OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

[ValidRouge]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

scales were a lil nicer to me this morning! started this weighing in at 232 and today i'm at 228, so i'm almost at my siggie weight thank god!

Still losing inches though even though i was gaining, that was strange!

Emma, maybe you were eating something before that was causing you to retain water that you've since cut out with this thread?? I know that when I cut out the processed meat and dairy, I lost all that water weight. I've twice had salad with ham and cheese and I've bloated IMMEDIATELY after 2-4 lbs. I have not tried to add the stuff back in separately yet....I really do need to identify if its the processed meat or the cheese...maybe its both. The point, though, is to try and pinpoint exactly what it is that causes the water retention. It could even be as simple as a spice that you might be intolerant of. Anyway, I would highly suspect that's what is going on...

[*Emma*]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

i dont think i dare look at some of the stuff i was eating, i just know ive cleaned up my act now! but i will certainly look for that happening in the future! even a spice, oooo... that could be a lot, ive cut most spices out in the last coupla days.. hmmmm

[mitzimarie]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Another thing Mitzi, you hardly eat anything... I'd be starving by dinner... (like I was tonight) well, everyone has their own way... maybe I eat too much on a regular basis... but don't you need more protein earlier in the day? I feel like that's what gives me energy... Just asking... since we're being all analytical and all...
That was a really good post btw.

Hello, Liz

Thank you about the post - glad I'm not driving you nuts.

Yeah, it certainly does seem that I'm not eating very much when I write it down broken up into meals. I'm used to just looking at a running list of items on Fitday, just concentrating on totals for the whole day. I do eat less than a lot of people, I guess. I did used to eat a lot more in Induction and early on... but as I have gotten closer to goal, my BMR has dropped... it is only 1335 now. As we get smaller (and older - I'm 47), our BMR lowers. And I am less than 5' 3" tall. So, I have been watching calories as well as everything else.

You have a point, too, about my protein intake. I am getting close to the 30% on most days, but I don't get it in until dinner. I know that I "should" get it throughout the day, but that would up my calories more than I am willing to do at this time. And I love a hearty dinner. Now, if I was feeling sluggish during the day or if my weight stopped dropping, I would definitely start playing around with my amount of protein and the time of day that I eat it. But I get through my exercising just fine and I don't think that I've gone 2 consecutive weeks without a loss. I only lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, but that is the way that I wanted to do it. As tempting as it would be to try and drop it faster, I know that it is not in my best interest to do that.

When I get to pre-Maintenance, I will start playing with things again. The book says this about pre-Maintenance:

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If you have been racing along the road to your destination, now is the time to put on the brakes. Much as it is tempting to say, "I can banish these last pounds in a few weeks now that I know how to do Atkins," I strongly advise you to do something that seems quite the opposite on pre-Maintenace, the all-important third phase of Atkins. As you advance toward Lifetime Maintenance, my advice is to proceed so slowly that your weight loss is almost imperceptible. I know that this snail's pace can be excruciating when the end is in sight. But remember, getting to your goal weight is not your ultimate goal; your real goal is to maintain that magic number indefinitely.

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From experience, I know that adding more calories will slow my weight loss down. I am also in my third week of eating no cottage cheese or greek yogurt because that slowed my losses. When I add these back in, which I plan to do in pre-Maintenance, my weight loss will slow down. Adding those dairy items back in will also up my calories some, even though I tried to fill in the gap with more veggies.

Personally, I find OWL takes a lot of time, effort, and attention to details. Finding my CCLL was no easy task. You can't just eat up to a certain number of carbs once or twice a week to test if you can tolerate that number. You have to reach that magic number every day to truly test it. I found it hard to eat up to that level every day. I did it, though, to find my CCLL. (which is 45) Now that I know it, I haven't forced myself to eat up to that number everyday. But I know that I need to test it every now and then because it could change for a variety of reasons. I do think that I exercise more now than I did at the time of that experiment, so it could be higher now... or maybe not. Like I said, I will be playing with things again soon.

Thanks for your reply... I love analyzing this stuff.

[julirama723]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Mitzi, good post--true words! It is SO important to eat that magic number everyday. I still haven't found mine, though I suspect I got close to it. I was eating 90g a day (or between 85-90) and kind of stopped losing. But...

I have figured out another food that stalls me, so perhaps that was part of the problem? COTTAGE CHEESE. I am devastated...but I'll live. I'd rather see the 160s than eat curds and whey. I'm 90% sure it's a staller...I didn't eat cottage cheese on Saturday and on Sunday I weighed in at 172. On Monday and Tuesday I ate it again, and my weight popped back up to 175-176. I didn't eat any yesterday, and this morning I'm back to 172. So that's proof enough for me that cottage cheese will have to wait until pre-maintenance or maintenance.

Dontcha just love OWL? It's one giant science experiment.

[Sweet Strudel]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Breakfast
2 hard boiled eggs
3 thin strips of bacon extra crispy
2 small tomatoes sliced with melted 1.5 oz cheddar cheese
2 16 oz bottles water

Probably tuna for lunch, not sure yet...will report back.

Juli...it is just one big experiment. Everyone is SO individual! We are all really works in progress!

Mitzi...you can be my statistician any day girl. You really have this thing down to a science and are so disciplined...I admire that!

Emma...Great Job on the weight loss...you are headin back down girlie!

Disco...8 inches of cottage cheese WTG!

[gonnabskinny]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Mitzi, good post--true words! It is SO important to eat that magic number everyday. I still haven't found mine, though I suspect I got close to it. I was eating 90g a day (or between 85-90) and kind of stopped losing. But...

I have figured out another food that stalls me, so perhaps that was part of the problem? COTTAGE CHEESE. I am devastated...but I'll live. I'd rather see the 160s than eat curds and whey. I'm 90% sure it's a staller...I didn't eat cottage cheese on Saturday and on Sunday I weighed in at 172. On Monday and Tuesday I ate it again, and my weight popped back up to 175-176. I didn't eat any yesterday, and this morning I'm back to 172. So that's proof enough for me that cottage cheese will have to wait until pre-maintenance or maintenance.

Dontcha just love OWL? It's one giant science experiment.

I agree with both of you as well. It is important to eat at your magic number. Right now the magic number for me is 65 net and will go to 70 next week.

Also, I do try to balance out what I have at each meal. Maybe a little less at breakfast, a little more at lunch, and I too like a hearty dinner. So my 2000 calories might be 500-550 at breakfast, 600-700 at lunch, and then 700+ at dinner. However on days where I know ahead of time what we are doing, I will make some adjustments. Today is a good example. We are heading to lunch in a bit and I know I will probably order the Cobb Salad. It will be a little heavy on protein and fat because the salad itself will not have that many calories and it will also be somewhat light on carbs. It will be mostly the blue cheese dressing, the cheese, the bacon, the egg, and the chicken breast. Tonight we are going out to celebrate our anniversary and I already know that we will probably order the chateaubriand for two with bernaise sauce and I know what bottle of wine that we will go with as well. Veggies, I'm not sure what they will have but I can guess it will have either a side of asparagus, or green beans with carrots, or broccoli. It too will be heavy on protein and fat, as well as calories. So this morning, I had a lighter breakfast that was also lighter on fat.

I also agree that OWL is one interesting experiment! However, this is one that I am thoroughly enjoying!

1 cup of Kashi Go Lean Cereal
1/2 cup of Soy Milk
1/2 cup of strawberries
3 large eggs.

Total 430 calories
30 net carbs!
18 grams of fat
36 grams of protein

[ValidRouge]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

recurrent themes here is that dairy products are problem foods for many (myself included) and we are all stepping back and pushing the veggies and things are going well again...

[Alexa]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Hello everyone,

wow that'll teach me to go awol - lots of catch up to do. Overall it sounds like everyone is doing great - congrats

I wanted to add, for the salad vs other veggies debate I always have at least 3-4 cups salad veggies for lunch and 2 others for dinner partly because I like keeping induction as a base but mainly because I like salad and my routine.

I'm having a bit of an angst at the moment - firstly I feel physically odd. I am getting really hungry, like when I get up I have to eat that SECOND, and then when I eat I feel quite empty and acidic - like when you really push yourself at exercise and feel like you could throw up. This is day four reinducting (but with rung 1, 25g extra veggies only) after 4 weeks of cheating. Normally by day 4 I'm fine.

I'm wondering if I'm just really hungry because I'm not eating enough - I am exercising a lot more than when I first did induction, but the foods are very similar (though with more veg).

Also I am finding it hard to accept my CCLL is a quite low 35g. I feel like I could stick with this WOL better if I had more carbs to play with. I know there's nothing I can do and that my CCLL is higher than some peoples, but I find it really annoying - especially as I exercise about 10 hours a week. I'm just feeling sorry for myself here, I'll get over it.

Ok, food yesterday not fabulous:
B: 2 fried eggs, 2 bacon, 6 cherry toms, 1 oz cheese, 1/2 cup mushrooms
L: 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup spinach, 1/3rd cup green pepper
S: 2 tbsps cream (feeling dessert cravings like crazy)
D: Quorn sausages, 1 cup broccoli, 2 cups kale. ND I know quron isn't on induction, but I've never had issues.

Today:
B: 2 poached eggs, 1 oz cheese, 1/2 cup toms (planned avocado not ripe)
L: 2 cups lettuce, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup rocket, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup green/orange peppers, tuna mayo (4.5oz)
D: (planned) 1 chicken breast cooked in pat butter, 1 cup courgette, 1 cup green beans, 1/2 cup mushrooms in creamy sauce (made with 1 dsp cream)
S:Pepperoni - I know this is not good, but was feeling soo sick and hungry just grabbed it. Would normally snack on nuts, so can't wait to get there again.

I am much hungrier than when I did induction/rung 1 the first time, so am wanting to snack but lack ideas. I don't want to eat cheese all day long, but am aware that veggies on their own may need fat and protein to balance the carbs as DANDR says.

Any thoughts?

oooh, on the plus side I have lost 4lbs. Am 6lbs away from lowest ever - 169lbs.

EDITED TO SAY:
Sorry to sound mad, but the stomach ache/pain is really not good. I've got it badly now and I ate lunch 2 hours ago. It's empty stomach/acid feeling. I reckon you guys'll say eat more, but eat more what? Carbs, fat or protein or all three? This WOL is starting to seem so complex and I really thought I had it down. I don't want to go back to 35g yet because I want to keep losing. Cheating is so not worth it...

[julirama723]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Baarb, remember, you might lose MORE with more carbs. If you know you can eat at least 35g carbs, why not eat more veggies (or higher-carb) veggies to make things exciting? Can you get pumpkin there? Spaghetti squash? Those are two of my favorite higher carb veggies and I NEVER get sick of eating them. Another favorite is cooked cauliflower with mayo and mustard. You can also add cheese, but sometimes I leave cheese off and it's just as good. What about jalapeno poppers? Those are great and REALLY tasty!

[Adena]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Emma, congrats on the 4 pounds! And WTG on having 8 less inches of cottage cheese, Jen! That's awesome! I have enough to share if you decide you miss it....

Alexa, I wish I knew for sure what to tell you. Is it possible that the feeling your stomach after you eat is sensitivity to something you are eating? I get that a couple hours after I eat certain things... eggs, peanut butter in particular. It feels like something is boring in my stomach, trying to get out. Sort of like gas pains, but higher up. As I learned, it could be something you've always eaten, but are now developing a sensitivity to...

As for snack ideas, how about things like bell peppers, celery, and cucumbers (or other veggies) dipped in dressing or mayo? Also, hard-boiled eggs... you might need more protein. Meat and cheese roll ups? (Unless the sodium in the lunch meat bothers you.) Or, to avoid eating too much cheese, lettuce wraps with meat and mayo? A snack of tuna with mayo?

Do you know how many calories your body requires per day (your BMR, with calories added for activity)? If you don't normally use Fitday, it might be a good time to check your calories and percentages on your new induction menu (at least for a few days), to see what you're getting in (vs. what you need).

I agree that once we fall off, getting back on seems more complicated than when we were just sailing along doing fine, huh? Hang in there, Alexa!

----------------

Need more veggies today. So far, I've had:

1 C scrambled tofu with red and green peppers (but not enough of them)
4 slices bacon
1/2 deviled egg
Taco salad (with romaine, tomatoes, black olives, onion, gr beef, salsa, sour cream, and cheese)
About 55 ounces of water down... 45 more to go.

[hopejoy]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Hi everyone!
Thanks Mitzi for your reply! I thought about this all night... your success certainly speaks for itself... I think now that i'm weighing less I need to eat less now too... and that's a good lesson. It is amazing how satisfying and energizing veggies are. I was still hungry last night after dinner and made that little salad thinking 'poor me' and yet, was very satisfied after eating it. It's our mind set and the fact that we're a little brain washed into thinking food is 'it' and certain foods are really 'it'. When we don't need that much... Eat to live vs live to eat... right? Clearing out the cobwebs upstairs...
Anyways, was up late last night, so rushed off this am.... had egg casserole. so good. and coffee... that's it.
Lunch will be oh, how bout... eggs? then I need to go shopping! lol. don't have much else around. lol! I'll also eat a small salad and a cup of green beans.
Gotta scurry 'round and clean house today.
liz

[julirama723]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Oh yeah, I forgot to post my menu:

B: 1 slice of whole grain bread with 1 pat of butter, protein bar
L: 4 oz. grilled chicken, 2 cups celery with dill dip
S: Red bell pepper strips, 1 oz. of mozzarella
D: Bacon cheeseburger, 2 cups broccoli with butter and mozzarella, 1.5 cups warm pumpkin with cream cheese

[Sweet Strudel]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Lunch
3 hard boiled eggs mashed into egg salad made with 2 tbsps of mayo, 1 tsp. mustard, 1/2 packet of splenda, eaten with 5 inner romaine lettuce leaves and 10 sugar snap peas. I 16 oz bottle of water.

[*Emma*]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

B - 2 sausage links
S - hamburger patty
L - whole wheat roll with chicken salad
D - chicken with cheese n mushrooms, small veggie soup

[Alexa]

Re: OWLERS "Stepping Back" thread

Hey everyone,

thanks for the support.

Well today, which is fairly typical for this re-induction (rung 1) I've eaten 1864 cals, 66% fat, 5% carbs, 29% protein. This is 25g carbs exactly. My BMR is 1612 and today I burnt an est 262 calories. Yesterday's food was simlar, burnt 300 cals. When I do football training on Tuesday or bodypump/combat together on Monday it can be as high as est 500-600 calories, though this is a guess based on vague internet research. Anyway I should be able to eat more calories.

Julie - I think more veg is a good idea, I've always been a bit afraid of starchy veg, but this is the right situation in whcih to try it. We have some squash, not spaghetti though, here so I'll get some and try it.

Adena - I really hope it's not an intolerance. I'm going to try eating more and see if that helps before trying to rule things out. Those roll ups and veggies with dip/mayo are a great idea and alternative to cheese, thanks

I think I'll go for 30g tommorrow, but keep it all about the veggies, with a bit of fat to balance it out. Still no other rungs for now.

NB Gross comment following - Sorry to be gross, but this thing really feels like extreme hunger - like you know if you totally push yourself and when you burp and it tastes kind of bile-y, like metallic - it's like that. No fun.