Atkins Vs Protein Power

[dogmania]

I've been on Atkins for 6 months and have lost 30 lbs. I have 15 to go. I was wondering if anyone has switch to Protein Power after doing Atkins.

The menus look tempting, but I'm afraid I'll gain the weight back. I like the idea of eating more fruits! :roll:

[joanne42]

The protein power plan is just as liable as Atkins program.. That is the program I follow and I've lost a total of 73 pounds.. i've lost 47 of those since October.. I was doing atkins a while back..

[dogmania]

Thanks!
Can you describe your favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner on PP?
I know berries are big LC fruits, is there anything else?

[catfishghj]

I dont see a tremendous amount of difference between Adkins and PP. I have read both books.

[Chamellie]

PP is a more liberal plan than Atkins. One primary difference is Ketosis, Atkins advocates ketosis as a must to lose weight while PP advocates that being in Ketosis is ok, it is not the objective of the plan. Atkins is a higher fat while PP is higher protein with moderate fat. I have done much better on PP than Atkins. Here are a few typical menus:

B - 1. 6 oz yogurt, 1/3 cup Fiber One Cereal
2. 2 eggs fried or scrambled, 4 oz hamsteak, 1 sl LC toastw/butter& SF jam
3. 2/3 cup Keto Crispies or Flakes, 1/2 cup Silk Soymilk
4. Carbwise bar

L - 1. 6-8 chicken wings, LC BBQ sauce, salad w/lite blasamic vinegar dressing
2. 6-8 oz grilled chicken, salad or cooked veggie
3. large salad (mixed greens, avacado, tomato, cukes, blue cheese, meat, almond accents, lite dressing
4. Tuna Salad (tuna, eggs, celery, mayo), 2 rye crisp crackers, salad

D -1. 6-8 oz grilled meat (pork, chicken, steak), 1.5 cups mixed veggies in cheese sauce
2. Tacos, shell either la tortilla or taco shell made from cheese, ground beef or turkey cooked in taco seasoning, lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, sour cream
3. LC Chili topped w/cheddar cheese and green onion
4. Noodless lasagna, salad

S- 1. pumpkin or sunflower seeds
2. small serving of fruit (berries, melon, grapes, etc)
3. 1/2 cup SF ice cream
4. 1/2 carbwise bar
5. string cheese

I hope that gives a little better idea. This works well for me and I find it very easy to follow.

[dogmania]

Where you do you buy LC bread? Is that the same as the SF bread? What brand do you buy?

[BawdyWench]

Atkins advocates around 65% fat, whereas PP advocates a lower amount (but they never actually say how much). PP also says you need to get a minimum amount of protein daily. Atkins says if you eat too much protein, it will turn to glucose and stop fat-burning. Stupid, in my opinion.

Atkins seems to work well for people with a lot of weight to lose, but as they get closer to goal, a lot report problems losing that last 10 - 15 pounds. PP is better for those people because it's lower fat.

Of course, this is only my opinion.

[Chamellie]

dogmania - I buy my LC bread at the regualar supermarket. I buy one of several brands.

Orowheat Light - 5.5 ECC per slice
Aunt Hatties 9 grain light - 6 ECC per slice

Last night they had Aunt Hatties Low Carb bread at 5 ECC per slice. The slices were pretty big compared to other brand but more pricey.

[Orang]

Re: bread - I use Natures Own - Wheat and Fiber - 5 gms ECC. It is a product of Flowers Bakery Inc.

I've heard from several LCers that Arnolds makes an excellent LC bread, but it doesn't seem to be available here.

[dogmania]

Thanks, Ellie and Orang. I'll look for those at the supermarket. I've steered clear from the bread aisle for so long, it's a little scary to go there!

BawdyWench, I agree, the last 15 pounds on Atkins have been really tough. I've been stuck at 144 for the past 4 week and it's getting very frustrating. I finally got the proteinpower book last night and started reading it. Hope to do it right soon. It's more complicated than Atkins and easy to underestimate your carb intake.

I tried Suzanne Somers diet two weeks ago and gained 4 pounds in a week! :nono: I guess my metabolism got confused or something.

dogmania

[RobinBeBe]

Hmmm!!!!

Bawdy, I am at 249.5 right now. I have a lot to lose. Am I on the wrong program??? Should I be doing Atkins until I get down further weight wise?

Robin

[marks]

This thread is just what I was looking for!

I started Atkins in July, and have to date lost 37 lb.
Recently, I've started reading other LC books, mostly
to be able to defend myself again all the well-wishing
busybodies who come up & tell me that I'm going to
destroy my health on a "fad" diet.

I purchased Protein Power this weekend, and read it
almost nonstop. Atkins is an empirical plan: it's a
method that works, never mind why. PP gives the
whole picture. I understand now. I can defend the LC
faith.

I found the discussion on our dietary evolution very
interesting. Another LC book I recently read, Life
Without Bread, has a chapter devoted to human
evolution & diet, and touches on some of the same
points.

Mark

[dogmania]

Marks, I've been reading protein power too (although I'm a skimmer ). It makes sense, but will we continue to lose the last 10-15 pounds by INCREASING the carb intake from 20 to 30? I plan to try this weekend and see what happens.

[Chamellie]

Dogmania - I would give it a try :) It worked very well for me but I also had to watch fat/calories in order to lose. Also, keep in mind that 30 is a beginning range similar to Atkins induction. I found that I lost much better in the 50 carb range than in the 20-30 carb range.

[BawdyWench]

Sorry! I haven't checked this thread in a while and didn't realize some people were asking questions of me.

Dogmania, you really think PP is more complicated than Atkins? I find it far less complicated. For one thing, there's nothing you can't eat on PP. Just try to spread out the carbs and proteins throughout the day to avoid insulin spikes. That's it.

As for the last 15 pounds, you have to figure out for yourself what works best for you. Some people, like Ellie, lose better on higher carbs, and some (like me) lose better on lower carbs. Listen to your body, not to a book. Read the book, but also know that everyone is slightly different.

Robin, no, you're not on the wrong program! I didn't say that if you have a lot to lose that Atkins is better than PP. What I meant to say was that if you look at everyone doing Atkins, the people who have a lot to lose do better eating the higher fat percentages than people who only have a little to lose. Any low-carb plan will help you lose. And there are a ton of plans out there.

Have you looked at the "quick link" over to the right-hand side of the screen that is titled "Which low-carb plan is right for me?" It gives you a summary of a whole slew of plans so you can compare them and see what appeals to you.

Until you know your body and how it reacts, I suggest you pick one plan and stick to it faithfully before tweaking. Give it time to work. You're fine on PP. Or Atkins. Don't stress so much. I know it's hard, and I know you want to lose the weight fast. These things take time, though. Work with your body.

Dogmania, the above goes for you, too. You said you're going to try upping your carbs this weekend to see what happens. Don't do this too quickly, or you'll rebound.

Since you're relatively close, read what the PP book says about transitioning to maintenance. (By the way, did you get Protein Power or Protein Power Lifeplan?) In the hardcover PP book, read pages 184 to 186. It's a section called "The Smooth Transition" and it's in the chapter "Putting It All Together: Designing Your Food Plan." It might help.

You might have to start counting calories a bit, too. Obviously, a person who is 140 pounds need far less food/calories than a person 240 pounds. I'm losing well now, and I'm hovering around 1100 calories a day (46% protein, 46% fat, 8% carbs). But that's just me. You might do better with different numbers.

Sorry if this confused more than helped!

[RobinBeBe]

Bawdy - thanks for the reassurance. I still go back and forth at times between what program I should follow. I have posted my calories eaten, and my ratios of protein/fat/carbs - and, on most days I hover around 2000 calories, with 70 percent fat/24 percent protein/6 percent carbs. The other board/email list members say this is fine, but it sounds more like an atkins ratio to me.

I recently bought Laura Richard's book, The Secret to Low Carb success. She compares plans, and gets down to the nitty gritty of doing LC over the long haul. Good book so far :)

Robin

[dogmania]

I didn't lose any weight for about 6 weeks on Atkins. Switched to Suzanne Somers and GAINED 4 pounds. Went back to Atkins and lost the 4 pounds... Then switched to protein power. Didn't gain and didn't lose -- but I enjoy this diet much more than I do Atkins. I feel that I can live on protein power indefinately. Less likely to fall off the wagon.

Finally started losing again this week by adding 2 days of weight lifting to my exercise schedule. I think the weights are what did it. I now go to the gym 4 days a week, 2 days of cardio :yay: and 2 days of weight training. Just have to make time for it.