I am back

[tacfla]

Hello everyone,
Hope you all had a good holiday season.

I have been doing Atkins since July and I have experienced a few bumps in the road but I think I am back on track.

I have been off of Atkins for exactly 1 month due to the holidays and gained 8 lbs..... Started back to the gym on Monday and finished my first 14 days of induction. I plan on extending it to get this weight off. I have lost the 8 lbs that I gained during the holiday and want to get into the 160s in the near future. I have been in the 170s for way too long and I am getting bord with it.

Just wanted to check in, been lurking on the boards but have not posted too much.

Robin

[sallyseachange]

Re: I am back

Welcome back Robin! Glad you decided to re-commit.
Have you considered moving to OWL? You still get to lose, and indeed loads of people actually lose more on OWL than in induction... especially at rung 1. You could stay there for quite a while if you wanted to.
The added foods of OWL might help you stay on the wagon, and you'd get to goal that much quicker.
Just a thought.

[Randiman1]

Re: I am back

Welcome Back!!!!

[tacfla]

Re: I am back

Sally
honistly dont know what OWL rung 1 is. If its farther in the book I guess I have not read that far? Could you explain it to me or tell me where to find the info? Thanks I am up to try anything once.

[Elizellen]

Re: I am back

Hi Robin

OWL (ongoing weight loss phase of Atkins) is the main weightloss stage of Atkins where we learn how our body reacts to different foods by adding 5 net carbs of them in a set order which make up what Dr Atkins called the carbohydrate ladder. Also we learn how many carbs our body can eat and still lose weight

The different levels (we call them rungs here) puts the foods into groups as follows

The OWL Carbohydrate Ladder
Vegetables
More salad and other vegetables on the acceptable foods list

Dairy
Fresh cheeses:
Cottage cheese
Farmer's cheese
Ricotta cheese
Pot cheese

Keep portions small for:
Hard aged cheese
Cream, heavy and light
Half and half
Sour cream
Low-carb ice cream, yogurt, and milk

Seeds and Nuts
Macadamias
Almonds
Peanuts/Natural Peanut Butter (some of us leave these till the Legumes rung)
Coconut
Sunflower seeds
Sesame seeds
Walnuts
Pistachios

Berries
Eat frequently from:
Strawberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Raspberries

Eat moderately from higher AGR melons:
Watermelon
Honeydew
Cantaloupe

Wine and other spirits low in carbs
Spirits
White Wine
Red Wine
Low-carbohydrate Beer

Legumes
Lentils
Kidney Beans
Pinto Beans
Black Beans
Hummus
Chickpeas
Tofu
Soybeans
Soy milk, unsweetened

Fruits other than Berries and Melons
Plums
Kiwis
Peaches
Apples
Grapefruit
Tangerines

Starchy Vegetables
Keep all portions small
Carrots
Green Peas
Acorn squash
Butternut squash

Eat rarely:
Corn
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes

Whole Grains
Keep all portions small and focus on whole, unprocessed grains:
Old fashioned Oatmeal
Oat Bran
Wheat Bran
Low carb (soy) bread and muffins
All-bran
Barley, cooked

There are several good explanatory threads in the OWL forum (http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...splay.php?f=38) which give a good grounding in OWLing and of course the regular visitors there will be only too happy to steerr you in the right direction.

[sallyseachange]

Re: I am back

Elizellen explained it perfectly and gave you a pointer as to where to look for help and extra info.
Don't fall into the misconception that you won't lose on OWL. Your losses will probably slow when you get high up the "ladder" (which is natural and what you want), but at the lower rungs many people find they lose just as well, if not better than in induction, and it's really nice to have the extra food variety.