I have completed 2 weeks of induction and have lost 8 pounds (maybe more---am retaining water this week before TOM). I am astounded at how satisfied I feel with food.

My question for you all is how you decided whether to continue induction or shift to OWL. I have found myself craving more variety over the past several days (e.g., want to have chicken "breaded" with almond meal).

How did you gauge whether you wanted to stay on induction or move to OWL? I feel afraid that if I shift to OWL it will take FOREVER to lose this weight and I might get discouraged. On the other hand, if I get in a rut and feel deprived of more carb variety, I might go way off course.

I think I'm mostly afraid that my rate of loss will slow or stall altogether if I go off induction. I wish someone could just tell me WHEN I'd reach goal, then I'd be willing to do about anything until then. This is so far the most challenging day for me.

I think most of the problem is that I want it all NOW!

Hiyah Lucky Congrats on the losses to date!

Moving from Induction to OWL can be a little traumatic at first, but it doesn't have to be. If you find that you're one of the few individuals who is exteremly resistant then you can always go back to Induction level carbs.

Having greater variety in your menus can make a big difference with regard to boredom, ennui and choice - it's amazing what an extra 5g of effective carbs can give you!

Also, something to consider, many find that the difference between fat loss at <20g of carbs and <30g of carbs is negligible. If you choose your carbs from veggies and whole natrual foods rather than the frankenfoods it's unlikely that an extra 10g are going to stall you.

As for the slow down in your rate of loss, it's unavoidable. The big losses during induction come from water loss and from the dramatic change in diet. Most of us slow down to a more 'normal' rate of loss after Induction. On average losses are 10% during Induction and 5% every month thereafter, barring stalls and plateaus. This is actually desirable - losing fat is not the hardest part of this new WOE, keeping it off is! By having a steadier, slower loss you'll spend the time learning new habits and new behaviours so that when you do reach your goal you'll be able to maintain it.

Cheers,
Nat

I decided to move on when I was getting bored of the induction food choices and wanted to add things like peanut butter, nuts, seeds, LC tortillas, etc.. to my menu. I was on Induction for 4 weeks and the transition to OWL was tricky since I did not know how many carbs I could eat before stopping or falling out of ketosis so I followed Atkins' guidelines by adding 5 carbs a week till the stix were at trace. I found I can go up to 30 and still lose although the loss was at 1 lb a week (or 4-5 month). Yes, I did stall out twice and both times the stall lasted 1 month...frustrating. I even "tweaked" by trying other plans - CAD, Protein Power...but find that Atkins is the best for me.

After falling off in November and restarting on 12/30/02 I realized that now I can't go over 24 carbs and so far doing well...lost 7 lbs since 12/30/02 - no real cravings, and if it wasn't for my back problems, I'd be exercising like crazy.

I myself am trying to make the same decision though I find eating on the induction plan very easy and I love the way I feel. Also Im not sure cause i guess it wouldn't be under the "rules" of the induction diet but couldn't you basically eat a different variety of foods and still stay under 20 carbs? I found that somedays after eating all 3 meals that I would still be around 10 carbs. If I added some nuts and still stayed under 20 I don't think it would hinder the diet although I might be wrong. Anyway thats what I'm going to be trying this week, Ill let you know
Remember to take your Vitamins!

I think that's decent logic, Clockwork. Of course, you still want to try to get the majority of your carbs from good fibrous veggies such as salads, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, etc.

When I switched to OWL, I hadn't been making it up to 20g every day, so a 5 gram addition such as an ounce of nuts or a more heaping serving of veggies didn't bring me up to 25 on most days.

The most important part of OWL is the adjustment to eating more liberally so you won't get bored and stop the "diet." As we say here, it's a way of eating and a way of life... OWL is the movement towards that.

Happy low carbing!