Crista-I spent two years doing Atkins and never accomplished anything but developing a bad habit of alternating Induction with all-out binges. I never used to binge before Atkins. I just couldn't maintain the low level of induction carbs. It caused me to feel terrible moody, unbalanced, and eventually I would give in, gain the 5 or so lbs I had lost, and start all over again. Why it took me 2 years to realize that I wasn't getting anywhere is beyond me, but it finally clicked. Atkins wasn't doing it for me, and I wasn't stuck eating that way, as I thought I was. So I turned to Protein Power. There's only minor differences between the plans, but the biggest one for me was to focus on protein. On Atkins, so many people would say that excess protein would cause you to gain weight, so I would keep the protein under 100g per day and up the fat. Fat does NOT make me feel full, although it does seem to satisfy some people. I could eat cream cheese and macadamia nuts until the cows came home and never stop. I also realized that I feel ENORMOUSLY better eating a minimum of 100g of protein per day. I have often eating up to 150g and average around 115g. I feel much more stable this way. I also felt significantly better when I upped my carbs to 60g per day, but eating things like pistachios, cottage cheese, yogurt, lots of fruit. I tried to keep to leaner choices of meat to keep the calories down and the protein up. That was the key. The weight started peeling off, and 20 lbs are now gone. Not only that, but no binges in more than a year now. It's an incredible feeling. I've been maintaining under 150 lbs now for more than 6 months. I frequently eat whole grains now, in moderation of course, and even have had some not so low-carb indulgences, which I have been able to jump back from right away. Now, some people on Protein Power eat a much higher percentage of fat than I did, but the key is to eat adequate protein. It is a very flexible plan, and can be modified to fit just about any lifestyle. If you eat 3 times per day, fine. If you eat 6 times, no problem. If you want a little alcohol, go ahead, just factor it into your daily carbs.
Just out of curiosity, how is South Beach working for you? You seem to be very close to goal, so are you looking for a maintenance plan?
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