Protein Power- The Right Way?
 

I have been following PP since December. I have the cassette tape, booklet package that was available about 9 years ago. I know I need to order the PP and PPLP books. My DH has put away all of the information in the package so it can be "preserved." So I can't reference it on a regular basis.

I have lost 51 lbs since I've started and I have another 50 before I make goal.

I exercise 5 days a week; 3 days of mostly walk/jog intervals of 35-40 minutes and 2 days of strength training with a trainer. All in the a.m. (btwn 5:30-7:00)

I typically eat breakfast between 7-8:00; lunch between 11:30-1:00 p.m. dinner is usually 7:30-8:30 p.m. I try to pack a snack to have around 3-4:00 p.m.

I am working to follow Phase I (28-40g net carbs) and strive for about 100g protein per day.

I am attaching my Fitday link because I need to hear from folks doing PROTEIN POWER if YOU THINK I'm still on track or if should tweak some things.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/Public...ml?Owner=ginwoo

The boards I'm on are so Atkins focused that sometimes I may synthesize information about that plan but that's not the plan I'm on...

I know I was piggy yesterday.. I would appreciate your thoughts.

Looks fine to me, at a glance. :thup: More variety than I get.

You are such an inspiration!!!! Your fitday is very helpful as I am new to this. I saw on 7/7/ you listed a cup of cream - is that accurate? What did you mix it with? - Anyway - I am very impressed!!

seems like you are doing well. 50 pounds in 6-7 months is great. its taken me a year of following PP for the second time to lose 47 pounds. The loss is going to slow down as your body needs less fuel. You are getting exercise which is great.

Looking ata random sampling of your fit day entries I'd say that your eating habits are not that disimilar from mine. When I hit the 180s my loss really slowed down. Now, I'm a 40 year old 5'8" woman who walks a fair amount, but does little else for exercise.

Now, having said that, there is some evidence that when loss slows down, you may need to adjst your calories downward (not everyone needs to - this is dependent on activity, metabolism, age, etc). Some folks suggest 10-12 times your goal weight, or your interim goal weight, is a good number to aim for. Those with higher activity levels can likely adjust that number up. Low carbers can eat more calories than a person on a lower fat diet and still lose weight, but its only like 200 or so more. Low carb is better, but its still a calorie burned vs calorie eaten equation.

Fitday has a tendency to overestimate the impact of your lifestyle and activity on the number of calories burned in a day. If I went by fitday's calories burned, I should be losing 2 pounds a week and would have reached goal in December of last year. lol.

I had a tall breve latte at Starbucks - there should have also been 2 oz of espresso as well. I don't drink the entire thing 12 oz.. I drink 2/3-3/4 and then throw it away...

Jkmfrog, I hear you.. My goal in the past - I didn't focus on it was to limit myself to 1500-1700 calories per day with a target of 1600 average (135x12). However, a couple of weeks ago, I had a week of 1800 calories with 60% fat; 30% protein; 10% carbs and I lost 3 lbs that week. I know and expect my rate of loss to slow.. It just seems I have a hard time knowing where to draw the line.

I often get hungry - not so much the last couple of days - and I keep reading how folks on LC don't get hungry. That was true in months 2 and 3 but now it's like my body has adjusted and now I get hungry a lot and I feel as if my meals don't fill me up.

I try to focus on water and herbal teas to help with the hunger. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.

I think I need to revv up my exercising a bit and will be working to do that.

Congratulations on your success! You're inspiring.

Could your exercise be driving your hunger?

Cheers--
Terry-24

Nolagina, how tall are you? If you are hungry, you may not be getting enough calories. The 135x12=1600 is usually for people who don't exercise, and on <10% cals from carbs, people can usually eat ~300 more calories than on the standard american diet; I certainly can. I'm 5'6", with a similar exercise schedule, and got down to and maintain at 136 eating 1700-2000 calories/day (ave = 1900, 65-70% of the calories from fat) the entire time.

YMMV, but cutting calories & enduring hunger led me to 35 years of yo-yo dieting failures. Eating more fat was my key to success & I have been maintaining for 14 months.

Deidra,
I'm 5'2 with large frame....

I'm trying not to freak out because I'm panicking... I have gained 1 pound this week. I don't think I'm eating any differently than I have.. I think my calories have been a bit higher than I'd like, that's the only thing but that may be all it takes.

I just want to be able to eat enough food, lose weight and not be hungry, is that even possible?

When you say you are hungry, is it head hunger or stomach growling physical hunger? I ask because for a long time I could not tell the difference. I had a tendency to eat because something was upsetting me, or I was bored, or I simply craved a certain taste or texture - even if I had already eaten a full meal. Someimte "hunger" is driven not by physical need but hormonal changes, or triggers, or stressors.

I you are exercising more, then you can and should be eating enough so that your body has fuel. Dierdra is right in what she says.

Folks are going to have different results with lower fat and higher fat versions of low carb. Some bodies respond well to the higher fat levels, and some don't. Gaining a pound may not have anythng to do with what you ate this week - or it may. If you are not taking measurements along with your weight I would also go by those. You might be holding onto some water as your muscles build and repair themselves from the exercise.

Hmm... good point.. You know I'm not sure I do know the difference. That's why I go the water/tea route first because I don't know.. I'm frustrated and a bit bored with my job right now.. That may be factoring into this. I know sometimes it's so distracting that I can't think until I eat something.

Geezum crow, Gina! Holy cow, Gina! You're doing GREAT!!!!!

We should be the ones asking YOU what we're doing wrong, not the other way around. 51 pounds since December?!?!?!?!?! That's GREAT!!!!!

What the heck is up with DH, though, huh? Hiding your resources away in order to "preserve" them. If this is too personal, don't feel you have to answer, but is he with you on this journey? I mean, does he support what you're doing? Cuz it sounds like he might be trying to derail you. BUT, that's only the view from the outside after reading one short sentence.

If you're hungry, EAT! You're exercising at a pretty intense rate. You need to fuel your body for that. Up your protein to maybe 120 grams a day and see if that helps. And play around with fat. I do better (when exercising) when I eat a bit more fat. I'm 52 now, 5'6", and have always done my best when I'm around 1300 calories with 65% fat, 30% protein, and 5% carbs. Your body is not mine, though, so you might need different percentages. You can get that from Fitday, as you know.

And don't worry about not having the appetite suppression. Some people don't experience that as much as others. I really think you need to up your food intake, though, because of your workouts.

Good luck!!!

Bawdy,
Thanks for the input and kind words.... I have been eating more like 1600-1800 calories lately.. The last few weeks have been 65% fat 25% 10% carbs...

I'm just eating and not trying to worry so much about the calories.

DH is on the journey, most of the time, I think he doesn't want to the materials to get pawed over... I'm buying my own copy of PP and PPLP so I don't have to worry about that.

My average protein for the last 2 weeks has been around 120 grams....

I know at some point I'll need to cut back and that will be interesting....

I'm with you. I jump into FitDay every once in a while to see where I am, but mostly just to double-check where I think I am, and I'm usually close.

This week I've started exercising in earnest again. It's been all of three days -- almost a record! ;)

My plan is to start the week on Saturday. So, it's 60 minutes of cardio (elliptical and treadmill) on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays. Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays it's 30 minutes of light cardio followed by weight training (alternating upper and lower body, so nothing gets worked more than once every four days -- I tend to go for fewer reps but heavier weights, which I like a whole lot better than the other way around, and which tends to work better for me).

Friday is my day off each week. I used to rest on Sundays, but that never made sense because on the weekends I have MORE time to exercise, not less. Fridays can be hectic, so that made sense to me.

That's a good idea about the exercise.

My commitment is 35-40 minutes of cardio 5 days week and strength training 2 days a week.

True about having more time on the weekends but it's harder for me to get motivated.. However depending on my off days, I generally do workout Saturday mornings.

In the past, I've gotten pretty obsessive about exercise and so I'm trying to have a balance that I can live with. I do HIIT for cardio, be it on the treadmill, elliptical, etc.