Carbohydrate Addicts Diet
 

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Carbo Addicts Diet?
 

What is the success of this diet? Does anyone have trouble getting out of control w/the reward meal? I'm having trouble w/the limitations on the Atkins Diet and considering switching but want to know what I'm getting into first.

Hi Laurie
 

I imagine that you have been reading in the CAD/CALP forum, to get an idea of what this program is all about.

A lot of people do worry about going out of control with the RM when they switch over. And yet, the RM is exactly why they want to switch in the first place. Some report feeling like a kid in a candy store for the first bit, but that soon dies off. Once you accept that you can have your favourite treats at your reward meal, every single day.. you stop feeling like you have to have them all TODAY. I used to agonize over which dessert I would have, now I barely think about it.. only long enough to plan something.

If you strive for balance at the RM, it is hard to go out of control. After all, if you want more of the high carb foods, you first have to have more of the protein and veggies. Well, a stomach can only take in so much food in an hour, so you should be ok. And sticking to that hour is crucial!

I love CAD. For me it is the perfect WOE. I am losing weight steadily, I get to enjoy my favourite foods along with my family and I have NO cravings to overeat, for the first time in my life.

JMHO :)
Tracy

:wave: Thank u for replying, Vel. I'm so glad I found someone who can answer my questions re CAD. I just got the Heller's new book and I think I'm going to switch, I sometimes get so sick of meat, cheese and eggs, I get terribly depressed. I fought so hard the 1st week to get off carbs then so limited in what I can eat, then terribly guilty for the way I eat. I'm subject to panic attacks when I feel hungry and use food to keep from getting panicky. During the day at my desk, I usally have a couple of hard boiled eggs and some grated cheddar to munch on periodically. I know that u're supposed to have 3 meals a day but I need to have something besides celery and carrot sticks snacks. Then I get terrified that I'm ruining my health w/all that fat. I feel nauseated some of the time due to the rich protein and fatty foods I eat, then get more depressed because I don't know how to regulate what I'm eating to feel better. In short, I'm a mess!!
Any advice u can provide will be GREATLY appreciated!
Laurie

hello again
 

It's great that you have bought the Heller's book, you really need to read it to fully understand this program. Everything you need to know is in there.

CAD was the first low carb diet I had tried, so I didn't have to "unlearn" the Atkins way of thinking, like you will need to do. There are some fundamental differences between the two plans, the Reward meal being a big one, of course, but there are others as well. CAD doesn't allow any snacking, except in one plan, a small low-carb snack once a day, whereas I believe Atkins allows unlimited snacks. That difference scares a lot of people when they switch, but they seem to soon find that they have no real desire for snacks on CAD, especially when they know that they can have some of their favourite foods at the reward meal.

And you will certainly never get bored on CAD because every single food in the world is available to you.


Read the book and feel free to ask anything. You might want to post your questions in the CAD/CALP forum, so that more people on the program will see them. But, here is fine too :)

Take care!
Tracy

Cad
 

Hi, I'm new to the site but not, (unfortunately) new to dieting! I just started the CAD diet at the beginning of the week. I Love the diet and I love the premise because this is the way I eat anyway (except for the one hour limit). I have to admit, I have been very apprehensive because it sounds too good to be true. Now I know my interpretation was too good to be true and luckily I realized it before I became discouraged. It's that tricky reward meal that can make or break you. I was confused about the definition of balanced. I think I understand a little better now. In order to balance without counting or measuring grams or calories you just have to strictly follow the guidelines. 1. start with two cups of salad 2. Remember the 1/3 portion even if it is by sight. I'm not sure about # 3. Can you tell me if I have this right? 1/3 carb veggies 1/3 protein 1/3 carbs which includes starches and sugars.

hi vel! u look great! i have been on and off atkins, and in the end, i am heavier than when i started atkins for the first time. i really need some guidance about the CAD. On average how much weight do you lose?

HEY EVERYBODY,

i'VE BEEN DOING THE ATKINS FOR ABOUT 12 DAYS AND I AM GETTING BORED ALSO. HAVE U GUYS HAD MUCH SUCCESS DOING THIS DIET AND IS THE WEIGHT LOSS WAY LESS THAN ON ATKINS?

I didn't have much luck with CAD, personally. But I think they reined in the reward meal from the early days when I was on it.

Man, why are you people only eating eggs, meat and cheese on Atkins? That isn't Atkins!

switching
 

Hello everyone,
I am currently on the L.A. Weight Loss. I am finding very hard to stick with. Therefore I am seriously thinking about switching to CAD. Does anyone have any advice to a newbie to the program? I have read the Lifespan program. It seems too good to be true. :help:

Vel,
You seem to have been doing this the longest. What is your experience with this?

My $0.02 - CAD was the first carb-controlled WOE I tried, and I did drop some weight. However, it wreaked havoc on me! I hadn't felt that addicted to starch and sugar until I started. The reward meal, for me, was a recipe for disaster - I LIVED for that meal, spent all day thinking about it, planning it, and basically sat and ate for 60 minutes. Not good for someone with emotional eating issues or addiction issues! Seriously, I thought my BF was going to come home one day and find me hunched up in the closet, snorting flour from the bag.

Bored of Atkins after 12 days? You're 2 days away from OWL! What are you eating that is boring you? There's literally a ton of recipes for this diet, and man are they goooooooooooood!

Reward Meals Not a Problem
 

I must control insulin to control a rare medical condition where insulin causes weakness or paralysis. I have done FINE with the reward meal--better than expected--but only if I've kept my carbs low earlier in the day.

I believe staying low carb for most of the day helps "repair" my insulin sensitivity. Then, when I have a slice of cake after dinner, my body is able to deal with it quickly and without much fuss.

My carb cravings are MUCH reduced since I stated with CAD.

I can't follow CAD on a daily basis, but if I am eating out and getting a few more carbs than usual, I do follow the principle of eating protein & fat to go with them and eating the carbs within a hour. If I gain (water) weight overnight, I don't freak out, I just realize it is normal for me and will disappear quickly when I get back on track with Atkins/PP.

I did the CAD for a while two years ago. I lost 40 lbs over the course of six months or so. The Hellers want you to lose about 2lbs a week. I found the program very easy to do. I didn't feel deprived at all. Planning my reward meal was fun. I could have anything I wanted and my friends would look at me and say. "You're on a diet?" Elaine

I will check that diet out to. I am new to low carb and am checking out all low carb diet plans right now.

CAD is a good plan. I have lost 5 pounds in two weeks. I try to have complex carbs with my reward meal. I combine CAD with IFing and usually only have one meal a day. I thoroughly enjoy eating like this and DO NOT FEEL DEPRIVED.

I did carb addicts years ago, with great results. I'm going to try it again. The thing that I liked best about it was that I could have a normal meal with my family, without needing to do too much thinking. My kids always give me a hard time when I don't eat with them, so at least at one meal, I'm safe.

Hi Renar- and everyone!-
come on over to the CAD/CALP area! We have lots of info, lots of threads and a daily thread. We love talking to anyone who is interested in CAD/CALP/CAHHP and wants to be part of this great plan!

The Carbohydrate Addict's Program for Success
 

With fascination I've only recently read the book of Rachel and Richard Heller, in which 2 complementary and 1 reward meal are allowed.

For me the only difficult time in the day is after diner. During those hours I mess up everything good I've done all day.

The Heller program also takes care of that by allowing me one full hour of indulging the food I like.

In this way I get slim and learn how to control myself at night.

In 10 days I've lost 4 kilo's (approx. 9 pounds). I haven't felt week, didn't have a headache and therefore I was able to briskly walk 7.2 km a day in one hour's time (in the park).

Aren't there any more people who have experience with this program?

What do you do , eat two low carb meals and then one regular meal a day?

This is how the majority of people will eat, yes.

It's not like eating Atkins twice a day, though. There are certain foods that are acceptable on Atkins but not on CAD CMs (complimentary meals)...and vice versa.

Most people start CAD with two CMs and one RM (reward meal) a day. If you find you're losing weight too quickly (every woman's or man's dream!), you should add one CS (complimentary snack). If you find you're losing too slowly--less than half a pound a week--you should eliminate one CM and have only one CM plus your RM each day.

The idea is to eat infrequently and to have any meals except for one be very carb-controlled, so that you control the frequency and way that your body releases insulin. There's more to it than I described, but that's the gist. :)

I personally eat one CM and one RM a day and am losing between a pound and a half and two pounds a week. I could probably eat just the RM, but I like eating; I like the experience of it. So I eat twice. My RM is very balanced. Some people will argue that the original books didn't put much emphasis on balancing, but every version of the book that I've ever read has had at least a mention of balancing. The idea of balancing is this: start with a salad or LC veggie. Then mentally separate your food into thirds: one-third low-carb veggie; one-third protein; and one-third carb.

I find that if I don't balance, that's when I get cravings, and who needs that? :p So I balance. Yum! I eat cake or cookies every single day. I also eat absolutely delicious fresh veggies every day. Believe it or not, though I truly enjoy my carb-y treats, they're not "the" golden ring to work toward grasping in my day or anything. :lol: I love my tuna salads and cucumbers too and I feel very happy digging right into those.

You won't find as many people here because the site itself does have the word "low carber" in it...hence, in a Google search, not as many CADders probably post here. However, I know of one CAD site where I can't even keep up with the posting. :lol: Google and you will find loads of forums...BUT stick around here, too...jump in on the Hour Power on the CAD forum...we would love to have you.

Sorry for the late reply Sissy, I hadn't seen this entry because most of the time I am on the other thread (of CAD/CALP).

Usually I only eat one reward meal a day. When I feel really hungry I add one complementary meal, only consisting of one egg and a couple of slices of cucumber.

I tried this approach while was on atkins years ago. I was board, and also stuck at the same weight. I thought that I had my eating under control and would do fine. OMG. I had not unlearned any of my old eating habits. I also lived for that reward meal. I thought of it all day, and when I fnally sat down to eat it I ate everything. Almost like the mindset of anything I could eat in an hour was fine. It was ot meant for someone like me that will binge. I remember eating the first meal and thinking omg, this is great. I feel so rewarded and happy..then with the next 50 min. I continued to eat anything in the house that I had denied myself for over a year. I quickly got totally out of control and ate like wild fire for weeks. I gained so much weight back. It was like as soon as I had that reward meal I felt like I could eat anything in that hour time, and then it carried over to eat anything I wanted whenever I wanted. I was like a caged animal that was let loose. I scared myself to death.

I don't have enough self control for it.

I don't do CAD but the next plan by the hellers that came after further research by them - CALP. I've previously lost over 70 lbs. with it, but as with all plans, nothing works if you don't do it :lol:

The key imo, for the RM is to follow the rules (no, I don't always either and that's when I can get into trouble)...salad first or double portion of a cm veggie, ****balance*** your rm is to be 1/3 cm veggie, 1/3 protein, 1/3 carb. I find eating towards my carbs does work best, and having that raw salad at the beginning does help me start to register that I am getting full before I'm at dessert thinking I'm really still hungry. The Hellers mention in CALP that the RM was never meant to be a one hour binge.

I can eat for emotional reasons, but the largest issue that CALP allows me to control, is family recipes at holiday times, or just wanting to be able to eat out. I may only have a tiny portion, but I don't have to say No to anything...though some things I don't find a small portion worth it, so I may deem it not carbworthy :) I've found what works best for me...i.e. if I have ice cream, I do best with a whole single serving container, or a whole snack bar size Hagen Daz...I like having "all" of something.

As of today, I am 1 day shy of 6 months back on plan, my daily weight for today was over 50 lbs. off (for today...I only list my averaged for the week weights in my stats), and it is going really well.
I can not honestly imagine eating any other way.

I tried CAD some years ago but found it didn't really address what I considered to be fundamental problems I have with carbs, mainly that they MAKE ME HUNGRY. I would eat the RM and then just OBSESS about food all the rest of the day. With regular LC, my cravings for carbs are just GONE and after a meal I just plain don't think about food again. That feeling of always being hungry for some unnamed "something" goes away with LC, but with CAD it was still ever-present, maybe because I was always focused on the RM.

just my 2 cents....

Hey, I've been doing Atkins induction for a few months now, but have gone on and off as I had certain events and a couple of vacations planned. I know it's not great to go on and off, but I think it's better than doing nothing.

During a random conversation with a random person about carbs and LC dieting, I heard about the CAD. Does anyone know if it's possible to do the Atkins induction most of the time, and every once in a rare while (special occasion) have a "reward meal" without throwing yourself OUT of Ketosis?

I've heard the CAD authors do not agree with Ketosis, but my understanding is it's the best way to burn fat.

I've lost a decent amount of weight after doing this for 3+ months. Not sure how much cuz I didn't weigh myself when I started. I did weigh myself recently, so I'll be able to track weight loss from now on.

So does anyone know if I can grant myself the occasional reward meal (eaten within an hour) without having to restart the process of entering ketosis which may take a few days of low carb eating?

In the past, I've used the Ketone Test strips to see if my "cheats" put me out of ketosis, and according to the sticks I was still in ketosis. So I thought I had it made. Although now, I'm hearing that those test strips are unreliable.

Can anyone help me??

well, i haven't been doing too well this time around. However, when I did very well on Atkins before, I found that I could cheat one day as long as I went back on it the next day. I usually didn't lose anything, but I didn't gain either and I would have no trouble getting back on it the next day.

Thanks quietone... that's what I was thinking, based on the ketone strips showing at least trace amounts of ketones. The weighing myself thing is kinda new. I just got my bloodwork back from my doc and he wants me to go back in a month to do it again. Have to drop as much weight as I can and improve some numbers, or go on meds... so I think I better stay on the straight and narrow, at least til then!!

A month isn't much time for your numbers to imporve...you/he should give it 3-6 months I would think.