This is my first day on the gold plan, after a not so perfect Take Off (fine except for my large handfull of peanuts mid afternoon when stuck in a meeting and big time crashing - might be due to very strenuous workout earlier that day but I felt like I had to eat then or expire). I am going to stay POP to make up for that lapse, so I have a question.

I had a carb craver breakfast (all bran extra fiber and milk), and strawberries. I know I substitute CC for one protein. Can I have a CC and one fruit, or does the CC have to be my whole meal?

I usually have a CC hamburger and fries with a salad. No one's told me I can only have just the CC.

The way it was explained to me was that CC just counts as a protein. I usually always have something else with it.

Thanks! That is what I thought but then I started to wonder , since even though it counts as a protein it really is not a protein . . .

I haven't done the Carb Craver meals, but at my COD today I told her I was confused about the Carb Craver meals and how it is explained in the plan book. The Menu Plan book does NOT say you have to take Carb Enders prior to eating a Carb Craver meal. All it says is count the CC meal as a protein and up your water intake to 10 glasses. This made no sense to me. My COD said you need to take your two Carb Ender pills prior to eating these meals and these pills convert the starch to something else (can't remember what she said) and this is how you get to count it as a protein. COD gal has been writing to corporate for 6 months to update the menu plan book with this vital piece of info, but for some reason, they haven't done it yet.

So Lori - when you eat that CC burger and fries, do you really just eat 5 baked french fries....what willpower you have!!

Joni, We talked about carbs today when I went to my COD and she suggested using a carb ender pill, but when I told her I wasn't doing the supplements, she just said okay. She didn't tell me anything such as carb enders being required to do a CC.

Patty

Well, I actually rarely eat the fries, because I like really big buns (hamburger, that is ). I was told, though, that you have to eat the meal exactly as described, because it's all scientifically balanced, whatever that means... On the occasions I do make fries, I keep them on the oven, and fill my plate. I sit at the back of the table where it is most difficult to get up and reload!

The COD told me that whenever I have more than one starch in a sitting (such as CC or a sandwich...) that I should (not must)use a Carb Ender pill, it appears to block the absorption of the starch that turns to sugar and wrecks with the glycemic index. I do not buy their carb enders because 1) I rarely know when I'm going to eat in 20 minutes and 2) they are really expensive. Walmart has the same thing, it's called Carb Interceptor, and it's only 6$ a bottle. They are capsules, so you can take them as you eat. I buy mine at Vitamin World for 3$ a bottle.

So, if you eat a Carb Craver meal and you do NOT take the Carb Ender (or comparable supplement), do you count that meal as a protein, which is what the book says? That just doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

I was thinking that they count them as a protein because they are "carb cravers". Meaning, you get your daily carbs, and then the extra treat to satisfy your "carb craving". It's just that they mix the extra carbs with some protein so your body doesn't go into a tailspin, and it still has the same calories as your regular protein exchange.

but what do i know??? (lol)

Carb Cravers meals make me crave more and more and more carbs. On the red plan you can have 5 pancakes or pieces of french toast. That is just not safe with me, throws my blood sugar all out of whack.

Kristi/Cassi - thanks for your interpretation of Carb Cravers. Next time I get the super knowledgeable COD person, I'll grill her some more. Until this makes total sense in my brain I'm not comfortable eating all these starches and counting it as a protein. I'm with Katie -- the more I eat this stuff, the more I want. Maybe it's just the category name that is throwing me off. Oh well, I have bigger problems to solve today. Off to work I go. TGIF.

I don't know about anybody else-but CC meals ALWAYS make me gain. And no I don't take the Carb Enders-because (and you can go on the internet and research it yourself) THEY DON'T WORK! No one has yet made a carb blocker that actually works for people more than just the placebo effect. It's a great idea in theory . . . . . My COD finally shut up about them when I told them I'm a research scientist and they would have to actually show me the company's data on the pills before I would consider buying them. It's funny-the counselors can fake enough scientific jargon to impress and convince the lay person that comes into the centers-but if you work in the field they sound ridiculous!

Thanks for all the info! I refused to buy the supplements also - I have had several doctors tell me they don't work so I decided to save my cash.

I am going to limit CC meals because I am afraid it might make me crave too - I understand about the pancakes . . . not ready for those yet! The only one I had was a bowl of All Bran with skim milk - figured that was not too dangerous because of all the fiber and whole grains!

You all are a wealth of information!

So far I've still lost doing CC. I allowed myself to be suckered into buying the $40 bottle of Carbenders so I've always used them. They are gone though and I'm not gonna buy any more. ALso got suckered into $150 for supplements. Won't happen again. I couldn't if I wanted to. My daughter is headed to college in 2 wks.

I wonder if the reason the menu plan book doesn't mention the pills because they know they don't work and don't want to put in writing that they are taking advantage of peoples naivete?

ANyway, I weighed today and am down another 1.8lbs. A great feeling since I am coming off a plateau> Those of you who are stalled, there is hope!