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Ongoing Weight Loss, usually shortened to OWL, is the second phase of the Atkins 20 plan. It comes after Induction, the strictest first phase, and before Pre-Maintenance. The original 2010 version of this post was garbled beyond repair, so it has been rewritten from the guidance Atkins publishes for health professionals, with notes from independent sources. Atkins now also calls this phase “Balancing the Diet,” so both names appear on its websites.

What stays the same and what changes

According to Atkins, most Induction habits carry over into OWL. You keep counting net carbs (total carbohydrate minus fiber, and minus sugar alcohols and allulose where they apply), eat protein at every meal, eat enough natural fat to feel satisfied, drink about eight glasses of water and other acceptable fluids, and get enough salt unless you have been told to follow a low-sodium diet. Atkins also advises a daily multivitamin and an omega-3 supplement. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting either, especially if you take other medicines.

Two things change. First, the list of foods gets a little longer: nuts and seeds, berries and a few other lower-carb fruits, more dairy foods, some vegetable juices, and legumes such as lentils and kidney beans. Second, your daily carb allowance rises slowly.

How the 5-gram steps work

Atkins sets the starting point at 25 grams of net carbs a day, rising in 5-gram steps, and recommends staying in OWL until you are within about 10 pounds of your goal weight. Foundation vegetables, such as salad greens and other low-carb vegetables, should still supply at least 12 to 15 grams of your daily net carbs. New foods are added gradually, following the order of what Atkins calls its Carb Ladder, so you can see how each one affects your weight, hunger and cravings.

Finding your personal carb limit

The real job of this phase is to find what Atkins calls your Carbohydrate Level for Losing: the number of grams of net carbs you can eat each day and still lose weight without hunger, cravings or fatigue coming back. Atkins says this level ranges from about 25 grams to 60 to 80 grams or more, and that age, sex, activity level, hormones and medications all affect it.

A few practical rules from the same guidance:

• If you are losing less than about a pound a week on average, you are probably close to your limit and should not keep adding carbs.
• It is better to stay slightly below your limit than to overshoot it and have to back up.
• If weight loss stalls, Atkins suggests cutting your daily net carbs by 5 grams to see whether it starts again.
• After a month or two, most people have a fair idea of where their limit lies.

Some people stall at under 50 grams. For them, Atkins suggests staying in OWL rather than moving to Pre-Maintenance, where carbs are added in larger 10-gram steps.

Doing OWL as a vegetarian

This phase matters most for vegetarian readers, because Atkins suggests that people who eat eggs and dairy skip Induction and start in OWL at 30 grams of net carbs. They then add 5 grams each week or every few weeks while weight loss continues. Atkins’ guidance for vegetarians includes these points:

• Get protein from eggs, cheese and soy foods such as tofu and tempeh. Aim for no more than 6 grams of net carbs per serving of protein food.
• Add nuts and seeds before berries, because they also supply fat and protein.
• Legumes can come back early, but only in small portions of about 2 tablespoons, for example as a garnish on soup or salad.
• Read labels on meat substitutes. Some contain added sugars or starches, some are breaded, and some vegetarian products contain egg or whey.

What independent sources say

The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health says there is some evidence that low-carbohydrate diets may help people lose weight more quickly than low-fat diets. It also notes that a two-year trial found healthy diets with different proportions of carbohydrate, protein and fat worked equally well in the long run. In a large study of women, low-carb diets high in vegetable sources of fat and protein were linked to lower heart disease risk, but low-carb diets high in animal fat and protein were not. Harvard suggests that anyone trying a lower-carb diet include some fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

If you take medicine to lower blood sugar, Atkins itself says you need to work closely with your doctor, because doses may need to change as your diet changes. For a broader look at the evidence, see Atkins Diet Pros and Cons.

Sources

• Atkins for Healthcare Professionals: Objectives and Guidelines for Phase 2
• Atkins for Healthcare Professionals: Atkins 20 Plan
• Atkins for Healthcare Professionals: When to Move From Phase 2 to Phase 3
• Atkins for Healthcare Professionals: Guidelines for Phase 3
• Atkins for Healthcare Professionals: Atkins for Vegetarians
• Atkins: Frequently Asked Questions
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Low-Carbohydrate Diets

This article is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting a restrictive diet, especially if you have diabetes, kidney disease or another medical condition, are pregnant, or take regular medication.

The featured image is an AI-generated illustration of a vegetarian low-carb meal.