I was trying to write more in Sunkissed's original post about this but it was closed.

Ruth I know you said join the thread you started today but do you mean the one for people who just started today? Is there a thread for people who continue to do it a little longer and who are not just starting?

There is an article that I posted about a week ago here from prevention magazine that has questions and answers with Dr A. He says its fine for people who have a lot of weight to lose to do phase #1 for 4 weeks. So as long as he says its ok I dont see why not if someone can deal with it and needs to do it. For me its a personal choice and I have chose to stay on it bc last week wasnt so good and because I have a lot to lose. I may just stay on it for another week and then slowly start adding carbs back in or I may choose to do that in a few days. But as far as I am concerned if the DR said its ok to do it for longer than its ok! I know its not something I plan on doing for more than 4 weeks unless I need to switch back to it after some time on phase #2. I am not trying to be rude at all just trying to make my point that its not "illegal" for someone to stay on phase #1 for a little longer as long as its not past 4 weeks!

And sorry if I was grumpy, I am having one of those days!

Me too! Let's close this and start over. I think it's been covered in the FAQ and other threads.

I agree that it's OK to do it for more than two weeks but also know that Phase I misses lots of nutrients. This is a lifestyle change, not a plan for fast weightloss.

Thanks! You took the words right out of my mouth!!

Have a great day!!!!

Well, you chicks may not realize this but I read everything that's posted. (Just doing my job!) That's why I sometimes close threads that seem to be redundant or where I consider a question has been answered. I need to cut my workload somehow! Ellis and Beachgal aren't able to be in here much at the moment.

If you want to make a thread for folks continuing on Phase I, go ahead. Usually people just join the two week Phase I thread but it's up to you. You could use this one or start a new one. I can rename this if you want.

Right now, I'm outta here to deal with some DH problems. Will check later.

Ruth sounds good to me. What do you think Sunkissed?

Ruth hope your DH problems get solved soon!

Sounds Good!!!

Kimberly and Sunkissed--I hope this has been worked out...if not, PM me and we'll figure something out. For some reason all 3 mods have crazy things happening in our lives right now, so it's a bit crazy in here (though Ruth is AMAZING and has been doing more than I thought one person could do!). Promise things will be a bit better soon.

As to Phase 1, yes, you can keep doing. I doubt it'll seriously harm your health. But it's not a great idea. Some people find that the weight loss stops or, even worse, that they gain weight if they stay on P1 too long. It definitely isn't healthy to do over the long term. If you do stay on it longer, I'd make getting good carbs in an ESSENTIAL part of your day...things like beans, peppers, tomatoes, yogurt, and milk. Also make sure you are at least taking a multivitamin and eating a wide variety of vegetables to get the nutrients you'd usually get from fruit. You might need to up your metamucil intake or take stool softeners...over time you're going to have some serious intestinal issues without the fiber from good starches.

All in all, it's not a bad thing to start P2. You can even do a P1.5, as some do, for a while. I lost 26 pounds during my 2 weeks on P1, but I lost another 70 in the next 7.5 months. So it really didn't stop me from losing weight to start P2. Just my $0.02.

Good luck either way and PM me if you need help finding a thread to post in.

Laurie- Thanks so much! I guess I am doing part 1.5. I have not had any fruit or breads but did have the SBD pizza both last night and the night before with a big salad and I am still losing. I am slowly going to add things back but not too much right now bc I am afraid the cravings will come back. Thanks for all the help!

Laurie 26 lbs in ph 1...I need that recipe!!!

Ditto!