OMG! that's incredible.

i guess part of my increduliousness (is that a word) is that I am going to have to deal with HUNGER... on SBD we are PROMISED we will never be hungry... and i guess if KNOW what hunger is we can deal with that.

I'm struggling. i'm at 215... my goal is not that low it's about 176 and i'm short... but i'm solid and will need medical plastic surgery that will probably remove another 15 pounds of skin.... and that's about right for me...

I COULD BE THERE already... I just have to quit fighting myself and self-sabotoguing... ( i know i spelled it wrong) but boy oh boy i'm SCARED...

i can't believe i'm saying stuff like this...

I'm currently eating 1200ish calories, so my morning is really going to sound skimpy to you, but here it is...

I've had a smoothie with banana, strawberry, blueberry, lowfat vanilla yogurt, skim milk and Optimum Nutrition whey protein powder, 232 calories. I've also had 15g (app. 1/8 of a cup, I weighed mine to be half of the 1/4 cup serving on the bag) of Trader Joe's Simply Almonds, Cashews, and Cherries trail mix - 75 calories. I've had about 34 oz. of water - passed up the coffee with 25 cals of creamer I normally have because I was feeling a little ooky this morning. So, 307 calories so far - I normally eat lunch at 1, planning on a 208 calorie grilled chicken sandwich.

I'm close to my goal, so will be moving to a maintaining calorie level, probably 1800 I imagine. I've ramped up my activity, but added some protein so haven't been feeling hungry until the last few days...

It isn't as hard as it sounds - it was a little weird in the beginning, but I got used to it pretty quick. Like others have said, I can almost estimate some things from weighing them for a while, but not quite comfortable with that yet.... I do the same as one of the earlier posters, put my plate on the scale, or weigh out each item individually to add to the plate.

I don't feel like there are any foods I'm denying myself, I've had some things that were higher in calorie knowing I would have to play catch up for a few days. I'm just more aware - I was stunned to see that a common order I was eating from Zaxby's had almost 1600 calories by itself... That was the wake up call for me...

Good luck! Oh, and I drink a lot of hot tea - it helps when I feel munchy in the afternoon or find myself with food cravings. I have several sweet blends that help when I want candy...

I have some nuts almost every day, but it's usually only a 1/2 oz (depending on the nut I think ~2T), sometimes 3/4 or 1 oz if I happen to be low on calories or they just really improve a dish (the food has to be good!). Lately it's been walnuts, and I count 7 halves as 1/2 once (per FitDay) instead of weighing. It's easier. I think it's about 90-95 calories. I plan on at least a full ounce a day in maintenance, but wasn't initially able to fit that in while losing. My diet is changing a bit (going nearly vegetarian and way way down on dairy), plus I've started C25K, and I might have a little more room.

Now a 1/2 oz of nuts isn't *completely* satisfying and filling, but I have been quite surprised how well even only a 1/2 oz of nuts plus a glass of water fills me up. My fruits are dear to me, but they are not filler-uppers :-). A full ounce of nuts plus water is just plain filling.

keep it coming ladies..

so i'm thinking

food 1
coffee
1 hb egg (or 4 oz cottage cheese)
6 oz v8

food 2 if phase 2
oatmeal
banana
milk (no nuts)

food if phase 1
string cheese
peppers (small sweet peppers or green peppers)

food 3 (lunch)
salad
feta
protein (fish or chicken usually)
dressing (gotta get some good fats) (or ff dressing and guac/salsa)

snack
yogurt (greek non-fat)
fruit (or nuts in phase 1)

dinner
protein
hot veggie
salad w/dressing (and feta)

snack
fudge pop


that's how i eat now...

maybe i do need to just get off of SBD and try grains again...

First, I think avoiding hunger and focusing on healthier foods is a fabulous way for many people to start, and can certainly be enough to cause weight loss at first. But I think virtually everyone reaches a point where they do have to pay more attention to portions.

I do *not* believe in living in hunger, but I definitely believe in learning the difference between satisfied and stuffed, and in learning to be hungry before you start a new meal. I think SB already covers these concepts. But I also think that if you are used to eating too much, there is nothing wrong with living with a little hunger for a little while and giving your mind and stomach a chance to re-calibrate. It's temporary (how long I think will vary enormously).

Secondly, I think it's outstanding that you're saying "stuff like this" if you haven't been before. Getting it out there goes a long way to making it lose its power over you.

I'll be thrilled if some of the suggestions we have help you! I sure know I've found lots of help on the SB forums. You can most definitely follow all the concepts of SB while calorie counting (except, I guess, for the one about not counting calories ).

When I want volume I go for salad - tricks like adding the mixed greens and a small amount of dressing (I sometimes add extra Balsamic vinegar to an already lowfat dressing) makes a HUGE salad pretty low cal.

Have you tried any of the fat free fetas? I think Presidente brand is the best I've found.

Nessa, You can do it! It doesn't have to be painful. If I thought I had to be hungry counting calories, I couldn't do it, so I understand why that would concern someone. If that concerns you, you really need to think volume, volume, volume.

There are a couple of good books with illustrations on how to make your food more volumimous (sp?). One is "The volumetrics eating plan: techniques and recipes for feeling full on fewer calories" by Barbara Rolls. Another is "Dr. Shapiro's picture perfect weight loss: the visual program for permanent weight loss" by Howard Shapiro. These are both a few years old so you have have better luck finding them at a library instead of a bookstore. They show great example of how to eat more for fewer calories. Things that are pretty simple once you get the idea of it. I've never used any of their exact recipes, but the concepts have been tremendously helpful. For example, instead of the one hard boiled egg and v8, you could make an omelet with half a cup of eggbeaters, two cups of mixed veggies like mushrooms, zucchinis, red pepper and a tablespoon of parmesan and have a big plate full of food for fewer calories. These are small changes really, but they can make a big difference in feeling full and being hungry.

Oh and for a little something fudge-y at the end of the day, you might look for Blue Bunny No Sugar Added Fudge Lites. They have 35 calories and 4 grams of fiber. I love those things!

Sounds like your eating pretty healthy but the suggesting that tammy had about breakfast sounds good. Im not sure how much you exercise, but i know that for me if i dont eat carbs there is no way i can exercise. I also find that the whole grains keep me full.

ah yes breakfast!

first of all i exercise after work. I swim (or bike) that's all i'm allowed to do.

my weekend breakfast is 1 egg some whites glugged into the bowl and a ton of veggies (1 onion, 1 pepper some mushrooms) and coffee and i rarely have to have my oatmeal...

the egg and v8 is my grab and go for work...

grains make me hungry whole or otherwise...

much of my hunger is not real however. it' can't be. unless i am stuffed to uncomfortable i think i'm hungry. i'm working on that.

nessa -- I'm working on the "not hunger hunger" too...

Nessa-I think you're already doing great. You're so open-minded to new ideas and it sounds like you have a grasp on what you need to watch for.

I eat about 1600 calories a day and as long as I'm careful with my calories, I rarely go hungry. I love eating veggies cause there is so much food for so few calories. Green beans are a current favorite of mine. I can eat masses of green beans without destroying my calorie count. I have also just discovered baked and sweet potatoes. Yummy! And filling and low in calories so long as I watch the amount of butter I add.

I know I need large doses of protein, especially around the times that I workout. 1 oz of cheese or an almond butter sandwich are favorites for this.

And I eat tons of fruit to help survive my sweet tooth. Here is yesterday, although the calories are low. I'm doing a 'girls day' tomorrow and I'm going to eat waaaaay to much:

Breakfast Granola, soy milk and blueberries. Approx 340 calories

Lunch Usually a smartone frozen meal (I don't really stop work to eat, I bolt my food down and keep eating) and some fruit. About 350 calories

Snack: My favorite is 1 oz of cheese, 4 rye crackers, a smear of hummus and a crab stick. Approx 350 calories. It's a small snack with a lot of calories but it fills me up and gets me pumped on the protein which gets me ready for my workout.

I'm like you, right now I can't walk, I hurt my foot. It's driving me mad! I am not a swimmer, so it's all about my bike right now. I go for about 90 minutes 3-4 times a week.

Dinner is whatever I want to finish up the calories. Fish, vegetable dumplings, veggies, fruit etc. It depends on my mood, but I'm never hungry when I go to bed and that's important. I have a horrible, bread/butter/sugar, snack that I love eating right before I go to bed. If I'm hungry, I'll eat that, so I have to make sure I'm not hungry at night.

I was shocked at my high calorie count following SB.The hummus and choices of the carbs I could have, really added to the calories. My fav breakfast of spinach,beans and salsa with egg whites, carries me . I just want to shout CALORIE COUNT from the mountains tops to my dieting friends,I am psyched!!

oh i know SBD type food is good for me but i also know that calories are becoming very important for me if i am going to continue losing.

so september 1 i will be doing phase 1 but i will be logging my calories and keeping it around 1800 per day and seeing how it goes.

Sounds like a plan, nessa!

About nuts. I generally cannot have them. They are a trigger food for me for sure. If I'm going good, I can count out the 1 ounce of, say, cashews that equals 165 calories, and be done with them. But if I'm not going good, it's really, really hard to stop there...

You may not be as "hungry" if you get enough protein--that's what I've discovered.

Jay

I'm the opposite of Jay. A small handful of almonds (6-8) can help me feel satisfied for a while. I take a small baggie with me everywhere, just in case! They don't seem to trigger a problem for me, unless I'm under stress, in which case I can eat anything mindlessly...