Thread: OWL and adding carbs

I'm almost done with week 2 of Induction. Although I have decided that I'm going to stay on Induction until I drop 15 lbs, I have been reading further in to DANDR again, to start familiarizing myself with OWL and get in the right frame of mind for it.

I came across Dr. Atkins list of the order of carbs to start adding when you go on to OWL.

This is like this--
1. More salad and Induction friendly veggies
2. Fresh cheeses
3. Seeds and nuts
4. Berries
5. Wine and other low carb spirits
6. Legumes
7. Fruits other than berries and melons
8. Starchy veggies
9. Whole grains

My question is--is this how those who have been successful and have moved on to maintenance did it? I'm asking because, to be honest, I'm not sure how many more veggies I can incorporate.

I've been doing pretty well because I do love salads and salad veggies, but by the same token, I'm having a difficult time getting in just the basic 20 carbs a day already. This is because I'm not hungry really, not because I hate the veggies I'm eating 3-4 servings of veggies a day right now and, while I can bump it up a bit more, yes...I'm not sure if I can stomach eating that many veggies to make 25 carbs a day.

Looking at that list and thinking back to when i first entered owl, I remember the first item I entered was strawberries. I never puposely added back starchy vegetables but have twice eaten an ear of corn by "mistake". But I think if you want to make this woe a wol you need to eat the low carb foods you enjoy and gauge your reaction to each new item you add.

In the time since the latest edition of DANDR came out, the viewpoint on veggies has changed a bit. These days, past induction, OWL can include "legal" veggies in generous amounts. So that takes care of #1 on the list.

After that, I think it's largely a matter of personal preference--the foods you like that make this WOL sustainable for life. Here's my list:

I skipped right over cheese--not a fave, and I can do without the calories.

My next choice is berries--frozen mixed berries, blueberries, strawberries. I eat a portion (limited to about 1/2 cup) almost every day.

My next choice would be wine. Not the healthiest use of extra calories--but, as I said, this is a lifetime thing, and a feeling of deprivation is not a good incentive.

Next, I pick nuts--almonds, pecans, walnuts for sprinkling on salads and on flaxseed cereal. Occasionally, pistachios or cashews for snacking. Once again, carefully monitored portions.

Finally, I've added starchy beans every now and then: red beans in three-bean salad, for example. Limited portions of refried beans once in a long while. Same with fruits like cantaloupe or honeydew melon.

Naturally, I don't eat all those things every day. My carb count for OWL and maintenance seems to run about 30-40 net carbs. Not a lot, but very doable and plenty satisfying.

For me, in order to make this a "doable" way of life the only thing I can see myself needing to add on top of what I already consume in Induction is low carb tortillas/flat breads, Maggies cereal , and wine/other low carb spirits, and maybe some low carb pasta from time to time for spaghetti/lasagna.

I'm fine with the veggies I'm eating now. I don't like berries, except strawberries. I don't NEED the other fruits, although I do like some canteloupe and cottage cheese in the summer. I don't eat nuts. I only like beans in the form of ham and beans or baked beans, both of which I can go without having if that's the case.

I guess I'll just have to figure it all out when I get closer to OWL.

I found Induction to be "easier" than OWL. To me, it was easy to limit my carbs to 20 or less. It is more difficult to hit a particular number as you increase your carbs during OWL. What I did to start, was keep on eating my Induction meals, but adding things like 1/2 cup of onions to an omelet, or tomatoes to a salad, or adding strawberries to Maggie's cereal. I also stretched the time between increases in carbs to every 2-3-4 weeks. That gave me time to adjust my eating patterns to integrate the increaseed carbs into my eating habits so that it became easier to keep on plan.

Henry,

That sounds to be more my speed. Thanks

make sure that you start adding things one at a time, too. if ya do too many things at once and run into problems, there's no way to tell what it is...