Trying to decide between more induction or OWL
 

I made it through 14 days of induction. Well, on the last day I went up to about 27 gms of carb so I suppose that could have been better.

During that time I lost 9 lbs. I'm trying to decide now whether to go on to OWL or stay on induction and lose more weight. I have another 20 lbs I want to get off. I'm facing surgery in a few months so it would be nice to have it off before then.

I read in Atkins book that as you get close to your goal (10-20 lbs) you should slow down weight loss. But I also read that if you want to continue with induction that's ok too.

Any thoughts on the best way to go?

Are you happy with the food choices available to you? I'd see no problem staying at or near induction until you get a little closer to goal.

Some folks stay on induction

Some stay at 20 carbs per day but add non-induction foods

Some stay at induction foods but up the carbs a bit

You really have to see what works for you. After two weeks of induction, I really wanted nuts and more cheese and more veggies and an occasional bit of fruit. Other people stay on strict induction for months.

Whatever you do you will probably slow down on weight loss as your body adjusts to the rapid initial loss and/or you may have "stalls" even though you are following your plan perfectly--again your body adjusts to the losses.

Some people lose a lot fast and some people lose a little slowly with all the variations inbetween. You cannot predict how you will lose. Be patient, work with the food plan a bit and you will learn what works for you.

Ann

Once I went to OWL my weightloss came to a hault pretty much. Im concidering going back to induction myself.

Your progress looks great, way to go!

The danger in staying on induction for too long is that one can get too bored, start feeling depraved and instead of adding good carbs - goes off the plan....I've seen many examples of it on the forum....
Also - too low carb levels under very long time may actually stall you.
I've added berries and nuts after about three weeks, sometimes I had avocado or even carrots in sallads.
Good luck, hope you will find what's best for you...

Alina

I stayed on induction for five/six months and then only added strawberries and nuts in the next months. Now I'm back on induction after sliding during the holidays. I found it ok, but on the other hand my DH started OWL about a month after induction and he's doing alright as well, so I suppose it's a matter of choice.

Don't skip OWL all together. It helps rebuild a tolerence to carbs, lets you find out what foods you have sensativities too, and makes maintanance not so much of a jar.

Are you happy on induction, or bored with food choices? Are you losing well?

If you choose to stay at 20g net carbs a day but ad din foods, or start increasing by 5g, make sure to start with low GI things. Add more veggies like squashes, some berries, fresh cheeses like cottage cheese and so on. Don't jump right to the LC breads, pastas and other convience foods :)

You might be suprised. There are a few people on this bored that actually lost better at 30-40g a day then 20g.

The less you have to lose, the more you will slow down. I've spent two and a half months losing three pounds now that I am so close (don't know what my goal is, and so I just update it when I lose.)
However, this was eating on Maintenance over the holidays with occasional cheating. So I'm happy with a slow loss.

Hi Squid,

Congrats on your success! All these posts have been right on--many people stay on induction, while others feel they would prefer to up the carbs. It's totally personal.

I know that Dr. Atkins suggested that people who had a lot to lose might want to stay on induction longer, but you only have 20 pounds to go. It's pretty important to learn how many carbs you can eat and still lose because it helps you after you reach goal. Also, going up in carbs and (perhaps) slowing down the weight loss can really help to reinforce the fact that this is a life change and not a "diet."

As you can see, our stats are pretty similar. I decided to go up in carbs and I feel great for doing so. Of course, I was having trouble working out on 20 carbs and i was also having regularity issues (both issues cleared up immediately when I upped my carbs). I coulnd't be happier with my choice. Also, because I upped my workouts, the increase in carbs hasn't really slowed my loss at all. In fact, I think I am toning and looking better faster because of the workouts.

Anyway, that's my story.

Good luck!

Thanks everyone who took the time to answer. After reading everyone's advice, I decided to stick to 20 gm a day for two more weeks and then move to OWL. But for the next two weeks I am going to add in some low glycemic index foods. I'm really missing nuts in particular.

Komireds, it's great to meet someone who has stats so similar to mine!

Squid

Hi Squid--

I'm at roughly the same point in the Induction phase (yesterday was my 3 week "miniversary" and I've lost 8 pounds.) I am still doing 20-22 grams a day, but I did add some foods--strawberries and nuts. The only real "low carb" special food I added is low carb bran crisps, which provide an excellent platform for cream cheese or cheddar. I used to be addicted to Ritz crackers with cheese, so this is an excellent treat for me and serves as a "comfort food" for stressful days. In past incarnations of the diet, I added low-carb bars, protein powders, and other things like that. I'm having a MUCH easier time feeling satisfied with 20 grams this time around.

Best wishes,
Nancy