Ok so years ago (about 8 or 9) I did south beach and was wildly successful at losing weight (60+lbs). I have let stress get the better of me and have fallen off the health band wagon many years ago. I've finally decided to revisit South Beach since it was so successful for me and it was easy to follow...

I started Saturday, and weighed 302 pounds (I'm 5'11" so yes I am very overweight). I immediately cut out all alcohol and everything else not allowed in phase 1. I have not cheated once and I'm drinking water like my life depends on it. I'm not really exercising much but i didn't exercise before so this isn't a change. I also remember on southbeach the first go around waiting until after i got past the first few weeks to start an exercise regimen so i could get used to the diet first and not overload myself.

I weighed myself today, Day 5 on phase 1, and I'm 301.6, so basically no change at all.

Any recommendations? I've been sleeping normally (not too much or too little), i don't eat many of the bean/legumes that are allowed. I've eaten 2 eggs for breakfast scrambled with an entire bag of frozen veggies (one day was greenbeans, another day was peppers and onions, etc) and my lunch is either a salad with lean protein or stirfried veggies with chicken. Dinners are the same. I snack on raw veg with fat free greek yogurt mixed with lipton french onion soup mix and i've only eaten my serving of nuts one day so far. I also have had steamed cabbage with onions for a snack a few times.

My cravings have gone down and i don't feel as hungry as i used to, so those are great things, but given the amount of weight i need to lose and how much my calorie intake has come down (not counting calories, but just comparing to how i used to eat) I really would have expected to see at a minimum a few pounds off by now. In the past i always lost 5-8 pounds in the first week, probably mostly water weight, but i haven't come even close to that this time. not even a single pound... need some help and encouragement

HERE FOR YOU!!!

I am running out the door to a counseling session, and sorry I did not see this earlier. You can do it. You are already healthier regardless of weight loss.

Can you post your specific menus for each day? I am not an expert, but someone here are REALLY good and may spot some ideas.

Be well -

Here for you, too!

I'll bet you've got some major body restructure happening already! I started my WL journey close to your weight. It was soooooo much easier once I committed to following SBD. Even now, I will lose a clothing size without much scale movement. Truthfully, although we all love scale movement I am much more concerned with staying OP and shrinking in size both which equate to better health.

Hang out with us! It helps a lot!

It's only been a week. Your body could be having a hormonal shift or something, or maybe you didn't have much water weight before you started. Who knows? A week isn't long enough to judge how well it's working.

That said, if it continues to be a problem, try something else! There are lots of healthy eating plans you could try. So why not try something new?

I have always regretted not taking my measurements when I first started SB, but only my weight. As Debbie said, we often have "restructuring" with no weight loss.

Keep with it; you may be about to drop some weight!

You know, I have to say, when I posted this I really had no idea if anybody at all would respond and of those that did respond I had no clue what they might say. I know the usual responses "are you eating too much cheese", "are you overdoing the nuts" I knew I wasn't doing that and so I felt hopeless. Your responses are so encouraging, i'm going to take my measurements first thing in the morning and start tracking that as well. I'm staying on the course for now hoping to start seeing results.

Thank you!
��Jacki

Jacki that is great. I too wish I took my measurements. I try to judge how I feel now compared to before SB. It's funny co workers comment I seem happier now. No one here will ever judge you or make you feel badly about yourself. One of the reasons I am on here so frequently. Even though the daily chat is just that, it helps keep me focused. The support has been phenomenal.

I know when I am stressed I don't see any movement on the scale or it goes up despite being on plan. That does get frustrating, but eventually the numbers come down. This plan has taught me patience which I never had before.

Keep checking in and welcome back to the beach

Oooh, Jacki - one quick thought - one year I did this and did not eat ENOUGH (I thought I was being "so good"), and my body seemed to treat it as starvation mode. Also a good reason to post daily menus so the SB gurus here can help look for that . . .

YOU CAN DO THIS!
Be well -

Hi Jackie, we all have felt your pain at one time or another! If I were you I would have one serving of beans and two servings of dairy (outside of cheese) each day to see if this jump starts you. It jumpstarted me the last time I had a problem.

Also, (ahem), could it be close to TOM or are you going through menopause or perimenopause? All this can really affect your weight...and I do have to say that I would either weigh every day or only once a week if what the scale shows can really make you feel discouraged. Weighing every day might not be a bad idea in the beginning, because you won't be mentally "saving up" for a big loss. Hang in there!!

lol so apparently it is TOM, hoping that explains everything! Turning 30 soon so really hoping i'm not menopausal yet, still need to make some beautiful babies some day.

I have started tracking my food on Sparkpeople.com (just one of my favorites for convenience) so i'll be able to quickly post my intake in the future if this happens again. I will say though the thing i love most about the beach is you don't have to track, but i know the importance of calories in vs calories out, so i'll probably spot track a few days a week.

thanks again for all of your support, its really helpful. I'll be on phase one for longer than the usual 2 weeks due to the large amount of weight i have to lose. This was recommended in one of the books (can't remember if it was the original or newer one), so i'll start browsing here for food ideas so i don't get bored.

I have to say this morning i needed a true on the go breakfast and i ran out of eggs so i stopped at panera for their power bowl steak and eggs breakfast and it was amazingly delicious and perfect for phase 1, highly recommend it if your ever in a pinch for a low carb, heart healthy option. I'll report back after my "friend" passes lol hopefully i'll have a great weight loss to report at that point! I do weigh every day, mainly because i'm neurotic

Thanks again everyone! this site is GREAT!

Hi Jacki - just sending you some pixie dust for the weekend -

Jacki - glad you're enjoying the chicks on the beach here - they're awesome! There will be good days, and then there will be bad days, and we all help each other through it.

Can't wait to hear about your woosh!