Hey peeps!
I started P2 today!!!! Yay!!!! Still have 1.5 lbs to goal, but my coach said go ahead and get rolling! So she gave me all the phase sheets for 2,3, and 4 and of course, I'm reading ahead!! LOL I have a couple of questions:

In P3, are ANY protein sources okay? They referenced bacon in the suggested breakfast meats, and I was surprised.

I don't see calorie guidelines anywhere for P2, 3, or 4. I remember someone giving a great summary of the phases and the caloric guidelines for each and someone else referenced it in a thread just recently, but can't find it. Does anyone have it bookmarked? Was it JenRR's post with the guidelines?

On P4, I'm trying to get a handle on the whole separation of fats and carbs thing, but can't find the rationale and the sheets don't do a good job explaining it, in my opinion. it's like "just do this and it works" which is fine, but I like to understand the principles involved. I know....science geek. LOL

As always, thanks for the help and advice!!! Feels so good to be starting the next phase!!!!!
Best,
Ken

My coach said the main thing on the timing is the spread between carbs at a breakfast and carbs at dinner, as it allows the insulin to do its work right after those meals and then back off. This would prevent those large swings of insulin where you have too much blood sugar, then too much insulin, then not enough blood sugar (so you crave and eat a candy bar), then too much blood sugar, then too much insulin, and on and on. By spreading the carb intake far apart, you are avoiding the cycle.

Thanks much for the reply. Did your coach say anything about why separating fat and carbs is important? I'm trying to understand the whole science behind that part and why it's important.

My coach doesn't really explain things like that very well. I learn more here on the forum than from my coach.

Thanks again! Have a great day!
Ken

This might help, it's the maintenance info from Dr Tran Tien Chanh's website:
http://www.trantiendiet.com/site/spip.php?article253

Basically you don't want to overload your body on gain-inducing foods (carbs and fats both cause us to gain weight) in one sitting.

That seems to make sense...what's cake without frosting, toast without butter, mashed potatoes without gravy??? If you don't combine them, they don't taste as good, so it is easier to avoid overeating them.

Ahhh...but frosting without cake ROCKS

Truer words were never spoken!

Fat is stored in your body in the form of triglycerides. Your body creates this by using insulin to combine fat with sugar (aka carbs). If you keep the fat the sugar separated, triglycerides are unable to be created and no fat is stored.

Fat = Good
Carbs = Good
Fat + Protein = Good
Carb + Protein = Good
Fat + Carbs = Bad (fat storage)

Of course, my favorite food, pizza, is nothing but fat and carbs

Try out this info. I just started phase 3 the other week and got this to get ready for phase 4 on Monday.

Thanks for sharing this! I'm getting really close to phasing off, and this is VERY helpful!

This may seem silly but how do I know what's classified as a fat. For example, I thought cheese was protein but this post makes me think it's a fat. I'm still in phase 1 but identifying carbs vs protein vs fat makes me nervous and the sheets don't address this and I don't have a coach. Any thoughts? Thanks guys!

If in doubt just check the nutritional information on the label. Cheese is a mix of protein and fat. It's fine to pair that together but you would want to avoid putting the cheese on a carb.

JW thanks so much for sharing this. It is much more straight forward than the one I received. Other than using nuts and coconut for fats at lunch, it pretty much describes what I have been doing. I also occasionally have a little fat at dinner, like up to a tablespoon of chopped olives or mashed avocado. The wine part was interesting, too.

Do you know why they want the cottage cheese washed? Would that be to make it non-fat or to take away the milk sugars or something? I know that I can occasionally find dry curd cottage cheese. Washing it just seems a little over the top.

JW -- that was the best literature on P4 I've read (although I'm sure I haven't read everything). Did your clininc give you anything similar to this/different than the normal sheet for P3? I'm getting close myself and need all the info I can get

I agree--thanks, JW! and I'd love to see a Phase 3 sheet if there is one.