hi mike, yes i have tried the balanced meal thing before, i did pretty well on it. but was often hungry just got lazy and didnt feel like doing it anymore. i think for me, if i could stick to any one plan for more than a month i could get to my goal weight. thanks for the response.

i think for me, i have to change my whole thinking about food, figure out why i feel the need to binge. until i do that i dont think i will be successful on any plan, something in my head has got to change.

just to let you know i am trying this again today. i hope i am in the right frame of mind this time. if i can just stick to this for 3 days in a row then i will be on my way. so heres to the first of my 3 day commitment to cad. so far so good today. last week i slacked on excercise too, so i will be getting back to that starting today, with a 30 min aerobics tape. i will let you know how i am doing. thanks again.

Dear Willbthin,

I came here looking for info on cad, and I read your posts here. I want to totally support you in trying cad for 3 days, but I also want to tell you about some books that might be helpful, and help you figure out just exactly what and how you want to resolve things. I believe very strongly that excess weight is a side effect of other things, and that when we resolve the other things, working on the weight isn't charged will so many emotional factors. I know that has been true for me. My stats reflect my starting weight when I joined this site and started lowcarb, but my high weight was 272, and I am 5'2". So, I have lost more than my stats reflect.

OK, back to the books. If you have a library near you, look for any books you can get hold of by Geneen Roth. She is a fantastic author, especially for women, because she speaks to many of the reasons we gain weight in the first place. I think that her earlier titles are the most helpful - Feeding the Hungry Heart, Breaking Free From Compulsive Eating, Why Weight?, When Food is Love, Appetites. Her latest one is When you Eat at the Refrigerator, Pull up a Chair. It's good too - a little more lighthearted. Geneen's books are really helpful for understanding why we end up overweight. The other author, Laurel Mellin, is a nutritionist, and her book is more about getting it resolved, permanently. I lost over 35 pounds with her book, and it sounds like something you'd benefit from, because it's all about balancing all the food groups. She has developed cycles for emotional, physical and spiritual health. I LOVE this book! It's called The Diet Free Solution, or on older volumes, The Solution.

I hope you don't take this as something preachy. When I read your posts, I could really relate to you, and where you're coming from. When I was in a similar place, someone told me to read these books. I did, and it has made all the difference in the world! So, I hope this is helpful, and that you aren't offended.

I have a loooong journal in the journal section, if you're interested. I haven't been doing CAD (well, until yesterday), but Protein Power. I know that when I started, reading others' journals really helped me. Mine is a mess - some menus, some recipes, lots of visits from my crazy lowcarb friends, etc. However, if you have some spare time and want to check it out, feel free to stop by. I always love the company!

Take care of YOU, and do what is best for you!

-Catinhat

catinhat, thank you soooooooo much, i am not offended in anyway, i am just so thankful for people that still respond to me and give me support, despite how many times i came on here preaching what i was going to do, only to change my mind the very next day. i will try to get a couple of those books as i know that is probably what i really need. until i get the books i will try to stick with cad. and not eat until i am truly hungry and stop when i am satisfied , not overstuffed. and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! for losing all that weight and sharing what finally clicked in for you. you have been a really big help, andi will try to check out your journal

thanks again. i am very rarely offended by what any one says, i can use all the help i can get, good or bad. heck, i even know i need a kick in the butt sometimes just to say, stop messing around and just pick a plan and do it!!!!! but i know if it was that easy i would have done it by now.

have a great day everyone, i am, so far.

A typical day......

Breakfast: two eggs. hardboiled, fried, scrambled or whatever interests me. Sausage or bacon.

Sometimes I have grilled salmon and asparagus for breakfast.

or...... cottage cheese, mushrooms and ham.

I have learned that breakfast doesn't necessarily mean "breakfast foods".

Lunch: Today I had a small steak and a huge salad. My salad consisted of iceburg lettuce, spinach, cilantro, Grandma's home grown tomatoes, two mushrooms, and regular old ranch dressing "thinned" the CALP way.

Dinner: I work tonight. This is tricky. I eat from the cafateria at our hospital. I ALWAYS have salad because it is a safe bet. I can usually get a lot of good LC veggies from the salad bar. If the grill is open I usually choose a hamburger patty with cheese. Sometimes I pick the chicken breast pieces, but they are breaded. Then I try to find a steamed LC veggie. Green beans if I am lucky.
If I made my lunch my Reward Meal then this is probably all I will have for dinner. If dinner is my Reward Meal then I will round it out with a higher carb item.

I try to choose healthier foods for my higher carb items. Squash, beans, rice...... and I try to avoid bread, pastries, potato chips and junk food.

Overall, I eat a lot of vegetables. I don't avoid fat. I quit drinking soda pop a year ago, and I take my vitamins. I track everything in a little notebook and the results are beyond description for me.

These are just a few of the things I eat. This has been the simplest thing I have ever done. Yes, I have to plan and prepare, but it's no big deal. No, I will never be able to go back to my old habits but that's okay.... I don't want to.

Sometimes I want cake.........and I eat it too.

With best wishes,
Libby

DRINK LOTS OF WATER!!!!

Libby, thank's for the menu.
Congrat's on your weight loss, you have a right to be so proud.
It look's like you are about at goal.
I am doing pretty well. It is hard not to want to snack.
We are trying to sell our house, so I am going to trade my snacking, for keeping the house clean and picked up.
Thank's again.
Hug's, Shirl

The day in the life description was really helpful for me too - thanks so much!

Tomorrow is my official weigh in day - every Tuesday - so I'm eager to see if a few days of this has made my weight increase or not. This is a lousy 'test week' though - TOM is right around the corner - blech!

Anyway, thanks so much! I'm off to my journal to post my meals from today.

-Catinhat

Hi Sirlfe,

I have lost over 30 pounds on CAD and can give you a description of my daily menu easily:

Breakfast: Bacon and egss with black coffee and splenda

Lunch: Cheese or Chicken salad with Diet Coke

Dinner: Stir-Fry Chicken in a Creamy Saude with White rice and dessert of a Kit-Kat

this is just a sample and there are loads of othe ideas on this site - It really works and the principle of only having your carbs once per day in a 1 hour period is so good and practical because it makes it so much easier knowing you can have them!

I tried Atkins and found it too hard and know a lot of people who go on a carb rebound - I find this much more balanced - as i said ive lost 30 pounds this way and love the fact that i can stick to it because its just a bit softer.

Please stay in touch - Its great to have other CAD's along for the ride!!

Bye

Mike

hi guys, glad to see more people with such positive posts on this way of eating. i am still here, catinhat i still havent gotten to the library yet and again i appreciate the book suggestions.

i made my reward meal lunch yesterday, but by dinner i was making mashed potatoes corn on the cob and ham for the family and couldnt keep my fork out of the mashed potatoes

what does anyone who has to deal with cooking for family do??

i guess if it is a meal i think i wont be able to resist i should save my reward meal for dinner, guess that is the only solution.

here i go again today , i will not give up. one of these times it has to click.

Hi Willbe

Glad youre back!

I find it easier if i keep my reward meal for dinner.

I still find if i eat carbs during the day i crave them again at night and i like having home and my carby meal to look forward to at the end of the day!

thanks mike, i know waiting to eat my carbs will help me eat less during the day, but sometimes my dinner meal isnt always a realaxing meal. but i will try to do it that way. i just had some veggie soup with a little bit of eggsalad.

do you know how many carbs are in spaghetti squash. dont know if it is a high carb veggie. thanks.

Right now, I'm keeping my reward meal for the end of the day too. I'm still a baby to this new way of eating, so I want to make sure I have the self-control in place before I try it any differently.

I think the fact that I've been doing protein power for a few months has made this much easier to understand so far. I have a good idea of low carb and high carb veggies, plus I've had lots of practice with those 'non-reward' meals. Adding the carb item is a breeze now, compared to when I tried this a couple years ago, and my reward meals weren't that balanced.

Willbthin - I have read quite a few books about lowcarb eating, and there is lots of research mounting that says it's a healthier lifestyle choice for everyone - basically, we eat too many carbohydrates as a nation, especially junk food. As far as cooking for others, maybe you can start to train your family's taste buds to that they are only eating one high carb item at each meal too. It would be healthier for them, and hopefully less tempting for you. Corn and potatoes are both really high in carbohydrates - maybe you could serve just one of them, along with another vegetable - corn and a salad (and meat) or potatoes and green beans (and meat). Then, you'd have only one item to resist. Also, you'd be teaching your family some good habits that might keep them from ever having to do something like this to lose weight! While I'm doing this eating plan (or protein power, for that matter) hubby has been told that if he wants a sweet item, he's welcome to go and get it, but I am not going tempt myself by making him a pie or something. He's been great about it - most of the time. I know that some families are more supportive than others - just remember what Dr. Phil says, "If mama ain't happy, aint NOBODY happy." Use that to your advantage!!

Aussiemike - thanks for posting the sample menu - post as many as you like! The samples in the book seem to 'fancy' for me - the ones here are more like the way I would eat, so they have been really, really helpful! Honestly, this has been much easier to start than I thought it would be - I was really afraid I'd go overboard with the carbs, but I think I've done OK.

Do you guys have journals, or do you just post here? I have a journal, but I'm a bit short on time this morning. I'll try and check for y'all's journals later, and pop in to say hello!

-Catinhat

thanks guys, there are some great advice and tips on here, that i am sure will help me alot.

I have kept a journal since day one. Ironically enough it is called something like...."Lil fat book". Anyway, it is a small, fat notebook and I track not only my weight averages and food, but also what is going on in my life that affects my health. Vacations, company, stress.....all of those things make a difference.

Later,
Libby