Decision input

[BeeDee]

Hi All;

Yesterday was my last day of Induction. My weight loss has not been spectacular (about 4 1/2 pounds), but I am having constipation issues, so some weight loss is probably just not 'showing up' yet. Also, I've lost 1 1/2 inches from waist, 1 1/2 inches from hip and 1 inch from thighs. So things are slowly but surely changing.

My question: I'm not sure about moving to OWL and would like some input. I am strugging with the low veggie portions on Induction; I've always (prior to Atkins) eaten 2 big salads a day plus some veggies for snacks and asparagus in the morning. Love the meat, eggs and cheese, too, I just find I want more veggies and salad than Induction offers. This would also likely get my bowels moving again (and I really would like that to happen!). OWL's first rung is more veggies, but my Induction period hasn't really helped shed much weight and I still have 40+ pounds to go. Won't OWL rung 1 slow weight loss down even further? Does anyone with a slower metabolism have experience on this share? Or has anyone found a way to get, say, 4 cups of total veggie in and still stay below 20 grams/day? I presume this wouldn't technically be Induction, though...thoughts? Advice?

By the way, I'm a 47 yr old female. I am drinking 2 litres of water a day, getting exercise about 4 x per week and taking supplements. Ketostix read light to med pink every day. My usual diet looks like this:

Breakfast:
1 poached egg
3 sausages (or 2 slices of ham, or 3 strips bacon)
1 mug herb or green tea (no sweetener)
(somedays I have 4 asparagus spears, too, or 1/4 C sauted mushrooms)

Snack:
1-2 oz cheese
6 olives

Lunch:
2 cups mixed greens
3 grape tomatoes
1/2 green onion
dressing (1 carb)
3 oz ham or chicken
1 oz cheese

Snack:
1 celery stick with cream cheese or 6 cheese crisps (homemade in microwave)

Dinner:
1 med. pork chop or chicken breast or salmon fillet
1 C veggies (asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli or mixed greens)
1/2 C sugar free jelly (splenda) with 3T whip cream (2 x a week)
1 mug herb or green tea (no sweetener)

I might have another 1 oz of cheese later in the evening, too.

...and all day water water water! I am floating, truly!


Thank you so much for your input!

[momtomany1]

OWL is ongoing weight loss. Generally the weight loss is not slowed at all on the first rungs. It will be as the carb count increases with the higher carb food down the road that you will see the slowdown, as you start trying to find your CCLL on later rungs.

What a great induction menu. I see no likelihood that your extra 5 carbs of vegetables will slow your loss one bit. Some folks find that the move to OWL brings a 'whoosh.' Introducing new foods helps you find out which ones are your 'whoosh' foods and you might get lucky. (Imagine my joy when it turned out strawberries are my whooshie food!)

Sounds like you could really use your fiber, and again, let me compliment this well crafted menu, not too many sweeteners, a good balance of meats and veggies, keep using good oils and butter on your veggies to keep the fat/carb ratio where it needs to be and I think OWL is right for you. Induction is only the start of the marathon, the springboard, that is all it is supposed to be.

[BeeDee]

Thank you so much, Momtomany, for your experience and input! (And also for your compliments!) It puts things nicely in perspective and reassures me that adding more veggies and going to OWL 1 is the right move. Also, you mentioned the fats; I may be a little shy on those, so I'll be sure to get some butter on those asparagus spears (poor poor me)!

Here's hoping my 'whoosh' food is a good as yours is! I have a whole freezer full of berries from the early summer. Now if I could just get some dark chocolate in there....hmmm....lol.

Thanks again! Really appreciate it!

[NewKim2009]

Hey there I was just browsing peoples menus here and thought I would comment on yours. It looks great, the only thing that MIGHT be slowing you down is the breakfast.
I would personally, try eating 3 eggs and 1 sausage or ham. These 2 items can be really high in sodium and most I have found have sugars of some kind in them.
I have yet to find a sausage (its my favorite!) that is not cured with some kind of sugar. The eggs however are like the perfect food.

I would try that, maybe the extra salt alone is causing some water retention.

Good luck!

[BeeDee]

Hi NewKim

Thanks for the input; it's a good thought. Sausages often do have some nasty stuff in them (and I love them too), but I finally found a specialty meat and cheese place that claims theirs have no nitrates or sugar, and not as much sodium (though still quite a bit). So I guess I'm trusting them. You never know, though; they could indeed be an issue. I'll cut back and see what happens.

On the bright side, my period arrived unexpectedly today, so the lack of weight loss may have been premenstral. At my age (47) it can arrive whenever it darn well feels like it, and I never know when that the will be!

Thanks again!