Should I move to OWL

[SarahUK]

Hi,

I have completed my 14 day induction without cheating and I lost 9lbs in the first 9 days but for the last few days I seem to have paused losing. I have had a very stressful few days and although I have not cheated I haven't had as much to eat and I have gone long periods between meals as I just haven't been able to face eating. Prior to the last few days my average carb intake was 12-15g per day but currently it's around 10g and was a low as 6.9g one day. Could this be the cause of my weight pause?

Should I move onto rung one or stay on extended induction? I have over 100lbs still to lose.

Since my carb/calorie intake has dropped my weight loss has paused. If I move to rung one should I increase my daily back up to 15g with an extra 5g 3 x per week?

http://fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=sarah265

Sarah

[Georgiana]

Re: Should I move to OWL

Hi Sarah.

I have completed my 14 day induction without cheating and I lost 9lbs in the first 9 days but for the last few days I seem to have paused losing. I have had a very stressful few days and although I have not cheated I haven't had as much to eat and I have gone long periods between meals as I just haven't been able to face eating. Prior to the last few days my average carb intake was 12-15g per day but currently it's around 10g and was a low as 6.9g one day. Could this be the cause of my weight pause?

Eating too little can slow down your weight loss. Did you drink enough water these days? If you didn't, then this can also contribute to your little pause. However, it is normal to see pauses in your weight loss pattern, especially towards the end of Induction. So there's nothing to worry about.

A few comment on your menu. I see you have pepperoni, bacon and sausages there. These processed meats are high in sodium and can cause water retention, especially when you do not drink enough water. They can also be cured with sugars or they can contain ingredients that are not Induction- or Atkins-friendly. For some of us, these hidden sugars can affect weight loss. So did you check the list of ingredients?

Should I move onto rung one or stay on extended induction? I have over 100lbs still to lose.

With 9 lbs lost during Induction, you have an average degree of metabolic resistance. However, since you still have ~100 lbs to lose, I believe it is your decision if you want to continue in Induction for a while or if you prefer to move to OWL. Do you have "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution"? The best thing to do is read (or re-read) Chapter 13 and answer the questions there -- they will help you take the right decision.

If you decide to move to OWL, you don't necessarily have to go to a new rung every week. You can stay in OWL Rung 1 for a while, until you find your CCLL and then either spend more time there or, with this extra knowledge, progress through the other OWL Rungs and phases of Atkins.

If I move to rung one should I increase my daily back up to 15g with an extra 5g 3 x per week?

Yes. You should figure out what your carb intake was during Induction and add another 5 veggie net carbs to them. Chapter 14 in DANDR would be useful to understand better how things should be done correctly. There are also sticky threads you might want to read in the "Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL)" forum.

[SarahUK]

Re: Should I move to OWL

Hi Georgina,

Thanks for you quick reply.

I am always very careful about bacon, sausages etc and check the labels and make sure they haven't got any hidden sugar. I have set-up custom foods on FitDay from the nutritional labels so I do count all the carbs I'm eating.

Over the last couple of days I probably haven't drunk as much water as I was before and I did have a few cups of black coffee too.

I will read the chapters you mention but as I find induction easy and like the foods I'm eating I will probably stay there for another week or so and then move to rung 1 for a while. I don't like the foods on rung 2 and 3 so I'll be skipping to rung 4 when I'm ready.

Thanks for your help

Sarah