Trying to find my CCLL

[byugrad]

Hi.

A quick question about determining my CCLL. Although I have been climbing the OWL rungs since last August (up to fruit rung), I hadn't increased my carb count much beyond 25 net carbs. So in February I began adding in carbs to hopefully find my CCLL. In Feb. I didn't lose any pounds (after losing 6 in January), but I did lose 10.5 inches -- including 2 off my waist, 1.5 of abdomen, .5 off bust, and 2.5 off chest.

So here's the question -- as long as I'm still losing inches, does that mean I haven't reached my CCLL? Or does the fact that the scale didn't move mean that I've gone over my CCLL?

Thanks for any insights you can share.
Nancy

[not2late]

Re: Trying to find my CCLL

Hi.

A quick question about determining my CCLL. Although I have been climbing the OWL rungs since last August (up to fruit rung), I hadn't increased my carb count much beyond 25 net carbs. So in February I began adding in carbs to hopefully find my CCLL. In Feb. I didn't lose any pounds (after losing 6 in January), but I did lose 10.5 inches -- including 2 off my waist, 1.5 of abdomen, .5 off bust, and 2.5 off chest.

So here's the question -- as long as I'm still losing inches, does that mean I haven't reached my CCLL? Or does the fact that the scale didn't move mean that I've gone over my CCLL?

Thanks for any insights you can share.
Nancy

Hi Nancy. Congrats on those lost inches!

I'm a slow loser who loses inches faster than pounds. Loss of inches is still weight loss according to Dr. Atkins: remember a weight loss plateau or stall is 4 consecutive week without losing pounds or inches. So if you are still losing inches, you haven't reached your CCLL.

If you have doubts about individual foods you've added. You can re-take the "Blood Sugar Symptom Test" in Chapter 12 to see if a food you added is causing some type of problem with you.

[2big4mysize]

Sounds like you were doing a modified OWL and did very well.

that is correct as long as you are losing inches you are losing fat mass and that is what Atkins is all about.

When you stop your losses both scale and inches you can test to see if you have reached your CCLL by backing your carbs down 5 for 2 weeks and seeing if the loss startes again. if so then you know you are less then 5 net carbs from your CCLL.

Oh one word of advice you will stop registering on sticks for any ketones when you get your carbs over 50 ne taccording to Dr Atkins in DANDR but you are still in ketosis so don't let that determine your CLL.

Didi you do a clean 14 day induction? if so you can guestimate your CCLL from the charts based on the type of loser you are.

Oh and you haven't been posting your exercise in the ADBB PRES CHALLENGE fitness sight are you still working out? cause exercise is mandatory part of your Atkins and it will effect your CCLL when I was working out hard last Feb before my knee surgery i was eating over 100 net carbs and losing then while I was off my leg I had to drop itback down to around 45

Happy OWLing

[byugrad]

Thanks to you both for the responses. I was pretty sure that as long as the inches were dropping, I was still OK.

I did a clean induction and lost 11 pounds during the first 2 weeks. Lost at a fairly good clip through October and then things slowed down (pounds mostly, still lost inches -- so not technically a stall).

I haven't been as scientific in doing OWL as I should be. I only recently realized that it meant adding only one food per week. Can't say for sure whether any foods were responsible for slowing down the loss. I plan to be much more deliberate and eat the same new OWL food (while dropping some I've eaten previously) to figure it all out. But that will have to wait until after a business trip next week. I'll stay legal, but it usually takes some creativity.

But so far, eating an apple is the only thing that has caused cravings. So, I don't eat one very often (usually as an emergency when I have to travel for work).

Unfortunately, I have never registered on the ketostix (except when I tested very shortly after eating a high-fat meal just to make sure the crazy sticks even worked). I've relied more on how I feel and the measuring tape to monitor my progress.

I have been exercising. Since I joined the president's challenge late, I wasn't sure whether I was really part of it. I keep a record of my exercise, so will update it as far back as it will let me. I've only missed 2 or 3 days so far in 2005, although some days are more intense than others. I try to burn off at least 2500 calories a week through exercise and was over 10K steps each day for all of February.

Thanks again.
Nancy