I am 29 pounds away from goal, and I am TERRIFIED to move onto to OWL instead of staying in Induction. What is the easiest way to transition? Did anyone else struggle, and if so, what did you do to overcome that "fear"? I need serious help here people!!

Sheila, it is perfectly normal to leave the induction level and start OWL. Why change what is working?

The advantage of OWL is that you can experience a wider variety of foods. If you are perfectly happy with the varieties of food that you are eating now, then there may be no reason to add more variety. There are people who are content with staying on Induction as their maintenance choice.

Adding in the OWL level foods does not mean that your weight loss will stop, it may slow down or it may continue at the same rate. If the loss stops, it is easy to go back to the previous level and continue.

I agree 100% with Dodger!

Why change some thing that is working!

I am actually very content, until it comes to recipes that sound so yummy, but have just a few more carbs then I like, or that I have become comfortable with. I am very "type A"... and am scared of moving up. I have an awful image of me blowing up overnight ~ which I know is not going to happen , but that is the fear! HEe hee ` I am nutzo sometimes! Maybe I just needed confirmation that is okay to stay at this level ~ with so many others out there screaming DONT !

People who do not move into OWL and increase carbs typically find maintenance more difficult to do. I can name multiple people who made it to goal and began to regain because they had no idea how to maintain.

OWL is about finding out what you can eat and what foods do not work well for you as well as giving you more options of foods to eat. OWL is *part* of Atkins, and he intended that you do that part just like induction.

I agree 100% I am one of those people who failed because I didn't know how to maintain, I went from induction to goal and found induction is not actually satisfying long term, so it all fell apart. Unless you honestly think you can stay on induction for the rest of you life, then go for it. But if you plan on staying on induction until you hit you goal, I know from experience it doesn't work.

I'd like to hear from all the Atkins vets, who maintained for years, how did you get to goal? Did you stay on iduction or did you move on to OWL then pre maint and then maint.

Try moving to the first rung of OWL initally - I don't believe anyone gained weight from eating more veggies

Some people use the veg rung to find if they have a very low CCLL by adding several 5 net carbs of the induction veggies and seeing if they still lose weight.

Expanding your choices to a decent sized serving of cauliflower pizza, zucchini bread, caulirice etc as well as more salad veg make this woe easier to live with especially if like me you found the 3 cup limit a bit hard to stick to.

Once you realise that adding 'good carbs' like the induction list veggies doesn't stall your losses you might find it easier to segué into the second OWL rung.

Drop 5 net carbs of those extra veg and add 5 net carbs of yogurt or milk or cottage cheese and see if the added foods affect your losses, if OK then add an extra 5 net carbs of veg back to see if your CCLL has been reached and so on and slowly move onwards.

First time I did Atkins I pretty much did the induction for 6 months, It was just easier for me. I kept it off for about 7 years, recent weight gain is due to other problems. I think following the plan the way Atkins intended will work for most but sometimes it needs to be modified to what works better for different individuals.

Read the book "French Women Don't Get Fat." Her philosophy is an excellent idea of how to maintain a weight loss (ignore her diet advice... we're much better off low-carbing). She's about staying on plan MOST of the time, and allowing indulgences occasionally. This worked really well for me this summer when I did maintenance mode.

The key isn't to deny everything, or even to allow yourself daily indulgences, I believe. You have to watch the carb creep or you'll be right back where you started from in no time flat!

And with 29 lbs still to go, I'd be working on a variety of food, but not necessarily climbing too far up the carb ladder. And I'd be trying to figure out what I can eat without it being a trigger, and what I absolutely have to avoid or it sets me off on a carb binge. It's important to learn that while you have a supportive network around and while you are still being vigilant about what you're doing.

Good luck!