Protein Power

[SJN02]

Is anyone here doing protein power? I am seriously thinking about do this plan. It looks simple enough and my aunt has lost 75 lb. in 5 months on this plan. I was just wondering if anyone else is doing this and how they are doing on this plan. Thank you

[FitAtForty]

No but I'd be interested in learning more about it....

[JUNEBUG2]

IS THERE A BOOK BY THAT NAME.? 75 LBS IN 5 MONTHS SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.HOW DO I FIND MORE INFORMATION ON IT..

[SJN02]

Yes, I have the book. It is called Protein Power. It is written by Michael R. Eades, MD and Mary Dan Eades, MD. I got my book off Ebay for 3.00 that was for shipping too
My aunt weighed 258 lb.s when she started this plan. She has done a great job!! I hope I can lose just half that amount in 5 months. I am starting it on Sat

[FitAtForty]

think I'll hit the library this wknd and ck out that book.... tks I'm ready to try something different for a change.....

[Dottie]

Do you have any used book stores around? You can pick up a lot of the older "diet" books for 1/3 the cost of new ones
Also Hastings usually has a ton of used "diet" books really cheap

[Magicsmom]

I read the original Protein Power book in 1999, and from that I deduced that I had insulin resistance. Nobody explains it as well as the Eades do. They're a husband-wife team of physicians, and they have a thriving practice in Little Rock treating people through low carbing. They've had great success in freeing people from insulin, blood pressure, and cholesterol lowering medications.

The premise behind Protein Power (simply put) is that you eat no more than 30 grams of carbs a day, and no more than 10 in any meal or snack. They have a rather complicated formula for determining how many grams of protein you need. I've long since quit calculating that, and just shoot for about 90 grams a day.

One thing that's different about PP as opposed to Atkins is that there's no "ladder", and no heirarchy to how you get your carbs. Of course, sugar and flour are no-noes, but you can pretty much get your carbs from any source you want to. So you decide - do you want one apple wedge or a cup of cauliflower? That's the type of plan it is - gives you a lot more choices than Atkins does, and much less complicated without the "ladder".

I hope this helps!

[SJN02]

Terry - Thanks for you information. How long have you been doing pp? and how much have you lost on pp? By your stats you have done a great job on your weight loss journey. You are just about to goal KUTGW!!

[Carmen Sandiego]

I'm doing Protein Power Life Plan <most recent edition by the Eades(es)>. Previously, an Atkins girl. While I like both, and often joke that I'm doing "Atkins Power", I prefer PPLP. You are allotted a certain amount of carbs per meal (varies depending upon which stage you are on)...so I was able to use those carbs on fruits...which I really missed while on Atkins (I could never wait to get to that OWL rung! ).

Earlier this year, I re-committed to Protein Power and the weight consistently moved down. I would love to give an approximate weight, but with several "cheats" scattered throughout, I'm not too sure myself how much I have lost technically. But I was able to break this awful 4-5 pound bounce that I had been having since last September...I was jumping between 158 and 162 regardless of what I was eating while on Atkins...on Induction I would get to 158 but the moment I moved up the carb ladder the weight would creep back. I was afraid this was one of those "stalls" that seem to last forever.

I do remember that going from Atkins to Protein Power I was afraid of gaining, but I just found my calendar and here's what happened the first few days...

3/14 - 160
3/16 - 159
3/17 - 158
3/19 - 157.5

[Headchicken]

I had changed yesterday to Protein Power from Atkins...My body and heart did strange things with the carbs so low. The Eades have a book published in 2003 called The 30-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution. They said they wanted to put out a book that people could just "do" the way of eating without all the science. The first level is 30 grams of carbohydrate and you figure out what your protein intake should be for you based on the chart in the book. They have also put together meals for 30 days, and they have a selection list for you to choose from to put your own meals together. The book is extremely helpful. Today is my first day.

[Magicsmom]

I did PP off and on from 1999 to 2003. I always quit because ketosis gives me the runs. In January of 2003, I was diagnosed insulin resistant and put on Metformin for it. That's when I decided that I needed to do PP hard-core, layed in a hefty supply of Immodium A.D., and prepared to ride it out. I went cheat free for 14 months and lost 103 pounds.

Then I stalled, and tried all the gimmicks you read about here - you know the ones: "up your fat", "up your carbs", "up your calories", etc. None of it worked, and in fact, all the gimmicks made me gain. I learned through that situation that I have to cut fat and calories as I get closer to goal. That's not easy to do. It did break my stall, and I lost what I had gained doing all that tweaking. Interestingly enough, in the PP book, it tells you that if you hit a stubborn plateau, cut the fat.

Then I went into a period of rebellion and ate the bad stuff simply because I like it, miss it, and I'm mad that I can't have it. The damages totalled up to where I gained back 30 pounds of what I had lost. I'm still 18 over my siggy, but I've got my head on straight now, and the scale is going back down. I hate that I have to lose this same 30 pounds over again, but I've learned through it that nobody gets to eat exactly what they want. Four year olds would eat junk all day long if they could. So I've decided to quit the crap, grow up, and quit the pouting. I'm in for the long haul now, and fully intend to get to my goal, taking the sceninc route, as it were.

BTW, for those with my problem - ketosis giving you the runs - go to the health food store and get bioflavonoids. I learned that trick when the Atkins Nutritionist posted here for a short time, and it really works. Much better for you than Immodium.

[Luvmykidz]

I've done original Protein Power before, and am in the process of starting over due to my latest pregnancy gain. I was having a hard time getting into ketosis, though, so I have decided to start with a strict 2-week Atkins like induction phase (easy on the fat) just to break the carbohydrate hold on me. It seems to be working, too even though it's only been two days. No cravings, no hunger. My metabolism demands slightly higher carbs over the long term, so PP is perfect for me after I get the jump start that Atkins induction offers. The great thing about Protein Power, is that you can eat anything you want to as long as you count the carbs. The PP plan is more realistic than Atkins about how much fat should be eaten, I think. Lean protein is emphasized over fatty choices. And it distinguishes between healthy fats and unhealthy ones. Also, the Eades were the first (to my knowledge) to realize that fiber content allows the dieter to eat more carbs without adversely affecting ketosis. Fiber is good for the guts and helps us to feel more satisfied. So the 30 to 55 initial net carbs they recommend can actually add up to more like 60-80 carbs total depending on how much fiber is eaten. Non starchy veggies are a great source of fiber and nutrients and you can eat A LOT of them on this plan if you choose wisely. That is great for those who have big appetites but don't want to overeat protein foods. Unfortunately, that freedom can also be the downfall of the program for those of us with sugar/starch reactions. Sometimes it only takes a tiny taste to set off cravings and stop ketosis. But it works if you recognize and watch your trigger foods. The weight doesn't seem to peel off quite as quickly with PP, but it is steady. It is very realistic to see a 2 pound a week loss of actual FAT (not water or muscle loss). And fat is what we all really want to lose, right? We all like to see the scale drop 5 pounds a week, but I wonder at what cost? If it is half water weight (and we arent bloated or something) then is it really a healthy loss? I think some of the rebound that is experienced when we go off very low carb is just our bodies replenishing water and muscle that we lost by being a little too strict. Just a personal opinion, of course. Anyway, I did lose on the plan, and stuck with it as a way of life for about 2 years total. I kept the weight off by keeping carbs fairly low (I quit precise counting when I hit goal weight and only fluctuated by about 5 pounds) and regular moderate exercise. Then two more pregnancies sent me back to square 1. Luvmykidz, though! The plan is really workable as a long term choice, but might be too liberal for some. Hope this helped!!

[christi0469]

Protein Power is my WOE of choice. I started out on Southbeach but found it was not structured enough for my tastes. Every low-carber should read the PP books because of the description of the science involved even if they ultimately choose another WOE. Their description of why our bodies are designed to eat protein rather than carbohydrate made a lot of sense.

[Carmen Sandiego]

Originally Posted by christi0469

Protein Power is my WOE of choice. I started out on Southbeach but found it was not structured enough for my tastes. Every low-carber should read the PP books because of the description of the science involved even if they ultimately choose another WOE. Their description of why our bodies are designed to eat protein rather than carbohydrate made a lot of sense.

Yeah...more PP people!

I agree, especially with PPLP, while at times I was LOST with the medical stuff, it was nice to have an explanation and not just "because I said so" type of response!

[mom2hannah]

This is my 3rd time at pp. My failures were due to bad choices on my part. I have never had a problem losing on PP. It is by far the best there is in my opinion. I restarted yesterday and am already down 2.2 I prefer the original PP book to the others. I average around 30g a day (most of the time less just because of what I choice to eat that day). I don't have any sugar or flour, ect. But I do have 1-2 slices of Nature's Own Double Fiber Wheat Bread (5g net carbs per slice) everyday with a little cream cheese. When not on LC I am a bread freak so this helps me at least get a little. Anyway, I think it is a great plan that my dh and I have found rather easy to follow (when we don't just go out and blow on purpose). Good luck with it.

[Luvmykidz]

Well, I was going to start PP on Monday. But was sick last week and so thought I will just stick with my Atkins-ish induction for 1 more week. That is about as long as I will be able to effectively do Atkins, though. My energy levels seem to drop a little after that. Does anyone else feel the need to drop some dietary fat and bump up the carbs after about 2 weeks on Atkins?

I like the original PP plan and still have the book I bought several years ago. It is amazing how much more satisfying it is to be able to up the carbs to 30 and not have to count fiber as part of the total.. And the ability to make my own food choices really helps to keep me from getting bored. I think it encourages me to choose the healthier higher fiber foods, too.

About 4 years ago, I found a little PP food counter booklet that already had the net carbs figured for a bunch of different foods. Even when I am not doing strict PP, I use it all the time. It is in pretty sad shape. I wonder if they are still in print?

[moonstruck]

Originally Posted by christi0469

Protein Power is my WOE of choice. I started out on Southbeach but found it was not structured enough for my tastes. Every low-carber should read the PP books because of the description of the science involved even if they ultimately choose another WOE. Their description of why our bodies are designed to eat protein rather than carbohydrate made a lot of sense.

Hi There. I am so confused about low carbing and actually am a little afraid because I hear that is can be hard on the kidneys, liver, etc. Having been thin my entire life, I gained 75 pounds during my pregnancy (our son just turned 7). I originally lost 31 pounds in six months with Weight Watchers, however, I feel that while the bottom line is portion control - I eat a lot more processed foods.

The longest I did anything close to low carb was when I did South Beach two years ago for two weeks and lost seven pounds.

I did lose a pound this last week and want to feel good while I'm losing weight, and I don't feel that I do right now. I need to read the Protein Power book also. Protein Power sounds a lot safer than Atkins - is that correct?