Ok,

I did the LC thing several years ago and went from 220lbs all the way down to 175. Then I got a desk job and a wife

Now that I'm trying it again, I have noticed a lot of products on the market that weren't there the last go-around. Foods with all kinds of super-low "net effective carbs", lo-carb pasta, and more are now readily available to the LC dieter.

BEFORE YOU READ THE NEXT PARAGRAPH, KNOW THAT I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT PRODUCTS WITH SO-CALLED "HIDDEN CARBS"

The problem I have is the number of people in these forums that bash the usage of these products during induction. For many folks, induction is a big Turn-Off, especially if they've been following the 'low-fat' mantra that is so prevalent. So my argument is, if encouraging (or at least not DIScouraging) the usage of some of these specialty products will help people through induction, why not?

A perfect example of this is "Flax-O-Meal". I found this at a local store and immediately decided that it would be a fantastic help in forging through induction-land. No hidden carbs, just some in dietary fiber which even Atkins says don't count because there's no way your body is gonna digest that stuff. However, several posts argued "not to use this during induction". To them, I say "Phooie."

Another example is diet soda. I drink Diet Rite White Grape, and it has no carbs or caffiene to worry about. Where the technical part of the diet is concerned, it won't "break" induction. It won't take you out of ketosis. It's sweet though, so the argument for not using it during induction is that you won't be able to break away from normal sweets if you're just substituting lo-carb sweets. Again, "Phooie."

Most diets are 1/2 "technical nutrition" and 1/2 psychology. ALWAYS remember that. The psychology is flexible - use what works best for you, but don't mess with the nutrition part.

What I'm talking about here is a totally different *psychological* approach to induction. Where many people's personalities REQUIRE a cold-turkey attitude to induction, to break sugar addiction and what not, many are RESPONSIBLE enough that they can still consume lo-carb products like Flax-O-Meal and still kick the carb habit. In fact, in my case I have given up *3* times on induction in the last couple years because I just couldn't handle another 2 weeks of meat, cheese, veggies. Some may argue that there's plenty of variety in the veggie department, but I have a hard time with most vegetables. I belong to a rare portion of the population that LEGITIMATELY has a "taste disorder", where lettuce, broccoli, and most other green vegetables all taste horrendously bitter. The lo-carb products like Flax-O-Meal, diet soda, etc. have introduced the variety that I need to sucessfully pull off induction.

So bottom line - quit driving people away from products that legitimately add variety to a LC diet's induction phase without any nutritional risk! Products using sugar alchohols, etc. are another story of course....

Sorry for the rant, especially with this being my first post, but it's been on my mind...

Interesting comments to say the least :-)

I somewhat agree, I dropped the soda but I am having my crystal light dammit, one or two glasses is nothing compared to the three or four cans of pop I used to drink

Mizzourah, more power to your rant! I think a lot of us who poo-poo LC products on induction are just trying to safeguard others from making mistakes. When going off induction by book, you subject yourself to problems you might not face if you follow it to the letter. If you don't lose weight or feel better, you can't blame Atkins, because you adjusted Atkins to fit yourself. While that can be great if done, as you wisely put it, responsibly, it can also be a breeding ground for disaster.

Of course Atkins induction is NOT the only LC diet that works! Protein Power starts at 30g including high fiber items and works great. I'm sure a lot of people would lose on Atkins OWL without doing induction at all, as well. To each his own.

Welcome to the forum! I hope you find a lot of great information... I've found it so helpful to understand the science, differences in metabolisms, psychologies, cravings, willpower, supplements, etc. Plus, it's always nice to get support and, of course, recipes. Hope this time around LC you become a lifer, it's worth it.

Thanks, guys - sorry again for the rant but I'm probably cranky from being in the middle of induction

Angela, I agree that the science and psychology of dieting is SO interesting. This looks like a great place to learn!

If it werent for half of these products I could NOT get through this. . I agree with you completely. . . . at least let them know it's safe to TRY it. . if there's a problem it can be worked OUT of someone's diet the same way they work it in (it meaning the lo-carb products)

I see your point. I'm set in my ways, and generally tell people "If you want to eat it, and can do so without stalling..eat it." I'm a big fan of sugarfree Jello, and DO get a bit tired of seeing people warning of dire consequences of eating it...

Those of us who are going to be stuck at induction level carbs for a LONG time, especially learn to depend on some of these specialty products, or face dying of boredom and going off-plan entirely.

Yeah, a friend of mine is doing induction and he was whining about the little things... "I want balsamic vinegar!" I was like, that's really not such a big deal, just count it and move on. Anything that can keep people for breaking down and having a big bowl of sugar-covered pasta (yes, I combined two evils) is good, especially if it's no big deal.

You can go your own way... but, of course, it's a lot harder to complain if you're not losing weight and not quite doing things right.

I agree with you. It really does depend on the person though. If it makes it easier for someone to follow induction through using all those low-carb products (that are not recommended by Dr Atkins), then I say go for it. Use your common sense though. If you know eat more stuff like that causes food triggers, or make you overeat, or not learn how to do Atkins properly, or not teach your brain from getting away from the bad carb stuff, then don't go anywhere near it during induction!

During induction, I allowed myself nuts and diet soda and coffee. I knew I could handle it.

Rant away! Your post made me notice how afraid I am to post something about sf chocolates, lc bread, etc.! It is not a nice thing to say, but there are a few carbnazi's out there....
I have now lost almost 20 pounds and I am sooooo happy! I have used Splenda, had Diet soda, eaten sf chocolates, and yes, even had a Diet Coke and Rum a couple of times. Still, I lost! LOST, LOST, LOST! I have managed to convert others over to this woe by showing them what they COULD have, not what they couldn't. Oh, and I eat 2 salads a day, eat a lot more lean meats and fish, and take multivitamins daily! That is a lot more than I ever did on lowfat diets! Whew! Now my rant is over too! Thanks!

Thank you...Thank you for this post....

I do not have access to lc products here such as lc cereals or bread mix or anything like that ( I live in Costa Rica where lc is not well known)....so Induction would have been a nightmare for me without adding sf jello, lc chocolates and an occassional gin and tonic if I go out...I do add these things and still lose. I lose way too slowly anyways but...it´s the only thin line between gorging on all the low carb sweet pastries and other goodies or staying on this new WOE and making it realistically doable and livable. I can agree that the word is carbnazis...gosh I've heard people eating strictly meat, salad, veggies and water and don't even get them started on how bad the lc products are and how we the people that look for alternatives are doomed for failure. To them I say "chill..is just food"...

I feel understood for once. Thankyou

I would have agreed with you at the beginning of induction, but now I am through it, with only ONE taste of something sweet, I can tell you it was worth it. WHY? you ask? because NOW the sweet habit/addiciton was broken, I don't crave sweets and when I DO taste something sweet it is VERY sweet, my tastebuds are alive again. I LOVE not being a slave to sweets and I LOVE that I taste the TRUE sweetness of things now and they are SICKLY sweet!

Its like watching television with loud volume...eventually you REQUIRE it louder and louder, you forget that you can hear the TV at a much lower volume just fine.

Nice post! There's as much magical thinking that accompanies dieting as there is scientific. Everyone is so very individual. Personally I used SF jello, diet colas and other stuff on induction and I did fine.

Atkins says 20 net carbs for induction and I don't think there's any real reason to be more restrictive than that... unless you aren't losing weight, then of course you need to tweak things. I think people run into issues with the bars because they start to use them as snacks rather than as meals, and they're pretty highly caloric.

If I can make a suggestion to you, have you tried Spagetti Squash? I love the stuff. But I also don't have a taste disorder. Well... if I do its that everything tastes good to me!

Also, you might want to check out the deep dish pizza quiche down in the recipe section. It might shake any boredom out of your tastebuds.

Foks, if you don't agree with our don't like someone's opinion/advice, they can't force you to follow it. As with any opinion or advice offered on this forum, everyone is free to accept it, ignore it, reject it or debate it to their heart's content within the boundaries of the forum rules.
So...how is it such a problem if some see the barrage of low carb products on the market (many of them containing unhealthy or disallowed ingredients) and using them during induction as a bad thing and advise against using them for the first 2 weeks? Is it because they are advising newbies to follow induction "by the book" or is it because they aren't saying what some people want to hear?
Going low carb is intended to be a lifestyle change. If you can't live without certain things and would not be able to low carb without them, do what you must. But...with the number of posts that I've seen from people who say, "I followed low carb to the letter and didn't lose weight/got sick/had my bloodwork get worse" when they were filling their menus with fake foods (as low carb as they may be), my advice would be to pick the products that you use with caution.
I recently read an exchange from Colleen Heimowitz from the Atkins center where she recommended that people limit their use of low carb products (even the Atkins legal ones) to no more than 1 or 2 a day and limit sugar alcohols to 20 grams a day or less (many low carb sweets contain more than that in 1 serving).



What products would you consider as not posing any nutritional risk?

In my opinion, it's not so much what you say as HOW it's said that would qualify one for "carbnazi" status.

When I started on this journey, I stuck to true induction for 4 weeks, I wanted this woe to be a sucess, I wanted to break my habits, I needed to break my habits, to make the changes I needed to succeed. I have learned that although things might be low carb treats, they still effect me in horrible ways.

This will probally get me beaten up by some people around here, but I think if you really want to claim that you are doing Induction then please do induction the way it was ment to be done, I personally think that if you follow true Induction for at least 2 weeks you will be farther ahead in developing the good eating habits that will help you throughout this woe.

If you can't go for 14 days without pop, coffee etc.... then maybe you really should follow induction as that might be an indication of a larger problem than just weight, if I remember correctly there is a chapter in DANDA dealing specifically with why you do Induction to break additions / food allergies.

The lo carb foods and junk foods have a place in this woe for many of us, I just think that they should be used sparingly and not develope into another type of bad eating habit which might de-rail you for the purpose of starting this woe.