Can I Mix It Up with OWL???

[amwin12]

Okay I am new to OWL and I am just curious about mixing it up. Let's say I want to eat cottage cheese and macadamia nuts today and including all my food intake today my carb count doesn't go over 25 g.

Since this is my first week on OWL does it matter what rung I start with just as long as my carb count is in tack?

What's confusing for me is that I know you're suppose to increase your carb intake by 5 g but my carb count is not the same everyday sometimes it would be 10, 15 etc... so how can I work this?

Please help b/c I really want to do well with OWL as this is all new for me since I have NEVER gone beyond Induction during my sevreral attempts with Atkins.

[SunnySmile501]

Re: Can I Mix It Up with OWL???

You really should follow the steps (rungs) of OWL. THat's the only way to know how each new food you add back in is going to affect your weight loss. The first week you just add 5 extra grams from the induction veggie list. You can stay on each rung for as long as you want, but at least stay one week. When you add a totally new food, you can only have it three times in the first week, and don't add another new food until you see how you do with the other one. Rung #2 is dairy and #3 is nuts and seeds. Do you have the book??? Dr. A describes it very well in the chapter on OWL. Nuts, seeds and fruits (berries) are really tricky. They are most likely to kick off cravings.

Sunny!

[not2late]

Re: Can I Mix It Up with OWL???

I agree with Sunny. Follow Dr. Atkins' OWL plan in the 2002 edition---it's less confusing, you'll be able to keep track of your carbs and foods better, and it's a slower process so you'll be less likely to mess up.

[kate58]

Re: Can I Mix It Up with OWL???

At all of the early stages of Atkins - induction and the first few rungs of OWL - at least half of your carbs should come from veg. The Veg rung is an absolute must, and a lot of the people who have been successful stay there for a while or at the least continue to ensure that the majority of their carbs came from veg as they climb the other rungs.

If you look at the really successful people, veg is the mainstay of what they eat. I think it is no accident the good doctor put this as the first rung and insisted that people eat their veg on induction. It was to create good habits. In fact all of OWL is about creating good habits, and the order in which foods are intorduced and the slowness assist with that.

[Mothercooter]

Re: Can I Mix It Up with OWL???

The rungs are put in order of which foods are less likely to cause stalls the lower glycemic index foods.