HELP! Can I have this???

[PHAT Beth]

This is really a DUMB impulse buy. I am looking at a big ol container of "Biggest Loser All Natural Whey Protein Supplement". Ingredients as follows:

Total Carb: 8g
Dietary Fiber: 6g
Sugars: 1g

I bought it because it has a picture of a chocolate shake on the front. I am on extended induction. Can I have it, or should I slap myself?

[Georgiana]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

If you choose to extend your Induction, you must stick to the Induction rules. Whey is a milk product only allowed on OWL Rung 2.

[PHAT Beth]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Thought so. Guess I'll put it away for a couple more months then. I don't need it anyway. Thanks, girl!

[Georgiana]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Okay, I've just noticed your signature. Months?! Why are you not moving to OWL? You are only cheating yourself of some wonderful food options. There's no reason to be scared of OWL. You will continue to lose weight and, more important, you will learn how to keep it off once you've reached your goal. And all this while enjoying plenty of vegetables, yogurt, fresh cheeses, milk, nuts, berries, etc.

[PHAT Beth]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Well, I thought the longer I stayed on induction, the faster I would lose the weight. I don't have any cravings, and I am pretty staisfied right now. Also, to tell the truth, I am afraid to move because I don't know what to do next. I don't want to slow down, although I have not lost a single pound in a week. I am sooo cun-fyused.

[PHAT Beth]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

You still there? Do you think I should move on? I've been on the fence about it... I have heard moving to OWL can jump start your weight loss too.

[Georgiana]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Beth, I've seen so many people on this board who lose all their weight on Induction or on very first rungs of OWL. And you know what? They come back after a months or years, with part/all that weight back. It is quite sad to work your butt off on Induction for a few months and then throw everything away just as fast as you gained it. The phases are there for a reason -- not only lose weight, but keep it off, learn your body and learn which foods it can handle and which not.

There is really nothing to be scared about. First, find the average number of net carbohydrate you ate during Induction. Let's say this is 14. Then find your degree of metabolic resistance using the charts on page 158 of DANDR (you can also find the charts here: http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...-ace-ccll.html). Now add another 5 net carbs to the average -- if you had 14 net carbs, this will give you 19. On OWL Rung 1, those extra 5 g of net carbohydrate should come from vegetables. If you eat the same vegetables you ate during induction, then it doesn't matter what you eat and when. If you introduce a new vegetable though, you should only eat it every other day. You do this for every rung of OWL, but you should not add more than one new food per week.

The OWL phase is described is Chapter 14 of DANDR. There is also very useful stickies about it on the board:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/ongoing-weight-loss-owl/5211-introduction-owl.html

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/ongoing-weight-loss-owl/5516-owl-carbohydrate-ladder.html

For OWL Rung 1, not2late gives a few sample menus and some more info here:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/ongoing-weight-loss-owl/25258-eating-more-vegetables-owl.html

If you have questions, this is the link to the OWL forum:
Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) - Atkins Diet

[liv]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Have you been counting your carbs? Do you know how many you eat every day?
That is usually the starting point before starting owl. And then the next step is to eat a bit more vegetables. It is not really hard. And it is very healthy.

[PHAT Beth]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

OK, I am really ashamed of myself. I don't own a copy of the book. I use this forum to get the information I need. Because of this, i founs a couple of recipes that I know really well, and that's all I eat. I have 2 cups lettuce and 1 cup other for my salads, eat eggs all day, bacon for breakfast, and chicken for dinner, lots of butter, mayo, and drink 5 bottles of water a day. I also have the dansh. And that's it. I'm sorry. I have to drive 30 miles to get to a bookstore, and I am going to get the book when I am that way, but for now I am just feeling it out and using my weight loss as a gauge. I don't mean to waste your time.

[Georgiana]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

No time wasted. You can still start OWL by just reading the stickies on this board. It is your choice, of course.

Or order the book here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...insdietmailin/

[PHAT Beth]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Is there a humongous difference in the rate of weight loss I will have in OWL in comparison to extended induction?

[mitzimarie]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Well, I thought the longer I stayed on induction, the faster I would lose the weight. I don't have any cravings, and I am pretty staisfied right now. Also, to tell the truth, I am afraid to move because I don't know what to do next. I don't want to slow down, although I have not lost a single pound in a week. I am sooo cun-fyused.

Beth, a lot of people assume that the longer they stay in Induction, the faster you lose the weight. It has been my experience that for most people, even if you continue eating the exact same foods that you did in Induction, your weight loss will slow down... and there is actually a name for this. It is referred to as PISS - Post Induction Stall Syndrome. The best way to break the stall, is to add more carbs in the form of veggies.

About not knowing how to move onto OWL - In addition to the information in the 2002 edition of Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, at the top of each of the forums, there are things called "stickies". These are posts that contain good information, and have been "stuck" at the top of the forums for all to read. At the top of the OWL forum, there are some stickies that will explain the carbohydrate ladder we follow. If you haven't started visiting the OWL forum yet, I would do so. Read the posts and questions that others have asked... if you have a question you don't see addressed or are confused about, don't hesitate to start a thread there.

It is SO important to move onto OWL and start adding carbs back... I didn't follow OWL strictly on my first time on Atkins, and I never reached my goal weight and couldn't maintain the weight that I did lose. On this round of Atkins, I have followed the plan as intended by Dr. Atkins, and it really did work better. OWL stands for "Ongoing Weight Loss", and it is the phase that most of us lose most of our weight in.

I can certainly understand your fear of moving on... there is a certain security in the Induction phase. But I can tell you from experience - Maintenance is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, and it will help you greatly if you go ahead and start moving through the rungs. The first rung is just more veggies, and most people can handle the extra veggies just fine... as I indicated earlier, that's how a lot of people jump start their losses again.

If you still don't want to progress up the rungs, I would at least suggest that you start upping your carbs in the form of veggies. One of the most important parts of OWL is finding your CCLL (Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing). This is the highest number of carbs you can eat without stopping the weight loss or throwing your blood sugar out of whack. You can do that in Rung 1, if you wish. In fact, I actually favored that idea. In OWL, I didn't want to add foods and up the number of carbs in the same week... if your losses slow, how do you know whether it was the type of carb, or the number of carbs that was the culprit? By upping my number of veggie carbs each week, I was able to come up with a number. I found that I could lose just as much weight eating 35 net carbs, as I could at 20g net carbs. So now, I was ready to start moving up the other rungs with a higher number of carbs to "spend". I didn't need to leave out veggies, just to free up carbs to try other things with. Since I knew that I could lose at 35g, if my losses did stop, I new that it was the type of carb that was the problem. For example, cottage cheese bloats me and makes me gain. That's only a rung 2 food, but it tripped me up. I found out about it quickly, though.

With only 35 pounds left to lose, I would suggest you start increasing your carbs with veggies, then start spending them in the other rungs. You've got a lot of rungs to progress through, so you can learn how to eat for life. Although the book says you only have to spend a week in each rung, I stayed in Rung 1 for a couple of months, testing for my CCLL, then I stayed at the other rungs for a minimum of 3 weeks each. I wanted to be super-sure about new foods, and since there are many factors that can make weight fluctuate, I just wanted to be certain before I moved on.

I know that OWL can seem scary, but it really is to your advantage to move on. Visit the OWL forum... there's some mighty smart folks there!

Best of luck to you.

[Georgiana]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Is there a humongous difference in the rate of weight loss I will have in OWL in comparison to extended induction?

It will not be when you add another 5 g of carbohydrate. Of course, as you add more, your weight loss will slow down and you will reach a point where you will stop losing -- that is your CCLL. If you eat below it, you lose weight; if you go above it, you either maintain or gain. Many folks stall after a few weeks on Induction and their weight loss restarts once they move to OWL. I rarely saw this happening with those members who moved to OWL after the first 2-weeks.

Here is what another moderator (not2late) wrote about moving from Induction to OWL:

http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.com/forums/atkins-diet-14-day-induction/5780-day-15-should-i-stay-should-i-go-owl.html

[PHAT Beth]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

I don't know how to thank you guys for helping me through this. I AM going to get that book. I know I should already have it. Thanks for listening and for the advice. I believe I will go ahead and push on through to OWL. This board is AMAZING. Like a good bra, you provide support, and never make me feel uncomfortable!

[Georgiana]

Re: HELP! Can I have this???

Glad we could help, Beth!

Reading the book is essential to understanding Atkins. It's your new life style after all, so it good to know as much as possible about it.