I am kinda die hard Atkins but I am worried about my bodies reaction to ketosis. In eberal I guess I dont believe it's harmful but I think it is for me... this is NOT the point though...

okay..I am looking for a new plan and I know there are people on this board who have lost good amounts of weight with CAD. I am going to try it because it's pretty close to Atkins and I do need the no cravings.

SO...I have the books CAD and CALP. I have read CAD and some of CALP.
I think it all sounds okay and doable but I really wonder how weight loss is really possible I guess?!

For your reward meal...most of you do dinner? Do you really eat what you want..or do you aim for low fat or low carb or a certain amount of calories!?
I know all about balancing the meal...I plan on doing CAD though and I am going to start off simple. I dont expect to lose weight right away after this change but I am SOOOOO nervous that I wont lose at all...

Well--there are people on this board who have lost huge amounts of weight on CAD! I'm a newbie, but I never lost on Atkins and am slowly losing on CAD--check out Vels journal for example--CAD keeps fat lower than Atkins, but as long as you balance your RM you can have whatever you want!! I use my RM carbs for fruit and chocolate and it seems to work for me--check out many of the journals here--they are really inspiring!

Good luck

For me I'm not noticing weight loss a smuch as maintaining. Alot of it is how I do my reward meal though. If I have sweets or sugar I know I'll feel ick the next day and maybe be up a little. If I keep it moderate carb using fruits, nuts and whole grains for the carbs I can go down. I've moved to treating my reward meal more like Atkins OWL or Premaintanance instead of having anything I want.

From what I've read on this bored many have a small gain at first why your body readjusts to carbs, then the loss happens. If you start just hang in there and give it a fair chance

I've had a wonderful time on CAD/CALP. I'm an Atkins refugee -- only lost 2 lbs in 5 weeks on Atkins induction -- and I did not gain weight by switching to CAD. Rather, I lost fairly quickly at first, and then it slowed down to slow but sure. After 2 weeks on the Entry Plan of CAD, I switched to CALP where you can add in variations according to metabolism, physical problems, age, etc..

You don't have to do low-fat on CAD/CALP, but you can, and still lose weight! Low-fat Atkins just doesn't work. If you balance the RM as the book says, and you make sure to eat it within the 1 hour time limit (not one minute more!), you won't get an insulin spike. Insulin is the hormone that causes fat storage. And that's how CAD/CALP works -- no insulin surge, no fat storage!

The other meal or two look very similar to Atkins, but be certain to get the list of craving-reducing foods. These are slightly different than the allowable foods on Atkins. If the food you want for CMs isn't on The List, save it for RM.

Be certain to take the Carb Addicts' test, available in a Stickie on the CAD/CALP forum. If you pass (which most low-carbers do), then this WOE should work for you.

We each have different bodies and different metabolisms, so don't be afraid to try a different eating plan. If it doesn't work for you, you can always go back to Atkins or check out a completely different plan, such as Protein Power (I know a lot of people who lost a lot of weight on that plan, too!).

Stop by my journal any time.

There is a common misconception (caused, in my opinion by CAD being not that well written - lots of confusion) that on CAD you don't have to balance the Reward meal. You do. On page 118 - 120 it is explained, they even include a pie chart!

But, as we cadettes all know.. balance is the ideal, not necessarily the norm. When I first started there was no balance.. in fact there were whole food groups missing entirely. It was months before a vegetable made an appearance at one of my RMs. And I did still lose weight very steadily.

Now, I strive for more balance. I really find I feel better if I include a salad or LC veggies of some type and quantity with my RM. Not to say that I am perfectly balanced. My Rms are almost always still carb-heavy. But, I'm working on it

CAD works by controlling your insulin, and by the time you get to your RM (which is usually dinner, but not always) your body isn't prepared for a big onslaught of carbs, so doesn't release much insulin. But you have to respect the hour limit, or it won't work. Also you have to be diligent about not letting any carbs sneak in during the rest of the day or your RM is just a big ole binge!

It is a great program. I personally think the Hellers are geniuses. I get to enjoy some of my favourite foods every day .. which keeps me loving this 'diet', and still lose weight at a steady, healthy pace. What more could I ask for?

I hope you like it too!

This opinion may not be popular, but I say when you first start, go ahead and have what ever you desire. Make sure to balance the reward meal, but for your carbs have what ever you have been desiring regardless of carbs or calories.

You may gain a little at first, or suffer from bloating, but it will pass. I think by going ahead and having what ever in the begining kind of gets it out of your system. After a little bit the sickingly sweet things won't even look attractive most nights and a large bowl of yogurt or a fresh fruit salad will seem far more tempting. Occasionaly you will desire a sweet thing again, or be slightly unbalanced when eating away from home, but by denying yourself in the begining you may find it hard to stay on plan.

My main problem is the list of allowed veggies is so limited, I get sick of them fast. I got spoiled by the variety on the Atkins plan. I just now save some of those veggies for RM

I THINK I did okay today.. had an odd day though because I went out to eat with family to a mexican restaurant.

I had a tostada, taco and burrito they were all really small..it was a lunch combo there was meat, lettuce and a shell on them all so it was sort of balanced..lol only lettuce though also had salsa and sour cream and guac... w/chips. I know, I know.

Then for dinner I had chicken breast w/mayo mixed in 1-2 cups of salad (just lettuce)


I only drank water today

So...I realize it wasnt an ideal veggie day but was it super bad? I feel pretty good....coming from Atkins I dont expect to see a huge difference in craving type stuff..I was eating less than 20 carbs most days as it was...

I notice CALP allowed broccoli and CAD doesnt... CALP seems to be written a lot better.

I think you did fine. When you go out, sometimes balance is hard to achieve. Don't worry about it. In fact in the beinging, don't worry too much about balance just try to get everything else right...balance will come.

Wenzday-I agree about the CAD/CALP books. It's my theory that they found that their followers needed a little extra guidance--which they included in the newer book.
We love mexican food, too! We usually have a mexican lunch about once a week. I've found that a chicken taco salad (at least at our favorite place) is usually pretty cm friendly. Just chicken, salad, and sour cream/guacamole on top (which you could certainly leave off). And of course--leave the shell. Works pretty well when you want to save your rm. Of course--when I finally get to go out to eat, I usually want ALL the goodies. I'd much rather eat the good stuff there, and deal with a cm at home, later on.