I’m starting the Atkins Diet today, so I’m on the very restrictive induction period. Since I’m allowed hardly any carbs during this period, I’d appreciate any advice on good meals with the meats and allowed fats, greens, etc… (Also, any long-term success stories on low carb diets around here for encouragement would be appreciated. 
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If you’ve got one of the various warehouse stores near you–Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.–it’s worth buying a membership so you can get big bags of meat for cheap. The George Foreman grill is essential as well. If you’ve got both of those, you can just toss some meat on the grill whenever you’re hungry.
I did this about a month ago. A friend’s suggestion to make a lot of taco salads (no beans or shell, of course) saved my life.
I just put together lettuce, ground beef, cheese, tomato, onion, and olives (sometimes even a little avocado) and topped it with sour cream and hot sauce. Not too bad…pretty good in fact.
On induction I mainly grilled because it was easier than trying to add up all the carbs in different ingredients, but a great site for recipes is this one. The recipes suitable for induction are marked with a star. Look on the links page for links to other low-carb recipe sites
Another site that helped me a lot:
http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/
The previous webiste, Linda Sue’s, is also great. I lot that she adds pictures, too.
I just did South Beach induction 2 weeks ago - ate a lot of omelettes, grilled a lot of meat.
George Foreman grill works.
Also, pounding chicken breasts (if they can come de-skinned and de-boned, why can’t they come pre-pounded?) was a main activity for me
I got this one on the board, from norinew.
Take some pepperonis, and wrap them in a single layer of paper towels. Microwave them maybe a minute or so, depending on your microwave. They make a nice crunchy snack.
I had lots of Spinach Salads when I was on strict Atkins. Add a chopped hard-cooked egg, some shredded cheese, a couple of cherry tomatoes and dressing of your choice. You can add some tuna or chopped chicken, too.
After Induction you can add some sunflower seeds.
I had 2-egg omlettes nearly every morning. Add some cheese and chopped bacon or sausage, and it’s VERY filling. After a while, I cut it back to one egg, and was still satisfied.
I bought some frozen turkey burgers, cooked them on the George Foreman grill (no bun, of course), and had them with honey-mustard dressing. They were very good, too.
I have done quite well with being on a low-carb diet–I have lost appx. 40 pounds so far. I think, when done properly, Atkins is a very healthy way to diet. Even though I’m taking a break from actively losing weight (too many other things on my plate right now), I still generally eat low-carb, which keeps me from gaining anything back.
Some of my favorite things to have during induction:
I keep hard-boiled eggs, several different kinds of cheese, celery, radishes, and cucumbers in my fridge for snacks.
Different kinds of lettuce for salads, like spinach, baby romaine, mescelun mix, etc. So much more interesting than plain old iceberg lettuce.
I loved making a chicken, shrimp or tuna salad, with chopped celery and scallions, and stuffing half an avocado with that for lunch.
Chicken Pillard with Lemon Caper Butter Sauce: Pound a boneless, skinless chicken breast to about 3/8" thick. Salt & pepper, then cook in a hot skillet with a bit of oil. The chicken will cook quickly, just a few minutes on each side. Remove from pan, and pour in a few tablespoons of white wine, simmer for a minute or two, add in the juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of capers, and then whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter to emulsify. Pour sauce onto chicken.
Cauliflower Gratin: Chop 1 head of cauliflower into florets, and drop into a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes, then drain and rinse in cool water. In a large bowl, toss with about 1/2 cup of sour cream, salt & pepper, and a tablespoon each of chopped fresh thyme and chives. Put into casserole dish, top with several ounces of grated cheese (I like using a sharp cheddar, but whatever you like is fine), and bake at 350 until cauliflower is tender and starting to brown, and cheese is melted.
I love making chicken fajitas or a stirfry with vegetables that are on the accepted list (some broccoli, bell pepper, mushrooms).
My question to you is what high-protein/high-fat foods do you like? If you haven’t had yourself a lobster tail with butter in a long time, induction is defintely the time to have that–same goes with a big steak, or whatever.
The first week of induction is the toughest. The cravings are the worst, and the first few days you’ll feel like hell when your body starts using up the last of its glycogen stores. Those are the days when if you are hungry at all, eat something. Have a hard-boiled egg, or a piece of cheese, or a slice of turkey. That will definitely help you get through this. Ketosis is a natural appetite suppresant (you will be hungry when your body needs to eat), and you’ll notice that your energy levels will increase. And don’t forget to drink your full 64 ounces of water.