Hi, Jen. I've been on the SP program now for 4 weeks and not having to measure every last little ounce of food makes me feel free! I love it.

Dr. S. says that you will know what is too much when you eat protein because your body has better feedback for it than it does for carbs. And I think she's right. I definitly cannot pack away meat the way I could carbs such as pasta and rice.

I would not try it, though, as a vegetarian. Typically, I have two eggs and hamburger for breakfast, about 1 chicken breast for lunch and an equivalent amount of chicken, beef, pork or fish for dinner. And I eat lots of fresh non-starchy vegetables with each meal.

I also cook most of my dinners as "one pot" meals. Last night I had Asparagus Chicken with Black Bean Sauce. Now this has been one of my favorite Chinese dishes in restaraunts. So I decided to try it at home. I bought a black bean sauce that has no sugar in it and used that with my chicken, onion, and asparagus. It was wonderful. The one thing I didn't have was rice with my meal. That's what made it low carb. And I didn't miss a thing. The dish was great, if I do say so myself, and I was fully satisfied. It had about 10 carbs in it.

I have not been hungry on this plan at all and so far I am 14 pounds lighter than when I started (the first two weeks were augmented by "water weight" loss). I expect to continue at about 1 to 2 pounds reduction a week until I am at my proper body configuration. I am also emotionally prepared for plateaus. I've been there before and, after reading The Book, I understand them better and know what to do to move ahead.

I have also been very strict with myself and don't eat any sugars, bread products, or pasta. I will, however, occassionally have rice or potatoes to augment my carbs -- Dr. S. does not advocate a total reduction of carbs, which I fully agree with.

When I achieve my goal, I will reintroduce more rice and potatoes, but I intend to stay away from grain products (other than rice) and sugars -- all sugars including honey, fructose, etc.

I may be the most vocal fan of Schwarzbein here, but I think you can't go wrong with the program. It's easy! It's satisfying!

;-Deb

Hi Deb
A 14 pound loss in 4 weeks is very good considering you haven't cut out all carbs. Your meals sound good too.
With TOM and crazy cravings I didn't get very far after Day 1 so am starting again! This time I hope to cut out the cravings and get used to eating properly before TOM strikes again. Judy

One thing to keep in mind about the Schwarzbein Principle program is that you are achieving your ideal body configuration.

I have a friend who has been on the program for about 10 months. When she started, she wanted to lose about 10 pounds. According to her scale, she hasn't lost an ounce.

However, her health problems (BP, Cholesterol, etc.) have all improved and she feels great! Luckily she is not really concerned about what the scale says. She feels stronger, more alert, and happier than she felt before she started the program. So for her, she has basically been on maintenance the whole time. And she looks GREAT!

I am taking a lot of my inspiration from her. It's not about losing weight. Even though it's nice to see the scale going down, and of course I have much more of a weight problem than she doesn't, I'm on my road to health.

:-Deb

Hey everybody!
I've been on SP for about a week now. Her book made lots of sense and I really like how she explained things physiologically. It's not a gimmick! I would like to lose about 50 lbs. but the health benefits are great too. It's not hard to stick with and I'm never hungry! Thanks for all your input and encouragement!

Yes, Deb, I agree that the scales can start ruling you. I would like to feel more energetic and healthier and I think that has to be my main objective. I have recently had my mother to stay and had to inject her with her insulin as she is a Type II diabetic and all her female side of the family have been from their fifties onward. So that made me think that I would like to avoid diabetes and stay healthy. If I can focus on that then I think I should be OK.

Have you talked with your mother about following a low-carb WOE? More and more, doctors are finding that a low-carb diet will help diabetics, including allowing them to go off their medications. Dr. Schwarzbein's book talks alot about that, especially in the introduction.

;-Deb

Thanks Deb. The problem is that she is very nearly completely blind so cannot cook for herself now. However, when she has come to stay with me, and I have been able to give her a few meals with low carbs, she has said how much better she feels. This has reinforced my decision to keep to this WOE.

I couldn't believe the diet sheet given to her by her nutritionist - tinned fruit salad in syrup for breakfast was one of the items on it!!

I'm new to this forum. I've been low carbing on the Atkins plan for about 6 weeks now. I feel GREAT physically MOST of the time, but I'm really discouraged because I haven't lost any weight. PLUS, I'm SICK of eating protein. I want veggies!!

Someone on one of my low carb lists suggested I might do better on the Schwarzbein Principle, so I am here to learn more about it. I just ordered the book tonight and I am doing online research, also.

I hope that y'all can help me and hopefully this will answer my prayers, to not only feel better, but to lose weight and to enjoy the WOE that I've chosen.

Thanks for being here!


Meg
http:home.talkcity.com/EmoticonBlvd/emilymeg.html

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Hi, Meg. You do need to read her book. But to let you know sort of how it works: You eat lots of vegetables and meat.

The meat, of course, is treated like most programs except Dr. S. doesn't like processed meats that much. If you have to eat processed meats, she wants you to eat those processed without nitrates and little or no sugar.

Veges are now my favorite thing. I eat spinach, onions and mushrooms at breakfast and tomatoes and cucumber with lunch. And for dinner I have all kinds of veges. Last night I had a recipe I created for Asparagus Chicken in Black Bean Sauce. It was so nice.

Dr. S. separates veges into two groups: Starchy and Non-Starchy. I stick mostly to non-starchy veges. But one of my favorites is artichokes and they are a starchy vegetable according to Dr. S. So I have them occassionally. In fact, my lunch on Saturday was a large artichoke cooked in the pressure cooker eaten with mayonaise (my favorite way) and baked chicken thighs. Yum!

If I couldn't eat veges, I wouldn't be able to do this. My weight loss has been slow, but I'm happy with it and feel great. I have been on the program for 6 weeks and in the last 4 weeks I have reduced about 5 pounds. My first 2 weeks I reduced 11 pounds, but that was mostly "water weight."

I haven't even looked at the Atkins diet because I have heard enough to scare me off. However, there is a book by Dana Carpender called "How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds" that discusses most of the plans out there. Unfortunately, it was written just before Dr. S. came out with her book, so she is not reviewed in it. I have ordered this book and it should be delivered today.

Good luck!
;-Deb

I have been reading the posts in this group for a couple of weeks and finally I decided to post. I have been doing the Schwarzbein diet for almost 4 weeks now and I love it! I am never hungry and can eat all the butter and cream I want, who can complain? I don't have very much weight to lose, probably about 15-20 lbs, but so far, nothing helped me do that. And here is what's odd about this diet; according to the scale, I GAINED almost 3 lbs, but according to my clothes, I am losing inches steadily. Getting on the scale is an almost harder addiction to break than eating high sugar carbs...I decided to just trust my clothes and not fret about the scale.
I did follow the Zone a few years ago and it was very helpful and I did lose a lot of weight. Since then I had a baby and it all came back. I also had Gestational Diabetes, and I take that as a warning sign for the future.
What I really take vary seriously from Dr. Schwarzbein is her insistance that the food we eat should be "pure" and unprocessed as much as possible. I do pay a lot of attention to that and I think that makes a difference in how I feel.
Anyway, enough for a first post!
Nice to meet you all,
Panni from Seattle

Hi, Panni. Welcome to what I consider the best of all the plans. I have been on it 6 weeks and lost 16 pounds. But like you, I have lost more size. Even on the weeks (there have been 2) that I did not show a loss on the scale, I felt thinner. And I am feeling stronger.

Personally, I think that this plan makes you build muscle whether you like it or not .

;-Deb

Hi-
My doctor encouraged me to read Dr.S's book along with "Tired of Being Tired" by Hanley. I felt like the scales had been removed from my eyes and I could see the world in a different light! It was and has been great! I wanted more info and was looking for a support group, so I began to cruise the internet and found this place. Thanks.

I've never been involved with a chat room, so will do my best to quickly learn the protocol. Please bear with me.

Welcome aboard. The more the merrier. SP is a good thing and the more I try the better I feel and the better I feel the more I try. What a great day.

JudyHa

Thanks for your reply. Looking forward to the sharing and support a group can give.

Which carb. count to you use from the SP book? Some other sites recommend 40 per day, but that is far less the what Dr.S suggests.

Oops....not good way to make a good first impression. Judyah, not JudyHa!!