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Old 09-07-2007, 11:33 PM   #1  
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Question Need Advice - Feel Full Plan - Too Many Starches - HELP

I posted this question on the Columbus Day Challenge, but it probably wasn't the best place to ask it, so I hope it is okay to start a new thread.

Need the advice of those of you who are a lot more experienced than I am. I got switched to the "Feel Full Menu Plan" today and am on Plan 5. That means I get 7 starches, waaaaay too many for me (in my opinion). I have a long long way to go and have been losing consistently, a little one week, more the next week, etc. and dont' want to mess with what is working just because they switched to the new plans at my COD.

I have always done much better losing weight when I ate more protein and less carbohydrates. I know, choose the high fiber ones, and I do, but 7 starches???

So here is the question: Would it work if I switched 3 starches for 1 more protein? I think that is about the same calorie count and I do eat low fat protein like fish, chicken breast - hardly ever eat beef.

That would leave me 4 starches (same as I have now) and 5P, 5V, 4F, 3D, 3 fats
The portion sizes for the proteins are smaller than they were so before I had 2 1/2 proteins. I honestly don't know what to do except not eat a couple of the starches and I don't want to put my body into starvation mode by just dumping the calories.

HELP

Thanks
Roberta

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Old 09-10-2007, 10:21 AM   #2  
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My suggestion would be to use (for the most part) the lower portion sizes of the starches that count as 1 serving. For Example 1/4 C Granola, or Grape Nuts Cereal, 1/4 C Baked Beans, 3 Ak-Mak crackers in order to get all the servings in. 1/3 C Rice. I could easily eat 1 C rice or more a day which would be 3. That is just my suggestion.
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Old 09-10-2007, 11:11 AM   #3  
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Thanks for the great suggestions. My concern is the proportional division between protein and carbohydrates and since I am going in for my 6 month blood thryoid work up tomorrow, I will ask my doctor for his advice. I am thinking if there is a strong recommendation from him that the LAWL counsellors will consult with their nutritionist and come up with adjusted exchanges.

Appreciate your input.
Roberta
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Old 09-11-2007, 01:52 AM   #4  
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Default Frustration w/new plan

I feel very similar to you that this so called new & improved plan is too scarey. Before 1 starch = 1 slice of light whole wheat bread and now 1 starch = 2 slices. I feel like I am eating WAY too much, too many different foods that I was always told before were not a part of the plan now suddenly are great for us to have! All I know is that I've been on the new plan for almost 3 weeks and have lost .8 pounds, no cheating whatsoever! My friend, who by the way got kicked out of LAWL for voiding her contract by not buying her 2 boxes of bars every week, is sticking with the old plan and has lost 6.5 pounds in the same time frame!! What does that tell you. The counselors at my center are very unsympathetic to this issue when I raised it. Basically they say try the new plan, it will work. Even when I tell them it obviously ISN'T working for me whereas the old plan was working great and I was feeling very satisfied and successful. Right now I am ready to bag the center and just do it on my own, but still have 40 pounds to go and worry I'll blow it. I had lost 22 pounds on the old plan and as I said, only.8 since switching.
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Old 09-11-2007, 11:19 AM   #5  
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Wow, that is scary for real. To lose only .8 pound in that amount of time is simply not acceptable to me. I am going to my doctor today for a regular thyroid 6 month blood test and will run it by him. He is all about nutrition and warned me about going to ww because of he non structured approach to the point system. Although they give you guidelines for healthy eating, he much prefers the diabetic (I'm not) approach to numbers of servings/exchanges which is why I chose LAWL. I will go with his advice and take it to the COD and request that they contact the nutritionist to make any adjustments he recommends. We will see what happens.

If the new plan is not working for you I would not stop going to the COD. You paid a lot of money for the program and they need to contact their staff nutritionists to make it work for you. Just my 2 cents, but you should be able to get what you paid for.

Roberta
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Old 09-11-2007, 08:36 PM   #6  
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Roberta, The way it was explained to me, and what makes sense to me, is that your body stores glycogen from the starches you eat in the liver. When your glycogen stores are full you retain a certain amount of water along with this, when your glycogen stores are low, you are not retaining as much water and you weigh less, but it is just water weight. When you go on a lower carb diet, you cause your glycogen stores to reduce the amount of water in your system and your weight drops very quickly. Of course you haven't really lost any FAT from your body. Losing fat takes a long time to do.

I am on maintenance and am totally jealous of all these starches other people are getting... I am trying to live the rest of my life with just 4 starches a day, so 7 does sound like an amazingly high number to me. What did they take away when they gave you the starches?
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Old 09-12-2007, 11:19 AM   #7  
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They recently put me on the new plan and I agree, way too much starch. My hubby had not started the new plan yet, and when he went to the COD a couple days ago he told them he did not want to go on the new plan, that he does much better on a plan with higher protein/less carbs, and they told him he did not have to go on it. When they put me on it, I expressed the same concerns and they told me I could switch back to the old plan if I found it wasn't working for me. My husband and I go to the same COD as you do, Roberta, so I think they should be willing to adjust it for you.

I just don't understand why they felt compelled to "fix" something that wasn't broken. The counselor was all excited, telling me "but you get more starch!" WELL HOW DO THEY THINK I GOT INTO THIS SHAPE TO BEGIN WITH???? I guarantee you there was "more starch" involved in my weight gain. I'm finding I eat way more than I should on this new plan, and am hungrier than I was on the old one. Not happy with it so far, and not looking forward to my next weigh in.
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Old 09-12-2007, 12:15 PM   #8  
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I would suggest trying the new plan and honestly giving it a try for a few weeks, it will take your body that long to adjust to the new eating regimen. If you do not start losing regularly after than THEN talk to the counselors about your situation. If the counselors brush you off, then go to the manager and tell them the same thing. If you are getting nowhere with your center at all, THEN call 1-888-LA HELP and discuss the situation with them. Don't give up and quit going. You paid for the program and they are now working for you. If you quit, they win and you don't. Go through the channels and keep talking until someone listens.

Roberta- I would definitely talk to your doctor about it and if he recommends any different, then have his office call the COD, they have to go to the nutritionist after that.

Remember, everybody's body is different and reacts to foods differently. I have mild IBS which is aggravated by sugars and starches, so a lower carb diet is best for me. I know how many carbs I can have before I start having IBS symtoms and start gaining weight.
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Old 09-12-2007, 01:39 PM   #9  
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You all gave me excellent suggestions. Here's an update. I did try the new plan for 4 days. In the afternoon (remember, I am a thyroid patient) I started falling asleep like I used to when my thyroid meds were out of wack. It is a 'passing out' kind of falling asleep and my doctor originally said when it first happened a couple of years ago, it was due to a carbohydrate overload that my body could not process. He gave me strict instructions to eat a protein anytime I ate a carbohydrate and to split my meals 'heavier' on the protein side. The problem was immediately resolved. Coincidentally I went to the doctor yesterday for my thryoid check (my meds are fine) and told him. He told me just to tell the COD that I needed to either stay on the old color coded plan that I had been doing so well on, or have the nutritionist subtract 3 starches and replace the same amount of calories with protein. I decided that I would just tell them what happened and what he said, when I go in on saturday.

Suz, that is cool that we go to the same COD. I really like two (especially well) of the counsellors there and try to see either of them when I go. Let you know what happens when I go in on Saturday morning.

Roberta
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Old 09-12-2007, 05:44 PM   #10  
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Oh Roberta, If you are having symptoms like that is not just about not losing weight! You should definitely go back to the lower carb plan if it is causing you problems like that!!!!

Although I had the gal at the center argue with me that the Vitamax pills could not possibly be interferring with my thyroid supplements when I decided I just shouldn't take them at the same time and pretty much stopped taking the Vitamax. You have to monitor your own body and do what is right for you.

I still think I could do with more starches myself than 4 on maintenance, even being hypo thyroid and all... I do believe that the 5 hours of cardio that I attempt to do each week (I have lapses as that is a LOT) makes me burn off starches a lot.

Anyway, stick to your guns. They really do try to be flexible with people and if you are not feeling well on the plan, I am sure they will let you revert.
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Old 09-13-2007, 01:27 AM   #11  
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Barbara

I am definitely sticking to my guns. I am sure they will work with me, they have before. I also told them I was 5'5 because that is what the nurse told me in my doctors office. Turns out I am only 5'3" she read it wrong, so I need to correct that too.

My doctor did agree that the falling asleep was due to carb overload (his terms) and that I need to stick to the lower level which I will do. I guess I need to figure out how many calories in a serving of carbs and how many in a protein and then if they won't re-figure it out for me (which I really think they will) I can juggle it on my own.

I am, however, thinking positively.

Thanks again
Roberta
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