Hi guys! I know many of you do not know me, but I want to share an update on what has been going on with me. These last couple months have been tough for me, but things are looking up. Our school district passed its levy, which means I have a job next year. My boyfriend and I are learning how to balance things so that I get enough Wendy alone time And spring break is in a week, and I will be going to Phoenix to visit my best friend (plus it will be like 90 degrees and sunny). Ohio weather still sux, although I can't complain too much b/c we did have a snow day yesterday

So onto the dieting front....And I think many of you will find this interesting. I do not want to persuade any of you to stop doing Protein Power, but I have made some drastic changes in the last week and couldn't be happier. I've been on the verge of a major binge for the last month or so. All day long food would rule my mind. I was always thinking about my next meal, what I would eat, how much I could eat, all that terrible stuff. And then it hit me. I cannot go on like this. I am a mental basketcase and need to figure out something else. So I decided to do something seemingly contrary to everything I've believed in the last year. I started CAD (carbohydrate addict's diet). It's nothing I've tried before, and in all honesty, I doubted it would work. It just didn't make sense to me that you could eat virtually whatever you wanted one time a day and maintain or even lose weight. But I wasn't really reading the fine print. CAD is NOT Atkins or Protein Power with a reward meal. It is MUCH stricter during the day than Atkins and Protein Power. The basic premise is that any time you eat, insulin is released, no matter if it is artificial sweetener or whatever. So you are supposed to eat as few times as possible during the day, never more than 4, preferably only 2 or 3. This is very against most conventional thinking today, I know. The next premise is that you should NOT divide up equally the carbs you eat during the day. You should SEVERELY restrict carbs at 2 meals per day, and this is why. When you eat your reward meal, your body will be tricked to think you are only going to need as much insulin as you did at your last meal. If I only ate 6g carbs at my last meal, my body would only prepare itself for that much. This is why I would then be able to eat as much of a balanced meal as I wanted one time per day so long as I confined it to a 60 minute timespan. If I go longer than that, then my body releases its second surge of insulin and I've ruined the advantage I've just created. So this is the basic premise. You cannot consume anything that causes cravings during your other two meals per day: no artificial sweetener, no caffeine, no cottage cheese/yogurt, no nuts, no fruit, moderate fat. Then you can have basically whatever you want one time per day, so long as you confine it to 60 minutes and balance it out. You cannot only have carbs at dinner, but you can have whatever kinds you want and however much you want as long as you continue to eat protein and veggies. Sounds insane right?

Well, I decided to try it, and have been doing it for a week, simply hoping to maintain. From what I'd read, many people on LC diets experience an initial gain of a couple pounds which then goes away. I never gained. In fact, I am half a pound lighter now than I was a week ago! Let me tell you the kinds of things I've been eating.

For breakfast almost every day I eat about 350 calories, 2 HB eggs, 1 oz cheese, 3 chicken sausage links, and 1 c. green beans

For lunch almost every day about 350 calories, I eat 5-6 oz tuna or salmon, 1 T. mayo, lettuce, 1/2 cucumber, 1-2 T. Italian dressing.

I do not eat snacks, and amazingly have found that I don't want them anymore, which is amazing for me. The other amazing this is that I have been able to give up diet rite and gum!

For dinner, I have a nice sized protein, lotsa veggies, and every night have had a starch (spaghetting, rice, mashed potatoes, bread, etc) and a dessert (regular chocolate, ice cream, cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, chocolate cake). Out of curiosity, I've entered my dinners into Fitday, and I'd say I average about 1000 calories and 100 grams of carbs for my dinner alone!!!!!! Isn't that insane? Before, I was only eating about 1350 calories and 60g carbs per day, and now I am probably 500 more calories and almost double the carbs, yet I am down in weight! And you read all that right. I am eating potatoes and sugar. Oh my.

I feel so free. I feel so in control. My insulin finally feels balanced. The massive carb amounts at dinner do not set me off at all. I feel so much better mentally than I have in years. I've been sleeping like a baby. I have NOOOOOO cravings, which is insane. I have no desire to eat outside of my meals. I feel so content. It's so wonderful to go to a restaurant like the Cheesecake Factory and order whatever I want, like the bread/butter, crabcakes, salmon salad, and entire slice of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Yummmm!!!! I can see why people think this diet is insane or why they fail, b/c you have to be unbelievably strict the rest of the day, but it is sooooo worth it.

Elaine, Kathy, and others, I know you have struggled with Protein Power, to getting where you really want to go. You might want to consider CAD, or at least read the book. It is designed for carbohydrate addicts and it contains a test to see if you are one. I tested almost 100%, which wasn't a surprise. As you can see, I'm exploding with excitement, and I just had to share with you all that maybe there is another way to do things. Feel free to respond to this and ask as many questions as you'd like. I want to jump back into the group again, I just worry that I cannot keep up with everyone. Our little group has grown so much and I feel very out of the loop

You go, girlfriend A friend of mine is doing CAD, she lost about 9 or 10 lbs.Will check it out.
If you found the right WOE for you, then go for it. You are not out of our loop, we still care about you and want you to post to let us know how you are doing. You are one of the "Pals" in PP Pals
Elaine

OK Pals - the hunting for Wendy trip we were planning is cancelled.

Wonderful to hear your job is secure and you and bf are 'growing up' together - all relationships require some time to find the path that works.

Interestingly enough, except for my breakfast drink and an occasional salad at lunch, I am following a plan very close to what you describe and I have been losing (except fo the past week, but that's because I had an infection / internal inflamation)

So glad to hear you have found something that is working. As I've always said, no one diet is right for everyone and your body is the best indicator of what you need.

Hope we hear from you more often. I've missed you.

Renee

Wendy-- congrats on finding a plan that you can stick with AND haveing it work. that is great!!! i do believe that not every plan will work for every person and that you need to find what works best for you. that is one of the reasons i switched to PP. keep us posted!!!

michele

Great to hear from you, Wendy! As Renee said, we were about to send a search party out looking for you.

Don't apologize for trying a different plan. There is no one right plan for everyone. Some certainly make more sense than others, but sometimes our bodies don't care what makes sense.

If one plan worked for everyone, everytime, I wouldn't be having so much trouble with PP this time around. (Actually, I think I'm having more trouble with me and my motivation more than the plan, but that's another story!)

I also believe that our bodies need different motivators at different times of our lives. So if this is working for you, you just keep doing it. It's like how they always recommend that you switch off your workouts from time to time so that your muscles don't get used to certain movements and become much more efficient and so don't work as hard anymore. Maybe it's the same with other facets of your body, too.

There are no rules here. We all just do what feels right. Sometimes we're on the wagon, sometimes we're hanging on by our fingernails, and sometimes we're off the wagon face down in the mud. But we're trying, and that's what counts.

Good to hear from you again!!!

So good to hear from you!!!! I am so happy to hear that things are going well for you. I wish you all best success with CAD. Hope you find more time to pop in, we miss you!

Darn you, Wendy!

Since you posted this, it has got me thinking. I've been neglecting my work and instead going through and reading all the CAD posts. It sounds intriguing. I don't know if I accept the notion that your body "remembers" the amount of insulin it had to produce at your first two meals of the day and then "prepares" only that amount for the next meal.

I'd be curious to see someone actually test their blood sugar after each of the first two restricted meals, and then again after the reward meal.

I'm trying to be open-minded here, but I'm skeptical. On the other hand, it certainly seems to work for a lot of people.

Like you, I am sick to death of planning all my meals ahead of time, counting not only carbs, but calories now also, and trying to keep the fat percentage up enough to "qualify" for the Atkins recommendations.

My breakfast and lunch are typically somewhat restricted, and I have snacks only once in a while. For example, here's what I had today so far:

Breakfast: 3 Tbsp flaxseeds with 1 pat butter and 2 Tbsp heavy cream

Lunch: 4 ounces lean pork, 1 Tbsp cream sauce, 3 cups Romaine/spinach, 3 Tbsp caesar dressing, 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese

I don't know how that would fit in with CAD guidelines. I'm more than half tempted to buy the book and read up on it. If nothing else, I'll be learning more about low-carb lifestyles. Maybe tomorrow at lunchtime.

I'll keep checking the CAD forum. Keep posting and let us know how you're doing. I like to look at people's experiences who are in the same ballpark weight-wise and height-wise as I am. I think it gives a better indication of how it might work for me.

Wow, you guys have no idea how great it was to see so many responses to my post yesterday. I didn't realize how much I missed you all. I think I just got overwhelmed when I saw how many newbies we had. I got the old Wendy all or nothing mentality. I knew there was no way I could keep up with everyone's posts like I like to do, so I didn't keep up at all. And it was sad. I hope you'll all be patient with me as I work my way back in and don't feel neglected if I do not address all of you. It will take a while to get to know you. Before we know it though, it will be summer, and I will have TOO much time on my hands again For those who do not know me, I am a teacher.

Bawdy-You sound just like me!!!! That's why I brought up you and Elaine, b/c I know you've both struggled and that you both have your certain weaknesses for treats/popcorn/alcohol, you know I really really was skeptical of this CAD. I jumped into it last Thursday fully expecting to fail. It seemed like the differences were so small in the regular meals from Atkins and Protein Power that there was no way that I would be able to fully enjoy the reward meals as I was promised. My expectations were that I would gain back all the weight I lost. I expected to go on a carb binge and never be able to recover. I was sooooo surprised it didn't happen. It was the strangest thing to actually ALLOW myself to eat carbs of my choice once a day. Not only that, but I found that I didn't want everything and I didn't want to feel sick. I've never even eaten for the full 60 minutes. I just stop after 30 or so and realize, wow it's just 23 more hours till I can do this again. It's an amazingly freeing experience. I no longer feel like I am depriving myself. I've also not even eaten some of the things that I was certain I would by now, Dairy Queen blizzards, pizza. I've had neither yet. And I probably didn't paint a very good picture of all my carbs I've been eating. Except for the cheesecake and ice cream, I usually only eat a couple squares of dark chocolate, and most of my grains have been whole wheat pastas, brown rice, whole grain tortillas. So I really am not just loading up on candy and poptarts, b/c I don't believe corn syrup and regular flour should be consumed in excess. But it is nice to go to a restaurant and have a piece of bread if I want it, or to split whatever dessert I want with someone else.

If I had had a "cheat meal" on top of how I used to eat, I would have puffed up big time, but I've actually felt less bloated lately. Honestly I do think there is something to my insulin being regulated. No, I am not a diabetic and I do not monitor it, but I do know how I used to feel and how I feel now. I used to feel unstable all day long, and now I do not. So long as I balance my reward meal, I do not feel tired or loopy after eating dinner. I feel pleasantly full, a feeling I NEVER felt on Protein Power. Before, I had to cut myself off from eating based on how many calories I knew I had consumed. Now, my body cuts me off. I am technically allowed to eat that whole hour, but I've never wanted to, which completely surprises me. Who'd have thought that I could be content with normal amounts of food?

Again, I was just like you. I became OBSESSED with reading all the old CAD posts, but I was sooo skeptical I didn't act for a very long time. I did read the book, twice in fact. I took the quiz which confirmed my carb addiction, but I am certain all of us here would qualify. When I finally decided to try it, I was determined to do it by the book and to only eat the allowed foods at my breakfast and lunch, no exceptions. They do a good job in the stickies on the CAD board to tell you the rules, the allowed foods, and the foods to avoid. You probably don't need the book. Your lunch looks good to me for CAD, but they would not recommend flaxseeds for breakfast. For CAD, your breakfast should have much more protein, eggs, bacon, stuff like that. You also want to be careful not to go hog wild with fat at those two meals. I strive for amounts of about (per meal) 350 calories, 6-7g total carbs, 30g protein, and whatever is left would be fat. It seems to be working well for me. Then I get full at dinner at about 800-900 calories and about 80 or so carbs. I am trying to get away from counting everything, though

Dawn, I am unaware of carbs putting a strain on my liver. I am not a diabetic. I am fairly young (26) and healthy, just trying to get to maintain a good weight now that I've lost it. I don't know what my morning insulin levels are, but I can tell you how I feel each morning. I have NOOOO appetite now, which is strange for me, and have to literally choke down breakfast. I've always loved eggs and they are almost repulsive to me. I think if I was ravenous, especially for carbs, that would indicate that my insulin was a mess, so it seems to be in check. But I could be wrong.

Elaine, thanks for the welcome back!

Renee, that is interesting that what you are doing now is similar to what I am doing. The most intriguing idea to me about CAD is that it is better to eat all your carbs at once vs. eating them spread out through the day. It seems so contrary to all the other LC plans I have heard about.

Michelle, thanks for replying to my post, and I am glad to meet you

Wendy, I figured that about the flaxseeds, but really the calories are not so bad:

Breakfast (as noted above): 316 calories, 27 grams fat, 12 grams carbs (minus 9 grams fiber), and 8 grams protein

Lunch (as noted above): 454 calories, 34 grams fat, 6 grams carbs (minus 3 grams fiber), and 31 grams protein

I know the breakfast is low on protein.

Despite what you said, I wouldn't attempt this plan without buying the book and reading it. Like you, I need to internalize it before I can do it.

This evening for dinner I had beef stew with a few pieces of potato (probably half a small potato) and maybe 4 baby carrots. Then I had a handful of potato chips and an Irish whiskey and toasted you and your success!

Wendy is back!!!

Cad does sound intriguing, but I am afraid to go back and eat certain foods, i do not know if it would trigger a binge or not! The full feeling that you are getting is a plus, I have NEVER been to that point! I even eat more than my dh!

How is the school year going now? Atleast the countdown to the end of school is near!(I know that my ds is doing that!)

I am glad that you are maintaining with this woe, and yes our little group has grown! I have been so busy with calving that I can't answer to everyone's thread either! I do think that people do understand now that we have expanded in population! More ideas and support!

Well keep us updated on your life, we have missed our Wendy!!!

Have a good evening everybody!

I have read the CAD book, it was the first LC book i ever read. I have to tell you, i did not score high on the test (and that was while low-fat dieting)

just another example that everybody is not the same!!!

the main reason i didn't choose to try the diet though is because of the strickness of the other meals. i like to be able to have a higher carb breakfast or lunch (like if we go out to a restaurant and sub fruit for hashbrowns) and then make up for it at dinner.

the other reason, was i was so ingraned with low-fat, and at the same time going through a program at my gym that was low-fat and the profile test they gave me said that i should be eating a high carb diet, that i didn't believe what the CAD book was telling me. i probably should re-read it now that i am a lc believer.