[kasandrasikl]

One of the great things about atkins is that it doesn't limit your intake so much, you can eat until you're full (i.e., not STUFFED, but no longer hungry). That Cambridge diet (based only on what I just read) sounds like something that isn't easily sustainable as a life long plan, and no matter what diet you do, if you go off it and back to your old ways, you will gain it all back. I personally LOVE the fact that I see Atkins as a life long diet that I am happy with. I'm never really hungry, and there really is a lot to be said about breaking a carbohydrate addiction and then not craving high carb foods anymore. Personally, I now crave high fat foods (which is OK on Atkins). I recently did a refeed (didn't work and I gained about 5lbs, so i don't recommend it) which is where you spend a day eating tons of carbs and low fat to try to break a plateau... The whole day I was craving a cheese burger without the bun! LOL

4 lbs per week is not uncommon, but it may be a bit of a high expectation to do it consistently. you need a life long plan, and even 2 lbs a week will net you 100lbs lost in a year (which if you do this as a lifestyle change, a year won't be an issue). You also must remember that the first few weeks will resemble a higher weight loss speed due to water weight. You have seen that on the other diet, so when you switch to Atkins, you should not be surprised to see that you don't lose quite as quickly. Its not that the diet is worse, its just that you already lost that water weight. If you started with Atkins, you would have seen similar rapid loss in the beginning as well.

As far as starting with induction.. I would say it is recommended, but not absolutely necessary for you. You could probably go right to OWL and not have any issues in continuing losing weight. If you don't mind doing it, go for it. If you are considering not doing the diet just because Induction will suck, then skip it. That's my theory anyway.