Atkins: When to Move to OWL

Atkins newbies often struggle with the question, "When should I move on to OWL?" (Ongoing weight-loss phase of Atkins.) Many pospone the decision to move on because they're in a hurry, or maybe more frequently, because they're frightened that moving on will "break" this way of eating that's been working for them.

You know that doesn't make sense, right? 

Atkins also suggests in DANDR that folks may want to continue induction longer, if they have a lot to lose or just want to lose faster. Personally, I generally encourage folks to move on when it's time. You have many more choices in OWL, and those choices can help keep you from feeling deprived or bored with your menu. OWL is actually more important that induction, in that it's the phase where you learn how to make low-carb fit into your life, forever. It's where you take the "diet" and make it "just how you eat." It's the "forever phase," you know?

The decision is always your own, but a quick review of the reasons for induction may help you determine if it's time to move on or not, and recognize when it will be time.

If you're staying on induction out of a sense of obligation—i.e. you haven't fulfilled the "rules" yet so you don't want to count it as done—or perhaps because you are in a super-big hurry to lose the weight…well, I don't know how helpful it really is. Let's look at what we're trying to accomplish with induction to help figure it out.

Induction serves several purposes -

• Detoxing your body from sugar. This is job one and explains the "Induction Flu" many people get the first 3-4 days. Once you get that junk out of your system, you feel ten times better.
• Kicking your body into fat-burning mode. Once those carbs aren't available to burn for energy, your body turns to attack the fat instead. This is when you're in ketosis. You get the weird taste in your mouth, the energy surges, and your appetite dramatically decreases. Added bonus: exercise during ketosis is much more effective than "regular" exercise. Normally, your body will burn the carb-juice you got first, and then move on to burning fat. You get to fast-forward to the most effective part of the exercise when low-carbing. Less work for the same results. How cool is that?
• Changing your tastes. A couple of weeks without sugar, an apple slice with taste like the most decadent dessert you've ever had!
• Getting a sense of control over your eating. having a fairly regimented start, and getting those induction perks you get when you're working the program goes a long way towards feeling like you're ruling your eating instead of your eating ruling you!
• Getting those losses going. I list this last for a reason: it's the least important! (To me, anyway). Nevertheless, it's the one we almost always focus on, too. Having solid losses is a good way to keep your motivation and enthusiasm up to make the habit changes you need to make to integrate lc into your life.

So in considering moving on, ask yourself: Have you experienced all or most of these results? And regardless of your weight loss rate, are you losing inches? (You did measure, right?) Are your clothes looser? Do you have more energy and less appetite? How do you feel physically?

The tough part about eating off-plan during induction is, depending on what you're eating and how often, if it's enough off-plan eating to kick you out of ketosis (fat-burning mode), you miss some of the most helpful benefits of low-carbing we just talked outlined. Ketosis is the "magic" of low-carbing.

However, if you feel you've experienced the benefits/helpful parts of induction to your satisfaction, then you may well choose to move on to OWL. If you haven't gotten there yet, consider continuing induction for a little while longer. I wouldn't demand 2 full weeks necessarily, but maybe one week or even 3-4 days, as long as you do try to stay on-plan for the period you have decide on. That way, you're maximizing your benefits and minimizing the induction restrictions.

And that's also why I often encourage folks to follow the plan more strictly, especially in the beginning. Many people sort of pick and choose the parts they want to follow and then wonder why it doesn't work for them.

I would suggest that you take stock of where you're at, and how well your induction has done its work so far, and decide from there. Ultimately, of course, it's up to you what feels right and what you can best live with. A "strict, full induction" means nothing if you get discouraged and chuck the whole way of eating because you don't feel successful.

But whatever you decide, remember: you are making improvements! That makes you a success. It’s not about compliance with rules or whatever. It’s about finding a way of eating that supports your long-term goals and fits into your life. It’s so important to celebrate all your successes, big and small, and know that by continually moving forward at whatever pace works for you, you can't help but reach your goals!