With all the new people here because of the new popularity of low-carb
eating and because of all the new year's resolutions, here are some
things that I have discovered on my 2-3 years eating low carb (Atkins)
and of my 6 months or so reading this NG.  I may, from time to time add
to this and repost it.  This list is in no particular order.

You can also get a lot of good info on the ASDL-C FAQ at
http://www.grossweb.com/asdlc/faq.htm and by reading this newsgroup.

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1. When on induction, if you go over a little bit, it isn't so bad.  If
you eat 21g or 25g of carbs, you will not have to re-start inductiion.
Just keep going and try to keep within the limit tomorrow.

2. On induction, you can not have too few carbs, just try to get
somewhere near 15-20g and most, if not all of those carbs should be
coming from salad and green vegetables.

3. Try not to eat out during induction, since there are many temptations
in restaurants.  If you must eat out, choose restaurants you know serve
steak, or seafood or something you can eat.  And, many restaurants will
be happy to replace your fries or rice with mixed vegetables (They may
charge you more, though)

4.  Don't talk about your WOE (way of eating) unless asked about it
directly.  Many people think low-carb diets (mainly Atkins) will kill
you instantly.  They believe it's a heart attack waiting too happen.
They will try to tell how much damage you are doing to yourself or how
you will gain it all back when you "go off" the diet. It's best to just
agree with the talker and then get away as fast as you can.  If they say
something that makes you worry, come here and post your worry.  We've
heard it all and can usually reassure you.

5. Try new things.  Vary your diet.  Read this NG and search for recipes
online or try to make your own foods that are low in carbs.

6. Ketostix do not really tell you if you are dropping pounds.  All they
tell you is that you are burning fat and expelling ketones in your
urine.  Is it body fat or is it dietary fat?  The ketostix can't tell
you.  Having said that, they are sometimes a good little pick me up.
Try to pee on a stick just once a day and at the same time every day.
When I was on induction and OWL I would always test about 1-2 hours
after supper.

7.  You can save money buy buying ketostix from the pharmacy (behind the
counter), and not from the special Atkins or low-carb section of the
store.  You can further save money buy cutting the ketostix in half
lenghtwise.

8.  Don't weigh yourself more than once a day and always do it at the
same time so you get an accurate picture of your weight.  I think most
people will weigh themselves first thing in the morning after their
morning pee.

9.  If you have a really big meal the night before, chances are you will
weigh more the next morning.  That's ok.  It's not a permanent gain.

10. Drink lots of non-caffeinated liquids.

11. Don't immediately cut out caffeine if you don't want to.  If after a
few days or weeks you find you are losing too slowly or not at all, then
try cutting out caffeinated beverages.  Same goes for aspartame.

12.  Don't kill yourself over eating a small piece of carrot, or
accidentally putting milk in your coffee instead of cream.  Just count
it toward your carb limit and fuggetaboudit.

13.  Calories count.   If you eat only 20g of carbs on a 7000 calorie
diet, you will gain weight.  One of the ways low-carb works is that you
eat more fat which fills you up more and keeps the hunger away for
longer, thereby avoiding mid-morning or mid-afternoon or late night
binges.  Do not cut your calories too much, though.  A rule of thumb is
~ 10 to 12 times your body weight.  So a 200 pound person should be
eating 2000 to 2400 calories a day.  Don't forget to adjust this
downwards as you lose fat.

14.  Eat only until you are satisfied.  Do not eat 2 steaks just because
they have no carbs.  Do not stuff yourself.  Eat until you are
pleasantly satisfied and then stop.  You can test yourself by stopping
and walking away from the table for a few minutes.  If you are still
hungry after 4 or 5 minutes then, by all means, sit back down and chow
down on steak number 2.  Listen to your stomach.

15.  Don't starve yourself. If you get hungry in the middle of the
afternoon, eat something.  Have a piece of cheese.  Some meat or
something.  Do not starve yourself.  Listen to your stomach.

16.  The only way to lose weight and keep it off is to change your
lifestyle.  Do not consider low-carb as a "diet," but rather a new way
of eating (WOE.)  Most people can not "diet" to lose 20 or 50 or 100
pounds and then keep it off by going back to the way they used to eat.
You must change the way you eat for the rest of your life.  Consider
low-carbing a way of life, not a "diet."

17.  You CAN lose weight, even a lot of weight, without doing any
exercise.  But, you will come to a point where things start to get
difficult and the only way to kickstart weight loss is by exercising.
There are many ways to exercise from just plain walking to joining a gym
(don't forget to GO to the gym after you join) or cycling etc.  You
don't have to exercise to lose weight, but you should.  It will help you
keep the weight off later and will make you even healthier.

18. Don't cheat if you don't have to.  But if it's a matter of going
back to old ways for good, or having a one night binge, choose the
binge.  Everytime I do this, though, I feel terrible the next day and
regret it and the next time I feel like I need to cheat, I remember the
last time.  I don't cheat all that often anymore.

19. Some people lose 20 pounds in the first two weeks.  Some people lose
2 pounds.  Don't worry if you're in the latter category.  Just keep
going.  Remember, this is not a "diet" you do for two weeks or two
months.  This is forever.  Generally, the more you have to lose overall,
the more you will lose in the first two weeks. If you think your're
doing something wrong, you can always post a detailed list of your
typical daily menu and activities to this newsgroup and we will help you
figure it out.

20.  Some people experience headaches during induction.  This is not
abnormal.

21.  Sugar-free, but sugar alcohol-sweetened chocolates (with maltitol
etc) and low carb breads and things like that should not be used on the
first two weeks of induction.  You can start adding them in later if you
like.

22.  Sugar alcohols can give you cramps or the runs.  Eat in moderation.

23.  When counting carbs, fibre does not count.  You can safely subtract
fibre from the number of carbs on a label, when the fibre is indented.
The result is called the NET CARBS.  So if the label says:

    Carbohydrates    20g
      fibre    15g
      sugar    5g

Then this product has 5g NET CARBS per serving (20-15)  But, if the
fibre is not indented, then often that means the manufacturer has
already done the subtracting for you... ie:

    Carbohydrates    5g
    Fibre        15g
    Sugar        5g

This food has 5g NET CARBS.

I think the indented way is the standard in Canada and the US, while the
non-indented way is normal for the UK.

24.  Some abbreviations used in this NG.
    WOE     = Way of eating
    WOL     = Way of Life
    DANDR    = Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (This had me confused for a while)
    ASDL-C    = alt.support.diet.low-carb
    SBD     = South Beach Diet
    LC    = Low carb

25.  If you NEEEEED chocolate (after induction,) you can try a 70% or
higher cocoa count bar and eat small amounts at a time.

26.  If you need something crunchy (anytime), try this:  Put about 2 oz
of cheddar cheese on a plate.  Microwave for about 3 minutes, until it
spreads out and starts turning brown.  Drain off grease.  Let cool and
break into pieces.  Very yummy, but count towards your carb limit.

27.  Here are some websites that you should know about:
    - Fitday allows you to enter the foods you eat and the exercise you've
done and tells you how much fat/protein/carbs/calories you've eaten and
how many calories you've burned.  www.fitday.com

    - USDA National Nutrient Database gives you the nutritional breakdown
for almost all known (and some unknown) foods:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

    - If you like cooking, my favorite recipe site is this one:
http://www.carb-lite.au.com/

    - The official Atkins website:  www.atkins.com