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  #31   ^
Old Sat, Aug-07-04, 09:31
peachykeen's Avatar
peachykeen peachykeen is offline
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Posts: 101
 
Plan: Schwarzbein
Stats: 172/157/135 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 41%
Location: Tucson, Arizona
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Hello All,

I am new to this board... especially interested in this WOE. I've been reading SBII and have had several ah ha moments. Seems like a very sensible approach to getting healthy which is what I'm more concerned with right now than weight loss, although that would be great too. I think I'm IS with partially burned out adrenals. Feel tired alot, but then I'm just entering menopause so that could be part of it too. I've done Atkins and lost weight but missed fruit and veges so I slowly went off and gained all the weight back. Sigh. What concerns me about SBII is the amount of food she recommends. There is no way I can eat that amount of food. I've ordered SBI and it should be here in a few days. After reading other posters comments SBI sounds easier, so I will postpone deciding which one to start with until I check out SBI.

Thank you all for your post, they are so helpful and informative.

Diane
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  #32   ^
Old Wed, Aug-24-05, 16:44
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Leela Leela is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 60
 
Plan: 6-12-12
Stats: 184.5/175/120 Female 5 feet
BF:way too much!
Progress: 15%
Location: Illinois
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I only just started the plan. I am diabetic and fall into the worst category, insulin resistant/burned out adrenals. After a week, I noticed a noticable difference in how I feel. Less exausted, less dependant on caffeine to get through the day. Improving your sleeping patterns is as important as the diet, one doesn't seem to work without the other.
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  #33   ^
Old Tue, Apr-17-07, 15:54
mgilman mgilman is offline
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Posts: 5
 
Plan: calp
Stats: 295/285/215 Male 71
BF:
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this diet sounds just what I need
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  #34   ^
Old Tue, Jul-24-07, 16:09
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Ann1231 Ann1231 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,256
 
Plan: lower carb
Stats: 186/181.5/125 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 7%
Location: midwest
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I followed SP I with great success. After toying around with paleo, I'm returning to SP I. I felt very good on it, got my hypoglycemia straightened out, no more mood swings, depression, headaches, menstrual troubles, etc. It's worth the extra effort of writing down carb counts.

Ann
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  #35   ^
Old Wed, Jul-25-07, 17:14
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TheBetty TheBetty is offline
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Posts: 1,134
 
Plan: Whole Foods Since 2/02
Stats: 360.5/174.5/200 Female 68 inches
BF:
Progress: 116%
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Ann, if writing down the carbs works for you great, but I don't see why you would need to do that after a week or so. She is very liberal with the carbs, as long as eaten in balance. Good carbs, not junk crap carbs.

I would recommend getting her newer book (not new, just more recent) entitled THE PROGRAM, which includes a lot more information that we need and none of the overkill garbage of the second book (which should be burned in my opinion! )

Looking forward to losing with you! --Betty
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  #36   ^
Old Wed, Jul-25-07, 18:59
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Ann1231 Ann1231 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,256
 
Plan: lower carb
Stats: 186/181.5/125 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 7%
Location: midwest
Default

thanks for the suggestion Betty. I have to write down my carbs because I tend to 'forget' what I've eaten thru the day and I eat quite a few snacks. I tend to gain weight and overeat carbs when I don't write them down. I kept a food diary for almost 7 years, I can do it again I'm sure.

I will look for her book and see what's new. I know the 'old' plan worked for me and tonight, after having all my days eating done, I'm feeling pretty darned good. I look forward to seeing what new info she's put in the program book!
Ann
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  #37   ^
Old Thu, Aug-30-07, 12:58
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OhYeahBabe OhYeahBabe is offline
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Posts: 38
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 100/100/100 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 33%
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I'm using book 1, and waiting for book 2 to arrive.
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  #38   ^
Old Sun, Feb-21-10, 06:21
theresa_wi theresa_wi is offline
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Posts: 19
 
Plan: CAD/Calp
Stats: 156/150/120 Female 5'1"
BF:
Progress: 17%
Question

Quote:
Originally Posted by wcollier
Hi Piano:

I've got a scan of the guidelines you're looking for. I hope this works.

s


What would a diabetic use? BTW, I have all three of her books.
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  #39   ^
Old Mon, Feb-22-10, 13:12
sdeshwood sdeshwood is offline
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Posts: 10
 
Plan: Atkins/Protein Power
Stats: 154/150/135 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress:
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Has anyone switched to SP from a lower carb diet? I am reading SP I and a lot of what I am reading really resonates with me. I initially lost about 5 lbs. on Atkins, but then completely stopped. I tried intermittent fasting but was too hungry and lethargic to continue (and I did not really lose much weight!) I then switched to a sort of paleo with dairy approach and felt slightly better with the fruit. Now I am considering trying SP but I am uncertain about her view of carbs- she continuously comments that eating too few carbs is dangerous but does not back that up with a solid explanation that I am comfortable with. I am also a bit fearful of the amount of food that she recommends- I feel like I will definitely gain weight if I eat as much as she suggests and I'm not sure how I could even muster the appetite for the snacks! Then again I am compelled by her perspective of "healing" your metabolism rather than weight loss and I feel like maybe I need that kind of shift.

Sorry for the rambling post but I guess I am just wondering what experiences people have had switching from a lower carb diet to SP.
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  #40   ^
Old Mon, Feb-22-10, 15:02
amandawald amandawald is offline
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Posts: 4,737
 
Plan: Ray Peat (not low-carb)
Stats: 00/00/00 Female 164cm
BF:
Progress: 51%
Location: Brit in Europe
Default my experiences of following SPII

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdeshwood
Has anyone switched to SP from a lower carb diet? I am reading SP I and a lot of what I am reading really resonates with me. I initially lost about 5 lbs. on Atkins, but then completely stopped. I tried intermittent fasting but was too hungry and lethargic to continue (and I did not really lose much weight!) I then switched to a sort of paleo with dairy approach and felt slightly better with the fruit. Now I am considering trying SP but I am uncertain about her view of carbs- she continuously comments that eating too few carbs is dangerous but does not back that up with a solid explanation that I am comfortable with. I am also a bit fearful of the amount of food that she recommends- I feel like I will definitely gain weight if I eat as much as she suggests and I'm not sure how I could even muster the appetite for the snacks! Then again I am compelled by her perspective of "healing" your metabolism rather than weight loss and I feel like maybe I need that kind of shift.

Sorry for the rambling post but I guess I am just wondering what experiences people have had switching from a lower carb diet to SP.


Hi there sdeshwood,

I switched to SPII, which allows me 100-115g of carbs per day, from my version of Barry Groves on which I was having 70g of carbs per day (and lost weight doing so). I have been averaging about 120g of carbs per day over the last six weeks and have not put on weight, nor have I lost any either, but this is not my aim right now.

From what I have read (not just Schwarzbein, but a few other things on the internet, Dr Lam, for example, and the James Wilson book) I have a mild version of adrenal fatigue and I am slowly but surely trying to heal my adrenals using her plan.

I am doing my best to follow the tips about stress management, tapering off toxic chemicals and so on and I feel I am making progress, albeit gradually. Life sometimes gets in the way and stressful events are thrown at you, which you simply could not have forseen or avoided and this kind of thing has occasionally set me back. But, on the whole, I feel that following the SPII plan has really turned my life around!!!

My caffeine intake is 50% lower and I feel a lot less frazzled and much more balanced and mellow for having managed that. If I ever get down to zero caffeine, I can probably open a commune and sing hari-krishna all day long .

I have finally got my head round the fact that I need to stay away from beer as a way of life, not just every now and then and, if you read back a bit in my journal, you'll see that I have been "good" for over six weeks now, which is pretty much a record for me!!!

Anyway, before I start majorly rambling, I'll try to sum it up in a nutshell: I am happy with following this plan because it addresses a lot of issues which a basic LC diet plan does not deal with. (And why should they? Most LC plans are more or less just about losing weight, which is fair enough: that's what brought me here in the first place).

As to her arguments about too little carbs being just as dangerous as too many, I can only say that since I realized I had some form of adrenal fatigue, I have found that I can no longer eat a meal with barely any carbs in it as I then have problems with low blood sugar. If you have adrenal fatigue and your system can't produce glucose by itself as quickly as it normally would be able to, then too few carbs are really not nice - I am saying this from personal experience - but, as they say, Your Mileage May Vary.

I know what you mean about there being little evidence given in her books about how too few carbs are bad for you. But I guess it is because she feels that this puts too much strain on the adrenals.

In your shoes, I would finish reading the book, see how you feel about giving her programme a try and give it a bash for a few weeks and see how you feel. At the moment I really do feel that I am "healing from inside", although my energy levels are still low from time to time.

But, all in all, I really do have the feeling that this way of eating is the right way for me right now. Time will tell, so keep in touch!!! And feel free to peek into my journal if you want to see how my journey has been going - I started around early summer last year, although I took a big holiday-induced "break" in August/September before I climbed back on the SPII wagon and got into the whole thing "properly".

Hope this hasn't been a case of TMI!!!

amanda
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  #41   ^
Old Tue, Feb-23-10, 13:32
sdeshwood sdeshwood is offline
New Member
Posts: 10
 
Plan: Atkins/Protein Power
Stats: 154/150/135 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress:
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Hi Amanda! Thanks for the response! Great work on staying away from beer for 6 weeks! I'm impressed.

I am right there with you on the too much beer thing (except for me it's too much wine!) I completely agree with the "stimulant cycle" she talks about in SP I and I found her comment really compelling that "if you are craving stimulants you are not well." Since I started low carbing I drink more coffee than ever and I crave wine at night, to wind down from the stress of the day. I also use too much artificial sweetener so I am trying to taper down there.

I have actually already jumped in to the program because I am so drawn to this whole concept of healing your body and metabolism rather than losing weight. I'm taking her advice to start eating well first, then sleeping and tapering off toxic chemicals. Last night I ate a small amount of brown rice for the first time in ages, skipped my usual glass(es) of wine, slept for 8.5 hours and it felt so great.

I don't have a ton of weight to lose so I am grappling with the possibility that I may gain a few pounds eating this way but I think she is right that I've got some serious healing to do here. According to her book I think I have never really eaten well in my entire life so I'm really excited to start nourishing myself.

As for her explanation re: too little carbs I'm wondering if she has more of an explanation in SP II or The Program?
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  #42   ^
Old Tue, Feb-23-10, 15:08
amandawald amandawald is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,737
 
Plan: Ray Peat (not low-carb)
Stats: 00/00/00 Female 164cm
BF:
Progress: 51%
Location: Brit in Europe
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdeshwood
Hi Amanda! Thanks for the response! Great work on staying away from beer for 6 weeks! I'm impressed.

I am right there with you on the too much beer thing (except for me it's too much wine!) I completely agree with the "stimulant cycle" she talks about in SP I and I found her comment really compelling that "if you are craving stimulants you are not well." Since I started low carbing I drink more coffee than ever and I crave wine at night, to wind down from the stress of the day. I also use too much artificial sweetener so I am trying to taper down there.

I have actually already jumped in to the program because I am so drawn to this whole concept of healing your body and metabolism rather than losing weight. I'm taking her advice to start eating well first, then sleeping and tapering off toxic chemicals. Last night I ate a small amount of brown rice for the first time in ages, skipped my usual glass(es) of wine, slept for 8.5 hours and it felt so great.

I don't have a ton of weight to lose so I am grappling with the possibility that I may gain a few pounds eating this way but I think she is right that I've got some serious healing to do here. According to her book I think I have never really eaten well in my entire life so I'm really excited to start nourishing myself.

As for her explanation re: too little carbs I'm wondering if she has more of an explanation in SP II or The Program?


Hi again!

Just wanted to say that SPII is more "technical" than the one called "The Program" and goes into more detail about all the interacting hormones and so on. It's the better of the two in my opinion, although some bits will be familiar if you've read "The Program".

I can really recommend "The Schwarzbein Principle II: The Transition" if you haven't already read it. I regularly read it to re-acquaint myself with the reasons why I'm doing this. If you have already diagnosed yourself as possibly having exhausted adrenals, then you might want to get "Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome" by Dr James Wilson, too.

It seems you've got the Schwarzbein bug, too!!! I think that there is a lot of truth to the quote of hers which is now my signature. What is the point of being skinny on the outside if your body is wrecked on the inside?

Good luck and feel free to pop into my journal if you have any questions, although, on the other hand, if we post here, then it draws attention to this subforum and to this particular WOL, which is kind of good publicity!!!

amanda
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  #43   ^
Old Wed, Feb-24-10, 11:25
sdeshwood sdeshwood is offline
New Member
Posts: 10
 
Plan: Atkins/Protein Power
Stats: 154/150/135 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress:
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If SP II is more technical than SP I, then I am excited to read it! Can't wait for it to arrive! I find a lot of what she writes interesting but then find the explanations lacking so hopefully SP II will help fill in the blanks for me, especially on why carbs are so necessary. I've heard that SP II addresses low carb more than SP I did.

I have to say I have been experiencing some digestion issues since slowly trying to incorporate starches into my diet. Last night I ate a small amount of whole wheat and I think that really bothered me so I am going to try and stick to small amounts of brown rice and oatmeal for my carbs for now. I don't know if this is because these carbs are bad for me or if my digestive system just needs to re-learn how to deal with starches.

Do you ever look at 180health.blogspot.com? I am intrested in his ideas but generally confused by them! I don't want to pay for his ebook though so I'm wondering if anyone knows the general tenets of his plan?

On the subject of exhausted adrenals- I don't know! Is there a good online self-assessment quiz or other information source you would recommend I look at re: adrenal fatigue?
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  #44   ^
Old Thu, Feb-25-10, 03:14
amandawald amandawald is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 4,737
 
Plan: Ray Peat (not low-carb)
Stats: 00/00/00 Female 164cm
BF:
Progress: 51%
Location: Brit in Europe
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Hi sdeshwood (it would be nice if you could let me know your first name!),

You wrote this above:

Quote:
If SP II is more technical than SP I, then I am excited to read it! Can't wait for it to arrive! I find a lot of what she writes interesting but then find the explanations lacking so hopefully SP II will help fill in the blanks for me, especially on why carbs are so necessary. I've heard that SP II addresses low carb more than SP I did.

Then I think you will enjoy it!

Quote:
I have to say I have been experiencing some digestion issues since slowly trying to incorporate starches into my diet. Last night I ate a small amount of whole wheat and I think that really bothered me so I am going to try and stick to small amounts of brown rice and oatmeal for my carbs for now.

In one of Schwarzbein's books ("The Program", I believe), she actually recommends going off wheat for between 3-6 months. It seems that there are a lot of people out there who are sensitive to wheat (without being full-blown celiacs). Often it seems that this wheat-sensitivity can be the reason for a stall or other health problems. I am also doing my best to stay away from wheat, although I am not as strict about it as I maybe could be. However, I do seem to get odd reactions when I do eat it.

The wheat bread that is produced today is a far cry from what we used to eat. Most bread used to be made using the very slow sour-dough method, which some argue makes the wheat more palatable and breaks down the gluten somewhat (others would disagree). Whatever the case may be, after much debate with myself, I finally decided to start a no-wheat experiment after reading on the Dr BG blog (I'll try to find the link to the article I'm referring to) that her gums had improved after going wheat-free. I also have problems with receding gums so I thought, "What the heck, what have I got to lose?" After a while, my DH asked me if I had noticed any difference and I spontaneously said, "My gums feel happier" without really thinking about it. Recently, I went to have my teeth cleaned and the dental hygienist said my gums were firmer and there was less bleeding than "normal" during the cleaning.

Over Christmas and in early January I had had "normal" bread and generally I noticed that my gums felt sore afterwards. Then I did another experiment a couple of weeks ago: on one day I had a couple of slices of bread made with spelt flour (which is an ancient version of wheat, I do believe, which the Germans are quite keen on) and didn't noticeable reactions. I think it was the next day that I then had some "normal" wheat-based bread (which I used to love!!!) and that gave me quite nasty reactions: bloating and stomach pains, which weren't even relieved by drinking fennel tea (which normally does the trick).

Anyway, I would recommend that you follow her advice and stay away from wheat for between one month and three months and be aware of any health benefits you notice - or not. Then re-introduce it and see what happens!

Quote:
I don't know if this is because these carbs are bad for me or if my digestive system just needs to re-learn how to deal with starches.

Personally, I believe that wheat is in a category of its own and should be avoided. There's some interesting articles on wheat on Stephan Guyenet's blog, "Whole Health Source". I posted some of them and links, I think, in my journal, too. If you look round the world, the rice-eating nations don't tend to get fat - at least not until wheat arrives!!!

Here's the page in my journal with various articles and links:

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthre...0&page=39&pp=15

It may also be the case that your system has been producing fewer enzymes for digesting starch, but your body will re-adjust. Or you could get some digestive enzymes, which Schwarzbein recommends for people with exhausted adrenals and insulin resistance, if I recall correctly.

Quote:
Do you ever look at 180health.blogspot.com? I am intrested in his ideas but generally confused by them! I don't want to pay for his ebook though so I'm wondering if anyone knows the general tenets of his plan?

I think the guy is a fraud. He actually did the Schwarzbein plan - successfully, he says - and has now put together his own plan, called the "High Everything Diet". Some of the things he has said and done are completely off the wall. I don't trust him an inch. There's a thread about his latest escapades in the War Zone, I think, if you need to know more. But, to be honest, I place far more trust in Schwarzbein, who actually has a medical degree, treats people using her methods, and isn't just a sensation-seeking blogger!!! The only thing his blog is good for is a laugh.

Quote:
On the subject of exhausted adrenals- I don't know! Is there a good online self-assessment quiz or other information source you would recommend I look at re: adrenal fatigue?

Try googling Dr Lam and you'll get his website.

Here it is:

http://www.drlam.com/articles/adrenal_fatigue.asp

I hate the layout and it is in desperate need of a good proofread and edit, but the info seems sound. I think there might be a questionnaire in there, too. There's also James Wilson's own website. There's a ton of stuff on the web, but after you've read a few articles, you'll notice that a lot of them are based on the same sources. There is an adrenal fatigue forum on "curezone", which is quite interesting if you want to read about other people's experiences with trying to cure themselves and so on.

Hope this helps.

amanda

Last edited by amandawald : Thu, Feb-25-10 at 03:36.
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  #45   ^
Old Thu, Feb-25-10, 15:32
sdeshwood sdeshwood is offline
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Posts: 10
 
Plan: Atkins/Protein Power
Stats: 154/150/135 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress:
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Hi Amanda!

Thanks for all the information!

I suspect you are spot on about the wheat. I am going to stick to the starches that so far have not bothered me. Very interesting about your gums! Sounds like wheat is very inflammatory.

Re: 180 dude- LOL! I am going to have to look at the war zone conversations for entertainment.

Thanks for the link to Dr. Lam's site! Just from glancing at the description of adrenal fatigue I am pretty amazed. I could definitely have adrenal fatigue and I may have even approached exhaustion a year or two ago when I was under the most stress of my life. I had insane eczema flare ups over my entire body and had to go on prednisone a couple of times. I am still recovering from the scars. I have suffered from eczema my whole life but that was the worst since childhood! The website explains that when you get to adrenal exhaustion you stop producing cortisol, which could totally explain the out of control eczema.

Thankfully I am in better health than at that time, thanks in good part to going low carb but now I am ready to really heal! Can't wait for SP II!

Oops, and p.s. my first name is Sonia!
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