Hi everyone,
This is my first post and I just wanted to say hello and also to ask if anyone has any useful tips/advice for getting through induction on lacto-ovo veggie diet.

I've been eating really low carbs for about four days now, but I just read the chapter on induction in the New Atkins... book and it looks like I need to be lot stricter, cutting out nuts and milk and reducing the amount of vegetables. That's going to be really tought - I'm already getting bored of boiled eggs and omlettes! I live in the UK and we don't seem to be able to get the variety of low-carb prepared foods that are available in the states - and those that are on sale are reeeeally expensive.

I don't really understand about how much fat I'll need to eat to make it work. I normally eat very low fat, so introducing more will be weird - I don't really like fatty foods much. I know canivores can eat as much meat as they like, so I've been doing that with meat replacements, but now I'm worried I might be getting too much protein and not enough fat, so that the protein could be getting converted to glucose! Arrggh, it's so confusing!

Also, I do like to socialise and have the odd alcoholic drink, I can't really find anything on the atkins book on this - does anyone know what the rules are? My partner is having a birthday party next saturday, so it'd be a real bummer if I couldn't drink at all!

Anyway, it looks like you're all doing really well on the plan, so good for you! Any help or support would be much appreciated - I'm starting induction properly today!

xxxx

Hi, there!!

Honestly, I've never done induction and I seriously don't think that phase is THAT crucial. Low carb is low carb, be it 5 grams a day or 50 grams/day which is my personal minimal. I believe vegetarians have much higher fiber intake and that compensate the slight casual carb restriciton. Yes I am skinny now but this is how I got down from 135 to where I am now.

Hi Nutty,
that's good to hear, maybe I'll allow myself a few more carbs tomorrow. Looks like Atkins has worked really well for you - so it's great to get advice from someone like you!

I just got back from the gym, and although I was pretty sluggish in there, I feel quite a bit better now. Do you think that going to the gym could help induce ketosis by burning off extra glucose?

I hope I get the good feelings everyone's promising will come when I wake up tomorrow morning!

same here...i have done the induction phase, but it was very difficult...and i jumped back to 50 or so carbs per day before going through adding 10 carbs each week. vegetarians actually have an advantage when this diet is done properly, as we have no problem getting the needed fiber (like nutty said).

oh, and jebuk, yes: high physical activity always burns off more glucose.

Hi, Jebuk and pecan (another veggie nut? ), glad to have more veggie friends here!

I run lot, like maybe 3-4 miles a day of jogging. I love to see work out as way of maintaining mental health rather than a way of burning calorie. I mean, if it does, cool, but I don't like to keep a tag on my run.

Talking about fat, hehe....I am nutty, need to say more

Thanks guys, that's really helpful. I just got up and had breakfast (brie and avocado - yummy!) and I seem to be feeling a lot better today so far. I really hope it'll continue, as yesterday I thought I was going crazy!

I'm loving eating all this cheese, but you can have so much within the carb allowance that I'm wondering whether I should cut down because of all the fat. What do you do about that? I mean, I know you're supposed to have extra fat on the plan but I can't imagine I'll burn this amount off, even if my body goes into fat burning overdrive!

I just realised I haven't told you my name (which was very rude of me, sorry!), it's Julia. Really good to meet you both, I'm so glad I stumbled across this forum, I think it's going to be a great source of support and inspiration - and hopefully I'll soon be able to help others too.

nice to meet you, julia. i'm gretchen btw. i'm glad you're enjoying the forums; i'm pretty new myself, but not to low carbing or vegetarianism: been a low carber over two years, and vegetarian (everything from vegan to semi) for two and a half years. what kind of veg are you? i noticed you eat cheese? do be careful what kind of cheese you're eating, as some contain hidden carbs (american cheese slices, for example, contain 2 carbs each).

nutty, great attitude with the exercise! have you run into any carb cravings after a workout? i sometimes have to force myself to eat carbs at this point, but remember, they are needed for muscle repair. how long have you been low carbing? if you haven't lced for long, you'll figure it out soon...and be able to adjust to the proper level of carbs for optimum health.

hope this is helpful to you guys, see you around the forums!

Any kind of resistance exercise or aerobic activity will accelerate the onset of ketosis on a low carb (sub 30 g net carbs) diet.

I've been low-carbing for 6 days now and on 20g induction for 3. Strangely, the scales haven't moved but my clothes do feel a bit looser (although that could be all in my mind!). I think induction is good for me because I felt so awful on the first few days of LC that I must've had a really bad sugar addiction - I actually felt like I was going crazy and the cravings were immense!

I felt fine yesterday though and feel even better today, and I'm in my second day of ketosis, which is great! I've almost finished reading the DANDR book now and I think I'm getting the hang of understanding everything, but after years of low-fat dieting it's hard to get used to the new way I'm going to have to start thinking about food.

So far I have been eating lots of fat, and I mean A LOT, mainly because I've been enjoying fried eggs, cheese and butter again for the first time in years (Pecan: thanks for the tip on watching out for hidden carbs BTW) and I think I'm going to have cut it down a bit as I'm sure my body can't be burning THAT much off. Do you guys monitor your fat intake at all?

Thanks for that Steve, I know this kind of thing must seem really obvious to most of you guys, but I'm just starting to get my head around how it works. I did an excercise video yesterday morning and spent an hour at the golf driving range in the afternoon (my new hobby), so felt pretty good about that. I'm quite stiff and achy today though, so I'm not really sure what the best thing to do is, I had planned to go to the gym this afternoon, I even packed my bag. Maybe I'll just do some light jogging on a treadmill then treat myself to a sauna, what do you think?

I just checked out your website - how fantastic that you're showing the world how healthy, strong and lean a vegetarian diet can make you. Nice work!

Thanks for the kind words. I think when you're just beginning an exercise program, you need to take things easy. You do not want to get too sore to the point that it's really uncomfortable. Begin with a resistance program of 3x per week, preferably with no consecutive days. On the off days, you may add some light cardio if you feel up to it. Begin with full body workouts, and in 3-4 weeks you might move to a upper/lower body split. In two months you might move to a 3-way split routine.

The key right now is to find the balance to stay regular, not overdo it, and stay motivated. A friend of mine once said "Take it easy, but don't be lazy."

Steve, do you recommend chromium? I usually feel like I need some fruits for my work out, someone said taking chromium can reduce the influence of the carb on blood sugar and some other source say chromium is toxic. Any idea?

Oh, I am mil

Hi Nutty! Do you mind if I ask you how long it took for you to lose your weight? I am not a veggie now (was in the past), but I am finding I lose better the less meaty type things I eat. Thanks!

Chromium picolinate and polynicotinate can help manage glucose and improve insulin response, but it won't give you a license to eat carbs with impunity. I'd also add ALA to the diet when you're eating carbs. But... for optimum bodyfat loss, forget the pre-workout fruit altogether, and add 15-25 g of post-workout dextrose with your shake.

Hi, Hazelnut are we siblings?
I lost most of the weigth during the time I didn't own a scale so I can just estimate, like,...2 years? something like that. I was actually shocked to know that I weighed two digits, never expected that

when I was eating meat, I always feel bloated and not very "clean", you know, "things" don't move as smooth as I like. After I went veg, the in-and-out process is always so quick I get highs