Is it possible...

[lacidion]

Is it possible to get to your goal weight staying on induction? I have lost 12 lbs in the first week and half of induction and now have 30 lbs to go. I feel great and I like my eating habits as of now. This is something I feel I can live with. I don't miss the carbs and have no problem (mentally) bringing them back into my diet. My work consist of constant travel therefore it is almost impossible for me to measure everything I eat, due to eating out. I have been estimating my food intake and the results are great! If all I have to do is just add more veggies on to what I am already eating, that is not a problem. I just don't want to over do it.

[jimmyolsenblues]

Copied from ...........
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...ead.php?t=5211 (Introduction to OWL)

Originally Posted by loonatika

Introduction to OWL

I started OWL after my two week induction and haven't looked back. It has been a major reason I have been able to stick to Atkins - lots of extra menu choices, using ground flax and almond flour for baking cakes, more variety in snacks, and the fun of testing out the rungs. I averaged just under 1 lb/week loss over the past 9 months on OWL, and lost so much more in inches (down from a size 18 to a size 10 so far). OWL has definately been the reason I have been so successful on this WOE.


Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL is the next step of the Atkins Diet after Induction. It involves the most important part of this diet and that is finding out your Critical Carb Level for Losing (CCLL) or ACE (Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium).

This number is the amount of net carbohydrates you can eat in a day and still lose weight. It varies between individuals and is affected by the amount of physical activity you do. Most people find the more exercise they do, the higher their CCLL.

OWL works by adding in 5 net grams of a rung for a fixed amount of time. During that time you check for food tolerances, cravings and triggers. If all is ok, then you go up to the next rung and add in another 5 net grams of carb. There is no fixed time for each rung, you can stay on a rung for a week - or over a month, it is up to you.

Please make sure you always have fat with your new carbs to help with cravings. If a food group causes cravings, drop it immediately. You may find you can add it in later on in your Atkins program.

The first week you add in an 5 net grams of carb. If this is a new food to you, then eat it nore than 3 times a week. If it's a food you've already had in your plan then eat that food in moderation one time daily. If you have no triggers or cravings, then you can successfully add this food rung into your diet. Otherwise, please stop straight away.

(Also, if you try something new to you from an earlier rung, even while on the later rungs of OWL, this rule still applies ie: In summer, while on the whole grains rung, you have mango, mango can only be eaten up to 3x a week for that first week)

If we use the vege rung as an example, this may be your first week, presuming that the foods are new to you:
Monday: Induction menu
Tuesday: Induction menu with 1/2 cup of asparagus, 1/2 cup brussel sprouts
Wednesday: Induction type menu
Thursday: Induction menu
Friday: Induction menu with 1 cup caesar salad with romaine
Saturday: Induction menu
Sunday: Induction menu with 1 cup cherry tomato (raw)

If you were averaging for example 15 grams of net carbs during induction - then the 5 net gram rule still applies. Your first rung of OWL will contain up to 20 grams of net carbs in total.


OWL Rungs:
1: Vegetables
2: Dairy
3: Nuts and Seeds
4: Berries & Melons
5: Wine and other spirits low in carbs
6: Legumes
7: Fruits other than berries
8: Starchy Veges
9: Whole Grains


CCLL / ACE:
To find out your CCLL or ACE, continue adding 5 net grams of carb each time you move up a rung. Keep track on the scale and with a tape measure. If after moving up a rung you find you have stopped losing weight and inches (and for the women, TOM isn't involved) you should have found your CCLL number. You can now plan your menus around this number - just keep your carb count BELOW your CCLL and you will continue to lose weight.

Once you have gone through Pre-Maintenance and reached Maintenance, you will then eat ABOVE this number, to stop losing any further weight - it then becomes your CCLM (Critical Carb Level for Maintenance).

If you want to know more about OWL, please check the stickies at the top of the OWL forum, and read up chapter 14 of your DANDR 2002

We wish you the best with your OWLing!

[Elizellen]

To answer your question in a short phrase - It is 'possible' but it is not advisible!

The problem as I see it of staying on induction till you reach goal (or even just moving to the first OWL rung and having more veggies but not progressing up the OWL ladder) is that unless you intend only to eat from induction and rung one list of allowed foods for the rest of your life, you are not learning how to add other foods to your way of eating. Also you are not finding out how your body reacts to the other foods.

By following the OWL carbohydrate ladder and adding foods from the different rungs/levels while losing weight you increase the likelihood of being able to keep your goal weight after reaching it, as your choices of foods will gradually expand to include most foods that most people agree are healthy and good for you.

With the exception of sugar and white flour and rice (which most people agree are relatively nutritionless) the abundance of foods you can choose from in the maintenance phase of Atkins should allow you to eat 'normally' lowcarb-fashion once you have reached goal because you will have learned which affect you adversely and how your body will react to them.

They do say that the majority of people who lose weight on any weightloss diet regain that weight once they return to their previous way of eating, and Atkins allows you to change your way of eating permanently and fairly painlessly to one which allows you not to gain weight!!

[dreamof145]

Induction is just a kick-start in getting your body into the low-carb mode. Try to keep in mind that this is a life-style change. You want to be able to enjoy life to the fullest and learn to introduce all the food groups into your life so that it doesn't become boring and cause you to lose control. If you follow the program with Induction, Owl, pre-maintenance and then go into maintenance, youll educate yourself to choose the right choices no matter what situation you find yourself in. You won't feel deprived or miserable with eating the same things over and over. Enjoy yourself, do the 4 phases of Atkins and you'll be able to live the rest of your life in control of your food choices.

[lacidion]

Thank you very much, I guess it is time for me to move on to OWL.

[not2late]

I completely agree with what everyone has written. Induction is only one part of Atkins----it was never meant to be the only weight loss phase and it wasn't meant to be the weight maintenance phase.

[blue996]

It is possible (I did it the first time) but I don't recommend it. Staying on induction does not teach you how to eat and change your way of life. After I reached my goal weight I went back to eating carbs and here I am losing the weight for a second time.

[kate58]

I'll chip in here to agree with the advice about moving on, it is important and it won't make you stop losing weight. I made a little graph of my weight loss at the end of November, which I will post here again:



If it wasn't for the little x would you be able to guess when I moved on to OWL? I doubt it!

Plus while the induction foods are great when life is 'normal' (whatever that is!?) it is a very restrictive choice when special occasions or events come along, which makes it harder to stay on plan. I am certain that having extra choice and being able to eat more carbs was central to keeping me legal over Christmas.