Hello!!

I was following Dr. Atkins on and off for several months...then I decided to get serious. I followed the program, with dedication for 3 weeks and still no results. I was looking at the scale and the tape measure, and also trying on clothes to determine if there was any change. AND NOTHING CHANGED!!! For the past 10 days.... I went on a binge. My logic was simple - I had worked really hard and did not get results - so I might as well just eat anything and everything!

Now I have decided to switch gears - and try Protein Power.
I have read the book but there are still a few questions that I need some help with.

My understanding of the program :

determine my protein requirements - ( 20 grams per meal)

keep carbohydrates at 30 grams per day - use fruit & high
quality vegies - eliminate starches

try to take in 25 grams of fiber per day

Acceptable fats - olive oil, macadamia oil, peanut, walnut oil, hazelnut oil, butter
note: the recipes also say mayonnaise is acceptable

So here is the question - when I am following the program - how much fat should I be consuming on a daily basis. Is there a percentage of total calories consumed?? Should I remove the skin from chicken before cooking?? AAARRRRRRGH!!!

Also - if there is anybody out there who has been successful with this program - and is willing to check my journal regularly - and tell me what I am doing wrong - I would love the help!! Thanks!! I just don't want to waste another couple of months without results!!

I did PP about two years ago and went from 256 to 226 in two months without even flinching. It was GREAT! I know it works! Cholesterol went from 278 to 189. Similar triglycerides etc... I fell off the wagon starting at Halloween and the kids candy bags. Well, I'm back now, and this time I am LCing for the duration of this life. Here are a couple of items to think about with my One Man's Experience with PP.

1. Make sure you drink your water - all 64 ozs a day
2. 10 gm of carbs per meal MAX - don't cheat
3. After reading number 2 above, don't forget to eat your carbs. You have to convince the body that you are not starving yourself. LC is not ZERO C!
4. Drink some more water.
5. Excercize was vital for me - walking - 30 - 40 minutes three times a week but at the end of the two months I was up to 3 miles in 45 minutes 4 to 6 times a week. You have to get the heart involved in the process with some regular non-strenuous cardio workout.
6. Did I mention water? Oh yeah - I did already. Remember that diet coke, sprite, pepsi, etc... is not water. I stay away from diet soda as I am an extreme sugarholic and drinking a diet soda makes my body remember the candy bar days and I crave things I don't need or want any more. Some diet drinks actually have zero calories but have an ingredient called 'brominated vegetable oil' which actually triggers the insulin response and drives the blood sugar down and makes you hungry and .... you know the rest of that. I drink a lot of lemon water and lime water and unsweetened herb tea.
7. Visualize - I take a lot of quiet breaks during the day and actually picture myself with the flat abs I want (I'm a beer bellied middle aged guy and I don't even drink). I even visualize down to the detail of my fat cells releasing their energy into my bloodstream, reducing their size and making me feel energetic. Close your eyes and see the real you, not the you that you are right now.

This time, I've decided to only weigh at my doctor's office but in less that two weeks I have already fit into a pair of pants I couldn't fasten any more and have tightened the belt 2 notches.

So - take a quiet moment right now to visualize the real you - sleek and vibrant , then drink a glass of water (or 2), and go get it done. IT DOES WORK!!

Alan

p.s. Contact me direct if you need. I help myself by helping others!!!

go ahead and eat the chicken skin (in PPLP, they might nudge you towards buying free-range chicken). There's really little difference between PP and Atkins; just eat fat until you're full. Most people here on Phase I might eat something like 1800 calories, only 120 of those carbs, 240-480 protein )the 20 g per meal is a minimum, not a maximum), and the rest as fat.

use www.fitday.com for awhile to check your numbers. it'll end up looking like 6-7% carbs, 15-25% protein, and 65-80% fat.

HTH!

Hi - I can't PM you for another 15 posts or so, but I can at least present my points this way. I am utterly amazed that you drink as much coffee as you do. And you still sleep???? Amazing to me. I looked through your journal so I'm sure you read about the aspartame concerns and balsamic vinegar. There are lots of tasty salad dressings with less effective cards than balsamic vinegar, which I really love too. But like they said, don't sweat the small stuff. Having said that, remember that something small to others may be big to you. So don't ignore your feelings either. Regarding water (you know I had to mention that didn't you), try not sipping it. Sometimes water tastes - well tasteless and tasting nothing is painful. Try the lemon juice or lime juice as a flavoring to see if that helps. Also, before you hit the point in your day that you dread the water, get as much of it out of the way as possible. I probably drink 24 ozs of water within 10 minutes of waking up. CHUG CHUG CHUG - get it in there as fast as possible. Also, I read somewhere in here that you should drink most of it before meals or between meals rather than at mealtime. And my last comment for now, I'd really look at cutting the caffeine intake. I know the one post said don't sweat the small stuff, but it is a stimulant and I'd say in one man's humble opinion that you have a caffeine addiction. Is it possible that is hurting your efforts? There's a lot of info on the addiction forum so you might find some startling info there.

Smile, Laugh, and Go Get It Done! Alan

Hi folks. Personally, I love the Protein Power Plan. It works. It's pretty painless, especially as time goes on and the cravings die out.

One thing I learned from this forum - coffee has carbs. I know that's a shock but it's the sad truth. You have to count 0.1 g per ounce, which puts a mug at almost one carb plus any cream you add.

As long as you're losing it's not an issue, but there may come a time when it matters.

Thank you !!

Alan..... I can drink coffee (even late at night) and fall asleep
within minutes Yes..... I have been drinking coffee for many
years (too many years) and I love the stuff.
Now let me tell you a short story......many years ago when I worked.... I went into the office feeling awful, with a bad cold.(yes, I had coffee that morning)Nobody noticed I wasn't feeling well. The one morning when I didn't have time for coffee - everybody asked if I felt okay. Apparently I looked pale and sickly l!!

Kay.....I used fitday.com and ran some of my previous days menus. It looked like my total calorie count was way too high So I have decided to try it again - and measure everything that I eat!

Thank you both for your kind words.

Hello!

I have only been on the plan for 2 days now so I certainly dont speak from experience, except that I have lost weight (I have previously been eating about 16 hundred calories a day, working out 4 times per week and not one pound budged, I maintained that lifestyle because I would rather be healthy and fat than unhealthy and fat)

Within 2 days of this plan I have lost 3.5 lbs I havent seen this weight in 6 years! (its not much but its somthing!) The philosophy that I have adopted (from reading alot of the posts, surfing and reading) is that everything that we previously thought was "evil" (butter, cream, cheese...(mmmmm) sausages, eggs, bacon, avacados, cheese, cheese, cheese..... etc) are really "forces for good" - in moderation. I try to balance out each meal (while staying within the 10 carb max per meal) with a veggie, cheese, and meat of some sort. There are lots of great cook books out there with 3-7 g of carbs per serving (Dietitions of Canada, Good Food fast - this was my bible before the diet, and will remain such as many of their recipies are low carb - yippeeee! Salisbury steak with mushrooms in wine sauce - thats tonights supper, with mashed cauliflower to soak up all that sauce!)

And I agree with the diet soda not being part of the total liquid for the day, but I actually find that having a Diet Pepsi with lemon calms those after dinner "gimme a cookie" cravings (or ice cream, or chocolate, or chips, or.....fill in the blank) Also, last night my husband and I found a very decadent treat, its in the Power Plan book under hot nuts. 5.6 grams = 1/3 cup raw or untreated almonds, a pat of REAL butter, little salt, stick it in the microwave and heat for 1.5 minutes (stirring every 30 sec)

Anyway I got off topic, I am just sooooo excited that this plan is working for me and I didnt want you to get discouraged and loose hope/focus. Good Luck!!!

Elora Jade, welcome. I can see you are already in love with this way of eating. You are going to love it even more as the pounds melt away.

I can also see that you are going to be a major success at making this a way of life - in other words, permanent weight loss. You are going "by the book" which is the key!!!

Good for you, and all the best!

By the way, you might want to print out this thread and keep it by you for inspiration in case you ever have a weak moment.
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...&threadid=36244

Another good source of inspiration is found under Past Powerful Posts.

Thanks for the inspiration! Mind you I dont think that I could go forever on the induction - 10 carbs per meal is killing me! (sometimes, like now for instance, I really want mashed spuds)!

Hello guys!

I'm sorta new: I've been trying CAD/CALP for 2 weeks but it just ain't right for me ... so I'm trying PP which worked great for me a few years ago but unfortunately those creepy pounds sort of sidled up again and jumped on while I was busy eating pizza or something...

Pleeeeeeeease give me your support because I'm reeeeeeeaaally down on my dieting and a bit low...
and I need all the cheering on I can get!

Oh, yeah I forgot to introduce myself: my name's Liv, I'm nearly 33 (I'll get there next Friday) and I live in Italy, Carb-land itself!!! I guess I don't have that much to lose but while my fave jeans don't even climb up my behind ... weel, it's still too much!!!

Bye for now
Liv

Buon giorno!!!

I remember Italy with fondness, hubby and I went (among other places) to Rome and Naples in 2000. I really miss it there, youre sooooo lucky, but on the other hand I feel badly for you, all that pasta and those pizzas! (mmmmm) They just cant do pasta or pizza right here in Canada - I guess that when you have sirloin is hard to get used to liver eh??

First things first - you need to ensure that youre getting enough calories. So, think of it this way - remember all the stuff you usually avoid while on a low fat diet??? (Meat, cheese, eggs etc) Well guess what, pig out babe! Make sure that you are tracking your carbs and taking vitamins. I was "down" for the first bit as well, but then someone here pointed out that I am probably not getting enough calories AND not enough vitamins, so when I adjusted that I started feeling better.

Also, keep in mind that low carbing will affect your mood (Insulin is a hormone afterall), however if you KNOW this then its easier to handle.

Dont give up on the pizza! you can get a loaded pizza, just dont eat the crust - I always found the pizzas there were so creative, little piles of egg, veggies, meat, covered in spice and cheese etc

So (me being nosey) where in Italy do you live?? (I"M JEALOUS!!!)

Ciao!