Is anyone else confused by this? How is it that a short, small-framed woman would need the same number of carbs as a 250 pound man? I really don't understand why Dr. S doesn't count starchy carbs as a percentage of total calories. Is it b/c she doesn't want us to count calories? It feels like a "one size fits all" program, which really bothers me. We have protein formulas by weight, but not for carbs!

I would think it's harder for small people to do SP b/c of this, and wonder if more small people gain weight on the healing program than others.

What are other people's experiences and feelings about this? Has anyone tweaked the program?

Anyway, I sent off an e-mail to Dr. S. about this. Hopefully I'll get a reply.

Wanda

I am 5'5" with a small frame. When I started SPII I was following IS/BOAG program. But I was fairly sedentary. When I became more active I had to add more carbs. I still show mild symptom of BOAG, but not like before. With my increase in activity the carb intake I have is more like IS/HA. Doesn't she divide carb intake by activity level in SP1? I don't have that book, but the range in carb intake by program and body size makes sense to me. Let us know what you find out.

Hi Lizzy:

Yes, she makes allowances for activity level and body composition in SPI (there's a chart I put in the forum sticky), so it even makes more sense to me now that you would make allowances for body size. I guess it would make the program even more complex than it already is, but..... it'd be nice to know for sure.

Wanda

I looked at the sticky. I've been doing active normal body compostion carbs. Low end if I'm not as hungry or active and high end if I'm running like a mad woman. I try to keep the meals the SP square and snacks protein & carb together. When I stay on track I feel great. Maybe she just didn't want tp make it too confusing with all the other new information. Would it matter? If you're eatting strictly SPII guide lines and it's too many or too few carbs, shouldn't you adjust your intake to what you need to function properly? You know yourself better than she does, just as long as you don't go too high and you should know for yourself what is too much. Don't get too stuck on exacts, life is bendy ....

Maybe the carbs she recommends is actually for a normal sized person, rather than a 250 lb man? That way, the larger people would lose weight faster because they're getting a smaller proportion of carbs? I'm also supposing she means for the larger people to fill up more on the other components of the diet rather than the carbs.

I know I've only got 25 lbs I'd like to lose, and while I really enjoy the SPI diet and feel better than I have in years, I haven't lost more than a couple of pounds. That could be because the carbs I'm eating are optimum for my weight and size. Bringing them down would probably help me lose weight - a la Atkins - but quite frankly, I don't want to give them up!

It will be interesting to see what Dr. S says about this.

Hi Cat-chick:

I'm being very technical, I know. Forgive me, it's the nature of the beast. It's not just TSP either. Atkins and PP do the same thing. Actually, Protein Power did address this height/weight difference, stating that shorter/lighter people would have to be more careful of their saturated fat intake even though they are also reducing carbs. However, I like the concept of The Zone b/c it uses macronutrient percentages. There's not a lot of guess work, yet lots of room for tweaking for personal differences.

Atkins and PP are not about balancing the major hormones so I can understand them just using a "number". But since balance is TSP's goal, then one of these groups (tall/heavy vs short/light) has to be out of balance, no? Considering all the attention SPII gives to making sure you follow the correct healing plan (and the consequences if you don't), this has me a bit baffled. I'd really like her to address it.

Don't get me wrong, I love TSP. I just think she could better help her readers by addressing this.

Wanda

Hi Wanda, I think the guidelines she uses in SPI are actually more condusive to weight loss and are more tailored to the size of person you are. When I follow the guidelines for SPI I lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, which is perfect for me.

Piano

Hi Piano:

I compared them, and my carb allowance is about the same. That's assuming I belong in the IS/BOAG program, which I will know for certain next week.

Wanda

Hey...are you saying I'm NOT normal?

Well, come to think of it, maybe not. Carry on.

Glad someone caught that! I thought the same thing. I'm sure she meant abnormal as extraordinary, at least in your case

Hey Wandy,
I'm with you. I think the book, necessarily?, is aimed at the majority of folks and leaves the outliers to fend for themselves. Wouldn't it be nice if Team SP came up with an online calculator! You could probably do that for them Wandy
Jinx

Hey Carl, since we have your attention, what are your thoughts about the carb allowances? Do you think them too few for your size or just about right?

Jinxy, ya, that would be a job! For my 130ish lb, 5'4" small-frame, I think my %s have been around 30-35% carbs, 40% fat, 25-30% protein. It'd be interesting to see what others have. Maybe we can compare.

Wanda

I'm afraid that her recommended carb allowance per meal is a little tough for someone my size. I'm not following the SP verbatim. I'm doing such a hybrid thing these days, I kinda ignore a lot of everyone's thou shalt nots and just try to follow the spirit of the various lower-carb plans, if not the letter of all their laws. So long as I keep losing a pound or 2 per week, and feel good, my hybrid plan suits me fine. I'll probably pay more attention to the various rules as I get closer to my goal and the weight loss gets tougher.

Carl, I KNEW you were going to say that!!! I rest my case. (that's a gavel, ignore the head bashing... )

See, I'm the type who always thinks I should follow the rules and then tweak after awhile. I guess I'm now in the "tweaking" phase after considering this issue. Thanks for helping me out.

Wanda

Sorry if I offended you, Carl! I DID mean normal as in average, not normal as in bigger people are abnormal - I'm 35 pounds overweight, and don't consider myself average, so I know of what I speak!

Pshaw (how often do we get to say Pshaw? Not often enough, sez I.) I wasn't offended, just being a wisenheimer, and cracking on the fact that no one thinks 250 lb men are 'normal'...but there's sure enough a lot of 'em where I come from. At least we have some danged good football teams.