I forgot to mention---this is a VERY handy tool.  Enter every food and
the amount---and it will tell you your cals, carbs, fats and proteins
(alcohol, too).  Lots of other cool fuunctions, too--

http://fitday.com

Lass

Speaking only for myself, of course --

The weight loss that occurs during the induction phase is generally
mostly water, and the more weight you have to lose in the first place,
the more you'll lose in that first two weeks.  Then, as you move into
OWL, your weight loss will, and should, slow down.  

But you're defeating the purposes of induction, and not getting the
results you expected, by "following something resembling Atkins".  

If you don't have the book (and I would recommend you get it if you
don't already have it), there are several sites that list the allowed
induction foods.  It sounds like you're trying to "play the game"
without "following the rules".  You can still play like that, of
course, but you'd be playing a different game.  :-)

I hope this doesn't come off as snarky, because I really don't intend
it to be.  I've just met too many people who say they "tried Atkins
and it didn't work", but a short conversation with them reveals they
never really tried it at all.  The first step is to follow the rules
for induction, and then *after* that add your other foods in calculted
amounts and ways to see how they affect you and your weight loss.

If it hasn't been mentioned already, you might want to check out
fitday.com (it's free).  You can keep track of what you're eating and
really evaluate where you are and what you're doing.  This will help
you measure everything and you might find that, aside from eating some
things that aren't on the induction list, that you're actually
consuming more food than you think you are.  For me, my portions have
been pretty much cut in half since I started using Fitday to keep
track of everything -- I found that I could get by with a lot less
food.  "Eyeballing" didn't work for me at all.  

Also, if you aren't weighing or measuring, you don't have any facts
there, either, to help you figure out what works and what doesn't.  

As far as your fatigue goes, Dr. Atkins mentions this specifically as
a side effect of induction and I can tell you that he didn't lie -- I
was basically in a chair for three days and barely able to move. LOL!
After that, though, my energy level has increased fabulously. I look
at induction as a kind of "body boot camp", which gets the job done
quickly.  If you're trying to "roll your own" induction scenario, it
won't work like that and that may be why you're feeling the way you
are instead of "getting over it" in just a few days?  

And finally, there are many other low-carb plans out there -- South
Beach, Protein Power, Sugar Busters, for example.  Atkins works for
me, and keeps my BGL's in line, which is my main goal, so I haven't
felt the need to "explore".  But if you find Atkins too restrictive,
you might want to check out some of the others and find a plan that
"feels right" for you.  

I know this is long, but I really hope it helps and I wish you the
best of luck.  :-)

July Goals:    BGL normal range; Not hungry, don't eat
Weight:        21 pounds gone (whoop!)
Measurements:  8 inches gone 06/19/2005
Cholesterol:   145
FBG:           <100 since 07/01/2005  A1c 6.8!