I have recently joined this forum. I was trying to do the induction stage on Atkins but just could not do it. So I re-read The Schwarzbein Principle book and I am going to give this a try.

I would like to lose around 10 lbs but my main goal is to be healthy & be in the best shape I can be in before I hit 40. I really want my energy back.

I do have a question. Do you have to eat a starchy carbohydrate with every meal? I'm not in the habit of doing that. Do you count the non-starchy vegetables carbohydrates as part of the 15 gms limit with each meal? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Eatright

I am a newbie so bear with me! Dr. S says we can eat as many non starchy veggies as we want and count them as zero carbs, because the amounts are insignificant and they are low on the glycemic index.

The only counting of anything you have to do is watch your carb amounts at each meal and snack! That's it, pretty easy huh!

Good luck to you!
Steph

Sounds almost too easy... But I'm going to try this. I have to change my mindset on the carbohydrates after doing Atkins. It might take a while to do that.

Good luck to you too! Eatright

Hello Eatright and welcome:

I think I know where you're coming from. I've never done Atkins' plan (he's not very vegetarian-friendly -- HUMPH!), but my sister bounced back and forth with his plan so I know a little of what it's about.

The biggest difference between Atkins and SP is that Atkins makes you count carbs in EVERYTHING! Now, I'm not saying this is necessarily bad in the beginning. It gives you a sense of how everything you eat (practically) has some carbs in it. But when you're limited to 20 g of carbs per day and you have to count carbs in every damn thing (from lettuce to cream to cheese), it can get very frustrating! Other programs aren't such sticklers about the carbs in veggies, fats, etc., and Schwarzbein is sort of lenient in that sense.

So no, you don't need to worry about counting carbs in low-carb veggies. Although Schwarzbein does warn that if you eat a whole lot of them you may want to watch your other carbs, I take this to mean if you eat so many low-carb veggies that it would equal 15 g carbs per meal (i.e., 15 cups lettuce, that sort of thing) then you might want to watch the other carb intake carefully. I doubt this would happen to most people, though. Also, don't worry about carbs in your proteins (I'm talking eggs here, and tofu, if you eat it ), cream, or cheese (except cottage cheese), although obviously you don't want to have 5 cups of cream a day! The thing to remember is you don't have to worry about the carbs in foods where there's a high content of protein and/or fat because this will not make your insulin shoot up (this according to Schwarzbein, of course. Others say differently, like, ahem, Atkins for instance...).

As for the starchy carbs, that is strictly up to you. You're supposed to eat carbs at every meal, but if you don't care for brown rice, potatoes, legumes, etc., then don't eat 'em! I personally prefer fruit and very rarely have a starchy carb at mealtimes. The point is to stick to the balancing act during mealtimes and at snacktime, if you feel the need.

HTH,

Tal

Thanks for the advice! I would rather eat fruit than starchy carbs also. I will have to remind myself the "key" is moderation. Like you said, I do not want to consume 5 cups cream. I will be writing down the foods I eat in my journal - check it out in a few days & make sure I'm on the right track.

I see that you have lost quite a bit of weight on this plan - that's great! I hope I do as well as you.

Eatright

Oh dear, maybe I should change my profile...

I actually lost most of my weight low-fatting it, but I realized it was doing unhealthy things to my body. I haven't lost any pounds on TSP, as far as I can tell, but this is common for people who've been yo-yoing for a while. I went through the skipping meals/splurging/skipping meals merry-go-round so I guess that makes me a yo-yoer! Anyway, I feel a lot better on TSP and many little health issues have resolved/gotten better, plus more energy, no hunger, etc., so I'm sticking to this! I think my lack of weight loss is stress, mainly. I'm going through a busy time now, hardly have time to BREATHE (feel guilty about spending so much time in the bathroom from all the water I drink, etc.) and SP does point out that stress can make your body hang on to those pounds!

Anyway, I hope I can be of some encouragement despite my "misleading" stats... Sorry about that!

I will check your journal soon to see how you're doing.

Tal

Tal, I can relate to the "stress" thing. This is the first time I have sat down in front of my computer in about 5 days. I haven't even posted anything in my journal yet!!

I appreciate your encouragement. This is harder than I thought it would be. It is hard to give up all those goodies (chips, oreos, bread, etc..). I have been having bad days & good days. I still have not followed the plan to the letter.

I have made a list of the foods I need to buy that are on the plan. Now I did to sit down & plan a week's worth of menus to help me focus. I tend to get busy & everything flies out the window so to speak.

I will start writing in my journal at the end of each day whether it is a good day or bad day. Please help me keep this commitment! Thanks!

Eatright

I was fortunate that my wife started TSP when I did. We cleaned the cupboards and refrigerator out and simply threw our or gave away all the processed high carb food in the house. Then we went shopping. It doesn't take long to find the better foods; you shop around the outside of the supermarket rather than the aisles. For snacks I like nuts and a piece of string cheese, celery with cream cheese filling, fiber rye Krisp with cream cheese or real peanut butter. Being Scandinavian, I really like pickled herring with cottage cheese and a few raw baby carrots. These are snacks that fit pretty well with TSP (I think snacks are the hardest part.)

Anyway, I'm losing a pound or two a week and feeling great - never hungry, no cravings etc. My wife is losing, but a bit slower. Women unfortunately tend to have a bit more difficulty with weight loss than men. Good luck.

Schwarzbein is very easy. Once you know what is a starchy vegetable and the carb counts in grains breads etc you can just cruise along without a lot of counting measuring etc. That is why it is a winner of a plan.
Good luck,
Jerry

Schwarzbein is much easier than Atkins! I feel much better on this plan! It just promotes simple, good food in moderation.

However, change in dietary habits can be hard. I read somewhere that it takes around 90 days to change a "bad habit" to a "good habit". Last week I started writing down one "unhealthy dietary habit" to focus on every week to change it into a "healthy habit". This week I wanted to change my coffee habits from a 10+ cups per day to only 2-3 cups in the morning only. I drink coffee all day long. The first 3 days were tough - I really wanted to drink my coffee after lunch. My co-workers really helped me by not making any coffee in the breakroom after lunch. By Friday, I only drank 2 cups coffee with some cream in it at Breakfast only. I will continue to do this while working on another habit in the coming week. I have not decided what to work on at this coming week. By doing this, I'm a little less overwhelm with all the dietary changes I have to make. I'm not losing weight yet, but I'm OK with this. I want to really change my unhealthy habits & completely adhere to the way of life.

I know I need to get into the habit of writing in my journal on this forum & keep better records of my daily diet intake... I'm terrible at that. I love the support we all get here from this support - especially DewTal !

Hope everybody has a great weekend!!

Eatright

Eat right,
That is a good plan. Make a positive change each week. Dewtal is a neat person for a vegetarian. LOL. (don't worry I think she understands my humor). You might consider as you make your changes doing some that add to your life as well. One of the things I am going to try and do this week is to drink one gallon of water a day. I have gout and need to really cleanse my system. Maybe you will eat spinach three times a week. I think making changes that add to your health are fun and beneficial too. Pay yourself first. Do something positive every day for your health. It is great you cut down your coffee. I try to drink no more than two in the am and two later on. Keep up the good work.
Jerry