I think it was back in 1998 that I discovered Protein Power.

I still need your help and insights.
I want to be just as enthusiastic about this WOL as I was then. I need support, I guess!

In 1998, PP took me from about 155 pounds down to 138 pounds. I was feeling fabulous, and looked pretty good, too. I'm only 5'3", so I could have gone down even further, probably.
Then I got pregnant with my first. In the beginning, I thought I'd just go on a maintenance level through the pregnancy. Increase lots of veggies. Little did I expect to abhor protein through most of the pregnancy (I couldn't even cook beef or pork or chicken without the smell making me nautious). Needless to say, I was no longer close to Protein Power.

Baby is born. I nurse. I was in no hurry to start back up again. Bottom line? It takes me a good year before I start looking to LCing again to get rid of the extra 15 pounds or so I had gained from the pregnancy.

I LC again, and get down to about 145. Guess what? Repeat the process.
Basically...repeat the process two times (I now have 3 children!).

Here are my fears, concerns, issues, whatevers that are holding me back from fully embracing LC again. I truly wish I could make it fully my way of life, but I find plenty of "excuses" (some legit, some not!)...and I'm looking for what it is I'm missing:

1) I would love to have more children. I cannot bear to cycle in and out of this again. Each time, it gets that much more difficult.

2) I am not always fully in control of what I eat. For instance, in a couple weeks, I go on a brief retreat - no control over the food served, and they are not capable of tweaking for individuals. At the end of February, we will probably spend a week down in DC. 3 small children. Hubby off during the day to work. 3 meals at restaurants or out of the small hotel fridge. No cooking abilities.
I could name at least 10 reasons per year where I'm in such a situation. I would often try to do the best I could with what was around...but to be honest with yourself, you're not following PP.

3) When I am LCing, I do experience the appetite suppression. But this does not stop me from looking to fulfill the desire to FEEL FULL. And I simply CANNOT get full when I'm LCing. It just does not happen. I have a feeling this is some sort of mental/emotional desire. But I don't know how to make it go away.

All these things (and I'm sure there's a couple more I haven't listed yet) prevent me from fully embracing LCing as a way of life. I'm gritting my teeth, making up my grocery list for tomorrow morning, ready to begin again tomorrow. I've already got that "ready to do battle" attitude, which I think sets one up for failure.

How does one get from "resent" to "embrace"?

It seems that I really want it...but not badly enough.

In my opinion, you may not be ready yet. For me I had to be mentally "ready". Reading the book may set you in the right frame of mine. I know it did me. I also found a friend to take this journey with, and the forum here is great. Read some of the success stories here. They are awesome.

Why? I am not aware of any reason for you to have changed, i.e. add veggies, from what you were eating. This would make me suspect that you were not exactly on track with the PP WoE. BUT being pregnant makes your hormones super active. I would suspect that you had some dietary deficiency that you were not aware of.

I would strongly suggest that you get the newer book, Protein Power Lifeplan and read it several times. I had to, there is just SO much to the plan when you look at the detail. The plan is simple in concept but when you look at all the microneutrants, it gets tricky to get them in the right balance/amounts for YOUR specific needs. And reading PP again would not hurt. I got something new out of each reading.

There have several ladies that follow PP/PPLP that have had children while following the plan. Maybe if you ask again with the thread title saying something like, How do you follow PP/PPLP when you are pregnant? I would be easier for one of the gals to catch and then help you with a reply.

You may want to "talk to" ElleH. She's a former PPer, now on Atkins, with 3 small kids. She has a journal on here and posts frequently on the Atkins thread. She has recently found that eating more fat is the answer to feeling full (so do I, but I don't have the insight on handling 3 small kids at the same time).

Thank you guys for answering!

Just for the record, I do not expect to be pregnant in the near future (I didn't make that clear before.). I hope some day to be pregnant again...but I'm not approaching this expecting to do it during pregnancy.
However, there is a bit of a "why lose the weight now only to gain it all back again if there's another pregnancy" mentality that I know I need to put aside. It's just 1 of the 3 main things on my head as I enter back into low carbing.

I don't want to leave low carbing. Ever.
But 1) being where you do not have much control over what you eat for a few days at a time, 2) pregnancy, and 3) sometimes seeking that "full" feeling
are my "weaknesses" if you will. They are the only reasons (in the past) that I have "left" low carbing. (although the pregnancies definitely forced it. I don't know about my needing this or that...but when protein makes you nautious...there's not much you can do)

As I enter it, I take the mindset that this is the last time I will "begin" to low carb, because I do not expect to stop doing it. It's not just a diet, although for the near future, weightloss is definitely a top priority. (That IS how I found low carbing to begin with.)

For now, I did begin today.
You can see what I've eaten for today in my journal.
I have ordered PPLP (not realizing there was much of a difference between that and the book I read back in 1998), and expect to read it quickly when it arrives.

I hope you guys will be a big key in my getting past the hurdles that I know are before me.
Thanks again!
-- Loretta

As soon as I saw Larry had posted I figured he'd beat me to the advice I'd immediately give you...PPLP...you will LOVE it! I was thinking, having read both, that PPLP will help you refine different "versions" of this WOE for different times in your life. Mostly, though, I feel like it continually inspires me, by reminding me WHY I would want to do this. I'd rather you get the benefit of strength and health via PP and "go off" a bit during a pregnancy (if you must and that's a personal choice) than to not go there at all. Your body will gain so much benefit no matter what you choose to do. But honestly, I think PPLP will provide a lot of wonderful ideas for you as you restart wuch a great WOE.

Welcome back - we'll be here for you!

P.S. I'm hoping I'm blessed enough sometime later this year to go through that very same challenge - PP to pregnancy.

Lpioch, a couple of things...
I have spent the last two years traveling at least once a month for 3-5 days. I can't always control the food that's available or the kind of cooking situations that I'm in...but I CAN control my choices, and I CAN control what I pack (protein powder, nuts, saki ika--a Korean squid jerky--and other portable, no-refrigeration-req'd stuff.) I don't have three kids...but I have other traveling challenges like companions who want to share meals, eating on the run at dogs shows, eating during chemo, etc. I understand about protein making you nauseous--for those times, I make a protein shake and sip it all day.

The Drs. Eades do recommend (in PPLP) that you move to a maintenance level of PP while pregnant/nursing. But maintenance levels of carbs are less than or equal to your recommended protein minimums, which is far from a carb-out in comparision to the standard American diet. As I mentioned, you may not be able to cook meats or fish...but you may still be able to manage things like nut or bowl muffins, which have a carb mouth feel but are really protein sources, or a cold protein shake which you sip throughout the day. You can choose carbs from fruits and higher carb veggies -- it IS a mental thing to forsake those in favor of, say, Krispy Kremes. Believe me, on chemo I've been there. You don't 'make it go away.' You get it under control by addressing it. You might want to check out the Protein Power forums on the Drs. Eades' site, where there are some reference articles that deal with the emotional aspects of eating.

As for the 'full' feeling, I too find that use of fats in the appropriate amounts is what helps me feel full. I *don't* typically feel 'full' on straight protein, but on fat-enriched protein or vegetables, I do feel full. Cheese, nuts, shellfish and good oils all make me feel full. Chicken and finfish and steak don't. You might need to figure out what fat level helps you feel more satisfied.

Hope this helps.