Can someone tell me what the differences are and how they are alike (other than low carb?)

I'm interested too. I had just been thinking about posting that question myself. I'm also wondering if anyone has switched from one plan to other and their experience. I liked SP, but I'm really eager to drop a few pounds before summer.

Schwarzbein is more suitable to life than Atkins. A good reference book which compares many popular low carb plans is "Secret to Low Carb Success"

I started with Atkins and liked low carb immediately and had some fast results however, it is impractical and confining...

On Atkins plan you must count EVERY carb gram you eat (even in lettuce, cheese, and general "free foods") and stay within a limit vs. Schwarzbein you only count carbohydrate grams in carbo type foods you eat (potatoes, wheat bread, corn) and the limit is much higher.

caffeine, artificial sweeteners, processed foods are allowed on Atkins...not on Schwarzbein.

Weight loss will be quicker with Atkins, but more difficult to maintain. Schwarzbein is slower, but a much more "normal" WOE...no one needs to know you are on an eating plan.

Really, the main similarity is controlled carbohydrates in both plans...I love Schwarzbein!! I've gotten results!

Caffeine is not allowed on Atkins, however many of us participants disregard that rule. It depends on what works for you. I don't feel confined at all on Atkins and I don't expect it to be difficult to maintain. I've been on it for 5 months. Some processed foods are allowed but I rarely eat anything processed. Actually, I don't order the LC foods in the catalog I get many of my foods at the Whole Foods Market ( health food store ). In defense of Atkins, it is mallable. I like the idea of counting carbs, it is much easier than counting fats and calories. Now that I have come close to my weight loss goal I don't fret as much about counting but if I put on too much weight I can look at what I have
been eating, servings and choices, and make adjustments.

Black57

I did Atkins for a long time and it was very hard to eat real food. I was soooo tired, but because I wanted desparately to lose weight I stayed with it. I switched to Schwarzbein because it is so healthy and hormonally balanced. I really like the idea of something I can stay on for the long term. I love being able to eat bread and fruit!

Atkins is extremely low carb and can damage your body eventually.
Schwarzbein is balanced and in the long term your body will heal.

Piano

Are you losing at the same rate after changing from Atkins?

I eat real food on Atkins. I now eat more soy flour and gluten but I have not had anything artificial? I even eat fried chicken and mashed potatoes. I just eat my favorite foods using different products. As you get closer to your goal weight you can increase rice and bread and as long as it is whole grain and fruit. Atkins is strict but there is some give to it.

Piano, did you just do the induction phase?

To answer your questions. Originally on Atkins I lost very quickly during the induction, 10 pounds in 2 weeks, then as I started adding carbs 5 pounds per week I lost at a rate of 1 to 2 pounds per week. The more carbs I added of course the slower the weight loss was but the better I felt, I eventually stalled out. I was on it for 3 months and then I had a major move in my life and it was impractical and I gained every pound back. As soon as I got my life together again I started Atkins again for about 3 months and lost some weight again.

Then last summer I was diagnosed with PCOS and started doing a lot of research on how best to heal. I looked up information on the internet and especially relyed on www.soulcysters.com forum board for information on what was working for people with PCOS. Since my goal is to heal and get my hormones balanced I decided to find a plan that would work for me long term and that I could stay on I decided SP would fit best. I also liked the Body for Life exercises. I have lost at a rate of 1 pound per week. It is slow, but I feel great, and I can eat this way forever.

Piano

Piano,

What is PCOS? How long did you SP before you began to loose the lb./wk.?

Fitmom,

PCOS is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrom. Originally doctors believed that the cysts on your ovaries were the root cause, but now they realize it is a symptom of an underlying problem of insulin resistance. Signs can be problems getting pregnant, difficult or irregular periods, unwanted facial hair, etc. Reduced carbs is almost universally accepted even among doctors for PCOS.

I started loosing immediately. The one pound a week is averaged out, sometimes it is more sometimes less. For me the exercise has really helped with my metabolism. I follow her exercise plan very closely using the BFL program and Pilates.

Piano

Your experience interests me. I have a friend with PCOS and we were talking of the connection between insulin resistance and the illness. I plan on doing Atkins lng term but she plays with it. Maybe I will suggest to her the method that you are doing. I wonder if there are any other gyno problems that are related to insulin resistance. My sister had endometriosis which eventually resulted in her having a hysterectomy. Diabetes runs in the family, my mom and brother has it.


Thanks,
Black57

I liked Atkins, but my kidneys didn't. I now enjoy a slightly 'modified' version of the SP, combined with the Insulin Resistant Diet even better.

Another symptom of insulin resistance is weight-gain. I've had PCOS my whole post-puberty life (I was probably insulin resistant before puberty), but I was only diagnosed about 8 years ago. Through the years, doctors always told me that all I had to do was lose weight and I'd be fine. I would lose weight and nothing would be fine. I'd just feel worse and worse. When I was finally diagnosed with PCOS, my doctor told me that my weight-gain was a symptom of the condition. Talk about liberating!

Since finding out about PCOS on the Internet and reading the TSP books, I have cured my PCOS (10 regular periods and counting) and my weight is controlled (in my opinion) and may eventually reduce to what most people consider normal. I am pretty sure I am now insulin sensitive (at least 90%) but I haven't had it tested to make sure.

I have read some articles recently that have "confirmed" my opinion that over-weight is not the death toll that the media, medical community, and government want us to believe. The real health issue is insulin resistance caused by over-consumption of carbs. Carbs aren't bad in and of themselves, but over-consumption of them is deadly.

I look at it this way: The symptoms of Insulin Resistance include, but are not limited to, diabetes, PCOS, weight-gain, heart disease, candida, cancer, asthma, allergies. In other words, all the major killers and other syndromes/conditions/ailments that are not related to viruses. I think also that over-consumption of carbs also reduces our immune defences. I don't get sick nearly as much as I used to.

Losing weight is not what cured my PCOS. Balancing my insulin and hence other hormones through low-carbing is what has cured my PCOS.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now...

;-Deb

Wow, Debpenny, what a wonderful post. You can get on your soapbox any time.

I have some symptoms of PCOS and have for many years, but I was never diagnosed with it. I feel now is the time to really start taking care of myself and find a good endocrinologist.

I agree with you that "overweight" in and of itself is not unhealthy. One book you might want to read concerning this is Big Fat Lies by Glenn Gaesser, (just ignore all his advice on low fat diets - he thinks they're the only way...). One book I am reading now that is extremely helpful is called "Fed Up!" by Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, M.D.. She discussess the emotional issues of being overweight and her chapter on healthy BMI's is incredible. We do not need to go as low as the "diet industry" recommends to avoid ill-health and disease. The book is worth it for that chapter alone; it really opened up my eyes to this culture's obsession with thinness at all costs.

Last year I lost over 30 pounds by combining two low carb programs, The Schwarzbein Principle and the Insulin Resistance Diet. I gained it back due to emotional issues, and hence going off my eating plan, and I really had to confront the fact that it's just not all diet and excercise...the spirit and emotions matter too and help with the process of gaining good health.

So as of today I'm back on my program. I must say when I went off low-carbing I felt just awful, both phsyical and emotionally and this really led to a downward spiral. I will never let that happen again.

I've been lurking and reading everyone's posts for a very long time, and this is really one of the most intelligent, grounded low-carb websites I've ever been on. Thanks everyone.