HELP! Can I have this???

[PHAT Beth]

Is there a humongous difference in the rate of weight loss I will have in OWL in comparison to extended induction?

[mitzimarie]

Originally Posted by PHAT Beth

Well, I thought the longer I stayed on induction, the faster I would lose the weight. I don't have any cravings, and I am pretty staisfied right now. Also, to tell the truth, I am afraid to move because I don't know what to do next. I don't want to slow down, although I have not lost a single pound in a week. I am sooo cun-fyused.

Beth, a lot of people assume that the longer they stay in Induction, the faster you lose the weight. It has been my experience that for most people, even if you continue eating the exact same foods that you did in Induction, your weight loss will slow down... and there is actually a name for this. It is referred to as PISS - Post Induction Stall Syndrome. The best way to break the stall, is to add more carbs in the form of veggies.

About not knowing how to move onto OWL - In addition to the information in the 2002 edition of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, at the top of each of the forums, there are things called "stickies". These are posts that contain good information, and have been "stuck" at the top of the forums for all to read. At the top of the OWL forum, there are some stickies that will explain the carbohydrate ladder we follow. If you haven't started visiting the OWL forum yet, I would do so. Read the posts and questions that others have asked... if you have a question you don't see addressed or are confused about, don't hesitate to start a thread there.

It is SO important to move onto OWL and start adding carbs back... I didn't follow OWL strictly on my first time on Atkins, and I never reached my goal weight and couldn't maintain the weight that I did lose. On this round of Atkins, I have followed the plan as intended by Dr. Atkins, and it really did work better. OWL stands for "Ongoing Weight Loss", and it is the phase that most of us lose most of our weight in.

I can certainly understand your fear of moving on... there is a certain security in the Induction phase. But I can tell you from experience - Maintenance is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, and it will help you greatly if you go ahead and start moving through the rungs. The first rung is just more veggies, and most people can handle the extra veggies just fine... as I indicated earlier, that's how a lot of people jump start their losses again.

If you still don't want to progress up the rungs, I would at least suggest that you start upping your carbs in the form of veggies. One of the most important parts of OWL is finding your CCLL (Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing). This is the highest number of carbs you can eat without stopping the weight loss or throwing your blood sugar out of whack. You can do that in Rung 1, if you wish. In fact, I actually favored that idea. In OWL, I didn't want to add foods and up the number of carbs in the same week... if your losses slow, how do you know whether it was the type of carb, or the number of carbs that was the culprit? By upping my number of veggie carbs each week, I was able to come up with a number. I found that I could lose just as much weight eating 35 net carbs, as I could at 20g net carbs. So now, I was ready to start moving up the other rungs with a higher number of carbs to "spend". I didn't need to leave out veggies, just to free up carbs to try other things with. Since I knew that I could lose at 35g, if my losses did stop, I new that it was the type of carb that was the problem. For example, cottage cheese bloats me and makes me gain. That's only a rung 2 food, but it tripped me up. I found out about it quickly, though.

With only 35 pounds left to lose, I would suggest you start increasing your carbs with veggies, then start spending them in the other rungs. You've got a lot of rungs to progress through, so you can learn how to eat for life. Although the book says you only have to spend a week in each rung, I stayed in Rung 1 for a couple of months, testing for my CCLL, then I stayed at the other rungs for a minimum of 3 weeks each. I wanted to be super-sure about new foods, and since there are many factors that can make weight fluctuate, I just wanted to be certain before I moved on.

I know that OWL can seem scary, but it really is to your advantage to move on. Visit the OWL forum... there's some mighty smart folks there!

Best of luck to you.

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by PHAT Beth

Is there a humongous difference in the rate of weight loss I will have in OWL in comparison to extended induction?

It will not be when you add another 5 g of carbohydrate. Of course, as you add more, your weight loss will slow down and you will reach a point where you will stop losing -- that is your CCLL. If you eat below it, you lose weight; if you go above it, you either maintain or gain. Many folks stall after a few weeks on Induction and their weight loss restarts once they move to OWL. I rarely saw this happening with those members who moved to OWL after the first 2-weeks.

Here is what another moderator (not2late) wrote about moving from Induction to OWL:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-i-go-owl.html

[PHAT Beth]

I don't know how to thank you guys for helping me through this. I AM going to get that book. I know I should already have it. Thanks for listening and for the advice. I believe I will go ahead and push on through to OWL. This board is AMAZING. Like a good bra, you provide support, and never make me feel uncomfortable!

[Georgiana]

Glad we could help, Beth!

Reading the book is essential to understanding Atkins. It's your new life style after all, so it good to know as much as possible about it.

[mitzimarie]

Originally Posted by PHAT Beth

Is there a humongous difference in the rate of weight loss I will have in OWL in comparison to extended induction?

Well... your losses have slowed anyway, right? Your weight loss does naturally slow down a little in OWL, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It gives your body time to adjust, and really will help you to keep it off in the long run.

Beth, it is important to view Atkins as a permanent lifestyle change, and not just a means to lose weight quickly. That's one of the reasons that I only weighed once a week. There are many members who weigh everyday and are OK with that, but I only averaged a loss of between 1 and 2 pounds a week... that meant that sometimes I lost 2 pounds in a week, most times I lost 1 pound, and there were some weeks that I didn't lose any. Our body weight fluctuates so much for lots of different reasons, and watching that one or two pounds bounce back and forth all week would drive me batty! By weighing once a week, it was, what it was... I could get excited over a pound loss for the week, as long as I didn't ride the rollercoaster all week.

Once I finally accepted that this way of eating is for life and not a race or just a means to lose weight, I was able to loosen up and just live my life without anxiety. It helps to realize that the weight will not come off in a linear fashion... and the scale can be a big 'ole liar sometimes! When I workout hard and change my exercise routine, my muscles will retain water and show as pounds on the scale. However, my clothes would be getting too big for me. So you can't always trust the scale. My favorite way to judge fat loss was to keep a pair of jeans that were too tight, and try them on every couple of weeks. What a boost to watch something you couldn't button, become so big that it had to be put into the giveaway box!

[mitzimarie]

Originally Posted by PHAT Beth

This board is AMAZING. Like a good bra, you provide support, and never make me feel uncomfortable!

I love that!

And you are very welcome.

[PHAT Beth]

Mitzi, I completely understand. I am not looking for a fast crash diet; I do; however; know myself! I needed the quick results induction gave to me. Once I saw that it could indeed work, I am totally fine if it goes slowly. I am fully prepared to eat this way forever. That's part of why I was in no large hurry to move on. I am going to though. I do kind of get exited about being able to add nuts and fruit back to my life (when the time is right, of course). Thanks for the advice. I am going to wash up some more veggies for my dinner now, since I can have them now! Thanks to all!

[mitzimarie]

Originally Posted by PHAT Beth

Mitzi, I completely understand. I am not looking for a fast crash diet; I do; however; know myself! I needed the quick results induction gave to me. Once I saw that it could indeed work, I am totally fine if it goes slowly. I am fully prepared to eat this way forever. That's part of why I was in no large hurry to move on. I am going to though. I do kind of get exited about being able to add nuts and fruit back to my life (when the time is right, of course). Thanks for the advice. I am going to wash up some more veggies for my dinner now, since I can have them now! Thanks to all!

I am so proud of you for taking the plunge into OWL!

Watch the nuts... I'm nuts, when it comes to nuts!

[mitzimarie]

Oh, Beth! I just thought of something about OWL that you need to know -

When you are testing for your CCLL, it is important to eat at the same number of carbs each day. Meaning, you don't get a true test if, on one day you eat 20, the next day at 25, then 20 for a couple of days, then 25... For a true test, you need to eat at the higher number (25) each day.

Yeah... it can be a bit tedious at times. But so important! Once you know the "magic" number, you don't have to be so careful about getting up to that number each day.

Good luck!