Dilema Moving To OWL

[Seshena36]

So I've been reading the book and this board...all sections of it.....here is my thing:

I'm SORT of getting bored with this WOE.....but not to the point where I want to go back to the way I was eating....I just cant take all the salad greens and there is only SO much bok choy or cucumber that one can eat.....(notice I didnt say mushrooms...there's always room for them...LOL)....anyway.....I dont mind eating the vegetables and I actually do like them....BUT I'm getting to the point where I'm craving things that are on some of the OWL rungs (like berries)....and I just dont know how to move on.

I've posted a different thread asking for advice on how to move to OWL when my net carbs are all over the board.....but its more than that for me....the rungs of OWL....well most of them arent things I eat or drink anyway.....the more veggie rung...well....okay...I could stand to eat another cup of broccoli or cauliflower because I love them.....but aside from that...no biggie.....the dairy rung....well the only dairy items I eat I'm already allowed on induction...I dont drink milk, I dont eat any of those soft cheeses so its not a rung for me.....then the seed and nut rung....well I dont eat nuts and I dont like things like seaseme seeds or what not in my food...never have....the most I would do from that is 1 or 2 TBSP of peanut butter once every other week or something like that....the Berry Rung I'm dying for....I LOVE strawberries and raspberries and black berries and blueberries...YUM...and I love the melons too!!
Well you get the picture....the only other rungs that interest me are the legume rung for the pinto, kidney and lentils.....then the other fruit rung...and then the starchy veggie rung for the carrots and occassional potatoe or corn.....
I dont eat anything on any of the other rungs...at all..........so.....is there anyone out there that can help me out with this? I dont want to stop this WOE but I can feel myself slipping and its making me irritable and pissy (at myself)....I'm proud that I've lost 30lbs since April 1st and I dont want to put any of it back on...I need to drop another 80lbs total (but 40 for now)....so what can I do? How can I move on? I've been doing this induction since May 22, 2006 and I just cant maintain 20g net carbs a day...they are always way lower.....I'm just confused, hesitant, irritated, lost and getting upset/depressed over my inability to figure this stuff out............

[Rae-Marie]

I am not an expert on this so I don't think I should give any advise. But do go into the OWL forum and see what has already been posted on this subject.
All most everyone is nervious about moving on from induction. A lot of good advise has been posted.

There are some really good threads in that forum.

[loliloli]

I'm not an expert either but from i've read the veggie rung is important. Make sure you go through that. However, if you're not gonna eat the food of the dairy and nut rungs you can probably just skip it and move on to the berry rung. You will probably have to be careful though. Eat only 5g of berries 3 times per week for few weeks and check how it's affecting you. Eat one type of berry each time so you know which one does what. The way I see it is it all depends on you and your body so the whole point of this is to find out how things affect, so you basicly modify this whole thing to suit your needs. It works for me anyways

[Seshena36]

Originally Posted by loliloli

I'm not an expert either but from i've read the veggie rung is important. Make sure you go through that. However, if you're not gonna eat the food of the dairy and nut rungs you can probably just skip it and move on to the berry rung. You will probably have to be careful though. Eat only 5g of berries 3 times per week for few weeks and check how it's affecting you. Eat one type of berry each time so you know which one does what. The way I see it is it all depends on you and your body so the whole point of this is to find out how things affect, so you basicly modify this whole thing to suit your needs. It works for me anyways

I guess that's another part of my dilema....can one modify the plan to suit one's specific needs so long as one is still following all the basic rules??? Or do you absoluately positively have to follow this TO the letter....I think maybe I'm making that too big of an issue with me and that's whats making me bored with it......

I guess my modification would be.....can I add more veggies and berries to my plan so long as I'm still trying to maintain the 20g net carbs per day thing? (since I cant hit it any other time).....and following the other rules???

[2big4mysize]

you can skip any rung you don't plan to have as a part of your permanent way of eating.

So do a 1,4,6,7,8 OWl just know that you will need to be very careful when you move from rung one to rung 4 because even though the berries are low glycemic they will be much higher glycemic then anything you have been eating. Use the chapter 12 sugar symptom chart so you can know if you are being effected and take steps to control it before it controls you right off your Atkins.
The fresh dairy includes yogurt too if you like that.

[not2late]

What 2Big said

Some people can't eat foods on rungs because they either don't like them or can't eat them due to food allergies/intolerances. So if you don't like legumes, don't do the rung. If you don't like berries but like melons, don't eat the berries on the berry/melon rung.

Vegetables, however, are important. It's intimidating to think you'll need to eat an additional cup of a veggie when you've already eaten 3 cups. But you can reduce the volume of your food by using vegetables as sauces: tomato sauce, roasted red pepper, mushroom sauce, onion sauce, etc.

Take a look through the OWL forum because there are a number of sticky threads there that address commonly asked questions about OWL.

[Seshena36]

Originally Posted by 2big4mysize

you can skip any rung you don't plan to have as a part of your permanent way of eating.

So do a 1,4,6,7,8 OWl just know that you will need to be very careful when you move from rung one to rung 4 because even though the berries are low glycemic they will be much higher glycemic then anything you have been eating. Use the chapter 12 sugar symptom chart so you can know if you are being effected and take steps to control it before it controls you right off your Atkins.
The fresh dairy includes yogurt too if you like that.

Okay...question about the blood sugar symptom chart and your advice.....so....if I use the chart aftering adding some berries to my day and I score 50 or more, I'll know that I have to.....do what? Not eat that particular item or not eat as much of that particular item? I'm a little confused with chapter 12 because it really doesnt say anything after the chart/test.
I do like yogurt....but does it have to be the yogurt with the artificial sweetner in it or can it be regular yogurt? Because I dont eat the first...I cant stand the after taste......and I couldnt find it in the book.....

[Seshena36]

Originally Posted by not2late

What 2Big said

Some people can't eat foods on rungs because they either don't like them or can't eat them due to food allergies/intolerances. So if you don't like legumes, don't do the rung. If you don't like berries but like melons, don't eat the berries on the berry/melon rung.

Vegetables, however, are important. It's intimidating to think you'll need to eat an additional cup of a veggie when you've already eaten 3 cups. But you can reduce the volume of your food by using vegetables as sauces: tomato sauce, roasted red pepper, mushroom sauce, onion sauce, etc.

Take a look through the OWL forum because there are a number of sticky threads there that address commonly asked questions about OWL.

Okay, its good to know that I can skip rungs that I dont ever intend to eat or make part of my WOE/lifestyle....
I do realize that the veggies are important and again...I like veggies but I think my problem is that I dont like so much SALAD veggies.....I feel like I'm not getting to eat enough of the vegetables I do like and there in lies my problem....I'm down with broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi...well you get the picture....I dont know that the veggie sauce thing sounds appetizing to me.....I'm more of a straight eater than a saucy person...LOL....and I'm headed back over to the OWL forum here in a bit to re-read some things there..........I'm trying to get this figured out...thanks for your help.

[not2late]

Well, the "Salad" veggies don't need to be eaten as "salad". All of those veggies can be cooked, including the lettuces! That's another misconception people make about those "salad" veggies---it's okay to cook them, just measure them before you cook them.

But if you absolutely don't like any of the "salad" veggies, like mushrooms, cucumbers, green/red bell peppers, etc. Then you might want to try them prepared in different ways or combine them with other veggies.

I've been having a blast with chilled soups (because it's so awfully hot and humid here!) So, things like gazpacho, chilled cucumber soup, faux vichyssoise, chilled red pepper soup are finding their way on my summer menu. To make these soups more substantial I add chilled cooked seafood, like shrimp, and a dab of sour cream.

[lil_Buddy]

Don't know if this is helpful but maybe you could try stuff you don't think you're so crazy about. I made myself do that out of curiosity/boredom. For instance, was never too crazy about stuff from the squash family unless they were in pies or breads. Then I discovered if you brown zucchini in butter it's great. And zucchini squash, baked then cooked it in a pan with some olive oil, butter, herbs and parmesan cheese is quite tasty.
I was never too crazy about yogurt, too, but discovered the organic whole milk stuff with the thick cream top. Now I'm sold.

In summation, I think this WOE changes your palate a bit. Also, cooking things in butter makes them extra delicious.