OWL is streesing me out!!

[cranberry]

I am having such a hard time with OWL. Induction was easy b/c the rules are there. But OWL drives me up the wall. I was fine up until the berries rung. Beyond that, I just find it so friggin hard.

Up the rungs, the quantity of most foods which equals 5 g's of carbs is, like, next to nothing. What's so great about adding one measly fifth of a cup of beans to your daily intake... or ½ slice of pineapple?

also, I find it hard because I dont know half the time what food group a prepared food belongs to. What if the food contains ingredients from more than one group?

frankly OWL is stressing me out but I know it must be time to move on because I have not seen a real loss in months. I suspect my body has become too accustomed to extended induction. At least that is what I hope. I keep trying to do OWL and everytime I mess it up

I really want to do this right but I am having a very hard time.

[slimndown]

Re: OWL is streesing me out!!

I have never been on OWL before and find your situation interesting as I have had the same questions for when the time comes. Maybe stick with the basic 20g and fill your carb gap with whatever rung your on? For example, on the ladder permitting only 45g per day, sticking with the basic induction plan, then adding 25g of beans or pineapple?? Not sure if that's how it's supposed to be done but sounds good to me! Maybe someone will verify this.....

[not2late]

Re: OWL is streesing me out!!

I am having such a hard time with OWL. Induction was easy b/c the rules are there. But OWL drives me up the wall. I was fine up until the berries rung. Beyond that, I just find it so friggin hard.

Up the rungs, the quantity of most foods which equals 5 g's of carbs is, like, next to nothing. What's so great about adding one measly fifth of a cup of beans to your daily intake... or ½ slice of pineapple?

also, I find it hard because I dont know half the time what food group a prepared food belongs to. What if the food contains ingredients from more than one group?

frankly OWL is stressing me out but I know it must be time to move on because I have not seen a real loss in months. I suspect my body has become too accustomed to extended induction. At least that is what I hope. I keep trying to do OWL and everytime I mess it up

I really want to do this right but I am having a very hard time.

The trick to the higher rungs is food-combination. 1/2 slice pineapple chopped and mixed with a berry for a fruit salad. 1/4 cup pinto beans added to your basic chili recipe or mixed into a stew.

A prepared food in OWL follows the same rule for prepared foods in Induction: if it's not on your list, it don't cross your lips. Therefore, if you have gone through Rungs 1-6 and food X has oatmeal as an ingredient, then food X is not appropriate for your level of OWL.

What you have to get into your mind is that during OWL, your acceptable foods list is Induction + your OWL Rung(s). So if you have done Rungs 1 and 2, your food list is the same foods on the Induction list + Rung 1 + Rung 2. Likewise if you have gone through all the rungs, your OWL food list is Induction + All the OWL foods.

I know you get mixed messages about how to do OWL. Some people will say that they didn't follow the Rungs and did fine. Some people will say they followed the Rungs and did fine. My advice to you is to follow those rungs, adding on the foods in the Rung order and following the OWL rules while doing so, especially if you need more structure to your diet.

So if you need structure, write out your Rung-specific foods list and copy the Rules of OWL.

[Elizellen]

Re: OWL is streesing me out!!

From what I understand we add 5 net carbs of the new rung foods and after 2 weeks if you want you can add another 5 net carbs and so on. I did this on the veg rung so i could have several more portions of veg in one day when I wanted.

So if you stayed on the legumes rung for several fortnights adding 5 more net carbs each 2 weeks you could end up by having say 100 grams of bens in your chilli.

I understand what you mean about the quantities - when I added grapes for instance - to add only 5 seemed hardly worth it, BUT I chopped them into halves and added them to a salad dish and wow! they tasted great.

We need to teach ourselves that the high GI foods like some of the fruits should not be eaten one after another but incorporated into other dishes with fats and protein for our bodies to be able to process them efficiently without causing us problems.

I have just moved onto the starchy veg rung but found when on the 'other fruits' rung that just 1/4 of a sliced banana with some sweetened greek yogurt or cream cheese made a surprisingly filling dessert.

In the days before Atkins I would have eaten several bananas for a dessert!! We used to buy several pounds every few days

[cleochatra]

Re: OWL is streesing me out!!

To add what Elizellen and megs said, I am doing modified OWL, which is basically induction but climbing the OWL ladder rungs. Because of the higher fat content of the extended induction, I'm adding only one item at a time to test my glycemic reactions to these foods. So, I'd be eating around 20 carbs per day, but if on the seed rung I'd add flax only. This way, because of all the fat, the flax will have a lesser effect on my blood stream (if any at all). I am throroughly using modified OWL as a rotation diet for me, testing what foods cause me problems and which do not. I'm not sure how close you are to goal, but for me, modified OWL has been a lifesaver.

That and fitday to keep me totally honest.

[2big4mysize]

Re: OWL is streesing me out!!

once you hav added your 5 net carbs of a rung you don't keep eatting just 5 net carbs of that food each day. you can have more of your bean carbs and less of your fresh daory carbs or whatever you want.

YOu are controlling your exposure to the food the first time you encounter it. Think of yourself as a scientis experimenting on Cranberry. you have a new compound say rung 6 legumes and you need to see if cranberry can a) tolerate the new to her Atkins hydrocarbon compound (those would be carbs), b) can Cranberry tolerate the increase in the total exposure to hydrocarbons in general, c) Can Cranberry tolerate all the hydrocarbons in this subclass ( Not2late could only tolerate certain brands of a type of cheese in rung2) and all this while controlling Cranberry's fat mass.
Now approch it as a scientist carefully taking notes and carefully making slight changes in the hydrocarbon levels Cranberry ingests and you will see OWL is very rigid with many strick rules.

Rememeber to assist you in realizing what reactions to the changes you are perceiving to be correct reactions make only one change at a time.

Happy OWLing.

[Peytonn]

Re: OWL is streesing me out!!

I've thought about your post for a couple of days.. then it HIT me! this is almost my problem ...



I've been basically stalled since August.. when I went back to work...... not being home in the summer.... at my desk.. less active.... and I've strayed WAY too far from the 'rules'... too many carbs... too many additives....

then I realized... I BEGAN this thing while I was working.. in April..... and I think I need to cut back to the basics.... stop playing with recipes..... (GOD that chocolate stuff with the cream cheese and whipped heavy cream and splenda was GOOD)



I'm not knocking OWL.... at ALL~~~

I'm just saying I've got to narrow my choices for now... I think it made my appetite get broader too...

I was down to 144.... now I bounce from 147 to 144.. and that's NOT good..

I want to be in the 130's... SOON!!!

I don't have the answer for you... but your problem made me realize that I think THAT is my problem too...... I've strayed too far from the basics..

good luck!

[cranberry]

Re: OWL is streesing me out!!

thanks for all your replies, folks. I guess I have no choice but to keep trucking and do my best. I am incredibly disappointed in the results over these last few months (I have lost only 8 lbs since february). On the bright side, it IS a loss.

I know I've slacked in exercise. Over the summer, however, I went religiously to the gym 6 days a week for just shy of 6 weeks. And even then, no change. It's so frustrating and hard to keep at when the results aren't there, but I do know (in time) it will happen. I also recognize that the slower the loss, the easier to maintain ... soooo I am not totally fretting.

Anyway. Thank you again. I am going to keep trying