Hello everyone!

[Rogerocket]

Today is my first low carb day having read a fair amount on the benefits of a low carb diet. I have some friends who have been very successful at this and it has encouraged me to have a go as well. I am not particularly overweight but have been told by my Dr that if I lose weight then my elevated blood pressure will come down as well and hopefully a reduction in my cholesterol levels. So here goes. I'm starting off gently by not eating bread, potatoes, pasta, rice and don't eat junk food anyway.
This site is one of the most informative that I have come across in my searches.

[bluesinger]

Welcome.
I'm a veteran of LCHF ketogenic way of eating, and I can tell you that "starting gently" does NOT lead to ketosis. Ketosis is a chemical reaction. Eating carbs doesn't result in ketosis. That's why the first two weeks of Atkins requires fewer than 20 carbs per day.
http://www.drperlmutter.com/keep-ketosis/
Good luck with your WOE.

[Little Me]

Yep, you've got to jump in with both feet. All the way in. But you will feel amazing, so go for it!

[MickiSue]

Welcome. And agreed, jump in.

Losing the weight won't help as much as losing the carbs; your pressures should drop even before the weight does.

Remember, too, to drink plenty of water daily.

[Rogerocket]

And thanks for the encouragement. As I have only just started on this I will soon jump in with both feet but to be honest there are a few things in the freezer to eat first, mostly my home made 100% rye bread. Everything else has been discarded. Once that's gone ketosis here I come.

[Merpig]

Welcome.
I'm a veteran of LCHF ketogenic way of eating, and I can tell you that "starting gently" does NOT lead to ketosis. Ketosis.As with most things I think this is also a YMMV issue. I'm one who never did Atkins induction because I hated it. Starting "gently" was the only thing that made a LCHF diet bearable for me. It's like getting into cold water in a pool ~ some folks like to just dive right in and some like to ease into the water gradually. Eventually they are both in the pool swimming.

I like that the "New Atkins for thr New You" says you don't have to do induction but can start at a later stage if you prefer, which would be me. Everyone says Induction is "only two weeks" but it would have been two weeks in hell and I just could not do it. I started with the Protein Power plan as I found their initial phase doable, unlike Atkins.

Since you have so little to lose I feel you might be better off starting a little higher up the carb ladder and making it a way of life right from the start. You may lose more slowly but it may be more sustainable. With such a small amount to lose you would probably lose slowly anyway.

Strictly IMHO of course and clearly others disagree! But I've been doing this for almost 10 years now, stalled for years and years, even slowly gaining again despite keeping carbs low, but since early July I have lost 22 pounds by incorporating IF into my plan ~ with 24-hour fasts about 3 days a week, and incorporating more carbs (mostly starches) on the eating days.