don't know whether to move on to OWL

[drmon]

I've read all of the posts about how it's my own decision whether to stay in induction or move to OWL, but I still don't know what to do. Tomorrow is supposed to be my last official induction day, but I've only lost 5.5 lbs. I still want to lose about another 38lbs. Would I lose it faster in induction or does it really matter? Also, I know I don't want to stay on induction alot longer anyway, so if I do stay on it a little longer, how long should it be? I know that it differs from person to person, but any advice from someone out there in the same situation as me would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[Moochiecat]

There's a good sticky about that in this very forum geared for folks like you who aren't sure what your next step is.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=5780 (DAY 15: Should I stay or should I go (to OWL)?)

[Tiggerdagibit]

You probably will lose faster on induction, but faster isn't always better. You want to add the OWL foods into your diet so that by the time you get to goal, you'll know how and what to eat to maintain. I see nothing wrong with staying on induction longer, I have, but just keep that in mind. If you want, try staying another week and then rethinking it, and read that post that Moochie posted. You can always reassess where you are each week and go from there.

[2big4mysize]

reread chaopter 13 of your DANDR answer those questions and you will know if you want to move or not.

there is no guarentee you will loss slower in OWL we have a poster who lost more in her first month of OWL then she did in a month of induction. I hopwe she posts in here for you.

Think of it as building your house of Atkins WOE. induction is the foundation and you want it good and sound OWL is the framing and you select the timbers from the OWL food groups and individual foods checking to be sure they aren't faulty for your construction in any way. Premaintnenacew is the roofing with those big trusses. Maintenance is moivng in and putting the finishing touches on your house.

You don't want to spend so much time working on the foundation that you got no walls to hold up the roof and it all comes crashing back down when you get to goal. Dr Atkions said the folk who do all 4 phases of his program are the most liekly to stay goalies for life.

[Tiggerdagibit]

Great analogy 2big. I love it!

[Tommy]

Some different points of view to consider above and all are helpful and good advice to consider.

My opinion is to be your own judge on your progress and your goals. Are you currently progressing towards your goals? Moving to OWL is a way of adding things back in to your diet and comparing them to see if your dieting still progress's towards your goals.

Take it slow and add foods as suggested to the rungs and see how it effects your weight loss.

The whole stucture is to be able to experiment and find your own limitations of what and how much you can eat and continue to progress towards your goals.

[not2late]

Just to add to what 2Big and the others have said. One former ADBB administrator lost 0 pounds during Induction but lost big during OWL.

It really depends person to person on the rate of loss.

You can read through the OWL forum and you'll find posts from folks who stayed on Induction, hit a plateau and only began losing again after moving to OWL.

Just remember, OWL and Pre-Maintenance are the phases where you learn to "eat in the real world". So don't skip them in your haste to lose weight "fast".

[drmon]

Thanks for all of the good advice. After reading up on the topic, I've decided to do induction for another week and then go from there. I definitely realize the importance of moving through all of the phases, plus, I look forward to a greater variety of food! So I guess I'll start posting in the extended induction forum now

[Tiggerdagibit]

Good for you! I'm glad you took the time to think about it and make the decision that was right for you.

[2big4mysize]

good for you. remember you can change your mind at any time so keep reading chapter 13 and if today is the day to move to OWL just do it.