agree that pre-maintenance could be great for you. I'm sorry, but I will never do induction more than two days to get back into the swing of things. You can break your sugar addiction and include fruits and berries in your diet. After I re-induct I go right to the berries. I don't need the misery of a two week induction to start losing weight again. I've found that without fruit I'm unable to keep up a workout schedule. And that's even with over 45 carbs per day. Now I can stay at 45 and if I include fruit I can workout and lose weight very well.

[tabekat]

Re: Atkins , backwards

In my opinion, we all need to do a clean induction in the beginning so that we can slide into a solid state of ketosis and reap all the benefits of this marvelous way of life.

It is good discipline to follow the schedule that Dr. Atkins set. He knew what he was doing.

[Lisa M]

Re: Atkins , backwards

Hi, Elke,

So are you moving forward instead of backwards?