A method for encoding data is disclosed. The method can include receiving a first bit segment (K−1 bits) from a bit stream, storing the first bit segment, initializing an encoder with the first bit segment, start encoding and transmitting from the Kth bit to the end of the appended data stream, and appending the first bit segment (K−1 bits) to the end of the data stream. The disclose arrangements can be similar to tail-biting methods different in that the initial bits are utilized to initialize the encoded as opposed to the tail or last bit as provided by tailbiting methods.