I started strictly on Schwarzbein, but although I still like the original concept, and find her book to be a great motivator (the case histories are so excellent)... I found it too restrictive. I didn't like counting carbs at each meal and snack, I disagreed with banning all sugar substitutes (although I think aspartame is poison), and I'm still scratching my head over her interpretation of damaged fats. I mean hydrogenated fats are clearly damaged fats, but I don't agree with her listing of some cheeses, etc. as being damaged fats. I mean, technically, a lot of foods contain small amounts of naturally occurring trans fatty acids (bad fats). I don't like to get neurotic over it.


So I wanted to keep her basic principles of good protein, fats, lots of veggies, etc. while being a little more liberal.

While searching Amazon.com for help, I stumbled over a book called the Insulin Resistance Diet. I had seen it before in a local bookstore, but never really stopped to look through it. This time I read the excerpt provided on Amazon.com, read all the reviews, and thought, this could really be my missing link.

Well, it is. I combine principles I've learned in the book, like always linking proteins to carbs. The book gears to low fat foods, which doesn't work for me, so I use Schwarzein's concept of all the good fats I want, in combination with my protein linking. The beauty of this way of eating is that I can really eat anything I want in the form of carbos, I just have to limit the amounts and always link the carbs to a protein, to keep my blood sugar steady. I never feel deprived and I can eat this way forever.

I guess we all have to find what works best for us to stay true to something.

I guess I was just wondering how many are really 100% Schwarzbein.

I'm new to this forum and am so glad I found it.
Spirit

doing something similar, but combining SP with Atkins. My daughter and I are both LCing...she is loosing the weight she wants and keeping her PCOS under control and I am where I want to be.

I love Atkins, but I had to add back some carbs. I felt great at first, but really started feeling bad after about a month. I figured the best way to add back carbs was to add the carbs in combination with protein the way the SP advises. I really seems to work for both of us.

As my daughter still has more weight to loose, she sticks a little closer to Atkins than I do, but if she does eat extra carbs, she combines them with a protein and lc vegetable and she is still loosing weight.

I believe that we have to make our LC plan our own. I have maintained 110 pounds for a month and my daughter is still slowly but steadily loosing. I have my own theory...if it works and it is healthy, go for it.

Spring, your post is truly inspiring and congratulations on maintaining 110 lbs!!!

I love reading this Schwarzbein section of our forum, so yesterday I finally went out and bought her book. [I have been lurking here for a few months. Hi all! ] I could not put the book down and read it cover to cover before I went to bed.

After reading Dr. S's book yesterday, I too wondered if it would be possible to combine Atkins with her plan. I have been following a very simplified version of Atkins since Jan. 23, 2002 and have removed 13 lbs of excess weight forever. I use no bake mixes, no processed foods, very little cheese, no pork rinds [blech!] and absolutely no fast food. I have never added in man-made carbs of any sort as I have upped my carbs week to week and I have no intention of doing so. I also know I cannot eat even a slice of bread or a bite of pasta, sugar or white potato, though eating fruit and most starchy vegetables has never stalled me or caused weight gain. In fact, I end up losing more when I eat an apricot or butternut squash with my meals. In some ways I have been using a few of the Schwarzbein Principles. But, I have not given up coffee, Splenda, or alcohol. I simply count the carbs toward my daily totals. I think the people who stick to S stricty are probably doing the healthiest of all the low carb plans. I am not sure I qualify to join the ranks because I still enjoy my cuppa coffee and a vodka and soda when the mood strikes.

I'm also doing a mixture. My base is Protein Power, which has three versions: Hedonist (the easiest way, not worrying too much about additives and coffee), a middle way whose name I forget!, and Purist, which is almost identical to Schwarzbein.

What I liked about PP is that it isn't as much low carb as adequate protein. With Atkins, you can eat meals that are low in carb, but also below your requirement in protein. One of my favorite light Atkins meals, for example, was a zucchini sliced and fried in butter, topped with cheese. Not enough protein, but legal Atkins.

With Protein Power you have a minimum number of protein grams per meal. Their carb suggestions are very close to Schwarzbein's -- and spread throughout the day, another difference from Atkins, where you could eat your 20 or 25 or 35 (depending on what your OWL level is) all in one glob.

What I liked about Schwarzbein was that it seemed to me to be a plan for life. I've read so many posts about "how do I switch to maintenance" that I wanted to find a plan that is really already maintenance. I want to gradually increase activity, and that means I could theoretically increase carbs as I lose, but the amount of carbs I get now -- up to 15 at every meal -- is fine. If I have more than that, it will be cookies, and I don't want to go there.

So to answer your question, I guess I'm sort of doing strict Schwarzbein. One exception is that I do fry foods -- she frowns on that. I limit cheese naturally, but if I want to have cheese on a burger, I'll do it.

Like Spring, I feel better when I eat some carbs -- mainly 1 or 2 pieces of fruit and 2 slices of a very thin, low carb (and low fat, hence very dry) millet bread, toasted daily. More fiber, perhaps, but whatever it is, I feel better eating it.

I'm all for finding WHAT WORKS My weight loss is much slower than on previous brushes with Atkins, but it's basically, in the end, downwards.

Hi,
I switched from Atkins to Schwarzbein almost one month ago. For my activity level I needed more carbs than Atkins provides. When I read Schwarzbein's book I knew I was home. I like her concept of a whole foods approach and adjusting carbs to activity level. On my long running days (6-8 training run) I eat my regular food and add 100-150 carbs for performance food. I'm losing one pound a week at an average of 70-80 carbs a day (I don't average the performance carbs).
I'm not a Schwarzbein purist by any means but I strive for "progress not perfection" and I can live with the results. I don't feel deprived at all and my health is much better.
Regards,
Maureen

HI all

I don't follow very strictly either and it still works for me. I do have a few glasses of wine at the weekends, but I don't eat very much processed food at all.

I make my dinners from scratch - eg fish and veg, etc. I used to think it would take ages - but steaming veg only takes a few minutes!!!!

I do eat low fat fruit yogurts which she doesn't recommend.

I suppose I eat a kinda low fat version of the SP.

I am probably lucky in a way that I live in Ireland becuase we don't have the levels of processed snacks you have in the USA/CAnada. I was in Canada on my holliers last year and I couldn't believe the amount of food on offer!!!!

We went to a baseball match in Vancouver, and I saw kids eating a sausage in batter on a stick? is this a corndog??
Also people going around selling loads of food, beer etc.

You would never see that in Ireland!
Fair pay to you all for sticking to the plan with all those temptations!!!!!

Clo

Yes Clo, that would be a corndog!

My sister, who's doing Carb Addicts (and has the reward meal thing going) has them for her dinner on the weekends, just for fun. They even have a vegetarian version (from the Morningstar people, who make a lot of other vegetarian stuff, some of them low-carb friendly). I used to zap one of those in the microwave every now and then.

This is the land of junk food. I used to live abroad and they didn't have as much junk food there either. Not that it was healthier there, by any means, but just not as much processed stuff. On the other hand, being a vegetarian, it's nice that there's awareness of it here, in some places at least. They've got a few all-veggie restaurants here in the City, although when I went to Las Vegas a couple of summers ago, I was stuck with a lot of salads and bad carbs!

Tal

I am relatively strict on the plan. I'm afraid to be anything else. I have used A.S. 2 times since Feb 1 and the results were not worth it. I decided I could live without them. I found a great low carb (8Per slice) here in Northern Calif. Alverado Bakery, California style. It has been my savior. I can eat sandwiches again. I probaly have not varied my menu enough. I tend to get stuck in ruts and I go through spells of wanting a particular item.
I am using the vitimin supplements suggested. I am drinking the water, counting the carbs and losing very slowly. 14 pounds in 3 1/2 months is very slow progress for a person as imaptient as I am. I am learning. SP is very strict. I can't imagine living this plan to the letter. I am happier LCing than anything else. I feel better, my bladder works better, I'm not as cranky, my monthly cycle seems to be fixing itself, my energy level is up, my stamina to put in an 18 hour day is much better. Unfortunately I have too many of those. I am so glad I found this plan and this forum, it has saved my life in many ways.

I combine the Zone diet with Schwartzbein. Some meals are Schwartzbein, others are Zone. When I want to fill up my plate with vegetables, I use the Zone to calculate the carbs. My snacks are 2-block Zone snacks. I do eat chocolate and Splenda, but I stick mainly to whole foods. I like not having to calculate the fat in my meals. Since I am just trying to maintain my weight at this point, I am more concerned about my diet being healthy but realistic. Some days I am just too tired to cook after chasing two kids all day!

It was easy for me since I don't drink wine often - although I do cook with it a lot. Getting rid of caffeine was a bit harder, but I did it. The rest of the "don't eat list" was not even an issue.

I find that sticking to the whole foods concept is so much easier than trying to replace the high-carb foods I used to eat. I don't count carbs, but, using the lists in the book, I keep my countable carbs to about 15 at each meal and, if I have one, 7 to 10 for snacks.

I also don't obsess over trying to stick to it exactly if I'm out or in a social occassion. I just try to be sensible.

It's working for me.

;-Deb

Hi I am having a hard time sticking to any diet at this time in my life I seemed to snap when I turned 60 in Sept. I have been dieting for 47 years one of the all time YOYO dieters. I plan on doing Dr. S's when I was on it 100% I had very slow weight loss but no weight gain. I found when I was on it I could go off at special times then get right back on no weight gain. Now to get back to it with enthusiasium not dread. I have enjoyed reading all your ideas and am looking forward to getting to know you.
Pat S.

Good for you, Pat. TSP is the way to go! I know it takes time, but it is healthy good time that it takes. And if you concentrate on how you feel, the slow weight loss will be much easier to handle. Also, keep in mind that the scale is not really an accurate indication of your fat loss, because your body will build up muscle, especially if you exercise, as you lose fat, and this will offset somewhat the weight loss.

I haven't started exercising much yet (I've just stepped up my walking), but I could tell within a month that I was getting stronger without the exercise. My theory is that my muscles had been depleted by low-fat dieting and so when I started feeding it the protein and fat it needed to build muscle, it sort of went to town.

Now I am feeling so good, I am getting ready to do some more exercising.

;-Deb