hi everyone, My Name is Bella, i'm very new to this site, my husband are wanting to start lawl and i'm very lost looking for info
i know i am to be on the red plan (i have 80 pounds for my ideal weight, my husband has 100), (i think he's also in the red plan ) , i just dont know any of the restrictions and stuff.. can someone help me find the appropriate thread. or help me out by figuring out what we are supposed to do??
thanks so much in advance..
i look forward to talking with you all.
We are going to try it on our own, together we are good support systems with each other, doing it alone, hasnt been so great... and we dont have the money to commit such a large fee for both of us, which is why we are going to try it on our own,
i guess i dont mean to put "restrictions" but more less what are the guidelines.. portion guides etc. how much, what not to eat, what are the basic rules.
i've gone throught the "lawl" thread and have printed most of it off to read.. but it has nothing on the red plan or anything other than, thats where we should start.
I was on the Red plan when I started... I don't have a red book with me, but let's see if I can remember...
What not to eat: anything deep fried, sausage, bacon, ham, chips, crackers (with some limited exceptions), cakes, sweets, regular sodas, etc...
Limited foods: anything processed like cheese or lunchmeats. If you HAVE to have lunchmeats, seek out "Boar's Head" brand low sodium turkey or beef.
What you can eat: fruits, veggies, LEAN proteins, eggs, lite breads, skim milk, non fat yogurts, etc...
My basic guide called for daily:
2 1/2 protein servings
2 starches
3 Veg
3 fruit
1 fat
A serving of protein could include: (cooked weight) 5 oz. lean beef, 6 oz. chicken or turkey (white breast meat), 4 oz. of lean pork, 3 eggs, 3 tbs of low fat peanut butter.
A starch serving was pretty restricted: 1 english muffin counted as 2 starches, 2 slices of lite bread, one 6 inch tortilla, one bagel, 1/3 cup of rice, 1/2 medium potato, etc.. All count as 2 starches.. You get the idea.. You can substitute 2 starches for one (and only one) regular beer on occassion..
Fruits: one cup of mixed fruit count as one fruit serving. I usually count one medium apple, orange, pear, nectarine, etc as one fruit as well.. You may also substitute one 3 oz. glass of wine for a fruit serving on occassion...
Veggies: I think one cup of green veggies (any kind) count as one veg serving.. Be careful.. Corn and peas count as starches, NOT veggies... Plan on eating fiber rich veggies such as brocoli and asperagus.. Don't just make this about cold salads... Limit the amount of tomatoes and carrots as they are full of sugar.
Fats: nuts, avacado, lite margarine, etc... Plan to cook using PAM or even "Smart Balance".. Butter and margarine have completely left my diet...
There's a lot more to it, which you'll pick up if you keep reading and asking questions. I may have some of my exchanges wrong, so I'd appreciate any corrections anyone might have.
I would also suggest seeking out the LAWL Cookbook.. I'm sure you can find it on ebay or elsewhere on line.. It has some amazing recipies that will help you out a LOT...
Also, be sure you both get in at least 64 oz. of water PER DAY.. no less.. Also, when you shop, read labels for sodium content... Many foods are full of salt, so you need to cut down as much as you can.. You don't want to avoid it completely, but you will learn to stop adding it to cooked foods. Use Morton's lite salt or "NoSalt" so you can keep a steady flow of potassium in your body. Canned veggies and soups have a TON of salt, so avoid them or seek out VERY Low-sodium brands...
I have been told by my COD that I can use one (whole) whole wheat english muffin with 8 grams of fiber for one starch. Is that your understanding also. When you mentioned the above E.M. were you talking about the traditional white one? We have had a lot of turnover at my COD, so unfortunately, it leaves a lot to be desired in the way of LAWL knowledge. It is for this reason that I have taken to verifying information on this website.
Good point Maia.. Our unofficial rule around here is that you can have one 100 calorie Thomas english muffin and count it as one starch, but only VERY occassionally.. No more than twice a week, period. However, my old COD never accepted that...
Maia,
You have asked a very interesting question and there are two schools of thought on this.
In the color coded plans, my understanding of the standard range for calories for a starch is 40-60 calories. In my red plan book. it states that English muffins, any variety, are 1 starch for 1/2 muffin. Some foods (starches) if they are high in fiber were given special treatment and allowed as 1 starch even if there were about 100 calories. The whole wheat Thomas lite English muffin is one of those starches. Even different COD's vary on their advice on this subject. As Dan said, some COD's say that you can count the Thomas lite English muffin very occasionally as 2 starches.
That being said, everybody is different and we react to starches in different ways. I am a slow loser. I know my body holds on to starches. I take the conservative approach and I still use the 50 calorie "standard" to determine the value of a starch. I make an exception for fiber one cereal because it is so high in fiber. I also look at what other starches I am planning to eat during a particular day and I try to balance off my starches so that the starches I am eating on a given day are not all heavy weight starches.
Other people take a more liberal approach and maybe it is because they need the variety in foods and they need a fuller feeling. I have not had a problem with hunger unless I eat on the lower end of the foods that I have for a day.
I hope this makes sense. I try to do what I can to keep moving down the scale at the pace that my body is willing to accept and that is why I choose the conservative starch approach. I am continuing to do this especially since I am on one of the new numbered plans which feature even more starches than the color coded plans.
Note: Here is something else I have learned. You do not have to eat the full serving of a food just because that is the recommended amount. For example, I often eat 1/2 cup of fiber one instead of the 3/4 cup that is listed in our books. This is one way to cut back a little to help with the downward movement of the scale.
week 39
LAWL franchise center
Plan 2 with lites
total lost 49 lbs.
new, please help
