OWL - The Ongoing Weightloss Thread

[Shez]

Come one, come all :D

There are quite a few of us that have now moved past Induction on to OWL. Join us in here for support/motivation/questions etc.

I'll start - since Monday of this week I have moved into the OWL phase of Atkins. I'm loving it and my weight has started shifting again. I am slowly introducing carbs back in so I'm still in the 'experimenting' stage to see what works for me.

Hope some of you join me in here :)

[arandall]

Hey Shez, I am hoping I will be there soon, so once that times comes I will be dropping by here!

[knight76]

I guess I am in the OWL phase although I pretty much just stick to the 20 carbs per day limit of induction, but just balance that out over whatever food I wish.

[Shez]

Nice to hear from you again Amber - it seems to have been ages.

Jason, definitely the time for you to move to OWL I think. You've done so well and you're looking great for all your effort too - well done!!

[arandall]

Is has Shez and I feel bad, I miss the motivation my fellow pinchers give!

[Shez]

Well it's weigh in day for me tomorrow and I've lost over a kilo already this week. I'm excited :D

Hope it keeps up this way. I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that eating more is making me lose more!! The food options are so much easier now too.

[knight76]

Great to see your having a good week Shez. I only weigh myself once a week usually, though sometimes I sneak a weigh in just to get a progress idea.

My weigh day is Mondays.

[Shez]

Mondays are my official weigh in day. Can't help myself though, I weigh every day. I'm addicted to my scales :p What can I say? It's better than being addicted to food LOL

[knight76]

Mondays are my official weigh in day. Can't help myself though, I weigh every day. I'm addicted to my scales :p What can I say? It's better than being addicted to food LOL

I guess that depends on which way the scales are going. :D

[singadiva]

Hey all, I guess I'll look in here as I'm over Induction :p.....that is I'm still very low carb and was as low as 10-15 because of all my problems but guess I'm up higher now although I'm not tracking things food-by-food at the moment.

Also I've started eating some non Induction foods for variety.:D

Well done, Shez!:cool:

Em

[janal]

Mornin' all,
Yes I think I belong here too, I still have the mind set of keeping to 20 carbs or under but hoping to expand my knowledge in this area.
I'm so worried about putting on weight if I increase my carbs but I suppose only time will tell.

[Shez]

Hey Janal, since I've upped my carbs I am keeping a much closer eye on my calories too, just to make sure.
It's working for me, I've had a 1 kilo loss this week :)

[janal]

Hi Shez & all you lovely OWL people,
What limit are you putting on your calories if you don't mind me asking.
Have you found upping the carbs is making you hungrier?

Their is a low fat yogurt they have at work, do you think that kind of food would be OK to re-introduce?

Anyone want to put up a typical type menu for a couple of days?

[Shez]

Hey Janal, I am on about 1400 calories a day. Breakfast for me now is usually a poached egg on toast, I'm using the Burgen Wholemeal & Seeds because it was the highest protein lowest carb one I could find. I have tried oats in the morning but my BSL went a bit too high. I do okay with Vita Brits.
Morning tea is usually tuna salad and crackers or a diet yogurt.
Lunch varies a lot but sometimes I'll have a Velish soup and a slice of toast, today I had Tuna on Toast.
Dinner is usually something still low carb. Tonight I made Beef Burgers with Char Grilled vegies but I didn't have the bun.
Usually don't have any carbs after lunch but tonight I had a Fruche. I was way under in calories so needed something to up it.
My carbs are now about 70g a day. The only thing I do differently now is not have cream in my coffee, I'm back to having light milk. Oh and I don't use as much butter because I don't need the calories and I'm getting enough fat.

You could always do what I did and just experiment to see what works for you. I checked my BSL after every new food, I would accept a rise as long as it wasn't too high.

[Shez]

Forgot to add that yes I do feel hungry sometimes now but it's not a bad hunger. It's good in a way - sort of what I think your body is supposed to feel like? If that makes sense. Never light headed, I have to eat now or I'm going to die type hunger, just knowing that I need to have lunch soon :)

[Sherrie]

They weren't quick oats were they?

[Shez]

No, I use organic rolled oats that you cook in a saucepan. I'll give them another go in a few days time and see what happens.
Actually I might even do it today because my BSL is really good this morning. I'll be back in a couple of hours with the results :)

[Sherrie]

Hmm might also matter on how you have them (e.g. plain with sugar).

[Shez]

Okay, experiment over. Double checked the oats and Ingredients are just "Unstabilised Oats" retaining all natural bran.

BSL was 7.7 so still too high but not too bad considering the amount of carbs - it was something like 35g for a serving. I'm reasonably happy with that as I think it will only improve, think I still prefer to have a protein/carb combination for breakfast though.

PS Sherrie I don't add sugar to the oats - just a little Splenda.

[janal]

Thanks for that info Shez, very helpful.
I might step up to about 50 carbs and around the 1400 cals as well, does that sound doable?

[Sherrie]

1400 calories isn't much for someone whom is 80kg+ How many calories are you eating now?

[janal]

Thanks Sherrie for the quick response.
I really haven't done any counting for a long time so I'm not sure. Might be a good idea to run a typical day through calorie counter and see roughly what I'm doing now.
How many calories do you think I should aim for? and how about the carbs does 50 sound like too many?

[Sherrie]

Janal if you're uneasy about the carbs it might pay to use the carb ladder, Shez is exercising a lot so it is easier for her to jump past a few steps. In OWL you're meant to start with adding carbs in 5g increments each week so say week 1 of OWL will be 25g, week 2 will be 30g, week 3 will be 35g and so on. Also you're meant to experiment with one new thing at a time that way you can spot a problem straight away. If you introduce a whole heap of new things at once then you run the risk of running into a problem and not knowing what caused it!

do you still have DANDR? the ongoing weight loss chapter should explain it all.

Re calories check this page: BMR and Calories (http://www.apinchofhealth.com/resources/BMR-and-calories.html)

[Cyclonic]

I think I'll move over here too. I'm attempting to add in some carbs to figure out where I should be, but have had a couple of weekends away at kids sporting events and meetings, with very few LC options.

As a result, I think I may have discovered either a gluten or wheat intolerance. Talk about tummy pains and wind!!! I was really glad no one else was in my hotel room last week.........

I'm up 1kg too, so I think I'll have to be a little more strict over the next few weeks, as I don't want to undo all the good work. Now sitting at 81.2kg, but trying to up my exercise.

I've added porridge (oats) with raspberries in the morning and the occasional piece of fruit to my diet. Still avoiding bread (like the plague now!), rice, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc. Fortunately I've never added sugar to drinks or cereals, so that's not really an issue for me.

Any tips would be great.

[Shez]

Hey Janal, I would have more or less said what Sherrie said :)

My BMR is 1400 so that is what I eat and then any weight loss is from the exercise I do. I upped my carbs a lot more than the 5 gram increments recommended by Atkins but I am working it off too. I'm also being very careful with what carbs I do introduce.

You're lucky in one respect in that you can test your BSL to see what carbs agree or disagree with you without having to wait and see on the scales.

[janal]

Well if I've worked it out correctly I should be able to have up to 1864 cals per day.

Need to play with some menu's

I had a yoghurt today for lunch (BSL 4.5 @ 12.51pm) it sent my sugars up to 7.6 @ 2.18pm & now I'm back down now to 5.7 @ 3.44pm.

Not to sure if I want to mess around with my HbA1c coming up fairly soon. I want it under 5.4 (that's what I was last time)

[Shez]

Maybe wait until after your test and then try with something else? I found I react best to the bread I've been having in the morning. It's the Burgen Wholemeal and seeds, lowest carb adn highest protein. I think the high protein content helps with the BSL but I'm still experimenting.

[singadiva]

Hi,

How do you measure your blood sugar levels?

em

[Shez]

Em, we've both got a blood glucose monitor - you need to do a finger brick blood test after each meal.
The ketostix will show up to a degree but nowhere near as accurate. If you are non-diabetic your blood glucose will always be okay anyway :)

[singadiva]

Ah, thought so! I have the keto-diastix but the green bit never changes for me.

I'm thinking of experimenting when the weather gets colder with having millet porridge in the mornings. It is much higher in protein than oats. At the moment I seem to be holding steady with just having added macadamia nuts, flaxseed muffins and the occasional bit of raw cocoa butter mixed with cocoa and stevia.

Giving up the cheese was quite easy but I'm not convinced it's made much difference weight wise...I'll wait and see next Monday.

Cheers,

Em

[janal]

Hi Em,


I have the keto-diastix but the green bit never changes for me

You'd be in big trouble if that green ever changes. :eek:
They are very handy though to test food your unsure of. You just take a little food in your mouth and mix with saliva, then get the saliva on to the keto-diastix and look for the changes.

See you've changed your picture, love that photo too.

Cheers

[singadiva]

Thanks! Oooh, would that be to test if the food has sugar in it??? Is confused....

Em

[Sherrie]

Yes I love your avatar, very spunky!

[Shez]

Spot on Em :)

[Shez]

Oh and should put it in here I guess.

White rice is a big NO NO - thought it would be but still experimenting :eek:

[Sherrie]

Try some brown rice with some wild rice mixed in.

[singadiva]

Does anyone know how millet compares to rice (thanks Sherrie!)? I'd love to be able to have stir-fries again with my husband.....:o

Em (this was original photo!)

[Sherrie]

That is such a lovely photo. em, I have no idea as I have never really experimented it, I think I have used it once to make some muffins which were quite nice. One of them, either millet or quinoa is a pretty strong goitrogen if I remember right.

[Shez]

I'll let you know how Brown/Wild rice goes next time.

Gorgeous pic Em :)

[penny eyes]

LOVELY PIC EM

[singadiva]

That's my gals, The Belles! :D We're performing at the Sydney Vintage Fair on April 19 and then doing an ANZAC show on the 25th - YAY!:cool:

I'll check up on millet, Sherrie. I used to love millet porridge in the winter when I lived in England, very filling.:)

Cheers,

Em

[Lauren78]

Well a couple of days ago i got back from my trip and weighed 86.2. This morning i weighed in at 84.5. So i am glad that i was able to get rid of most of the weight in just a couple of days without being strict. Was going to do induction for a week, but we are renovating so i decided to be as good as possible and see how i went. My body seems to be responding really went to climbing up that carb ladder, and since being away and not being able to weigh myself for 1 1/2 weeks (which i was really nervous about but it was actually very liberating), i am not as obsessed at weighing as i was before.

Em, your photos are stunning, you look like some glamour puss that would suit those romantic classic movies...

[singadiva]

Well done Lauren!:D:D:D How exciting to think you can move through the carb ladder and still lose weight! :eek:

And thank you...I always thought I was born in the wrong time actually.:)

I am worried that I might 'spike' my appetite.:( I've noticed I am hungrier these days but then again I have been caught out a few times with big gaps between meals and that definately makes me more hungry at night.:o

Cheers,

Em

[Shez]

I might have to visit the Vintage Fair :D

[Daisy]

I might have to visit the Vintage Fair :D

I was thinking the same thing , it sounds like it would be loads of fun . EM , you are absolutely stunning . Is this the weight you are now , because if it is , I would not change a thing . You have the perfect figure in my books !

[singadiva]

Oh thanks girls (Blush)! Actually I was slightly thinner then (early last year, doing ridiculous workouts with which I could not keep up) and those dresses are made from an original 1943 pattern - very forgiving shapes those days.

But I'm not far off things now and certainly my gym routine is really toning things for me. I've always had 'big' arms but now I can see the arm work I've put in has paid off and I have a much sleeker shape without too much batwing jiggle or puffy overhang around the elbow.......Interestingly, I REALLY noticed that go down when I gave up grains.

I'd LOVE to see you guys at the Vintage Fair! It is over three days(Fri-Sun) but we are only performing on the Sunday. It's at the Canterbury Racecourse Function Centre and if you google it, they have a website.

Em

[singadiva]

Oh @##@$%*(&^%#@#!!!!! I've put on 300g this week somehow.....not much I guess and while I've put 1cm on my biceps and 2cm on my chest, I have lost 4cm on my lower waist and 3cm on my hips.

I guess this could be muscle weight again as my workouts have gone a bit heavier. I'm curious though about having dropped cheese though....it doesn't seem to have made any difference weight-wise and I struggled to eat this week, or am I imagining it? Could that be responsible for the cm losses??

Em

[Cyclonic]

Well, things have slowly begun to move downwards again. I'm now precisely 80kg. 10kg to go and then I'll reassess whether any more should come off! A nice feeling after being stuck on the same weight for over two months!

[Shez]

Oh Wow, well done :) Really glad the scales have started the downward run for you.

[Sherrie]

Good work Cyclonic!

[janal]

Sherrie, Just continuing from my posts in Sheri's diary.

I don't want to over do it and this is what I've had today, plus I will be having Steak & Vege tonight.

I suppose I just want to see if keeping the calories down will help to get me losing at a better rate. I'll try and keep at it for just a week and test my BSL 2 hours after meals and see if I have a better result on the scales next week.

http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq117/janal_photo/TuesdaySoFar.jpg

[singadiva]

Way to go, Cyclonic!

Em

[Sherrie]

No you need to double those calories Janal, you can't go from 2-2500 cals to 800, yeah you may lose but not without cost.

[Sherrie]

Nevermind, you haven't added dinner!

[janal]

Yep I've had dinner now and had a nice big steak, probably 300 - 400 g :p
Swede, capsicum, mushroom, zucchini stir fried veg with it.
Yumm :)

[janal]

So this is an estimate of dinner and my totals for today

Dinner ..................................Cals Fat Carb. Sugar Fibre
350 g of Rump........................620 19.3 ..0 .....0 ......0
2½ cup Stir-Fry Vegetables .....250 22.5 ..- ......- ......-
Meal Total ............................870 41.8g .0g ...0g ....0g

Day Total ...........................1708 96.6g 43.2g 17.6g 9g

Probably a bit over what I wanted to be calorie wise for today but I tend to over estimate when I'm not sure of weights. So hopefully under 1708 calories

[Sherrie]

That should be a good place to start Janal

[Lauren78]

Cyclonic, how exciting. I havent moved in the right direction for ages now. I am drea,ing of the 70's and you have a foot in the door, good luck with that. hopefully you will inspire the scales to be nicer to me. Keep it up!

[singadiva]

I don't know whether to be pleased or frustrated!:rolleyes:

I've put on almost a kilo since officially moving to OWL (up to 73.7kg now) but I've clearly lost as I bought my first pair of size 10 jeans yesterday! Colorado jeans so they are forgiving size-wise but I have lost cms......:confused:

I still want to get to my goal weight so what should I do? Drop the flaxseed and nuts, drop the second decaff I've been having, pick up the cheese again, stop my weights workouts?? DANDR is pretty specific about not bouncing back to Induction too often once you've moved on....:(

Em

[Sherrie]

Em it is the cms you should be focusing on, that 1kg is just some glycogen in your muscles, no biggie.

[singadiva]

Thats pretty much what I figured.

It is very frustrating when I'm just that bit close to my goal weight and I'd love to say I was 70 kg but then again I am doing quite the wee happy dance to be in size 10s!!!!

Hubby and I are off to a couples only resort for 5 days and I'm nervous about not being in my gym routine and away from home food-wise but he wants to do some golfing and we'll be on the beach so if the weather holds I'll get plenty of alternative exercise....

Cheers,

Em

[Sherrie]

As long as your cms keep going down don't worry about the scale number.