Part 15 (1/2)
4.0.
Rum 1 ounce 0.0.
scotch 1 ounce 0.0.
Sherry, dry 2 ounces
2.0.
Vodka 1 ounce 0.0.
Wine, dry dessert 3.5 ounces
4.0.
Wine, red 3.5 ounces
2.0.
Wine, white 3.5 ounces
1.0.
TROUBLESHOOTING.
Sooner or later almost everyone finds that his/her weight loss temporarily halts. As you become increasingly accustomed to eating the low-carb way, it's all too easy to get sloppy about tracking your carbs. Instead of the 35 grams of Net Carbs you think think you're consuming, for example, you might actually be closer to 55 (or even 75). Whether as a result of sloppiness, c.o.c.kiness, overconfidence, or testing the limits, ”carb creep” can stop weight loss in its tracks. Worse, you may lose your body's adaptation to burning primarily fat-the Atkins Edge. It's tempting to call this a plateau. But the first thing you should do is look carefully at your recent behavior and make course corrections if necessary. Ask yourself these questions: you're consuming, for example, you might actually be closer to 55 (or even 75). Whether as a result of sloppiness, c.o.c.kiness, overconfidence, or testing the limits, ”carb creep” can stop weight loss in its tracks. Worse, you may lose your body's adaptation to burning primarily fat-the Atkins Edge. It's tempting to call this a plateau. But the first thing you should do is look carefully at your recent behavior and make course corrections if necessary. Ask yourself these questions: - Have you truly been eating the right foods, or have you been tempting fate with inappropriate ones? Eliminate any questionable foods.- Are you actually counting carbs? If you've been careless or stopped counting, go back to the carb level at which you were losing weight and remain there until weight loss resumes.- Have you been too enthusiastic about adding back fruit? If so, eliminate fruit other than berries and, if necessary, cut back on the size of your berry portions.- Are you eating excessive amounts of protein? Cut back to the midrange for your height but maintain your intake of fat.
HITTING A PLATEAU.
The pace of weight loss is always erratic, but the definition of a plateau is when you lose nothing-nada-despite doing everything right, over a period of at least four four weeks. If your clothes are fitting better and you've lost inches, if not weight, you're not truly on a plateau. Keep on doing what you're doing. A plateau can try the patience of a saint. But patience is exactly what you need plenty of. To get things moving, in addition to the suggestions above, try some or all of these modifications: weeks. If your clothes are fitting better and you've lost inches, if not weight, you're not truly on a plateau. Keep on doing what you're doing. A plateau can try the patience of a saint. But patience is exactly what you need plenty of. To get things moving, in addition to the suggestions above, try some or all of these modifications: - Tighten up your journal discipline. Write everything down.- Decrease your daily intake of Net Carbs by 10 grams. You may have exceeded your tolerance for carbs while losing and inadvertently stumbled upon your tolerance for maintaining your new weight. Once weight loss resumes, move up in 5-gram increments again.- Count all your carbs, including lemon juice, sweeteners, and so on.- Find and eliminate ”hidden” carbs in sauces, beverages, and processed foods that may contain sugar or starches.- Increase your activity level; this works for some but not all people.- Increase your fluid intake to a minimum of eight 8-ounce gla.s.ses of water (or other noncaloric fluids) daily.- Cut back on artificial sweeteners, low-carb products, and fruit other than berries.- Do a reality check on your calorie intake. (See page 107 in Chapter 7 Chapter 7.)- If you've been consuming alcohol, back off or abstain for now.
If none of these modifications makes the scale budge for a month, you're truly on a plateau. Frustrating as it is, the only way to outsmart it is to wait it out. Continue to eat right and follow the other advice above, and your body (and the scale) will eventually comply.
PUs.h.i.+NG THE LIMITS.
Let's look at another all-too-common reason for a slowdown or stall. Call it a form of self-delusion. This is a conscious form of behavior, unlike carb creep. You may have found that you could have an occasional slice of regular bread or even sneak in a bowl of your favorite ice cream and still continue to pare off the pounds. ”I have a really high metabolism,” you might tell yourself, ”so I can push the limits and still have Atkins work for me.” Sooner or later-probably sooner, however-your weight loss will grind to a halt and you may experience renewed hunger and carb cravings, which then leads to eating more of the very foods you should stay away from.
Both carb creep and knowingly eating inappropriate foods can sabotage weeks or even months of hard work. Whether conscious or unconscious, such actions may conspire to make you think you cannot stick to the program and throw in the towel. Don't do it! You now know you can trim down on Atkins. You just need to use the knowledge that you've gained. If certain foods-low-carb bread or fruit, for example-appear to be setting you up for cravings or you simply can't stop eating them, eliminate them for a few weeks and then try to reintroduce them. Or not. There's no rule saying that you have to push your Net Carb intake beyond 30 or 40 grams a day.
But first, don't hate yourself for having fallen off the wagon. Such things happen. Have a talk with yourself about what made you vulnerable. Were you at a social gathering? Did you come back from a bike ride or the gym and feel ent.i.tled? Were you ravenous and the right foods weren't in the fridge? Were you feeling sorry for yourself for some reason and needed a ”treat”? Whatever the reason, note it in your journal along with your plan of how to avoid getting into this fix again. Remember, the ability to burn off your own body fat is a valuable gift you've given yourself. Don't abuse it.
If you've had a bad day carbwise, simply eat properly the next day-and the following days. Your weight loss will likely slow down, and you may feel some cravings. If you've been completely out of control for more than a few days, you may need to return to Induction for a week or two until you get your appet.i.te and cravings under control. If you eat a high-carb meal and are particularly sensitive to carbohydrates, it could take up to a week to return to burning primarily fat for energy. That's a high price to pay for the pleasure of eating a plate of French fries.
TRIGGER FOODS.
Okay, admit it. Like most of us, you've probably at one time eaten a whole box of cookies, a supersize bag of chips, or an entire cheesecake. The specifics may differ, but the guilt, self-disgust, physical discomfort, and overall sense of having lost control are similar. This behavior is not to be confused with having a craving for more carbs several hours after a high-carb meal. With a trigger food, it's a more immediate thing. You can't stop with one. The next thing you know, you're back for just another taste, and then more, again and again, until it's gone. When the box or bag is almost empty, you think, ”What the heck, I might as well finish it off,” even though the physical desire for it may have pa.s.sed.
If you live alone or with an understanding partner, you may be able to simply banish your trigger foods from the house. But until you deal with the underlying reason why they provoke an uncontrollable reaction, you're at their mercy when you do come across them. In many cases trigger foods are a.s.sociated with pleasurable past experiences. Chocolate chip cookies may remind you of coming home after school and finding the house filled with their sweet aroma. You may a.s.sociate those cookies with the love and the security that you may feel is now missing in your life. Perhaps pistachio ice cream reminds you of stopping at a certain restaurant chain in happier days before your parents got divorced. Understanding why certain foods hold a power over you may help you take control.
THE URGE TO BINGE.
The Atkins Edge can also be your ally in controlling such urges. So here's the test: if you're at or just below your carb threshold, it's normal to feel comfortably empty at times without having to feel hungry. But if you're above your carb threshold, feeling empty always always triggers hunger. If you feel overly hungry before meals, or if you experience binge eating, try reducing your average daily carb intake until the hunger or urge to binge goes away. In the simplest terms, bingeing can be a symptom of consuming excess carbs, so that you're no longer able to burn your own fat reserves and experience the appet.i.te control that comes with s.h.i.+fting your metabolism. triggers hunger. If you feel overly hungry before meals, or if you experience binge eating, try reducing your average daily carb intake until the hunger or urge to binge goes away. In the simplest terms, bingeing can be a symptom of consuming excess carbs, so that you're no longer able to burn your own fat reserves and experience the appet.i.te control that comes with s.h.i.+fting your metabolism.
Here are more practical ways to head off binges.
- Never shop for food when you're hungry.- Don't wait until you're ravenous to eat.- Don't buy food you know you'll eat in the car on the way home. (Better yet, don't eat while driving!)- Understand when you're eating for emotional reasons rather than hunger.- Call your diet buddy immediately when in the grip of a trigger food.- Ask your spouse or housemate for help when you feel out of control.- Eat mindfully. Don't eat in front of the television or at the movies, when you may lose track of how much and what you're eating.- Always have suitable snacks in the house. If chocolate is a problem for you, have a subst.i.tute such as a low-carb bar always on hand.
WHAT WILL OWL BE LIKE FOR YOU?.
Though everyone's experience is unique, following are two possible scenarios for the first couple of months in OWL. Individuals with less weight to lose typically spend a shorter time in this phase, compared to others with many pounds to lose.
SCENARIO 1.
- Week 1: You move to 25 daily grams of Net Carbs, continuing to consume 12 to 15 grams of carbs in the form of foundation vegetables and reintroducing one type of nuts or seeds, then another, each day or every few days. You lose another 3 pounds.- Week 2: You move up to 30 grams of Net Carbs, branching out into berries, one type at a time, and perhaps some melon. By the end of the week, you've lost 2 pounds but find that you're craving more fruit.- Week 3: You move to 35 grams of Net Carbs and back off the berries and melon. Instead, you try some Greek yogurt one day, ricotta another day, and then cottage cheese. Another 2 pounds say good-bye to your bod.- Week 4: You advance to 40 grams of Net Carbs, reintroducing small portions of berries, without stimulating cravings this time. You lose another 2 pounds.- Week 5: You move to 45 grams of Net Carbs, treating yourself to a small alcoholic beverage over the weekend to celebrate the loss of another 2 pounds.- Week 6: You advance to 50 grams of Net Carbs but don't add another new food group. You're surprised and pleased to lose another 3 pounds.- Week 7: You move up to 55 grams of Net Carbs and have a small portion of lentil salad one day, some edamame another day, and a cup of split pea soup another day. You lose another couple of pounds.- Week 8: You increase your intake to 60 grams of Nets Carbs and introduce low-carb bread as a ”shelf” for your egg or tuna salad lunches. Nonetheless, you trim off another 2 pounds.
SCENARIO 2.
- Week 1: You move to 25 grams of Net Carbs a day, reintroducing nuts and seeds, one kind at a time. Your weight loss stalls for the week.- Week 2: You stay at 25 grams of Net Carbs but lay off the nuts and seeds and replace them with more foundation vegetables. By the end of the week, you've lost 2 pounds.- Week 3: You remain at 25 grams and try the nuts and seeds again. This time, you seem to be able to tolerate them, but you lose only a pound.- Week 4: Frustrated with your slow progress, you remain at 25 grams of Net Carbs. You lose 2 pounds by week's end.- Week 5: You increase your carb count to 30 grams but add no new foods. Another pound vanishes.- Week 6: Encouraged by your ability to handle the nuts and seeds, you try introducing berries without changing your Net Carb count. You find that the berries provoke cravings, making it hard to be compliant. Although you lose another pound, it is a struggle.- Week 7: You decide to forgo berries for the time being but go up another 5 grams to 35 grams of Net Carbs. You find yourself struggling with hunger again and lose nothing for a week.- Week 8: You drop back to 30 grams of Net Carbs, having a small serving of berries every other day. You drop another pound and your cravings retreat.
If your experience resembles Scenario 1, you'll find it relatively easy to introduce new foods and increase your overall intake of carbs. Scenario 2 is clearly a different situation. Your own experience could be anywhere along this spectrum or you might lose at a faster rate, even into the second or third month on Atkins. You might be able to increase your Net Carb intake week by week without a slowdown, or you may find you need to move at a snail's pace so as to not interfere with weight loss or reactivate hunger and cravings. Progressing slowly also allows you to identify trigger foods you may find hard to eat in moderation. (Review the discussion of trigger foods on page 130.) Not everyone will be able to reintroduce all Acceptable Foods for OWL, and some folks will be able to tolerate some only occasionally and/or in small amounts. This is particularly true of legumes and low-carb grain products, which many people find that they cannot reintroduce until they're in a later phase or possibly never. Sometimes a food that initially gives you trouble can be reintroduced later without adverse consequences.
YOUR PERSONAL TOLERANCE FOR CARBS.
As the two scenarios demonstrate, your objective in OWL is to determine how many carbs you can consume and continue to lose weight, keep your appet.i.te under control, and feel energized. If relevant, you'll also want to see an improvement in various health markers. Phase 2 also enables you to explore and decide which foods you can and cannot handle. All this is part of the process of finding your personal tolerance for carbs, known as your Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CLL).
Think of it as exploring your dietary neighborhood while avoiding the metabolic bully's turf. People doing Atkins report a broad range of CLLs. Those with a higher tolerance may have a CLL of 60 to 80 grams or even higher. Still others find that they can't move much beyond the 25 grams of Net Carbs that initiate OWL. If you're losing less than a pound a week on average, you're probably close to your CLL and should not increase your carb intake. If your weight loss rate picks up, you may be able to raise your carb intake slightly. Your goal should be to enjoy as broad a range of foods as possible, but not at the risk of losing the benefits of carb restriction, namely continued weight loss, appet.i.te control, the absence of obsessive thoughts about food, high energy, and a general sense of well-being.
It's always better to stay slightly below your carb tolerance level than to overshoot it and then have to back up. The delicate balancing act of finding your personal CLL is crucial to truly understanding your metabolism so you can ultimately maintain a healthy weight. That said, it may take a bit more ”backing and forthing” until you identify your CLL. As long as you stay in OWL, you'll remain at or around that number, and both pounds and inches should continue to disappear.
Your CLL is influenced by your age, gender, level of physical activity, hormonal issues, medications you may be taking, and other factors. Again, younger people and men tend to have an advantage. Increasing your activity level or exercise program may or may not raise it. No matter what your tolerance for carbs, however, it's perfectly normal to lose in fits and starts. And, as you know, the scale isn't a perfect tool to measure the positive changes you're experiencing.
After a month or two in OWL, you should have a pretty good idea of where your CLL will land. This in turn will likely predict the path that you'll follow after this phase. If your experience is like Scenario 1, you'll most likely find you can add back a variety of carbohydrate-containing foods and exceed 50 grams of Net Carbs a day without losing the Atkins Edge. However, if your experience is more like Scenario 2, you may find that you have difficulty introducing carbohydrate foods higher on the carb ladder and have a CLL of somewhere between 25 and 50. In Chapter 10 Chapter 10, we'll detail two different approaches that allow you to customize your permanent diet to your individual needs.
PERSONALIZE OWL.