I am having troubles sticking to the diet exactly. It is like pulling teeth to eat the required amount of veggies. I'll eat some but don't seem to really get them all in. And the rest of my family is worse about eating them.
I am not trying to make the kids lose weight of course. Just me and the hubby, but it only makes sense for everyone to eat healthier and that means no potatoes, no white flour, no sugar and lots more veggies. I am very happy eating whole grains instead of the white flour crap, and I feel much better too. Cutting out most of the refined sugar hurts, but of course I feel much better for doing that too.
What I'm wondering is, how unhealthy I am on phase two if I'm not following exactly? I don't have any sugar or white flour in the house, so I've gotta be helping my blood chemistry even if I'm stalling out on the weight loss - right? I have the bad feeling that the family will eventually revert to our old eating habits just because habits die hard, but I think maybe I can at least do the low fat dairy, cut down the sugar and keep out the white flour. Is that enough? (Maybe I'm just having a bad day and my hormones are getting the best of me, I don't know. Come to think of it, what sort of effects will my monthly friend have on this diet?)
Hi Jarlie!! Congratulations on the 20 pounds lost. That's quite an accomplishment. If you don't believe that, look in the meat case next time you're in the grocery store to see what 20 pounds would look like. Not exactly the same thing, but close enough!
What recipes have you tried? My family loves stir fry and my son has discovered that he likes edamame. I've been using recipes from the South Beach cookbooks, and they have been pretty well recieved. I've also seen a lot of people suggest that you try subbing spaghetti squash for pasta. Again, my son likes this, but you could make pasta for the kids and squash for you with some kind of sauce.
As far as the monthly friend, I've found it to be an enemy of any diet!! The most important thing is to keep the big picture in mind. If you started in May and have already lost 20 pounds, you have a huge head start on the 1 to 2 pounds a week. You're weightloss might stall for a little while, but it will eventually pick back up if you keep on the course. (I don't know this personally about SB, but I've seen it before in my other weightloss efforts and plenty of posters have talked about stalls after a big initial weightloss.)
What are you eating instead of the veggies? WHen you think of it, veggies have low calories. Even though we're not calorie counters (some are to control portions), the diet has a natural tendency to have a low calorie count. If you eat more dairy, meat, grains, or even fruit...you've just significantly increased your calorie count, and probably won't lose the weight like the diet intended.
I agree with FCM, look around for recipes. The crack slaw is fantastic! Learn new recipes for things like black bean salad, etc. If you're not used to it, it is difficult to get that many veggies. But there are many members here that have learned to eat new veggies, and veggies in new ways as well.
Good luck!!
I just tried a new recipe...cucumber feta and parsley salad...YUM!!
My kids eat pretty much no veggies. Well, they are not kids... 17 and 20. So for lunches, just me, a lot of my meals have the veggies built in, like crack slaw or spaghetti pie. But for dinner they are on the side. It helped me a lot to add veggies for snacks. And it also helped to start roasting them. I discovered that I like them more that way and will even eat veggies I used to dislike. Last night while watching TV I had a huge portion of green bean french fries. The other afternoon I had a snack of roasted carrot slices cooked with a bit of sf maple syrup. I find I prefer them all if I cook them until they start to brown a bit. Oh, I forgot... kabobs on the grill with veggies is another meal idea for you.
That said, personally I think you can still be quite healthy on PH2 if you are not a purist on the plan. (Don't shoot me anyone.) But each of us is different in terms of what we can change and not be impacted negatively, like with weight gain or cravings. For me, I don't always get the veggies in each day. That seems okay, but I do eat less other stuff if I snack on veggies instead. Also, I struggle a lot with grains but have no problem with a bit of sugar (in some form) in a marinade.
It can take quite a while to make this a habit. And for me, it is easy to slip back to old eating patterns if I am not vigilant. And even if you family does not eat everything you do, what a gift to be forming healthy habits for the kids. Sure wish I had done it years ago.
As I was reading this it hit me to mention my trick to get in my veggies and that is low sodium v8, it really helps me because my family is just like yours and I do still cook the potatoes and such for them , just not often.
I try not to think of it in terms of 5 cups of veggies a day. I think 1 cup of salad with lunch and dinner, and 1.5 cups of veggies. Which, really isn't too much.
I also try to make atleast one vegetable like a faux starch with dinner, so I don't just eat grilled lean meat and a vegetable for every single meal... for the rest of my life.... but I digress. Mashed cauliflower and cauliflower au gratin are my favorite faux starches. I'll use sauteed mushrooms instead of noodles, that kind of thing. I'm also a huge fan of roasted green beans... mmmm, love them! Experiment with how you cook them, and try some new ones! Spaghetti squash can also be used in a great lasagna. I have a friend that broils hers to make it crispy like hashbrowns.
My experience has been that if you don't get creative, SBD can be a killer. But if you do, it's wonderful.
Lots of great ideas here! I was needing to make a shopping list. The smashed cauliflower and crack slaw are 2 of my favorites and I'm going to have both this week.
I get the majority of my veggies from big salads that I eat with lunch and dinner every single day. I have a lettuce mix which includes romaine/spinach/chard/arugula and top with chopped zucchini, radishes, cucumber, carrots, shredded cabbage, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes. I usually have 2 days worth chopped in advance.
Perhaps you could find an extra veggie that you and DH like but doesn't appeal to the kids. I love brussel sprouts, broccoli and asparagus. As Twynn mentioned, getting the veggies will help with WL but it is just something you need to work towards.
Please, above everything else, don't get discouraged. This is a lifestyle change which is already having very positive changes for your family. When I remember how I used to feel compared to how I feel now it's motivation to keep going regardless of what the scale says. Don't get me wrong, the scale does matter to me, but it doesn't rule me. Contrats! on moving into onederland! For me, it was an exciting part of the journey.
Thank you all for your help and support. I wasn't gaining, but I had stopped losing. Between that and the energy loss, I was beginning to wonder why I was bothering with this lifestyle change. But when I woke up today and realized that I just had the touch of the flu, well maybe I can see what happens when I get better. As for the veggies, I thank you all for your suggestions. I know I will figure out something that will work for me. As for the hubby and kids, well one thing at a time. I wish he was setting a better example for them, but I can only do what I will do.
Oh, to the person who thought that I had lost that much weight in May, I didn't. I don't want to mislead anyone. I joined this message board in may, but I started south beach in April. We were on phase one for three weeks, and then another week and a half of mostly phase one but some phase 2. I couldn't stand that. Hubby adjusted to phase 1 better than I, and is convinced he isn't losing the way he should now that we're on phase 2. (really he's just losing slower though). I, on the other hand, really missed bread and couldn't wait to get the healthy grains back. I truly LOVE 100% whole wheat and am so very happy to have it in my diet. Now if only the healthy meats and produce were the same price as the junky foods I was cooking before I went on the Beach...
Getting discouraged.
