[beachgal]

It seems like a lot of new SBDers, especially those transitioning from P1 to P2, find it hard to figure out how they'll eat in P2. I know that we always remind people to take it slowly, add one thing a week and see how it goes, and remember to try eating things at different times during the day because they can affect you differently.

That said, I know I've heard of people who find they can't eat fruit, people who can't eat grains (or specific grains), or who can eat tons of both and still lose. Tell us what your combo is for Phase 2! How many servings of fruit can you eat a day and still lose? When can you eat them without causing cravings? How many servings of starch (good carbs) can you have a day? When can you eat them? What do you feel you need to eat everyday to really see good health and weight loss? What do you have to avoid to keep from triggers and off plan eating? How often do you go off plan (in a planned way) and have something non-beachy?

Fill us in...I know we can all learn from each other!

Here's mine:

Fruit: I can have one serving of fruit a day...I can usually add a second serving once in a while without messing things up, but if I have two servings every day, my weight stays the same or rises. I cannot have fruit in the morning or I crave all day. As long as I have it at lunch or after and eat protein with it, I'm fine.

Starches (good carbs): I can have one serving of these a day, though like fruit, I can sneak in an extra serving now and then without too much problem. I often have two servings on Sundays as a treat. I've also found that I can ignore (not count) the small bits of starches in things like wheat germ coating on chicken or a little bit of wheat germ in my yogurt, etc. as long as they aren't a full serving. I can have these for breakfast, but it does make it a little harder to not crave during the day. I have to have protein or fat with starches to keep from craving.

I feel healthier and lose more weight when I drink my water every day, eat beans every day (they fill me up and are a comfort food for me), eat a lot of veggies, and eat every three hours. I also strive to get three servings of milk or yogurt a day and get at least one serving by making hot cocoa at night with cocoa powder, SF syrup, and milk.

I have to avoid: anything made with malitol (sets off huge cravings!), the biscuits at Red Lobster, egg nog (can't have it in the house or I'll drink it!), and tortilla chips.

I rarely go off the beach...it's too hard for me to get back on and I have a really hard time dealing with how bad it makes me feel physically. However, I've gone off when I'm on vacation in another country--I tried sticking to plan in Europe the first time we visited, and I was light-headed from hunger. It was just too difficult. So I try to stick to the tenets of the plan (whole grains, lots of veggies, etc) and have a firm "if there are stairs, take them, if you can walk there, do it" requirement. As long as I do lots of exercising, I don't seem to gain too much. I usually am dying to get back to P1 when I get home after feeling totally out of kilter with all the bad carbs. It's a nice change, though...and I'm glad I've been able to eat regional foods. BTW, Germany is very SBD friendly! They serve meat and cheese at breakfast and have tons of whole grain breads and crackers. Yum!

[pearshape]

I find that I lose more when I stick to one grain and two fruits. Usually I have to eat fruit later in the day. The exception is blueberries with steelcut oats/TVP combo hot cereal. For some reason this combo allows me to lose but not crave sweets or starches during the day. All other fruits and starches have to be consumed later in the day or I crave.

Veggies are a big one too. I don't usually get the 1/2 C with b'fast unless its in scrambled eggs or an omlette but I make it up during the rest of the day. The 4 1/2 C fill me up and make my skin look really good. And, of course, water water water!

Also, I don't lose when I eat a lot of the ricotta desserts. Not sure if it's the ricotta or the splenda but I have to keep it to one a day or none.

[cottagebythesea]

I can eat all the berries I want all day long, be it strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc, and still lose. I seem to be ok with most other fruits, too, but bananas are the exception. They start BIG cravings, so I try to avoid them. I usually have my fruit with yogurt, and it's very satisfying. I 've discovered that I actually lose more weight when I include fruit in my WOE.

As for grains, I have to use caution with them. If I have them at all, it's usually with breakfast, or I'll have a sweet potato for supper on rare occasions. Grains seem to be my big weight staller. (And this coming from an Italian who used to have pasta every day!)

And it is VERY true, the more veggies I eat, the more weight I lose. I love most every kind of veggie, so it's no problem to have at least 4 1/2 cups a day.

Problem foods for me are peanut butter, ice cream, and chocolate. It's hard for me to stay within the limit with those, so I do my best to avoid them totally!

[Barb0522]

I'm not sure exactly how many of each I am eating. I've also been stalled for awhile. My feeling is that I can have as much fruit as I want but I need to eat fewer bananas and watch the starches. I do fine having a little rice occasionally but I need to minimize pasta and breads. I have oatmeal each morning for breakfast with a banana and that seems fine for me.

I do well eating my 4 1/2 cups of veggies a day and getting my water in.

I CANNOT keep chocolate in the house. I will eat it until it is gone.

[lotusblossom02]

i am unsure if i'm stalled or not. i've been to the doc's 3 times in the past 2 weeks. every time i've went i've lost around 3 lbs or so. but at home i'm still the same weight always no matter what. i think it's time to buy a new scale...
i usually have a piece of toast for breakfast with some PB and sugar free jelly and b/w 3 and 6 strawberries. i never have carbs for lunch and for dinner we usually have a sandwich wrap thingy or a piece of bread or a pita etc. that's about it.
i have a very hard time getting my veggies in ...b/c...well i just can't stand em.
the extent of veggies for me: baby spinach, romaine, cucumber, tomatos (and only in small amts b/c i don't really like them), and that's about it...we eat broccoli and cauliflower on occasion but not that much.
i always have at least 100 oz of water a day (i'm a fiend).
what can i not keep in the house..hmm....nothing really. i don't really get too many cravings...i guess prolly french fries. (i've been having awful cravings for them too the past week or so...i'm dying lol).

[Bunnababy]

I just started P2 and I ate some whole grain bread and did fine with that. Had it later in the day. I also have some fresh strawberries which I will have later today with yogurt for a snack and see how I do. I love raspberries.

I am finding that I have gotten sloppy with water and 4 1/2 cups of veggies. So going to keep close track of that for a few days.

[GinaG]

I try to stick to one starch and one fruit a day. I usually have the starch in the morning and the fruit as the afternoon snack unless the kids are having pizza that night then I save my starch for SB pizza (YUM!!) I find my weightloss slowed down, but didn't stall. Also If I cheat bad one day which I have done I go back to P1 for a few days to a week so when I weigh evey week I at least see a 1 pound weightloss.

[MsCrockett]

I can eat all kinds of fruit, and I do well.. I can eat 2 bannanas a day, 2 cups of strawberries and 4 apples and still report a weekly loss.. I dont eat much bread, I dont want it.. but when I do I will make a sandwich.. I make spaghetti and eat it as well. and No bake cookies..
Trigger foods is Peanut butter and celery.. cant do it at all.. I cant dring sprite zero either,,

vegetables.. I just dont get enough.. I eat a lot of green beans, tomotoes, cucumbers. and lettuce..
I drink a lot of water each day.. ALOT

[beachgal]

It's so good to hear about what everyone's doing! Isn't it interesting how different our bodies are?

Trust me, I was the biggest non-vegetable eater on the planet before I started SBD!!! I thought that veggies consisted of corn, potatoes, bell peppers, and onions. On a rare occasion, I might eat a tiny bit of zucchini or celery. That was it. Not very healthy, eh?

When I started SBD, I realized, pretty quickly, that not only would I be fairly hungry if I didn't eat veggies, but that I was trying to make a change for better health, not just weight loss. I started doing everything I could to make myself eat veggies. At first, I'd try adding the veggies to something I loved (like broccoli chopped into teeny-tiny bits and added to the Taco Bake). Then I'd try it alone, but with something I enjoyed, like cheese or an SBD dressing that I liked. Sometimes I literally (I'm not kidding!) had to pinch my nose shut and just swallow! I would drink diet soda in between bites to take away the taste, and save these experiences for the times when I had a starch...I felt less upset knowing I could have a sweet potato, couscous, or a piece of WW bread after eating all those veggies.

After a while, I started enjoying veggies! I'm not sure how it happened, though I know it was very gradual. I got to the point where I could actually enjoy broccoli, steamed, with just lemon juice squeezed over it! I was shocked (so was my mother... )! I keep looking for new veggies and trying them, and I've liked almost everything. I still hate lima beans and brussel sprouts (though I can eat the latter if it's cooked in a really great way and is combined with lots of other things). But now I regularly eat broccoli (I think it's sweet!), carrots, mushrooms, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, peas (the snow pea kind, not the little green balls...), green beans (another new fave!), and more. I feel better, and I actually enjoy the veggies now.

Keep looking for veggies you like, chicks. You'll figure it out...in the meantime, maybe we should start a thread on different veggies to try? I know I'm always looking for new ideas...

[lotusblossom02]

i have a very hard problem finding ways to eat them that i enjoy. some of the recipes on the forum are good (that zucchini bake thing) but others just produce even nastier tasting veggies than before. lol (no offence to anyone...)
a thread w/veggies only would be wonderful (and maybe suggestions on how to cook...? dk if that would be appt. or not).

[SunLit]

I do much better with fruit than grains -- having cut out sugars, fruits are sweet as candy and it's like satisfying a craving. I can eat up to 3 servings a day, but usually stick to 2. My typical snack is a fruit and a piece of cheese, but I should really be having veggies with cheese.

And, honestly, I rarely eat grains. I might have a slice of toast or some Triscuits once a week. Maybe a SBD bar. Sometimes, when I don't burn the crap out of it, I have brown rice. But it's so much easier just to eat veggies and protein for dinner.

It's so funny, the way you described the way you used to eat veggies, that's how I eat beans. I really dislike them, but know they're pretty good for me. I can eat them with chili, though. Amy's Organic Black Bean Chili is great, especially with ground turkey mixed in.

[sarahyu]

I do best when I'm dilligent about getting my 4.5 cups of veggies, 64 oz of water in addition to what ever else I'm drinking.

I do better with non-wheat based starches-brown rice, bulghar, sweet potatoes in moderation, oat groats. For some reason breads even nice healthy whole grain ones tend to trigger cravings for me. There are a couple exceptions I've learned: The high fiber wraps are ok if I stuff them full of healthy ingredients and All Bran with extra fiber cereal-oh my gosh, (I'm turning into my parents) It has 13g of fiber in 1/3 cup and 50 calories. I tend to eat 1 cup for breakfast with some berries and get a whopping 39+ g of fiber. Never have to worry about regularity again. Oh, I didn't start out eating a cup a day. That's too much for your intestines to handle-you have to build up to it. Start out with one serving.

I eat one vegetarian meal a day most days-using either tofu/soy products or beans.

Fruit-I can eat most berries, apples, oranges and persimmons without any problems. When I was losing weight I would eat just 1, but now I tend to get in 2-3 servings of fruit a day. Bananas are a trigger food for me.

This is what has worked for me. I also have not lost any weight in 2 years but I haven't gained any either. (I tend to have a few too many treats through the week. )
Sarah

[samra1962]

You guys all have the best suggestions! I am really scared to move to P2! I finished 2 weeks and lost 8.5 lbs but I was contemplating doing another week of P1 because i am so afraid to try P2 and possibly gain. What did you guys all do? Any suggestions will really help. Also I bought low carb pitas- they are 4 carbs a piece- "Joseph's" brand- maybe I should start slowly and add these? Have a great Monday and I look forward to any or all suggestions! This website has helped me out so much ~~Susan~~

[Barb0522]

Two weeks is the length of time that most of us do on Phase 2. There is a discussion in the Frequently Asked Question section on this.

Are the pitas made with Whole Wheat? It isn't the amount of carbs that are important on South Beach. It is what the ingredients are.

[smokepole]

Yup, my week to start the next phase too! I've only lost 3 lbs though. I'm going to start tomorrow by adding Oatmeal at bkfast instead of eggs.

I do have one question though. I know the suggestions are to add one item at a time. Is that one a week? If I eat oatmeal for 3 days and continue to lose can I add a fruit? Just wondered. I've ordered my SB books, but they haven't arrived yet.