did you feel good right away or did it take a while?

Did you get hungry a lot?

Great question. I felt it within a few days. The sluggish, groggy, twitchy cloud vanished, and I felt clean and clear, if you know what I mean. And I lost weight like crazy. I had been semi-starving on low-fat for years, fighting to keep each pound off. I couldn't believe the effects of this diet- I remember being both thrilled to have found it and furious about my prior years of starving. I did get hungry after a few weeks, but that was because I was still limiting fat too much. Fat is your friend!

hi-
the first few days I felt heavy from eating so much meat, but I was not hungry because I ate lots of food!
After the first week I felt great- and even told my DH that I felt "normal" for the first time in 15 years!

On these plans, you eats lots of protein and veggies and can have a snack if you need it. Read the CALP book.
E

Hi,
I remember the feeling of being clear headed..like I had been in a daze for a long time and didn't even know it.
It took a couple days for the cravings to disappear and then I just felt so great, I was on cloud 9. Everyone kept saying how happy I looked (and I'm a very optomistic, happy person already).
I did get hungry alot, so I would have cm snacks sometimes 2x a day..but I still lost. For me the secret was not having any sugar whatsoever at RM.
A couple times I did have sugar and I felt immediately horrible, like I had been hit by a truck. I drank tons of water and went for a speed walk for half an hour and then the feeling passed. But it was an awful feeling.
I think everyone's body is different..but I kept reading over and over how people felt that they finally had a sense of normal well being. That's huge!
Keep it up...
M-A

thanks!
The reason I ask is I just started and I am really hungry throughout the day.
Just wondering how long it takes to get used to.

hi-
why don't you post what you ate yesterday (everything) and see if we can help.
E

I started off on the South Beach diet.

I drank a lot of water in order to try not to have headaches. My weight dropped rapidly which motivated me enormously. I was never hungry or dizzy at all. I became a strong believer in low carb food.

Then, after a while, I could not stand eggs, chicken and other meat anymore. The many eating moments a day, which of course serve a purpose!, were very inconvenient to me.

So I switched to CAD/CALP. For many weeks my weight did not change, which was not very motivating.

After a long while I decided to mind my calorie-intake more than prescribed in the books and to have my reward meals better balanced. I also singled out certain food in order to see whether that particular food prevented my losing weight.

That's how I dropped the last pounds.

Since then I eat a lot more and I have still been able to maintain my weight.

Hi, when I first started CALP, I felt very tired & lethargic for the first week or so. But after that, I had lots of energy & actually felt more focused & "clear-headed" than before. Sometimes there's a transition period as your body adjusts to having less carbs, but if you're truly a "carb addict", you'll feel much better on a low-carb diet.

Also, I never felt hungry after the first couple days. Stick with it, the cravings will disappear! If you feel hungry, you can have a bigger breakfast or maybe even add a small snack (cheese, etc.) Everyone is different, but for me the hunger/carb cravings went away after a few days. YMMV. Good luck!

I wish I could say I didn't have a lot of experience with this, but I've been on and off for the past 10 years at least...when I first go back on plan, it takes me 3-4 days to settle in...for cravings to dissipate it can take 2 weeks.

If you are hungry - eat. Just keep your snacks/meals 90 minutes apart, don't forget to have some cm veggies with those snacks...eating just protein for a cm, a bad habit of mine, is honestly not as satisfying as including a raw or cooked cm veggie.

At first, I will usually do 3 meals and 2 snacks a day..really..and lose weight since the plan does allow for this. Just listen to your body, how it feels. It will tell you how you are doing

Now, I am eating maybe 2 meals a day with coffee/half and half in the am, one snack in the eve with meds. Somedays, just one meal...if..that is all my body wants. I like to wait until my tummy rumbles so it's a physical, not emotional hunger that gets me having a meal or snack. Important for me.

I have only been on CALP for a week or so, and the first few days were tough. However, on day 5, I had a rush of energy and my mood skyrocketed. My head is clear, and no cravings.

Hang in there, everyone is different. When your insulin balances, it will be all worth it!

I was on Atkins and losing well, until I came online and found out that I was "supposed" to be eating LOTS more fat and found out about things like "muffin in a minute," which I happen to be allergic to.

Anyway, the Atkins I remembered from the 70s isn't the whole new "improved" version, so I added a large quantity of eggs to my diet, and totally stalled, and also started having MAMMOTH cravings for high-carb foods whenever I ate an, no matter how it was prepared. Someone kindly pointed out that I am probably allergic to eggs, and should be tested.

Anyway, I decided to try CALP after about a month and a half of varying Atkins' plans.

I felt great the FIRST day on CALP, but I've been very low carb for almost two months, and my first day on CALP coincided with being egg-FREE and I'm certain that helped.

I feel so clear, calm, lucid, alert -- I wish I'd read this diet book when it first came out but I thought it was for people who crave sugar & sweets, had NO idea that it would literally save me from the horrid advice I've followed about making sure to eat tons of low-glycemic high protein beans & legumes and veggies and oatmeal, etc.

I gained SO much weight, got all the symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia, and felt HUNGRY all day long, 24/7.

With CALP, I don't have to pay any particular attention to any "yen" I may have for a particular food, as I can simply include a portion of same at the reward meal.


NO more O.B.S.E.S.S.I.N.G over forbidden foods!!!








LOL!!

we have to listen to our bodies- for me eating lots of 'little' meals a day is horrible. also eating carbs more than once/day is not good for me either!
glad you are listening to your body too

can you pls explain how this is the CALP plan then because you said you had no sugar at all at RM, doesn't that make it similar to other plans like PP or atkins ? (I haven't done either of those but know from reading here that no carbs are allowed on them ). thnks.

hi-
I will try and answer. SOme people find that they have to limit sugar, or eliminate AS, or have carbs only in the am, or whatever. In the CALP book there are "OPTIONS" and people have to figure it out. The plan is a guide- you need to make it work for you.
If I have sugar as my carb every RM I am not happy. I also did not lose weight as fast when I had sugar RMs. Now I can have it or not- I sometimes combine carbs now that I am maintaining but I never did when I was losing.

E,

by sugar you mean no dessert like cake, choco, biscuits etc ?? but you would have pot or bread or pasta with your RM ? or you only stuck to your protein and low carb veges ? would you have high carb veges?

i'm trying to understand if you are distinguishing between sugar and carbs ( I know that carbs is sugar )..... am i explaining myself clearly here or have i lost you ?

I remember reading in the CAD that carbs were an important part of this plan to work but if I don't have to have them then atleast I have that option. that way when I do want them then I can balance my meal..