[zportiss]

Newby here!!
I hope this is the right place to post some basic questions.

I'm finishing my 1st week of phase 2 and want to be sure I'm following the plan correctly. If I eat a salad with 2 tbs of SB friendly dressing, is that my limit for fat for the day? Does cheese count towards protein and is there a limit for it? I eat a lot of reduced fat cheese, and I'm just concerned that I'm missing something about a limit. Not seeing it in the book.

My first week of phase 2 I added a whole grain slice of bread. It seems like now I'm always hungry. I feel like I'm always snacking. I'm eating SB snacks, but my stomach is always rumbling. I don't know how i can get more protein or vegetables in. I want to add more beans, but snacking on beans seems tough.

Typical day:
Breakfast: SF creamer w coffee
Quiche w egg whites, spinach, mushrooms, low fat cheese, Turkey sausage
Whole grain slice of bread with 1 tbs margarine

Snack: Celery with no added sugar peanut butter or laughing cow cheese

Lunch: salad w chicken, 2 tbs SB friendly dressing, chickpeas, black olives, reduced fat parmesan

Snack: 15 almonds

Starving now

Dinner: shrimp, cauliflower mashed potatoes, asparagus

Starving before bed

Snack: deli turkey. (Still hungry)

Thank you!

[jekel383]

Hi and welcome to South Beach! Just looking at your menu quickly, it doesn’t seem like you are getting enough calories to be full. It’s been a long time since I read the book, but I opted for full fat cheese unless I was cooking with it. Fat helps us to feel full. Are you exercising? If so depending on your exercise intensity you would definitely need to eat more. How did you do on Phase 1? Were you feeling hungry then or only since you added grains / fruit? I cannot eat fruit without a fat unless I have it late in the day. So I tend too save fruit for the last thing I eat. Maybe swap your morning and evening snack. The fat from the PB might help you feel full. Are you super hungry between breakfast and lunch? BTW your breakfast sounds really good! Keep checking in we will do our best to help answer your questions.

[Pearlrose]

Foods with Artificial sweeteners will make your tummy rumble so make sure you keep that to a minimum. You may want to look at the ingredients for the whole grain bread it might contain ingredients that we shouldn't have, I like Ezekiel 4:9 bread has about 15 carbs per slice of bread but it is made from sprouted grains. I agree with what Jekel said.

[zportiss]

Hi Jekel! Thanks for your response! This last week was a really strange one because we did Thanksgiving on 3 separate days at 3 different homes. Times for normal snacks and meals were WAY off.

The norm above does leave me hungry as well though. It has been super strange how hungry I am because I literally always feel like I'm eating. Maybe it is because the carbs make me feel satiated longer. I only really started feeling like this when I added carbs back in.

Pearlrose: I do eat a lot of artificial sweetener. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I feel like I need something sweet to drink when I eat a meal. I'm not really sure what type of sweet drink I can have that doesn't have artificial sweetener. I could not do this diet without the sweet drink breaking up all the savory flavors though. My palate is funny and I would probably end up falling off the wagon and eating carbs. Any suggestions would be great. I know those chemicals are bad for you. Thanks for the tip on the bread. I'll try to find it!

I am still wondering about how much fat I can have in a day. Does anyone know if it is 1-2 tbs per meal?

Also, is there a limit to how much cheese I can have?

[Muffin]

Hello and Welcome zportiss!

The basic guidelines is 2 to 3 tbs per day but this is referring more to the added fats like oil. As far as cheese I believe is not considered fat but you need to eat it in moderation (maybe a cheese stick and a bit shredded in your salad)

Same as Jekel, I don't eat the fat free/low fat. I prefer the full fat because my body process them better and I also feel fuller through the day. If I eat what you are eating for lunch I would be hungry too. I need to have a heavier lunch maybe your salad you can also have a stirfry or a cauliflower rice, or a piece of avocado. Salads have lots of volume but very little calories, same as veggies. So adding a 1/2 cup of beans or roasted chickpeas can also help you feel fuller.

Also drinking plenty of water can help you feel fuller. I don't use artificial sweeteners, i got used to just drink plain water, but you can add some fruit to infuse flavor and that might help you.

As far a a limit on the foods, you need to play with them to know what works for you. In my case if I eat bread i crave things all day long, so I learned to just avoid it.