Induction or Move On to OWL?
 

Tomorrow will be the last day of my induction. I started my first induction about 4 weeks ago, but then restarted a completely "clean induction" two weeks ago.

During my first round with induction, I lost 6 pounds but then could not budge. However, I weighed myself today (okay, okay 1 day early, I admit) and I am now down another 3 lbs so it looks like I have finally gotten my metabolism moving.

My question, should I stay on Induction even after tomorrow or should I move on to OWL? My loss has been such a struggle for me thus far that I don't want to do anything that might jeopardize my success or get me moving back in the wrong direction.

I have read that for those of us with alot of weight to lose, it is okay to stay on induction for up to 6 months. On the other hand, I have read that it is important to leave induction and begin OWL by properly climbing the "carb ladder".

Any advice on which way I should go from someone who's been in a similar situation? :help:

Not that I'm an expert or anything here, but it never hurts to try and see what adding some extra carbs does for you. After all you are adding only 5 grams at a time. If you find that you aren't losing, then you can always cut back. It really depends on how you feel. Some people stay on induction for a longer time and it works well for them. I stayed on induction for about 3 and half months. I just last week added some extra carbs into my day, and I'll see how that works for me.

I've been a slow loser also and have stayed on induction. Occasionally I eat some extra vegetables but that is rare. Its been 7 weeks for me. I may try a low-carb candy bar this weekend.

I don't consider myself a slow loser, but I have also pretty much stayed on induction. I am not prepared to trade faster weight loss for more variety at this point.

Good luck with it!!!


L

I agree with Char, however we are all different
 

I have remained on induction because I am losing slowly. However, it is a good idea to move on to OWL to see how your body responds. You should continue losing weight but it will slow quite a bit. I even suggest that you go on OWL for a month before making a decision because it may take a month before you see additional weight loss ( which could be up to 4 lbs ).

I have read that you can stay on induction as long as you want , probably not longer than 6 months. Atkins does not require that induction ends in two weeks ( this is just the minimum ). I had a minimum of 25 lbs. to lose ( now I have just 7 lbs to lose )---starting soon after Thanksgiving. My primary goal was to get down to 135 lbs by summer. But, I have decided to get down to 125 lbs to give he some room for "holiday insanity ". The idea is to slow down as you reach your goal. I should be going to OWL soon and carefully monitor my carbbohydrates because it is obvious that that is what puts weight on me.

Thanks for the responses. So far, it looks like staying on induction might be best for me based on what I've heard. I am a slow loser and I have alot to lose, so I'll keep to induction, although I may allow myself a SF jello and whipped cream every once in a while!

This totally clean induction with nothing to drink but water and no artificial sweetners at all is fine most of the time, but one needs some kind of treat from time to time!

Just'a thought
 

Hi all,

I started at the beginning of February. Because this was my very first ever "diet" I was absolutely rigid during induction. So, I lost a few pounds. Not many.

I am hardly a role model to follow. But I've gradually left induction, like sticking your toe in a pool of cold water instead of diving in.

What I've done is stop counting carbs.

I mean, did you ever tear off pieces of lettuce and put them in a little measuring cup to see how many cups you have ? Do you mash 'em down ? I just make a big bowl of salad. I like salad. I don't worry about the carbs.

I buy broccoli. It comes in a big bunch, held together by a blue rubber band. I just take a stalk, wash it, and steam it -- and enjoy eating it. How many cups ? How many carbs ? I have no clue. I don't put my brussel sprouts in a measuring cup. I eat all the spinach I want.

Thing is, if you never leave induction, you'll have no place to go back to if you smack into a long stall. Many folks encounter this. And anouther thing to think about is what folks here call "WOL." Way of life.

I mean, how do you intend to eat for the rest of your life ?

WHat I drink
 

I drink sparkling water instead of regular drinking water. When I want a little sweetness I add 4 ozs of this low carb juice ( yes somewhere someone makes those ) to 4 ozs of sparkling water. I can't recall the brand of the juice that I get. Four ozs equals only 5 grams of carbs and it satisfies me. It won't satisfy everyone, I am sure but I want to share.

Black57

4oz of dry red wine is only 2 carbs... ;)

I found a fantastic waffle recipe - great with splenda syrup. Ok, it's made with pork rinds but it is GREAT! It's over on the recipe board under breakfast - go to the french toast recipe (I like these waffles MUCH better) thread and a guy posts it over there. Gosh, his handle slips my mind now. The guy with the beard, frequent poster. Anyway - THIS is totally legal. I stay away from sodas, candy and all that but this was a great treat.

Hi
 

I know for me I added more veggies to my daily take and brought up my carbs that way. I don't go beyond 30 carbs. I take some things from OWL. I eat advantage bars and drink Fruit2O. But that's about it. The rest is very much like Induction and I'm on my 10th week. :thup: I've lost 18lbs so far. And this is my 4th try on Atkins.
Congrats on how far you've come so far and I wish you all the best for the rest of your journey. :wave:

Whoa, I am on the same boat with you. I've been on the induction phase
for 4 weeks and I want to move to OWL also so I can eat beans, fruits
and eventually grain. I'm very lucky in that I have upped my carbs in-take
from 20gm to 50 gm and I'm still in Ketosis. The additional carbs comes
from veggies and nuts. I have lost 20 lbs already and I'm 12 lbs from my goal.

I'm worried that if I moved to the OWL phase and start eating beans
and other legumes and fruits that it my knock me off ketosis. I'm going to
stay in this phase for 1 more week (the reasoning is, if it works,,, don't
mess with it) but, if I don't see any more significant fat loss this week, I will
move on and just up my weight lifting and cardio.

Good Luck

Dr. Atkins did indeed say that if you have a lot to lose, induction for up to 6 months is acceptable.....

But....Dr. Atkins also said that if you are becoming bored with your food choices, then moving onto OWL may be a good idea.

The key to moving out of induction into OWL is the carbohydrate ladder to determine your CCL and CCM.

You may want to take a gander at this thread:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=409812

This thread talks about how to do OWL correctly and how to determine your CCL and CCM.



Hocus, you also may want to take a gander at the OWL sticky.

I'm confused...are you still in inducrtion, or have you moved onto OWL? Because it sounds like if you've added more veg and nuts, plus you're up to 50 grams/day...sounds like OWL to me.

You don't start out OWL by adding beans and legumes--these are rung 6 on the carbohydrate ladder--you have 5 prior rungs to get thru before you even arrive at 6;)
With only 12 pounds until you hit goal, I would highly advise you to start OWL NOW. How will you know what foods you can safely add back in and in what quantity if you don't climb the carb ladder. Dr. Atkins developed the carb ladder for a reason. He never intended individuals to stay on induction thru goal. The whole point of OWL/pre-maintenance is to determine YOUR carbohydrate limits.

Atkins is a 4 phase plan, not just induction.

Progress not perfection.

Lisa

I agree with this. I have learned thru experimentation and over time that to continue losing, I pretty much have to stay on induction. I've reached the point where I'm willing to eat induction food in order to lose faster. I'm tired of inching along, which is what happens for sure when I start adding in carbs on the OWL ladder. OWL simply did not work for me at all. It became obvious that when I went off induction, weight loss stopped and I even gained. It took some time to be willing to give up all the extras, but in the end, I had to choose between eating the variety or losing the weight. I was finally ready to choose the latter.

As Lisa said, it looks as if you are already eating OWL foods so why not put some structure into what you are adding and test out the various rung foods now?

If you are eating at a carb level of 50 you could try substituting 5 of those carbs for rung 2 foods (dairy) initially and gradually working your way up hrough the rungs to beans etc in 5 net carb increments, staying at the 50 carb level if you are worried about going higher.