Alcohol is not allowed during induction, and should be consumed in moderation after, per Dr Atkins.

Liquor will impede your weight loss. Alcohol is the first thing your body will burn for fuel, then the glucose from the carbs you've ingested. Only after using up those two resources, will your body turn to stored fat for fuel. It's *extremely* unlikely that will happen.

So, it defers weight loss at the very least; and, depending on your CCL & carbohydrate intake, could actually cause you to gain weight over time. How much you drink & how often depends on how badly & how quickly you want to lose weight.

Since alcohol dehydrates you, you might experience a temporary water weight loss the day after; it is illusory and won't last. Also, to counteract that dehydration, you must increase your water intake substantially after consuming alcohol --- by at least 8oz per alcohol drink, preferably more.

Another thing to keep in mind is that alcohol will affect you much more intensely than it used to. So, be careful! You don't want to spend any part of your evening worshipping the porcelain god!

If, knowing all this, you still choose to consume alcohol:

- Your best bet is to drink hard liquor: whiskey, vodka, gin, scotch, tequila and other distilled spirits have NO carbohydrates.
- Make sure any mixers you use are carbohydrate-free. Use diet tonic, seltzer, etc. Some people use Crystal Lite as a mixer too.

- Except for Extra Brut, all champagne has carbohydrates; the number varies, based on how dry it is; the 'sugar' scale works it's way up as follows:
.... Extra Brut Champagne
.... Brut (dry)
.... Extra Dry (some sweetness)
.... Sec (slightly sweet)
.... Demi-Sec (sweet)
.... Sec (VERY sweet)
The most popular champagne is Extra dry, which has probably about 1.2 carb per ounce, or 5 per 4 oz. glass... Not to mention Italian Spumante and German Sekts. American Sparklers are usually made along the same guideline.

- Dry wine is fairly low in carbs. Red wine is 1.2carbs/oz; white wine is 2carbs/oz. Avoid all sweet wines, however. The sweeter the wine, the higher the carbs. Actual counts will vary by type and brand.

- As for beer, there are some "lite" beers that are fairly low in carbs. However, the carb range on beer is wide, so always check before chugging!
.... 12 oz regular beer = 10 - 13 carbs
.... 12 oz light beer = 2 - 8 carbs; the lowest are: Pearl Light & Pabst Extra Light @ 1.75carbs/12 oz; Miller Lite @ 3.2carbs/12 oz., and Milwaukee's Best Light beer @ 3.5carbs/12 oz.
.... 12 oz ales & dark beers = 14 - 22 carbs
Here's a carb chart for alcoholic beverages:
http://www.ncenter.com/carbcharts/beverages_chart.html


SUGGESTIONS & RECIPES
(NOTE: always use sugar free mixers)

Cuba Libre - rum & CF Diet Cola
Derby - bourbon & CF Diet Cola
Frisky One - vodka & Fresca (or Sprite or 7-Up)
Cosmopolitan - vodka & Crystal Lite raspberry ice flavor
Cape Cod - vodka & Crystal Lite cranberry breeze flavor
Margarita - tequila & Crystal Lite limeade (or lemonade) w/ ice, in a blender
Daiquiri - Rum, Crystal Light (Any Flavor), Water, and Ice; try raspberry ice + lemonade for a sweet & sour taste
Frozen Lemon - vodka & Crystal Lite lemonade w/ ice, in a blender
Sex on the Beach - vodka & Crystal Lite fruit punch
Screwdriver - vodka & Tang (or Crystal Lite orange)
Gin & Tonic - just make sure you use diet tonic

ALICIA'S LOW CARB SANGRIA
1 bottle (750ml) dry red wine
1 cup Tang, already mixed (or Crystal Lite orange/pineapple)
1 cup SF lemonade
1/4 cup Splenda (or equivalent amount of other AS)
Mix together, add ice & garnish with lemon and orange slices if desired.

MUDSLIDE
Vodka
Heavy cream
Artificial sweetener
Davinci flavored syrups: chocolate, coffee, dash of vanilla (Note that extracts can be used, but not quite the same flavor)
Ice
Blend & enjoy!

LOW CARB KHALUA
(makes 750ml)
2 cups 80 proof vodka
2 cups water
1 & 1/2 Tbl vanilla extract
1 & 1/2 Tbl instant coffee
8-10 packages of Equal or other AS
(Variations: use instant espresso, add a twist of orange rind, add some cocoa for mocha flavor...)
Combine ingredients except sweetener in saucepan, cover & heat until all is dissolved.
Remove from heat and leave covered --- so alcohol does NOT burn off!
While still somewhat warm, add the sweetener.

JELLO SHOOTERS
With sugar free jello mix, make it as directed except instead of 4 cups water, use 2 cups vodka and 2 cups water, or 1 cup vodka and 3 cups water-depending on how strong you want your jello shots. Pour in dixie cups and chill.


Also, Davinci has a kahlua-flavored syrup.
And you can get low carb margarita and daiquiri mixes at www.bajabob.com or most of the large low carb online 'shops'.

As for drink recipes, there are many fine online sites. Just substitute lowcarb alternatives for high carb items.
Here's a site with a zillion drink recipes:

Drink Recipes