Doing OWL

[Thiswillbethetime]

Sorry guys...I am sure this is a duplicate, but I didn't even know where to begin with searching.

I moved into Extended Induction on Thursday, but I am reading up on OWL for when I progress into it. I am very confused on the 5 gram thing. I am eating about 10 g. of net carbs per day. I am a bit picky about veggies so on most days I am eating 3 cups of romaine/spinach mix per day (about 2 carbs). So when I start on rung 1 I am adding 5 grams of veggies. Is this 2 cups more than I eat now to equal 5 grams of carbs or 5 more grams of carbs so it would be like 6 more cups of veggies in a day. I know with other veggies the amounts would be different, but this is my main staple of veggies as of now (I am working on trying other veggies )

If I do each rung for 3 weeks am I adding an additional 5 g. of carbs per week or the 5 g. addition for the 3 weeks. Do you stay on the rung for multiple weeks to allow your body to adjust?

Also on induction there is the rule about certain veggies that you cannot have more than 1 cup of a certain veggies as long as you don't have more than 2 cups of the others...How does that rule work on OWL?

Sorry to ramble on with my question, but I want to make sure that I have a complete understanding when I do end up moving on.

[Elizellen]

Re: Doing OWL

On Owl you can add 5 net carbs of veggies from either induction list.

Fitday calculates that your 3 cups of mixed romaine/spinach make only 1 net carb!!
1.5 cups romain = 2 - 1.4 fiber = 0.6 net carbs
1.5 cups spinach = 1.6 - 1.2 fiber = 0.4 net carbs

So if you stick to just lettuce & spinach on OWL rung one you will need to add about 15 cups of it for your 5 net carbs worth!!

So try to choose other vegetables instead.

As an aside - if you have only been eating 1 net carb of veg per day on induction so far you should have had problems making sure that 'most' of your carbs were from your veg on those days unless you ate very, very, very little cheese, eggs, cream & sweeteners

With only 1 net carb from veg you really should only have been eating up to 0.75 net carbs of those non-veg sources - so just one egg or 3/4 of a sweetener serving or 3/4 ounce of cheese!!

[Thiswillbethetime]

Re: Doing OWL

So each week on OWL I must add a full 5 grams of carbs..is that correct.

Elizellen-I unfortunately have not been getting most of my carbs from veggies which do know and am slowly trying to find new veggies that I enjoy.

[Elizellen]

Re: Doing OWL

If you can add 5 net carbs that would be ideal, but if only maybe 2 or 3 then it will mean that finding your CCLL will be much slower, as it will take longer to reach it.

Take a look at the 'power of 5' thread to see what sort of quantities it would mean.

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/ongoing-weight-loss-owl/5519-owl-power-5-5-net-gram-foods.html

Something like 1/2 cup onions or 3/4 cup of red peppers (sliced and measured raw then sautééd in butter) isn't too large a serving on top of a nice pork chop for instance.

Or 2/3 cup of spaghetti squash is quite a small amount to have with a yummy cheese sauce poured over it.

Or 1/2 cup of canned pure pumpkin could make a great dessert mixed with sweetener and maybe cream - or do a search for pumpkin recipes. I found one for making pumpkin bars which my husband loves (without knowing it has pumpkin in it )

You can make pizzas from grated cauliflower or courgettes (zucchini) too!!

Vegetables dont have to be just raw or boiled

[Desertthorn]

Re: Doing OWL

The second rung, more veggies means you can go up to at least 25 g of carbs instead of the 20 that we are allowed.
What you should do is see if you can't add some different veggies to your diet. You need a colorful assortment, not just green. Try a jicama...it tastes something like an apple. Get something red into your diet, red pepper is awesome and full of great vitamins. You can make a great dip and use it for the dipper. Yellow can be waxed beans. Folks who aren't fans of veggies find that they can hide them in soups, salsas, cassarole. Cauliflower, especially frozen is so good for you but has a mild flavor and covered in cheese and bacon, can't even taste it.
We can do this