Bajabnd in Idaho checking in for the first time!

[Bajabnd]

Greetings everyone!

My name is Patsy and my handle is Bajabnd. I am 56, mom of 2, grandma of 2 and wife of a most wonderful husband. I am trying to lose 20-25 lbs. I need to find one single thing that I can stick to and do. My doctor sent me to a nutritionist and she said it is all about calories. To me, I get fat when I am near carbs - plain and simple. I lost all my weight about 4 years ago on the Atkins plan. I still believe in Atkins but thought I would try a different approach and look into this Protein Power.

I began this time about 3 months ago and lost 10 or so pounds and then it stopped. I have weighed 167.5 for about 2 months and can't seem to kick my metabolism into gear.

I don't eat a lot of junk food. For breakfast I do one of 3 things:

Eggs, Bacon or Sausage or
Protein Shake with 2% milk, 1/2 c yogurt, 1/2 c blueberries or other fruit, 1 scoop of protein powder (20 g) and 6 ice cubes
Special K Vanilla Almond Cereal (1 cup with 2% milk)Then for lunch I usually eat:

Blue Bunny raspberry yogurt (5 carbs) and
1/2 cup celery with a couple of tiny carrotsThen for dinner we have either

Grilled Chicken or a slice of good meatloaf, or a piece of fish broiled or some sort of meat. Then we have either salad or veggies (green beans, broccoli, etc.). I use a locally made ranch dressing that is 0 carbs.

In the evenings I share a bag of popcorn with my sweet husband.

PLUS! I go to the gym whenever I can. My goal is 5 days a week, but it usually ends up around 2 days. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:00 I do a strength class with a little abs at the end. Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00 is my spinning class.

I NEED to go more often. I work as an administrative asst. for the Department of Energy and work 7:00 am to 3:30 pm. In about 2 weeks, we are changing hours to 9-80's and that means I can't go to my 4:00 classes. But I can get on the treadmill and do a 30 min jog/walk and get my heart rate up for at least 20 minutes.

Now, please someone evaluate what I am doing and tell me how to change so I can get off this plateau and lose 20-25 lbs. I am 5' 7" and thin boned, and they say I should weigh 135, but I like myself around 145 - 150. 135 is my young hippie girl look and I am not young anymore and do not have a desire or need to be stick thin. I am getting old and I want to be strong and healthy. That is my ultimate goal.

I am humbly at your will.

Signing off ~

[Missy]

My guess is that shared bag of popcorn Patsy! That would stahl me or undoubtedly make me gain for SURE!

Welcome aboard. PP is a great plan!! :D

[Bajabnd]

Thanks for the welcome Missy. Hey, where do you get how much protein you are supposed to eat? Or is that a recording of what you did eat?

[Bajabnd]

By the way too, Missy. GOOD JOB on the weight loss! You go girl!

[Missy]

Thanks Patsy. My signature is the daily "goal" that I try to meet. So, that is there for a reminder of my personal "plan".

Do you have either the PP book or the PPLP book? There are charts in there that tell you your minimum protein requirements. You need your height and weight to know that information.

Okay, I see your 5'7" and 167.5. You need to make sure you eat 34 grams per meal per day MINIMUM. And get between 30 -40 grams of carbs MAX.

I suggest HIGHLY that you do buy the book if you haven't.

[back2me2007]

Hi there Patsy! I bet nuts would do for a great night time snack. More protein and less carbs. The book is really helpful if you can get one.

[Bajabnd]

Thank you Mikki and Missy!

I ordered the book this morning on Amazon. I should have it in a few days. But I will go by what you are saying until I get it....so 34 g of Protein per meal and is that 30-40 gram of carbs per meal?? wow

Well, talk to you all tomorrow. Thanks for today and God bless!

[Gaelen]

But I will go by what you are saying until I get it....so 34 g of Protein per meal and is that 30-40 gram of carbs per meal?? wow!
Hi, Bajabnd. Missy's numbers are per day--34g protein per meal was planned as 3 meals (although you can break it into more), so you need 102 grams of protein per day. You shouldn't exceed 40g of effective carbs (carbs minus fiber) per DAY. Carbs should be limited to 7-10g ECC per meal in Phase I.

Looking at your sample menu, my first thought is that you're not getting near enough protein. Your breakfast protein shake probably is no more than 25-30g protein, and the egg/sausage or egg/bacon breakfast is also probably only 20-25g protein...even an extra large egg is only 7g protein. So two eggs and two strips of bacon would only be around 20g protein, not quite 60% of what you need for that meal.

Lunch is virtually protein-free...the yogurt like has no more than 10g protein.

Dinner, unless it's very meat heavy, could also be light on protein.

To be honest, I'd reverse your protein 'heavy' meal to breakfast, get at least a full 34g protein for lunch, and if anything, make your evening meal your lightest one of the day. As it is now, you're eating your heaviest meal, followed by a carby snack, at the end of your day when you're least active. The Eadeses do recommend that if any meal is slightly carby-er, that meal should be breakfast (not the evening snack!) BTW, there's nothing wrong with popcorn...but limit yourself to one CUP, which is about 7g ECC, not half a bag (which depending on your brand can be as much as 4 cups.) The other thing you need to pay attention to is getting enough calories...for me, I typically don't loose unless I'm getting at least 1400-1500 calories/day, and I'm five feet tall and weigh 187.

Non-caloric fluid intake (water, coffee, tea) should be at least 64 oz. per day, and for me, not drinking enough does slow my weight loss. Also, while regular exercise is a good thing and can help, too much salt can derail efforts even when you exercise regularly. All of these things are an important part of the equation. So, glad to hear you've ordered the book, and meanwhile, hope some of these tidbits help.

[Mitra]

You've already had lots of answers to your questions, but I just wanted to welcome you. I don't do it all the time, but when you're getting used to a change in your eating it can be very helpful to keep a journal of what you eat for a while. It can be a notebook, or electronic (like fitday.com) but measuring your portions and actually counting your carbs and protein for a while can really make a difference.

[Bajabnd]

Thank you. You ladies are awesome!

Sounds like I need to make some changes in my eating habits. You know, I always had a suspicion that I was in "starvation mode" and that is why I wasn't losing. But the I talked to the "dietician" at the hospital and she told me it was all about calories. Put in less than I use per day. I have tried the Atkins again, the South Beach, the Slim for Life, all kinds of ways and nothing works. My intuition is telling me that what you are saying makes sense to my body. I don't eat a lot, I'm hardly ever hungry, I almost force myself. But I can get used to anything. I will wait til I get the book and make up some good high protein meals - highest in the morning!

I almost want to cry! It truly makes sense. Thank you so much and I hope everyone has a great day today. In Idaho the sun is gorgeous, it is 40 this morning but will get to about 75-80 today is what I hear. I have to go to work now, but will check in this evening, or this afternoon if I can spare a minute or so.

Have a marvelous day! :)

[Ammy]

Welcome welcome welcome...

I can only reiterate what everyone else said...didn't sound like you were eating enough!

My only addition...don't be surprised if your energy level increases as you add more protein! It's amazing what happens when you feed your body the things it desires most!!

Idaho sounds beautiful! Enjoy the warm day!

[Missy]

Sorry I didn't make myself clear originally...but Gaelen did a GREAT JOB explaining....listen to her...she is WISE! :D

[Bajabnd]

OK Y'all, how does this sound? :idea: :idea: :idea:

Breakfast: 2-3 Eggs; boiled, fried or scrambled with cheese sprinkled on top. A serving of meat like sausage or ham and 1/2 of a WW English Muffin.

Lunch: Chicken Leg or Thigh, or ham or roast beef roll up with cream cheese, or hamburger patty with cheese, or some left overs. With a fruit of some kind.

Dinner: One each night

Meatloaf (made with egg, onion, spinach, tomato paste, corn bread crumbs) with a red potato and green beans
Pork Chops cooked in Healthy Request C. of Mushroom soup and onions, served with 1/2 cup of brown rice and some veggies.
Grilled Steak smothered in sauteed mushrooms and onions with a small baked potato with veggies or a nice salad.
Autumn Chicken (Chicken breasts browned and simmered in a berry sauce (blueberries and cranberries, with a light lemon sauce over WW egg noodles.
Cheeseburgers patty w/o bread made with onion and spinach with Tomatoes and Cucumber on the side.
Tacos meat, tomatoes, scallions, black olives, guacamole, sour cream over a bed of shredded lettuce.
Pork Tenderloin in a crockpot made with dry onion soup and soy sauce. Served with broccoli and WW egg noodles.Snacks: Protein Shake, or nuts or an apple.

Water: At least 64 oz.

How does that sound? It has protein and healthy carbs. Y'all can adjust it any way you want and make more suggestions for meals. I have been thinking about this and working it out all day long!

I have also been thinking about the poor children who were hanged by their mother in Texas. 3 little girls died and the youngest, an 8 month old baby survived. I think the girls were like 2,3 and 5 or something. They were all hung in the closet. This just breaks my heart and makes me sick. The mother may have been depressed, but there are so many things she could've done with those children. Family, hospital, the police, even neighbors. It is just so sad. This world is so messed up.

Well, sorry to end on a sad note, it is just something that has been on my heart all week.

I'm at work so need to go. I'll check in tonight.

Take care and God bless! :D

[Mitra]

Wow, you have been busy :). You've worked lots more protein in there, and lots of veggies and variety. Have you counted the carbs in any of those menus? Remember you are aiming for 30-40g per day. 1/2 cup of brown rice is 20g, and a medium potato would be around 30g, so some of your dinners are using your entire day's carb allowance. Given that you've got the WW muffin at breakfast, and some fruit at lunch, the total is going to come out too high for the weight loss phase of PP - though they'd be great for maintenance. They'd probably work if you just drop the carby part of each dinner, and make sure the fruit at lunch is a low carb one (berries rather than an apple or banana, for instance).

Which book have you ordered? The menu suggestions in the book aren't intended to be prescriptive, but they should give you some idea of what fits into your allowance.

[LisaS]

are you intending to follow Protein Power? Are you trying to follow the 7-10 ECC per meal with a 40 ECC/day max?

If so - I'd drop the starches & grains: potato, rice, eng muffin, egg noodles, corn bread crumbs.
The fruit at lunch - check your portion sizes to make sure you don't go over your ECC limit. 1/2C berries would be OK but a banana - not so much. 7-8 cherries, not 20-30 cherries. that sort of thing. Me - I'd rather see you add another vegetable at lunch rather than fruit - or in addition to the fruit. Apple as snack - you won't get much for 7-10 ECC and you should have some protein with that as well.

but again - I'm not 100% sure you've read PP or PPLP and are trying to follow the plan or you priobably wouldn't have made this as a first cut.

[Bajabnd]

Just checking in before I leave. I have not read the book yet. I was trying to come up with more food than I am presently eating and to make most of it protein. I haven't checked the carb count on any of it. I'll do that tonight and make sure I am under my 34 carbs per day. Like I said, I put on weight just looking at carbs! So I don't want to over do. Thanks for your help ladies. And yes, I want to use the PP system! I think this is the way to go! My husband can benefit too. I don't feed him enough. He is a hunk. He is 6'1 and weighs in about 180. He is a building contractor so gets lots of exercize every day. But he is so good, just eats what I feed him, even if it is just celery for dinner. J/K! I feed him better than that! He's my boy friend big time. :)

Ok, it takes me about 1/2 hour to get home. What is the best way to check the carb count on all that food? Besides looking it up in a book, which I don't have.

Take care and thanks again!

[LisaS]

lots of online sites have the info you need
here's one
www.nutritiondata.com
here is one from the USDA
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

you'll also see references to www.fitday.com - but I don't personally like that one if I just want to know "how much apple can I have for 10 ECC" or "what's the carb count in a medium orange?"

[LisaS]

try to limit your ECC to 7-10 per meal and under 40 for the day. You don't want too many in the day but you also don't want an excess at any one meal. Try not to mentally save them up and spend 20 at dinner or on a snack and think you are "on plan" - space them out.

[Missy]

Part of what REALLY opened my eyes to this plan is too definitely "journal" my food daily. I bought Dr' Eades gram counter book, a really small book, roughly $5 to $7...and well worth the effort to get this plan understood. Lisa's suggestions are equally as good.

I too would cut out ALL of the starches. All of them....and be very careful with the fruit, as others have said.

Here is a site that has some good recipes that might help you?

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/index.html

[di-zee]

:D Welcome. Sounds a bit light on the protein to me. Try adding some meat at the lunch meal as well. Much more satisfying, and even a bit of ham and cheese or nuts instead of popcorn. I eat quite a lot of fish, and back when I was really good at this I used to have a few days of fish and salads to get things moving.
Hmmm. must take my own advice again:D.
Lots of people don't like fish, but it really is so good all round... offsets the omega 6 with lots of omega 3 and you can eat loads of it without worrying too much.
cheers and good luck, di.

[Bajabnd]

Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health-in Just Weeks!

Has been shipped! Yippee!:D

[Anniesnan]

Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health-in Just Weeks!

Has been shipped! Yippee!:D


good for you!

I realized something when I hit your menu again...almost every meal has onions in it. For me, a "craving" for onions, thinking about adding them to the steak I just cooked or the pork I'm grilling, is a "trick" my taste buds, mind, play on me. It hits when I am managing to resist (but still have a taste for) out and out sugar...but if I don't "notice" it and start adding onions to something, daily, it takes me that much longer to get rid of the sweet craving overall. Raw onion does not affect me as much as onion cooked in any way, though.

YMMV and you might have no problem with onions, just wanted to warn you.