Hi! I'm new with a couple of questions

[lou7401]

Hi, I'm new to this plan, I started on Aug. 1st. So far, so good. I don't have any weird symptoms or side-effects which is great!

I have a couple of questions.

1) Do you think this plan will work for me? I tried the South Beach Diet twice with no success, both times when I went to Phase 2 where whole grains were allowed I stopped losing. Basically I lost a few pound on phase 1 then it just didn't work. I felt great though! That's why I thought this plan might be better because it limits carbs to a much greater extent. On the other hand I'm eating more calories on this one than on SB. Prior to starting PP I had already cut out all sugars, high-fructose corn syrups, and refined grains.

2) I need to lose 60 pounds. I am eating 30 grams of carbs per day. What rate of weight-loss can I expect? I don't need to lose weight extremely rapidly, but it has to be enough to keep me motivated. I am 41 yo, female and I walk and do pilates several times per week.

Glad I found this place!

Louise

[Kathy]

1) Do you think this plan will work for me? I tried the South Beach Diet twice with no success, both times when I went to Phase 2 where whole grains were allowed I stopped losing. Basically I lost a few pound on phase 1 then it just didn't work. I felt great though! That's why I thought this plan might be better because it limits carbs to a much greater extent. On the other hand I'm eating more calories on this one than on SB. Prior to starting PP I had already cut out all sugars, high-fructose corn syrups, and refined grains.

2) I need to lose 60 pounds. I am eating 30 grams of carbs per day. What rate of weight-loss can I expect? I don't need to lose weight extremely rapidly, but it has to be enough to keep me motivated. I am 41 yo, female and I walk and do pilates several times per week.

Glad I found this place!

Louise

Hi Louise,

Welcome! Grains really inhibited my ability to lose as well, so I cut them out all together. A lot of people have gluten sensitivity and don't know it.

I think where the SB diet fails is that it focuses on low-fat, when you really need an appropriate amount of fat-and protein-to lose weight.

Have you had your thyroid checked? Hypothyroidism could be inhibiting your ability to lose weight.

[lou7401]

Thanks for your reply!

I understand what you are saying about the whole-grains and fat and protein. Makes complete sense.

I had my thyroid checked at my last physical which was last winter. I'll ask about it again when I go in.

[Mitra]

Welcome, Louise :).

1) Do you think this plan will work for me? I tried the South Beach Diet twice with no success, both times when I went to Phase 2 where whole grains were allowed I stopped losing. Basically I lost a few pound on phase 1 then it just didn't work. I felt great though! That's why I thought this plan might be better because it limits carbs to a much greater extent. On the other hand I'm eating more calories on this one than on SB. Prior to starting PP I had already cut out all sugars, high-fructose corn syrups, and refined grains.

As Kathy says, if you have a grain intolerance, then you may need to just avoid them - or it may be just certain grains, like wheat. At intervention carb levels you won't be eating many grains, so it might not be an issue for now. Don't worry about the fact that you're eating more calories. If you have problems losing weight, then you can look at that later, but most people don't need to think about calories in the early stages.

2) I need to lose 60 pounds. I am eating 30 grams of carbs per day. What rate of weight-loss can I expect? I don't need to lose weight extremely rapidly, but it has to be enough to keep me motivated. I am 41 yo, female and I walk and do pilates several times per week.

Unfortunately, there isn't a standard rate of weight loss. I was 42 when I started, had 30-ish pounds to lose, and lost an average of a pound a week over the first few months (a bit more at the start, a bit less later on). In the FAQ section in the Eadeses' book Staying Power, it says that women, on average, can expect to lose 2-3 lbs per week, and men 3-5. I have to say that those numbers sound a bit high to me - maybe the people who attended the Eadeses' clinic lost weight a bit faster than those of us who are doing it alone ;). If you read some of the personal journals, you will get an idea of what some other people have experience.

It's important to take measurements, as well as weighing yourself - if you exercise enough that you gain some muscle at the same time as losing fat, you won't see so much change in weight, but you will see a change in size, and in the way your clothes fit - picking an item of clothing to use as a gauge is another way to monitor progress.

[Shadow]

Welcome, Louise :)! I agree with Mitra that you need to just follow the plan and not worry about calories for now. There will always be time to refine your eating if the weight loss doesn't come. Since the body heals from the inside out, there may be times when you aren't losing weight according to the scale - but that doesn't mean that what is going on inside doesn't count ;). And there will be times when your clothes will fit different but the scale will stay the same. This journey is about much more than just a number on the scale. The weight loss will come, but that's only part of the equation :).

[lou7401]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I certainly agree that this is about more than just the number on the scale - I am trying to improve my overall health. I have a TON of the 'symptoms' that the Eades talk about in PP - symptoms of insulin resistance. I have slightly high cholesteral (203) and also slightly high 'bad cholesteral' (which one is that?) but my triglycerides and good cholesteral are both fine. My fasting blood sugar was 99 which my doc said was bit high for me. I also have hypertension and take medication. I've noticed in the past and when I was pregnant that that I really have to get to under 150 for my blood pressure to be normal - that's 40 pounds less than what I weigh now! Ack!! I have a long way to go!

The good news is that I have only been on this plan for 4 days and my ankles aren't swollen. Maybe it's just coincidence but ...maybe not!

Louise

[cmcole]

Good going, Louise.
Keep it up and keep checking back here for encouragement.
I know the people here are absolutely wonderful when it comes to answering any questions I've had, and I've never felt that I was an inconvenience, which is great, because I've had lots of them.

[Mitra]

It's probably not coincidence that your ankles aren't swollen. One of the features of low carb eating is that you retain less water. Slight puffiness in feet/ankles or hands can be a useful early warning that you've gone beyond the level you can tolerate.

[lou7401]

Thanks everyone!!

Louise

[Carmen Sandiego]

Welcome! Grains really inhibited my ability to lose as well, so I cut them out all together. A lot of people have gluten sensitivity and don't know it.
Same here...it doesn't matter which plan I'm on or how many carbs per day I have, grains tend to throw me off track...so I really have to limit them!

[Cora]

This is slightly off subject, but the thread made me think of it. I seem to have developed a wheat intolerance (or uncovered one!) since I've been on this WOE. If I eat wheat products, I seem to get a problem with diarrhea. Since I ate a lot of wheat before (trying to eat "healthy"), I find this suprising. Has anyone else found this to be true?

[arc]

If I eat wheat products, I seem to get a problem with diarrhea. Since I ate a lot of wheat before (trying to eat "healthy"), I find this suprising. Has anyone else found this to be true?
Yup.

The more I got away from wheat, the more sensitive I became to it. Now that I've been gluten free (except for a couple of accidental "glutenings") since Feb 1, it takes very little to set off my symptons, like a few crumbs that I didn't see. This is very common among celiacs.

I think it has to do with the gut healing and then being hit with the offending substance again. I don't know for sure.

By the way, there are some places that you can still get gluten when doing low carb. Crumbs in the mayo or butter or whatever, from people who double dip their knife while spreading it on their sandwiches (big no-no in our house now). Soy sauce has wheat in it and used in a lot of marinades, particularly chicken salads in fast food restaurants. Some spice mixes (like taco seasoning) has wheat as a filler. Some packaged shredded cheeses use flour as an anti-caking agent (usually it's potato starch, though - thankfully). Low carb beer (gluten is in wheat, barley and rye - barley is used in beer). Some hot dogs (Nathan's brand :mad:) and sausages use wheat as a filler. Low carb wraps are a huge offender (and how I finally connected the dots about being gluten intolerant) as are many low carb treats.

The stuff is everywhere. :eek:

[Zuleika]

Lou, my loss has varied anywhere from about a pound a week to several pounds, like this week (4). So, I guess I'm typically losing something closer to 2 lbs. a week this time around. I lost about 30 lbs. on the plan once before and I think I was losing about a lb a week or less.

One of the differences I think this time, is that I'm cooking from scratch more and taking the leftovers for lunch. Last time, I ate more food from the ready-meals section of the market and bought lunch. Its just too hard to know what you're really eating.

What I've found is that its such an easy plan to stick to once you get passed the carb-craving stage, is that it almost doesn't matter how long it takes. You just eat the way you eat, and as a great side effect, you get skinnier. It's not work like it is on Weight Watchers or something where you're constantly battling being hungry and wanting certain foods.

[miralin]

(snip)Soy sauce has wheat in it and used in a lot of marinades, particularly chicken salads in fast food restaurants. Some spice mixes (like taco seasoning) has wheat as a filler. Some packaged shredded cheeses use flour as an anti-caking agent (usually it's potato starch, though - thankfully). Low carb beer (gluten is in wheat, barley and rye - barley is used in beer). Some hot dogs and sausages use wheat as a filler. Low carb wraps are a huge offender (and how I finally connected the dots about being gluten intolerant) as are many low carb treats.

The stuff is everywhere. :eek:

I've had a similar experience, and you aren't kidding! I rarely eat out because it's such a pain in the butt, but when I do I tell the waitstaff I'm allergic to wheat (not 100% true, but less irritating to them than someone who is uberpicky or sensitive or whatever) and they are pretty forthcoming with info. I try to do as much research online and in advance as I can, that way I can make easy choices when I get there. And I've pretty well figured out what I can eat from the choices in restaurants near the office, so I can go out with my coworkers on occasion.