[OnMyWayDown]

I am going to try and keep this short but still informative! I started the SBD May 12th and have not transitioned to Phase 2. I did the first 10 or 12 days clean and ate less Extra virgin olive oil than was allowed and was very very careful to stay on track. On Sundays I allowed myself a small cheat for only one meal and i do mean small cheat. We will stay on plan for most of the day and than we might order a small pizza of which I will have one large or two small pieces and thats it.
Anyways I did great! The cravings pretty much subsided and the once a week made me feel pretty powerful. I would say no and stay on plan all day till dinner and than that little cheat would satisfy my desire to relapse and I felt good because that was all I would allow myself. I had a goal to be under 300 by the time my husbands best friend came down and we were going away for a few days. I made it the day he arrived I was 297. 25 LBS down. Oh my god did I feel good and I knew that I would probably gain but it was ok because I really want this.
So I shot up to 311 June 8th and even though I was kind of dissapointed I went back to it with a vigorous attitude. I shed all the excess weight and was back to 297.5 by the 11th!
So now it is the 15th and I have been up a lb and back down a 1/2 lb. We cheated Sunday I guess. Technically it was pretty much phase 2 stuff. I had brown rice sushi and a glass of wine. And not a lot of sushi.
I am drinking at least a gallon of water a day and a sample meal plan is

Breakfast:
5 Oz V8 reduced sodium

Snack:
Lettuce Wrap with 1 slice cold cut and half slice extra thin cheese RF

Lunch: small salad (only Romaine lettuce) with small small amount of grilled chicken

aft snack: a couple of pepper slices with less than 1 TBLSP Hummus

Dinner: Grilled Chicken and greek salad with 3 Kalamata olives and small amt RF feta

I make a dressing for both my husband and I for both lunch and dinner which basically means I am getting 1TBLSPN of extra virgin olive oil between all meals.

I have worked out for 30 min on the treadmill everyday since I started with the excpetion of one day we were away which was after 3 weeks and 4 days on vacation. With an average of 1.25- 1.5 miles per day.

So now I am at this complete stall of 296-297

AM I MISSING SOMETHING? Am I doing something wrong? Is this normal? I am really getting discouraged.

SORRY SUCH A LONG RANT BUT I REALLY NEED SOME ADVICE

[CyndiM]

First congratulations on your success so far! That's a great early loss in spite of not doing a clean Phase 1.

If this is all you are eating you are almost certainly not eating enough! I don't see any dairy, doesn't look like 4.5 cups of good veggies (not all lettuce and V8), not enough protein or good fat and no beans. I'm surprised you haven't had headaches and exhaustion issues.

You may find down the road that you might want to do a really clean Phase 1 then start the slow, careful transition to Phase 2. For now if you really don't have craving issues I'd recommend working on those servings of dairy and vegetables, adding more protein and good fats, and maybe one serving of fruit or grain. I always find it helpful to post daily menus here for feedback and to check in every morning. Helps keep me focused and positive

[OnMyWayDown]

I guess I should have mentioned that I am alternating Spinach and Brocolli at night which is usually the majority of my meal and am occasionally drinking a half glass of 1% Milk for dessert. I also make a turkey chili with beans that I have 2 X per week.

Ok so obviously I am not a diet expert or I would not have made it to this size but NOT ENOUGH FOOD? Really? I don't find myself starving or really hungry most of the time. I assumed that I was eating enough because I did not seem that hungry.

I am also going to start free weights today when my new weight set comes in.

I really really appreciate all the input. I want this to be a life change not a diet.

[Mmckellen]

You are not eating enough, and cutting out fat won't help. If you don't consume enough healthy fat you won't lose. Add back in that extra tbsp. of EVOO and also bump up your protein and veggies at all meals.

[FurnaceOfAchievement]

So I shot up to 311 June 8th and even though I was kind of dissapointed I went back to it with a vigorous attitude. I shed all the excess weight and was back to 297.5 by the 11th!
...
So now it is the 15th and I have been up a lb and back down a 1/2 lb.
...
So now I am at this complete stall of 296-297

OnMyWayDown, first of all congrats on (a) your commitment to the plan, (b) having the courage to modify it to work best for you, and (c) coming here for support.

In my honest opinion, you're getting too wrapped up in the day to day. I've been there myself. Its that mental state where only 4 days at the same weight feels like an eternity and every half-pound change is so significant. Here's the truth: RELAX. YOU'RE DOING FINE. Now, I do think you should make the changes recommended by CyndiM and Matilda. I also think that you've been on Phase 1 too long and you should start adding berries and whole grains back in, slowly. There's important nutrients there you're not getting.

Maybe it's time to put the scale away for a few days, and realize that if you're going to be doing this lifestyle for the rest of your life, then what's the rush? I'm not a patient person, so I'm half talking to myself here, but your body is going to loose at its own pace and you need to focus on your actions more than the number on the scale. It will get there, chipping away slowly. I personally had to stop daily weighing because I was getting obsessive and impatient and it would lead to negative thinking and stress. Now I weigh myself once a week. I lost 1.8 lbs last week and I still have to remind myself that that is normal, good weight loss. With you dropping 11 lbs in 3 days, of course you're going to want that trajectory to continue. It wont. It cant. But in that mental state I understand where 4 days at the same-ish weight can feel like a long, long time. Give yourself a break. And let us give you a hug You'll get there. =)

[Stopfat]

I agree that you are doing a great job!

I am totally new to SBD, and i am not very educated about dieting, but you could consider counting all your calories for just one day--a normal day-- and seeing if they amount to at least 1200. This should still be well below your maintenance level, but I've heard that 1200 is the magic number that shouldn't be crossed.

If it is below 1200, then I agree (I agree anyway) with the other posters that you should fill your plates with more protein and good vegetables.

[zeffryn]

I agree with the others saying you're not eating enough. Also, I would try having an entirely clean week or two and see what that does. You've given yourself four days, in which you've cheated once (with sushi, which is notorious for water weight). SB isn't an overnight fix, it is a change of lifestyle that is meant to shed your weight slowly and healthfully. Expecting to maintain a 10 pound a week pace is just going to lead to you getting frustrated.

eta: i added it up, your sample menu plan is under 800 calories a day. fewer calories isn't always better. you will destroy your metabolism by dropping your calories so low.

[Lexxiss]

Originally Posted by FurnaceOfAchievement

OnMyWayDown, first of all congrats on (a) your commitment to the plan, (b) having the courage to modify it to work best for you, and (c) coming here for support.

Ditto! Congrats!

I, too, agree with what's been said regarding changes you could make to your daily food intake. One good suggestion would be to read through the On Plan thread which runs each week and get a better idea what others are eating. As far as V-8 for breakfast, I personally would really recommend you find a substantial substitute for breakfast and switch your V-8 for a snack.

I also agree that you would be far better transitioning to P2. We do it slowly here and you'll sometimes see it referred to as Phase 1.5. There are threads that will help you with that.

Furnace is right...losing weight is a long term committment and I had many weeks where I did not lose physical pounds but the inches kept coming off. I think sometimes your body just needs to catch up. I'd advise you not to call 4 or 5 days without scale movement a "stall". Four or five weeks without scale movement is more deserving of that word. Sometimes our body just holds onto water weight, too. The important thing is the general trend which in your case seems to be "down."

Just a heads up, when you've been eating on plan, then you eat any of the "whites" (white rice, white flour or white sugar, or excessive salt), your weight will temporarily go up. I call it the Chinese Buffet syndrome. I can gain 7 pounds after a trip to the buffet and it takes me 3 or 4 days to get back down. If you understand and expect it, you'll learn not to react to it.

For me, the number one thing I have found to stay positive is this group. I post here everyday. I post when I'm feeling good and make sure I get here when I'm feeling bad. These beachers have become good friends and even at my weight I have a long way to go. I set up time to get here every morning before the events of the day take over. I'm an emotional eater and my very best plan for the day is often put in jeopardy by my reactions to the actions of others. (things I can't control but often eat over)

My very best wishes to you and I hope you decide to join in here. We'd love to share in your successes a day at a time!

[OnMyWayDown]

Thanks for all the input again. I somehow forgot to add in that breakfast is not just v8 it also includes egg whites with spinach and turkey bacon or scrambled eggs 3/4 whites 1/4 yellow and Canadian bacon.
Definitely all good suggestions and as hard as it seems I think in will have to try to add in some more items.
Really really appreciate all the support.
Just curious but I thought brown rice was On plan? That was how I had my sushi.

[zeffryn]

Brown rice is phase 2 appropriate...though you mentioned that you hadn't yet transitioned to phase 2.

[OnMyWayDown]

Well just an update. I spent the last day and a half trying to increase my portion sizes and added a few more veggies and a little more healthy fats. Not sure how its going to turn out but we shall see.
I think I am still going to stick to mainly Phase 1 since in the book it states that if you have a tremendous amount of weight to lose ie over 100lbs that you can stay one Phase 1 for up to 2 months.
I just wanted to say Thank you to everyone who took the time to read all my really long post and responding.
It's nice to have an opinion from someone that is already doing this rather than someone who thinks they know what I should be doing.