You may also want to look into South Beach Diet. The GI/GL generally helps me even on a high carb diet. The guidelines are generally good though and at least in the beginning, it is lower carb.

100 grams of protein per day does not seem very high to me. It seems rather low. A 6oz chicken breast has about 60g of protein in it. I wouldn't consider two chicken breasts (120g protein) to be high protein. Am I missing something?

My fitness pal said 6 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast had 36 grms of protein.

Wow, what brand of chicken do you use? I get 40-45g of protein for a 6oz chicken breast (according to the nutrition label on my packages.) I read somewhere that there is approx. 7 grams of protein per oz of chicken. I dunno if that is true, though.

I weigh 125 pounds...

I aim (LOOSELY) for the "1g protein per pound bodyweight for muscle retention/building" rule.

A typical day's food would be

Lunch: Fage Greek yogurt (20g) + 2 hard boiled eggs (14g) + can of tuna (30ish)+ salad with cheese on it and sesame oil or olive oil based dressing
Snack: Protein bar or shake (20-25g)
Dinner: Chicken or salmon or turkey burger (22-40g) + veggies cooked with oil or peanut butter + dessert/munchies

So I guess that puts me at or just under target

I totally get that! Play around with it, you may find you can keep both carbs and protein fairly high. For me,mi get my volume with lots of different little dishes. Yesterday for lunch, for example, I had a bowl of berries with mascarpone, a salad, and a plate of hot wings with dip. None of these items was ridiculously high calorie, and together made a meal, but I also had a very filling spread before me with plenty of protein AND fat, as well as my bulk, because of how I planned the meal.

Most of my meals, I'd say, are lots of things in bowls. I find my calories seem to go so much further when I'm not making soups or casseroles, but several smaller-ingredient dishes. Even with the same amount of food I feel more full

Plating/presentation/serving makes a huge difference! I love Japanese food for this reason:

Yes indeed. My only high carb splurge of the past year, immediately after having Holly, was sending my husband out for sushi and a bento box. It's about the only food I miss going low carb!

Ain't that the truth. I'd feel like royalty eating the meal in your picture.

F.

So would anyone, that's probably $150+ per person for that meal :P

How are you liking higher protein so far? I would think it might make you feel fuller, although the menu you described seems like a small amount of food (although higher calorie), compared to mine:

Breakfast: egg (or fat-free yougurt) / piece of fruit
Lunch: can of tuna / salad w/ lo-cal dressing
Dinner: Fish / cooked veggie / fruit

This morning I experimented with a new breakfast, in keeping with my lower-carb and no-grain regimen this month. I sliced a banana, dipped the slices in egg and sesame seeds, and fried them. Over-the-top delicious! I think I'll add it to my list of breakfast staples and may also try it with ground almonds.

Freelance

So far so good. I do find I have fewer cravings for carbs, though it's hard to tell if it's physiological or mental (i.e., I've made the decision not to eat grains so don't crave them).

I'm not eating a small amount of food. When I say Greek salad or stirfry or lentil stew, I mean a LARGE portion. I prefer to have larger portions of one item than tiny portions of several items.

My BIG test will come on Saturday. We're having a party for my hubby's 60th birthday, immediately following a community theatre production he's acting in. I'll be ordering sushi and Belgian chocolate for a fountain -- two of my very favourite foods. There will also be nuts and vegetable chips. I've decided to have NONE of the sushi or chocolate. In my experience it's easier for me to abstain than to moderate with these items. Wish me luck!

F.

Freelance, I am very interested in how this works out for you. I don't eat reduced carb either, but I've always wondered if I should for at least part of the week. I do notice that I seem to have a bit more energy when I lay off the carbs for a bit (carbs seem to make me more lethargic). Also, I have a major sweet tooth, and that is definitely diminished when I reduce my carbs.

Update: Yesterday took me by surprise. Having spent a difficult day with demanding clients, I grabbed two fistfuls of honey-coated peanuts (which I'd bought in preparation for our big party tomorrow) shortly before supper, followed by two fistfuls of Triscuit crackers.

I don't think my lapse came from a place of pure weakness or self-indulgence. On some level I feel that my body (or mind) really needed those carbs. Although it's obviously early in the game, there's a little voice telling me that low-carb may not be for me.

For the past few days I've felt like I'm "eating in black-and-white" -- like a colour-blind person watching a sunset. I can easily go without potatoes or rice, but without artisanal bread, whole-grain tortillas, and lovely baked things like carrot-zucchini muffins, the eating universe seems flat and uninspiring to me.

I don't have any lipid, glucose, insulin or blood pressure abnormalities. If I don't NEED to box myself into this flat universe for health reasons, why should I? That's the question I'm grappling with right now.

Also, I didn't notice any great difference in my satiety levels. The truth (for me) seems to be: I have to choose between being slim and feeling fully satisfied with the amount of food I eat. I can't have both.

Freelance