Introduction to OWL

[loonatika]

Introduction to OWL

I started OWL after my two week induction and haven't looked back. It has been a major reason I have been able to stick to Atkins - lots of extra menu choices, using ground flax and almond flour for baking cakes, more variety in snacks, and the fun of testing out the rungs. I averaged just under 1 lb/week loss over the past 9 months on OWL, and lost so much more in inches (down from a size 18 to a size 10 so far). OWL has definately been the reason I have been so successful on this WOE.


Ongoing Weight Loss or OWL is the next step of the Atkins Diet after Induction. It involves the most important part of this diet and that is finding out your Critical Carb Level for Losing (CCLL) or ACE (Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium).

This number is the amount of net carbohydrates you can eat in a day and still lose weight. It varies between individuals and is affected by the amount of physical activity you do. Most people find the more exercise they do, the higher their CCLL.

OWL works by adding in 5 net grams of a rung for a fixed amount of time. During that time you check for food tolerances, cravings and triggers. If all is ok, then you go up to the next rung and add in another 5 net grams of carb. There is no fixed time for each rung, you can stay on a rung for a week - or over a month, it is up to you.

Please make sure you always have fat with your new carbs to help with cravings. If a food group causes cravings, drop it immediately. You may find you can add it in later on in your Atkins program.

The first week you add in an 5 net grams of carb. If this is a new food to you, then eat it nore than 3 times a week. If it's a food you've already had in your plan then eat that food in moderation one time daily. If you have no triggers or cravings, then you can successfully add this food rung into your diet. Otherwise, please stop straight away.

(Also, if you try something new to you from an earlier rung, even while on the later rungs of OWL, this rule still applies ie: In summer, while on the whole grains rung, you have mango, mango can only be eaten up to 3x a week for that first week)

If we use the vege rung as an example, this may be your first week, presuming that the foods are new to you:
Monday: Induction menu
Tuesday: Induction menu with 1/2 cup of asparagus, 1/2 cup brussel sprouts
Wednesday: Induction type menu
Thursday: Induction menu
Friday: Induction menu with 1 cup caesar salad with romaine
Saturday: Induction menu
Sunday: Induction menu with 1 cup cherry tomato (raw)

If you were averaging for example 15 grams of net carbs during induction - then the 5 net gram rule still applies. Your first rung of OWL will contain up to 20 grams of net carbs in total.


OWL Rungs:
1: Vegetables
2: Dairy
3: Nuts and Seeds
4: Berries & Melons
5: Wine and other spirits low in carbs
6: Legumes
7: Fruits other than berries
8: Starchy Veges
9: Whole Grains


CCLL / ACE:
To find out your CCLL or ACE, continue adding 5 net grams of carb each time you move up a rung. Keep track on the scale and with a tape measure. If after moving up a rung you find you have stopped losing weight and inches (and for the women, TOM isn't involved) you should have found your CCLL number. You can now plan your menus around this number - just keep your carb count BELOW your CCLL and you will continue to lose weight.

Once you have gone through Pre-Maintenance and reached Maintenance, you will then eat ABOVE this number, to stop losing any further weight - it then becomes your CCLM (Critical Carb Level for Maintenance).

If you want to know more about OWL, please check the stickies at the top of the OWL forum, and read up chapter 14 of your DANDR 2002

We wish you the best with your OWLing!

[punkett]

Introduction to OWL

Lost 7lbs on induction, getting ready to move along to phase 2 and just wanted to know what a typical phase 2 meal plan would look like. Does anyone know a website that would provide some info, I have the book will definately read the section for ongoing weight loss.

[punkett]

Advice on OWL

Getting ready to start on sunday, but I need a website that provides recipe ideas using accepable veggies and also the new veggies from rung 1.

[Elizellen]

Re: Introduction to OWL

The first rung of OWL is to add another net 5 carbs of the veggies on the 'allowed list' - not any extra veggies, so your induction recipes will be fine, but you can have more of the veggies.
If you want to add a new one you havent tried before then you have to add that on alternate days the first week, with perhaps extra of a veg you already ate on induction on the other days.
This is to check whether the new veg affects you at all. (If it makes you have cravings then it is affecting your insulin production and should be dropped for the moment)
If all is well the second week you can have that veg every day if you want.

Hope this helps.

[Kanita]

Re: Introduction to OWL

say you don't drink... what do you do? just go right on to then next rung or continue with the one before until you get to the next rung?

xoxo
Kanita.

[not2late]

Re: Introduction to OWL

say you don't drink... what do you do? just go right on to then next rung or continue with the one before until you get to the next rung?

xoxo
Kanita.

If you don't like the foods on a particular rung or can't eat/drink those foods, just skip over that rung.

[tynik30]

Re: Introduction to OWL

what are you guys talking about with the rung thing?

[Elizellen]

Re: Introduction to OWL

This phase of Atkins called 'ongoing weight loss' or OWL is laid out in 'levels' where we add 5 net carbs of different food groups to find our CCLL and see which individual foods affect us (if any).
Dr Atkins called this the OWL 'ladder' and so we often refer to the 'levels' as 'rungs'.

[carrieann]

Re: Introduction to OWL

So Im on extended induction now will move up one rung and for instance I am now consuming 3cups usually of salad veggies a day now I can maybe add in green beans I love green could I eat 3 cups of greenbeans and a cup of salad veggies?

[2big4mysize]

Re: Introduction to OWL

you add 5 net carbs to the induction 3 cups so if a cup of grean beans is 5 net carbs you can add it to your induction veggies but you always have to have the 3 cups of induction veggies and you have to only feed your hunger not your likes dislikes and empty space in your tummy.

[foxfire1977]

Re: Introduction to OWL

Wow I sure hope I understand the way the whole rung thing works by the time I move on to OWL.

[Hopeful1]

Re: Introduction to OWL

lol same here I'm so lost! I decided to read up on it early though hoping I'll get it all by then. My one concern is how in the heck do I add more food when I already feel like I'm eating enough as it is.

[kisstuck]

Re: Introduction to OWL

Eventually, the new foods you add will take the place of some you are already eating. For instance: you usually eat 8 ounces of steak with a 2 cup salad. You may choose to eat a 6 ounce steak with 2 cups of salad and a cup of green beans. You are not always eating more food. And you don't have to eat from each of the rungs everyday. Say you are on rung 2-dairy. Maybe you don't feel like an extra veggie today, but instead you choose cottage cheese from the dairy rung.

Is it clear as mud yet? I'm sure I still don't do everything right, but I am learning each day. Don't skip a rung just because you "think" you won't eat anything in that rung. For instance rung 3-nuts/seeds. Some people don't like nuts, so they skip it, but lots of recipes call for almond flour and such, so it is a good rung to make sure you spend some time on. I chose to do rung 5-alcohol. I do not drink very often at all, but I didn't want to deprive myself of a drink now and then forever, so I kept that rung in my diet.

It helps to track your percentages of fat/protien/carbs in fitday. If you are not already doing this, I suggest you check it out.

Have I confused you enought for one day? Hope this helps!

[gonnabskinny]

Re: Introduction to OWL

It is hard early on, but you do start to figure it out, trust me! You just start balancing things a little more as you go up each rung. You really will have to use a journal such as fitday or my-calorie-counter I actually use both, but I prefer my-calorie-counter because it breaks it down by meal. Really each has pluses and minuses.

What I try to do is to figure out ahead of time where I'm at and then put something into my meal that day to even out the percentages.

Below my signature is a link to my fitday journal, if you would like to take a look. It will kind of give you an idea, though I'm still working on learning. The key for me is to keep my protein at about 30% of my overall calories and I also try to keep my calories in the 1800-2000 Kcal per day range. That means each day, I will need to have about 135 to 150 grams of protein. I also try to spread my protein out throughout the day. Maybe 40-45 at breakfast, 45-50 at lunch, and another 50 or so at dinner.

I hope this helps. By the way Hopeful1, where abouts in Dallas do you live? We live in Allen!

[CATBLUE]

Re: Introduction to OWL

1: Vegetables
2: Dairy
3: Nuts and Seeds
4: Berries & Melons
5: Wine and other spirits low in carbs
6: Legumes
7: Fruits other than berries
8: Starchy Veges
9: Whole Grains[/color]

Ok.. this may be silly... But what if you don't do # 2... I mean, Since we could have aged cheese, sour cream, butter and cream on induction, the only things left to add are milk, yogurt and fresh cheese..

What happens if I just don't eat those things?
I don't drink milk... it makes my stomach cramp and makes me rust to the potty.

I like yogurt but most of them are full of fruit and sugar....

I'm ok with cottage cheese but I haven't eaten it in years.

Do I now have to put these things in my diet? Can I go straight to nuts...?

What about #4.. Berries and Melons.. ? I'm allergic to all melons.. But I can eat a few berries but I have to be careful about the seeds... I have a difficult time with small seeds.

#5... Wine.. that I can figure out!!!