Hi there!
It's my first day, and I wasn't really expecting this. For breakfast I ate:

1 whole egg
3 egg whites
soy cheese (dairy allergy - boo hoo )
2 turkey sausage patties
1/4 grapefruit

I thought I would be tired, groggy, sluggish, you know, from eating so much fat, grease, whatever. Usually I'd have some oatmeal and a banana.... and then feel like gnawing off my hand by lunch time!! It's close to lunch time here, and I'm not even hungry!!! I have a medical condition which usually means that I am tired all day, and so far today I am NOT sleepy. I think I might actually get to take a walk outside tonight when I get home **hooray**!!!

Back in the beginning, did you guys notice a change in your energy levels? I'm hoping this isn't just first day excitement, as I haven't felt this alert and awake without caffeine in quite a long time.

Thanks, Mella

Bigtime change for me. The reason you were tired after eating a banana and oatmeal for breakfast was because all that sugar raised your blood sugar really high, and then when it crashed back down it made you tired. This WOE will have the opposite effect, stabilizing your blood sugar and those daily "crashes" won't happen anymore.

Take it from me, I am a couple months in and aside from the weight loss, I have had a lot of other great results. I feel GREAT! No more afternoon naps, no more heartburn, tons of energy. I used to get tired walking around campus, now not at all. I sleep better too!

And don't worry about "fat and grease." Worry about carbs. Count them carefully. Use fitday.com to keep track. When you get a carb craving, go instead for some wonderful fatty meat like Chicken wings or steak.

I remember the first day, it is very exciting. Remember, it won't always be fun and easy. Wait until the first time your friends are wolfing down pizza in front of you. :sad: But be strong and get through it...in a few weeks you will feel so great that you won't be tempted to cheat anymore. Good Luck!

You don't say which one, but quite a number of medical conditions are being shown to be related to various food intolerances. Low carb often gets us off things we're intolerant to, and PRESTO! we feel fabulous.

I have more energy now than I did in my teens and 20s, although I had to do a few days withdrawal before I got the energy surge. Lucky you!

I definitely feel my overall energy and ability to "deal with the day" has increased, without question. I push myself HARD...all day and into the night. And I swear this way of eating helps keep me going.

I also noticed that I'm doing better at the gym because I'm not starving or feeling "weak". I remember trying to do a workout with too little food (not sure if it was true or just how I felt from the sugar) and I couldn't make it through a full workout. Now I can go on fewer calories and feel great and push myself and not have the shakes afterwards.

cw71 reminded me of something...about the things I no longer have that I'm happy to get rid of...heartburn, low blood sugar "shakes", crankiness from hunger, feeling weak.

Yeah, I get tired. Today I had to sleep in. But that's understandable. However I truly don't think I'd be able to live the life I do and handle the stress I have if it weren't for eating this way.

Welcome Mella,

I have followed PP since November of 2001, actually PPLP (Protein Power Lifeplan) which was written five years after PP and has updated information. I still recommend people get and read PP but also tell them that PPLP is better written (in my opinion) and a MUST to have. I hope you will get a copy and read it thoroughly. There is a LOT to know about healthy eating. Not following the details can cause problems, most not serious but often frustrate getting to your goal.

Well, you do not have to keep from eating pizza if you do it right. I will meet a friend at the local Pizza Hut since it is a convenient place to meet for lunch. BUT, I order a personal pan with beef, chicken, and pork, then scrape all the topping off and just eat that, NO crust! Not the best PP meal I could think of, but it limits the bad stuff - carbs!

If fact I have just finished supper and I cooked my version of pizza. NO crust! Since I live alone and don’t really cook what I do is buy one of the precooked chicken packages of white meat, 6 or 10 ounces in a sealed plastic bag. I put about a third in a plate, dribble some ketchup (would rather use tomato paste but it is too hard in my current situation) on the chicken, add some cheddar cheese and then some mozzarella on the top of that, finally (the most important) I dribble some olive oil on the top, not too much! I shoot it in the microwave on 30% power for almost five minutes - time and power will have to be found by testing.

Remember, PP and PPLP is all about the BASIS for healthy eating, and thus it gives you the principles but leaves the details up to you. YES, there are "sample plans" put notice you are not told you must eat these to be "on plan". That is one reason why participating in a support forum is important, if you are confused or having problems, someone usually will be able to help you.

I read PP cover to cover recently and was so excited by it. It made sense. It clicked. I'm now enjoying PPLP at my leisure as I create and adjust a WOE guided by PP that works for me. And that's the brilliance of it - informed decisions for a WOE that makes me happy and that I can do long term.

I plan to have pizza tonight with my DH, but I'll be having the toppings and a lovely blue cheese side salad. It's not the greatest, but it works once in awhile and really helps with my overall quality of life.

BTW, you know what I think would be a cool pizza is a reverse style with cheese cracker base. I'm thinking on the spot here about sprinkling parm cheese (or cheddar or whatever) down and baking until crisp - the concept for cheesey crackers - and THEN adding some form of sauce and toppings and some mozz or monterary jack to melt. It would potentially offer the crispy "crust" part too. Sorry, food excites me. LOL