Hi. First I want to thank you all for the information I've been reading here for the past 2 days. I've tried to find out the answers to my questions by reading other threads but I just didn't find the answer I needed. So, forgive me if I am repeating others.

1. Sugar Free Jell-o. How much is a serving size? I know the serving size is 1/2 cup on the box but if I need another 1/2 cup, may I have it?

2. Portion size. I kinda get the feeling that if one portion doesn't satisfy you that you may have another. Is that right? My husband is also doing this and he is a meat and potato man so I want to make sure he doesn't get too hungry on this new eating plan.

3. Turkey/Ham Rolls. Do you have to use the mayonaisse or can you just use the meat and veggies? Just wondering.

Thanks for all your help. I know I won't have trouble with the caffeine thing because I had to go through that in July when I was hospitalized and have been caffeine free since. Any help is appreciated with the food end of things. I went shopping today and bought lots of lettuce, reduced fat cheese, made Jell-o and bought Ricotta to try those ricotta desserts in the book.

Thanks again.

Lisa

Lisa, you are allowed to have 75 calories of "sweets" a day which includes sf jello gelatin.

As for portions, I would say yes eat, don't go hungry but also get in the 4.5 cups of veggies a day which will help you feel more full.

You don't have to use mayo if you don't want to, use whatever you want including mustard.

Thank you, Nelie. Your help is greatly appreciated.

Lisa

Lisa,

I haven't been at this as long as Nelie but I just wanted to give you my input. I followed the plan to the letter as laid out in the book for the first two weeks. I lost 16 pounds and I think it had a lot to do with portion control. The most I ever lost on Atkins during the first two weeks was 10 pounds but I ate huge portions. Try as hard as you can to stay on plan but if you need it then don't deny yourself. It also depends on how much weight you have to lose - I have a lot as you can see from my signature. If you stay with foods like SF jello which is on plan you should be ok if you have a little extra if you must. Don't be surprised if your hubby just drops the weight much faster than you. Men just do. Stinkers! Give the cilantro mayo a chance - it is one of my favorite items on this diet. Join us for the daily's everyday - everyone is very positive and motivating.

I found when I first started I had larger portions of protein because I wasn't eating the carbos to full me up. The vegies just didn't satisfied me but after about four days I got used to it and could cut back the portions a bit. For me it is the snacks that I need to monitor as it is really easy to grab an extra snack when you are not really hungry. I did weight watchers years ago (and regained it all) but often I keep track of my points and find that when I stick to my 'points' I lose weight, if I am exceeding them most days the weight loss stalls. Makes sense really!

If what they say is true, any diet works because they all control the amount of calories you take in. I think SBD makes this whole thing easier because the removal of sugar and bad carbs keeps us from craving. But the calorie thing still applies. Dr. A says you should not be hungry...eat if you are. But watch yourself. Are you really hungry? Or are you bored, scared, upset, nervous, etc? If you need help with emotional eating, try journaling, replacing your eating with other things that soothe but don't hurt like talking with a friend, going for a walk, taking up a new hobby, meditating, etc. Or check out Overeaters Anonymous (www.oa.org) for help. But don't assume that you can eat and eat and eat and lose weight. That just doesn't happen. Even if they food is all healthy!

If your husband is a meat and potato guy and he doesn't make an effort to add lots of veggies to his diet, he's going to have a hard time. I hated most veggies before I started SBD, but I forced myself to eat them and looked for combinations that worked for me. I still have to just squeeze my nose closed and chew, but less and less, now. I think he could come to like vegetables, but you might warn him and get him thinking in that frame of mind...that veggies can actually taste good!

Well, Day 1 was not that bad. I am about to eat dinner within the hour and I am not hungry. Truly. I made that Taco Bake for dinner last night and tonight. I'm still a little confused about dessert too. The following was my day (so far)

Breakfast: Sausage and Cheese Breakfast cup
Decaf coffee with reduced carb/zero fat creamer

Midmorning: Baby Bell Lite Cheese disk

Lunch: 3 oz broiled chicken
lettuce
mushrooms
Just 2 Good Caesar Dressing (50 cal per serv)

MidAfternoon: 1/2 cup cottage cheese (2%)

Planned for dinner:
Dinner: Taco Bake on lettuce with salsa and low fat sour cream
Green beans

So, with all that said, can I have one of those Ricotta Cream Desserts or the Peanut Butter Cup dessert that I saw in the recipes?

Thanks for your help. As you can see by my ticker, I'm a big person. I did WW off and on for the last 4 years and did get all the way to a 100 pound loss. Then stress at work killed me and my old eating habits came back.

Lisa

Lisa, go for the dessert, girl! You're doing GREAT!!

You're doing great, Lisa. But you might want to try to get more vegetables into your menu. Taco Bake itself has some but unless your portion of green beans is large, you probably didn't get as many vegetables as you should have. Lettuce doesn't contain much nutritional value so you might try to add some extra to your meals.

For example, today I had to eat at the cafeteria. I had some lean pork loin with brussel sprouts and green beans. For dinner (I am phase 2), I made the yummy meatball recipe from the cookbook. It has a sauce with onions, garlic, tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash and I add mushrooms. I make sure that I keep the portion of spaghetti small. In phase 1 you could use spaghetti squash instead and if you left the breadcrumbs out of the meatballs, they would be okay for phase 1.

I find I eat a lot more vegetables than I ever would have thought of eating before. I even snack on red pepper and hummus as well as raw cauliflower or zucchini!

Lisa, you can totally add dessert. If you have used up your sweet treat points, you can have the ricotta dessert. Just be careful with it (i.e. don't have it more than once a day) as the calories from it add up. I have a No Sugar Added Creamsicle (25 pts.) after lunch and a No Sugar Added Fudgesicle (45 pts.) after dinner. This leaves me five points, which I use for either a piece of SF gum or a SF butterscotch candy. Voila!

I echo Barb about veggies. Try putting some broccoli (chopped really fine so you barely notice), cauliflower, cabbage, mushrooms, celery, cucumber, and especially tomatoes to your salad to up your veggie content. That really can help. Add veggies to your snacks to up their staying power and extend the vitamins you are getting from your food. Instead of the cheese disk, try a softer cheese, like Laughing Cow Lite with some celery, red bell peper, or cucumber. You are doing great...and no worries...most of us are "big girls"...that's why we are "fat chicks" Welcome!