To OWL or not to OWL ... ?

[reluctant_whale]

... That is the question!

2 days of induction left if I stuck to the 2 weeks, however I find the whole process of adding these 5g a week a bit scary - what if the weight stops coming off?

So, how long did you stay on induction? I know you can stay on for ages but part of me is getting a bit sick of the restriction .. where the other part would love a blueberry!

Thoughts pls

 

[Kat1e]

Ok - first of all atkins strongly recommends you follow all the phases else you wont keep the weight off! So at some point you will need to go with OWL - it's just a question of when. Many people happily stay on induction for longer especially if lots of weight to lose - i did 6 months and jim also did a long time.

The key is what you mean by staying on induction. I couldn't have lasted without some extras - so i did what i called relaxed induction which was actually OWL but keeping the carbs at 20g. In other words i tested some foods like berries but kept the overall carb level low

When i went onto real OWL i tried very hard to test all the food ladder groups plus find my Critical carb level to lose - it's about 40g and i need to avoid peanuts! Very important and useful to know

Frankly now i'm on maintenance i often only eat 20g as that is what i like and have changed my tastebuds. But equally not scary to enjoy more - example for dinner was sausage stew with carrots and leeks - fabulous

Strongly suggest you read the book again (several times good!). If it feels restrictive then definitely move to owl - if you feel ok then stay as long as you like. As atkins said - it's your body so you will have to work out your woe - these are just guidelines to help

Good luck!

 

[Scrumbles]

I didn't stay on pure Induction for long either - not a huge veg fan and I wanted a few more options.

So I too am doing a modified version of OWL: 20-25g carbs per day adding in some extras from the food ladder one by one, and that seems to be working well for me. When I get within 14lbs of my goal I intend to start upping the carbs and doing OWL properly.

But as Kat1e says, you need to decide what will work best for you. I'm just not brave enough to go upping my carbs yet - "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is always my motto

 

[reluctant_whale]

Thank you for both of your kind comments. I love Mini friends

I think both of you speak a lot of sense and I think what I am going to do is stick to 20g of carbs - some days at the moment I am not really getting near to that as I am not having processed foods and take it up to "definately 20 - 25g" I think I just fancy some fruit. My body feels kind of dirty with all the meat I have been eating (I don't touch fish or seafood), would just love a couple of sesame seeds sprinkled on my salad or some blueberries and raspberries. Think ill do "relaxed induction" from Thursday. .. not TOO relaxed though

 

[miniladyuk]

I did what you would call relaxed induction for 3 months when I lost 3 stone...the problem was, I never got as far as sussing critical carb levels and stuff. That's why I believe I ended up putting weight back on...you need to find a level that is sustainable long term, and that's what I am determined to do this time
HTH
M

 

[Scrumbles]

^^^

That's exactly what I did the first time I went on Atkins.

I lost the weight, but I think at the back of my mind I was always thinking in terms of a "diet", a short term regime, not as a change in lifestyle. So of course, I put it all back again, plus more

The learning phase that is OWL really is the critical part for me this time. If I don't learn my limits now and accept the hard truth that I can NEVER eat like a naturally thin carb-tolerant person, then I might as well give up now - and I ain't doin' that!

 

[autumnbabe]

I have been doing atkins for 4 weeks now and still on induction rules i don't really go over 20 carbs a day. Like someone says if its not broke. As long as Im losing its working.

 

[ditzeeblonde]

I was on induction for 6 months too, as Katie said its massively important to follow the rules of OWL & introducing the foods back in my CCL is 70g which is quite high, I tend to keep to 50g during the week & then relax a bit more at the weekends & have been maintaining for just over a year now...

Good luck with whatever you decide to do but it is lush to have berries & cream! And sometimes moving up the rungs actually helps kick start a stall.

 

[reluctant_whale]

I think mine "may" be quiet high as when I was on Cambridge it took 3 days to come out of ketosis eating normally again. I WANTED to come out too! I think when I see "kicked out of ketosis" it sounds like an instant thing but from my experiences in the past it hasn't been. Fingers crossed anyway .. cos im going with Doner meat tonight

 

[boggins]

I sort of started this WOE without really following Atkins, so I learned about OWL later on. With so much to lose I'm still on induction level carbs, 7 months so far. Like Kat1e did, I have things like carrots and berries and nuts, just in low quantities. I'm close to getting out of the "obese" BMI category for the first time since I was about 16, and I figure that milestone (my only goal, when I started) is a good time to start my own, ditzy, haphazard version of OWL.

I'm hoping that I will also be able to ditch the scales, weigh in only once a month and be more relaxed about the whole thing....some hope. I swapped carb addiction for scale addiction.