OWL Conundrum

[transypodge]

I've now officially moved onto Rung 1, but I've encountered a conundrum. I use Fitday to monitor my fat/protein/carb ratios. I realize that by adding in more carbs (right now +5), my percentages are going to shift from the induction numbers (65/30/5). I've been eating more veggies, but I really don't like salad. For example, this week I've eaten a lot of green beans and pumpkin--which I realize are a bit higher in carb but also high in fiber. Even though I've been keeping my net carb number under 25, my carb ratio via Fitday is anywhere from 8-11%. This seems like to big of a jump. Is it? I've tried to eat more fat, for example, to balance my numbers, but it only marginally shifts the picture. I guess I feel that my carb percentage is spiking too much. My attempts to engineer my ratio have resulted in me eating when I'm not hungry at the end of the day--which I know is bad. For example, I planned out my menu this morning, and it worked out alright on Fitday. I got to the end of the day and I'm not hungry enough to finish my planned menu--so then again, my numbers are skewed (this time not enough fat). Does this make sense? Are there any hard and fast ratio targets for each rung? Thanks!

[MsUnderstood0000]

Re: OWL Conundrum

Transypodge.
I started owl on friday. I am having the same problems. I added sauerkraut and pumpkin. The back of my can of kraut said its 100% carbs from fiber. How cool is that lol. Anyways, i digress. Today my ratio was 65F/ 26 P/ 9% carbs. Friday, i had 9%, sat 8% , sunday 13%. I have caught myself doing the same thing as you are, messing with higher protein/ higher fat foods in fitday to add to the end of my day to ration out the percentages. I have read the book, I have read the stickies. Maybe I just don't get it. I am going to keep going on rung 1, there is still veggies i want to introduce. If I don't lose, I may go back to Induction, however, I dont see more veggies as ever making a person gain weight. Even tho our ratio's maybe higher the total number of calories are lower in my case that is, and the carbs are still under 25. I might be wrong about that, we shall see. I just wanted you to know, you are not alone. I can't offer you much in wisdom but I commiserate with your dilemna.

[whereami]

Re: OWL Conundrum

I am right there with you both and having the same problems! I end up planning my menus and tweaking them but then not having enough room in my stomach to finish the meals. Alot leftover and I never make it to the planned 20 carbs -- ok i might have made it once. lol.

I keep trying like making soups and pureeing the veggies and putting them in ground beef but the problem is i end up not being able to finish it.

I leave it for later and find that I either eat the left overs of lunch for dinner or my planned dinner but i end up not getting in enough carbs for the veggies.

Hopefully we can get more help.

[Georgiana]

Re: OWL Conundrum

transypodge, don't be to worried about the percentages. Yes, they will shift as you progress through the different phases of Atkins and that's normal. The protein should stay at around 30%. If the veggies are at 8-11%, that's okay. When I was on Rung 1, I had them approximately the same. There is a sticky about OWL percentages here: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...rcentages.html

MsUnderstood0000. If you are not losing weight, what you have to do is take a step back by either dropping the last food you've added or by going back 5 net carbs, depending on what your last step forward was. Abusing Induction is not a solution.

whereami, if you are usually too full to eat your veggies, you can start your meals with them and leave most of the meat (or whatever you're eating them with) to the end.

[sadie147]

Re: OWL Conundrum

the 65/30/5 %'s are for induction..as Georgiana has mentioned.

Your carbs % 's will gradually go up and fat down as you progress to maintenance. Depending on what foods you can add bad and don't have issues with, your numbers will vary. Protein usually stays the same.

In maintenance I now usually have anywhere from 40-50% fat and up to 30% carbs depending on the day!

[not2late]

Re: OWL Conundrum

Also, remember you are only adding 5 net carbs of the OWL veggies, which are in addition to the 3 cups amount of vegetables you have been eating during your induction.

[MsUnderstood0000]

Re: OWL Conundrum

Georgiana said:::"or by going back 5 net carbs, depending on what your last step forward was. Abusing Induction is not a solution. "

going back 5 net carbs DOES tho put me back to induction..... IS that abuse?? I can add new veggies into induction from rung 1 staying at 20 net carbs, yes or no? My average daily amount of carbs during induction was 14 grams. I have actually lost a 1.5 pounds since friday, I don't anticipate a problem ,however I may still have questions as I figure this out............for what its worth, a smilie does not make an off handed comment any less stinging. I in no way intend to abuse induction, and you hurt my feelings with that, I read the book, Dr. A says up to six months, I did two weeks and moved on.... i jumped into owl to learn how to do this right.

[not2late]

Re: OWL Conundrum

Msunderstood, dropping back 5 net carbs is one option, as Georgianna wrote, but so is reviewing your menues to see if the weight loss stopped when you added a new food.

Also for the next few days, measure everything you eat and drink. There is a tendency to either overestimate or underestimate food amounts. I have to go back and measure once in a while to make sure I'm not overestimating an amount of this food or that food.

If you've changed any prepared foods, for example using a different brand of salad dressing, see if that corresponded with the weight loss stoppage.

you might want to consider dropping either the pumpkin or the sauerkraut from your menu to see if those foods have interfered with your weight loss. If your weight loss resumes, then add only 1 of those foods at a time.

For example:

Mon: 5 net carbs pumpkin

Tues

Wed: 5 net carbs pumpkin

Thurs

Fri: 5 net carbs pumpkin

Sat

Sun: 5 net carbs pumkin

On tuesday, thursday, and saturday, eat 5 net carbs of a veggie you have been eating during Induction. That way, your daily net carbs stay the same throughout the week.

[MsUnderstood0000]

Re: OWL Conundrum

I have been losing so far, I'm five days into OWL, I weigh officially on fridays, but i was curious of course and stepped on it a couple days ago. I ate saurkraut and cabbage in the same day. Wooweee can you say wooshieeee. LOL... I actually bought the biggest loser scale and have been weighing a lot of my food. I measure everything I eat, its become a habit. Serious about this being the last time. As far as the pumpkin goes. I ate it, friday, monday and i have one more serving from the can, its ok, but......it probably wont be a regular staple in my menu's. I guess I dont miss sweet stuff as much as I thought I did, I even mixed 2 oz of cream cheese in it last night and it just fell flat. BUT I was eating not hungry, eating for ratio's and at that point, I think my total calorie intake was about 800 for the day ,not enough. Most days, I am still not hungry. I did go back and look at my protein percentages. They are ball park, 31, 32, 28, and so on. Was happy to see that, and I am trying to get a feel for that, you can be under your carb allowance for the day, but if your ratio's are off, I am understanding it as it will effect your losses. Thankyou for all your help.

[not2late]

Re: OWL Conundrum

I have been losing so far, I'm five days into OWL, I weigh officially on fridays, but i was curious of course and stepped on it a couple days ago. I ate saurkraut and cabbage in the same day. Wooweee can you say wooshieeee. LOL... I actually bought the biggest loser scale and have been weighing a lot of my food. I measure everything I eat, its become a habit. Serious about this being the last time. As far as the pumpkin goes. I ate it, friday, monday and i have one more serving from the can, its ok, but......it probably wont be a regular staple in my menu's. I guess I dont miss sweet stuff as much as I thought I did, I even mixed 2 oz of cream cheese in it last night and it just fell flat. BUT I was eating not hungry, eating for ratio's and at that point, I think my total calorie intake was about 800 for the day ,not enough. Most days, I am still not hungry. I did go back and look at my protein percentages. They are ball park, 31, 32, 28, and so on. Was happy to see that, and I am trying to get a feel for that, you can be under your carb allowance for the day, but if your ratio's are off, I am understanding it as it will effect your losses. Thankyou for all your help.

Good!

The ratio is a guide. For OWL, it's almost non-existent because OWL is very individualized. The important thing to remember about the ratios in OWL is to keep the protein at 30% and don't lower the fat to less than 50-55%. On Rung 1, you should keep eating the same amount of fat you did during Induction. On Rungs 2 and 3, you'll have to juggle the fat a bit because Rung 2 and 3 foods are higher in fat than Rung 1 (or the other rungs for that matter.) So on a day you eat 1 ounce of nuts or 5 net carbs of cottage cheese, you don't eat 1 serving of added fat----so that you keep a balance.

[transypodge]

Re: OWL Conundrum

I really appreciate everyone's input. I feel like I am more or less on the right track. I will definitely check out that sticky--I don't know why I missed it before!! I'm sure that I'll be back with more OWL questions. You all rock!!

[Elizellen]

Re: OWL Conundrum

The back of my can of kraut said its 100% carbs from fiber. How cool is that lol.

I noticed this and thought that surely kraut (made from cabbage) can not have zero net carbs.

I looked up sauerkraut nutrition info and found that most references listed about half of the carbs (on a US label) as being fiber but on UK/European labels where the fibre is not counted as bing a carbohydrate at all the carbs listed were about equal to the grams of fibre listed.

So do recheck your label to make sure whether the fibre/fiber has already been deducted from the total carbs.

[MsUnderstood0000]

Re: OWL Conundrum

Yes this surprised me too, all the carbs were listed equal to the amount of fibre. I don't even know the brand name, it was in a glass jar. I just used what fitday had anyways. I probably wont buy that brand again. Can you cook the sour out of sauerkraut, it just was not "bitey" enough for me.