I did Atkins the first 7 months. Stayed under 20gm carbs/day but started missing my fruit.
I love protien and decided this could be a good plan for me. It's been slow but it definatley got the scale moving again, but the clothes are getting even looser then the scale warrents. I've also noticed I don't get the 'big-hunger, like I could eat a whole cow' days either. I'm sticking around for sure. |
I also read "The Protein Power Life Lifeplan" and whilst I found it very informative, all the maths involved with calculating the protein put me off. I just tuned out when I saw that. I'm another "Barry Girl" (like Wifezilla), and I find that as far as the basic premises are concerned, PPLP and the principles in "Natural Health and Weight Loss" are pretty much the same. I aim for about 70g "gross" carbs a day and eat protein and fat at all meals. If I don't put enough fat with the meal, I get hungry again too quickly. In five months I've lost about 80% of the weight I was aiming to lose. If I go up to 100g, I don't lose, if I go over 100g, I gain. With this knowledge (from daily weighing and noting this info in my food diary), I know how to lose weight and maintain.
What I didn't like about PPLP is that it scared the pants off me!!! I began to think "OMG, must dash off to the doctor's and have all sorts of levels checked! OMG, I live in Germany, how can I get all these supplements?!!!" In the meantime I've also read "Nourishing Traditions" (I like reading books on nutrition...) by Sally Fallon, which has put my mind to rest to a great degree as, according to her knowledge, you can get most of the stuff you need from food if you eat the right kind of stuff. But even she recommends blackcurrant oil for GLA... Have fun with PPLP - I don't think you can really go wrong there. I'm not a fan of Atkins - too much soy and processed products and too restrictive. But the basic low-carb principles are, of course, to be applauded and much healthier than the low-fat dogma. GOOD LUCK! amanda |
The original Protein Power book had the gazillion calculations to determine your minimum protein requirements. PPLP uses a chart based on height/weight/gender to determine this same number. :)
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Just got my PPLP book in the mail yesterday only read a few pages so far. Will be back with my thoughts once I read some more.
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I see only 2 problems with Atkins. One is the assumption that if you eat LC then you are eating enough protein, and if you look at what many Atkins followers eat they are eating far less protein that is required to prevent muscle wasting no matter who's recommendations you go by. The second problem is that in later versions of his book Atkins decided to give some generic restrictions for how carbs are added back into the diet as one progresses towards maintenance. A better way, in my opinion, would have been to describe how to know if a particular food or group of foods is an issue, rather than saying "do this today then do that next week." |
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How long were you doing Atkins before you switched? I read the original PP years ago and liked a lot of it, but wasn't ready to totally embrace LC as a WOE instead of a diet. But a lot of what you said really rings true for me. You have me considering switching to PPLP, especially as strawberry season turns to peach season, and corn is coming in...... Am I considering switching too soon? Any thoughts welcome! P.S. Am checking out PPLP from my local library TODAY--will post back what I think. :) |
K: How are u coming reading the PPLP book? Have u officially decided to switch or waiting till u get through the book?
One caution is that going from Atkins to PP u have to go to the less fat choices because of the increased intake of carbs. (I think I said this to u already, but it bears repeating). I tried hi-fatting for a while and had to quit, but the mentality of "it's okay to eat a high amount of fat" has lingered and u just can't eat all that fat on PP. My choices have been marbled steak and chicken thighs, when they should have been leaner cuts of beef and chicken breasts. Oh well, as long as I'm living I'll continue to learn. Hope this helps. Actually it feels like I'm coming full circle. When I started LC I did it on my own and just cut out bread, cereal, most sugar, potatoes and ate protein and veggies. And guess what? After reading 3 more books, and 100's of threads on this forum, I'm going back to what I started off doing in the first place only is called Protein Power. I should have written a book. |
Oh yeah - my fat intake went down when I switched to PPLP - but boy, I feel much better on PPLP. To me, it feels like a much more sustainable way of life than Atkins ever did. Atkins always felt like a diet.
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I agree. I did Atkins years ago and it was awful for me all that fat made me so sick (I have no gallbladder) and it did feel like a diet, and one u couldn't do the rest of your life. I don't feel so restricted on PP and it does feel like something u can stick to as a WOE for life. |
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Breakfast is 80% fat from olive oil and coconut oil which gives me about 1400 calories. I do not eat lunch because I am NOT hungry and go 8 hours or so til I eat supper. 2nd edit: I should add in here that I eat most of my protein for supper and thus have less fat then. So overall my total fat may be in the range of 60-70%. I have been doing PP/PPLP for the lipid (and other) benifits, not to loose weight. Remember, PP/PPLP has NO EXPLICIT foods you must (or must not) eat. The parameters are; FIRST - enough protein for your body size/activity [ I have not seen any indication that the Eades would allow unlimited protein consumption!], Second - limit carbohydrates such that your body MUST use glucogensis to have enough blood serum glucose for the few cells that need it (no miticohondria), and FINALY - eat enough FAT to supply the calories you need. Supplements are recomended where you cannot get YOUR daily requirement from the foods/drinks you eat. Magnesium being the one that the Eades would FIRST recommend. |
I did Atkins, either actively losing or in maintenance, for 9.75 years.
I eat less fat on PPLP, but I am a *long* way from low fat, or moderate fat. I tend to get about 60% of my calories from fat, though I have no targets I'm trying to meet -- it just works out that way. I couldn't possibly eat 80% calories from fat if I get the minimum protein requirement in every day, but many people are quite successful doing that. |
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Thanks Larry, appreciate your input here. I guess I should have said "I" just can't eat all that fat". I'm just starting PP and have only read the Protein Power book so I'm still learning the program. But one itty-bitty statement made in the book stuck in my mind, which read: When in doubt eat lean meat, fish, or fowl and salad. BUT in another place it reads not to worry about fat. PP allows me more carbs than I've been eating for the last almost three months, and I've read on a thread or two that with an increase in carbs, you should decrease your fat intake, so that's where I was coming from. I know I'll still eat my coconut oil and butter and olive oil, so I'm not worried about that kind of fat, just think I'll be more cautious about the animal fats, especially since that's the kind of fat that my body with it's missing gall blader, rebels against. |
I finished reading PPLP can I just say it had me a little confused once I got to the menus. I don't I guess I am so use to SB and Atkins format that it kind of threw me off.
Of course I come with questions?????? First off how in the world do you count your protein? I don't have a scale and couldn't tell you what a 2 oz piece of chicken look like compared to 4 oz. As far as fat do you just add enough for cooking but not intentionally ADD lots to make it high fat? What about calories? I noticed in the book he does mention that you have to be mindful of that. Umm let's see what about the carbs? Someone mentioned before that in the PP book that it said to start with 30 carbs but I don't recall seeing this in PPLP. I know I am going to have to read the book again. One thing I want to ay about Atkins and I actually started a thread asking does Atkins eventually become a Low Fat diet? (not as low as your typical low fat diets but MUCH lower then Induction/OWL) I ask this b/c I went back and read Atkins 2002 book and in the Q&A section he was asked if he promotes a high fat diet and his response was......... Not exactly b/c once you work towards maintence you will have to DECREASE your fats as you INCREASE your carbs. So that left me thinking is that why alot of people have trouble staying on Atkins I mean really following it to the letter and tend to always go back to Induction/OWL? I find that alot of people are not truly going up the rungs as written in the book and are actually stuck at Induction with a few added OWL-Maintence foods thrown in every now and then. To me this is not how the plan was design. Let me say this is not a bash in any form on the Atkins diet (before anyone starts posting). I read and come to my own conclusions but I am curious as to what think? For me I am tired of dieting and want something I can live with without feeling deprived. I don't want to spend my life afraid to leave Induction. |
With my limited knowledge, I'll attempt to answer a couple of questions. (You should look at the post above from Larry, it gives quite a lot info on the basics of the program).
First, I would invest in a cheap little kitchen scale to weigh your protein since protein is so important to following the program correctly. As far as fat goes, Larry gives some insight on that too, but I think that if you need the calories (guess u don't want to go too low) you can add the good oils. BUT it may be that you'll get enough from the protein foods you eat. And I GUESS the point is that we aren't to be afraid of our fat intake (or at least not the good ones) if our carbs (the PP book does definitely start u at 30) are the right amounts. General rule: In the absence of carbs (too many), fat intake should not be a problem. Others will be able to help u a lot more on your questions, I'm sure. |
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I TOTALLY agree with pamlynn about getting a kitchen scale--I use mine all the time! This is a great discussion. :thup: |
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