OWL

[LVLLM]

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ONGOING WEIGHT LOSS

What is ongoing weight loss (OWL)?
Ongoing Weight Loss, or OWL as we like to call it, is the second phase of the Atkins Nutritional Approach. This phase gives you the knowledge and freedom to begin to add variety into your diet as you control your Net Carb intake and continue to lose weight. You'll stay on OWL until you are within 10lbs of your goal then move to Pre-Maintenance. Get excited - and get started.

Here's what you'll do:
You'll learn how to take weight loss into your own hands
Induction gave you the guidelines, now you learn how to take control - you'll start adding delicious, healthy foods back into your diet - a wider variety of vegetables, plus fruit, nuts and seeds.
You'll establish a personal eating plan
Week by week, you'll add more carbohydrates back into your diet while you keep track of your weight. You'll eventually learn your own very personal threshold level of carbohydrate consumption - we call it CCLL - Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing.
You'll eat right and keep that engine going strong
Although the accelerated weight loss pace of induction slows, you will continue to lose weight at a steady pace with your new supercharged metabolism. Rest assured, you'll still feel energized and ready to take on the world.
You'll become more and more confident
Each week, as your food and nutrition knowledge grows, so does your self-assurance. This is working, and you're the one making it happen. Get used to that feeling of confidence and control; it's going to be with you from now on.

Should you start with OWL?
You should start with OWL:

- If you've completed Induction, feel great about your progress and are ready to start adding variety to your menu - move on to OWL.
- Or, if your weight loss goals are minimal - and you don't need Induction's jumpstart, OWL is a great place to begin. If you do opt to start here, be sure you understand the basics of Phase 1: Induction.

How to start OWL
Ready to learn even more about the Atkins Nutritional Approach, keep losing weight, feel energized and in control?
Here we go:
Net Carbohydrates during this phase:
Start with 25 grams per day. Each week, increase daily Net Carbs by 5 grams.
Through OWL and beyond, Atkins will teach you how to add good carbs back into your diet. Once you start this phase, you'll increase your daily carb intake from Induction's 20 grams a day up to 25 grams during your first week of OWL. During week two of OWL, you can consume 30 grams of Net Carbs per day - and so on.
What you'll eat during this phase
- Continue to enjoy adequate amounts of lean protein - chicken, turkey, lean beef, fish, shellfish, lamb, pork, veal, eggs, and a variety of vegetable proteins.
- Keep consuming those natural fats - olive oil, safflower oil, butter, and avocado.
- In addition, start adding variety, including new vegetables, berries, nuts and seeds - just remember to stick with your daily Net Carb count each week. Use the Acceptable Foods List for Phase 2 - and plan accordingly

Finding your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing - CCLL
Your CCLL is your own very personal carbohydrate threshold. It's the number of Net Carbs you can eat each day and still lose weight.
For example, let's say you add 5 Net Carbs a week to your daily carb consumption until you get to 45 grams. Up to that point, you've kept losing weight, but at 45 grams of carbs per day, your weight loss stalls. Guess what, your CCLL is approximately 40 grams of Net Carbs per day. It's that simple. You know that as long as you consume around 40 or fewer grams of Net Carbs daily, you'll keep losing weight.
The really interesting thing is, everyone's CCLL number is different.
Want to know why?
Stay focused and stay on OWL until you have about 10 pounds left to lose, then happily proceed to Pre-Maintenance

 

[LVLLM]

Myself and Susan are starting OWL next week (well me on saturday) and TBH im a bit nervous as im not losing particularly quickly on induction so hoping this doesnt completely stall me and imagine if my CCL was 20g carbs!

So any advice would be nice - do we still get the ketosis energy/buzz as i hate carb slumps.
Also can you do say the 25 carbs for 2 weeks? and 30 for 2 weeks and so on?

thanks in advance x

 

[Jim]

Also can you do say the 25 carbs for 2 weeks? and 30 for 2 weeks and so on?

I upgraded monthly Vicky, until I stopped loosing at 50, then dropped to 45, Then finally moved up to 45 - 55 for maint. I don't really count carbs any more, even when I'm on induction, I just know what I can eat and what I can't.

 

[LVLLM]

Thanks Jim thats a good idea - take my body up slowly x

 

[Marysu]

Does anyone know if we'll stay in ketosis or do we go out? Must get reading that section of the book. This is where it all usually goes wrong for me. Think i'll do fortnightly jumps of 5.

 

[LVLLM]

I asked that LOL - im googling.... BRB

 

[LVLLM]

varying reports. im worrying about leaving ketosis and feeling hungry

 

[Marysu]

Me too I've only just recovered energy wise after my blip. Think i'll have berries this week and see how i go at WI on wens.

 

[LVLLM]

good luck babe im having berries too (with meringues and cream)

 

[ditzeeblonde]

You can stay on whatever level of carbs yr still losing at a regular amount. For example say you get up to 30g carbs per day, not feeling hungry, probably still in ketosis & are losing a steady 1-2lbs a week you can stay on that until yr at goal (pretty much).

Ketosis is a funny thing because I can still be in ketosis at 70g carbs per day as long as my calories are less than 800 per day but if my cals got to 1000 cals then my carbs need to drop by 20g, the most part of OWL is testing yr bodies carb levels & you will find out where yr CCL is.

Don't worry about feeling hungry & being out of ketosis, unless yr cramming in quality street into yr (still VERY low) carbs per day yr very unlikely to be feeling hungry or get cravings.

It is VERY important to follow the OWL correctly, intorduce things slowly & monitor yr carbs as you will need to know yr CCL to maintain properly. TBH this is the most critical part of Atkins imo to make sure that the weight doesn't go on!

Everyones CCL is different, Jims at 45-55, mine is a bit higher & some peoples could be lower. Its amazing after being on induction how far extra carbs really does change yr eating.

With you Vicky I think moving onto OWL will be just what you need to kick start yr weight loss again.

Hope this helps. x

 

[LVLLM]

Thanks Linz - that really does help. And yes im hoping it does kick start the losses. x

 

[jaqys]

You were still just in ketosis and losing on higher carbs on dukan.

Good luck to both of you, hope you find your level is a comfortable one.

 

[rosebug]

I seem to remember (from days on another diet) that their threshold was 50g carbs and people still got into ketosis, though as said it does depend on the person and I suppose it depends on what your individual CCL is, too. I know that I go out of it if I go over 30g, so I have to be quite restrictive.

 

[*Michael*]

Can't add anything more than Ditzeh added in her excellent post, but I think I still continue to lose at around at least 30g carbs. I think I've been around 30g p/day over the last few weeks (except xmas) and continued to lose at least 1lb a week. And, more importantly, not gain.

 

[alibabs]

I am eating about 40 to 50 g a day at the minute and still in ketosis . I am back to working my way up to maintance as back to goal weight . I will do it slowly but never went back to induction fully but lost the few lbs i gained over Christmas. I am lucky i seem to be able to eat 100g of carbs a day and maintain .I have not tested it above this as this level suits me