but I'm not complaining.

I was SO GOOD on phase I. I didn't cheat at all, except for one night where I had a little too much wine. Did I lose a ton? **** no. The book says expect to lose 8 to 13 pounds in the first two weeks. I lost 5, 4 of which were in the first week.

Nevertheless, I went on to Phase II. I was losing, just not very fast. A half pound here, a quarter pound there. After 4 weeks on the diet, the husband and I decided that we needed a little break. So what did we do? Drank WAY too much on Friday night - I even had half a beer, and about 3,245,623 glasses of wine. We ended up sharing a glass of champagne over a slice of chocolate-walnut-rum torte, complete with ice cream on the side.

The next night, I didn't feel like cooking, so we ordered a pizza. And more wine, of course!

I get up this morning, my official weigh-in day, and tentatively step on the scale. What would it say? Did I gain back ALL the weight (mmmm... that pizza was GOOD).

No. I'm THREE POUNDS DOWN.

Color me boggled. I don't understand this diet at all. Does this mean that every saturday night I should order pizza?!?

Hi,
I call it the Cheater's Paradox!

Sometimes I think we need to shake up our metabolism a little. Maybe we're eating too little or we're eating too much of the same thing, or eating little enough that we're not 'pushing it through' if you know what I mean! A feast can sometimes trigger a sudden loss if you've been faithful to the program. At least that is my experience.

Now, too many feasts without the faithful part and there is no paradox!

don't worry I found the 3 lbs u lost! lol Congrats!

Aba, lots of people report issues like that. Unfortunately, those who keep feasting don't see those pounds stay down. They rocket back up.

What it probably means is that you weren't eating enough before. You have very, very little to lose, comparatively, and so your loss is going to be ssslllloooooooowwwww. You know? That can be a frustration, but if you believe, as I do, that this isn't a diet as much as a lifestyle change...one that will not only help you lose weight, but gain health, it's a lot easier.

Keep plugging away girl, okay?

How was the scale this morning? when I have too much wine I lose for a day or two and then it shows up grrrrr....All things in moderation has to be my motto to keep losing

The scale has stayed consistent. I know what you mean about the wine creating an artificial weight loss; I've seen that before. But for me it usually comes back right away, and it's never a 3 pound swing. So far it's staying off. Let's hope it stays that way!

Aba, I was thinking of you this morning (and how confusing this weight loss journey can be...). I've been on a plateau for almost three months now. I go anywhere from 220 to 223. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, so I "fasted" by eating very small meals until dinner, when I had a bowl of soup and a salad. This morning, I had lost 3 pounds! Oy! I'm overjoyed at the weight loss, but how frustrating is it that when you overindulge, you lose, when I underindulge, I lose, but when we eat right, not much happens!

I guess I need to be eating less. It's such a balance, you know?

Im starting to think that too... Maybe's that's why they say tailored diet exercise plans work better than one specific one?

I think it's easy to tailor SBD to your own lifestyle. I just have to retailor it to this new phase. I'm too close to goal, and so my body is not giving up the fat like it was when I was 150 pounds overweight, you know? Now I need to eat less I guess. I was hoping that wouldn't happen....

And maybe Abadoozy needs to eat more. But each of us can figure that out. It is do-able. But it takes more work than one would think.

I've asked myself if I need to eat more, but I don't think I do. Really, I eat whenever I'm hungry - nuts, cheese (I LOVE cheese), some leftovers, a hard boiled egg, etc. Plus, my husband and I are both confused about something - he's weighs about 50 pounds more than me, and is taller. Yet, on a given day, we eat about the same. Most days, EXACTLY the same, since I make meals. I think this was true even pre-SB, but he definitely ate more sweets than me. He could wolf down a half a box of cookies in one sitting!

Given that, why do we eat the same amount of food? We're both losing on SB, he faster than I but neither of us at an unhealthy weight. He's more active than me, working out longer, harder, and more often (he used to race bicycles and run marathons - he LIKES exercise, whereas I tolerate it.) He is 13 years older than me - but age shouldn't make THAT big a difference, should it?

For what it's worth, I'm down another half pound. I *have* stepped up the exercise program, so maybe that's what's working. Whatever it is, I like it!

I also think that age (gasp...) might be part of the situation. I know FOR SURE that it's a LOT harder for me to dump the 5 or 10 pounds I let creep up on me over the holidays now that I'm 59 than it was when I was younger. And if I don't watch what I eat like a hawk (which I didn't have to do when I was a "spring fat chick") those pounds creep up at a rate of about 1/2 a pound a week. Trust me — getting older isn't as much fun as I thought it would be!

Age can have some to do with it, but Aba, that might mean that your DH should be eating more. Make sure, when you are hungry that you eat veggies with the protein. It helps immensely!

Interesting stuff, though, isn't it? I wonder about your DH's muscle mass, too. He may have a higher metabolism than you because of the extra workouts he's done. The human body can be pretty confusing!