Too much Protein? Food for thought!

[RamonaK]

Fellow Turtlers.... I had been stalled for about a month.. and for the life of me.. I could not figure out what I was doing wrong.. eating all the right things etc.

However.... I just discovered that I was eating too much protein... and thus possibly causing me to stall in my weight loss. I recently was rambling through my book shelf and found my copy of the ZONE.. I was reading through his chapter on Protein.. and in there he cautions about eating too much protein.. can cause insulin excretion as well. So I did the protein calculations according to the charts in his book and have been eating less protein.. same amount of fat.. and I also increased my carbs a bit... and viola.. in two weeks I dropped 13 pounds.. I could not believe my eyes when I stepped on the scale today... so I am doing a combo of Atkins and Zone.. making sure I balance my protein and carbs..and being more eyeful of portion control....

I thought I would pass along the news.. just incase there are afew others out there.. stuck.. while doing everything right...

FYI.. I was not measuring my protein.. just eyeing it.. plus everyone was saying eat until you are full... eat .. and so.. I think I was eating too much protein..

If anyone has questions.. let me know...

Ramona

[razzle]

interesting, ramona! Do you have any idea how much protein you were eating before? I'd be curious to hear your guestimate of grams

For Atkins/PP people, and for anyone with severe insulin resistance, all the evidence suggests that it would be better to replace lowered protein (lowered NO lower than the PP/Zone formula, considering gender, exercise, weight) with good quality fat (metabolically inert), not carbs.

But since Sears really wants you to eat only LC veggies as your carbs, this seems not only a healthy change for you, but like a great lesson for you about your own body, Ramona! It might not work for all of us (I was stalled for over 3 months on the Zone myself before going LC), but it might work for some.

I'm also curious--do you follow the Zone prescription of only 1100 calories a day?

I'd give others a caveat about that: while such a low-calorie diet will often give a person some quick loss, it'll also lower her metabolic rate so that, after reaching goal, she may never be able to return to "normal" levels of calories again. Since I've lived a post-VLCD life of having re-gained weight rapidly on only 2000 calories a day, I can testify that this is no fun in the long run, despite the short-term loss. It's very difficult to stay on a 1200 calorie/day diet forever (one is literally hungry all but about 6 hours per day), and unlikely to provide a person with sufficient micronutrients.

[RamonaK]

Hi Razzle...

I have no idea how much protein I was eating.. I know it was much more than I am eating now. I am not really following the Zone. I am to the degree of lowering my protein relative to my lean body weight. I have added more carbs in the way of more vegetables and a piece of fruit a day. If I am hard pressed or have a special occasion I am allowing my self something more. I am keeping my fat intake high.. everything else as usual... I must have missed the 1200 calorie a day part in the Zone.. I did skim chapters.. I agree.. way to low of calorie intake.. I have been there.. too yo-yo etc.. High carb.. low calorie... etc..not fun.. like being in prison....

Thanks for asking for clarification....

Ramona