Hi everyone,
I am not new to low carbing but haven't actually tried CAD.I have ben doing Atkins for since Jan 7 ,2003 and I did Atkins once last year to lose weight and found the best benefit was that it helped get rid of the pain and fatigue I have had for 17 years now. I have always had hypoglycemia reactions for as long as I can remember but LCing has taken care of that. I got the pain under control with coral calcium and this morning.......

I am considering making the switch from Atkins to CAD.
Here is why.

1. I really only like to eat 3 times a day ......in fact that is even hard for me . I have been eating only 1 or 2 times a day for so long that 3 is like a big change for me. I have to think about eating to eat that often and it is a real struggle to get to 5 ........in fact forget that.It doesn't work for me............

2. I have totally NO APPETITE at all and that just doesn't seem right. I was thinking that the one reward meal a day might help me to have a normal appetite again. I never have been a big eater and if anything I ruined my metabolism by not eating....to avoid the blood sugar swings.Do you think that CAD/CALP could help with Appetite without giving me a bad blood sugar reaction?

3.. If I keep doing Atkins I think I might lose my mind. I have read all the books and if fact own all ofthem . ........PP,CAD,CALP.Atkins,....I believe I can do the 2 LC meals a day because I just have to eat the stuff from the list and not worry about the counts.Is that correct? I haven't been able to get up over 1500 calories on more then 5 days since I started and all the stuff I have to keep track of makes me feel like I am doing it WRONG. Protein/carb/fat ratios. Eat 5 times a day, keep carbs at 20 then find CCL. I just know that this isn't right for me so I have to do something different I can balance that at one reward meal by eyeballing it. That is just more my personality so after reading it it seems right for me...........

so I need to eat two meals a day with no carbs except those on the accepted list and then eat one reward meal a day with balanced thirds of everything.....

I am afraid of is that if I eat the "forbidden" carbs once a day
I will feel sick again (hypoglycemia response) But from what I understand if I make sure the reward meal is balanced that I shouldn't have a negative blood sugar response?

start being hungry all the time.......or
gain the weight back and more...........

Any suggestions for making the switch will be welcome!
In the meantime I will go read more about CAD/CALP and see what I can find...

Debbie

Doesn't coral calcium just work wonders? My whole family is on it, and we all love it. It could also be the reason, though, your appetite has disappeared. It tends to do that sometimes. But that is great you lc too!



Me too, I don't have time to eat 5-6 times a day. In fact, I've gotten it down to 2 meals a day. One CM breakfast, and on RM lunch. I don't get hungry until the next day doing it like that. I'll probably have to change that after I have kids, but for now, it works for me perfectly.



Well, I get hungry sometimes, and I have an appetite for my RM, but other than that, I really don't have much of one either. I think that is supposed to be a good thing though...



Right, the stuff on the list will keep you eating with very little insulin release. The CMs are what make the RM work. More on that below.



What happens is your pancreas releases the insulin based on your past meals. So if you past meals have been normal CMs - very low carb - than it will release a small amount of insulin right before you start eating. This is where the 60 minutes comes into play. Insulin is released in 2 waves, and they are about 60-70 minutes apart. The first one is like I said above, based on your previous meals, and the second one is releasing any for the meal you just had. So if you go over the 60 minutes, sometimes even just by a few minutes, you will get caught with that second, larger rush of insulin. Basically, you are kind of tricking your body into thinking your RM was just another CM. And if you ate within the hour, the second wave will never come and it'll never recognize the difference.

But that is where you also find out whether your hypoglycemic reactions were to the insulin or to the foods. A lot of people really have bad reactions ot wheat and other starchy foods, whereas people who do well on CAD/CALP are ones who are truly hypoglycemic. CAD/CALP is great for finding out though because it really is all about listening to your body.



Most people that switch from Atkins to CAD/CALP gain a few pounds and keep it on for a week or two. After that they go downwards at a healthy rate of abotu 1-2 lbs per week. Remember, we AVERAGE, so you don't just weigh Sunday and then the next Sunday weigh again. It is every day. When you do this, you find out if something you ate affected you. Let's say that you did well and steadily went down Mon-Sat, but Saturday you had a super high sodium RM and so you shot up a few pounds overnight. If you did it weekly, you would be discouraged because it would show the same or even a bit of a gain. If you did it daily, and averaged it, you'd see that you actually lost weight, and that last night gain was just water weight.

Anyways, good luck with the switch over, and keep visiting these boards. They are great for motivation and support!

Thanks so much for all the great info.

But that is where you also find out whether your hypoglycemic reactions were to the insulin or to the foods. A lot of people really have bad reactions ot wheat and other starchy foods, whereas people who do well on CAD/CALP are ones who are truly hypoglycemic. CAD/CALP is great for finding out though because it really is all about listening to your body.


This is the part I had questions about.
I have really bad reactions when I eat bread , doesn't matter what kind so that leads me to suspect the hypoglycemia since it is any kind of bread , or potatoes...... come to think of it this morning I had a very late breakfast .....in fact it was 12 when I finally got myself into the kitchen. Well I mixed up 2 hard boiled eggs and put in some mayo and mustard. As soon as I took a bite I realized there was some sugar some where. I looked at the mustard that had been hiding at the back of the fridge and it had corn syrup in it. I looked at the carb content and only 2 carbs per teaspoon but WOW I was amazed that I could taste it since I put like a half a teaspoon in the eggs. I was also certain about the hypoglycemia cause right away I felt a little sick and light headed.
not real bad and I got over it but it sure is easy once you haven't been eating sugar...........

I never could tell if it was true hypoglycemia or food sensitivities but all I know is either way I felt sick.This has been going on since I was a teenager and was worst after the birth of my third child. 2 and 3 were born 14 months apart and by then by body was a wreck.Every time I ate I was totally wiped out. I felt sick or tired or both.......

Are you saying CAD /CALP tells you whether it is hypoglycemia and if I then do a test with wheat or potatoes I will be able to tell it is food sensitivities if I have a bad reaction still even when using the 1/3 balancing at the RW?

I do love coral calcium! It works great ...never made the appetite connection with it though.

Never have had a big appetite but really need to get the sick thing under control.Tired of being tired .Tired of the pain. That is all coming together ,with supplements and LCing.


Thanks so much for explaining the hour thing to me. I am not planning on even eating the sugar stuff even though it is allowed
just cause I never was a big dessert eater. When I was a kid I binged on sugar but could care less now. but I would like to be able to add back in some complex carbs at dinner. I miss having wraps once in a while and some corn chips would be great with the meat. ....My husband has been doing this as well and is so afraid he will binge. He is definately a carb addict. He has such terrible cravings but he likes atkins alot . He is happily eating breakfast , lunch and dinner. He used to eat only dinner for fear of gaining more weight. He won't read all the books but relies on me so I think I will switch him to CAD and tell him it is the OWL part of Atkins .He won't care. He hasn't been doing induction right anyway with too much dressing at dinner on his salad so hopefully I can switch him over without too much of an uproar.

My strategy is to give everyone a salad first like in the restaraunts...without the bread of course. And then just tell them that the wrap is allowed now at dinner time because we are going into OWL. He will never know the difference .He won't read the books so I am always having to help him with it anyway. My
daughter has already been doing CALP because she treats herself to a little lactaid free ice cream at night . She is doing LC
to clear up her hypoglycemia problems .She was falling asleep at 7:30 everynight and getting very tired in school. She loves feeling better and is exercising everyday again. My family is just loving this.She is taking coral calcium cause she is afraid she doesn't get enough calcium.


I really feel after reading the book again and reading your post that this will be a better LC Plan for me . I don't even mind if I gain a few back if this plan works better for me because I am not doing it just for the weight. I did it mostly to get the hypoglycemia and fibromyalgia under control and I am just thrilled that I am not sick all the time now and that I can walk again without pain........I also have been averaging my weight since I started so I like jumping on the scales every morning and writing that down. I had a huge problem with my knee swelling for about a week now but it is finally under control now that I have added potassium supplements................

Well enough of my long winded post..........On with the Low Carb journey ............... Debbie

Oops, I completely got mixed up. I was thinking hyperinsulinemia. Not hypoglycemia. Lol, the hyperinsulinemia is the cause of hypoglycemia. Eeks.. this is getting to be a tongue twister.

Anyways, since CAD/CALP is a diet meant to treat hyperinsulinemia (which is the cause of hypoglycemia).

You would probably be best off to try CAD/CALP for a month or two to really see if it helps. With a lot of people, it clears up the symptoms of hyperinsulinemia within the first week or two. If you find certain foods that you still react to that you ate during your RM, than that is a food sensitivity. The insulin levels would not be raised, therefore limiting the problem to allergy.

I am not a medical expert, but I have been doing quite a bit of research into this. I strongly feel that for those who suffer from hyperinsulinemia (and what goes with it) can strongly benefit from a woe like CAD/CALP. Those who have food allergies, or want to lose a lot of weight really really fast, Atkins or other stricter lc plans.




Well, after the first month, I would hope you can rule out which foods you are allergic to, and which foods just made you hypoglycemic.




Atkins is a truly wonderful woe. However, everyone's body is different. If you really are experiencing hyperinsulinemia, than snacking can be detrimental. Even if it is low carb. It'll bring back those cravings like nobodies business. There are some on Atkins that do not snack and still get cravings, and then there are some that snack and don't! Lol, so it is a lot about listening to your body and finding out which plan works the best.

You might want to just tell your husband about CAD/CALP. Tell him that it is a low carb plan, and explain to him what it is for (the title... Carb Addict's Diet) and how it works (the 60 min RM and the like). I think he will warm up to it, especially if he sees results from you. Otherwise, he might give ill-advice and/or misinformation to someone thinking he is doing Atkins.

Anyways, try this out and maybe you will have found a great way of eating for life. One of the MANY great benefits that I've found, is that if you slip up and have something bad, you can turn it into your RM (which you'll end up thinking "I wasted my RM on that?!"). That way it won't even affect you.

Thanks so much for some great help on my first day switching.

We actually didn't eat anything much different at the reward meal tonight but it felt great to know I could have a couple of those cookies if I really wanted them .But I was too full from all the good stuff to care about them at that point.


My husband and I talk about CAD/CALP for about 45 minutes and he got the jist of it .He is really great about listening to all my ideas and I am sure he will ease up as he starts to lose some weight. He has lost a belt notch so he is happy. He doesn't get on the scales much. He is afraid of getting discouraged but you gotta face those numbers at some point. I don't mind the up and down thing and actually like to average cause then I am at least sure I am not gaining ...............

Well promised I would watch a movie with him......Thanks again for all your suggestions and info. I am happy with my switch and looking forward to getting back on track tomorrow. I haven't been eating good for 2 days now. ........Like not eating but once. Not good........old habits die hard.

Well bye for now, Debbie

Good luck Debbie..
just to share my experience...... I cant eat bread or rice etc. without getting ravenously hungry.

But if its in my RM .... in 1/3 portion, Im ok. This surprised me.

Since starting CAD, I once had some red wine outside of my CM. I got very hungry and headachey (no ! wasnt like a hangover !)and took me 3 days to feel right again.

I did push the RM over xmas to see what would happen.... carby, unbalanced.... I didnt gain or lose any weight, but I didnt get any of those swings.. felt well.

Dear Plum ,
Thanks so much for the info.

That is our biggest "fear" is that now that our appetites and hypoglycemia are under control I am afraid eating any bread,rice etc will be a problem but I also realize that I really need to have a bit more freedom to stop thinking about every little aspect of my woe. I feel I can relax a lot more on CAD/CALP and am just going to give it a fair shot as I have Atkins.

I am really glad to hear that 1/3 at the RM is working for you and of course I realize it works for a lot of people. It is time for me to just try it and trust it and see how my body responds. It has never been cravings that were a problem for me but I just don't want to start feeling faint,lightheaded sick if I eat bread or potatoes.For my husband it is the cravings but he is very good at letting me help him learn this WOE so I think we can both make the transition together. It really is different for each person thats why it is so great to have a few different LC plans for everyone to choose from. I have all the books and this way seems to fit my current eating habits and personality the best. I prefer a more relaxed approach within the limits of Allowed carbs. I know what to stay away from all day and then if I really want something I understand having more then 1/3 is likely to make me feel very sick so I think I can stick to this.....

Have had a great morning so far. 15 minutes on the treadmill, water with potassium and a salad with hamburger and cheese in it. I am not counting carbs just eating the right stuff. I trust this already because I was way under on carbs and calories before.I just can't eat that much and I am happy to stop trying to get up to the high calorie level. I just can't get there. and if feels good to let that go..I am more concerned about feeling good and getting my pain and fatigue under control first. I don't think anyone can really lose that well when the are fatigued and in pain.......

I did just twist my knee again this morning and already it is swelling ......but I had to run out and go in my puppies outside pen and call her because the snow is so high that she was able to get over her fence and I saw her out there running lose. I fell through the snow crust which is about 2 1/2 feet deep and I twisted my knee again...Oh well she is safely back in the house and I will just have to take it easy.........

Thanks again for your feedback. I am ready to make a new journal for CAD/CALP and see how this goes for me.

Debbie

Good luck. I think you're really going to like the change. It is so easy. My husband is on it too and because it's so simple, he has a realy easy time sticking to it. Not a hundred things to remember and he (and I) can get through anything if there's a great RM at the end!!

Deb

Thanks Deb,
I am already liking the Change,
I didn't think about anything I ate today.
Had two meals both without any (reward) stuff in them .I didn't think about calories.carb,ratios , anything. Just trusting that I am eating the right things and that I can follow this. Drank more water today and exercised and was relaxed about it .I can do this and I am even trying to decide if I want something in my reward meal tonight but to be honest I don't have much around worth eating anyway so it might just be a chicken ,salad veggie night .OH......I might have some breaded chicken on my salad tonight. That would be a treat!!!!!!!!! and I don't even have to feel guilty saying that do I ..............Debbie

Isn't it great not to feel guilty about what you're going to eat! I love it.

I have eaten separately from my family for so long that I was getting so I hated cooking. Couldn't eat most of what I made for them anyway. But now, I actually look forward to planning a meal AND eating it with my family, I have a treat every night and love it. I don't know why I resisted this WOE for so long. I guess I just thought it sounded too good to be true. And the best thing is, that knowing I can satisfy myself physically and emotionally with what I want at the RM, it doesn't seem hard to get through the day at all.

This has really solved a lot of issues with me. Hope you have gone shopping and can treat yourself to something a bit more imaginative than breaded chicken! LOL!

Deb

Well Actually I am sitting on the fence here tonight.
I have a bunch of health issues to consider and went LC to get them under control. Hypoglycemia and fibromyalgia. SOOOOOOO
anyway thinking about eating any Wheat whatever form is a no no for me. It makes a wreck out of my blood sugar in now time so that is out.....Plus potatoes do the same thing and sugar and pasta so ooooooo that only leaves rice. Oh yeah corn is also a problem......So I am just sticking with Atkins for fear of causing problems again.I have just figured out how much potassium to take to stave off the horrible leg cramps ......Since I have been suffering with a flare of my fibro since about a week into induction I am just going to keep things on schedule with Atkins for now and see how it goes.........Gonna make a low carb-low sugar cheesecake and top it with a few berries. That will work for now.
Debbie

I didn't realize you had so many issues, but the cheesecake sounds yummy. I can see where it would be hard to be too creative!

Does it ever happen that after you have been in control for some time that you will be able to start adding a few things back slowly and maybe your metabolism will accomodate? Hope so.

Deb

Actually since I started Atkins on Jan 7 I haven't had anything except cream with a few strawberries and nuts and I love it . I haven't had bread,potatoes, rice, pasta, sugar or any sweets and I really don't miss any of them because I never ate much of that before. I did eat an occasional hamburger bun and I liked wraps but I have found a lowcarb wrap recipe to try out. ......I
am just looking at adding new recipes with the veggies and that should do it .I am really a salad person and my husband is excellent at cooking on the grill so I am going to try out some marinade recipes .We like spicey so I am going to search for some of those and I am hoping my body will heal from this mess.
I did finally get the leg cramps under control with Potassium .But I had to take 1400 Mg today. I was just thinking tonight how a cooled cheescake with a thin layer of jello on top and then whipped cream might be nice. Ithink I will surprise my family tomorrow with that. Debbie

Got that cheesecake ready? It sounded yummy.

Deb

Yeah.... me too. It causes me to eat more bread.

LOL
Libby