What is my ACE (CCLL)?

[gonnabskinny]

Seems to be pretty straightforward. I had over 50 lbs to lose. I lost 19 lbs in the first two weeks of Induction. Therefore I have low degree of metabolic resistance. I also exercise 6 times per week for 1 hour per day. I figure that I will have an ACE of somewhere between 40 carbs and possibly as high as 90.

Am I correct in this scenario? If my ACE is as low as 40, then the furthest that I can go up the carb ladder is from veggies, to dairy, then berries, and up as far as nuts. However, if I have an ACE of 60 and I skip the 6th rung (I can't stand legumes), then I can get all the way up to whole grain low carb tortillas.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by gonnabskinny

Seems to be pretty straightforward. I had over 50 lbs to lose. I lost 19 lbs in the first two weeks of Induction. Therefore I have low degree of metabolic resistance. I also exercise 6 times per week for 1 hour per day. I figure that I will have an ACE of somewhere between 40 carbs and possibly as high as 90.

Am I correct in this scenario? If my ACE is as low as 40, then the furthest that I can go up the carb ladder is from veggies, to dairy, then berries, and up as far as nuts. However, if I have an ACE of 60 and I skip the 6th rung (I can't stand legumes), then I can get all the way up to whole grain low carb tortillas.

The ladder is more Induction veggies (Rung 1), Fresh Cheese/Dairy (Rung 2), Nuts/Seeds (Rung 3), Berries (Rung 4), Alcohol (Rung 5), Legumes (Rung 6), Fruits other than berries (Rung 7), Starchy veggies (Rung , Grains (Rung 9).

If you found your CCLL on Rung 4, you can eat at your CCLL and still go up the ladder, using 5 of your net carbs for the higher rung food. See, you don't have to eat all the foods from all the rungs, everyday.

For example, your CCLL is 40.

Your daily carbs are from the 3 cups of Induction veggies (these are you minimum daily veggies), 5 net carbs of the Rung 1 Induction veggies, 5 net carbs of Fresh cheese/Dairy (Rung 2), the 1 oz of nuts from the Nut/Seed Rung, and 5 net carbs of berries. Let's say you want to go up the ladder. You skip the alcohol rung, because you aren't a drinker, so you try out legumes. You can add 5 net carbs of legumes, but you swap those 5 net carbs for one of the other 5 net carbs. So on Monday, you have 5 net carbs of soy milk, and you skip the 5 net carbs of cottage cheese that day, so that you're still eating at your CCLL, but you've tried out a different food group.

[gonnabskinny]

Got it! Thanks Megs!

So even though am I on week 2 at 25 net carbs, this week I can try to add some dairy products in as long as I stay within the 25 net carbs. I just can't do more that 3 of any one product, so that I can figure out how I react to that product. Is that right? Next week, I could add nuts and seeds if I wish?

[not2late]

Originally Posted by gonnabskinny

Got it! Thanks Megs!

So even though am I on week 2 at 25 net carbs, this week I can try to add some dairy products in as long as I stay within the 25 net carbs. I just can't do more that 3 of any one product, so that I can figure out how I react to that product. Is that right? Next week, I could add nuts and seeds if I wish?

IT depends. Have you found your CCLL or are you still looking for it?

If 25 net carbs is your CCLL, then you can swap 5 net carbs of your 25 for 5 net carbs of dairy. Then follow the OWL rungs about adding foods.

If you're still looking for your CCLL, move to the Dairy rung and add 5 net carbs. Then follow the OWL rules.

Some people choose to keep their carbs artificially lower than their CCLL so they'll move up to 25 net carbs and then move up the Carb Ladder...I have mixed feelings about that because I think your body needs to eat at or slightly below your CCLL in order to continue losing weight steadily. Look at the people who extend their Induction, hit a stall, and break out of it when they finally move to OWL. Same thing happens to them.

We had a member in the past who did that: stayed at 20 or 25 net carbs while going up the Carb Ladder. She lost weight, then she hit a 4 month stall. She did everything to break it---upped exercise, upped water, lowered fat, lowered calories---everything except look for her CCLL. Then she quit Atkins because it stopped working for her. She started Atkins the same time I did and we had similar stats. The last I saw her was maybe 2 years ago. She posted once to say she had regained her weight and was giving Atkins another try. Then she never posted again.

From my own experience, I found that as I lost the weight and my body became slimmer, I was able to exercise more efficiently. I hit a period where I wasn't losing or gaining, but I was tired all the time. So I tried everything: upped the exercise, lowered the exercise, upped the fat, lowered the fat, upped the water, lowered the water. Then I re-read the book and saw that charts with the 'regular' exerciser CCLL information.

So I upped my carbs by 5 net carbs, and I wasn't as tired anymore and I started losing weight again. I found a 'new' CCLL and ate at that 'new' level. A few months before I moved to Pre-Maintenance, I wasn't losing or gaining and I was feeling tired all the time. After reviewing my menues and not finding anything there to cause this, I looked for my 'new' CCLL again and found it.

So that's why I'm not too keen on the "modified OWL" where you stay at Induction level carbs and move up the Carb Ladder. I think the CCLL does 2 things: it tells us how many carbs not to eat above to lose weight and it tells us how many carbs not to eat too far below to continue losing weight.

[gonnabskinny]

Thanks again Megs. No I'm not at my CCLL. I was thinking that since I still had so much weight to lose and because I stayed on induction longer, that I shouldn't up the 5 carbs each and every week, but stay at each increase a little longer, maybe two to four weeks. What you are suggesting is to go ahead and add the carbs each week in order to find my CCLL and continue to climb the carb ladder as I add each five carbs back in. Once I reach my CCLL I can stay there and continue to climb the ladder and alternate food from the lower rungs that I have already reached, as long as I stay within that CCLL. Now I think I understand.

Last thing I want to do is to do anything that is going to set me back or make me give up. I am going to do it this time for good, but I know that I need to do it RIGHT in order to succeed.

Thanks again,

[not2late]

Oh yeah, you can stay on a rung for as long as you want to try out the foods. But I would try to move up in the net carbs maybe once every 4 weeks. The way I did it was to hang around on Rung 1 and found my CCLL---I love veggies so that wasn't a problem for me to do: having a veggie-based gravy with roasts, veggie sauces (tomato, red pepper, etc.) to put on my spaghetti squash or zucchini 'noodles', etc. My CCLL was 35. Then I moved up the ladder with that 35 CCLL in mind.

[kisstuck]

Great posts Meg. Very easy to understand and good info.

[Kawispice]

Not2Late,

I just want to confirm Dr. Atkins tables independently. I am a high resistance loser, always have been, so above 15 carbs does not work for me. However, when I exercise quite vigorously I can really add carbs - up to 60 gm. Each time I read something Dr. A wrote and I test it against myself, it seems to work.

As you can see, I am not by nature a "groupie" but the more I get into this diet the more sense it seems to make. Thank you for your very informative posts.

[kat1974]

Okay, let me see if I have this formulation correct:

I started out at 285 pounds and I want to lose 185 pounds. During my induction period, I lost 10 to 12 pounds (I forgot to weigh myself on the 14th day, but on the 15th day, I was 12 pounds less for sure.)

So this means that my ACE is what, 40-60 gms of carbs a day? If this is true and I choose to eat less (I do about 23-27 a day), does this mean I will lose weight quicker?

Thanks!

[not2late]

Originally Posted by kat1974

Okay, let me see if I have this formulation correct:

I started out at 285 pounds and I want to lose 185 pounds. During my induction period, I lost 10 to 12 pounds (I forgot to weigh myself on the 14th day, but on the 15th day, I was 12 pounds less for sure.)

So this means that my ACE is what, 40-60 gms of carbs a day? If this is true and I choose to eat less (I do about 23-27 a day), does this mean I will lose weight quicker?

Thanks!

Your ACE might fall into that range and it might not. We had folks here whose ACE/CCLL has been higher than what the estimated range is.

No eating below your ACE/CCLL is no guarantee of faster weight loss. If you look at the folks who have a low to average metabolic resistance to weight loss and who choose to stick it out on Induction "longer" they often hit weight loss plateaus that are only broken when they move onto OWL.