When to move to OWL?

[heatherm422]

Is there any specific time to move to OWL? Just curious about moving on to the next phase but kinda nervous too LOL

[ValidRouge]

Re: When to move to OWL?

Hi, Heather. You can move into the OWL phase as early as day 15 if you'd like. I certainly encourage everyone to do that. The vegetables on the first "rung" of the "carbohydrate ladder" are so important for the FIBER and nutrients they provide. You can stay on any of the "rungs" as long as you like.

Don't be nervous about adding more veggies to your diet. The phase is called Ongoing Weight Loss. Meaning you will CONTINUE TO LOSE WEIGHT plus you'll get more variety because you are adding foods back in. Dr. A tells us which foods to add back in a certain order based on their impact on your blood sugar (and subsequently insulin response) Veggies have very little impact, so the are added first. Dairy products are next, then nuts, then berries, then alcohol, then legumes, then fruits, then starchy veggies (including corn, carrots and YES, Potatoes!) and then grains.

[heatherm422]

Re: When to move to OWL?

Thanks!

[Lamby-pie]

Re: When to move to OWL?

I also moved to OWL on day 15.
I read on another Atkins board that a woman lost 100 lbs on Atkins, but stayed in induction the whole time.
Once she hit goal, she could eat nothing but salad and meat, or she started piling the weight back on.
This terrified me, and I keep myself mindful of it. OWL is the way to go.

[not2late]

Re: When to move to OWL?

As the others have said, you can move onto OWL on Day 15---right after you complete the 14 day Induction. Dr. Atkins said the only people who benefit from extending their Induction are the ones who have a high metabolic resistance to weight loss.

Anyhow, if you to choose to stay on Induction longer, just remember that you have to spend the last 5-10 pounds in Pre-Maintenance phase.

Don't make the mistake of rushing through OWL. During OWL, you need to find your Critical Carbohydrate Losing Level. That is important for 2 reasons: 1. you will learn how many carbs your body can have and still lose weight and 2. knowing your CCLL will help you find your CCML (Critical Carbohydrate Maintenance Level).

The CCLL is an interesting thing because we have OWLers who have CCLLs over 50 net carbs daily---imagine all the carby foods they can eat and still lose weight! So it's a big mistake to think "Oh well, I don't think I can eat more than 30 net carbs. So I'll just eat 30 and when I move to Maintenance I'll just eat 35 and be done with it." Nope. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. As long as you eat at or below your CCLL, you will still lose weight---which doesn't help you very much when you are trying to maintain your goal weight.

So use the charts in the book to determine what your level of metabolic resistance to weight loss because that will help you plan your Atkins out. Too many people automatically assume that since they "only" lost 9 pounds during their first 14 days of Induction, they are resistant to weight loss <---- unfortunately, these people have deceived themselves and have done a great injustice to themselves because they never read the book.

[eschli35]

Re: When to move to OWL?

So then is it okay to stay on the first rung of owl the veggies rung for a good while without increasing your carbs by more that the 5 it says you can? I have quite a bit left to lose and a low metabolic resistince according to the chart in the book.

[not2late]

Re: When to move to OWL?

So then is it okay to stay on the first rung of owl the veggies rung for a good while without increasing your carbs by more that the 5 it says you can? I have quite a bit left to lose and a low metabolic resistince according to the chart in the book.

Have you found your CCLL? If you haven't, it's not a good idea to hang around at a carb level significantly lower than your CCLL. We've had ADBB members, in the past, you did the "modified OWL", in which they remained at Induction Level Carbs while going up the carb ladder. They hit the same weight loss plateau that the extended Induction people do and they only break out of it when they start doing OWL properly.

Having a low metabolic resistance to weight loss, means that you lose weight more easily than someone with a high metabolic resistance to weight loss. As Dr. Atkins wrote:

As I'm sure you've guessed, the degree of metabolic resistance to weight loss that your body shows corresponds to your degreee of difficulty in getting well into lipolysis. By definition, resistance to weight loss is resistance to lipolysis.

So if you have a low resistance to weight loss, you have a low resistance to lipolysis, which means you can easily lose fat.

[eschli35]

Re: When to move to OWL?

Okay I know that about the low resitance thing and I was very glad about that. I have about 70lbs I would like to still lose and it said in the book it was okay to stay in induction longer if you have a lot to lose. But no I have not found my CCLL.

[not2late]

Re: When to move to OWL?

The book also says the only people who may benefit from doing Induction longer are those people who have metabolic resistance issues because Induction might help correct those issues.

But the choice is yours. I only advise that you plan your transition to OWL and Pre-Maintenance carefully, because you still need to find your CCLL and move through the OWL rungs, before you transition to Pre-Maintenance.

[eschli35]

Re: When to move to OWL?

Shoot now i just don't know what to do. I would really like to lose at a good pace and I am doing that. But I don't want to stall out later or mess up my system. I will get out my book and read again the part about moving into owl. I would be kinda nice to vary my menu I guess. I am just so nervous. I have lost so much I just want to lose the rest and be done! Well not done with atkins I know it is not a diet you just get done and go off, but done with the losing part and onto the maintaining part.

[not2late]

Re: When to move to OWL?

I know how you feel. But OWL isn't a death sentence. You'll still lose weight, and you'll be able to eat a wider variety of foods while you do it.

[julirama723]

Re: When to move to OWL?

OWL is HEAVEN! People have no idea I'm on any sort of eating plan. I eat berries, nuts, steaks, whole grain bread, yummy salads, apples with peanut butter, the whole shebang. And really, OWL has never made me feel deprived or like I'm TRYING to lose weight! OWL is just how I eat, and losing pounds is a pleasant bonus.

Take the rungs slowly, and follow the rules of OWL. It is so important to find the foods you can tolerate, and the foods you can't. Make sure you're eating a new food only 3x during the first week, and if it causes no problems, you may eat it daily after that. Also, do the rungs in ORDER! I see so many people who take a food from this rung, and a food from that rung, but say they're on the veggie rung of OWL. Patience is key. Do it right, do it by the book. After all, you are re-training yourself how to eat for the REST OF YOUR LIFE.

I lost 25 pounds doing induction/extended induction, but I've lost almost 50 pounds on OWL!!!

[heatherm422]

Re: When to move to OWL?

Thanks for the great advice! That helps me decide to move on! I didn't really do that the first time around and that really sabotaged me in the end.

[attek]

Re: When to move to OWL?

I would also encourage you to move on to OWL and at least find your CCLL. Then if you choose, you can back off your carbs or go down a few rungs if you feel your pace of weight loss is too slow. You need to develop a very thorough understanding of your body and the foods you can eat so that you can make your weight loss permanent.

[eschli35]

Re: When to move to OWL?

Thank you so much. I think the last time I did atkins I stayed in induction too long. (4\5months!) and it ended up working agianst me. I guess I need to move up. You guys are the best!