Before starting this way of eating, you really should read "Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution" (DANDR) at *least* once, carefully. Doing so will ensure that you reach your weight loss goals without jeopardizing your health.

I realize that sometimes you may not have a copy of DANDR handy, you may have trouble obtaining a copy, or you'd like some preliminary info to help you decide if this seems feasible for you. So, here's an overview. There's much more detailed information on the other pages of this site.

If you need a copy of "Dr Atkins' New Diet Revolution", you can find it at the library for free, for $6-8 at drugstores, department stores, large supermarkets, and online at:

ebay outlet

amazon books

Here's a link to a brief overview from the Atkins Center of the four stages of the Atkins plan, beginning with the initial two-week induction stage up through the lifetime maintenance stage where you will stay once you've reached your goal weight.

Four Stages of Atkins

INDUCTION

The first stage of the Atkins plan is called induction, a two week period of fairly restrictive eating whose purpose is to induce ketosis and flush all carbohydrate 'toxins' from your body. The rules, including foods allowed, are outlined on a separate page:

INDUCTION

COUNTING CARBOHYDRATES

Except for unprocessed meat, fish, fowl and fats, all foods have some carbohydrates; some have more than others. As long as you are a low-carber, you need to keep track of & limit the number of carbohydrate grams you eat every day. That is why a really good (accurate and comprehensive) carbohydrate counter is a wise investment. The most comprehensive is The Complete Book of Food Counts by Corrine Netzer. See the Links page for online carb count resources.

Fitday, which helps you analyze both your exercise and meal plan in detail is an awesome site, deserving special mention. I strongly recommend you use this tool, it's invaluable:

Fitday site

Although Dr Atkins gives the impression in DANDR that you can eat as much as you want of "free" foods (such as eggs & cheese) that it not true. Most cheese is 1carb/oz, a large egg is .61carb; 6oz of brewed coffee is .7carb! Such foods are ALLOWED not FREE. Count EVERY carb you eat or drink.

Also, beware of any food nutrition label where the number of carbohydrates is listed as 0 or <1. Labels can be deceiving. For one thing, the nutrition label counts are for the specified serving size, which often is very small. And anything under half a gram can be discounted, considered zero. See the links page for additional info on labeling laws and their ramifications to consumers.

One major consideration when counting carbohydrates is fiber. Since fiber effectively is not absorbed by the body, but just 'passes' through, dietary fiber grams in a food may be deducted from the carbohydrate grams to determine the "effective carbohydrates". All of the leading low carb 'gurus' (Dr.s Michael & Mary Eades, Lyle McDonald, Diana Schwarzbein, Dr Richard Bernstein) have long supported this approach. Although until quite recently he supported the deduction of insoluble fiber only, Dr Atkins in his latest edition of DANDR notes that all fiber may be now be deducted. As an example: 1/2 cup of fresh, boiled & drained spinach has 3.4 carbs & 2.2g fiber; there are therefore 1.2 effective carbohydrate grams.
Some people choose to deduct fiber, some do not. Whicever approach you decide to take, be consistent. Otherwise, you will not know exactly what you are doing, will not be able to track your progress and results accurately.

Read labels carefully. Avoid any products which have sugar listed as an ingredient. Also avoid those with molasses, corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, sucrose --- all are sugar by other names. If none of the sugar names are listed in the ingredients, then the number of grams listed under "Sugars" on the nutrition label refers to naturally-occuring sugar. As long as it is no more than 2g per serving, it should be all right to use sparingly.

Choose your carbohydrates wisely. "Spend" your daily carbohydrate allowance on healthy vegetables. They provide needed nutrients and fiber, which is essential to your good health.

KETOSIS

The objective of the Atkins diet is to maintain low blood glucose (sugar) & insulin levels by limiting carbohydrate consumption. The body converts carbohydrates into glucose, its primary source of fuel / energy. Once it runs out of glucose, it burns stored fat for fuel. The burning of stored fat is called ketosis. Ketosis is the primary goal of a diet low in carbohydrates. The Atkins diet, and other low carbohydrate plans are therefore called "ketogenic" diets.

The only true way to determine if you are in a state of ketosis is to do a blood test. However, there are other, less scientific indicators available to the low-carb dieter:
- disgustingly bad breath, metallic taste in your mouth, body odor, smelly feet, strong smelling urine. You Stinker! You are a Keto-Kid!! To combat dragon breath, drink lots of water, use Smints or Certs Powerful Mints, chlorophyll tablets, chew parsley.
- thermogenic / furnace effect; sort of like a unisex hot-flash.
- ketostix: Available at most drugstores (you usually have to ask at the Prescriptions counter for them) and even Wal-mart, the most readily available brand is Bayer's "Ketostix". They are also available online from a number of sites. See the Links page.

Important Info About KETOSTIX:
- They measure the fat bodies in your urine. Those fat bodies can be from burned fat cells or ingested dietary fat. Therefore, the ketostix are imperfect indicators of ketosis, but more available than blood tests.
- Any color other than beige (negative) is fine. Darker is not better, does not mean you will lose faster than someone who just shows trace.
- The best time to test is a few hours after your evening meal. The readings will fluctuate wildly during the course of a day. Do yourself a favor and only test once a day *at most*. Many veteran Atkids never test, some have never used the ketostix or only early on, until they discovered their personal ketosis indicators. Please don't get hung up on the stix; save your sanity!
- Ketostix have a shelf life of 6 months. If you have old ones, they might not be reliable at all. Once opened, especially when exposed to heat, humidity and light, they are good for aobut a month, max.
- The climate can render your stix unreliable; they are adversely affected by heat and humidity (and you probably keep them in the bathroom, huh?!).
- Some people have better luck dipping rather than holding the strip in the urine stream. There's at least anecdotal proof that the force of the urine stream can wash away the reagent on the strip, making the reading inaccurate.
- Some people *never* register on the strips and still lose like gang-busters!
- Many women drop out of ketosis during their monthly cycle; it is quite common and has nothing to do with your adnherance to the Atkins plan; it's purely hormonal.

Advice from a Ketostix

You love me, you think I'm GRAND!
You take me out with eager hand,
Hold me under as you pee,
And purple makes you shout with glee!

I have a dirty secret, though
Something you really need to know!
I'm rather fickle, rather faulty.
It makes me feel oh so naughty!

So when you let your urine stream
And my pale color makes you scream.
Remember I'm not always right
Before you decide to take fright.

Trust your instincts and your diet
Don't let light beige make you riot,
Rant and rave, turn into a mad stix slave.
Just eat right. "Oh, BEHAVE!"!

WATER, WATER, WATER!!!

Drink a minimum of 64oz (1/2 gal) of water a day. Most of the experts urge you to drink an additional 8oz for every 25lbs you need to lose. Some suggest you drink one half your body weight in oz of water (i.e., if you weigh 200lbs, drink 100oz)
It may be hard at first, but you'll find it gets easier and easier to do. And even if you find it difficult, do it anyway! Your continuing good health depends on it! Also, it promotes weight loss ;-) How's that for an incentive?!

Only pure, unadulterated water counts toward your daily water intake total.
- For every oz of caffeine you drink, you must drink an extra ounce of water, because caffeine is a diuretic and dehydrates you.
- Beverages with artificial sweeteners do not count toward your water total since the artificial sweeteners are chemicals, and your body has to use water to metabolize/excrete them.
- Some people find it easier to drink cold water. Some prefer it hot. Some put a twist of lemon or lime peel or flavoring oil in it. Some invest in water filters to improve the taste of their tap water at home, or have bottled water delivered every week.
- Unsweetened seltzer water, which comes in flavors like lemon-lime, raspberry, orange & berry does count toward your water total. However, it must be unsweetened & sodium free. The ingredients should read "Carbonated water, [flavor] essence."
- Also, diluted herb teas can count toward 1/2 of the water if they are caffeine-free & unsweetened.

SUPPLEMENTS

There's good reason Dr Atkins spends considerable time discussing supplements in DANDR: they are instrumental to your good health and a good loss rate. Exactly what you decide to take depends on your particular personal health needs and your attitudes / beliefs about what's important. At the very least, you should take the following:

- a good multivitamin/mineral supplement. Good brands: TwinLab, NOW, GNC Megas for Men / Women, Vitamin World Megas for Men / Women. The vitamins sold in drug stores or supermarkets usually have binders in them that can cause nausea and other problems; many have starches or sugars. You're better off buying from a health food store or reputable online sites like www.juicers.net & www.netrition.com, which have good prices, good brands & a wide selection.
- a potassium supplement. Although you can use pills, it is cheaper and more convenient to use Lite Salt, No-Salt or Nu-Salt. Also, these are most easily assimilated by the body.
- Vitamin C, especially for women, who have a tendency to be deficient in it.
- For women: calcium/magnesium tablets.
- Essential oils, like Flax Seed oil. Very good for your heart, liver, endocrine system, just about everything.
And highly recommended, if your multi doesn't have them:
- Antioxidants, like Vitamin E and C.
- Beta Carotene.
Have on hand: L-Glutamine, to take when you have sweets cravings.

There are many other optional supplements which might be useful to you, personally, depending on your needs and any particular health problems. Many of these additional supplements are discussed in DANDR. And Dr. Atkins' "VitaNutrient Solutions" discusses a huge array of supplements at length; some supposedly aid weight loss, help lower cholesterol or blood pressure, help with liver support, etc.

The range of opinions and recommendations on which supplements to take is extremely broad and precludes extensive discussion here. Research this subject extensively to determine what is best for you.

"WITHDRAWAL" SIDE EFFECTS

During induction, you change the fuel your body uses. For most, it's a massive change, and may take its toll. You may experience some side effects for the first week and even into the second week. Some common ones are: headache, nausea, mild stomach cramps, fatigue. These lessen as your body adjusts to the new way of eating, and the carb toxins are cleansed from your body. Many of these symptoms are due as much to withdrawal from caffeine as from sugar.
Get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, take your pain reliever of choice if you get a headache, and hang in there! It gets better. Honest!

One other side effect of a diet high in protein, especially meats, is constipation. This can be an ongoing or periodic problem. However, it is readily remedied. Some tried and true solutions:
- drink LOTS of water
- exercise regularly; walking after meals is especially effective
- eat leafy green vegetables; spinach, kale, collard greens
- eat ground flax seeds regularly. You've probably never heard of these before, but they are quite amazingly beneficial to you. They are a source of excellent fiber as well as Omega 3 fatty acids (more than in salmon), which means they can help lower your cholesterol. At my recipe site, you can find recipes for flax seed cereal and flax seed muffins. And the beneficial properties of flax seeds are explained at length at the Heintzman Farms website (see Links page).

- there's an herbal tea by Traditional Medicinals called "Smooth Move", which works for some people. Careful with it, though; it affects some people fairly violently!
- Psyllium husks, either in bulk, softened in some water, or in pill form.
- If the natural solutions don't work for you, try Sugar Free Metamucil or Milk of Magnesia.

For those who experience the opposite problem, diarrhea, both lots of water and lots of fiber will work wonders in clearing that up. It is ironic that the best solutions for both constipation and diarrhea are the same.

TIME OF MONTH (TOM)

For the first 3-4 months, you may find your menstrual cycle is disrupted. This commonly happens any time you drastically change your way of eating (or when you're under a lot of stress or in physical pain or move to a different climate, etc). You may have twice as many periods, or skip one or two; they may be shorter or longer; you may resume menstruating even if you're post-menopausal. No need to panic. As the Atkins Center notes, this is perfectly normal.

However, if you skip your period and it's possible you could be pregnant, it would be prudent to find out if you are. Hey, it happens! This way of eating is fine during pregnancy as long as you are not in ketosis, so you need to know as early as possible when you become pregnant in order to switch to a suitable level of carbs. Many Atkids also opt for Sugar Busters during pregnancy.

Another thing about TOM: you will very likely gain weight temporarily either before or during TOM, sometimes several pounds due to fluid retention.
It also can cause a negative reading on ketostix. Again, no need to panic. It will go away, and many women have a "whoosh" (sudden, seemingly overnight, weight loss of a few pounds) afterwards.

KEEPING SCORE

There are many ways of determining whether you are "succeeding" on the Atkins plan, and not all of them revolve around the reading on the scale. But, as long as we're on the subject of the (Evil!!) scale:
- Weigh once a week, same day, same time of day, stark naked (I even take off my jewelry), after you've gone to the bathroom.
- Keep your scale in the same place, on hard flooring rather than carpeting of any sort, away from humidity (i.e., not in the bathroom); make sure the floor is level and you do NOT move the scale --- otherwise you will change the calibration.
- Resist the temptation to weigh every day, and PLEASE do not weigh every hour/minute/nanosecond ;-) You will just drive yourself crazy, LOL.
- Remember that your weight will fluctuate from hour to hour and day to day. Also, climate and inadvertant jostling will affect scale readings.
- Also remember that you will lose weight in "waves", not necessarily a steady, downward slide. You may lose nothing for a week or more, but that doesn't mean you aren't reaching your goal. Your body has to "pause" periodically to adjust to the weight you have already lost. And often your body will kind of get stuck at a familiar weight, a level you were at for quite a while (referred to as a "set point"). That's quite common, to be expected. Don't panic!
- It is especially common to not lose for 1-3 weeks after the end of induction. Your body has just been through a major shock: you changed the fuel you're feeding it! Quel surprize! It needs to adjust to that, kick out of the old ways, get with the new ways.
See the Links page for a great article on "Why the scale lies".

There are better ways of measuring your success than by the number of pounds the scale claims you've lost. The low carb lifestyle will help you achieve weight loss; but, more importantly, it will help you achieve better health and physical well-being.

Here are some things to consider after you've been out of induction for a couple of weeks:
- Do you feel better? Physically? Emotionally?
- Do you feel more in control?
- Do you have more energy?
- Are you mentally alert? (No carbo fog!)
- Do your clothes fit better? Are they looser?
- Has that annoying acne cleared up? Is your skin softer? Are you actually glowing?
- Are you getting compliments from people on how good you look, how much you've obviously lost, etc?
- Is your blood pressure / cholesterol readings / blood glucose lower?
- Can you walk up the stairs without huffing & puffing?
- Can you see your toes when you look down at the floor? ;-)

Before you start, take body measurements! This is tremendously important, a much better way of keeping score than the number of pounds you lose. Measure all the places you would like to be smaller. Every week when you weigh, take your measurements again. You will be amazed at how many inches you lose. Even when you don't lose any pounds, chances are you will still lose inches. Which means you are succeeding! Low carb eating, because it eats up your stored fat, actually makes you shrink in size much faster than conventional, low-fat diets.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!

Let's face it: most of us love good food!
Happily, low carb eating not only prevents you from being hungry because of the fats you ingest, it also provides luxurious eating opportunites which will actually (incredibly =-)) further your weight loss. Shrimp Scampi, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, Steak Au Poivre with butter and cognac, lobster dipped in melted butter, broccoli cheese soup, bacon & eggs.

During induction, you are somewhat constrained by the limited number of carbs you can consume. However, imagination and a wide offering of excellent low carb recipes on the web and in print make the low carb lifestyle not just livable, but very enjoyable.
Here's a link to my low carb recipe site. You'll find lots of low carb recipes, low carb cooking tips and links to other low carb recipe websites --- all of which will give you enough low carb options to last a very long time.

BostonKitty's RECIPE File

A LITTLE ADVICE

In addition to all the above ;-)

BE PREPARED: have plenty of legal food readily available for when you get hungry. Keep 'legal' snacks in your car, your desk at work, at home, your purse. When you're invited to a party, offer to bring an appetizer or dessert; bring a low carb dish you can eat plenty of in case nothing else there is low-carb 'legal':"Fail to plan, plan to fail!"

WRITE IT DOWN: Keep a daily 'carb diary'; write down every single carb you ingest. You'd be surprised how easily you can over-do if you try to keep a running tally in your head! Keep track of what exercise you do, how much water you drink, what supplements you take, any symptoms you experience that are out of the ordinary for you. You can look at trends over time and find out exactly what works for you, what doesn't, and adjust your routine and diet accordingly. This way of eating works differently for different people; we each need to work out what works best for us. I highly recommend the Fitday site mentioned above. You can use it to track everything you ingest, your exercise, even your feelings in your own personal, private online journal. Fitday breaks down your food intake into percentages as well as raw numbers. It will enable you to look at what's going on day by day and over time. Knowledge is power!

MAINTAIN PERSPECTIVE: Remember that you didn't gain all your excess weight in a week, and you won't lose it in a week. It takes time. In fact, all doctors and nutritionists will tell you the same thing, regardless of which weight loss program they support / recommend: the best weight loss rate is 1-2lbs/wk for women, 1-4lbs/wk for men.

Take the long view, and enjoy the journey to better health and fitness. Many benefits accrue from a low carb lifestyle; weight loss is only one. Some of the other benefits: lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, better quality sleep, no acid reflux, no depression/mood swings, skin problems clear up, tumors (benign) shrink or disappear, increased mental acuity, and, unsurprisingly, higher self-esteem =-)

LEARNING MORE: Life is a learning process, and so is the low carb way of life. For an even better understanding of the biochemical basis for the low carb approach, read any or all of the following (better written & clearer than DANDR, in my opinion):
"Protein Power", Dr.s Michael and Mary Eades
"The Ketogenic Diet", Lyle McDonald
"The Schwarzbein Principle", Dr Diana Schwarzbein
"Diabetes Solution", Dr. Richard Bernstein

And for day-to-day information and support, visit the Atkins Diet bulletin board:

Atkins Diet bulletin board