Learn how to add up those grams of carb intake and you'll be rewarded with the ongoing subtraction of excess weight.
There are three key differences between Induction and Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL). The first is obvious: You will consume more carbohydrates. Second, whereas during Induction you ate your protein and fat foods�plus three cups of salad and other veggies (and the special foods such as avocado, olives and sour cream)�OWL allows you much more choice. That means you can now craft a weight-loss regimen that is uniquely yours. But it also means�and here's the third key�that counting carbohydrate grams is truly your responsibility.
If you don't count, you could get in trouble. Fortunately, counting is easy with the help of a carbohydrate gram counter, which will familiarize you with the number of grams of carbs in common foods. (A copy of Dr. Atkins' New Carbohydrate Gram Counter, for example, is a good resource.) After you have been following the Atkins Nutritional Approach� for a while, you will begin to have a natural feel for the carb counts of your favorite foods, but it is always a good idea to keep your carb counter handy so you can check out new or unfamiliar foods.
Your Own Private, Personal Number
Life in the 21st century means lots of numbers to remember, what with cell-phone numbers, bank PIN numbers and the like, but I'm going to give you the tools to find out another number that is just as essential for your lifestyle. Remember these two basic principles:
1. When you do Atkins, your rate of weight loss is generally proportional to the amount of carbohydrate you consume.
2. The level of carbohydrate you consume can be measured. By attaching numerical quantities to the carbohydrate foods you're eating, you know how much you can safely eat.
Your daily threshold of carbohydrate consumption is your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL). Stay below this number and you will experience ongoing weight loss. Go above it and your weight loss stalls. Here's how you'll determine your CCLL: Each week, you'll incrementally increase the quantity of carbohydrate you eat beyond the salad and one cup serving of vegetables allowed during Induction. These increments should measure roughly 5 grams of daily carbohydrates, representing one "level."
During the first week on OWL, increase your daily carb intake from the 20 grams a day on Induction to 25 grams a day�going up one level. I recommend you add either another salad, half an avocado, a cup of cauliflower or six to eight stalks of asparagus or another vegetable. Continue to eat this way for the rest of the week. As long as your weight loss continues steadily, you can go up another level�to 30 grams daily�the following week. If you are a veggie lover, you may be happy continuing to add more salad greens and other vegetables. Or you may choose to add a half cup of cottage cheese, an ounce of sunflower seeds or a dozen macadamia nuts. If you've been feeling fruit deprived, now is the time to add berries, the fruits lowest on the glycemic index. (Thirteen average-size strawberries contain 5 grams of carbs.)
Most people find it best to add back foods in a certain order�what Dr. Atkins calls The Carbohydrate Ladder. Note that few people will be able to add back all these food groups in OWL. Those on the second half of the list tend to rank higher on the glycemic index and are more commonly introduced in Pre-Maintenance.
Each week you'll go up another level, adding another 5 gram increment until eventually you'll reach a number at which you stop losing. That's how you find your CCLL. Above it, you lose no more, or you begin to gain. Below it, you continue to lose. The lower your metabolic resistance to weight loss and the greater your level of physical activity, the higher that number will be.
Establishing your personal Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL) is critical for sustained weight loss.
By incrementally increasing your carbohydrate intake you can personalize an eating program that suits your individual needs, tastes and lifestyle. Your individual CCLL may be as low as 25 or as high as 50, or even more if you are exceptionally active. To get an idea of the range that is possible, see the �Carbohydrate Gram Levels & Metabolic Resistance for Losing� table below. Metabolic resistance is influenced by age, gender, activity level, hormone issues, level of physical activity, prescription medications and other factors, so the range in CCLLs can be great. If you eat beyond your CCLL, your scale and measuring tape will herald that you�ve crossed a line and you�ll make adjustments accordingly. Most people simply drop back down to the prior level of carb consumption.
Lipolysis testing strips can also help you ascertain your CCLL in many cases. They generally stop changing their color at a point a little bit below your CCLL. When that happens, your CCLL will be only a few carbohydrate grams higher. However, you should be aware that once you are consuming 50 or more grams of carbohydrates a day, the lipolysis test will no longer register a change in color. So long as you continue to lose pounds and inches and experience no recurrence of your pre-Atkins levels of hunger, cravings and other symptoms, rest assured that all is well. You are still functioning on a primarily fat-burning metabolism even though you may not be producing enough ketones to show up in your urine. You should be aware that everybody hits plateaus�periods during which no weight comes off.
Your CCLL is an even more precise way to determine your level of metabolic resistance than the amount of weight you lost during Induction. As you continue to adhere to the Atkins Nutritional Approach� you will, by glancing at this table, have a more accurate idea of your degree of metabolic resistance.
The Wise OWL Mind-Set
The Ongoing Weight Loss phase is all about choice. The choices you make should focus on healthy and pleasurable additions, with a strong emphasis on foods that contribute to both. As you add carb foods in roughly 5 gram increments, you can probably move beyond vegetables to other foods, such as nuts, berries and possibly grains. Although you will be eating primarily natural, unprocessed foods, you will find an increasing number of convenience foods created for people seeking to follow a controlled carbohydrate nutritional approach. Remember the mantra: Read the label!