maintainers and those out of induction

  • im a little nervous about the transition out of induction...

    do you really just add 5 carbs a week? im kind of scared that i wont be able to do it... and will add to many?

    im kind of wondering if i should start calorie watching while staying low carb and then slowly transition out of watching carbs? ... but still try to eat healthy which means to me lots of lean protein and fruit and veggies and good fat.

    thoughts?
  • Quote: but still try to eat healthy which means to me lots of lean protein and fruit and veggies and good fat.
    When done correctlyyou have just perfectly described Atkins. Contrary to popular belief, lean protein, fruit, veggies & good fat are all most definitely permitted on Atkins. Its not all about lbs. of red meat, bacon & butter. My experience with people who say "I'm doing Atkins" is...they never get out of Induction. They never progress to OWL (On Going Weight Loss) & proceed up the carb ladder to find their CCLL (Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing). If you do the plan the way Dr. Atkins instructed by slowly adding 5 additional carbs per week, you will effectively establish your level to lose or maintain (whichever the case may be). From here you advance to Pre-Maintenance and lastly, to Maintenance. Atkins is a plan, that again, and I stress, when done correctlyis for life
  • In my opinion, the key to progressing successfully to OWL (as well as all the phases of the Atkins lifestyle) is to follow Dr. Atkins instructions precisely.

    Dr. Atkins designed OWL, On Going Weight Loss, to be exactly that...a continuation of weight loss at the optimal carb level (CCLL, Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing) for you personally. He stresses again & again the weight loss will be slower than it was while doing Induction. OWL allows you more food choices. This means determining a personalized way of eating based on the rules & the foods Dr. Atkins outlines in the book.

    It is important to adhere & progress according to the carb ladder:
    The OWL Carbohydrate Ladder
    Vegetables
    More salad and other vegetables on the acceptable foods list
    Dairy
    Fresh cheeses:
    Cottage cheese
    Farmer’s cheese
    Ricotta cheese
    Pot cheese

    Keep portions small for:
    Hard aged cheese
    Cream, heavy and light
    Half and half
    Sour cream
    Low-carb ice cream, yogurt, and milk


    Seeds and Nuts
    Macadamias
    Almonds
    Peanuts/Natural Peanut Butter
    Coconut
    Sunflower seeds
    Sesame seeds
    Walnuts
    Pistachios


    Berries
    Eat frequently from:
    Strawberries
    Blueberries
    Blackberries
    Raspberries

    Eat moderately from higher AGR (Atkins Glycemic Ranking) melons:
    Watermelon
    Honeydew
    Cantaloupe


    Wine and other spirits low in carbs
    Spirits
    White Wine
    Red Wine
    Low-carbohydrate Beer


    Legumes
    Lentils
    Kidney Beans
    Pinto Beans
    Black Beans
    Hummus
    Chickpeas
    Tofu
    Soybeans
    Soy milk, unsweetened


    Fruits other than Berries and Melons
    Plums
    Kiwis
    Peaches
    Apples
    Grapefruit
    Tangerines


    Starchy Vegetables
    Keep all portions small
    Carrots
    Green Peas
    Acorn squash
    Butternut squash

    Eat rarely:
    Corn
    Potatoes
    Sweet potatoes


    Whole Grains
    Keep all portions small and focus on whole, unprocessed grains:
    Old fashioned Oatmeal
    Oat Bran
    Wheat Bran
    Low carb (soy) bread and muffins
    All-bran
    Barley, cooked

    Each rung means adding 5 additional carbs, 3 times for the first week & monitoring yourself for any changes. You really need to give it an entire week as a few days may not be enough to determine correctly how a certain food may affect you.

    Skip a rung only if you plan on not eating from that particular food group. For example, if you have dairy allergies, you may want to skip that rung entirely.

    For fruits & vegetables, the more color, the more nutrition. In other words, red grapes have more nutrition than white. Be careful of dried fruits as they concentrate the natural sugar and could essentially cause a small piece to have as many carbs as the entire fruit.

    Basically...OWL is trial & error.

  • thanks jersey!

    im going to refer to this a lot
  • ok i have renewed faith that I can do this! im going shopping tomorrow and i made some sample meal plans for next week. I am aiming for 25 net carbs next week. If you have any thoughts i'd like to hear them.

    meal plan 1-

    1 egg (1), espresso with half and half (2), .5 cup frozen unsweetened blue berries (10)

    snack - cheese (1), 20 almonds (3)

    lunch - tuna with mayo (0), jello (1)

    snack - cheese (1)

    dinner - chicken breast and 2 cups spinach salad (2) w/ ranch (2), 1 tablespoon bacon (2)

    total - 25

    Meal plan 2

    bfast - sausage, espresso with half and half (2), .5 cup blue berries (10)

    snack - cheese (1), 20 almonds (3)

    lunch - 1 cup spinach salad (1), with ranch (2), and chopped turkey breast (1) and cheese (1)

    snack - jello (1)

    dinner - chicken breast and broccoli (3)

    total 25

    meal plan 3

    bfast - 2 eggs (2), espresso with half and half (2)

    snack - cheese (1), 20 almonds (3)

    lunch - turkey meat (1), cheese (1) and mayo wrapped in a lettuce leaf (sandwich), jello (1)

    snack - .5 cup blue berries (10)

    dinner - chicken breast and broccoli (3)

    total 24

    meal plan 4

    bfast - Atkins Morning Apple crisp Bar (3 carbs), espresso with half and half (2)

    snack - cheese (1)

    lunch - 1 cup spinach salad (1), with ranch (2), and chopped turkey breast (1)

    snack -.5 c blueberries (10)

    dinner - scallops (2), asparagus (3)

    total 25

    meal plan 5

    b fast - 1 egg (1), espresso and half and half (2), .5 c blueberries (10)

    snack - cheese (1)

    lunch - sausage, salad with ranch (4)

    snack - jello (1), string cheese (1)

    dinner - scallops (2) spinach (3)

    total 25


    plan 6

    bfast - sausage coffee (2)

    snack - 20 almonds (3)

    lunch - tuna with mayo, string cheese (1)

    snack -Atkins chocolate hazelnut bar (3 carbs)

    dinner - .5 cup blueberries (10), chicken breast, asperagus (3)

    total 22


    any thoughts? i am varying it a bit but trying to see how i do with the almonds and blueberries

    next week for the additional 5 i am going to try to add low carb tortillas
  • If next week is your 1st week at 25 carbs,,,you should only be adding 5 more carbs worth of veggies & salad from the acceptable foods list for 1 week to see how you do.

    Blueberries shouldn't be added until the 4th rung of the carb ladder & almonds are on the 3rd rung. A low carb tortilla wouldn't be added until the last rung at the end.

    It is important to adhere & progress according to the carb ladder.
  • ahh i get it - im going to save that for week 4 then


    ok so here is one sample for this week... good thing i asked huh?


    bfast - 1 egg (1), 2 sausage (1), coffee with cream and 1/2 splenda packet (2)

    snack - half a cucumber sliced and salted (2.5) string cheese (1)

    lunch - 1 whole red bell sliced (6), 2 cups spinach (2), ranch (2) and sliced turkey

    snack - cream cheese/turkey roll up (1)

    dinner - chicken breast with .5 c ricotta spinach mix inside (6.5)

    25
  • Everything looks good except for the ricotta cheese, which shouldn't be added until the 2nd week of OWL.