Meat Only

A few years ago, I did a 3 day meat only period. It was fairly easy to do, but took will power and planning. Now, with Baby M being (the best) part of our lives, both planning and will power have taken a back burner. All planning is now in regards to her. That's not a cop out, though, because it always bothered me to hear people say that once they had kids, they had not choice but to "let themselves go." Instead, I am simply explaining why I didn't choose to do this at the beginning of induction this time around. I am wondering, however, if I had done this, would I have seen better results? Something to think about after Easter when I have consumed a little too much chocolate...

How to Begin the Low-Carb Lifestyle

Embarking on the two week induction for the low-carb lifestyle can seem a bit overwhelming. The key is to plan ahead. During this two weeks, you want to stay under 20 carbs per day, which can be difficult. You want to avoid nuts during this phase, although it is okay to add them in later. Cheese is great for all phases of the low-carb lifestyle, but you have to keep in mind that cheese has some carbs in it. Any meat is great during this two week period. I also love to keep boiled eggs handy. I can just peel and eat them, or turn them into deviled eggs. Vegetables are a necessity, but some are better than others. It's important to drink as much water as you can during this time period, and always remember to avoid alcohol during this two week period. For a really helpful set of guidelines, go to the Atkins website. I printed it out so I could keep it on me for this two weeks.

A Few Tips on Induction

There are a few tips that you should remember when you are in the induction phase of low-carb eating. Some people don't think about these things, and they definitely affect your success. Induction can last anywhere from three days to two weeks. I feel like after three days, I can start to be a little less strict, and consider my induction to be over. There are some who feel induction should last for two weeks, but if I am too strict like that for too long, I always worry that I am going to give up in a hurry. The following tips can help you to not only survive induction, but to get the best possible result from it.

Tip # 1:
Only eat when you are hungry, and only eat enough to make you not hungry anymore. Don't over eat when you are in the induction phase. Your carbs should be limited to 20 per day, and you should not just eat all day long because the food is there.

Tip # 2:
Try to drink lots of water, and steer clear of caffeine. Water is always the best thing to drink when you are trying to get healthy, and you should drink large amounts of it. It's fine to drink carbonated drinks, but they should be free of caffeine when you are in the induction phase.

Tip # 3:
Do not consume alcohol during induction. Alcohol can have an affect on many of the factors that are involved in low-carb dieting. There are low-carb alcohols out there that are fine to drink in moderation while you are living a low-carb lifestyle, but they are not acceptable to have during the induction phase.

Hopefully these tips can help you to have a great induction phase for you new way of eating. It is an important part of low-carb life, and should not be done lightly. Jimmy Moore has done a few videos explaining the dos and don'ts of low-carb. They can be found here. Good luck.

Beginning the Low-Carb Lifestyle

In response to the question posted by Angie from Thrifty Florida Mama, I would love to post a step by step, how-to on the low-carb lifestyle. It can be quite confusing if you haven't read any of Dr. Atkins' books. Most people think I just eat meat all day long, kind of like a lion. Contrary to popular belief, there are more foods on the low-carb lifestyle than meat, cheese, and water. That being said, those three are my favorites. Tomorrow's post will be a tutorial on how to get started, what to do after induction, when it's okay to stray from low-carb, and what to do when you have reached your goals for getting healthy. I will also give some suggestions for books to buy, snacks to always have on hand, and any other advice I can think of between now and tomorrow's post. So....Until tomorrow, enjoy your sugars and pastas, because soon, you'll be with me, Loving the Low-Carb Lifestyle.

Induction?

I recently came across some information about induction. Induction, for those who do not know, is the phase of your new healthy eating lifestyle where you stay as strict as possible. For some people, the induction phase lasts 3 days. For others, they go for 10 days. There are also people whose induction phase lasts for two full weeks.

The decision on whether or not you choose an induction phase is ultimately up to you. There are pros and cons to opting for an induction phase. To me, the pros far outweigh the cons. The idea of detoxing my body from all of the carbs that have built up, and the possibility of losing 5 or more pounds is the motivation that I need to go low-carb in a strict way.

If you can't decide what you want to do, I recommend reading Jim Stone's article about the induction phase. He gives some great insight, as well as opinions from others.