I wouldn't worry about eating Phase I appropriate stuff in between meals the first two weeks. I ate every 3 hours or so, probably had 3 meals and 3 snacks. Don't stress too much about the quantity in Phase I. It's the quality of what you're eating that's more important. Mixed drinks and beer are no-no's to be enjoyed only very seldom on South Beach.

Amen to that! Plus it's really common sense eating. But not counting or anything is my idea of heaven.

Awww welcome to Phase 1.5!!! I think I've finally moved on to Ph2! I have a whole wheat tortilla, some berries and maybe even rice in one day. I am not weight myself at all this week b/c I am finally getting my exercise on and always gain when I do for some reason but I think I am finally there after over a month on 1.5!

Thank you all. Your input was appreciated. I'm ready!!

True, but I find that I lose very little when on PH2. When I keep my starches and fruits down to one/day for most days, my weight loss is steady. I've learned to choose my starches very carefully! LOL PH2 might be my maintenance...isn't that a scary thought???

TwilightMom, I would just add the starches/fruits back slowly and see what happens. If your weight loss stops for a couple of weeks when having 3 then try to cut back to 2 and see what happens. Congrats on your PH1 loss!

It took me a bit to catch up! I had a SP last night and it was so so yummy! I'm having another one tonight (just half) and some broccoli.

I do a couple things when I'm having a sweet craving - take a teaspoon and swipe it through the pb jar and lick it clean, concentrating on it so I don't miss a flavor OR I have SF jell-o. I usually tire of eating it before I finish my serving and it kills my sweet tooth. I actually craved it at the beginning of the diet. I also have coffee with splenda. If these tricks don't work, it usually means I am ready for bed. I had a hard time with the cheese stick snack at first, too, but now it's enough. For me, it was the perception - This lousy cheese stick isn't gonna do crap for that raging beast of a belly - but it did. I was usually so preoccupied with stripping into little strings I forgot how hungry I perceived to be.

My school uniform (nursing student) is fitting better and I don't have to hold my breath when I bend over! My face doesn't turn as red as it used to, either!

ACK! I gained a pound! I think I need to eliminate the red.

Twilight -- It may be the red, but it also may be the transition. Seems like I gained a pound when I started ph2 (1.5). I maintained that pound for a couple weeks before it came off. Now it's coming off nicely. Don't give up!

I do keep a rough journal. I want to make sure I'm not sneaking in too many new foods on the same day. It helps keep me honest. lol

Today I had grainy oatmeal with sk milk for breakfast. I like it with about 3 chopped walnuts in it and I cook up the oatmeal with one chopped apple, making enough to last several days so each day I'm only getting a fraction of an apple.

For lunch I had a multigrain tortilla wrap with chicken, lettuce, tomato, green onion and a dab of ff mayo. That held me until supper time when I had lean pork with sauerkraut and mocktatoes (smashed cauliflower), spinach and a glass of V8.
My only snack will be with my evening pills, probably 1/2 cup of ff/sf yogurt and about 20 pistachios.
So, I'm still nervous about adding fruit as just eating an apple always makes me hungrier immediately. I'll probably start with a few berries, such as blueberries in my SB Pancakes.

Have you tried having your fruit later in the day? If I have fruit at breakfast I am ravenous about an hour later so I save it for after lunch or dinner and try to pair it up with a little protein (nut butter or ricotta/cottage cheese).

Blueberries are much lower in sugar than apples so they might be a better choice to try at breakfast.

Okay, I'm tossing in my $.02 on journaling food.

I have journaled since my second month on SBD and will continue for the rest of my life. Pretty much every study of successful losers and maintainers has shown that journaling is one of the major indicators of long term success. Maybe those of you who are "just" overweight and have gained the weight more recently really can just eyeball your food. I was obese for years and overweight almost all of my life and I would be lying if I said I had any idea what an actual portion size of anything was. I'm also perfectly happy to lie to myself about how much I eat. I didn't get obese because of genes or hormones or the curse the evil witch put on me at birth I ate too much too often and the only way I've found to keep myself on track is to write down everything that crosses my lips, especially those "little" things that I wouldn't count before. When my weight loss slowed and now when I gain I also go right back to a few days of weighing and measuring. Yeah, it's a drag but it's better than being obese again. It's really easy in this culture to overeat. Everything we see in restaurants and grocery stores is bigger than it was 30 years ago so we tend to think servings are that size. I have found it to be a steep learning curve and sometimes I forget. Of course maybe that's just me and some of you really can control how much you eat without writing it down. I've even seen some people who can maintain without exercise (I suspect worms ) but I really think it's helpful even if you just do it for a few months to get into the habit of thinking about portion sizes and quantity. As always YMMV and this is all IMO!

Cyndi, I orginally asked the question, because I too 'have to' journal. I just have this 'need' to know
For me, SB is a bit difficult, but I'm sure it's a learning process.
At the end of my very stressful day I like to have a glass of wine, but that's not allowed Phase 1...but is it Phase 2? or can I claim the wine as Phase 1.5?
I am not a fruit lover, maybe a banana every so often...so looking forward to fruit does nothing for me. I am a BIG veggie eater, and can never have too many of those.
Still finding it a bit difficult to do SB, but I am willing to work at it. Just need my glass of vino!!!
It's kind of hard just reading from the books, but this board has been very informative.
So thank you all for all of your wonderful input.

Have a good day today!!

Red wine is allowed in Phase 2. Since Phase 1.5 is an individualized approach to transitioning I don't see why you couldn't try a small glass of wine. Just watch how your body reacts and limit it to 1 glass. I also like my glass of wine in the evening and added it back early on. Gave me less trouble than grains in the morning.

I think I need to start blogging and/or writing down what I eat. I've gained a pound and I think it's because I've become lazy in my vigilance with food. For instance, I forgot to bring lunch one day and had no cash to go to my favorite deli for a salad, so I ate about 4 oz of chapped walnuts! I just couldn't stop! And then I was on a hunger war path for the rest of the night so I ate more almonds and 3 tsp of real peanut butter. I don't know if the carbs in the wine set me off, or if it was because I skipped a true lunch, or what, but I think writing everything down will help me analyze why I'm off or on track.

I want to lose 35 pounds by May 15 and I won't be able to accomplish that if I don't eat properly.

Twilight - Funny you mentioned nuts. I was making breakfast after my post this morning and carefully measuring my walnuts. Nuts and nut butter are one of the major things I have to hold myself accountable for. I have a real thing for them and can easily convince myself a T of PB or handful of nuts "doesn't count" because it's good fat. FitDay is my friend