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.
I refer to your daily threshold of carbohydrate consumption as 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 five grams of daily carbohydrates, representing what I call 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 have 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.)
Look at " The Power of Five " on pages 174-175 for other suggestions of foods you can add to your daily menu. Most people find it best to add back foods in a certain orderwhat I call the Carbohydrate Ladder( see below).
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. Following this order tends to minimize blood-sugar surges that could reactivate cravings.
CARBOHYDRATE LADDER
1. More salad and other vegetables on the acceptable foods list 2. Fresh cheeses( as well as more aged cheese) 3. Seeds and nuts 4. Berries 5. Wine and other spirits low in carbs 6. Legumes 7. Fruits other than berries and melons 8. Starchy vegetables 9. Whole grains
Each week you ' ll go up another level, adding another 5gram 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.
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