I've seen that a lot of people combine plans and often combine the atkins and PP plan...if anyone does that can they please e-mail or write back because that is what I am trying to do but I need a little help! thanks so much

Hannah

Hi there Hannah,

I don't think this is something that anyone but you can decide.

What I mean by that is that everyone has different likes and dislikes, and different lifestyles, and what suits one person, won't suit another.

How about you read both books thoroughly (your profile says you've just "skimmed" them so far), then you might have more of an idea what I mean.

My main suggestion, however, is that you stick to one or the other at first. Then when you are comfortable with the concept of low carbing, maybe do some combining.

Rosebud

I think a lot of the reason you see programs combined is that the person's daily menu is the same, no matter which label you give it. I could technically 'switch programs' and be eating the exact same food.

One example of the 'program combining' concept might be something like coffee. Coffee isn't allowed on induction, but it is on PP. Many people go ahead and drink the coffee, so I guess you could say they're combining Atkins and PP.

Hi Hannah!

I'll second what Rosebud said. Most (not all) people who combine plans have done one or the other for some time before they decide to combine them. Learning how to live a low carb lifestyle is difficult at first and I think trying to start out combining two or more plans may be a bit too overwhelming. Without some experience under your belt (your own experince), it's difficult to know which aspects of each plan work well with you and what would be the best parts of each plan to incorporate into your daily plan.
I'll give you an example from my own experince if that will help. I started out with Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution because I had an out of control blood sugar problem that I wanted to focus on and it was addressed specifically to my situation. I'd done Atkins several years before, but quit for reasons that I don't really have time to go into here. After several months on Dr. Bernstein's plan, I was very comfortable with knowing what worked for me and what didn't. Since his plan doesn't include fruit of any kind and I found that I occasionally wanted some, I decided to add that aspect of Dr. Atkins' plan in (I knew the plan from when I was on it before) but still keep my carb levels from Bernstein. Using my blood sugar meeter as my guide, I tweaked here and there until I found which fruits I could manage (berries and some melons) and which I couldn't (oranges, apples and pears) and this is pretty much where I am today. Bernstein is still my primary plan, but there is that little bit of Atkins in there too.

Probably everyone who combines plans is tweaking to their own wants and needs. The parts that I am combining is the Atkins carbohydrate schedule with the protein requirements of PP. I also use PP for the body fat calculations. I know some people say they are flawed but they seem to work okay for my purposes. I never did drink coffee so that wasn't my concern. My next addition should be the drink till you float part. I still only drink 75 oz a day and I'm thirsty but so far haven't made it a priority to drink enough.

Beth

Hi and welcome to low-carbing!

I would certainly agree with the previous posts and advise you to follow a specific plan in the beginning. That way, you get the hang of it, and find out what causes stalls or problems for you. Everybody's body and lifestyle is different, so in the beginning, following a strict plan will help you figure all this out.

It seems like everyone combines plans or modifies their plans as they move along in the WOL. In order to make a complete change in our eating habits, it is important to find out what is really going to work for you in the long haul. I try to keep my carbs at 30 - 40 each day, exercise more, and drink water. Other than that, I guess I am not really following any specific plan. The weight comes off slowly, but it keeps coming off! This is a terrific way to live!! Cindi