I am in the OWL stage of Atkins--I haven't found my CCLL yet. I'm at 40g. I've lost 22 lbs--all of it in induction. I haven't gained any wt. since, but haven't lost either. I eat lots of veggies, not a lot of fruits--if I do, it's strawberries, raspberries, and just bought my first cantalope the other day. I eat nuts once in a while. Always in ketosis--I haven't been out of Ketosis since I started in July. No cravings. My question is about bread:
I can't stand the soy stuff...
I read the thread on the glycemic index. It seems like pumpernickle and other breads are very high, and I'm really scared of them, even though I like them. I found one bread, Nature's Own Whole Wheat that lists 10 g total carbs - 3 g fiber, so that leaves 7g/slice. I've been eating a slice in the morning with butter & sugar free/low carb peanut butter. (yum) This morning I had my first "sandwich"--2 slices of this bread (14g) with turkey, roasted peppers, provolone cheese, and a sauce consisting of: oregano, basil, olive oil, garlic & onion salts, and shredded capers. The only significant carbs I can see are in the bread. I drank coffee w. cream. Is this okay for me? It was very satisfying to eat this, but I had gone so long w/o bread that I need confirmation that this is "legal"... Is it?

Kelley, the only person who can decide if this is OK for you is you. Some people cannot handle bread, others have no problems. YMMV. If you experience no cravings or other side effects then my guess is it's OK for you. I have found that increasing my own carbs with foods like steel cut oats, sweet potaotes and whole wheat pita bread has caused me no ill effects, yet I realize that this would not be the case for everyone.

Moving on to OWL and preparing for Maintenance are part of Dr. Atkin's plan, and the only way you can go about it is by experimenting. My advice is to add back one type of carb per week and see how it effects you. If you decide it's OK then you can safely move on to another food.

Cheers,
Nat