Shwarzbein vs whatever other LC plan you were on
 

Hi 'beiners,

I'm wondering how many of you skipped from a LC plan (any LC plan, but which one?) to Shwarzbein and why you are finding Shwarzbein better then the previous LC plan.

I was just thinking that it would be interesting to know why you feel/look better/lighter/happier.

Although I only skimmed through various chapters in the good doctor's first book (namely the one explaining why LF is bad for us) I felt that it was far too lenient :confused: and at that time had still been sold on ketosis but my thoughts on info changes as I get to know more and so I thought that your replies may help others such as myself (non-'beiners) understand abit more about what makes this WOE the bomb for you.

Regards
Ahhaba

I swtiched to TSP from Somersizing bc of a 3 year stall. TSP seems like a healthier way to eat but I do miss somersizing.

Carolyn

I switched from Atkins to BFL nutrition when I went back to weight training with the Body For Life program. It seemed most appropriate for what I was doing and most like what I had done before when weight training. Then I came to about a six month standstill in progress and finally decided it was time to do something a bit different. I'm also a health and nutrition fanatic into alternative medicine so the health approach of SP really appealed to me.

I lost a pound a week since I started this a month ago. I'm surprised I'm losing at this rate being so close to goal. I thought it would be much slower. So I have been very pleased with SP!

Denise

I did Atkins on and off for a couple of years. I lost but felt horrible, was really tired and couldn't keep up that WOE. I did the 12 week Body For Life challenge knowing I didn't like the eating plan but I wanted to see what would happen so I did it exact like they said, lost 8 pounds on that. I have kept doing the exercises, it goes really well with Schwarzbein. When I switched to SP I knew this was it. I feel absolutely wonderful, I'm slowly losing (that's okay) I know I am doing the best thing for my body and I am seeing a lot of great results in my over all health. This WOE I can do for the rest of my life.

Thanks for asking! Pianobeiner

Hi Ahhaba:

Two years ago, my health hit rock bottom and I've been trying to attain optimal health through my diet and lifestyle. During that time, I followed Atkins to deal with what I though was hypoglycemia caused from insulin instability. I read SPI last summer and was very impressed with the book. I had always planned on switching to SPI when I thought I could tolerate the extra carbs, but her first book didn't discuss adrenal fatigue. I didn't read SPII until I started having some problems last March. I also stopped ovulating so I wanted to focus on balancing my hormones. I really connected to everything she wrote about adrenal fatigue.

It took me 2 years to find out that hypoglycemia can also be caused from adrenal fatigue since insulin, adrenaline and cortisol are closely interconnected. After reading SPII, I switched. I really enjoy the program. I'm not getting "head hunger" like I had on Atkins, I'm not bingeing on high fat foods and I'm losing weight faster, it seems. I thought I'd have carb cravings, but I haven't.

For me, my issues weren't specifically with insulin, but my adrenals, so I think that's why I'm responding better to SPII. I'm so grateful that Dr. Schwarzbein addressed the adrenal side of the equation.

This program is about living healthy and eating whole, unprocessed foods, plain and simple. Ideologically, this plan is a better fit for me. I feel at peace with it.

Wanda

Thanks for the replies so far (I hope)
 

I identify with you Piano and know what it was like on Atkins for you, having had similar experiences with a very high fat, very lc diet myself. I did'nt quite realise the importance of health over looks (having been pretty healthy but morbidly obese till then) until I hit the pits. Health and image/weight is what's driving me right now, in that order ;)

Wanda, it must feel terrific having found a WOE that works for you so well. This is what makes one WOE so much better then another. One, very seldom fits all as I discovered with Atkins hence my shopping around looking for as much info as I can.
Just started an old stone age diet (mostly bc unprocessed food agress with me most and dairy causes stalls/gains) but I feel that Dr.Shwarzbeiner might very well have the edge on this.
I must get the 2nd book (doubt I'll ever see the 1st again) especially as she talks about stress so deeply. I recall that in her 1st book she seemed to think that thyroid medication and HRT made a big difference an awful lot of the time, it was this that put me off as I'm anti drugs (after a life-time of abusing them, I guess I'm being extremist but there you go) I might have been too hasty. I've also read one scare-story too many re grains but I can always tailor the beiner plan to me and gradually experiment with the truth behind these stories.
I only found sites v.recently dealing with stress and the science behind it - hotfooted by Wanda's terrific questionaire, knowing that Shwarzbein went one step further and created a plan around this
makes me want to read the book now now now...

...off to Amazon, thanks all :wave:

Hi ahhaba:


Like you, I'm anti-medication, mostly b/c my body can't tolerate them (hello, Adrenal Fatigue! ;)) I am thankful that they can have life saving potential, but that's the extent of it for me.

Dr. S is also anti-medication. She believes in bioidentical HRT, which are the same exact hormones in chemical structure as the hormones your body makes. Anything else is a drug, whether it is synthetic or natural b/c it doesn't mimic the chemical structure, making medications toxic to your system.

She is very specific about HRT and the conditions in which they are used. SPII has a very good chapter on HRT that should set your mind to rest. Her HRT is not the kind you find prescribed in a conventional doctor's office.

Having said all that, the only drug she recommends in truly desperate situations is desyrel to help reset the sleep cycle since sleep is so vital to healing.

As for the grain issue, M1whowaits is celiac and follows the SPII plan with a good amount of success so it's possible to do with yogurt, starchy veggies and fruits as your carbs.

Good luck with your decision.

Wanda

SP vs Zone
 

I started the Zone diet when dd#2 was 6 wks old and it was apparent the weight wasn't going to fall off on its own, even with exclusive breastfeeding. The typical woman on the diet eats 11 "blocks" (about 100 calories each - 40%carb/30%protein/30%fat). I started eating 18 blocks and I think I was up to 25 when I switched over to SP. What I liked about the Zone is that my blood sugar stayed regulated better, but I was quite hungry. I ended up doubling or tripling the fat.

Once I got to maintenance, I realized I didn't want to have to measure every piece of food and then do a calculation to balance it with whatever other food I wanted to eat. It just got old. And I found the division of "favorable" and "unfavorable" carbs somewhate arbitrary. For example sweet potatoes and brown rice are considered unfavorable, in the same category as doughnuts and white bread.

Someone mentioned SP on one of the Zone forums, and I decided to check it out. The SP way of balancing meals made immediate sense to me - it was what worked for me on the Zone. I liked the simplicity of only having to measure carbs. Dr. S's explanations made sense to me. Some of Dr. Sears' ideas sound like pseudoscience to me.

I developed MORE of a sweet tooth on the Zone than I used to have. It was fun devising Zone-friendly sweet treats. Most of the recipes contributed were for sweets, so I don't think I'm the only one. So now I am struggling to give up AS and enjoy the natural flavors of food. I really believe SP is the healthiest plan out there.

Jen

wcollier wrote:
>I'm anti-medication, mostly b/c my body can't tolerate them (hello, Adrenal Fatigue! <

Hmm... would love to hear a bit more about this... I am quite sure I have adrenal fatigue... just getting interested in Schwarzbein II. (I'm someone who gains weight/has-hard-time-losing on diets that other people would drop weight like a rock on.)

I take thyroid meds, but what interests me most about the statement you made in your initial post in this thread is about not being able to tolerate meds and that presumably having to do with adrenal fatigue?

Though I'm very regular and do ovulate, etc., my estrogen tests low. Yet I can't supplement even with bioidentical hormones or my system goes out of whack.

Did you find that happened as well?

CBCB, I haven't seen a lot of information about medication intolerance and Adrenal Fatigue, except that Dr. Rind's site mentions it. Here's the link: http://www.drrind.com/scorecardmatrix.asp

I've always had weird reactions to medications. About 8 years ago, I got a cortisone injection in my wrist and had a reaction to it. I had some kind of nerve damage and lost the use of my hand which resulted in Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. It took me 2 years for it to heal.

DH (who's an MD) & I had this little game. I'd take a medication and then pinpoint the rarer side effects. It got to the point where I'd cut pills in half, but eventually just stopped taking medications when it finally clued in that medications aren't good for me.

Although Dr. Rind talks about the intolerance and Adrenal Fatigue, I would also have to guess that it has something to do with the liver as well. There are a few syndromes that also include intolerance to medications which are common signs of adrenal fatigue. They are Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), Chronic Fatigue/Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) & Fibromyalgia.

Interesting what you say about the bioidentical hormones. What happens when you take them?

Wanda

Bioidentical hormones also seem to rather quickly cause some imbalance (such as in menstrual cycles, etc.) - but it may be better than with non bioidentical hormones... I definitely didn't tolerate BC pills at ALL when I tried them again a few years ago. I'd taken some in my late teens without any notable problems, but not since.

Ditto here... for 3 years, I was getting aura migraines every second day. I didn't connect the BCP b/c the migraines started a few months after starting them. I haven't had one since I stopped them.

Wanda