When to change and other questions :)

At what point is it best to change from induction to OWL and how quickly are people losing weight, how much for instance are you losing in a month in whichever phase you're on. Can't wait till somebody other than my girl notices I've lost weight x

good question x

Really hard question to answer, hun - I'm staying on induction for months yet but I have lots to lose. Others move onto OWL after just two weeks.

Why not try it for a couple of weeks and see how you get on? You can always go back to induction

It's different for everyone. I'm happy losing slowly on induction. So I won't be in any rush to change.

I'll be staying on induction until I'm close to the weight I need to be... Which will be be for at least another year... I feel comfortable on it although it is slow at times with little bursts of movement

Great question. After 7 months on induction i've decided to move to OWL - recently reread atkins book and has reminded me:
Induction was designed to make sure 95% peole could lose weight but isnt the full "nutritional approach" that atkins recommends
Some other critical elements to stop this being a crash diet (where people regain and plus after) include:
Finding your critical carb level to lose
Finding your critical carb level to maintain
Finding your trigger foods for cravings
Practicing your new way of eating - like a learner driver

So it's rather scary to think about increasing carbs from 20g but would be nice to eat everything(well almost!) in moderation - so i will be starting up the owl ladder from september. Actually looking at what i have called relaxed induction i have already added tomatoes, chickpeas, alcohol and berries - the difference is ive no idea about critical carb levels or trigger foods. Hopefully can lose a bit more on the journey and rekon there's probably another year of learning to go

So yes use induction - but leave plenty of time (think 6-12 months) to do the rest of the designed approach

Brilliant reply Katie! You really have got under the skin of the Atkins philosophy! I have ordered the first Atkins book (for 0.01p) and will read that as well as re-read the new one... It does need re-visiting as there's so much I've forgotten! I shall watch/read with interest how your OWL journey fares!

Reading the book(s) I would say is absolutely essential. Weight losses vary from person to person as we are all individuals, we have different starting weights, different metabolisms, make different food choices etc.

Dr. Atkins suggests and recommends a two-week Induction period then an immediate and gradual move into OWL. He actually stated that long-term Induction was only to be attempted by the severely insulin-resistant who could not lose weight on Atkins (or any diet) by any other means. He commented that for those who DO lose weight well during the first two weeks then there is no need to continue indefinite Induction. He even states that months and months on Induction is 'NOT doing Atkins'.

We must make our own choices but sometimes endless Induction actually stalls us or slows down losses! Truly.

Induction was always designed to last only for the initial two weeks but it is fear of adding extra healthy carbs and/or slowing losses that keeps people on the 20g carbs a day. Many people also severely limit fat intake but fats are a key part Atkins! I get my fats from dairy (in moderation) and coconut oil. I am vegetarian so get no natural fats from meats.

Perhaps the key thing is to do what suits US as individuals but to check the books and to change what we do if we are not happy with the way Atkins is working out.