Susan, you did the right thing in being aware of what you're doing, how it's affecting you and coming here for help!
First,
on all your hard work to this point!
You have made a huge change for the better in your life and it sounds like you really feel committed to sticking with it in spite of what's been happening lately.
The white rice (and possibly the snacks) will make you crave and make this about will power again. As we know...it just doesn't work that way for those of us who are affected like this by sugar.
So, Phase 1, girl!
Do it until your cravings go away...like 3 to 5 days. Not only will it help get rid of cravings, but I find that going to Phase 2 from P1 always makes me feel less deprived, even if it's more deprived from what I was eating when I was cheating, you know?
To be honest, though it doesn't hurt to be aware of your calories, I wouldn't worry too much about them right now. With the amount of weight you have to lose (I hear you, girl...I was there too!
), you are likely to be able to eat many more calories than you will later on when you've lost a lot. I didn't count calories at all until a couple months ago...I lost 130+ pounds without counting a single calorie. I didn't pay much attention to portion sizes of protein, vegetables, beans, etc., either. In P2, I watched my portion sizes of starches (carbs), fruit, nuts, and fats. I also watched calories of sweet treats. Other than that, I ate what fit in the plan and as much as I needed to feel full. I did not eat at times other than my planned meals and snacks, though.
What works for you will be personal to your body and your way of doing things. You have to figure out what is best for you. Think about why you started eating the rice. Did you get bored? Did you feel deprived? What can you do to stay OP and fulfill those feelings? Can you do non-food related things, like take a bath, go for a walk, read a good book, chat with a friend on the phone, take a vacation, sleep in a hammock, get a massage, get a pedicure/manicure, etc? If it's food related and you are craving something specific, can you make it SBD-friendly? I've found that I feel so much less deprived knowing that I can make almost anything SBD-friendly (with the exception of things that call for carmelizing sugar, like creme brulee). If you need help SBD-izing a recipe, just let us know...we can all work on it together!
I think keeping your eating varied helps immensely too. If you eat the same thing all the time (this happens a lot with salads!), you'll be bored and more likely to eat! Check out the recipes in our forum for tons of ideas...and
www.cookinglight.com for more. Their recipes are so easy to SBD-ize, IMHO. You have to sign up to use their site, but it's free for a month...after that you need to buy the magazine or get a subscription. They have a fantastic recipe finder...you can put in some ingredients and a type of meal, restrictions, etc. and it'll pop out all the recipes that match!
You may find some great ideas for how to make it in P2 here:
What's Your Phase 2 Combo?