I have another week on Phase 1 so I'm starting to do a bit of planning ahead of time. For once.

A short bit of background: A couple of months ago, I went in to my GPs and was talking to her about my lack of ability to lose weight. I was walking regularily, not overeating, eating healthy, and only occasionally indulging in a sweet treat. But I was not losing any weight. Just bouncing within a 5 lb. range. She suggested that I try cutting down/out refined products and carbs. That lead to a discussion on South Beach, which I started a week ago.

A couple of days ago, I went in for something else entirely, and we were talking about when I start to add carbs back in. The quick weight loss, combined with a major drop (20+ points) in my blood pressure lead her to think I may have "difficulty" with carbs. So she thinks I should add them back in slowly and only in specific groups.

That got me thinking. How should I add the carbs back in on Phase 2?

I know the first thing I want to add back is fruit. I so miss having my fruit. I miss munching grapes, apples, and oranges. Great. Now I want fruit.

Anyway, I thought of starting with fruit, then slowly adding in other "forms" of carbs. Such as rice, whole wheat items, pasta, oats...

I'm trying figure out an "order" to go. I know I want to do fruit first, then maybe oats (I love oatmeal in the morning!). After that...?

My goal is to try and find out the "culprit" or if my body doesn't like any carbs. How long do you think I should go between "adds"?

Any advice would be great. Thanks.

Hi, welcome. I am on Phase 1.5, an in-btw stage. I have fruit once a day. That's the only carb I allow myself. I have been on it for a month and a half. It's going well. I might not move into Phase 2 proper till 4 more months, we shall see. Congrats. on the weight loss.

, LadyJez! I think you'll find the following threads about introducing carbs into your plan are just what you're looking for and very helpful -

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/sbd-...phase-2-a.html

I hope they answer your questions, and good luck!

Nice to meet you LadyJez. Check out that link - there is lots of great information there. Everyone is different so you are smart to be thinking about this.

Hi LadyJez,

I did fruit and oats (only carbs added) for months and have only recently added minor amounts of other carbs. I suppose you could say I was on 1.5 and have just moved to 1.75. I found the added restriction really helpful to my decision-making process.



Welcome!

Hi and Welcome!! I've only been on SB for 3 weeks so I'm new too.

I added back fruit and one serving of a grain based carb a day. What I learned pretty quickly was that something made with whole wheat flour, whether pasta, bread, etc. will make me crave carbs crazily if I don't have a lot of protein and veggies with it. I made a couple of meals and had this happen to me each time.

Everyone is different so you'll just have to experiment. But from my personal experience, make sure you have something high protein with your carbs. My personal fave right now is plain nonfat greek yogurt with splenda and 3/4 c. blueberries. Yummy!

I am glad your doctor suggested the Beach!

Do a quick search of the threads for Phase 1.5 - you will find a lot.

For me, fruit in the morning makes me crave. I can eat 2-3 whole grain servings a day and not crave but fruit in the morning does. It's all about finding what is right for you.

I added a fruit and a grain a day to start. Some days I have NO grains and/or NO fruit. I find that if I concentrate on it (after I realized no fruit before 2-3p is best for me) and count how much, over and above what a real serving is, I crave. So, as long as I am eating one serving and it's whole grain, I am good. Plus, I don't notice I don't mind a PH1 day ehre or there as needed this way.

Good luck and keep us updated!