You got through the
Induction
phase of Atkins. Now you’re ready for your second step: Ongoing Weight
Loss.
When you start Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL),
besides moving
closer to your
goal weight, you will also find your individual tolerance for
carbohydrates. This is the phase where you fine-tune your program,
gradually adding small portions of sensible carbohydrate foods. In
doing so, you sustain the fat-burning success you've achieved in
Induction as you begin to include a larger variety of nutrient-dense
foods.
How To Do OWL
Each week you can add new foods, including
nuts, seeds
and berries. And
later, if you have a greater carb threshold, some other categories of
food, such as whole grains and legumes, each week as you continue to
lose. Some people may find that having less choice is easier, but it’s
important to learn how to incorporate a wider variety of foods into
your meals. Keeping a food diary should help you monitor the impact of
certain foods on your appetite. If a new food causes cravings,
eliminate it from your meals.
In OWL, you will learn how many grams of Net
Carbs you
can eat daily
while continuing to lose weight. The rate of weight loss is influenced
by the amount of carbohydrates you add back, as well as your metabolism
and exercise level. Everyone is different, and OWL will help you find
your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL).
By slowly increasing your daily carbohydrate
intake in
5-gram
increments each week, you will customize Atkins to your personal needs,
preferences and lifestyle.
Your CCLL dictates the level at which you
continue to
lose. If you find
that you or aren't losing quickly enough, or at all, drop back 5 grams
of Net Carbs to your previous carbohydrate level and continue toward
your goal.
Keep it gradual. Don’t move forward too
quickly.
Continue to eat
primarily whole foods in the form of fish, eggs, poultry, meats,
healthy fats and vegetables. If you add carb foods too quickly, you
will stop your fat-burning engine and weight loss will cease or stall.
Every week that you continue to lose, go up
one level,
meaning 5
additional grams of Net Carbs. It’s best to add carbohydrate foods in a
specific order, called "going up the carbohydrate ladder."
The first week on OWL, you go from 20 to 25
grams per
day; the
following week you move to 30 grams per day and so on. Change the
increments on a weekly basis until your weight loss slows to one to two
pounds each week. Slowly increasing your carb intake allows your body
to continue to burn body fat for fuel so you keep losing weight.
When To Move To OWL
Induction helped you jump-start weight loss
by getting
your body to
utilize fat for fuel. You should have stayed on Induction for a minimum
of two weeks, but it is perfectly safe to follow it for six months or
longer. Your results during the first two weeks of Induction enable you
to understand your individual resistance to weight loss. The greater
your degree of metabolic resistance, the longer remaining on Induction
may be necessary to achieve significant results.
But, you can certainly move into Ongoing
Weight Loss
after two weeks when:
You are bored with Induction.
You are willing to slow your rate of weight
loss in
exchange for more food choices.
You do not have a considerable amount of
weight to lose
(20
pounds), or you have lost enough weight to be within 20 pounds of your
goal weight.
Trouble-Shooting OWL
The most restrictive phase of Atkins,
Induction, is
also the simplest,
which means that it almost always works. As you move into Ongoing
Weight Loss, your newfound freedom can pose some risks.
You will continue to slim down but there
will be a
gradual decrease in
the rate at which you drop pounds and inches. This slow-down is
intentional, in order to allow you to gradually learn a new way of
eating while you continue lose to weight.
If your weight loss stops as soon as you
move to OWL,
return to
Induction for a few days to kick-start your metabolism again. Once you
start losing again, return to OWL, this time moving more cautiously.
Over the course of the next few weeks or
months in
this phase, you will
explore a whole new way of healthy eating that will help form the
parameters of your lifetime program. You'll find out how much
carbohydrate consumption you can tolerate while still losing weight.
Once you learn how your body reacts and
how quickly
you can add new
foods without interfering with weight loss, you will have the tools
with which to enjoy a lifetime of slimness.
