Have decided to move on to OWL after all - just beacsue I have started adding more veggies into my day - can't help myself.

So my questions:

1) I was never really striking 20 carbs a day on induction. Do I now have to reach my new carb count? Or can I just add veggies as I like and strive for an upper limit? Should there be a lower limit?

2) If my carbs go up and down from day to day is that going to affect my OWL and finding out what my CCLL is?

3) I'm going to be adding veggies only for a while and then on to fruits and nuts. I know I should stay away from starchy veggies (like potatoes and corn and carrots) but are all other veggies acceptable? The book doesn't have a complete list.

4) I'm also aware that my fat percentages must come down as my carbs go up but I'm not sure how. Should I keep my proteins at 30 and just balance the other two?

I feel like a newbie all over again.

Hi Rogue

Most of what you say sounds fine to me. Yes, add more veggies on a daily basis. I'd suggest you keep a minimum number of carbs as 20 and then increase your maximum number by 5 a week. No, you do not need to hit the maximum everyday, just keep them within the band. I actually found that I lost weight quicker when I began to increase my carbs.

Finding out what your CCL is may take a while. If you do not lose for a week then put them down by 5 carbs and keep them there for a couple of weeks until you are losing again. The CCL is different for everyone. I now eat up to 50 carbs a day and am still losing, all be it slowly.

Most veggies are acceptable, with the exception of the starcy ones as you have said, but if you want to check them out have a look at the values given in Fitday.
You can get there from the link in my signature.

Your suggestion on keeping the protein level the same and balancing your fat and carbs sounds fine to me. For myself, like the carbs going up and down each day my protein levels also seem to vary.

Every success.

It will take time and a carb coutner. OWL can be hard and mistakes can be made. Start by looking up low carb recipes online, or looking at others menus. When you see a veggie that you are interested in, look up the serving size and carb count

It is extreamly hard to get that many carbs with veggies because of all the fiber. When you start adding in some moderate carb veggies it does help. Turnip, rutabega, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, artichoke, spinich, brussle sprouts ect

To make things easier you can take those veggies listed in the 1 cup per day list and just up your servings or have more then one type through out the day.

Thanks guys.

I'll try to stay above a lower limit and add more of the 1 cup a day veggies.

I'm also keen to start adding fruit but will wait a few weeks.

I found adding things slowly is the key to finding what you can and can't have. Otherwise you end up removing several things when you truly stall out. Happened to me with peanut butter. Eeeevil peanut butter! Definitely add more veggies!

About fruit, Atkins revised the fruit list a little less than a year ago and changed it all around. For example, cantaloupe used to be allowed in OWL, now it isn't recommended until later stages, which makes sense.

Peanut butter yummmm. Or soy nut butter, that's even lower carb. Dang you now I have cravings *whine*

If you want fruit I suggest starting with strawberries. They are low GI and low carb. Just have a few berries every couple days to start, and always have with protien to minimize the effect on insulin. Blueberries are also great.

One way to get a small amount of berries to stretch is by adding them to a salad. I would put 1/4 cup blueberries in my salad with chicken breast. Then use a light oil dressing, or a light oi land blueberry vinagrette dressing. Later experiment with more gormet salads such as apple walnut

When you add fresh dairy in, I think that is step 2 on the carb ladder, you can add in 1/2 cup cottage cheese. That is a great place to put your fruit and cottage cheese has enough protien to balance it.

Thanks!